Two charged for insulting Suu Kyi

YANGON • A member of Myanmar's ruling pro-democracy party has pressed charges against two villagers for insulting the government's new leader Aung San Suu Kyi, a police officer said.

The two men were charged for allegedly going on an obscenity-laced rant against the Nobel Laureate after a heavy drinking session one evening in a village not far from the capital Naypyidaw.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

Thai crackdown hits Chinese tourist numbers

BANGKOK • A Thai crackdown on cheap tour packages for Chinese tourists has hit arrivals in Thailand during China's peak "Golden Week" holiday, and dimmed prospects for an important sector in a sluggish economy.

Police Major-General Surachate Hakparn, commander of the Tourist Police Division, said police had shut three companies operating "zero dollar" tours and seized 2,155 tour buses.

Arrest warrants had been issued for nine people as of Thursday, he said.

The tours involve Chinese visitors paying Thai-based operators low prices for their package holidays.

But once in Thailand, they are often pressured into overpaying for food, gifts and accommodation, said industry experts.

REUTERS

Emperor's paper on raccoon dog poo

TOKYO • Emperor Akihito collected Japanese raccoon dog faeces from the Imperial Palace grounds over a five-year period for a research project, revealed the Asahi Shimbun.

The 82-year-old monarch, who is widely revered by his people, studied the excrement under a microscope for clues to the dietary habits of the animal, the newspaper said yesterday.

The results of his work were published by the National Museum of Nature and Science on Aug 22, the report added.