31/08/2025

theSun on Sunday AUG 31, 2025

WORLD 7

Protest blaze kills three MAKASSAR: At least three people were killed by a fire started by protesters at a council building in eastern Indonesia Makassar city, a local official said yesterday, after demonstrations erupted nationwide following the death of a gig motorcyclist who was hit by a police vehicle. The country was rocked by protests in major cities on Friday, including Jakarta, after footage spread of the Prabowo urges calm, orders probe

WELLINGTON: New Zealand police released rare images on Friday apparently showing a fugitive father whose nearly four years on the run with his children have gripped the country. Tom Phillips absconded with his three children in December 2021 after a row with his partner. Police say they think he has been hiding out in the North Island’s Waikato region. CCTV images released by police showed two people outside a store. Their faces are covered. “We believe the pair in this footage are Tom and one of his children,” said Detective Senior Sergeant Andy Saunders. Police said the pair appeared to use a tool to break into a container before making off with groceries. “At the heart of this are three children who have been away from their home for four years,” Saunders said. The children – Jayda, Maverick and Ember – now aged 9, 10 and 12, have not been to school since their father went on the run. Police have rejected calls to use more forceful tactics for fear of the impact on the children. – AFP CCTV shows father on the run for four years The High Court ruled in 2023 that indefinite detention was “unlawful” if deportation was not an option, leading to the release of 220 people. – AFP SYDNEY: Australia has announced an agreement with the tiny Pacific nation of Nauru, enabling it to send hundreds of immigrants to the barren island. The deal affects more than 220 immigrants in Australia, including some convicted of serious crimes. Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke signed the memorandum of understanding on a visit to Nauru, the government said in a statement on Friday. “It contains undertakings for the proper treatment and long-term residence of people who have no legal right to stay in Australia, to be received in Nauru,” it said. “Australia will provide funding to underpin this arrangement and support Nauru’s long-term economic resilience.” Canberra did not provide financial details. However, the Sydney Morning Herald said Australia would pay Nauru A$408 million (RM1.1 billion) and about A$70 million a year thereafter under the deal. “Anyone who doesn’t have a valid visa should leave the country,” Burke said in a statement. “This is a fundamental element of a functioning visa system.” Australia’s government has been searching for a way to deal with immigrants who have no other country to go to when their visas are cancelled. Australia signs immigrant deal with Nauru

motorcyclist being run over by a police tactical vehicle in earlier rallies over low wages and perceived lavish perks for lawmakers. Protests in Makassar, the biggest city on Sulawesi island, descended into chaos outside the provincial and local city council buildings, which were set on fire and vehicles torched. Three people were killed as a result of the fire at the Makassar city council building, said its secretary Rahmat Mappatoba. “They were trapped in the burning building,” he said. Two of the victims were staff at the local council and another was a civil servant. Two died at the scene while the third died in hospital. At least four people were injured in the fire. Makassar and South Sulawesi police did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Prabowo offering his condolences to the family of Affan, who was run over by a police vehicle. – AFPPIC/ INDONESIA PRESIDENTIAL PALACE

the livelihood” of the rider’s family, posting images with them at their home. He has pledged fast, state driven growth but has already faced protests for widespread government budget cuts to fund his populist policies, including a billion-dollar free meal programme. Protests also spread to other major cities, including Yogyakarta, Bandung, Semarang and Surabaya in Java and Medan in North Sumatra province. – AFP Wechayachai said yesterday Pheu Thai would prevail, stressing there was no fixed timeframe on electing a prime minister. “I believe the People’s Party will use reason to make its decision. I don’t think they will be in a hurry. Pheu Thai can bring in more people,” Wechayachai said. Thitinan Pongsudhirak, a political scientist at Chulalongkorn University, said with Pheu Thai in decline and unable to deliver on its agenda, Anutin had the upper hand for now. Thitinan said: “Anutin has a better chance because he has a more known quantity. He knows how the system works and he has a very strong base. “It now comes down to a numbers game.” – Reuters intense rain smashed into Chisoti village in Kashmir on Aug 14, killing at least 65 people and leaving another 33 missing. Floods on Aug 5 overwhelmed Dharali town in Uttarakhand state and buried it in mud. The likely death toll from that disaster is more than 70 but has not been confirmed. – AFP

and most violent of Prabowo Subianto’s presidency, a key test less than a year into his rule that forced him to quickly urge calm, order an investigation and visit the family of the deceased. “I have ordered last night’s incident to be thoroughly and transparently investigated, and that the officers involved be held accountable,” he said in a statement. In a message posted on Instagram later on Friday, Prabowo said the government was “committed to guaranteeing Anutin told a press conference on Friday he already had the votes in the bag. “We are here to work for the people, we have enough votes of support,” he said. Emerging as a kingmaker is the opposition People’s Party, the largest force in parliament and a reincarnation of the party that won the 2023 election on an anti-establishment platform but was blocked from power by lawmakers allied with the royalist military. The party, which holds nearly a third of house seats, has said it will not join a government but would support any party promising an early election and a referendum on amending the constitution. Acting premier Phumtham 296mm in Jammu, 9% higher than the 1973 record, and 629.4mm in Udhampur – a staggering 84% surge over the 2019 mark. Floods and landslides are common during the June September monsoon season but poorly planned development is increasing their impact. Powerful torrents driven by

In Jakarta, hundreds massed outside the headquarters of the elite Mobile Brigade Corp paramilitary police unit they blamed for gig rider Affan Kuniawan’s death on Thursday. A group of protesters tried to tear down the gates of the unit, notorious for its heavy-handed tactics, and pulled a sign from the building’s facade in chaotic scenes. Police said they detained seven officers for questioning over the rider’s death. The protests were the biggest

BANGKOK: Thailand’s political rivals are jostling for power after a court sacked the prime minister, with two camps declaring they were ready to form the next government but with no indication when that might happen. The Constitutional Court dismissal of Paetongtarn Shinawatra on Friday for an ethics violation triggered a burst of dealmaking. Her ruling alliance put on a united front, while a party that quit her coalition sought to rally support to fill the vacuum. Paetongtarn, 39, was the sixth premier from or backed by the Shinawatra family to be ousted by the military or judiciary in a two-decade battle for power and patronage among rival elites. Rival Thai camps jostle for power The once-dominant Pheu Thai party, founded by Paetongtarn’s father Thaksin Shinawatra, has a mountain to climb to shore up a coalition that has haemorrhaged public support, opening the door to its former alliance partner Bhumjaithai to woo other parties. Bhumjaithai leader Anutin Charnvirakul stole the spotlight from Paetongtarn on Friday, as a phalanx of media livestreamed his every move as he shuttled between parties offering pledges that included calling an election within four months. The process to elect a prime minister could be protracted, as the constitution provides no deadline. There was no indication yesterday of when parliament would hold a vote. Floods, landslides kill at least 11 in Kashmir SRINAGAR: Floods and

Ramban and Reasi districts were hit by heavy rainfall and landslides on Friday night, killing 11 people. One child aged five was trapped in the debris and still missing. Jammu and Udhampur recorded their highest 24-hour rainfall on Wednesday, with

landslides triggered by record breaking rain killed at least 11 people, including four children, in India’s Jammu and Kashmir. An intense monsoon rainstorm since Tuesday has caused chaos, with raging water smashing into bridges and swamping homes. A local disaster official said