Top Asian News 7:55 p.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.

For some Americans, the end of the Vietnam War after Saigon fell 50 years ago is still deeply felt

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — The Vietnam War greatly impacted U.S. society from the passage of the War Powers Resolution that restricts the president’s ability to send troops into extended combat without congressional approval to the cementing of college campuses as centers of student activism. Millions of U.S. troops fought in Vietnam. For some Americans, the war that effectively ended with the fall of Saigon 50 years ago Wednesday on April 30, 1975, continues to shape their lives. They include: A woman dedicated to recovering her father’s remains after the bomber he piloted disappeared over Vietnam’s Gulf of Tonkin. A Vietnam veteran who was heckled like scores of other troops when he returned home and now assists fellow veterans in rural Alaska.

Asian American veterans share emotional stories 50 years after Vietnam War

During his adolescence, William Fong’s entire world was contained in San Francisco. But in 1967, over a decade into the Vietnam War, he was drafted. At age 20, he left his home in the city’s Chinatown neighborhood for basic training, and then found himself in Asia for the first time. Anticipating he would be surrounded by American soldiers who were mostly white, Fong grew anxious about being perceived as an enemy combatant. That anxiety only strengthened his conviction and determination to be the best soldier possible, he said. “I wanted to be accepted like anybody else, not necessarily Chinese or Asian or, you know, from any particular part of the country, but just to be myself,” Fong said.

Myanmar auction fails again to attract bidders for the historic home of ousted leader Suu Kyi

BANGKOK (AP) — A fourth attempt by Myanmar’s authorities to sell by the home of imprisoned former leader Aung San Suu Kyi by auction failed Tuesday when there were no bidders for the property, where she famously was held under house arrest for almost 15 years, a legal official said. It was not immediately clear if the floor price — the equivalent of tens of millions of dollars — was simply too high or whether warnings by opponents of Myanmar’s military government not to buy the house substantially dampened demand. The 1.9-acre (7,700 square meter) family property on Inye Lake in Yangon, the country’s largest city, is viewed by many in Myanmar as a historic landmark because of its close association with Suu Kyi’s long nonviolent struggle against military rule for which she won the Nobel Peace Prize.

Chinese authorities say 22 people killed, 3 injured in restaurant fire in northern city of Liaoyang

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Chinese authorities say 22 people have been killed and 3 injured in a fire at restaurant in the northern city of Liaoyang. No word was given on the cause of the fire, which broke out shortly after noon, but images from the scene showed huge flames spurting from the windows and doors of the two- or three-story building. State broadcaster CCTV said the restaurant’s manager had been placed in police custody as part of the investigation. A slightly longer report released several hours later through the provincial radio and television bureau said the fire had been extinguished and the search for survivors ended.

Authorities close dozens of tourist resorts in Indian-controlled Kashmir following deadly attack

SRINAGAR, India (AP) — Authorities in Indian-controlled Kashmir have temporarily closed more than half of the tourist resorts in the scenic Himalayan region after last week’s deadly attack on tourists raised tensions between India and Pakistan and led to an intensifying security crackdown in Kashmir. At least two police officers and three administrative officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity in keeping with departmental policy, said Tuesday that the decision to shut 48 of the 87 government-authorized resorts was a precautionary safety measure. They did not specify for how long these places would be out of bounds for visitors. The decision comes a week after gunmen killed 26 people, most of them Indian tourists, near the resort town of Pahalgam.

A 6.2-magnitude earthquake hits off New Zealand

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — A 6.2-magnitude earthquake has hit off the west coast of New Zealand. There is no tsunami warning. The U.S. Geological Survey says the quake occurred shortly after 1 a.m. local time. It was 187 miles (300 kilometers) southwest of Invercargill, New Zealand, and six miles (10 kilometers) under the sea. Monitors in New Zealand described the quake as moderate. There were no immediate reports of damage. USGS later reported a 6.8-magnitude quake in what it called the Macquarie Island region, over 700 miles (1,200 kilometers) northeast of Invercargill at a depth of less than three miles.

Amnesty says Indonesia suppresses free speech with crackdowns on public protests

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Amnesty International criticized Indonesia’s government Tuesday, saying it suppresses free speech with crackdowns on public protests, targets journalists and rights activists and uses spyware against dissidents. The rights group said in its annual report on Indonesia that public protests “were met with excessive and unnecessary force and arbitrary arrests,” including in August when thousands of demonstrators took to the streets to protest attempts by the House of Representatives to change the country’s election law. The amendment would have permitted Kaesang Pangarep, the son of former president Joko Widodo, to run for regional office despite not meeting the age requirement for candidacy.

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.