Asia in 3 minutes: watch where you sit on Singapore buses ... and did you hear the one about the Indonesian bishop and his ‘mistress’?

Singaporean could be jailed for toothpicks in bus seats ‘prank’

Singapore has experienced what could be called a spike in crime. A 60-year-old man pleaded guilty to “mischief” after he was caught sticking toothpicks in bus seats, in a case some say highlights the tightly controlled country’s tough approach to seemingly minor offences. Lim Lye Seng admitted the offence at a district court and asked to be fined. “I am pleading for your honour’s leniency,” Lim told the court, saying he was supporting two young children and elderly parents.

What next? Lim is to be sentenced next month. He stuck toothpicks in bus seats four times between July and August and told investigators he did it as a prank because he was bored, according to prosecutors who are pushing for him to be jailed. Singapore has faced criticism from rights groups about cracking down hard on relatively minor crimes and the offence of “mischief” carries a maximum one-year prison term. The case came to light after a Facebook user posted pictures of three toothpicks sticking out of a bus seat and the image went viral.

Cambodia deports dozens of Chinese for telecom extortion scams

Cambodia has deported 74 Chinese nationals wanted in China on suspicion of extorting money from people over the internet and by telephone. A team of Chinese police arrived at the airport on a China Southern Airlines flight to pick up the suspects, who wore masks and had numbers marked on pink shirts. Uk Heisela, head of the Cambodian police, said the suspects were detained at the seaside town of Sihanoukville.

What next? This raises the number of people from mainland China and Taiwan who have been deported this year for suspected telecom scams to 346, Uk Heisela said. “They tricked victims in China, the civil servants there, such as teachers, medics and artists.” In some cases, they obtained naked pictures of the victims and used them for blackmail. More than 400 people from mainland China and Taiwan were arrested in Cambodia in August alone for suspected telecom scams. The country’s good internet connections and relaxed immigration laws are thought to attract con artists.

Indian parents convicted of murdering daughter win appeal

An affluent Indian couple have won an appeal against their life sentences for the murder of their daughter and a servant. Allahabad High Court acquitted dentists Rajesh and Nupur Talwar after ruling there was insufficient proof they slit the throats of their 14-year-old daughter Aarushi and Nepali servant Hemraj Banjade in May 2008. Tanveer Mir, a lawyer for the Talwars, said: “They were only present at home that night as parents and were punished. It was entirely wrong.” The Talwars were convicted by a lower court in 2013 and sentenced to life in prison.