Top Asian News 2:51 a.m. GMT

Tokyo was filled with charred corpses after US firebombing 80 years ago. Survivors want compensation

TOKYO (AP) — More than 100,000 people were killed in a single night 80 years ago Monday in the U.S. firebombing of Tokyo, the Japanese capital. The attack, made with conventional bombs, destroyed downtown Tokyo and filled the streets with heaps of charred bodies. The damage was comparable to the atomic bombings a few months later in August 1945, but unlike those attacks, the Japanese government has not provided aid to victims and the events of that day have largely been ignored or forgotten. Elderly survivors are making a last-ditch effort to tell their stories and push for financial assistance and recognition.

They were forced to scam others worldwide. Now thousands are detained on the Myanmar border

MAE SOT, Thailand (AP) — Thousands of sick, exhausted and terrified young men and women, from countries all over the world squat in rows, packed shoulder to shoulder, surgical masks covering their mouths and eyes. Their nightmare was supposed to be over. Last month, a dramatic and highly publicized operation by Thai, Chinese and Myanmar authorities led to the release of more than 7,000 people from locked compounds in Myanmar where they were forced to trick Americans and others out of their life savings. But survivors have found themselves trapped once again, this time in overcrowded facilities with no medical care, limited food and no idea when they’ll be sent home.

Takeaways from the AP’s reporting into what people face in Myanmar after release from forced labor

MAE SOT, Thailand (AP) — A dramatic and highly publicized operation by the Thai, Chinese and Myanmar authorities has led to the release of more than 7,000 people from online scam compounds in Myanmar. But what they thought was an end to their ordeal was the beginning of another nightmare. Thousands of young men and women from Asia, Europe and Africa released from modern day slavery are now waiting in an indefinite limbo at repurposed scam centers and army camps controlled by armed militia groups as the first major global effort to crack down on the fast-growing industry of scamming is turning into a growing humanitarian crisis.

Thousands in Nepal want monarchy back as public frustration with politics grows

KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — Thousands of supporters greeted Nepal’s former king in capital Kathmandu on Sunday and demanded his abolished monarchy be reinstated and Hinduism brought back as a state religion. An estimated 10,000 supporters of Gyanendra Shah blocked the main entrance to Kathmandu’s Tribhuvan International Airport as he arrived from a tour of western Nepal. “Vacate the royal palace for the king. Come back king, save the country. Long live our beloved king. We want monarchy,” the crowds chanted. Passengers were forced to walk to and from the airport. Hundreds of riot police blocked the protesters from entering the airport and there was no violence.

Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh brace for upcoming food reductions as aid agencies cut funding

COX’S BAZAR, Bangladesh (AP) — Rohingya refugees in crammed Bangladeshi camps say they are worried about a U.S. decision to cut food rations by half beginning next month, while a refugee official says the reduction will impact the nutrition of more than 1 million refugees and create “social and mental pressure.” President Donald Trump abruptly stopped most foreign aid and dismantled the U.S. Agency for International Development, which has significantly hampered the global humanitarian sector. Trump’s Jan. 20 executive order froze the funding for a 90-day review. The World Food Program, the main U.N. food agency, recently announced that cuts to food rations will take effect from April 1 in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, where dozens of camps are inhabited by Rohingya refugees.

Consumer prices fell in China in February and remain flat in a sluggish economy

BEIJING (AP) — Consumer prices fell in China in February for the first time in 13 months, as persistent weak demand was compounded by the early timing of the Lunar New Year holiday. The National Bureau of Statistics said Sunday that the consumer price index dropped 0.7% in February compared with a year ago. On a monthly basis, prices were down 0.2% from January. While many other countries wrestle with inflation, China’s policymakers face flat to falling prices, and the possibility they could evolve into a deflationary spiral that would drag down the economy. The government stressed the need to increase domestic demand and consumer spending in an annual report last week to its ceremonial legislature, the National People’s Congress, but held back on unveiling any dramatic new steps to boost the economy.

China learned from Trump’s first trade war and changed its tactics when tariffs came again

WASHINGTON (AP) — The leaders of both Canada and Mexico got on the phone with President Donald Trump this past week to seek solutions after he slapped tariffs on their countries, but China’s president appears unlikely to make a similar call soon. Beijing, which unlike America’s close partners and neighbors has been locked in a trade and tech war with the U.S. for years, is taking a different approach to Trump in his second term, making it clear that any negotiations should be conducted on equal footing. China’s leaders say they are open to talks, but they also made preparations for the higher U.S.

Philippine ex-President Duterte brushes off possible arrest by ICC on a trip to Hong Kong

HONG KONG (AP) — An unannounced trip by former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte to Hong Kong set off speculations on Sunday that he may be trying to evade a possible arrest warrant by the International Criminal Court over his bloody crackdown on drugs while in power. Duterte and his daughter — the incumbent Philippine vice president — were the main speakers in a campaign rally at the Southorn Stadium in the busy Wan Chai commercial district for the senatorial candidates of his political party ahead of the May 12 midterm elections in the Philippines. Thousands of cheering and flag-waving Filipino expatriates packed the stadium to watch Duterte speak.

South Korea’s impeached President Yoon released from prison

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea’s impeached conservative President Yoon Suk Yeol was released from prison on Saturday, a day after a Seoul court canceled his arrest to allow him to stand trial for rebellion without being detained. After walking out of a detention center near Seoul, Yoon waved, clenched his fists and bowed deeply to his supporters who were shouting his name and waving South Korean and U.S. flags. Yoon climbed into a black van headed to his presidential residence in Seoul. In a statement distributed by his lawyers, Yoon said that he “appreciates the courage and decision by the Seoul Central District Court to correct illegality,” in an apparent reference to legal disputes over his arrest.

North Korea unveils nuclear-powered submarine for the first time

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea unveiled for the first time a nuclear-powered submarine under construction, a weapons system that can pose a major security threat to South Korea and the U.S. The state media agency on Saturday released photos showing what it called “a nuclear-powered strategic guided missile submarine,” as it reported leader Kim Jong Un’s visits to major shipyards where warships are built. The Korean Central News Agency, or KCNA, didn’t provide details on the submarine, but said that Kim was briefed on its construction. The naval vessel appears to be a 6,000-ton-class or 7,000-ton-class one which can carry about 10 missiles, said Moon Keun-sik, a South Korean submarine expert who teaches at Seoul’s Hanyang University.