Top Asian News 4:25 a.m. GMT

Released Thai hostages return to Bangkok after being held for over a year in Gaza

BANGKOK (AP) — Five Thai workers released after being held hostage for over a year in Gaza arrived in Bangkok on Sunday. Sarusak Rumnao, 32, Watchara Sriaoun, 33, Sathian Suwannakham, 35, Pongsak Thaenna, 36, and Bannawat Saethao, 27, were freed on Jan. 30 as part of an exchange arrangement. They were embraced by family members, some of whom cried, in the arrivals hall at Suvarnabhumi airport. Thai Foreign Minister Maris Sagniampongsa and the Israeli Ambassador to Thailand Orna Sagiv were both at the airport to welcome home the freed hostages. “We are all very grateful and very happy that we get to return to our homeland.

Why were so many Thai farmers among the hostages held by Hamas?

BANGKOK (AP) — Five Thai nationals held hostage by Hamas since its Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel returned home on Sunday after their release from captivity. They were among 31 Thais taken by the militant group, of whom 23 have already been released. Another two have been confirmed dead, and the status of one remaining person is not clear. According to Thailand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 46 Thais have been killed during the conflict, including the two who died in Hamas captivity. They were among tens of thousands of Thai workers in Israel. Here’s a look at what they were doing there.

Who are the five Thai hostages released by Hamas as part of the ceasefire in Gaza?

BANGKOK (AP) — Five Thai nationals held hostage by Hamas since its attack on Israel returned home on Sunday after their release from captivity last month. The group was the second batch of 31 Thai hostages released so far since the war broke out on Oct. 7, 2023. During an earlier ceasefire in November 2023, 23 Thai nationals were released in a deal negotiated between Thailand and Hamas, with assistance from Qatar and Iran. Two others were confirmed dead and the status of one remaining person is not clear. Thais were the largest group of foreigners held captive by Hamas militants.

Modi’s party wins most seats in high-stakes New Delhi polls for first time in 27 years

NEW DELHI (AP) — Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling Hindu nationalist party won the most seats in the high-stakes state legislature election in India’s federal territory, including New Delhi, for the first time in over a quarter-century, according to official data on Saturday. Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party won 47 seats in the 70-member assembly that includes India’s capital of 20 million people, ousting the Aam Aadmi Party, or AAP, that ruled New Delhi since 2015. The AAP won 22 seats. The outcome of the race in one remaining seat had yet to be declared, according to the Election Commission of India.

Canada and Philippines are in final negotiations for defense pact to boost joint military exercises

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Canada and the Philippines are in the final stages of negotiating a key defense pact that would allow their forces to hold larger military drills, said the Canadian ambassador to Manila while raising concerns over China’s “provocative and unlawful actions” in the region. Canada has been reinforcing its military presence i n the Indo-Pacific region and has committed to help promote the rule of law and expand trade and investment. That dovetails with Philippine efforts under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to broaden defense ties with friendly countries to bolster his country’s external defense as it faces an increasingly assertive China in the disputed waters.

North Korea’s Kim slams US-South Korea-Japan partnership and vows to boost his nuclear program

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said an elevated U.S. security partnership with South Korea and Japan poses a grave threat to his country and vowed to further bolster his nuclear weapons program, state media reported Sunday. Kim has previously made similar warnings, but his latest statement implies again that the North Korean leader won’t likely embrace President Donald Trump’s overture to meet him and revive diplomacy anytime soon. In a speech marking the 77th founding anniversary of the Korean People’s Army on Saturday, Kim said the U.S.-Japan-South Korea trilateral security partnership established under a U.S.

Rescuers search for at least 29 people after a landslide in southwest China

BEIJING (AP) — Chinese rescuers searched for at least 29 people after a landslide on Saturday in southwestern Sichuan province buried 10 houses and forced hundreds of residents to evacuate. The Ministry of Emergency Management deployed hundreds of rescuers including firefighters following the landslide in a village in Junlian county. Two people were pulled out alive with injuries, and about 200 others were relocated, state broadcaster CCTV said. A manufacturing facility was also buried. The disaster was caused by recent heavy rainfall and geological conditions, authorities said in a news conference on Sunday. These factors transformed a landslide into a debris flow, resulting in an accumulation of debris stretching about 1.2 kilometers (0.7 miles) in length, with a total volume exceeding 100,000 cubic meters (3.5 million cubic feet).

Philippine vice president preparing for impeachment battle but silent on option to resign

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte said Friday that her lawyers were preparing for a legal battle in her upcoming impeachment trial but refused to say if resignation was an option so she could preempt a possible conviction that would bar her from running for president in the future. Duterte was speaking for the first time since the House of Representatives impeached her Wednesday on a raft of criminal charges, including plotting to have President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. assassinated, which she again denied. Marcos was her running mate in the 2022 elections but they have had a bitter falling out.

Reid G. Miller, longtime AP international correspondent and editor, dies at 90

NEW YORK (AP) — Reid G. Miller, who traveled the planet as an intrepid international correspondent for The Associated Press and developed a reputation as a supportive editor and unswervingly loyal boss during the toughest of breaking-news moments, has died. He was 90. Miller died early Thursday in his sleep at his home in Sarasota, Florida, where he had been fighting congestive heart failure, said his son, G. Clay Miller of Brooklyn, New York. In his 43-year AP career, he bore witness to and reported on some of the late 20th century’s most momentous — and sometimes most violent — events from Washington to Central America, East Africa to South Korea.

Sony PlayStation Network outage enrages gamers around the world

ROME (AP) — A major outage of Sony’s PlayStation Network (PSN) on Saturday has left tens of thousands of gamers unable to access online services, stores and multimedia apps. “We are aware some users might be currently experiencing issues with PSN,” PlayStation said on its social media platforms, confirming users’ mounting complaints around the globe. Reports of connectivity issues spread quickly across social media, with users frustrated by error messages and login failures. “PSN down on a Friday night is criminal,” a London-based user named Ramos wrote on X, formerly Twitter. According to the Downdetector outage tracking site, users started to report issues with PSN late Friday.