Estrada allowed to leave detention
Estrada allowed to leave detention
PHILIPPINES: An anti-graft court on Thursday allowed deposed Philippine president Joseph Estrada to leave detention for post- operative eye check-ups later this month.
Estrada, who is detained in a military hospital in suburban Quezon city, north of Manila, underwent surgery to remove a cataract from his left eye in December.
The Sandiganbayan anti-graft court on Thursday granted Estrada permission to leave detention on Jan. 7 and Jan. 14 for post operative check-ups and evaluation, but said police should escort him back to confinement immediately at the end of both sessions.
It said "subsequent visits shall depend on the progress" of Estrada's recovery. A military-backed popular uprising ousted Estrada almost a year ago this month amid a mounting corruption scandal.
Estrada was jailed in April to stand trial on charges of plundering a personal fortune of $80 million in his 30 months in office. He has consistently denied the accusations. --AFP
;AFP;EGO; ANPAu..r.. Aglance-Thailand-transport Thailand moves to halt British "tuk tuk" trademark JP/T9/ASEAN
Thailand to halt British 'tuk tuk' trademark
THAILAND: The government will try to stop a British company from registering the trademark for the country's three-wheeled "tuk- tuk" scooter, a report said on Thursday.
Deputy Industry Minister Pichate Satirachaval was quoted by The Nation daily as saying the government was taking action to revoke the trademark by a British company producing similar vehicles.
"The industry, foreign and commerce ministries are coordinating efforts to have the registration revoked because everyone knows tuk-tuk is a Thai symbol," he reportedly said.
"We are looking at all possible channels to revoke the registration," Pichate added without giving further details, according to the newspaper.
A British firm, MMW Imports, reportedly imports tuk-tuks from Thailand and modifies them for sale in Europe under the MMW Tuk Tuk brand. -- AFP
;AP;EGO; ANPAu..r.. Aglance-Vietnam-AIDS AIDS cases rise sharply in Vietnam in 2001 JP/9/ASEAN
Vietnam's AIDS cases rise sharply in 2001
VIETNAM: The number of Vietnamese with AIDS rose by 24.1 percent in 2001 and those who died from the disease increased by 22 percent, according to Vietnam's official news agency.
The number of people testing positive for HIV, the virus which causes AIDS, rose most rapidly among high-risk groups, the Vietnam News Agency said. More than 60 percent of the HIV carriers were drug addicts, said an official from the Ministry of Health's Anti-AIDS Bureau.
The HIV positive rate among female prostitutes increased to 3.53 percent in 2000 from 1.5 percent in 1997, the official said. As of Nov. 30, 42,365 people in Vietnam have tested positive for HIV, including 6,343 who developed full-blown AIDS and 3,474 who died from the disease, he said on Thursday.
About 84 percent of the HIV carriers are men, he said. Experts estimate that the actual HIV infection figure in Vietnam could be 130,000 to 135,000. -- AP
;AFP;EGO; ANPAu..r.. Aglance-Cambodia-crime Three charged with murder after Cambodian mob killing JP/9/ASEAN
Three charged with murder after mob killing
CAMBODIA: A Cambodian court has charged three people with murder after the lynch mob killings of two teenagers, officials said on Thursday.
"Three people have now been charged with murder," said Rosey Keo district police chief Captain Ly Lay. Van Samdy, 16, and Huong Kimheang, 17, were brutally beaten to death on Monday by an angry mob after they were wrongfully accused of stealing a motorbike.
Police said the two male youths and five other friends were running home after being involved in a fight with a 14-year-old boy when they were attacked.
Their rival's parents were chasing them, yelling "stop thieves," prompting other villagers to join the pursuit. When they caught up with the duo, they beat them with sticks, sickles and spade handles while the victims' five friends managed to escape, police said.
Soon after the incident police arrested five people in connection with the killings. Two young boys were later been released without charge. Two of the people charged were the parents of the victims' rival and another was a friend of the 14- year-old.
Cambodia has seen a surge in lynchings amid frustration at the country's notoriously corrupt legal system. --AFP