Thai PM reassures as Bangkok braces for floods

Rachel Harvey says a village just north of Bangkok is waist-deep in water

Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra has sought to reassure Bangkok residents, as efforts continue to protect the city from the country's worst floods in decades.

Ms Yingluck said flood walls would protect the city centre and it should be considered safe.

Her comments came after an evacuation warning for some suburbs issued by a minister sparked panic.

The flooding, which began in late July, has affected huge swathes of Thailand.

Northern and central provinces bore the brunt of the flooding initially but the run-off is now swelling waterways that flow south into Bangkok.

Authorities there have warned that the arrival of the run-off water, plus high tides and bad weather at the weekend, could flood parts of the city.

'Dangerous time'
Flooding has already inundated parts of Pathum Thani, a town directly north of Bangkok.

Central Bangkok is protected by flood walls and in recent days, teams of troops and volunteers have been racing to fill sandbags to fortify existing dykes.
"Bangkok may face some problems in areas that are on the outer sides of the irrigation dykes but water levels will not be too high. But inner Bangkok has extremely high defences," Ms Yingluck said.

"In conclusion, Bangkok should still be considered safe," she said.

Large parts of the World Heritage city of Ayutthaya are under water

Late on Thursday, Science Minister Plodprasop Suraswadi said that northern suburbs were at risk of flooding because a floodgate had burst, causing some residents to leave.

But the government later issued a call for calm, saying the breach would not affect Bangkok.

"During 15 to 18 October, it may be a dangerous time because water from the north will be coming in... But I confirm it has not reached a crisis stage as of this moment," said Bangkok Governor Sukhumbhand Paribatra.

Officials in charge of managing the floods say they plan to divert the water through canals to the east and west of Bangkok and then on to the sea.

The main canals are being dredged to help water flow out to sea. Troops are also digging out other canals to improve water flow, a government spokesman said.
Sandbags have been distributed to residents in villages within the drainage area, the Bangkok Post newspaper reported.

The flooding has been gathering pace for weeks. More than 280 people have been killed and Thailand's economy has been hit hard because factories are under water.

The city of Ayutthaya, a World Heritage site home to temples and monuments, has been particularly badly affected.

Neighbouring Cambodia has also been hit hard by floods, which have been triggered by heavy monsoon rains. Almost 250 people have been killed since the flooding began, with 17 out of 23 provinces affected.

Burma frees political prisoners

Zarganar said other political prisoners should also be set free

The Burmese government has freed more than 150 political prisoners as part of a general amnesty, activists say.

A popular comedian and dissident, Zarganar, was among the first to be freed. Some monks and journalists were also released.

Burmese pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi welcomed the amnesty.

Western nations maintain sanctions on Burma, and one of the key reasons is the country's continued detention of about 2,000 political prisoners.

They include journalists, pro-democracy activists, government critics, monks involved in anti-government protests and members of Burma's ethnic groups fighting for greater autonomy.

Zarganar was arrested in 2008 after publicly criticising the government response to Cyclone Nargis, which killed more than 140,000 people.

Speaking to the BBC shortly after his release, Zarganar was wary of his new-found freedom, describing it as conditional.

"If I do something wrong they will send me back. I'm not happy today because there are so many of my friends still in prison," he said.

Leaders of a failed uprising in 1988 are reportedly still in jail.

Bold step?
A Burmese prison official told the BBC that 300 dissidents had been freed, but this figure cannot yet be confirmed.

The human rights group Amnesty International said Burma's government - a nominally civilian administration dominated by leaders of the former military regime - must free more political detainees if it is seriously committed to reform.
"This release of political prisoners is welcome, but is not consistent with the authorities' recent promises of political reform in Burma," said Benjamin Zawacki, Amnesty International's Burma researcher, who is based in Bangkok.

"Unless the figure rises substantially, it will constitute a relaxation of reform efforts rather than a bold step forward."

The government said on Tuesday that more than 6,000 prisoners would be freed but it was unclear how many would be political detainees.

Ms Suu Kyi, herself freed from 15 years of house arrest last year, said: "We hope many more will be released. I'm really thankful for the release of political prisoners."

