23/09/2025

TUESDAY | SEPT 23, 2025

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Thousands evacuated in Philippines as typhoon nears

Hong Kong airport to shut for 36 hours HONG KONG: Hong Kong International Airport will suspend all passenger flights for 36 hours from this evening, said Qantas Airways, as the Asian financial hub prepares for one of its strongest super typhoons in years. Hong Kong’s airport would be closed from 8pm (1200 GMT) today to 8am on Thursday, said Qantas Airways, adding that it would contact affected customers. An Airport Authority Hong Kong spokesperson said it is closely monitoring the developments regarding Super Typhoon Ragasa and has commenced preparations to deal with the storm. It has not made an official announcement on the closure. The Hong Kong Observatory said it would issue the lowest typhoon signal at noon yesterday, upgrading it to the second highest last night between 8pm and 10pm. The weather is expected to deteriorate rapidly from today and gale-force to storm-force winds would impact the densely populated city tomorrow, with winds expected to reach hurricane force offshore and on high ground. The Civil Aviation Department did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. – Reuters Jakarta, S’pore probe baby trafficking ring JAKARTA: Indonesia’s police are working with Singapore police to probe a cross-border baby trafficking ring uncovered in West Java, officials said. The joint investigation, coordinated through Interpol’s National Central Bureau in Jakarta, was launched after authorities discovered a smuggling route linking Bandung, Pontianak and Jakarta to Singapore. They are tracing the trafficking flow abroad, said Bureau Secretary Brigadier-General Untung Widyatmoko. “Singapore will question witnesses, with queries prepared by West Java investigators and channelled through Jakarta’s Interpol office. “Singapore has also agreed to assist in locating three Singaporean nationals suspected of involvement,” he said, adding that investigators have been advised to review national identity data of couriers believed to have escorted babies to Singapore. In July, West Java police named 22 suspects, accusing them of trafficking at least 25 babies, 15 of whom had been sent to Singapore under the guise of adoption. West Java Police Criminal Investigation Director Commissioner Surawan said each infant was sold for about SGD$20,000 (RM65,534), covering delivery costs, infant care and profits, Bernama reported. The suspects face charges under Indonesia’s 2007 anti-human trafficking law.

MANILA: More than 10,000 evacuees sheltered in schools and evacuation centres in the Philippines yesterday as heavy rains and gale-force winds from Super Typhoon Ragasa lashed the country’s far north. The typhoon, which gained strength as it proceeded on a collision course with southern China, was expected to make landfall over the Philippines’s Babuyan Islands at around midday. The sparsely populated islands lie about 740km south of Taiwan, where smaller-scale evacuations were also underway. As of 11am (0300 GMT), maximum sustained winds of 215kph were reported at the storm’s centre, with gusts reaching up to 265kph as it moved westward towards the Babuyans, the national weather service said. “I woke up because of the strong wind. It was hitting the windows and it sounded like a machine that was switched on,” said Tirso Tugagao, a resident of Aparri, a coastal town in northern Cagayan province. “I pray that everyone will be safe,” the 45-year-old teacher said. o President says monitoring situation and govt agencies on alert to give help anywhere needed

Government weather specialist John Grender Almario said on Sunday “severe flooding and landslides” could be expected in the northern areas of the main island Luzon. The Philippines is the first major landmass facing the Pacific cyclone belt and the archipelago is hit by an average of 20 storms and typhoons each year, putting millions of people in disaster-prone areas in a state of constant poverty. Scientists warn that storms are becoming more powerful as the world warms due to the effects of human-driven climate change. – AFP

“What worries us more is that the damage could be similar to what happened during Typhoon Koinu two years ago,” he added, describing a storm that saw utility poles collapse and sheet-metal roofs sent flying into the air. Schools and government offices were closed yesterday in the Manila region and across 29 Philippine provinces in anticipation of heavy rainfall. President Ferdinand Marcos said on Facebook he is closely monitoring the situation and all government agencies are “on alert to give help anywhere and whenever needed”.

