Social development
Myanmar Says Ethnic Army Attacks Were ‘Acts of Terrorism’ That Hurt Peace Talks

The Myanmar government on Friday strongly condemned attacks by three ethnic rebel armies that left 15 security officers and civilians dead in the Mandalay region and neighboring northern Shan state, calling them “acts of terrorism” that could thwart the country’s teetering peace process. An alliance comprising ...
Tanintharyi dam project draws local ire
Indigenous people called for a large dam project to be halted on the Tanintharyi River, based on the findings of two reports released by local people on Friday. The devastating impact that a proposed 1040-megawatt dam would have on the river and the communities along it were ...
Myat Moe Aung
New report: Proposed Myanmar dam could displace thousands
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 ...
Leonie Kijewski
Ministry to revoke licences of media over fake news
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 ...
Ly Livsier
Cambodian press in peril
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 ...
Cambodia's micro-loans accused of 'predatory' lending
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 ...
Andrew Nachemson
Indigenous people are being killed for protecting their land. But we will not be silent
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 Being Raised About Thailand’s Human Rights Commission
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 ...
Love in the time of genocide
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 ...
Tabitha Payne
Shan State Residents, Civil Groups Call for Transparent, Green Energy Policy

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 ...
Myat Pyae Phyo