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International News

From The Asian Reporter, V35, #6 (June 2, 2025), page 2.

Tokyo customs make huge bust of ketamine in Japan

TOKYO (AP) — Tokyo police and customs have made what is believed to be their biggest bust of the anesthetic drug ketamine, brought through Haneda airport in two suitcases. Tokyo customs officials said they filed a criminal complaint against a French woman on suspicion of attempting to smuggle into Japan about 88 pounds of ketamine in the luggage. The suspect, whom officials identified as a 21-year-old cook, was detained at Haneda airport customs after arriving on a flight from Germany in April, officials at Tokyo Customs said. The seized drugs had an estimated street value of about 920 million yen ($8.8 million), according to Japan’s NHK television. Ketamine is a powerful anesthetic approved by U.S. health regulators for use during surgery. It can be given as an intramuscular injection or intravenously. The drug is used recreationally for its euphoric effects and can cause hallucinations or impact breathing and the heart.

11-year-old is Cambodia’s fourth bird flu death this year

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — An 11-year-old boy died from bird flu in Cambodia’s fourth fatal case this year, the Health Ministry has announced. Several chickens and ducks near the boy’s house were found to have been sick and dying for a week before the child started feeling ill, the ministry said in a statement. "Despite the care and rescue efforts of the medical team, the child died" at a hospital after arriving with a fever, cough, shortness of breath, and difficulty breathing, the ministry said. Tests from the Pasteur Institute of Cambodia confirmed the boy, who lived in a village in the western province of Kampong Speu, died of H5N1 avian influenza. A Health Ministry emergency response team has been working with local authorities to investigate the source of the village’s bird flu outbreak and respond with the appropriate technical protocols to prevent further transmission to others, the statement said. The medicine Tamiflu will be distributed to people whose contacts put them at risk and health education campaigns will be conducted in the affected villages, the ministry said. "We would also like to inform you that if you have a fever, cough, sputum discharge, or difficulty breathing and have a history of contact with sick or dead chickens or ducks within 14 days before the start of the symptoms, do not go to gatherings or crowded places. And seek consultation and treatment at the nearest health center or hospital immediately," the ministry warned.

Police rescue baby orangutans, arrest trafficking suspect

BANGKOK (AP) — Two baby orangutans have been rescued from being sold in Thailand’s capital of Bangkok and a suspected trafficker arrested, police said. The orangutans were seized and the alleged courier for the seller was arrested at a gas station, police said. The suspect was charged with illegal possession of protected wildlife and faces up to four years in prison if convicted. Police said orangutans generally sell for 300,000 baht ($9,000) each. The International Union for Conservation of Nature lists orangutans as critically endangered, and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) prohibits cross-border trade in the animals. Orangutans are found only in the forests of Sumatra and Borneo, but their habitat is shrinking due to the growth of agricultural land, making them more vulnerable to poaching. Thailand over the past two decades has repatriated dozens of orangutans to Indonesia. U.S. Immigration and Customs’ Enforcement and Interpol, the international police organization, estimate the annual value of the illicit wildlife trade at $10 billion to $20 billion. Police handed over the two orangutans to the Department of National Parks, Wildlife, and Plant Conservation for care and safekeeping.

Vessel with hazardous cargo sinks off coast of India

NEW DELHI (AP) — India’s southern state of Kerala issued a high alert along its coastal areas and asked fishermen not to venture near the site of an accident where a container ship carrying hazardous cargo sank off its coast in the Arabian Sea. The Liberia-flagged MSC ELSA 3 was sailing between the Indian ports of Vizhinjam and Kochi when it sank about 38 nautical miles off Kerala. All 24 crew members were rescued, India’s defense ministry said. The vessel went down with 640 containers, including 13 with an unspecified "hazardous cargo" and 12 containing calcium carbide. It also had 84.44 metric tons of diesel and 367.1 metric tons of furnace oil in its tanks. The Kerala chief minister’s office urged people to stay away from some of the containers that began washing ashore. It also advised fishermen not to venture too close to the sunken ship. The Indian Coast Guard said it sent an aircraft with an oil spill detection system to survey the area. It also deployed a ship carrying pollution control equipment to the site of the accident.

Man detained over pepper spray attack near Tokyo

TOKYO (AP) — A dozen people were taken to the hospital after a man used pepper spray at a shopping mall near Tokyo following an argument, according to police and media reports. Chiba prefectural police said they detained a suspect at the scene and were questioning the man on suspicion of assault. Police said "many" were injured, though none of them were in serious condition. NHK television said a total of 42 people complained about pain in their eyes and throat, and 12 of them were taken to the hospital. The report quoted witnesses as saying that the man used the spray after quarrelling with other customers over smoking. A customer at a restaurant told NHK that she suddenly felt irritation in her nose as people seated near her started coughing. Violent crimes are rare in Japan, but in recent years there have been a number of high-profile attacks involving knives or homemade explosives.