​Chinese dissident Dong Guangping flees to South Korea in a dinghy

Today’s hedlines: US attack on Bandar Abbas; Tehran responds with missiles (intercepted) at a US base in Kuwait. Philippine President Marcos in Tokyo for security and intelligence agreements. Cambodia establishes a Day of Remembrance on the anniversary of the start of the war with Thailand. In India, Muslims in a town in Maharashtra forgo animal sacrifice during the Eid al-Adha festival out of respect for a concurrent Hindu festival.

CHINA-SOUTH KOREA

The Chinese dissident Dong Guangping, aged 68, managed to flee to South Korea on a small rubber dinghy, after several failed attempts to leave China. The man, a former policeman and human rights activist, had long been in Beijing’s sights due to his opposition to the Chinese Communist Party. South Korean authorities found him adrift near the country’s west coast. Dong had been dismissed from the police force in 1999 after signing a petition linked to the Tiananmen Square Massacre. Imprisoned several times on charges of ‘subversion of state power’, he had fled to Thailand with his family, from where, however, he was forcibly returned to China in 2015 despite having been granted refugee status by the UN. Released in 2019, he attempted to flee again by swimming to Taiwan. In 2020, he also crossed the border into Vietnam, where he was arrested and repatriated.

IRAN-UNITED STATES

The United States carried out new attacks against Iran last night, striking a military site in Bandar Abbas, an important strategic port city in the country. In response, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps stated that it had targeted a US airbase: in this regard, Kuwait reported that its air defences were intercepting “hostile missiles and drones”. These operations jeopardise the fragile ceasefire between Washington and Tehran and the ongoing negotiations for a lasting agreement, which have been characterised by a series of announcements of progress and setbacks. This is the second US attack on Iranian targets in three days: the United States maintains that the operations were carried out in self-defence.

JAPAN-PHILIPPINES

Japan and the Philippines are expected to announce today the start of formal negotiations for an agreement on the sharing of security and intelligence information, thereby strengthening military cooperation between the two countries in response to China’s growing military activities in the region. During an ongoing summit in Tokyo, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. are also expected to agree to elevate bilateral relations to a ‘comprehensive strategic partnership’.

CAMBODIA-THAILAND

The Cambodian authorities have called on the public to mark today, 28 May, as a national day of remembrance, marking the anniversary of the start of the 2025 armed conflict with Thailand.

At the Win-Win Memorial, built to commemorate the thirty-year civil war that turned Cambodia into a failed state, new stone murals are being created dedicated to the suffering, courage and solidarity of the Khmer people and their armed forces during the undeclared border war of 2025.

LAOS

Rescuers in Laos have found five villagers alive after they were trapped for a week in a flooded cave following heavy rains and landslides. Two people from the group are still missing. The seven were part of an expedition in the central province of Xaysomboun: they had entered the cave to search for gold deposits and wild animals. However, they were unable to get out because the cave entrance had been blocked by landslides caused by the bad weather. Rescue operations are continuing in the hope of finding the other two missing people alive, but they require additional oxygen supplies.

INDIA

In a gesture of religious harmony, the Muslim community of Pandharpur, in the Indian state of Maharashtra, has decided not to sacrifice goats during the festival of Eid al-Adha, as this year it coincides with Adhik Maas Ekadashi, a very important Hindu festival. The city’s Muslim residents have chosen to postpone the sacrifice by a few days out of respect for devotees of the Hindu deity Vitthal. Pandharpur is, in fact, a famous temple town that welcomes millions of pilgrims every three years for the special Ekadashi.

KYRGYZSTAN

The President of Kyrgyzstan, Sadyr Žaparov, has signed amendments to the law on social benefits, under which children will receive a monthly allowance, known as Bala Yrysy, until they reach the age of three, provided an application is made and they reside with the beneficiary parent. The allowance will be paid to children born after 1 August 2023, and in the event of the birth of two or more children at the same time, the Bala Yrysy will be paid for each child.

ORTHODOX

The Czech public prosecutor’s office has refused to bring charges against the Russian Orthodox Metropolitan Ilarion (Alfeev), citing “numerous procedural violations” following his arrest and detention on suspicion of drug possession after containers of “white powder” were found in the boot of his car. During an interrogation lasting over six hours, the former right-hand man of Moscow Patriarch Kirill claimed to be the victim of “provocations and persecution”, and was subsequently released.