JAMBI (Indonesia) - REELING in a tilapia from the murky pond in front of him, farmer H. Baso Intang proclaimed triumphantly: 'These fish provide 5 million rupiah (S$724) in extra income for each family here every year.'

KUALA LUMPUR - A MALAYSIAN court on Monday charged 29 people, including a teenage boy, for taking part in a massive weekend protest against internal security laws that saw 589 people arrested.

In the biggest demonstration in Malaysia for nearly two years, police used tear gas and water cannon Saturday to disperse thousands of people calling for the abolition of laws that allow for detention without trial.

MANILA - HUNDREDS of thousands of Filipinos, many chanting 'Cory! Cory!' and tossing confetti in the air, jammed pavements in Manila on Monday to bid farewell to revered former President and democracy icon Corazon Aquino.

Office workers skipped lunch to join students and ordinary residents waiting hours to catch a glimpse of her flag-draped coffin passing slowly through the streets on a flat-bed truck after her death from colon cancer on Saturday.