A number of monks are thought to be among those freed, but early reports that one of their leaders, Shin Gambira, had been released, could not be confirmed.

He led street protests in 2007 that were crushed by the previous military government.

Barometer of change
Burma announced an amnesty of 15,000 prisoners in May 2011 and freed more than 7,000 in 2009 - but those moves were criticised by rights groups for failing to include political prisoners.

Burma held its first elections in two decades almost a year ago - polls which saw military rule replaced with a military-backed civilian-led government.

Since then the government has freed Aung San Suu Kyi and held a dialogue with her.

But Nyan Win of Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) told the BBC that a prisoner release was not all that was needed.

"The release of political prisoners is just one of the barometers of the government's seriousness about a change to democracy," he said.

"There should be other developments like media freedom, and the relaxation of censorship among other things."

The BBC's South East Asia correspondent Rachel Harvey says pro-democracy activists, human rights organisations and Western diplomats are likely to scrutinise carefully the list of those released on Wednesday and tailor their response accordingly.

Australia parliament passes divisive carbon tax

The carbon tax vote is an important victory for Prime Minister Julia Gillard

Australia's lower house of parliament has narrowly passed a bill for a controversial carbon tax.

The legislation would force about 500 of the biggest polluters to pay for each tonne of carbon dioxide they emit.

The tax is central to the government's strategy to combat climate change, but the opposition says it will cause job losses and raise the cost of living.

Australia is the world's largest coal exporter and is one of the biggest per capita greenhouse gas emitters.

"Today is a significant day for Australians and the Australians of the future who want to see a better environment," Prime Minister Julia Gillard said before the vote.

After her Clean Energy Bill 2011 was passed with 74 votes for and 72 against, she hugged colleagues and waved to supporters in the public galleries.

Protests
The victory is an important one for the prime minister, whose popularity with voters in opinion polls has been declining against the opposition.

The bill is unpopular with many Australians. Thousands of people have protested against it, accusing Ms Gillard of lying before last year's election.

Ms Gillard made a pledge during last year's federal election not to introduce a carbon tax.
The proposed tax was drawn up after Ms Gillard failed to win an overall majority in parliament at the polls and had to rely on the support of the Australian Greens.

The carbon tax and a companion bill for A$300m ($298m; £191m) in assistance for the Australian steel industry are expected to pass in the senate with the assistance of the Greens next month.

Australia's 500 heaviest polluters will pay A$23 for each tonne of carbon emissions, and households will be compensated through tax cuts or welfare increases for any increased costs.

It will be introduced on 1 July next year, and will then evolve into an emissions trading scheme three years later.

The conservative opposition leader, Tony Abbott, has promised to ditch the tax if he wins office.

New Zealand oil spill ship captain charged

It is not clear how the Rena ran into the well-charted reef in calm weather

The captain of a cargo ship that has grounded off New Zealand and is leaking oil into the sea has been arrested and charged, officials say.

The captain was charged with "operating a vessel in a manner causing unnecessary danger or risk".

The 775ft (236m) Rena ran aground on a charted reef off the North Island port of Tauranga a week ago.

Officials say the fuel oil leaking from the ship has caused the country's worst environmental disaster in decades.

Maritime New Zealand (MNZ), which is managing the emergency response, said about 70 containers had fallen off the Rena after more bad weather overnight shifted the vessel into a heavy list.

The ship is carrying 11 containers of hazardous materials, MNZ said, including ferrosilicon which is flammable upon contact with water.

MNZ said the hazardous materials containers were not among those that had fallen overboard.

Growing anger
On Tuesday, MNZ officials said the spill was much worse than originally feared, with as much as 350 tonnes of oil estimated to have leaked from the ship.
Environment Minister Nick Smith called it "New Zealand's worst environmental disaster in many decades".
MNZ said the Rena's captain had been charged under section 65 of the Maritime Transport Act. He faces a fine of $7,800 (£5,000) or a maximum prison sentence of 12 months if convicted.

More charges were likely, MNZ said.

He appeared at a court in Tauranga on Wednesday morning and was granted bail for one week, when he is next due in court.

