Top Asian News 3:46 a.m. GMT

BANGKOK (AP) — The Ferrari driver who allegedly slammed into a motorcycle cop, dragged him along the road and then sped away from the mangled body took just hours to find, as investigators followed a drip, drip, drip trail of brake fluid up a street, down an alley, and into the gated estate of one of Thailand's richest families. The prosecution of Red Bull heir Vorayuth "Boss" Yoovidhya, however, has been delayed for close to five years. The times when Vorayuth has been called in on charges, he hasn't shown up, claiming through his attorney that he was sick or out of the country on business.

TOWNSVILLE, Australia (AP) — A powerful cyclone lashed islands, damaged roofs and cut power on Tuesday as it edged toward Australia's tropical northeast coast, officials said. Category 4 cyclone Debbie brought winds gusting to 250 kilometers per hour (155 miles per hour) and torrential rain to the Whitsunday Islands, a popular tourist destination off the Queensland state coast southeast of the city of Bowen, the Australian Bureau of Meteorology said in a statement. The eye of the storm was expected to cross the coast later Tuesday. Deputy Police Commissioner Stephan Gollschewski said reports of damage were starting to come in. "We're getting some reports already of roofs starting to lift, including at some of our own facilities in the Whitsundays," Gollschewski told Australian Broadcasting Corp.

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korean prosecutors said Monday that they want to arrest former President Park Geun-hye over the corruption allegations that triggered a huge political scandal and toppled her from power. The move comes after prosecutors grilled Park for 14 hours last week over suspicions that she colluded with a jailed confidante to extort from companies and committed other wrongdoing when she was in office. The Seoul prosecutors' office said in a statement that it asked a local court to issue an arrest warrant for Park. The Seoul Central District Court said it would hold a hearing Thursday to decide on the prosecutors' request.

HONG KONG (AP) — A day after Hong Kong picked a new Beijing-backed leader, police launched a fresh round of arrests of student leaders and other prominent figures involved with the huge 2014 "Umbrella Movement" pro-democracy protests. Nine activists targeted by police were defiant as they turned themselves in at police headquarters on Monday evening, accompanied by dozens of supporters. Police notified them earlier in the day that they would be arrested and charged with committing a public nuisance, according to the Demosisto political party. Hong Kong police, who have arrested more than 200 people for involvement in the protests, did not reply to inquiries.

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea has held a memorial ceremony for the nine passengers still missing from the 2014 ferry disaster that killed 304 passengers near the ship's wreckage that was raised last week. Relatives of the missing victims took part in religious services Tuesday on a boat near a heavy lift transport vessel that will carry the corroding, 6,800-ton Sewol to a port by the end of the week. The bodies of 295 passengers were recovered after the sinking, which triggered an outpouring of national grief. Popular outrage over what was seen as a botched rescue job by the government contributed to the recent ouster of Park Geun-hye as president.

BEIJING (AP) — At first blush, the plight of former Chinese police official Zhao Liping might not win much sympathy. When a court sentenced Zhao, who'd wielded enormous power over his fellow citizens, to death for murder and corruption, state media hailed the ruling as evidence of equality before the law. Reports called it a milestone in the country's crackdown on misbehaving officials. Yet Zhao's brother is now questioning the verdict, saying the ex-official was abused in police custody and sentenced in a show trial — raising issues of justice that are rarely aired in politically sensitive, often tightly scripted cases.

NEW DELHI (AP) — The Bangladesh army said on Monday it has killed all four militants believed to have seized a building in an eastern city four days ago with a large cache of ammunition. Army spokesman Brig. Gen. Mohammad Fakhrul Ahsan said two bodies were found in the building in addition to six people, including two policemen, who were killed in explosions near the building earlier. Ahsan said the army found a huge amount of explosives in the building. Two of the four insurgents who were killed had jackets lined with explosives on them. Army and paramilitary troops had been trying since Friday to flush the militants out of building in the city of Sylhet.

TOKYO (AP) — An avalanche killed seven Japanese high school students and an instructor Monday during a mountaineering field trip at a ski resort north of Tokyo, authorities said. Nearly 50 students and instructors were caught by the morning avalanche in the town of Nasu in Tochigi prefecture, about 190 kilometers (120 miles) from the Japanese capital. Police confirmed the death of the eight people late Monday, the prefecture said. Forty other people were injured, including two who were in serious condition, a prefecture report said. Japanese media said the students were on the last day of a three-day training program for members of mountaineering clubs from seven schools in the area.

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Authorities in Pakistan say a passenger train has collided with an oil tanker truck, killing at least one person and injuring others. The crash took place near the eastern city of Shaikhupura, engulfing several of the train's cars in fire. Senior government official Arqam Tariq says the Karachi-bound train left Lahore late Monday and collided with the truck, which had gotten stuck on the tracks. Images broadcast on local television show at least five cars and the wrecked engine ablaze as firefighters try to contain the fire. Railway spokesman Najam Wali says some passengers have injuries but most were rescued safely.

LUCKNOW, India (AP) — India's most populous state is running out of meat. After the Hindu right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party came to power in Uttar Pradesh this month on the back of a resounding electoral victory and named a Hindu priest-cum-politician as the state's chief minister, the government began cracking down on illegal slaughterhouses and meat shops. The new chief minister, Yogi Adityanath, is a strong supporter of laws protecting cows, which are revered by devout Hindus, and has publicly opposed beef consumption. The slaughter of cows and the consumption of beef are taboo for most Hindus. Their slaughter is barred by law in most Indian states, including Uttar Pradesh.