Asia in 3 minutes: lizard penises for India’s lucky charm seekers, coffins for Cambodian leader’s rivals
South Korea decries North’s spy drone; Myanmar ‘exorcist’ gets death sentence
Cambodian leader warns his election opponents to ‘prepare the coffins’
Cambodia’s strongman premier told his critics and political opponents they faced elimination and should “prepare coffins”, an escalation in rhetoric even for a man known for bellicose speeches. Prime Minister Hun Sen has ruled the impoverished nation for 32 years, making him one of the world’s longest-serving leaders. On Wednesday he delivered one of his most vitriolic speeches yet, warning of civil war if his party is toppled in next year’s general election. Flanked by top military brass and senior government officials, Hun Sen said troops were ready to “crack down on all movements that would topple (the government) and damage the nation”. “Your tongues are the cause of war,” he said of his critics. “If you guys keep insulting, threatening to kill, you guys should prepare coffins. I’m warning you,” he added.
What next? Cambodia’s embattled opposition fared well in local elections on June 4 according to early results, suggesting it has managed to grow its appeal despite an extended government crackdown on its network and supporters. The vote was closely watched for signs of Hun Sen’s vulnerability and full results will be published later this month.
South Korea calls North’s spy drone a ‘grave provocation’, truce violation
What next? A full investigation into the drone’s wreckage discovered its planned itinerary and confirmed that it had taken off from the North before capturing more than 500 photos of the South’s territory, the defence ministry said.
India: those aren’t lucky plant roots – they’re dried lizard penises
Wildlife investigators from India and Britain said Tuesday they have uncovered an international fraud in which dried penises of endangered monitor lizards are being sold as a plant root regarded as a good luck charm and used in religious rituals. The London-based group World Animal Protection (WAP) said the dried penises of Bengal monitor lizards and yellow monitor lizards look similar to a rare plant root sought by people who believe it brings good luck. While the plant has all but disappeared from the Indian countryside, wildlife traffickers have been buying the dried lizard penises and fraudulently selling them online. The two lizard species are on India’s list of endangered animals.
What next? Wildlife activists said the volume of the item being sold online was huge. “We were shocked at the sheer audacity and scale of the illegal wildlife trade,” Neil D’Cruze of WAP said.