Judge Robert Wolff granted his lawyer's request that the captain's name be suppressed because people "might want to take matters into their own hands".

The captain's passport has been confiscated and he is to remain at a nominated address approved by the prosecutors and make daily reports to a local police station subject to the needs of the salvage operation.

It is not clear how the vessel ran aground on a well-marked reef in calm weather.

With shipping containers falling off the Rena, New Zealand has issued a navigational warning and re-routed major shipping away from the grounded vessel.
Some of the containers have been reported to have washed ashore on Motiti Island, between Astrolabe Reef and Tauranga. More of the Rena's 1,368 containers are expected to fall overboard in the heavy swells battering the ship.

Meanwhile, anger is growing among residents of Tauranga and nearby communities over the speed of the official response to the grounding.

The oil spill is happening in an area teeming with wildlife, including penguins, seals, dolphins, whales and rare sea birds.

Bad weather, including north-easterly winds of 30 knots and heavy seas, have hampered efforts to pump oil off the Rena and clumps of oil are washing up on the area's long, sandy beaches.

Once the oil is off the vessel and the containers have been removed, salvage crews can work on lifting the Rena off Astrolabe Reef.

Oil from the Rena has been washing up on some of New Zealand's most popular beaches

Australia, New Zealand in airlift to drought-hit Tuvalu

Tuvalu's ground water has been contaminated by rising seas, so it depends on rainfall

Australia and New Zealand are to airlift equipment to the Pacific nation of Tuvalu to help it deal with a severe water shortage caused by drought.

Military planes from both countries will fly a large desalination unit to Tuvalu's main island of Funafuti.

New Zealand has already flown smaller units to Tuvalu but its foreign minister said more capacity was needed.

Tuvalu has declared a state of emergency over the shortage, caused by the La Nina weather phenomenon.

It has not rained in the remote nation of about 11,000 people for more than six months, and there is no drinkable groundwater because rising seas have contaminated it.

'Acute shortage'
About half the population live on the main island of Funafuti, where water is being rationed.

"The advice is that more capacity is needed to relieve the acute water shortage and replenish stocks," New Zealand Foreign Minister Murray McCully said.

"At present the two operating desalination plants at Funafuti are producing a combined volume of 43,000 litres a day. The minimum requirement for the 5,300 residents is 79,500 litres a day."
Several New Zealand military aircraft and an Australian C-17 - a large military transport aircraft - will be involved in the operation, Mr McCully said in a statement.

The first flight was due to leave on Friday, with the desalination plant due to be moved via Samoa early next week.

Australia has also sent 1,000 rehydration packs for hospitals in Tuvalu, and has provided money and fuel to keep desalination plants going.

Earlier this week, the Tuvalu Red Cross warned that water supplies in some areas - including outlying islands - could run out within days.

Neighbouring Tokelau has also declared a state of emergency over a water shortage. A US coast guard vessel is on its way to the tiny three-atoll territory with 36,000 gallons of fresh water.

It will meet a New Zealand team carrying equipment in Samoa and then proceed to Tokelau.

US Ambassador to New Zealand and Samoa David Huebner said a quick response was needed.

"We are talking about approximately 1,500 people who could be out of fresh water within a week, so we really needed to act very quickly."

Filipino-American woman kidnapped in July is freed

A search was begun after Lunsmann, her son and nephew, were seized in July

A Filipino-American woman seized more than two months ago in the southern Philippines has been released, officials on Basilan island say.

Gerfa Yeatts Lunsmann was freed on Sunday evening and walked to a local township.

Her American son Kevin, 14, and a Filipino nephew Romnick Jakaria, 19, seized with her, are still being held by suspected Abu Sayyaf militants.

It is not known whether a ransom was paid to secure her release.

Ms Lunsmann is "a bit weak" after her ordeal, said Zamboanga Mayor Celso Lobregat.

"We thank God for this release," he added.

The three were kidnapped on 12 July at a resort on the island of Tictabon, where they were on holiday.

Ms Lunsmann, a 41-year-old vet, was born in the Zamboanga but was adopted by a US family and grew up in the United States.

