TWO Australian men have been arrested in Bali and could face long prison terms if convicted of drug offences, said Indonesian police.
William Cabantog, 36, and David Van lersel, 38, (right) were paraded at a police news conference wearing handcuffs and leg shackles. The men were arrest at the Lost City Club in the island’s trendy Canggu neighbourhood allegedly with 1.12 grams of cocaine.
Cabantog, described as a hospitality consultant, and Van lersel, who managed the Lost City Club, could each face prison sentences ranging from 4 to twelve years if they are convicted.
Indonesia has extremely strict drug laws and convicted smugglers are sometimes executed. Currently more than 150 people are on death row in the country, mostly for drug crimes. A third of them are foreigners.
MEANWHILE the Afghan Government is asking for clarification of US President Trump’s statement, describing a possible military option to wipe Afghanistan in the absence of a peaceful resolution to the country’s 18-year war.
Trump said he could win the Afghan war in just 10 days however then wemt on to say he would also wipe “Afghanistan from the face of the earth”. He made the remarks on Monday while meeting with Pakistan’s prime minister Imran Khan, whose help he seeks in negotiating a peace deal with the Taliban, which could see US forces withdraw from Afghanistan.
ELSEWHERE, police in Hong Kong have detained six men, some with links to triads, following a violent attack on pro-democracy protesters at a subway station which saw dozens injured.
Senior police official Chan Tin-chu said: “Some of them have triad background. I believe that more will be detained soon. Police will not condone any form of violence.”
Police are still investigating the motive of the attack, Mr Chan added, without providing further details on the alleged links to the triads, or organised crime. The men are aged between 24 and 54 and were held for “unlawful assembly”.
AND FINALLY, Venezuela is slowly recovering from a massive blackout, with lights across much of the country beginning to flicker.
Energy minister Freddy Brito said power has been restored in the capital of Caracas and at least five of the nation’s 23 states.
Officials have blamed an ‘electromagnetic attack’ against the nation’s hydroelectric system, while government opponents say years of mismanagement and corruption have left the grid vulnerable.
This follows a power cut in March that was also blamed on an attack, that left millions of Venezuelans without water or phone communication for nearly a week.
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