Top Asian News 4:50 a.m. GMT

South Korean President Yoon is urged to resign or face impeachment over martial law

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea’s main opposition party on Wednesday urged President Yoon Suk Yeol to resign immediately or face impeachment, hours after Yoon ended short-lived martial law that prompted troops to encircle parliament before lawmakers voted to lift it. Yoon has publicly responded to the opposition’s demand. But his office said senior presidential advisers and secretaries for Yoon offered to resign collectively and the president also put off his official Wednesday morning schedule. In the capital, tourists and residents walked around, traffic and construction were heard, and other than crowds of police holding shields, it seemed like a normal sunny, cold December morning.

What to know about South Korea and the martial law declaration

TOKYO (AP) — South Korea spent about six hours under martial law after President Yoon Suk Yeol issued a sudden, shocking declaration that harkened to the country’s past dictatorships. Troops surrounded parliament after Yoon accused pro-North Korean forces of plotting to overthrow one of the world’s most vibrant democracies. Lawmakers voiced outrage and voted to end the declaration, and the president lifts the decree before daybreak Wednesday. The actions brought high drama for an unpopular leader who has struggled to get his agenda through an opposition-dominated parliament while corruption scandals involving him and his wife. Yoon gave no direct evidence when he raised the specter of North Korea as a destabilizing force.

Philippines says China’s coast guard blasts water cannon and sideswipes patrol vessel

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Chinese coast guard vessels, backed by navy ships, fired powerful water cannons and blocked and sideswiped a Philippine patrol vessel Wednesday in renewed aggression in a disputed shoal in the South China Sea, Philippine officials said. Three Philippine coast guard and bureau of fisheries vessels were on routine patrol to protect Filipino fishermen at the Scarborough Shoal when several Chinese coast guard and navy ships approached and staged “aggressive actions” after dawn, the Philippine coast guard said. There was no immediate comment from Chinese officials. In the past, they have repeatedly cited China’s sovereignty in the contested offshore region and their determination to defend what they say is their territory despite a 2016 international arbitration decision that invalidated Beijing’s historical claims.

Floods wreak havoc in Malaysia, southern Thailand with over 30 killed, tens of thousands displaced

KOTA BARU, Malaysia (AP) — Severe floods caused by monsoon rains killed more than 30 people and displaced tens of thousands in Malaysia and southern Thailand, officials said Tuesday, with both countries preparing shelters and evacuation plans in anticipation of more heavy rain. Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said five days of heavier-than-expected rain that battered the country’s east coast last week was equal to the rainfall over the past six months, wreaking havoc in the northeastern state of Kelantan and neighboring Terengganu. The floods also submerged large tracts of rice fields, causing millions of dollars in losses to farmers, officials said.

Vietnam court may commute tycoon’s death sentences if she repays $11 billion

HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — A court in Vietnam on Tuesday upheld the death sentence for real estate tycoon Truong My Lan but said it could be commuted to life if she reimburses some $11 billion, or three-fourths of what she defrauded in the country’s biggest financial crime. The scale of her fraud shocked the nation, with analysts raising questions about whether other banks or businesses had similarly erred. It has also dampened Vietnam’s economic outlook and made foreign investors jittery at a time when Vietnam has been trying to position itself as a home for businesses pivoting their supply chains away from China.

13 women convicted in Cambodia of acting as pregnancy surrogates for foreigners

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — Thirteen women from the Philippines have been convicted on human trafficking-related charges for acting as surrogates in Cambodia for a ring selling babies to foreigners for cash. The women were each sentenced to four years in prison after being found guilty of selling, buying or exchanging a person for cross-border transfer, the Kandal Provincial Court said late Monday. According to the verdict, two of the four years in prison were suspended, meaning they won’t have to be served unless they’re found guilty of another crime. The women are held at a police hospital outside Phnom Penh, the Cambodian capital, and authorities have previously said they would not have to serve prison time until after giving birth.

A rare ceremony in Thailand marks the king’s auspicious 72nd birthday

BANGKOK (AP) — Thailand’s King Maha Vajiralongkorn on Tuesday presided over a parade that saw the queen lead hundreds of military personnel in honor of his 72nd birthday. It was the first such ceremony in Bangkok’s vast Royal Plaza in 16 years. Birthdays celebrated in 12-year cycles are considered especially auspicious in Thai culture, with the sixth cycle — celebrating 72 years — holding special significance. Vajiralongkorn’s birthday is July 28, but the previous ceremonies had been held around Dec. 5, which was his father’s birthday. Vajiralongkorn’s father, Bhumibol, had enjoyed near-universal respect, steering Thailand safely through the challenges of war in neighbors Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam, which all saw Communist takeovers in 1975.

5 Australians serving life sentences for drugs in Indonesia could soon return home

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — The remaining five Australians from the Bali Nine group who are serving life sentences for drug smuggling in Indonesia could be repatriated home this month as Indonesia and Australia put finishing touches on a draft proposal for their transfer, Indonesia’s senior law minister said Tuesday. The Indonesian government is awaiting Australia’s response to key points related to the transfer arrangements, including provisions requiring Australia to acknowledge Indonesia’s sovereignty, respect the rulings of Indonesian courts and ensure that the five maintain their prisoner status after returning home, Yusril Ihza Mahendra told reporters. “I hope that we can find an understanding on that, agreed on the draft.

Thailand’s prime minister expects fishermen seized by Myanmar to be repatriated soon

BANGKOK (AP) — Thailand’s Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra on Tuesday said her government is negotiating with neighboring Myanmar for the return of four fishermen captured by Myanmar’s navy for trespassing. Paetongtarn told reporters in Bangkok that it was confirmed that “all four being detained now are still safe,” after being captured on Saturday, and that she expects their release soon. Thai officials have said Myanmar’s navy opened fire on several Thai vessels, and that one crewman who leaped overboard had drowned. They said two were injured and were being treated in Thailand. The incident happened in waters close to their maritime border in the Andaman Sea.

China bans exports to US of gallium, germanium, antimony in response to chip sanctions

BANGKOK (AP) — China announced Tuesday it is banning exports to the United States of gallium, germanium, antimony and other key high-tech materials with potential military applications, as a general principle, lashing back at U.S. limits on semiconductor-related exports. The Chinese Commerce Ministry announced the move after the Washington expanded its list of Chinese companies subject to export controls on computer chip-making equipment, software and high-bandwidth memory chips. Such chips are needed for advanced applications. The ratcheting up of trade restrictions comes as President-elect Donald Trump has been threatening to sharply raise tariffs on imports from China and other countries, potentially intensifying simmering tensions over trade and technology.