She lives in Virginia, but has visited the southern Philippines province of Mindanao at least five times before, local police said.

Philippines recovers after Typhoons Nesat and Nalgae

Residents of Calumpit are expecting more water to descend on the town

Rescuers are scrambling to reach people who have been stranded for days on their rooftops following two typhoons in a week.

The authorities are still trying to evacuate people amid a threat of further flash floods and landslides in the aftermath of typhoon Nalgae.

At least 52 people were killed and thousands made homeless after Typhoon Nesat hit the country on Tuesday.

Nalgae has followed the same route, killing at least three people.

The death toll is expected to rise following Nalgae's six-hour rampage on Saturday across areas of the main Luzon island already waterlogged by Nesat.

Nalgae has now moved into the South China Sea and is heading towards southern China with winds of 81mph (130k/ph) and gusts of 99mph (160k/ph).

'Big problem'

Hundreds of residents in the farming town of Calumpit, north of Manila, have spent four days on the roofs of their homes to escape the rising flood waters - running short of food and water.

Rescue workers on rubber boats could not reach them because of narrow alleyways, and two air force helicopters were deployed to drop water and food packs to the marooned villagers, the Associated Press reports.

"We have a very big problem here," Calumpit Mayor James de Jesus told ABS-CBN TV network. "We're facing a long flooding".

Benito Ramos, of the Office of Civil Defense, was inspecting the situation in the town, and warned that more water - flowing down from the nearby Cordillera mountain range - could exacerbate the problem.

He called on anyone "refusing to leave their homes, to let the authorities evacuate them".

Nalgae made landfall in the eastern province of Isabela on Saturday. At its strongest it was packing winds of up to 195km/h (121mph).

It followed the same route as Nesat, which had already affected more than 2.4 million people.

More than a million people had moved into evacuated centres, while others sought refuge at the homes of relatives and friends. Thousands were reportedly trapped on the roofs of their homes as Nesat barrelled across the island.

Provincial disaster official Raul Agustin told ABS-CBN television that marooned flood victims were often reluctant to leave for fear their homes would be looted.

"When we send out rescue teams to help them, they ask for food instead," he said.

The Philippines suffers frequent typhoons, about 20 a year.

In pictures: Typhoon Nalgae hits Philippines

Thai PM Yingluck Shinawatra's Twitter account is hacked

The postings criticised Yingluck Shinawatra's handling of the recent floods

The Twitter account of Thailand's new Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra has been hacked and used to post questions about her competence.

The false tweets accused her of cronyism and various failures.

The final post read: "If she can't even protect her own Twitter account, how can she protect the country?"

Ms Yingluck won a clear victory in July, but is accused by her critics of being a puppet of her brother, former PM Thaksin Shinawatra.

Mr Thaksin - whose populist policies won him the support of much of the rural and urban poor - was thrown out of office in a 2006 military coup.

Now living in exile in Dubai, he is still seen as the de facto leader of his sister's Pheu Thai party - although the party insists his role is purely advisory.

Ms Yingluck - Thailand's first female prime minister - has no previous political experience but has won support with her pledge to heal the divisions that have plagued the country since her brother was ousted.

But, in one of the hacked Tweets, her government is accused of failure in its response to floods that have hit large parts of the country.

Another questioned her promise to give tablet computers to school children, suggesting she concentrate on education reform instead.

"This country is a business. We work for our allies, not for the Thai people. We work for those who support us, not those who differ with us," another read.

The government confirmed that the prime minister's account - PouYingluck - had been hacked and the Information and Communication Technology Ministry is investigating.

Indonesia: Suspect arrested over Solo church bombing

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Indonesian police say they have arrested a terror suspect wanted in connection with at least two attacks.

Local police chief Lt Col Lufti Martadian said Beni Asri was captured near his parents' house in Solok, West Sumatra province, on Friday.

Ben Asri is suspected of helping to plot a suicide bomb attack on a church in the central Java town of Solo last Sunday that injured at least 20 people.

He is also wanted over a suicide attack on police in West Java last April.

That bombing, during Friday prayers at a mosque in a police compound in Cirebon, injured nearly 30 police officers.

