Asia in 3 minutes: From MILF jailbreak in Philippines to Apple’s block on New York Times in China
All the biggest stories in the region this week
Escapees still at large after Philippines’ biggest ever jailbreak
Philippine authorities captured dozens of inmates who escaped in the nation’s biggest ever jailbreak, but most were still on the run on Friday. Muslim guerrillas stormed a jail in the southern city of Kidapawan, freeing 158 inmates and killing a guard. Warden Peter Bongat said the attackers were believed to be militants who had broken away from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), a Muslim rebel organisation which is in peace talks with the government.
What next? MILF spokesman Von al-Haq said none of its members were involved in the raid. “The leader of the raid was 100 per cent a notorious criminal. He was never a member of the MILF,” al-Haq said, claiming a militant with the alias Commander Derby had broken into the jail to release a relative who was the leader of the Muslim inmates. Al-Haq said the relative and the leader of the Christian inmates were among the first to escape and were still on the run.
Indonesia and Australia play down military spat over ‘offensive’ posters
Indonesia has denied reports it suspended military cooperation with Australia after teaching materials deemed offensive to Jakarta were found at an Australian army base. The coordinating minister for political, legal and security affairs, Wiranto, said the army suspended “activities regarding a cooperation programme in Indonesian language classes at [a facility of] Australia’s special forces, due to a case that hurt national dignity in November 2016”. He said classes would resume after Australia resolved the issue.
What next? Authorities did not say what caused the offence, but the Australian Broadcasting Corporation said it related to posters of West Papua, an eastern Indonesian province where a low-level insurgency has been simmering for decades. The ABC also broadcast footage of Indonesia’s military chief General Gatot Nurmantyo voicing fears Canberra was trying to recruit soldiers sent to Australia for training. Australian Defence Minister Marise Payne said that was “not the case”. Her Indonesian counterpart Ryamizard Ryacudu appeared to play down the row. He said: “Don’t let the rats make the relationship turn sour.”
Mass molestation in Bangalore blamed on ‘copying Westerners’
