IN BRIEF (Page 12)

The Philippines

Nation won't join any US-led wars

President Rodrigo Duterte has reiterated his country will no longer participate in any US-led wars as it has gained nothing from its past participations "except brutality and agony". "I am addressing America right now. Whatever expeditions that you will conduct, any wars that you will fight in any other countries, count us out," Duterte told new graduates of the Philippine National Police Academy on Wednesday. The latest US-led war that the Philippines was involved in was the 2003 Iraq invasion, which just marked its 15th anniversary on Tuesday.

South Korea

Longer presidency term proposed

The presidential office on Thursday proposed a four-year, two-term presidency, as widely expected, changing the current five-year single-term presidency. The Blue House also proposed the legal voting age be lowered to 18 from the current 19, pointing out South Korea is the only country among the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development members where the voting age is 19. The constitutional amendment will be handed to the parliament, where it needs approval from two-thirds of its lawmakers to be put to a national referendum.

Thailand

18 dead as tour bus loses control

A chartered tour bus lost control on a downhill curve in Thailand's northeast and slid off the side of the road, killing at least 18 people and injuring dozens more, reports said. In addition to the dead, another 33 passengers were hurt in Wednesday night's accident in Nakhon Ratchasima province, Thai PBS television reported. The bus was badly mangled and many passengers were trapped inside. Thailand has the second-highest rate of traffic fatalities in the world after Libya, according to World Health Organization statistics.

Peru

Kuczynski resigns on eve of key vote

President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski submitted his letter of resignation to lawmakers on Wednesday, a day ahead of a scheduled vote on whether or not to impeach him. In a nationally televised address, Kuczynski said he was unable to govern effectively due to the persistent allegations of corruption that have dogged him since his first months in office. The businessman-turned-politician took office in July 2016, but was soon engulfed by accusations that he profited from a multinational bribery scheme operated by Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht to win lucrative government public work contracts back in the early 2000s.

(China Daily 03/23/2018 page12)