Human rights
Civil and political rights
Six Montagnards seek refugee status in Cambodian capital
Six ethnic Montagnard Christians who fled Vietnam and illegally entered Cambodia to seek refugee status have arrived safely in the capital Phnom Penh, the provincial coordinator for Adhoc has said. The coordinator said the group fled Gia Lai province in Vietnam’s Central Highlands on 16 July and arrived ...
Thai junta urged to drop criminal defamation case against journalists
Proceedings have ended in the controversial trial of two Thailand-based journalists facing criminal defamation charges for reporting on the alleged involvement of Thai naval forces in human trafficking. The charges against Alan Morison, the 67-year-old Australian editor of independent Thai news website Phuketwan, and reporter Chutima Sidasathian, ...
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 ...
Cambodia: LANGO changes ‘too little’
The government yesterday confirmed four changes to the controversial NGO law in response to widespread criticism; opponents, however, say the edits are insignificant and the legislation remains a “severe violation” of Cambodia’s constitution. As protests over the law continued yesterday in Phnom Penh’s Freedom Park, ministers ...
3 activists sentenced to 4 months for prayer in central Burma
Three activists have been sentenced to four months in prison for holding a prayer session in support of student demonstrations earlier this year, the latest in a string of convictions for violating Burma’s controversial Peaceful Assembly Law. Myint Myint Aye, 57, Khin May Si, 65, and ...
Cambodia: NGO law tweaks mulled
Government officials have agreed to reconsider elements of a proposed NGO law, but ruled out further public consultation on the widely criticised legislation, signalling a final vote would be held soon. The promise to review some provisions came during the government’s first public workshop on the ...
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 ...
'Bangkok 14’ temporarily released
The 14 students who rallied against last year’s coup were released temporarily from prison in Bangkok Wednesday morning and vowed to continue their protest. The temporary release followed the military request to extend their detention pending investigation of their defiance of the government’s ban on political gatherings. ...
Crowds ‘say no’ to LANGO
More than 300 civil society representatives, diplomats and opposition members have attended a consultation to voice concerns over the controversial draft NGO law, a parliamentary vote on which was reportedly delayed until next week. The national consultation, organised by the Cooperation Committee for Cambodia (CCC) and ...
