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Thursday, September 10, 2026
News and Views from the Global South
FINANCE: WB-IMF ‘Helpless’ as Host S’pore Deports Critics
At 24 years and with a winning smile, Julie de los Reyes packs no more danger than any outspoken critic at a conference. But authorities in Singapore, a 30-minute ferry ride from this Indonesian island, see this young Filipina as a security threat.RIGHTS-INDONESIA: Curbs for WB-IMF Meet – Reality Check for NGOs
The uncertainty that has dogged a meeting for civil society groups in Batam, an Indonesian island close to Singapore, has come as a reality check - apparently, all is not well for non-governmental organizations (NGOs) here, eight years after the fall of the Suharto dictatorship.RIGHTS-BURMA: Ethnic Minorities Starved, Denied Medical Care
To be a health worker along Burma's eastern borders, home to the Karen and Karenni ethnic communities, is to court death, injury or imprisonment, say doctors working in the area.THAILAND: Bird Flu Fear Edges Out Small Farmers
To be a duck in a modern poultry farm, that conforms to bio-safety measures against bird flu, is to be condemned to a brief, joyless life bereft of sunshine or a pond to take a dip in.THAILAND: Pharma Majors Promise Cheap HIV/AIDS Drugs
Suddenly, people living with HIV/AIDS in Thailand are finding hope for a longer life-institutions that stood in the way are now supportive of cheaper, anti-retroviral (ARV) drugs.RIGHTS-BURMA: Convicts Abused as Slave Labour
Faced with international condemnation for its use of civilians as forced labour, the Burmese military regime has been raiding the country's prisons to force convicts to perform slave-like work in army camps, even resulting in their deaths, say rights activists.RIGHTS-THAILAND: Ethnic Discrimination Extends to Widow Relief
With bright-coloured fabric and sewing machines, the Thai army is stitching together a relationship of trust with the Malay-Muslim villagers in this village that has, like others in southern Thailand, been bloodied by a conflict now in its third year.THAILAND: Violence Feared as Poll Campaign Begins
An alleged plot to kill Thailand's caretaker Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has set the tone for a bitter exchange between pro and anti-government groups as campaigning officially began, Thursday, for general elections scheduled Oct. 15.ENVIRONMENT: ‘Migratory Birds Not Spreading Bird Flu’
When new strains of the deadly bird flu virus were recently detected in poultry in Thailand and Laos, wildlife enthusiasts had reason to feel vindicated. The prevailing hot weather was off season for migratory birds, often blamed for spreading avian influenza.THAILAND: Facing Insurgency With Indiscriminate Incarcerations
In the eyes of Thailand's military, Arafat Yunoo is an enemy of the state. They have kept the clean-shaven, 21-year-old Malay-Muslim behind the heavily fortified walls of the main prison in this southern province for over two years.HEALTH-BURMA: Regime Resists HIV/AIDS Programmes
While a major international conference on HIV/AIDS opened Sunday in Canada with a message to help those affected by the disease, on this side of the globe, in Burma, the ruling military regime moved to arrest sufferers and campaigners.HEALTH-ASIA: Gays’ High Risk for HIV Gains Recognition
When the Thai government accepted men who have sex with men (MSM) as a vulnerable community in the country's fight against AIDS, earlier this year, it gave them hope of being covered under HIV prevention programmes.POLITICS: Approaching Forty, ASEAN Seeks Image Makeover
Even as it tries to enhance its stature through a regional charter, to be unveiled next year, the Association of South-east Asian Nations (ASEAN) finds itself struggling to appear open and receptive to democratic currents.MEDIA-PHILIPPINES: ‘Getting Killed Goes With the Journalist’s Job’
For a country that boasts of having the freest media in South-east Asia, the Philippines bears a stain that is not easy to whitewash. It has an expanding graveyard for journalists killed in the line of duty.HEALTH: Thais Make Cheap Generic Drug Against Bird Flu
Having succeeded in producing cheap generic drugs to help people with HIV/AIDS enjoy longer lives, Thailand is now ready with generics capable of helping its citizens fight the onslaught of another deadly virus - bird flu.THAILAND: Malay-Muslim Insurgency Gaining Ground
Their identities may still be a mystery, but suspected Malay-Muslim militants in southern Thailand are removing any doubts about what they have in mind when they come calling. They want to prove that the Thai government is losing control of that troubled region, say analysts.SINGAPORE: World Bank Finds Refuge in Nanny State
It was inevitable: Singapore had to bare the police state soul that lurks behind its modern steel-and-glass buildings and elegant shopping emporia. And who better to have as partner in crime than the World Bank.TRADE: Chinese Flower Power Hits Thai Growers
On the misty hill slopes of northern Thailand the chill in the air encourages roses to grow to a size larger than apples. Hundreds of these large blooms, in colours ranging from red and crimson to orange and white, are harvested daily to feed the flower markets of Bangkok.HEALTH-ASIA: Grappling with a Tough Bird Flu Virus
With its 900,000-strong army of public health volunteers and its spending of over 250 million U.S. dollars to help affected poultry farmers, Thailand was held up as a role model for combating the spread of the deadly bird flu. But the avian influenza virus has proved it has many tricks under its wings.BURMA: Malaysia Fires ASEAN Volley at Junta
Gratifying political theatre it may not be, but if the sound of anger pouring forth from Malaysia is a sign of what lies in store at a regional meeting this week, then the Burmese military regime can expect an unprecedented barrage of verbal bullets.CAMBODIA: Death Saves Khmer Rouge ‘Butcher’ From Justice
The death of Ta Mok, ‘The Butcher', from natural causes, was a disappointment to many Cambodians who survived the unspeakable atrocities that he and other leaders of the genocidal Khmer Rouge perpetrated on a hapless population, but never paid for.« Previous Page — Next Page »
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