TAIPEI: Nine Indonesian fishing boat crewmen suspected of murdering their Taiwanese captain and chief engineer faced an angry attack from relatives when they were brought back to the island yesterday to stand trial. Family members of the dead punched the group and stabbed at them with umbrellas when they stepped off a coastguard frigate that had taken them to the northeastern fishing port of Suao. The assault was so violent that coastguard members had to retreat temporarily to the ship with the nine. The coastguard said the Indonesians are suspected of murdering Chen Te-sheng, skipper of the Te Hung Hsing No 368 fishing boat, and chief engineer Ho Chang-lin, and of throwing the bodies overboard.
Hiking allowed in five peaks
KATHMANDU: Nepal is opening five more peaks above 8,000 metres for expeditions when the autumn climbing season begins, a tourism official said yesterday, raising the total number of such mountains to 13. The new peaks include three in the Kanchenjunga region and two in the Everest region. Lhotse Middle, Lhotse Shar, Kanchenjunga South, Kanchenjunga Central and Kanchenjunga West, all measuring above 8,400 metres, will be open, pending approval from International Mountaineering and Climbing Federation.
Red Cross chief visits N Korea
GENEVA: The President of the International Committee of the Red Cross Peter Maurer arrived in Pyongyang yestrerday to discuss the reunification of families on the divided Korean peninsula, the agency said. “We reiterate ICRC’s willingness to offer support in an advisory capacity for family reunifications. We have many years of experience working in this area,” ICRC spokesman Ewan Watson said.
5 die as asylum boat sinks
JAKARTA: Five people were feared dead but at least 107 were saved when an asylum-seeker boat foundered off Australia yesterday. The Australian Maritime Safety Authority received a request for help from the vessel off Christmas Island. A navy ship and a customs and border protection aircraft responded and plucked 107 people to safety, averting a catastrophe ahead of Australian election next month. Agencies
