The Star Online: Metro: Central
The Star Online: Metro: Central |
| Philippines calls off search for quake survivors Posted: MANILA, Oct 19, 2013 (AFP) - Philippine rescuers on Saturday called off the search for survivors after a powerful earthquake on the tourist island of Bohol that killed at least 180 people. "The rescue operations have ended and instead we are now conducting recovery operations," said disaster chief Eduardo del Rosario. "We are still looking for 13 others. Our responders are now on site to recover their bodies," the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council executive director told a news conference. The island of about one million people, one of the country's main tourist destinations, suffered landslides, fallen bridges, shattered roads and collapsed buildings in Tuesday's 7.1-magnitude quake. About 600 kilometres (370 miles) from capital Manila, Bohol is known for its beaches, its rolling "Chocolate Hills", tiny tarsier primates, and centuries-old Catholic churches, many of which collapsed or sustained heavy damage. Del Rosario said 167 people were killed on the island. There were 12 fatalities on Cebu island and one on Siquijor. A total of 13 people are still missing. No fatalities were reported among foreign tourists. Bohol governor Edgar Chatto told the news conference broadcast by Philippine radio stations that power had been restored on the island while major roads blocked by landslides had re-opened, speeding up the delivery of relief. The disaster council said the quake displaced nearly 400,000 people. Many are still in makeshift tents, terrorised by aftershocks and unwilling to return home. The quake damaged more than 34,000 houses across the region, with about 109,000 people sheltering at government-run camps on Bohol. |
| Question raised in ex-professor’s sex-for-grades sentence appeal Posted: THE question of whether former law professor Tey Tsun Hang's actions amounted to corruption or simply exploitation of his former student Darinne Ko was raised by High Court Justice Woo Bih Li on the second day of Tey's appeal. Tey, 42, got out of jail on Oct 5, after serving a five-month sentence for corruptly obtaining gifts and sex from Ko. But he is appealing against his conviction and sentence. He has been absent from the hearing. Justice Woo questioned if Tey was corrupt, if all he did was give Ko the false impression that he loved her. He asked: "Even if (Tey) was exploiting (Ko) out of greed and lust, does that make it corruption?" In response, Deputy Public Prosecutor Andre Jumabhoy said the terms exploitation and corruption overlapped. He noted the corrupt intent was demonstrated by Tey's conduct and state of mind. He also did not declare the gifts to his employer, the National University of Singapore, breaching its code of conduct. DPP Jumabhoy noted that his statements to anti-graft officers also said he was corrupt. Earlier in the day, Tey's lawyer, Peter Low, had pressed on in his attempt to challenge the admissibility of six statements given by his client to officers of the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau. Low argued his client had been in "a fragile state of mind" during this period. He referred to evidence given by psychiatrist Tommy Tan that Tey exhibited symptoms of "acute stress reaction" when he saw him last year. But DPP Jumabhoy argued that another psychiatrist, Dr Michael Yong, had testified Tey was able to respond appropriately and could understand what was said to him. He also rebutted Low's argument, raised on Wednesday, that Tey had allegedly been subject to threats and badgering by anti-graft officers. — The Straits Times / Asia News Network |
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