Languages
Tuesday, April 21, 2026
News and Views from the Global South
SOUTH-EAST ASIA: China Flexes Hydropower Muscle
After all the turbines in the Xiaowan hydropower station sputtered to life this week in China’s south-west Yunnan province, the Asian giant was able to lay claim to having the world’s largest hydropower capacity.Thai Buddhists on a Long March to Muslim South
Wearing a floppy cotton cap for shade, an exhausted Sarawut Kunrapang enters the compound of a mosque in the blistering afternoon sunshine. It is the latest stop for this 27-year-old Thai Buddhist in his walk for peace since mid-July from Bangkok.THAILAND: Jails Fill Up with Political Prisoners – Critics
The jails in Thailand are filling up with political prisoners, critics say, but how many political dissidents have been incarcerated since a military crackdown on an anti-government protest movement ended on May 19 remains shrouded in mystery.POLITICS: Cambodia Seeks to Internationalise Temple Row with Thailand
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen is threatening an international showdown with neighbouring Thailand over the vexed question of managing a 10th- century Hindu temple, an architectural jewel of Cambodia’s ancient Khmer civilisation.BURMA: U.S. Support Boosts Calls for U.N. War Crimes Inquiry
An international campaign seeking a war crimes inquiry into the alleged systematic abuses by Burma’s military regime finally has a strong ally in U.S. President Barack Obama.POLITICS-BURMA: After 20 Years, Junta Picks November Poll Date
By finally announcing the date of the country’s first general election in 20 years, Burma’s military regime has lived up to a promise it made in its seven-step "roadmap", a blueprint in its desperate quest for political legitimacy.SOUTH-EAST ASIA: Jobless Youth Still Waiting for Better Times
Tanya Athikom’s search for a permanent job in the information technology sector has so far resulted in a string of disappointments. The Bangkok resident has thus been forced to accept short-term contracts in local and multinational companies here in the Thai capital.PHILIPPINES: Gov’t Smokes Out Tobacco Industry with Higher Taxes
Tobacco multinational Philip Morris may have had good reason to send out victory smoke signals when Filipinos elected Benigno Aquino III to be president in May. After all, he is a regular smoker who has said he will not quit the habit.BURMA: Call for War Crimes Inquiry Foils U.N. Envoy’s Trip
When a U.N. human rights investigator for Burma called for an international inquiry to look into possible war crimes by the country’s military regime, he added significant weight to similar calls that had been made in other quarters.BURMA: Civil Society Steps into Election Fray, Trains Candidates
Civil society organisations in Burma are stepping into the minefield of pre-election activity in the military-ruled country, giving rise to possible shifts in the political landscape there.POLITICS: Laos Takes Centre Stage in Cluster Bombs Treaty
After being relegated to the shadows for decades by its more powerful neighbours, Laos is finally taking the lead role in a global campaign to ban the use of cluster bombs.POLITICS: Temple Row Sours Thai-Cambodian Ties – Again
Thailand’s tempestuous relationship with its eastern neighbour Cambodia looks set to worsen, fuelled by the latest round of anger over the future of a 10th- century Hindu temple perched atop a steep cliff along the two countries’ border.SOUTH-EAST ASIA: Thailand Faces Flak for Backing Mekong Dams
Northern Thai villagers living on Mekong River’s banks are poised to join a growing tide of opposition against a planned cascade of 11 dams to be built on the mainstream of South-east Asia’s largest body of water.CAMBODIA: Verdict Marks End of Impunity for Khmer Rouge Torturer
For a country plagued by a weak judiciary and where government officials have profited from a culture of impunity, Monday’s verdict in the first case to try a surviving commandant of the genocidal Khmer Rouge regime broke new legal ground in Cambodia.POLITICS: U.S.-China Tensions Loom in South China Sea Disputes
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s recent passage through South-east Asia saw Washington close ranks with its former adversary Vietnam, sending a warning to Asian heavyweight China that its assertive foreign policy in the region will be challenged.BURMA: Loophole Gives Junta Room to Go Nuclear in Secrecy
Thanks to a loophole in the international regime to control the proliferation of nuclear weapons, military-ruled Burma could very well carry out its reported intent to go nuclear behind a veil of secrecy, free of scrutiny from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).SOUTH-EAST ASIA: Burma’s Nuke Ambitions to Come under Scrutiny
When South-east Asian foreign ministers gather in Hanoi this week for a series of annual security meetings, the region’s most troublesome member, military- ruled Burma, is due to come under scrutiny over reports of its nuclear ambitions.CAMBODIA: Hope Emerges in Epicentre of Drug-resistant Malaria
In a western corner of Cambodia known for battles waged by the genocidal Khmer Rouge decades ago, a new war is being fought. Its target, this time, is the lethal malaria parasite that is resistant to the most effective drugs available today.BURMA: ILO Steps into Political Minefield to Help Revive Trade Unions
Nearly 50 years after a Burmese military regime crushed what was once a vibrant trade union movement in the South-east Asian country, hints of a revival are beginning to emerge.CAMBODIA: Judgment Day Nears for Khmer Rouge Torturer-in-chief
The torturer-in-chief of a notorious prison during the Khmer Rouge’s reign of terror in Cambodia will finally learn what price he has to pay for the almost mathematical precision with which he carried out his duty to torment and kill nearly 14,000 people, including babies.RIGHTS-THAILAND: Imam’s Widow Takes on Legal System in South
She is better known for her cooking, her hospitality and her soft-spoken demeanour in this southern region torn apart by an insurgency. But now, 52- year-old Nima Kaseng is heading for a bigger, more public role – as a crusader for justice.« Previous Page — Next Page »
The Week with IPS
NEXT STOP - SDGs
Tracking global progress towards a sustainable world
Tracking global progress towards a sustainable world
