Social development

Myanmar government officials claim a hydroelectricity project along the Tanintharyi River could significantly benefit the Southeast Asian nation. But new research by a trio of human rights organisations offers a dark contrast to that bright picture. Almost 7,000 people could be displaced if a dam is built along ...

The Information Ministry yesterday warned that it would revoke the licences of print and online media outlets which distribute fake news that endanger national security. Phos Sovann, director-general of General Department of Information and Broadcasting, said in a Facebook video post that the ministry will strictly ...

The fate of two Cambodian journalists accused of espionage — Uon Chhin and Yeang Sothearin — hangs in the balance as their trial resumes in Phnom Penh today, although the charges against them are based on absurd grounds and flimsy evidence. The bogus case against the ...

Two prominent civil society groups in Cambodia have released a report detailing predatory practices by local microfinance institutions (MFIs), including coerced land sales. The joint report, released on Wednesday by human rights group, Licadho, and land rights group, Sahmakum Teang Tnaut (STT), spans 10 communities in four provinces ...

Night had already fallen. A small group of sugar cane farmers and their families were resting in a makeshift tent when gunfire erupted. Dozens of men started shooting at the impromptu camp on the island of Negros in the Philippines, the latest salvo in a ...

Concerns are being raised after the resignation of two prominent human rights advocates from the National Human Rights Commission of Thailand. An alarm bell signaling the need for a total revamp of the flawed and scandal-ridden agency. Thailand’s Human Rights Commissioners Angkhana Neelapaijit and Tuenjai Deetes announced their resignations ...

Three transgender men living in secret under the genocidal Khmer Rouge regime share their stories of love, loss and betrayal WHY WE WROTE THIS: Because Cambodia’s LGBT community has endured through even the harshest moments of history. Looking out of the car window, rumbling down a bumpy dirt ...

Local residents and civil society organizations in Shan State will submit an open letter this week to the Union and state governments with recommendations for Shan State’s energy policy following a seminar on energy strategy held in Taunggyi from July 27-28. The open letter calls on ...

A court in Cambodia on Friday began trial proceedings against two former Radio Free Asia journalists accused of espionage, with the defendants acknowledging that they had continued to provide information to their past employer after it had closed its bureau in Phnom Penh. The two denied, ...

Social Development and Human Security Juti Krairiksh said he would speed up the drafting of a new master plan for elderly care and submit it for the Cabinet’s approval within a month. Juti was speaking to reporters on Tuesday while accompanying a team of doctors from ...