Kampot is one of Cambodia’s cultural jewels, but as George Styllis writes, a flood of Chinese gambling money is making residents of this small sleepy town nervous. During colonial rule – from 1863 to 1953 – the French would retreat to the lush highlands of Bokor mountain above Kampot to escape the stifling heat. There they established an enclave, with… Read more »
Indonesian police have fatally shot dozens of “petty criminals” in the lead up the 2018 Asian Games, rights group Amnesty International says. The group condemned the deaths, calling for an investigation into the “shoot first and ask questions later policy”. At least 77 people have reportedly been shot dead since January, Amnesty said, with 31 deaths in police raids… Read more »
The weeklong event at North Korea‘s Diamond Mountain resort comes as the rival Koreas boost reconciliation efforts amid a diplomatic push to resolve a standoff over North Korea’s drive for a nuclear weapons program that can reliably target the continental United States. The temporary reunions are highly emotional because most participants are elderly people eager to see their loved ones once… Read more »
Results released by the Elections Commission early Monday morning showed Solih had secured 58.3 percent of the popular vote. Celebrations broke out across the tropical archipelago with opposition supporters carrying yellow flags of Solih’s Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) and dancing on the streets. There was no response from Yameen after results were announced. Solih had the backing of a united… Read more »
Semi-autonomous Hong Kong enjoys freedoms unseen on the mainland including freedom of expression but the space for political dissent is shrinking in the face of an increasingly assertive Chinaunder President Xi Jinping. Police sought a ban in July on the Hong Kong National Party (HKNP), a well-known but small group with a core membership of around a dozen, which promotes the city’s independence from… Read more »
The more than century-old law prescribed that any man who slept with a married woman without her husband’s permission had committed adultery, a crime carrying a five-year prison term in the conservative country. A petitioner had challenged the court to strike down the law, describing it as arbitrary and discriminatory against women. “Thinking of adultery from a point of view… Read more »
BEIJING: China Tuesday demanded the U.S. cancel a $330 million sale of military equipment to Taiwan, warning of “severe damage” to bilateral relations and mutual cooperation if Washington fails to comply. Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told reporters at a regular briefing the sale violated international law and the “basic norms governing international relations.” It was unclear what aspect of… Read more »
KUALA LUMPUR • Four Malaysian opposition parties yesterday unveiled a shadow Cabinet, the first in the country’s history, which they say will act as a check and balance on policies being pursued by the Pakatan Harapan (PH) government. The parallel Cabinet was formed by the three members of the Barisan Nasional (BN) opposition coalition, and a former BN faction Parti… Read more »
Vietnam’s appointment of its first female president belies a deep gender imbalance in the communist country’s politics and society and will do little to improve women’s rights, advocates said Monday. Dang Thi Ngoc Thinh was named acting president Sunday following the death of Tran Dai Quang, a former chief of internal security appointed to the presidency in 2016. “I think… Read more »
The bilateral relationship between Brunei Darussalam and the Republic of Korea (ROK) looks set to further strengthen under the ‘New Southern Policy’, the new Korean initiative which aims to elevate the ASEAN-ROK partnership to a much higher level of shared values and interests. This was highlighted by Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Brunei Darussalam Yoon Hyun Bong at… Read more »