Residents of Hong Kong held candlelight vigils last week to remember the 1989 student-led protests in Beijing's Tiananmen Square. The anniversary took on greater meaning for the city's youth after last autumn's pro-democracy demonstrations fanned a sense of discontent with the mainland Chinese government.

In other images from across Asia last week, Buddhists in Indonesia released lanterns on Vesak Day to commemorate the birth, enlightenment and death of Gautam Buddha.

Indonesia, meanwhile, raised the alert status of Mount Sinabung, a volcano on Sumatra, to the highest level after a sharp increase in activity last week. A plume of steam and smoke could be seen billowing from its top.

In the boat tragedy on China's Yangtze River, rescuers pulled one of the few survivors to safety after the passenger ship capsized in a storm. Most of those on board — more than 430 people, many of them elderly tourists — died.

South Korean soldiers donned masks as a precaution against the MERS virus during a ceremony. The frenzy in the country over Middle East Respiratory Syndrome brought to mind other menacing diseases to hit Asia over the last decade — SARS, which killed hundreds, and bird flu.

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In the world of sports, an AP photographer captured a moment in a badminton match between two Thai women at a tournament in Indonesia.

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