Two protesters arrested at site of proposed main stadium for 2032 Brisbane Olympics

BRISBANE, Australia (AP) — Two people were arrested Friday and other protesters moved away from the site of a proposed main stadium for the 2032 Brisbane Olympics which has become the centerpoint over the future of a heritage-listed park in the city.

The dispute centers around Victoria Park, the site of the proposed 3.6 billion Australian dollar ($2.6 billion) Brisbane Olympics main stadium.

A man and a woman were taken into custody for obstructing and assaulting police officers, a police spokesperson said.

“Queensland Police Service officers are supporting partner agencies as they undertake engagement, offers of support services and compliance action, if necessary, with a focus on maintaining community safety and ensuring the safety of all involved,” the spokesperson said.

Yagara Indigenous elder Gaja Kerry Charlton estimated up to 50 police arrived at the site, as well as Brisbane city council staff.

“They all came up to my little camp, where we had about 20 tents, and they just started dismantling them and taking them away,” Charlton told Australian Associated Press. “We were just getting ready to go for lunch and then we got the phone call that the police were all arriving.”

Ownership of the land is set to be transferred to the Games Independent Infrastructure and Coordination Authority on Monday. Fences are being erected around the site in preparation, with the Queensland government adamant that construction will proceed immediately.

The government exempted Victoria Park from heritage, environmental and planning laws in 2025, and has converted it to freehold land. However, Charlton has challenged the development and the application is under review.

AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations will hold a commemorative summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Russia in June, the Philippines’ top diplomat said Friday.

Philippine Foreign Secretary Theresa Lazaro said in a post on X that she and her Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, spoke on the phone about ASEAN’s summit to be held in the Russian city of Kazan.

The Russian Embassy in Manila said that ahead of the June 17 to 18 meeting, Lavrov and Lazaro discussed “the prospects of expanding Russia’s strategic partnership” with ASEAN.

Aside from the Philippines, ASEAN members include Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, East Timor and Vietnam.

Most ASEAN state members voted to support a United Nations General Assembly resolution condemning Russia for its Feb. 24, 2022, invasion of Ukraine, but the regional bloc has maintained relations with Moscow as a “dialogue partner” and engaged Russian officials in annual top-level meetings.

Some of ASEAN’s diverse states have been perceived to be aligned with the United States, like Washington’s treaty ally the Philippines, which currently holds the association’s yearly rotating presidency. Other members have heavy trade and security engagements with China and Russia. Vietnam and Laos abstained from the UN General Assembly resolution concerning the attack on Ukraine.

Several ASEAN members, including the Philippines Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam, have either imported or expressed interest in purchasing Russian crude oil after global fuel prices soared after the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran in February.

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will attend the summit with Putin, a Philippine government official told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity for lack of authority to discuss the matter publicly.

It remains to be seen whether Singapore’s leader would attend. The wealthy island nation condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and imposed sanctions.

The leader of Myanmar, which currently coordinates ASEAN’s relations with Russia, will likely not be allowed to attend. ASEAN has prohibited Myanmar’s leaders from attending top-level meetings including annual summits with Asian and Western countries, after Myanmar’s army forcibly ousted Aung San Suu Kyi’s democratically elected government in 2021, sparking a civil war. Lower-level career diplomats have been allowed to attend.

ASEAN leaders proposed a five-point peace plan in 2021 demanding an immediate end to fighting and hostilities, but Myanmar’s government has failed to end the violence or foster dialogue.