TOKYO: A Japanese soldier who hid in the Philippine jungle for three decades, refusing to believe World War II was over until his former commander returned and ordered him to surrender, has died in Tokyo aged 91. Hiroo Onoda waged a guerilla campaign in Lubang Island near Luzon until he was finally persuaded in 1974 that peace had broken out, ignoring leaflet drops and successive attempts to convince him the Imperial Army had been defeated. He died in a Tokyo hospital on Thursday of heart failure. Onoda was the last of several dozen so-called holdouts scattered around Asia, men who symbolised the astonishingly dogged perseverance of those called upon to fight for their emperor.
Three scribes held in Dhaka
DHAKA: Bangladesh police arrested three journalists from a pro-opposition newspaper for publishing a “false” story claiming Indian forces had helped to contain recent election violence, an officer said Friday. The news editor, deputy chief reporter and diplomatic correspondent of Dhaka-based Bangla-language daily Inqilab were arrested late Thursday after police filed a case against the publication. “They published the sensational news that goes against the country’s sovereignty despite being aware that it was false and baseless,” Dhaka police spokesman Monirul Islam said.
35 Filipinas rescued
TAIPEI: Police in Taiwan busted a human smuggling ring and rescued 35 Filipinas forced into the sex trade, prosecutors said yesterday. The women were rescued after investigators raided two clubs in southern Taiwan on Thursday and arrested the suspected ring leader, a man identified only by his family name Hung. He was accused of recruiting the women under the pretext that they would be working as dancers but took away their passports after they arrived in Taiwan and forced them to work as sex slaves. He was released on a bail of Tw$1 million ($33,300) while the women will be sent to a shelter. Agencies
