BANGKOK: Thailand’s ruling party yesterday warned that anti-government protests in the capital could descend into violence, accusing a key opposition leader of stashing “weapons” at the rally site.
The claims were swiftly rejected by protest organisers. Protest spokesman Akanat Promphan said there was “not a single weapon” at the site.
Demonstrators angry at an amnesty proposal that may have allowed the return of self-exiled former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, have remained on Bangkok’s streets despite the parliamentary defeat of the controversial bill.
Tourist killed, wife kidnapped
KUALA LUMPUR: Unidentified gunmen shot dead a Taiwanese tourist and kidnapped his wife yesterday in a remote part of Malaysia that was rocked earlier this year by a bloody Philippine militant incursion, a security official said.
The incident occurred at 1am (1700GMT) yesterday on Pom Pom Island, a popular scuba diving location in the eastern state of Sabah on Borneo island, and underlined continued security threats in the region despite a Malaysian security clampdown following the February incursion.
Malaysia and Taiwan do not have formal diplomatic ties.
Japan factory blast kills two
TOKYO: An explosion at a recycling factory close to Tokyo late yesterday afternoon killed two people and injured 16, according to Japanese media.
“We heard a loud blast, then the house shook. At first we thought there had been an earthquake,” said an elderly lady who lived near the site.
“We offer all our apologies,” said a statement by Everclean, which manages the oil recycling site in Chiba prefecture where the blast occurred.
The explosion was felt for kilometres around the site and was followed by a fire, according to witnesses.
The exact cause of the explosion was unknown.
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