KL poll panel looks for election gear
KUALA LUMPUR • Malaysia's Election Commission (EC) has advertised two tender offers to supply and transport two types of bags for use in the next general election, a move the New Straits Times (NST) said was another sign that an election was drawing near. The closing date for both offers is March 9.
The EC is looking for a supplier of bags for ballot boxes and for sling bags, believed to be for use by election staff members, NST said.
Philippine senator faces drug charges
MANILA • The Philippines yesterday filed three drug-related charges against a senator and staunch critic of President Rodrigo Duterte's war on drugs, saying she allegedly received money from drug dealers inside the country's prisons.
Senator Leila de Lima, her former driver, two bodyguards and a former national prison official face arrest next week once a court has issued arrest warrants, an official said.
According to information filed at the Muntinlupa trial court in the south of Manila, the senator received 5 million pesos (S$141,600) delivered to her home when she was justice minister from 2010 to 2016.
REUTERS
7 HK cops jailed for beating activist
HONG KONG • A Hong Kong court jailed seven policemen for two years each yesterday for beating a handcuffed activist during democracy protests in 2014, a rare case of police brutality that triggered public outrage.
The beating happened on Oct 15, 2014, at the height of the 79-day protests that posed one of the most serious political challenges to Communist Party leaders in Beijing for decades.
The policemen were filmed dragging the protester to a dark corner near the protest site, where he was kicked and punched repeatedly as he lay on the ground.
REUTERS
Indonesian militant sent back by Japan
JAKARTA • An Indonesian man has been sent home from Japan for allegedly planning to join a terrorist group in Syria, Indonesian police said yesterday.
Azni Muzakir alias Abdul Zakir, 44, arrived in Bali on Wednesday. He first went to Japan in 1997 and continued entering the country from 2007 onwards.
XINHUA