Lt Col Lufti Martadian said Beni Asri was flown to Jakarta for questioning following his arrest, the Associated Press reports.

The 26-year-old was one of four people named by police this week as being wanted on suspicion of helping the suicide bomber attack worshippers as they left the Bethel Injil Sepuluh church in Keputon, Solo, after a service last Sunday.

Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said, in the aftermath of the attack, that initial investigations indicated the bomber was a member of the same terror group which carried out a suicide attack at the mosque in Cirebon.

Beni Asri was one of five people already being sought by police in connection with the Cirebon attack.

Indonesia is the world's most populous Muslim country but is officially a secular state.

Militant Islamist groups have carried out a number of deadly attacks in Indonesia in recent years.

Philippines hit with second typhoon in a week

A second typhoon in a week pounded the Philippines on Saturday, prompting evacuations and causing severe flooding.

Typhoon Nalgae, known locally as Quiel, had lost some strength Saturday night. But it still had maximum sustained winds of 150 kph (95 mph), with gusts recorded 35 kph stronger, according to a 5 p.m. Saturday advisory from the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Administration. At that point, its center was 40 km west-northwest of Baguio City.

The storm follows Typhoon Nesat, which left at least 52 people dead and caused damage in 34 provinces since it hit Tuesday, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council.

The two typhoons will or have already affected about 3 million Filipinos, the non-profit World Vision group estimated in a news release Saturday.

The latter -- Nalgae -- made landfall in Dinapigue, in Isabela province, on Saturday morning, the disaster council said. It is expected to have moved past the east Asian island nation by Sunday morning, forecasters said.

By day's end, the storm had made several roads impassable in the cities of Calasiao and Dagupan on Luzon island, the state-run Philippines News Agency. Affected residents are being evacuated from those communities and others, including Santa Barbara.

Also Saturday, the San Roque Power Corporation opened two gates at one of its dams along the Agno River in north Luzon, due to high waters there related to the storm, the news agency said.

Presidential spokesman Abigail Valte earlier Saturday urged residents of low-lying and mountainous areas that could be hit hard by the storm to evacuate, the state news agency said, citing an interview conducted on a government radio station.

World Vision, the Christian humanitarian organization, said Saturday that it had to postpone some of its relief efforts due to Nalgae, with two of three emergency teams set to deploy once the storm passes. Another team is in Bulcan province, most of which is "still submerged" because of Nesat.

The group is focusing its post-Nesat efforts on two communities in Manila and three in the northern Isabela and Zambales provinces. Vouchers are being distributed so people can buy needed items, some emergency supplies are being given out directly to citizens and 3,000 Manila children will receive school supplies.

Sherbien Dacalanio, a CNN iReporter in the Philippines, described one area of Manila as being devastated by Nesat.

"The damage is shocking. It's like a damage brought by earthquake and tsunami," Dacalanio said.

Philippines hit by second typhoon

Typhoon Nalgae batters flood-hit Philippines

Typhoons Nesat and Nalgae have brought a double dose of rain and floods

The second typhoon to hit the Philippines in less than a week has been battering northern areas, with ferocious winds and heavy rain.

At least one person died as Typhoon Nalgae hit regions still waterlogged by the earlier storm Nesat, and officials warned of flash floods and landslides.

Nalgae crossed the main island Luzon, but weakened as it headed west toward the South China Sea.

The Philippines suffers frequent typhoons, about 20 a year.

Nalgae made landfall in the eastern province of Isabela on Saturday. At it strongest it was packing winds of up to 195km/h (121mph).

It is now expected to gather strength again over the sea as it moves towards China's Hainan island and Vietnam. Heavy wind and rain is expected in the Philippines for another 48 hours.

A woman was killed in Mountain Province when a landslide engulfed the minibus she was travelling in. A second person was injured.


In Isabela, power supplies were switched off as winds toppled trees and blew off roofs.

In Luna township, a bus carrying 30 people turned over in a rice field but no-one was hurt, the Associated Press reported.

