Xinhua Asia Pacific news summary at 0600GMT, May 4

An Chinese expert on Wednesday asked opponents of the plan to blast islets and rocky outcrops in the Mekong River for bigger cargo ships to be more objective and wait for results of the survey work.

Survey ships of a Chinese company came into the Mekong River on the border between Laos and Thailand late last month and they were confronted with protests by some local non-governmental organizations (NGO), which kept saying that such a plan would largely jeopardize the ecology environment, fish and bird habitats, natural resources and ways of life of local villagers living along the river. (China-Mekong River-Clearance)

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CANBERRA -- Scientists from the Australian National University (ANU) have led a study which has solved the 168-year-old mystery of how some of the world's largest and most active volcanoes formed in Hawaii.

The Hawaiian volcanoes formed on "twin tracks" more than three million years ago, when a shift in the Pacific tectonic plate's direction separated the tracks, forming two distinct lines of volcanoes instead of the usual one, which occurs along fault lines. (Australia-Study-Hawaii Vocalno)

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CANBERRA -- Previously thought to be extinct in Australia's pristine Adelaide Hills region, reports of platypus sightings have prompted authorities to investigate the waterways by setting up cameras in an attempt to capture the iconic "Aussie" species.

The water-based mammal, with its duck bill and webbed feet, was thought to have become extinct in South Australia in 1975. But a spokesperson from South Australia's Environment Water and Natural Resources Department has said reports of possible sightings had prompted the government to monitor the hot spots. (Australia-Platypus-Sighting)

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PHNOM PENH -- Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen said on Thursday that he has been hospitalizing in Singapore after getting sick due to fatigue.

"Due to extreme tiredness, I fall ill and have to see doctors immediately for check-up and treatment," he wrote on his official Facebook page. (Cambodian PM-Hospitalization-Singapore)

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SEOUL -- South Korea's services account deficit neared a record-high figure in March due to the falling number of tourists, central bank data showed Thursday.

Current account balance, the largest measure of capital flow in and out of the country, posted a surplus of 5.93 billion dollars in March, according to the Bank of Korea (BOK).

The balance stayed in the black for 61 months since March 2012, but the surplus was down 2.5 billion dollars from the previous month. (South Korea-Services Account Deficit-March) Endit