Myanmar, formerly Burma, one of the world’s most corrupt nations, elected a new leader last year, Nobel Prize winner Suu Kyi, who ran on promises of ethnic reconciliation. Myanmar has a population of 53 million people, one million of whom belong to an Islamic ethnic minority group known as Rohingyas. They are often viewed as intruders from Bangladesh, a country… Read more »
Reuters: A major border crossing between China and Mongolia has imposed new fees on commodity shipments between the two countries, amid a diplomatic row sparked by the visit to Ulaanbaatar of the Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama last week. The Dalai Lama is cherished as a spiritual leader in predominantly Buddhist Mongolia, but China regards him as a dangerous… Read more »
Reuters: China has told Myanmar that they should work together to stabilize their shared border, in the wake of a series of attacks by ethnic armed groups on Myanmar security forces and thousands of people crossing into China to escape the violence. The attacks this month dealt a major blow to Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi’s top goal of… Read more »
Reuters: China’s Defence Ministry on Wednesday expressed serious concern about South Korea and Japan signing a military intelligence pact to share sensitive information on the threat posed by North Korea’s missile and nuclear activities. The signing of the General Security of Military Information Agreement had originally been expected in 2012, but South Korea postponed it due to domestic opposition. The… Read more »
Al Jazeera: A rights group monitoring the welfare of the Muslim Rohingya in Myanmar have called on the international community to take action in order to prevent a “genocide” from taking place in the country. The Rohingya, which number about one million among Myanmar’s predominantly Buddhist 52 million population, have lived in Myanmar for generations. However, most people view them… Read more »
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and the Republic of Korea have been at war with one another since 1950, though open conflict ended in 1953 with a truce. During this time, the DPRK has been developing nuclear weapons and forming increasingly strained relations with the rest of the world. Another major player in the region, Japan, has reached a… Read more »
BBC: A senior Chinese official has been elected head of global police co-operation agency Interpol. Vice Minister of Public Security Meng Hongwei is the first Chinese citizen to hold the four-year post. His appointment begins immediately. Amnesty International fears the move could help China pursue political dissidents who have fled the country. But Mr Meng said he was ready to… Read more »
Reuters: China will never allow any part of its territory to break off, President Xi Jinping said on Friday, within a week of reining in Hong Kong independence moves and ignoring Taiwan’s urging to heed democratic aspirations in the Asian financial hub. Xi made the comments at an event in Beijing’s Great Hall of the People to mark 150 years… Read more »
Reuters: Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has warned he may use his executive power to suspend a legal safeguard against arbitrary arrest and detention, and was willing to use drastic measures and even go to jail to make his war on drugs a success. The former prosecutor, dubbed “the punisher” and elected on promises of a fierce campaign to stop crime… Read more »
Reuters: Japan and South Korea signed a preliminary pact to share and safeguard sensitive information on North Korea’s missile and nuclear activities on Monday, a move that had already prompted anger among opposition lawmakers in Seoul. The signing of the General Security of Military Information Agreement had originally been expected in 2012, but South Korea postponed it amid domestic opposition… Read more »