Misery compounded
The storm is taking much the same route as Typhoon Nesat which hit the country on Tuesday leaving at least 52 people dead and thousands homeless.
Tens of thousands of residents have moved into evacuation centres or the homes of relatives or friends, but many areas are still heavily flooded from the earlier storm.

With more heavy rains expected, officials fear that floods resulting from the second hurricane will compound the misery of more than a million people still trapped after the first.

Several towns remain submerged, and the BBC's Kate McGeown in Manila says many residents are still on rooftops awaiting rescue from the first storm.

"I hope the [Nesat] floods will wash out to Manila Bay before the [Nalgae] runoff hits the area," disaster management chief Benito Ramos said, quoted by AFP news agency.

"If the latter catches up to the former, there won't be any rooftops left to see above the floodwaters."

Provincial disaster official Raul Agustin told ABS-CBN television that marooned flood victims were often reluctant to leave for fear their homes would be looted.

"When we send out rescue teams to help them, they ask for food instead," he said.

In pictures: Typhoon Nalgae hits Philippines

Typhoon Nalgae batters flood-hit Philippines

Typhoon Nalgae is following the same track as Nesat

The second typhoon to hit the Philippines in less than a week is battering the north of the country, with ferocious winds and heavy rain.

Typhoon Nalgae has hit regions still waterlogged by the earlier storm, Nesat, and authorities have warned of flash floods and landslides.

The BBC's Kate McGeown in Manila says many residents are still on rooftops awaiting rescue from the first storm.

The Philippines suffers frequent typhoons, about 20 a year.

Nalgae made landfall in the eastern province of Isabela on Saturday with winds of up to 160km/h (100mph) and is heading west across the main island of Luzon.

First reports speak of material damage across the affected region, but there has been no word so far of casualties.

The storm is taking much the same route as Typhoon Nesat which hit the country on Tuesday leaving at least 50 people dead and thousands homeless.

Tens of thousands of residents have moved into evacuation centres or the homes of relatives or friends, but many areas are still heavily flooded from the earlier storm.

Officials say more than a million of Luzon's 48 million inhabitants remain trapped by the floods.

Several towns remain submerged.

Provincial disaster official Raul Agustin told ABS-CBN television that marooned flood victims were often reluctant to leave for fear their homes would be looted.

"When we send out rescue teams to help them, they ask for food instead," he said.

Hong Kong arrests New Zealand $10m bank error fugitive

A man on the run from New Zealand since a bank mistakenly deposited millions of dollars into his account has been arrested in Hong Kong.

Police say Hui Gao - a New Zealander of Chinese origin - was handed over to Interpol after he was stopped at the border between Hong Kong and China.

Two years ago, he asked Westpac Bank for an overdraft of NZ$100,000 ($77,000; £49,000).

But it mistakenly put NZ$10m into his account.

The bank discovered its error within days but, by then, more than NZ$6m had allegedly been transferred to other accounts.

Hui Gao was remanded in custody by a court in Hong Kong for an extradition hearing on 28 November.

The 30-year-old was wanted for alleged theft and money laundering.

His former girlfriend, Kara Hurring, who left New Zealand with him in 2009, returned voluntarily to her home country in February.

She will face trial next year on charges of stealing theft and money laundering.

Detective Inspector Mark Loper said the arrest in Hong Kong reinforced the determination and tenacity of the New Zealand police to apprehend Mr Hui.

Burma dam: Work halted on divisive Myitsone project

The project had sparked a rare campaign of opposition, joined by Aung San Suu Kyi

Burma's president has suspended construction of a controversial Chinese-backed hydroelectric dam.

In a letter read out in parliament on Friday, Thein Sein said the $3.6bn (£2.3bn) Myitsone dam was contrary to the will of the people.

The project fuelled fighting between the army and ethnic Kachin rebels, and pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi recently joined the anti-dam campaign.

The suspension is being seen as a rare victory for social activists.

The BBC's South East Asia correspondent Rachel Harvey says it appears to be further evidence of the new leadership's desire to seek legitimacy by being more open to public opinion.

The army handed over power to a civilian authority in March, although many of the new rulers are ex-military.

Last week, police arrested a man who staged a rare solo protest against the project outside a Chinese embassy building in Rangoon, AFP news agency reported, and a rally this week against the project was also blocked.