Cagayan chief Rueli Rapsing told AFP that his team is prepared for “the worst”. In Taiwan, the state weather service predicted a chance of “extremely torrential rain” in the country’s east. “Its storm radius is quite large, about 320km. Although the typhoon’s centre is still some distance away, its wide, strong wind field and outer circulation are already affecting parts of Taiwan.” Local Fire Department officer James Wu told AFP that evacuations are ongoing in mountainous areas near Pingtung. disaster

Rapsing told AFP that his team is prepared for “the worst”. – AFPPIC

Arrest tally grows after Manila protest clashes MANILA: Police in the Philippine capital have arrested more than 200 people during clashes with masked protesters that erupted on a day of largely peaceful anti-corruption demonstrations, a spokesperson said yesterday. behind their actions or if somebody paid them to do it,“ said regional police spokesperson Major Hazel Asilo. “As soon as we know their affiliations, we could know if they were part of the protesters or if they were just causing trouble,“ she added. According to the Health

Rage over the so-called ghost infrastructure projects has been mounting in the Southeast Asian country since President Ferdinand Marcos put them centre stage in a July state of the nation address after weeks of flooding. The Finance Department has estimated that the Philippine economy lost up to 118.5 billion pesos (RM8.74 billion) from 2023 to 2025 due to corruption in flood control projects. Greenpeace has suggested that the number is actually closer to US$18 billion. – AFP to “safeguard the government strategic programmes”. Singapore-based think-tank ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute visiting fellow Made Supriatma called the policies the “securitisation” of civilian sectors. “They are trying to sell it to the public (through the advertisement) but whether the public will be okay or not is not relevant because they are already doing it anyway.“ The Defence Ministry did not immediately respond to Reuters’s request for comment on the reason for the advertisement. – Reuters

Sunday to vent their anger over a ballooning scandal involving bogus flood-control projects believed to have cost taxpayers billions of dollars. The scandal has seen numerous lawmakers implicated and the leaders of both houses of Congress step down from their positions during a probe. But Sunday’s street battles, which saw multiple police vehicles set ablaze and the windows of a precinct headquarters shattered, threatened to overshadow demonstrations that had been filled with families, activists, clergy and politicians. “None are saying the reasons third largest democracy could go back to the military-dominated New Order era of authoritarian leader Suharto. Titled “No Longer Just Military: Indonesian-style People’s Defence“, the advertisement, published in Kompas newspaper, says the ministry’s policies have expanded and transformed “into people’s defence based on prosperity and cross-sector collaboration”. The advertisement said the government urges national resilience through the ministry’s involvement, mentioning 10 programmes,

At least 88 minors were among the initial count of 216 taken into custody on Sunday as police deployed water cannons and deafening sirens against crowds of mostly young protesters. Manila City Mayor Isko Moreno said a 12-year-old boy was the youngest detained. Thousands of Filipinos rallied on

Department, about 50 people were brought to a single Manila hospital following the clashes. Another police spokesperson Major Philipp Ines said 93 officers were injured on Sunday, adding that the number of those arrested could rise as people are still being processed.

Indonesia runs full page ad on military’s expanded role JAKARTA: Indonesia’s Defence including free meals,

the establishment of 100 new army battalions in the health and agriculture sectors, as well as military labs to manufacture medicine. The advertisement said the ministry has trained and equipped thousands of young graduates with “military approaches” and public nutrition in kitchens across the country. These graduates have become the kitchens’ heads or nutritionists. The ministry also said the army battalions are expected to reach 500 in five years and it aims

Ministry put out a full-page advertisement in the country’s largest newspaper yesterday, detailing and defending key non-defence programmes being run by the military, amid criticism of the force’s increased role under President Prabowo Subianto. Since being elected as president last year, Prabowo has expanded the number of government posts for military personnel and tapped the force to deliver on his programme. That has sparked worries among students and activists that the world’s