Top Asian News 3:42 a.m. GMT

As communist troops streamed into Saigon, a few remaining reporters kept photos and stories flowing

BANGKOK (AP) — They’d watched overnight as the bombardments grew closer, and observed through binoculars as the last U.S. Marines piled into a helicopter on the roof of the embassy to be whisked away from Saigon. So when the reporters who had stayed behind heard the telltale squeak of the rubber sandals worn by North Vietnamese and Viet Cong troops in the stairs outside The Associated Press office, they weren’t surprised, and braced themselves for possible detention or arrest. But when the two young soldiers who entered showed no signs of malice, the journalists just kept reporting. Offering the men a Coke and day-old cake, Peter Arnett, George Esper and Matt Franjola started asking about their march into Saigon.

AP PHOTOS: Documenting the fall of Saigon in photos

In the morning of April 29, 1975, a massive evacuation exercise began in Saigon, which ended almost 24 hours later. About 6,500 people had been airlifted by the end of the exercise, including nearly 900 Americans. Hours later, on April 30, Saigon fell, and with it came the end of the Vietnam War. ___ This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors.

4 former Hong Kong lawmakers freed after years in prison under a Beijing-imposed security law

HONG KONG (AP) — Four former Hong Kong lawmakers were freed from prison Tuesday after serving more than four years for their convictions under a Beijing-imposed security law that crushed a once-thriving pro-democracy movement. Claudia Mo, Jeremy Tam, Kwok Ka-ki and Gary Fan were among 47 activists arrested in 2021 for their roles in an unofficial primary election. They were the first of the convicted activists to reunite with their families and friends following years of separation. Only vehicles involved in the release were seen leaving the three prisons in remote areas of Hong Kong. Security was tight and curtains on the vehicles were closed.

Japan’s Ishiba will discuss Chinese aggression in disputed seas and US tariffs on Philippines visit

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is traveling to the Philippines on Tuesday seeking to further boost an alliance in the face of China’s growing assertiveness in the region. Ishiba will meet Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos in Manila on Tuesday at the start of his two-day visit. Their talks are expected to focus on China’s aggressive actions in the disputed South China Sea and East China Sea, a reaffirmation of their commitment to a three-way alliance with the United States, and the barrage of tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump, officials said. Japanese and Philippine officials are expected to start negotiations this year on two defense pacts, including a proposed defense logistical agreement that would allow the provision of food, fuel and other necessities when Japanese forces visit the Philippines for joint training under a major defense accord that was signed last year and is expected to be ratified by the Japanese legislature.

China and Philippines use their flags to stake out competing claims in the South China Sea

BEIJING (AP) — The Philippines on Monday rejected China’s claim to a group of three sandbars in the South China Sea, after recent displays by both sides of their national flags on the uninhabited outcroppings. The back and forth over Sandy Cay is the latest flare-up in a long-running dispute over territory in the hotly contested South China Sea, which China claims almost in its entirety. The flare-up began last week when a Chinese state-owned newspaper posted exclusive photos of coast guard officers on Sandy Cay from mid-April, including one of them holding up a Chinese flag. Three days later, a joint Philippines coast guard, navy and maritime police team headed on Sunday to the three sandbars and posed for a photo holding up their national flag.

Humanitarian needs remain pressing a month after Myanmar’s deadly quake

BANGKOK (AP) — Hundreds of thousands of survivors desperately need humanitarian aid a month after Myanmar’s deadly earthquake, compounded by airstrikes the military government is reportedly carrying out despite ceasefires meant to aid relief efforts during the country’s civil war. The 7.7 magnitude March 28 quake hit a wide swath of the country, causing significant damage to six regions and states, including the capital, Naypyitaw. Myanmar’s Department of Meteorology and Hydrology reported Monday there had been 157 aftershocks after the big quake, ranging in magnitude from 2.8 to 7.5. State-run MRTV television reported on Monday the quake’s death toll had reached 3,770, with 5,106 people injured and 106 still missing.

A man airlifted from Japan’s Mount Fuji returns to the slope days later and is rescued again

TOKYO (AP) — A climber airlifted with altitude sickness from near the peak of Japan’s Mount Fuji last week returned to the slope and was rescued for a second time just four days later, authorities said Monday. Officials urged people to be aware of the harsh conditions at the country’s tallest peak during its off-season. The climber was identified only as a 27-year-old Chinese student living in Japan. He made an emergency call on April 22 and was airlifted after developing symptoms of altitude sickness, police said, adding that his climbing irons also were damaged. On Saturday, he returned to the mountain’s Fujinomiya trail about 3,000 meters (nearly 10,000 feet) above sea level to look for his cell phone and other belongings left behind, Shizuoka prefectural police said.

With China and the US at intense economic odds, other nations are being forced to choose sides

WASHINGTON (AP) — One went to the United States. The other went to China. It was a sign of the times. While the Swiss president was in Washington last week to lobby U.S. officials over President Donald Trump’s threatened 31% tariff on Swiss goods, the Swiss foreign minister was in Beijing, expressing his nation’s willingness to strengthen cooperation with China and upgrade a free trade agreement. As Trump’s trade war locks the world’s two largest economies on a collision course, America’s unnerved allies and partners are cozying up with China to hedge their bets. It comes as Trump’s trade push upends a decade of American foreign policy — including his own from his first term — toward rallying the rest of the world to join the United States against China.

Putin thanks North Korea for troop deployment and promises not to forget their sacrifices

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin thanked North Korea Monday for fighting alongside his troops against Ukrainian forces and promised not to forget their sacrifices, hours after North Korea confirmed its deployment for the first time. The back-to-back Russian and North Korean statements — which illustrate their expanding military partnerships — came two days after Russia said its troops have fully reclaimed the Kursk region that Ukrainian forces seized in a surprise incursion last year. Ukrainian officials have denied the claim, insisting that the operation in certain areas of Kursk is continuing. In a statement posted on the website of the Kremlin, Putin praised North Korean soldiers who he said “shoulder to shoulder with Russian fighters, defended our Motherland as their own.” “The Russian people will never forget the heroism of the DPRK special forces.

The Vietnam War ended 50 years ago, but the battle with Agent Orange continues

DA NANG, Vietnam (AP) — The Vietnam War ended on April 30, 1975, when the South Vietnamese capital of Saigon fell to Communist forces. But millions of people still face daily battles with its chemical legacy. Nguyen Thanh Hai, 34, is one of millions with disabilities linked to Agent Orange. Born with severe developmental challenges, it’s a struggle for him to complete tasks others take for granted: buttoning the blue shirt he wears to a special school in Da Nang, practicing the alphabet, drawing shapes or forming simple sentences. Hai grew up in Da Nang, the site of a U.S. air base where departing troops left behind huge amounts of Agent Orange that have lingered for decades, leeching into food and water supplies in areas like Hai’s village and affecting generations of residents.