Xinhua Asia-Pacific news summary at 1000 GMT, March 1

SUVA -- The South Pacific Island state Tonga said on Thursday that the state of emergency will continue after the tropical cyclone Gita slammed the country and caused extensive damages on Feb. 12.

Tonga's National Emergency Management Office said on Thursday that the state of emergency will continue to apply until March 12 this year, according to Radio New Zealand.(Tonga-Cyclone)

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SRINAGAR, Indian-controlled Kashmir -- Three bodies were retrieved Thursday from an avalanche-hit site in Indian-controlled Kashmir, police said.

The men went missing Saturday in mountainous Lolab area of frontier Kupwara district, about 110 km northwest of Srinagar city, the summer capital of Indian-controlled Kashmir.(India-Kashmir-Avalanche)

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SEOUL -- South Korean President Moon Jae-in said Thursday that the Japanese government has no right to end the wartime sex slavery issue as it was the perpetrator of the wartime crime against humanity.

Moon made the remark at a ceremony to mark the 99th anniversary of the March 1 Movement, which was a massive street demonstration on March 1, 1919 by Koreans to fight against the Japanese colonization of the Korean Peninsula.(S.Korea-Japan-Sex slavery issue)

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KABUL -- Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani in his speech at Kabul conference on Wednesday offered talks with the Taliban without any preconditions to encourage the hardliner group for dialogue with government to end endemic war in the war-battered country.

The offer made by president includes recognition of Taliban as a political group, ceasefire and release of Taliban prisoners, opening political office for Taliban in Kabul or any other Afghan cities, issuing passport and freedom of travel for the Taliban and reviewing constitution if Taliban wants.(Afghanistan-Taliban-Talks) Enditem