The decision to halt construction was "a welcome surprise for everybody, inside and outside of Burma", Aung Zaw, editor of the Irrawaddy News website, based in northern Thailand, told the BBC.

"The people [are] really happy and welcome the decision made by President Thein Sein because it wasn't only [Aung San] Suu Kyi, let me remind you of that.

"It's the population, the whole Burmese who feel they belong to the culture heritage of the Irrawaddy river. They welcome the news."

Maung Maung Than, from the BBC's Burmese service, points out that the effect of damming the Irrawaddy - which flows from the north of Burma into the massive delta in the south - would have been felt throughout the country.

The vast majority of the power produced on the dam was to be exported to China, and correspondents say the dam had served to inflame growing anti-Chinese sentiment in Burma.

Beijing is investing vast sums in a series of big infrastructure projects aimed at exploiting Burma's rich natural resources and geographic position in the region.

There has as yet been no official reaction from China to the unusual step taken against it by its isolated ally.

Our correspondent says lobby groups will still be wary because Thein Sein has said he is suspending the dam's construction only for the term of his office, which ends in 2015.

Spectrum of opposition

The Myitsone dam project was being developed jointly by Burma and China at the head of the Irrawaddy river in Burma's northern Kachin state.

Kachin rebels, who have been fighting government troops in a stop-start insurgency for years, were leading the opposition to the dam.

This year has been one of the most violent in Kachin state in more than a decade.

The dam, which was due for completion in 2019, would be one of the world's tallest at 152m (500ft) high.

The campaign against the project brought together conservationists, environmentalists, Kachin activists and the political opposition.

Their objections ranged from the lack of public consultation to the potential environmental impact of the project.

The dam would create a reservoir of some 766 sq km (300 sq miles) - about the size of Singapore - and displace thousands of ethnic Kachin villagers, our correspondent says.

"The president sent a message comprising 10 points to the parliament this morning. One of them said that the construction of the dam on the Irrawaddy will be shelved during the term of his government," one official at parliament was quoted by Reuters news agency as saying.

The dam was to flood an area of rich biodiversity

"He said that his government, being born out of people's desire, has to act according to the desire of the people," said the official, who declined to be named because he was not authorised to speak to the media.

The decision to suspend construction was unexpected.

Earlier this month, a report in the local Eleven journal said Electric Power Minister Zaw Min had declared that construction of the dam would proceed despite the objections.

Indonesia plane carrying 18 feared crashed

A plane carrying 18 people is feared to have crashed in western Indonesia, government officials say.

Rescue teams are heading to its last known location near the North Sumatran village of Bahorok.

Transport ministry spokesman Bambang Ervan said the CASA C-212 aircraft was on an hour-long flight between North Sumatra and Aceh provinces.

He said it lost contact with air traffic control after sending out an emergency signal.

Indonesia relies heavily on air transport and has a poor aviation record.

In May, 27 people died when an Indonesian passenger plane crashed into the sea off the eastern province of West Papua.

Powerful Typhoon Nesat hits Philippines

Kate McGeown reports from the island of Luzon

A powerful typhoon has struck the Philippines, triggering floods and cutting power in the capital Manila and throughout the main island, Luzon.

Typhoon Nesat also forced the closure of the Philippine Stock Exchange and the US embassy, and the ground floor of Manila's main hospital was flooded.

At least seven people have been killed, including several children.

As Nesat approached, the authorities ordered the evacuation of more than 100,000 in central Albay province.

The typhoon is expected to continue slowly across the country, before blowing across the South China Sea towards southern China on Thursday.


Crushed
Nesat made landfall just before dawn on Tuesday in the eastern Isabela and Aurora provinces on the Pacific coast.

The storm - with a diameter of 650km (400 miles) and wind gusts of up to 170km/h (105mph) - is now making its way across Luzon, the BBC's Kate McGeown in the central Luzon province of Zambales reports.

Many roads have been flooded and flights cancelled, and local media are urging people against non-essential travel, our correspondent says.

