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Monday, September 21, 2026
News and Views from the Global South
NORTH KOREA: Train Disaster Shows Marginal Change, Others Doubt it
A deadly train explosion in North Korea two weeks ago has come to be regarded as a moment to gauge hints of possible change in that tightly controlled, secretive country./PRESS FREEDOM/SOUTH-EAST ASIA: Media Face Growing List of Enemies
The media in South-east Asia are coming to grips with a growing list of adversaries that range from the usual suspects - oppressive regimes - to mobs, local kingpins and the captains of capitalism.THAILAND: Excessive Force May Produce More Muslim ‘Martyrs’
If the U.S. government can use excessive force in its conquest of Iraq, and the Israeli government can use the same to crush the resistance in occupied Palestine, then why shouldn't the Thai government resort to this to suppress militants in the country's south?THAILAND: Excessive Force May Produce More Muslim ‘Martyrs’
If the U.S. government can use excessive force in its conquest of Iraq, and the Israeli government can use the same to crush the resistance in occupied Palestine, then why shouldn't the Thai government resort to this to suppress militants in the country's south?THAILAND: Muslims in Dire Straits after Bloodiest Day in the South
An unprecedented scale of violence in Thailand's southern region - which resulted in over 110 people dead on Wednesday - has placed the country's Muslim minority in dire straits.MAY DAY-THAILAND: Unions’ Win Makes for a Different Labour Day
In a growing sign of confidence, Thailand's labour movement appears determined to step out of the government's shadow when the country marks May Day this year.RIGHTS-EAST ASIA: Compensated Dating Picks up among Youngsters
Children from financially secure homes across East Asia are being lured into the sex trade through a practice euphemistically known as 'compensated dating', child rights activists warned here Monday.THAILAND: Reputation as Regional Centre for Rights Tarnished
Activists feel vindicated by the just-finished session of the United Nations' premier human rights body in Geneva, because an issue troubling them - the decline of Thailand's reputation as a centre for human rights in South-east Asia - gained international attention.POLITICS-BURMA: Uncertainty Rises as Rangoon Sends Mixed Signals
Burma's military government appears set to shoot itself in the foot with the uncertainty it is creating over political reform in that South-east Asian nation.SOUTH-EAST ASIA: Cross-border Solutions Can Ease Environment Woes
The Manila-based Asian Development Bank (AsDB) is urging countries that share the Mekong River to embrace region-wide measures to protect the terrain's abundant natural resources.THAILAND: Migrant Workers Yet to See Legal Win Become Reality
Soe Tin bears the burden of being a condemned man in Mae Sot, a town along the Thailand's north-western border that has attracted thousands of migrant workers from neighbouring Burma.DEVELOPMENT-ASIA: Major Highway Project Due to Start Its Journey
An ambitious project to link major cities and capitals of Asian countries through a network of highways is due to begin its hopeful journey late April, at a regional conference to be held in Shanghai, China.SRI LANKA: Tiger Rebels Have Reason to Smile if Peace Talks Resume
Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger rebels would find themselves in an enviable position if the country's stalled peace talks do resume in the coming weeks.DEVELOPMENT: U.N. Officials Distance Themselves from Youth Summit
While Secretary-General Kofi Annan tries to salvage the name of the United Nations in the wake of a scandal over the oil-for-food programme in Iraq, U.N. officials in other regions are teaming up to prevent what they view as possible damage to the world body's reputation by non-U.N. actors.TRADE-THAILAND: Critics Sound Alarm in Free Trade Talks with U.S.
The Thai government is facing a growing chorus of outrage over its plans to ink a free trade agreement (FTA) with the United States by next year.POLITICS-THAILAND: Thaksin’s Gung-ho Style Irks U.S. Politicians
The U.S. political establishment is getting increasingly rankled by Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra's gung-ho style of leadership.BURMA: For Shan Women, Revealing Rights Abuses Come at a Price
For over a year, a woman belonging to Burma's Shan ethnic community has treaded a path of caution in this city surrounded by the hills of northern Thailand.THAILAND: Drought, not Dams, Behind Low River Levels – Experts
Sizzling temperatures and a prolonged drought in Thailand have come to the rescue of China, often accused by Thai environmentalists of disrupting the water flow in the Mekong River due to the dams that it is building on its upper reaches.LABOUR-THAILAND: Anti-Privatisation Protesters Show Their Strength
Thailand's rapidly expanding movement against privatisation is placing its faith in democracy to prove it has the edge over the government of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.RIGHTS-THAILAND: New ID Card Creates Furore over Invasion of Privacy
Are Thai citizens on the verge of losing their right to privacy? That question frames a contentious debate underway here as the time approaches for the government of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra to introduce a new national identity card.POLITICS-SOUTH-EAST ASIA: Moderate Islam Stands Tall
The likelihood of Malaysia going in the direction of countries known for their intolerant strand of Islam - such as Saudi Arabia - has just been stopped in its tracks by ballots, not bombs and bullets, at the weekend's polls.« Previous Page — Next Page »
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