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Tuesday, April 21, 2026
News and Views from the Global South
BURMA: ‘No Rallies, No Slogans’ Order Shackles Parties Ahead of Poll
Burma’s military regime is giving its critics more ammunition, tightening its grip ahead of a general election this year by seeing to it that independent political parties are barred from chanting slogans, marching in rallies and displaying their party flags when they campaign.THAILAND: Government Targets Red Shirts with Harsh Law, Propaganda
With the force of an emergency law behind it, the Thai government of Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva is tightening the screws on an opposition protest movement that, if mishandled, could extract a heavy political price.SOUTH-EAST ASIA: Leper Colonies on the Road to Extinction
The Culion island, in the western Philippines, is increasingly becoming a magnet for tourists drawn to its corals in the shallow waters close to its shore, its deep green hills and its ancient Spanish fort.BURMA: Public Education a Drain on Family Incomes
Once again, parents in military-ruled Burma are counting the cost of a primary education for their children in public schools. It is an annual ritual that comes with the beginning of a new school year, which coincides with the onset of the monsoon rains in June.SOUTH-EAST ASIA: Human Trafficking Exposes ASEAN’s Underbelly
In the wake of a new U.S. government report on human trafficking, human rights and migrant rights activists are calling on a South-east Asian regional bloc to review its polices toward this scourge to protect the group’s most vulnerable citizens – its women and children.SOUTH-EAST ASIA: China Goes for Friendly Giant Role in Mekong
The Mekong River is steadily emerging as a testing ground for public diplomacy, Chinese style. Beijing, it appears, wants to reach out to its southern neighbours who share the river more as a friendly giant than an imposing bully.CAMBODIA: Premier Hun Sen Profits from Suppression and Aid
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen is savouring another victory. His latest triumph: a string of verdicts against an outspoken female opposition lawmaker, Mu Sochua, who had accused him of making derogatory remarks about her.ASIA: Green Revolution Has Little to Offer New Hungry Mouths
As it took root in the rice fields across Asia, it was hailed as the solution to the hunger afflicting millions of people in the region. But four decades on, the much vaunted Green Revolution appears to have reached its limits, unable to meet new demands, to feed new mouths.THAILAND: Gov’t Tightens Noose on Thaksin with Terrorism Charge
Former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra’s list of political firsts has one more entry. He is now wanted as a "terrorist," becoming the first former Thai leader to be slapped with that charge.SOUTH-EAST ASIA: Local Communities Tapped to Counter Mekong Floods
With monsoon rains beginning to sweep across mainland south-east Asia, mobile phones are being put to further use as part of a plan to protect communities living on the banks of the Mekong River from flash floods.THAILAND: Red Shirt Stage Offers Platform to Marginalised Culture
She sang till the very end on a stage she could never call her own.THAILAND: Lese Majeste Cases Rise, But Public in the Dark
When Wipas Raksakulthai was arrested last month for violating this kingdom’s draconian lese majeste law, he could have consoled himself with the thought that at least his case was readily picked up by the local and foreign media.THAILAND: Inequality Gap Stains Thailand’s MDG Achievements
Thailand may have earned praise for meeting national targets to slash poverty and hunger ahead of a global deadline, but the two-month long street protests in Bangkok exposes a troubling fact – economic inequality.THAILAND: Digital Divide Surfaces in Polarised Politics
Nearly eight weeks after anti-government demonstrators occupied the streets of this modern metropolis, virtually crippling two iconic areas, the rage it has generated in the media has exposed another fault line cutting across this kingdom – a digital divide.THAILAND: Government Cracks Down on Websites in Censorship Drive
In her newspaper-strewn office on the ground floor of a quiet apartment complex, Chiranuch Premchaiporn surveys the options before her in case the government’s censors come calling again.BURMA: Donors View Civil Society in New Light after Nargis
Local civil society organisations and community groups who rushed to help victims after the powerful Cyclone Nargis tore through military-ruled Burma two years ago are reaping rewards for their risky and tireless labour.BURMA: Pressure Mounts on Energy Giant Chevron to Disclose Revenue
When shareholders of the multinational company Chevron gather for their annual meeting in the U.S. city of Houston in late May, they will come face to face with Naing Htoo, whose community has suffered due to the exploits of the energy giant in military-ruled Burma.
POLITICS: Thai Premier Turns to Military for Protest Crackdown
Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva appears set to gamble his reputation as an urbane cosmopolitan symbol of modern Thailand after shutting the door to a reconciliation offer by anti-government protesters who have occupied the upmarket shopping heartland of Bangkok since Apr. 3.POLITICS-BURMA: Ethnic Rebel Groups Defy Junta’s Order
Burma’s military regime is facing a formidable challenge from ethnic rebel groups that are refusing to kowtow to its order that they join the South-east Asian country’s army as border guard forces.
THAILAND: As Military Threat Rises, Protesters Dig in Heels
Even as the Thai military warned that its troops would fire live bullets in any imminent confrontation with anti-government protesters in Bangkok, women like Supaporn Sonnorp did not flee.
THAILAND: Anti-Gov’t Protesters Use Cultural Taboo as Weapon
"I know the word; I understand it; I love it," street artist Chuwit Kunasawat said, using his pencil-thin brush, dipped in deep red ink, to paint on the right cheek of an anti-government protester.« Previous Page — Next Page »
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