Social development
Ethnic minorities and indigenous people
Why Southeast Asia's refugee crisis matters
The Diplomat, in collaboration with concerned stakeholders around the world, is launching a new series entitled “Southeast Asia: Refugees in Crisis.” In May 2015, thousands of Rohingya refugees from the Rakhine State of Myanmar and economic migrants from Bangladesh were found stranded in the Strait of ...
A dozen Montagnards agree to repatriation from Cambodia to Vietnam
A dozen ethnic Montagnards who sought refugee status in Cambodia willingly returned to their home country of Vietnam Thursday after Hanoi gave assurances it would not punish or discriminate against them, according to rights group and United Nations officials. The 12 were part of a group ...
Shelling sends civilians fleeing in Shan State
More than 100 people from Kaung Kha village in Muse Township have fled their homes after artillery shells were fired into the settlement on 13 July, reportedly leaving one person dead and two others injured. The displaced villagers told The Irrawaddy that the artillery bombardment began ...
Few admirers of Thailand’s role in Uighur saga
After a barrage of condemnation from the United States, the European Union, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, and a host of human rights groups, over the Thai government’s “forced deportation” of of 109 Uighur men back to China, Beijing has come to Thailand’s rescue. It has ...
Uighurs sent back from Thailand were on way to join jihad, says China
More than 100 ethnic Uighurs deported from Thailand to China had been on their way to Turkey, Syria or Iraq to wage holy war, China’s official news agency has claimed. On 9 July, Thai authorities sent back the 109 Uighurs,who had been in Thailand for over a year ...
Seven dead and dozens injured in attacks in Thailand's south
Three people were killed and a dozen injured in four separate bomb blasts in Thailand’s war-torn deep south, police said on 11 July, while another four died from shooting and arson attacks. More than 6,300 people have been killed in near-daily conflict pitting troops and police against ...
Thailand forcibly sends nearly 100 Uighur Muslims back to China
Rights groups and the United Nations have condemned Thailand’s decision to fly nearly 100 Uighur Muslims back to China, warning that the Turkic language-speaking, largely Muslim minority would face persecution and abuse. The UN high commission for refugees said it had previously been given assurances by ...
Over 100 muslims linked to Arakan violence released
Local prison authorities in Arakan State’s Buthidaung Township say more than 100 “Bengalis” were released this week after serving the duration of their sentences in connection with violence between Buddhists and Muslims that wracked the state in 2012. Prison staffer Win Kyaw confirmed the release of ...
Myanmar bill limits women's right to wed non-Buddhists
Myanmar’s parliament has approved a law that would regulate marriages between Buddhist women and men from outside their religion. The move by legislators was condemned by activists and human rights groups, who said the law was passed under pressure from hardline Buddhist monks. The bill is one ...
