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WORLD NEWS Tuesday 29 OcTOber 2019

China's Communists hold key meeting amid rising challenges

Associated Press na's system and capac- framework in place in Hong
BEIJING (AP) — China's ity for governance," Xinhua Kong has dived to almost
ruling Communist Party is said. zero on the island, despite
holding a key meeting this China's economic growth China's repeated threats
week amid a drastically slid to 6% in the third quarter to annex it by force. Inter-
slowing economy, ongoing of the year, its lowest level nationally, nations in South-
protests in Hong Kong and in almost three decades east Asia and elsewhere
pushback abroad against amid weakened domes- are challenging Beijing's as-
Beijing's global ambitions. tic demand for everything sertion of sovereignty over
The official Xinhua News from cars to apartments. virtually the entire South
Agency said the party's Although having little ef- China Sea, while countries
19th Central Committee fect on the overall econo- such as Australia have pro-
opened its fourth plenary my, the ongoing trade war tested alleged party inter-
session Monday. It said Xi with the U.S. has battered ference in their domestic
Jinping, the party's leader the export sector, even politics. Chinese telecoms
and China's president, dis- while Xi has vowed not to equipment giant Huawei
cussed a draft document back down. In this Sept. 30, 2019, file photo, Chinese President Xi Jinping has seen both its reputation
speaks at a dinner marking the 70th anniversary of the founding
on strengthening party rule Meanwhile, the anti-gov- of the People's Republic of China at the Great Hall of the People and business suffer as the
but gave no details. ernment protests in the in Beijing. result of a concerted U.S.
The document addressed semi-autonomous territory Associated Press campaign to reject it as a
"some major issues con- of Hong Kong show no sign threat to national security.
cerning how to uphold and of abating in the face of ity and direct elections for ing island democracy that Experts say the party will
improve the system of so- the Beijing-backed gov- the city's leader. China claims as its own likely skirt controversial is-
cialism with Chinese char- ernment's refusal to give in The chaos in Hong Kong territory. Support for unify- sues to focus on ensur-
acteristics and advance to demands for increased has had knock-on effects ing with China under the ing stability in the years to
the modernization of Chi- government accountabil- in Taiwan, the self-govern- "one country, two systems" come.q

Thai police arrest Australian Hell's Angel on drug charges

Associated Press "We believe that he prob- in Pattaya in September
BANGKOK (AP) — Thai po- ably has more than one 2016, along with two other
lice said Monday they have outstanding arrest warrant." Australian motorbike gang
arrested an Australian Hell's Police told reporters at a members.
Angels gang member who news conference in Bang- "Several years ago, he
is wanted on drug charges kok that the arrest warrant committed a crime by as-
in Western Australia. dated back to 2017, but saulting a Thai national,"
Police say they arrested gave no details. They said said Archayon. He said An-
Luke Anderson on Thursday he had been living with his derson is also suspected of
after meeting with Austra- Thai girlfriend in Pattaya, a "involvement in illegal traf-
lian Embassy officials on the coastal city notorious for ficking of drugs and weap-
problem of outlaw motor- crime and corruption. ons, using Thailand as a
bike gangs. They say they According to a Thai police meeting place, as a base
have revoked his visa and press release, Anderson has to arrange activities in Aus-
will deport him. been arrested more than tralia. We consider him a
"We have informed the Aus- 20 times in Australia on a dangerous person." An immigration officer uses a timeline information board de-
scribing details of Australian national Luke Anderson during a
tralians and they have sent number of charges, includ- The Australian head of the press conference at the Immigration Bureau in Bangkok, Thai-
officials to escort him from ing possession of illegal Hell's Angels in Pattaya, land, Monday, Oct. 28, 2019.
Thailand to face charges in weapons and drugs. Wayne Schneider, was Associated Press
Australia," said police Maj. An officer also confirmed bludgeoned to death in
Gen. Archayon Kraithong, that Anderson had been 2015 and buried in a shal- ed dispute. Fellow Austra- and sentenced to death,
commander of the Immi- involved in a violent as- low grave, in what was lian Antonio Bagnato was but the sentence was
gration Bureau's Division 3. sault on two Thai brothers thought to be a drug-relat- convicted of his murder commuted.q