07/04/2026

TUESDAY | APR 7, 2026

7 Groups file suit against Myanmar head

JAKARTA: A criminal case against Myanmar’s newly elected President Min Aung Hlaing (pic) was filed yesterday by a group of civil society organisations, accusing the leader of acts of genocide against the Rohingya. Indonesia, which hosts Asean’s headquarters, is among the o Indonesian Penal code allows for universal jurisdiction

Myanmar minority Rohingya for destruction and made their lives a nightmare in a landmark case accusing Myanmar of genocide. Myanmar has always denied genocide. The government did not immediately respond to a request for comment yesterday. Min Aung Hlaing was elected president through a parliamentary vote last week after an army-backed party won the December and January election, formalising his grip on political power. The 2021 coup has led to widespread protests and nationwide resistance. – Reuters targeted

warmly welcome this historic development as a milestone for all Rohingya people on their long march to justice and accountability,” Ullah said. The claimants said Indonesia’s penal code allows for “universal jurisdiction” when certain crimes are considered so serious they can be processed regardless of victim nationalities or where the crime was committed. Indonesia’s Attorney General’s Office did not respond to a request for comment. Gambia told judges in January at the United Nations’ top court that

general and the chairman of Muhammadiyah, one of the country’s biggest Muslim groups, they said in a statement yesterday. They said they would present evidence of forced displacement of the Rohingya, the world’s largest stateless population, as well as killings, adding that the case had been

destinations for Rohingya people fleeing Myanmar or the refugee camps by boat. Myanmar’s armed forces, under then General Min Aung Hlaing, launched an offensive in 2017 that forced at least 730,000 Rohingya from their homes and into Bangladesh, where they recounted killings, mass rape and arson.

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The complaint to Indonesia’s Attorney General’s Office was filed by Yasmin Ullah, a Rohingya who fled Myanmar, and several Indonesian figures, including a former attorney

prosecutors. “It is the first time under Indonesia’s new penal code that a case has been officially received and I

Nepal court extends detention of ex-PM Oli KATHMANDU: A Nepal court extended the detention of former prime minister KP Sharma Oli and his ex-home minister for a further five days on Sunday as investigators examine their alleged roles in a deadly crackdown on protests last year. charged and both deny responsibility for the violence. “The court has granted five days’ extension,” said Kathmandu District Court information officer Deepak Kumar Shrestha.

Nepal’s Supreme Court is also reviewing a petition filed by Oli’s wife claiming his detention was unlawful. The arrests of Oli and Lekhak came after an inquiry recommended prosecuting the ex-prime minister and other officials for failing to stop security forces from opening fire on demonstrators. The inquiry report said statements given by the two men suggesting they did not know about the violence were part of a bid to shift responsibility. Oli’s CPN-UML party has described the arrests as “a vengeful act”. – AFP

It was the third extension of their detention and the court said more investigation was needed after statements were given by Oli and Lekhak. Oli has been in hospital soon after his arrest for what police described as a procedural medical check-up, adding that he suffers from heart and kidney problems.

Police arrested Oli, 74, and former home minister Ramesh Lekhak on March 28, a day after Prime Minister Balendra Shah was sworn in. Authorities are investigating their alleged involvement in the crackdown on demonstrations that killed at least 76 people. Neither man has been formally

Kim’s daughter positioned as successor Kim and Ju Ae at a training base on March 19. – AFPPIC/KCNA VIA KNS

SEOUL: South Korea’s spy agency believes North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s teenage daughter has been positioned as his successor, lawmakers said yesterday, citing a recent public display of her driving a tank that was likely intended to dispel any doubts. The National Intelligence Service (NIS) told lawmakers its assessment was not based on circumstantial inference but on what it described as “credible intelligence” collected by the agency, according to briefings by ruling and opposition party members after a closed-door parliamentary meeting. The NIS said the imagery of the daughter driving a tank was intended to highlight her supposed military aptitude and dispel doubts over a female heir, lawmakers said. North Korea’s state-run media KCNA last month published photos of Kim and his daughter driving a new tank, following earlier images showing her firing a rifle at a shooting range and using a handgun. Such scenes are intended to pay “homage” to Kim’s own public military appearances during the early 2010s when he was being prepared to succeed his own father, ruling Democratic Party lawmaker Park Sun-won said. The latest assessment of Kim’s daughter, Ju Ae, who is believed to

be around 13, is a progression from earlier analysis by the spy agency which said she was likely being groomed to succeed her father. Ju Ae’s repeated presence at defence-related events is aimed at easing doubts over a female successor and accelerating the construction of a succession narrative, the lawmakers said, citing the NIS. Lawmakers have previously said the agency believes her increasingly prominent role suggests she is already being treated as the de facto second highest figure in the North’s leadership. People Power Party lawmaker Lee Seong-kweun said the NIS noted that suggestions Kim’s younger sister Kim Yo Jong might be unhappy about the focus on Ju Ae were misplaced, as Kim Yo Jong does not hold independent power. Some North Korea experts, however, urged caution in interpreting the images as definitive succession signals. Hong Min, an analyst at the Korea Institute for National Unification, said Ju Ae’s tank appearance alone was insufficient to conclude she had been confirmed as Kim’s heir, noting she appeared alongside her father rather than independently, unlike Kim Jong Un’s own solo military appearances during his grooming phase. – Reuters

Tran taking his oath during the opening session of the National Assembly yesterday. – AFPPIC

Vietnam parliament chairman re-elected HANOI: Vietnam’s National Assembly yesterday unanimously re-elected Tran Thanh Man as chairman for a second term, state media reported. Man, 63, has held the post since May 2024. His reelection had been widely expected in Vietnamese political circles. country’s most prominent leaders. The National Assembly is scheduled to elect a new state president and prime minister today. Its members were elected last month in a vote that saw the Communist Party win nearly 97% of seats.

but the party did not publicly announce the other main “pillars” of Vietnam’s collective leadership structure. Lam is also widely expected to become president, unifying leadership of the party and the state as President Xi Jinping has done in neighbouring China. Lam would be the first person to have secured the top two jobs at a party congress, rather than stepping in following a holder’s death. – Reuters/AFP

The newly elected delegates are expected to confirm leaders tapped by senior cadres at the party’s twice-a decade congress in January. Top leader To Lam was reaffirmed as general secretary at the congress,

The 500-seat National Assembly has limited powers and serves mainly to ratify decisions made by the ruling party, although it occasionally amends proposed legislation. Its chairman is among the