An adult and three children were crushed to death as a building collapsed in a northern Manila suburb on Tuesday, AFP news agency quoted the Office of Civil Defence as saying.

Two men were said to have died north of the capital in a landslide and weather-induced accident.

There is waist-deep flooding in parts of the capital.



Reporters described huge waves crashing into Manila Bay's seawall, with water overflowing into Roxas Boulevard and flooding streets and parks around the US embassy, which was evacuated.

The ground floor of Manila hospital was flooded, and staff were forced to move patients to the first floor.

"We've heard of Manila Hospital being flooded, but we're struggling to reach the area even though we've co-ordinated with them already to help in an evacuation plan," Philippine National Red Cross secretary general Gwen Pang told AFP.

A five-star hotel was also evacuated, reports said.

Meanwhile, thousands of residents living inland along the Marikana river were evacuated as it threatened to overflow.

Government offices, schools and universities were closed.

In Isabela province, four coastal towns under threat from storm surges have been evacuated.

Four fishermen are missing, and more than 50 more have been rescued after their boats capsized in rough seas.

There are fears that the death toll may rise further.

Late on Monday, the first reported casualty of the typhoon was a baby who fell into a swollen river in the eastern province of Catanduanes.

Tens of thousands of people are being evacuated in Luzon

Earlier, about 110,000 people in several towns of the Albay province were ordered to leave their homes and seek shelter elsewhere.


"We can't manage typhoons, but we can manage their effects," provincial Governor Joey Salceda was quoted as saying by the Associated Press.

The Philippines suffers frequent typhoons, about 20 a year, but Nesat is thought to be the largest this year.

It comes almost exactly two years after Typhoon Ketsana killed more than 400 people.

Powerful Typhoon Nesat hits Philippines

Typhoon Nesat brought strong rains and forced many schools to close

A powerful typhoon has struck the Philippines, triggering floods, cutting power and halting work in the capital Manila.

Typhoon Nesat also forced the closure of the Philippine Stock Exchange and the US embassy in the city.

At least one person was killed and another four were reported missing.

As the storm approached, the authorities ordered the evacuation of more than 100,000 people in the central Albay province.

The typhoon is expected to continue across the country, before blowing across the South China sea towards southern China on Thursday.

Nesat made landfall just before dawn in the eastern Isabela and Aurora provinces on the Pacific coast.

The storm - with wind gusts of up to 170km/h (105mph) - is now making its way across the island of Luzon, which is home to more than half the Philippine population, the BBC's Kate McGeown in the Philippines reports.

Many roads have been flooded and flights cancelled, and local media are urging people against non-essential travel, our correspondent says.

In Manila, government offices, schools and universities were closed, as the authorities urged city residents to stay indoors.

A baby died after falling into a swollen river in the central province of Catanduanes.

Four fishermen are missing, and more than 50 more have been rescued after their boats capsized in rough seas.

There are fears that the death toll would rise further.

Earlier, about 110,000 people in several towns of the Albay province were ordered to leave their homes and seek shelter elsewhere.

"We can't manage typhoons, but we can manage their effects," provincial Governor Joey Salceda was quoted as saying by the Associated Press.

The Philippines suffers frequent typhoons - but Nesat is thought to be the largest this year, our correspondent says.

It comes almost exactly two years after Typhoon Ketsana, killed more than 400 people.

China's richest man Liang Wengen may join ruling elite

Liang Wengen made his fortune in China's construction boom

China's richest man is set to join the ruling Communist Party's Central Committee, media reports say.

If Liang Wengen, 55, is chosen by the party's 2012 congress, he will be the first entrepreneur to join the body, which in effect rules the country.

The BBC's Martin Patience in Beijing says this would be a hugely symbolic shift in the party's view of business.

Construction magnate Mr Liang topped both the Forbes and Hurun rich lists with a wealth of more than $9bn (£6bn).

The media reports said he had completed a vetting procedure for the 300-strong body and was on track for approval by the congress in October next year.

Our correspondent says China's wealthy are increasingly being courted by the party, which only started allowing businessmen into its ranks a decade ago.

Mr Liang's company Sany, which manufactures cranes and excavators, has benefited in recent years from China's building boom.