■ Pakistan
Border fence started
Pakistan said on Wednesday it had started fencing parts of its western border with Afghanistan to stop cross-border movement of al-Qaeda and Taliban guerrillas. New searchlight towers and checkpoints were also being set up along the Afghan border in southwestern Baluchistan province, military spokesman Major-General Shaukat Sultan said. He did not say how long the fence would be. The Baluchistan border accounts for about half of the 2,450km frontier. The move comes after growing calls from US and Afghan officials for Pakistan to take steps to stem the flow of the militants back and forth into Afghan territory.
■ Indonesia
Commander in court
Indonesian prosecutors brought to court yesterday the commander of Kopassus, the country's top special force, accusing him of crimes against humanity over the killing of Muslim activists almost two decades ago. The prosecution accused Major-General Sriyanto, who was an army captain assigned to the North Jakarta military command when the incident took place on Sept. 12, 1984, of prompting a shooting spree that turned a rally into a bloodbath. The article under which Sriyanto is being charged carries a maximum penalty of death.
■ Japan
Former PMs asked to retire
In an attempt to create a younger, revitalized ruling party, Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi yesterday urged two octogenarian former prime ministers to retire and not run in next month's national elections. Kiichi Miyazawa, 84, acquiesced, but Yasuhiro Nakasone, 85, adamantly refused, setting the stage for a showdown with Koizumi in the days leading up to the Nov. 9 poll. The notice came as Koizumi's ruling Liberal Democratic Party was making final adjustments to its candidate lineup before official campaigning begins Tuesday. Koizumi is eager to present a refreshed LDP to voters to underscore his intention to carry out reforms.
■ China
Work deaths on rise
Accidents in China's mines and factories killed 11,449 people in the first nine months of this year, a jump of nearly 9 percent over the same period last year despite a nationwide safety crackdown, officials said yesterday. Fatalities were down slightly in accident-plagued Chinese coal mines, but the number of deaths in non-mining industries rose by 19.1 percent to 5,203, said Liu Jiakun, deputy director of the Work Safety Administration. China launched the safety campaign last year in its mines and factories, which are among the world's deadliest.
■ Indonesia
US to return top suspect
US President George W. Bush promised to return Southeast Asia's top terror suspect Hambali to Indonesia for trial once American investigators have finished questioning him, an Indonesian government spokesman said yesterday. The White House confirmed that Bush agreed to try to make sure Hambali was handed over to Indonesia. "He committed to work with them at an appropriate time, that he would work to make sure that Hambali was handed over," White House communications director Dan Bartlett told reporters in Canberra, Australia, during Bush's visit there. "He did not set a timetable for that. [Indonesian] President Megawati [Sukarnoputri] seemed reassured by that commitment," Bartlett said.
■ United States
Ricin vial discovered
A vial containing the deadly poison ricin was found inside an envelope at a South Carolina postal facility, federal officials said Wednesday. The FBI was investigating but terrorism was not suspected. "Based on the evidence obtained so far, we do not believe this is linked to terrorism but is related to threats criminal in nature," said Brian Roehrkasse, spokesman for the Homeland Security Department. A letter inside the envelope referenced legislation in Congress involving truckers and included an extortion threat against the government, according to a federal law enforcement official who spoke on condition of anonymity. The envelope carried the typewritten message "caution-Ricin-poison" on the outside, according to a statement issued by the Greenville County Sheriff's Office.
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