Social development
Civil society groups to boycott Prior Consultation on new Mekong dam
Save the Mekong, a coalition of non-governmental organizations, community-based groups and concerned citizens within the Mekong region, issued a statement on Friday announcing their intention to boycott the Mekong River Commission’s (MRC’s) Prior Consultation for the proposed Pak Lay dam. Pak Lay is the fourth dam planned ...
Religious freedom violations in Asia increasing – UN Rapporteur
Religious freedoms in Asia are “eroding”, with an increase in religious fundamentalism across much of the continent, according to UN Religious Freedom rapporteur Ahmed Shaheed. Shaheed spoke during an event, hosted by the Foreign Correspondents Club in Thailand’s capital Bangkok, on the back of the 4th Southeast ...
Myanmar Reuters journalists Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo await verdict
Two Reuters journalists who documented a massacre of Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar are due to hear whether they will be jailed for violating a state secrets act. Keep reading ...
Can Facebook, or Anybody, Solve the Internet’s Misinformation Problem?
In the new age of the industrialization 4.0 the big information technology groups are taking proactive actions to remove detected coordinated propaganda campaigns, however is it enough? Reading ...
Asean needs to act in Rakhine
In the face of unresolved humanitarian disasters and continuing international outrage, Asean needs to consider seriously how it can help Myanmar on the Rohingya issue. Kang Siew Kheng writes that the regional grouping cannot hide behind the ‘non-interference’ principle and points out that working with ...
Children in sex industry of ASEAN cry for implementation of legally binding agreements
A report by ILOs in 2017 estimated that 152 million children are involved in child labor worldwide, of which 73 million are in hazardous work, including situations where they are engaged in child prostitution. Addressing child prostitution is an important part of addressing child labor. Keep ...
Myanmar panel probing Rohingya crisis pledges independence
Members of a commission established by Myanmar’s government to investigate human rights violations in western Rakhine state, where 700,000 members of the Muslim Rohingya minority fled brutal army operations, addressed critics Thursday with a pledge to be impartial. Keep reading ...
Is ASEAN defence diplomacy key to resolving the humanitarian situation in Myanmar?
ASEAN has been criticised for its response to the Rohingya refugee crisis. The grouping’s institutional design and existing conventions restrict opportunities for robust action. Myanmar’s military (known as the ‘Tatmadaw’) is the key element to finding a durable solution to the crisis, yet most Western ...
Mekong Delta provinces voice concern over shortage of healthcare specialists
Thirteen provinces in the Mekong Delta region are facing a shortage in physicians, prompting delegates to raise concerns over the issue at a conference on August 7 on healthcare specialists and staff training. They called on Can Tho University of Medicine and Pharmacy (CTUMP) to ...
Cambodia blocks 17 media websites before vote
The government blocked access to independent media websites just hours before polling in the country’s controversial national election begins. Phos Sovann, director general of information and broadcasting at the Information Ministry, confirmed a total of 17 websites – including Voice of America, Radio Free Asia ...
