Taipei – Victims of a water park explosion that killed 15 and left hundreds with horrific burns rallied in Taiwan on Monday as anger mounts that only one person has been jailed over the tragedy.

It is more than a year since the blast at Formosa Fun Coast near the capital Taipei, where clouds of multi-coloured corn starch sprayed on revellers at a poolside “colour party” ignited due to heat from stage lights.

Despite a probe being launched into nine suspects, the only one to be prosecuted was party organiser Lu Chung-chi, who was sentenced to four years and 10 months in prison in April for negligence causing death.

The others who were initially under investigation, including the chairman and president of the park, have not so far been brought to court over the disaster in June 2015.

Prosecutors have reopened the probe into the incident following an appeal by victims earlier this year, but no further indictments have been announced.

Explosion at Taiwan water park

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Survivors and relatives of the dead demanded on Monday that local government officials who allowed the event to go ahead should be brought to justice.

No government official has ever been named as part of the investigation.

“We haven’t seen any official step down or punished over the disaster. It’s unacceptable,” said one bereaved woman who gave her family name as Lee – her daughter was killed and son was seriously injured in the flames.

Victim Joyce Ku, 19, who suffered burns to 80 per cent of her body and is now confined to a wheelchair, demanded “justice and truth”.

“The victims are suffering, but no one from the water park or New Taipei City government is facing any consequences,” said Ku.

Protesters gathered inside the public lobby of the New Taipei City government, demanding that its mayor, Eric Chu, apologise and punish officials involved.

Victims and relatives of the dead said the local government had allowed the park to operate without proper permits and rent out its premises to the events company that organised the colour party.

Almost 500 young victims, mainly aged between 19 and 25 years old, were injured in the blast.

Some of the survivors had limbs amputated because of their extensive burns.

A Singaporean was also injured in the blast.

See also:

• Taiwan water park fire: Fighting hard to get on road to recovery
• Victims’ families seek $117m over deadly Taiwan waterpark explosion
• Taiwan commemorates first anniversary of deadly water park fire
• Bravery, loss and hope: Life after the Taiwan water park tragedy

Tokyo – A Japanese bullet train was forced to make an emergency stop on Monday after a snake was found slithering between the seats, local media reported.

A passenger spotted the 30cm serpent poking between a gap in the seats, prompting the train, travelling between Tokyo and Hiroshima to stop and allow police to capture the slippery stowaway.

Despite its menacing appearance, the brown snake was not believed to be poisonous and no injuries were reported, according to Japan’s public broadcaster NHK, speculating that the reptile could be a juvenile ratsnake.

Train staff made announcements asking if any passengers had misplaced a snake, but no one came forward and police were still looking for the owner, media added.

Japan’s bullet trains are famous for their punctuality and the Nozomi 103 service was no exception, arriving in Hiroshima right on time despite the reptilian intrusion.

Japan’s Shinkansens (bullet trains)

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AsiaOne

Five years ago a metre-long Honduran milk snake, also non-venomous despite its fearsome red and black stripes, was discovered on a bullet train near Kyoto, bringing it to a halt.

Bullet train operators prohibit passengers from bringing animals other than small birds or fish in containers on board.

Where seemingly benign issues such as leaves on the track can delay trains in Britain, bullet trains rarely stop in Japan, where it usually takes a major incident such as a suicide or an earthquake to bring them to a halt.

See also: Gone in 7 minutes: The Shinkansen cleaning crews

SINGAPORE – The Philippine peso hit a seven-year low on Monday, extending its losses into a third week as market participants worried about the impact of President Rodrigo Duterte’s policies on capital inflows, ratings and international relations.

Other emerging Asian currencies also slumped as risk sentiment soured, with market focus shifting to Washington politics ahead of the first debate between Democrat candidate Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump.

The peso’s decline was accompanied by a more than 1 per cent drop in the Philippine stock index. The index has fallen nearly 5 per cent in two months.

The peso lost 0.6 per cent to 48.26 per US dollar (US$1=S$1.361), its weakest since September 2009.

Local importers scrambled for the greenback for payments, which further weakened a currency already impacted by sustained equity outflows. Foreign investors have been net sellers in Manila stocks over the past six weeks.

Anti-crime blitz sweeps Philippines as Duterte comes into power

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Philippine central bank Governor Amando Tetangco told Reuters on Monday the peso’s movements were owing to corporate requirements for dollars and reflected uncertainty about the Federal Reserve’s policy path Vishnu Varathan, currency strategist at Mizuho Bank, said there were concerns around the continuity of reforms that have helped the Philippine economy become one of the strongest in Southeast Asia.

“The uncertainty arises from two things. One is whether there could be ratcheting up of tensions on an international basis which could put some investors off,” Varathan said.

The second factor, he said, was the credit risk that ratings agencies have referred to, and which is critical to ensure foreigners stay invested.

“On both counts there could be a negative fund flows. That kind of precautionary positioning is creeping in,” Varathan said.

Philippine stock exchange data showed six straight weeks of net foreign selling of stocks beginning Aug 15, totalling 27.9 billion pesos (S$786.5 million).

Duterte, a former mayor, won the May elections after vowing to wipe out drugs and crime. The large number of killings in his war on drugs has drawn widespread international criticism, including from the United Nations, triggering angry responses from Duterte. His anti-American outbursts have startled investors.

Duterte sworn in as Philippines’ 16th president

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Standard & Poor’s said last week the Philippines is unlikely to get a credit rating upgrade in the next two years, citing Duterte’s unpredictability and uncertainty over his domestic and foreign policies.

On Monday, the peso’s slide “picked up momentum after the break of 48”, said a senior Philippine bank currency trader in Manila who expects the currency to weaken to 48.50 to US$1.

The Philippine unit may see a minor chart support at 48.35, but it is likely to seen heading to around 49.00, analysts said.