admin
Myanmar journalists lose appeal against sentence
Chit Su Win (L) and Pan Ei Mon (R), wives of jailed Myanmar journalists Kyaw Soe Oo and Wa Lone leave the Yangon Regional High Court on 11 January, 2019 after a Myanmar judge dismissed an appeal by their husbands. (Sai Aung Main / AFP Photo)
Two Reuters journalists jailed...
Asean meeting under Thai chair to discuss contentious issues next week in Chiang Mai
Asean foreign ministers will next week gather in the northern Thai province of Chiang Mai to brainstorm on various vexing issues, including the Rakhine crisis, South China Sea, Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) and an Indo-Pacific Strategy aiming to maintain its “centrality” for regional security architecture.
The January 17-18 meeting...
Duterte: Human rights groups out to destroy gov’t
President Rodrigo Duterte. AP FILE
MANILA, Philippines – President Rodrigo Duterte has accused human rights groups of seeking to destroy the government as they allegedly deem his administration as their enemy.
In a speech in Dimasalang town in Masbate on Wednesday, Duterte slammed the silence of rights groups over the brutal...
An ASEAN Giant Mulls the Region’s Future
Indonesia’s former foreign minister Marty Natalegawa’s new book on the regional grouping’s relevance grapples with its manifold challenges.
Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons
Marty Natalegawa, a seasoned Indonesian diplomat who last served as foreign minister under former President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, has long been regarded as one of the champions of the...
Too little too late: ASEAN’s role in the plight of the Uyghurs
Uyghurs sitting outside a Mosque in Shache, Xinjiang province. Photo Credit: Flickr
ASEAN was not hospitable to the Uyghur population when they arrived as refugees. But as the full extent of China’s mass incarceration policy comes to light, ASEAN nations have the opportunity to make amends.
By Oliver Ward
“I have lost...
Former Secretary General of Asean, Dr Surin receives memorial award
Former Secretary General of Asean, Dr Surin Pitsuwan, received the memorable prize of the fourth Asia Cosmopolitan Awards (ACA) this afternoon in recognition of his contribution and leadership in promoting Asean integration and raising the bloc’s profile internationally.
Fuadi Pitsuwan, on behalf of his father, received the award and thanked...
Singapore: End Judicial Harassment of Jolovan Wham, Respect the Right to Freedom of Expression
(7 January 2019, Bangkok) – The Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA) condemns the conviction of Singaporean human rights defender Jolovan Wham for violating the 2009 Public Order Act. The case against him highlights the Singaporean Government’s tightening grip on civil society. FORUM-ASIA calls on the Singaporean...
Asean ministers seek ‘comprehensive’ Rohingya plan
Asean foreign ministers will meet in Chiang Mai next week or their annual retreat.
Foreign ministers from 10 Southeast Asian Nations will call for a "comprehensive and durable" solution to the when they meet informally for their annual retreat in Chiang Mai later this month, according to a draft of...
Cambodian garment factories improve conditions but rights violations continue
Photo Credit: Cambodia, P.I. Network/Flickr
Conditions in Cambodian garment factories are improving, according to a new UN survey, but rights violations are still rampant.
By Skylar Lindsay
A recent survey by UN initiative Better Factories Cambodia (BFC) shows that conditions in the country’s garment factories are improving. But the sheer number of...
Asean needs leadership in 2019
The high chance that Thailand's general election will be postponed from Feb 24 is disappointing news to me. Hopes that poll-related activities will brighten the gloomy economic picture are fading and uncertainties are mounting about the country's return to democracy, long a concern of outsiders.
The delay also bodes ill...
