Bangkok has been gripped by a rubber duck frenzy since pro-democracy protesters used giant inflatables to shield themselves from water cannon spray last month.When police mounted a crackdown on a November rally, deploying tear gas and water cannons outside parliament, footage of demonstrators hiding behind giant ducks went viral.Within days, duck-themed paraphernalia became a staple among street vendors at protests, the birds featuring on everything from hats to hair clips.Protesters are call

Thai police on Sunday fired water cannon on pro-democracy protesters who were trying to march to the royal palace to deliver letters demanding reform to the unassailable monarchy.Student-led rallies have rocked the kingdom since July, with protesters calling for the removal of Premier Prayut Chan-o-cha - a former army chief who came into power through a 2014 coup - and a rewrite to the military-scripted constitution. The boldest in the leaderless movement have also demanded reforms t

Tens of thousands of Thai pro-democracy protesters rallied across Bangkok Saturday, defying an emergency decree banning gatherings for a third consecutive day to demand the resignation of the prime minister and reform of the powerful monarchy.Police had used a water cannon against peaceful demonstrators on Friday but protestors said they were not cowed by the escalation in tactics."I'm concerned for my safety but if I don't come out, I have no future," said business studen

Thai police used a water cannon against protesters Friday night in central Bangkok, as the pro-democracy activists defied an emergency decree banning gatherings for a second night running.Around 2,000 pro-democracy demonstrators in the city's main shopping mall district had been chanting for the release of arrested activists and hurled obscenities at Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha.Several hundred riot police advanced towards them in formation, calling on the protesters to go home or fa

Philippine police are being deployed to ensure people who test positive for the coronavirus and cannot self-isolate at home are taken to state-run quarantine centres, sparking warnings Wednesday of potential rights violations.The move comes as authorities step up efforts to slow the rapid spread of the disease by increasing testing, reimposing lockdowns, and building dozens of quarantine centres to isolate patients with mild symptoms.To clamp down on local transmission, police are accompanyin

Dozens of suspected Indonesian militants have been rounded up after a suicide bomber linked to the Islamic State group killed himself and wounded six others in a police station attack last week, police said Monday.Some 45 suspects have been arrested since the Wednesday bombing in Medan on Sumatra island, while two bombmakers were shot dead during a raid, according to authorities.“The pair resisted arrest and tried to attack police with sharp weapons and an air gun,” National Police spokesman

A suicide bomber blew himself up at a police station in Indonesia on Wednesday, killing himself and wounding six others, according to authorities who described the 24-year-old attacker as a “lone wolf”.The motive for the attack was not immediately known, but police stations have been frequent targets for radicals in the world’s biggest Muslim majority nation, which has long struggled with Islamist militancy.The blast happened around 8:45 am (0145 GMT) at the police compound in Medan on Sumatr

In June 2017, a video of a policeman accepting a bribe in Indonesia went viral. The video was especially intriguing because the bribe came in the form of a durian which the police officers had tried to haggle for from an initially reluctant driver.In 2016, the United States (US) Department of State’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor noted that the Indonesian police force was plagued by corruption, and bribery is widespread, presenting companies with higher risks.

The Philippines' top policeman, who leads the nation's deadly drugs crackdown, quit on Monday as he faces allegations of protecting officers accused of selling a huge haul of seized narcotics.Though the scandal dates from before Oscar Albayalde's time as national police chief, it has raised fresh criticism of President Rodrigo Duterte's signature anti-narcotics campaign, which is key to his massive popularity among Filipinos.As part of Duterte's internationally condem

Selfie-snapping tourists railed against the closure of Hanoi's 'train street' on Thursday after police blocked off the Instragram-famous tracks for safety reasons.The narrow railway corridor in central Hanoi has become a hotspot among visitors seeking the perfect holiday snap on the tracks - often dodging trains that rumble through daily. But Hanoi authorities said this week they would block people from the tracks to avoid accidents, and police on Thursday erected barr