Top Asian News 2:32 a.m. GMT

84 Indonesians freed from scam centers in Myanmar arrive home

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Eighty-four Indonesians freed from scam centers in Myanmar arrived in Indonesia’s capital, Jakarta, late Friday, part of a massive repatriation movement that is straining regional resources. They were among more than 7,000 people being held in the Myanmar border town Myawaddy following a crackdown on the scam centers by Thailand, Myanmar and China. Two buses carrying the Indonesians arrived Thursday in the Thai border city of Mae Sot, where the passengers had health checks, and their identities were verified. The 84 Indonesians, which included 69 men and 15 women, were brought home on three commercial flights Friday.

Boats collide on river in southern China, killing at least 11 people

BEIJING (AP) — A small ferry was hit by an oil spill cleaning vessel on a river in southern China, state media said on Friday night, killing 11 people while five more are missing. Nineteen people fell overboard during the crash on the Yuanshui River in Hunan province on Tuesday morning, and three were rescued the same day, according to the country’s official news agency Xinhua. The accident happened at a point where the river is more than 60 meters (200 feet) deep, on average, and 500 meters (1,600 feet) wide. Rescue teams salvaged the ferry on Friday night, according to Xinhua, and are continuing the search.

A Myanmar online news site says its jailed journalist is tortured for revealing abuses of prisoners

BANGKOK (AP) — An independent online news agency in Myanmar said Friday that one of its journalists arrested two years ago has been subjected to daily physical and mental abuse after exposing human rights violations in the country’s main prison where he’s being held. The actions taken against photojournalist Sai Zaw Thaike were also to punish him for leaking information from the prison to media outlets, and because the ruling military government holds a grudge against him for his reporting about them before his arrest, said his employer, Swe Win, editor-in-chief of Myanmar Now. The military government has cracked down heavily on media freedom since the army seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021.

84 Indonesians freed from scam centers in Myanmar are set to go home

MAE SOT, Thailand (AP) — Eighty-four Indonesians freed from scam centers in Myanmar were set to return home Friday as the repatriation of thousands of such workers after a crackdown strains regional resources. The Indonesians were among more than 7,000 people being held in the Myanmar border town Myawaddy following a crackdown on the scam centers by Thailand, Myanmar and China. Two buses carrying the Indonesians arrived Thursday in the Thai border city of Mae Sot, where the passengers had health checks and their identities were verified. Hundreds of thousands of people are believed to have been lured to work in Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos to commit global scams through false romances, bogus investment pitches and illegal gambling schemes.

Suicide bomber kills senior cleric at pro-Taliban seminary in northwest Pakistan on eve of Ramadan

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — A senior cleric and five other worshippers were killed Friday in a suicide bomb attack at a pro-Taliban seminary in northwestern Pakistan ahead of the fasting month of Ramadan, police said. It was one of at least four attacks throughout Pakistan, two of them at mosques, which were unusual both in their number and timing just before the holy period marked by daily fasting in the Muslim-majority country. Many people also were wounded during the attack at the mosque inside the Jamia Haqqania seminary, in the Akora Khattak district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the suicide blast, which happened after an attacker gained entry despite tight security.

Millions of Muslims in Indonesia mark the start of the holy month of Ramadan

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Muslims in Indonesia are shopping for sweets and new clothes and taking part in traditional festivities as millions mark the start of the holy month of Ramadan, set to begin Saturday. Celebrations in the world’s most populous Muslim-majority country range from colorful nighttime parades and cleaning family graves to preparing food for predawn breakfasts and elaborate post-sundown meals known as “iftars.” Each region in the vast archipelago nation of 17,000 islands has its own way to mark the start of Ramadan, when Muslims refrain from eating, drinking, smoking and sexual intercourse from sunrise until sunset for the whole month.

Judge overthrows conviction of owners of New Zealand island where 22 died in volcanic eruption

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — The owners of an island volcano in New Zealand where 22 tourists and local guides died in an eruption had their criminal conviction for failing to keep visitors safe thrown out by a judge on Friday. The ruling absolves the company from paying millions of dollars in restitutions to the families of those bereaved in the 2019 explosion on Whakaari, also known as White Island, and two dozen seriously injured survivors. Most of the 47 people on the island were U.S. and Australian cruise ship passengers on a walking tour, along with their local guides.

In northeast India, a border fence could cut through villages, houses and lives

LONGWA, India (AP) — To the people who live there, Longwa is a typical hilltop village. The most imposing structure is a corrugated tin roof belonging to the Angh, a hereditary tribal chief. But recently, residents have been worried about another, less visible, local landmark: the border between India and Myanmar, which runs right through the village’s center. National boundaries never mattered before to the local Konyak tribe. “I eat in Myanmar and sleep in India,” says Tonyei Phawang, the Angh, whose house sits on the border. The Indian government is now seeking to stop border crossings for the first time, revoking a system that made it legal for Indigenous people to cross freely and threatening to build a border fence that could cut villages like Longwa in two.

Bangladeshi students who led uprising that ousted ex-premier Sheikh Hasina form new political party

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — Students in Bangladesh who led a mass uprising to topple former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina last summer are now diving into politics by forming the new National Citizen Party. The aim is to create new political space in a fiercely divisive dynastic political landscape. For decades, the country’s politics have been dominated by two former prime ministers and archrivals — Sheikh Hasina and Khaleda Zia. The announcement came Friday at a rally in front of Parliament in Dhaka, during which political reforms were promised for a country born in 1971 through a bloody war against Pakistan. Thousands of people, mainly youths, gathered to witness the moment.

Pakistan reports 2 new polio cases of the year despite anti-polio drives

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistan has reported two new cases of polio in its southern and eastern provinces, health officials said on Friday, posing a setback to the country’s efforts to eradicate a disease that remains endemic only in Pakistan and neighboring Afghanistan. The latest cases, confirmed by the Pakistan Polio Eradication Program, were detected in Sindh and Punjab provinces. This brings the total number of polio cases in Pakistan to five since January 2025. In 2024, Pakistan recorded 74 polio cases. The latest development comes as health workers conclude a targeted vaccination drive in high-risk areas later Friday. Earlier this month, authorities launched a weeklong nationwide anti-polio campaign aiming to immunize 44.2 million children under the age of five.