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Wednesday, September 2, 2026
News and Views from the Global South
SOUTH-EAST ASIA: Mekong Flood Warning System Fails
As communities along the Mekong River face some of the worst floods in decades, a flood warning network that combines scientific and local knowledge is under scrutiny. Activists say it has failed its first major test.THAILAND: Former Thai PM Jumps Bail, Surfaces in London
Former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra is on the run from the law. So, too, is his wife, Pojaman. They have fled to London rather than face a corruption trial in this country’s Supreme Court.BURMA: Expats Keep Democracy Hopes Alive
Aung Moe Zaw still lives in the hope that democracy will take root in Burma, 20 years after hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets in Rangoon to oppose that country’s military dictatorship. ‘’More people have joined our democracy movement. We are very optimistic about it,’’ the 41-year-old said in an interview on the eve of that anniversary better known in Burma as ‘8-8-88’, the day when this spirit of democracy flowered, Aug. 8, 1988.
BURMA/CHINA: Avoid ‘Blood Jade’ Olympic Souvenirs – Activists
They make attractive mementos for the thousands of visitors to Beijing for the Summer Olympics. But souvenirs and jewellery made out of prized jade from Burma are ridden with a history of abuse and blood, say activists from the military-ruled country.THAILAND: Thaksin's Wife Gets Jail Term For Tax Fraud
The law finally caught up with the Shinawatras, Thailand’s most powerful political family. A court has convicted Pojaman Shinawatra, wife of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, of tax fraud and sentenced her to three years in jail.SOUTH-EAST ASIA: Record Gain in Antiretroviral Coverage
They may be known in South-east Asia for their poverty, but that has not stopped Cambodia and Laos from caring for people living with HIV/AIDS. Both countries have increased the supply of the life-prolonging anti-AIDS drugs at home.ECONOMY-THAILAND: IPR Violations High on Bush Visit Agenda
The pirated DVDs, fake Swiss watches and imitation designer garments are fast disappearing from the streets of Patpong, a red light strip in the Thai capital popular with tourists and bargain-hunters.BURMA: Females Hit Worst by Cyclone Nargis – Report
Nearly three months after the powerful Cyclone Nargis tore through Burma’s Irrawaddy Delta, it has emerged that the majority of those who died in the devastated area were women.BURMA: UN Missions Draw Derision
In their hour of despair, Burma’s beleaguered people continue to find comfort in humour. New jokes reflect new frustrations. The latest target is Ibrahim Gambari, United Nations special envoy for Burma.SOUTH-EAST ASIA: Offer to Release Suu Kyi a Ploy?
Reacting to growing international pressure Burma’s military regime has said it will consider releasing the pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi from house arrest in six months.THAILAND/CAMBODIA: Row Over Ancient Temple May Sour ASEAN Spirit
Amornchai Sirisai has been a regular visitor to the Thai-Cambodian border close to where a 10th century Hindu temple sits atop a steep cliff. But it is not tourism that takes the Thai national to the ancient site.
ASIA: Shoring Up Against Climate Change
Three years after a devastating tsunami flattened Banda Aceh, the mayor of that coastal town on Indonesia’s northern tip reckons that restoration work is far from over. He now needs to adapt to threats posed by climate change.VIETNAM: Buddhist Leader Relevant in Death – As in Life
In death, the patriarch of an outlawed Buddhist movement in Vietnam has proved to be as politically relevant and controversial as in life. Thich Huyen Quang died on Jul 5, at the age of 87.THAILAND: ‘Judicial Revolution’ Changing Political Landscape
Several rulings handed down by Thai courts recently suggest that the country’s political landscape is being altered by the judiciary. Some are calling it a ‘’judicial revolution’’.
THAILAND: For Fisheries, Depleted Seas Worse Than Insurgency
Rohana Samu is among the fortunate. She is glad to have steady work for the past four years no matter how monotonous her job is - working an eight-hour shift daily in a frigid room, cleaning fish.ASIA: Civil Society Uniting Against Corruption
Cambodian lawmakers are still to offer unanimous support for a petition aimed at combating corruption that was presented to the National Assembly in mid- May. The call was a cry from ordinary people - over a million of them.
BURMA: One Million Survivors Not Yet Reached – U.N.
U.N. officials are giving the impression that the world body is making headway in helping the millions of survivors in Burma’s cyclone-hit Irrawaddy Delta.
BURMA: Crime for Civil Society to Provide Relief?
The detention of a prominent comedian in Burma points to an ominous turn of events in the military-ruled country. It has reportedly become a ‘crime’ for individuals and civil society groups to provide emergency relief to the hundreds of thousands of cyclone victims.
BURMA: Nargis Victims Forced From Camps
A global human rights lobby slammed Burma’s military regime for driving survivors who have endured untold hardship since last month’s powerful cyclone into further misery.BURMA: ASEAN Steps in Where Others May Not Tread
Four weeks after Cyclone Nargis swept through the populous Irrawaddy Delta in Burma, a regional effort to help the victims is slowly grinding into shape.POLITICS-THAILAND: Rumours Rife of Another Coup
The rumour mill in Thailand is on overdrive with speculation of another coup in the offing.« Previous Page — Next Page »
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