Top Asian News 3:55 a.m. GMT

After 20 years, the post-tsunami generation stays vigilant for future disasters

LHOKNGA, Indonesia (AP) — Qurrata Ayuni, a 28-year-old survivor of the earthquake and tsunami that devastated her hometown two decades ago, has transformed her resilience into purpose. Defying Aceh’s male-dominated coffee culture, she runs a café that serves as a welcoming space for everyone, especially women, by employing and empowering them in the region worst hit by the tragedy. On Dec. 26, 2004, a powerful 9.1-magnitude earthquake, off the coast of the Indonesian island of Sumatra, triggered a tsunami that killed around 230,000 people across a dozen countries, reaching as far as East Africa. Some 160,000 of those were in Aceh, at the northwestern tip of Indonesia.

20 years after the Indian Ocean tsunami, a boy found in the mud embraces being known as ‘Baby 81'

KURUKKAL MADAM, Sri Lanka (AP) — Pulled from the mud as an infant after the devastating Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004, and reunited with his parents following an emotional court battle, the boy once known as “Baby 81” is now a 20-year-old dreaming of higher education. Jayarasa Abilash’s story symbolized that of the families torn apart by one of the worst natural calamities in modern history, but it also offered hope. More than 35,000 people in Sri Lanka were killed, with others missing. The 2-month-old baby was washed away by the tsunami in eastern Sri Lanka and found some distance from home by rescuers.

South Korea’s opposition party vows to impeach acting president

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea’s main liberal opposition party said Tuesday it will seek to impeach acting leader Han Duck-soo, as Seoul grapples with the turmoil set off when impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol made a short-lived declaration of martial law. The country’s political parties are now tussling over how to run investigations into that decision, as well as separate allegations against Yoon’s wife. The opposition Democratic Party, which has a majority in parliament, wants independent investigators, and gave Han until Tuesday to approve bills appointing them. Impeaching Han would further deepen political chaos and worries by neighboring countries.

Tonga’s parliament elects a new prime minister after his predecessor quit this month

PERTH, Australia (AP) — Tonga ‘s parliament elected Aisake Eke as the country’s new prime minister on Tuesday in a special session of the house on Christmas Eve, after his predecessor quit earlier this month just ahead of a no-confidence vote by lawmakers. Eke assumes office less than a year before the South Pacific island nation of 105,000 people is to hold its next election. A former finance minister, Eke won the secret ballot by 16 votes to 8, defeating the only other candidate, Trade Minister Viliame Latu, who was nominated by the current government. They both addressed parliament for about 20 minutes before the results were announced on Tuesday afternoon.

Hong Kong police issue arrest warrants and bounties for six activists

HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong police on Tuesday announced a fresh round of arrest warrants for six activists based overseas, with bounties set at $1 million Hong Kong dollars for information leading to their arrests. According to the warrants, the six are wanted for national security offences such as secession, subversion and collusion with foreign forces. They include Tony Chung, the former leader of now-defunct pro-independence group Studentlocalism. U.K.-based Carmen Lau, a former district councilor and current activist with the Hong Kong Democracy Council, as well as Chloe Cheung, an activist with the Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong, also had warrants issued against them.

Japanese premier says stronger alliance with US is key to regional stability, seeks to meet Trump

TOKYO (AP) — Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said on Tuesday strengthening his country’s alliance with the United States is key to regional security and expressed his desire to meet with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump. This comes amid worries about China’s increasingly assertive military activity, including violation of Japanese airspace and territorial waters and joint military drills with Russia around Japan, and North Korea’s repeated test-firings of ballistic missiles as part of its nuclear and missile development programs. Ishiba leads a minority government following a significant election loss in October due to voter anger over his party’s financial scandals. “I hope to hold talks with President-elect Trump as early as possible so that we can elevate the Japan-U.S.

Airstrikes target suspected Pakistani Taliban hideouts in Afghanistan

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — Pakistan in rare airstrikes targeted multiple suspected hideouts of the Pakistani Taliban inside neighboring Afghanistan on Tuesday, dismantling a training facility and killing some insurgents, four security officials said. The strikes were carried out in a mountainous area in Paktika province bordering Pakistan, said the officials. They spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media on the record. It was unclear whether the jets went deep inside Afghanistan, and how the strikes were launched. No spokesman for Pakistan’s military was immediately available to share further details. But it was the second such attack on alleged hideouts of the Pakistani Taliban since March, when Pakistan said intelligence-based strikes took place in the border regions inside Afghanistan.

US and UK criticize Pakistani military court convictions of civilian supporters of Imran Khan

ISLAMABAD (AP) — The United States and the United Kingdom have expressed concern over convictions imposed by Pakistani military courts to 25 civilian supporters of former Prime Minister Imran Khan over their alleged involvement in riots last year. The convictions had previously also been criticized by the European Union and domestic human rights activists. “The United States is deeply concerned that Pakistani civilians have been sentenced by a military tribunal for their involvement in protests on May 9, 2023. These military courts lack judicial independence, transparency, and due process guarantees,” the State Department said in a statement on Monday. It asked Pakistan to respect the right to a fair trial and due process.

Japanese atomic bomb survivors say Nobel Peace Prize gives fresh impetus to disarmament push

TOKYO (AP) — Survivors of the U.S. atomic bombings on Hiroshima and Nagasaki said receiving a Nobel Peace Prize has given them a fresh incentive to campaign for nuclear disarmament ahead of the 80th anniversary of the 1945 attacks. “I felt like I needed to work even harder on what I had done so far,” said Terumi Tanaka, who survived the atomic attack on Nagasaki on Aug. 9. 1945. Tanaka, 92, was speaking at a press conference in Tokyo on Tuesday after returning from Oslo where he accepted the Nobel Peace Prize award on behalf of Nihon Hidankyo, the Japanese atomic bomb survivors’ organization.

Legendary Indian filmmaker Shyam Benegal dies at age 90

NEW DELHI (AP) — Shyam Benegal, a renowned Indian filmmaker known for pioneering a cinema movement that tackled social issues in the 1970s, has died after chronic kidney disease. He was 90. His contribution to cinema was recognized as a director, editor and screenwriter. He came into the limelight with films — Ankur (1974), Nishant (1975), Manthan (1976) and Bhumika (1977) — that challenged mainstream Bollywood by dealing with the social realities of a poor nation. Benegal died Monday at Mumbai’s Wockhardt Hospital, and his cremation will take place on Tuesday, the Press Trust of India news agency reported, citing his daughter Piya.