■Cambodia
Official killed by grenade
A member of the ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP) and his daughter were killed after a hand-grenade was lobbed into their home in western Pursat province, police said yesterday. Deputy provincial police chief Sarun Chanthy said the killings were not politically motivated or linked to the July 27 national elections but were due to a "personal dispute." He said the attack occurred last Thursday in Kra Hal village 190km west of Phnom Penh and investigations were ongoing. No arrests have been made. Cheng Saroeun, 41, and his daughter Roeun Theara, 8, died instantly. Phan Lim, the 33-year-old wife and mother, was seriously injured.
■ India
Residents flee flood water
At least 100,000 people have been forced to evacuate their homes in northeastern India to escape flood waters caused by monsoon rains, officials said yesterday. The floods that hit the state of Assam washed away roads, bridges and rail tracks and left houses knee-deep in water, state water resources minister Nurjamal Sarkar said. Three districts, Dhemaji, Karimganj and Hailakandi, were affected after heavy monsoon rains in the past week caused rivers to overflow their banks, he said. "Most of the displaced people have taken shelter in makeshift camps along highways and on other higher ground," Sarkar said.
■ Indonesia
Journalist fears for safety
An American journalist has demanded that the Indonesian government and military guarantee him safe passage out of the country after he ignored a deadline to leave a rebel stronghold in Aceh, a newspaper reported yesterday. The government set a Saturday deadline for William Nessen, a freelance reporter and photographer, to report to a military post in Aceh, where troops are battling separatist rebels. After that, officials said they could not ensure his safety. But Nessen told The Jakarta Post by telephone that he would not leave the rebel hideout in northern Aceh until "the [military] and the Indonesian government guarantee that I can leave the country without being arrested, interrogated or stopped."
■ Malaysia
Lightning kills picnickers
A beach picnic for a Malaysian family turned into tragedy when a woman and her granddaughter were killed by lightning, police said yesterday. The victims and 12 other family members were relaxing Saturday evening by the sea in northeastern Pasir Puteh town when a thunderstorm broke,a district police spokesman said on condition of anonymity. The family had taken refuge under nearby trees when lightning suddenly struck the two victims, causing severe burns that killed them instantly, the spokesman said.
■ The Philippines
Pain pushes man to death
A 68-year-old man jumped to his death from a government hospital in the Philippines, unable to bear the pain of his ulcers, a police report said yesterday. The patient, Armando Sedilla, had been confined at the Philippine General Hospital in Manila for one week for tests and treatment. Investigators said Sedilla was being escorted by hospital personnel to the laboratory for a test when he ran to a room on the sixth floor. "The personnel left the room to report Sedilla's actions to their superior," the report said. "At that point, Sedilla jumped off the window." Sedilla died while being treated for broken bones. His relatives told policemen that there had been times when Sedilla would say he wanted to die.
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