Myanmar, home to over 100 different ethnic groups, has always faced tensions between Buddhists and Rohingyas. The Rohingya population makes up a very small portion of Myanmar, consisting of 1.1 million people, out of the total population of 56 million. Being the minority, Rohingya has faced discrimination for centuries. This includes many cases of rape and torture that go unreported… Read more »
How do you measure the value and success of the economy? Traditionally, by reporting on gross domestic product – the amount an economy produces of goods like cars and services like tourism. But, since the financial crisis that measure has been questioned. It can go up – showing growth – while at the same time people’s actual incomes are going… Read more »
One little girl draws a nightmarish picture of people calling for rescue as they drown in rising water. Another sketches a huge snake with sharp teeth to show the power and danger of flooding. These disturbing images are the work of children at a primary school in Can Tho province, a region of Vietnam that is regularly swamped. They live… Read more »
Hong Kong has refused to renew a work visa for the Asia news editor of the Financial Times, sparking concerns from the UK government. Victor Mallet is also vice-president of the city’s Foreign Correspondents’ Club (FCC), which upset local and Chinese authorities by hosting a separatist speaker in August. Hong Kong did not explain its visa decision. China is highly… Read more »
India has deported seven Rohingya Muslims to Myanmar, despite last-minute appeals that doing so put them at risk. The men had been detained since 2012 for immigration violations. Earlier in the day, the Supreme Court refused to step in to stop their deportation. At least 700,000 Rohingya have fled to neighbouring Bangladesh to escape violence in Myanmar in the past… Read more »
A summit is expected to take place in Samoa’s capital Apia. Fourteen island nations will be included in the meeting along with regional superpowers, Australia and New Zealand. They plan to discuss ways to boost economic and political integration in the Pacific. Australia is also working towards safer foreign policies that include secure borders and immigration control. Most of the… Read more »
Security along with greater economic and political integration is set to dominate a meeting of South Pacific countries in Samoa’s capital, Apia. Leaders of the region – which is home to some of the world’s smallest and poorest nations – will discuss a plan for sustainable development. Better governance and the spread of HIV and Aids will also be key… Read more »
The signing of a deal which could lead to independence for East Timor – the former Portuguese colony which is currently under Indonesian rule – has been greeted with cautious optimism. The Australian ambassador to Indonesia, John McCarthy, arrived in East Timor on Thursday for preliminary meetings, in anticipation of the arrival of a United Nations civilian police force.On Wednesday,… Read more »
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 »