Zsombor Peter

Myanmar Junta Blocking Aid to Families Displaced by Post-Coup Fighting, Rights Groups Say

Rights groups say it’s deliberately starving civilians of lifesaving supplies to try to crush a growing armed resistance.

Cambodian Refugees in Thailand ‘Don’t Feel Safe’ After Arrests, Deportations

Thailand has sent four UN-registered refugees back to Cambodia in the past month, driving dozens of others into hiding.

China Launches High-Speed Rail Through Laos in First Leg of SE Asia Corridor

As Laos braces for impact with its giant neighbor, China looks ahead to Thailand and Malaysia.

Thai Court Bars Royal Reform Calls, Fuels Fears of Swelling Social Schism

Analysts, advocates and lawmakers say a recent ruling that deems calls to rein in the country’s powerful monarchy unconstitutional cuts off a peaceful path to bridging Thailand’s liberal-conservative divide.

Asia’s Forest Loss Leaders Skip, Challenge Global Deforestation Pact

Cambodia, Laos and Malaysia are missing from the COP26 Declaration on Forests and Land Use. Indonesia has joined but cast doubt about its commitment.

Thai Water Project Clears Major Hurdle After China Shows Interest

Having rejected project before, government’s environmental watchdog is now on board; move could give Beijing new outpost for its sweeping Belt and Road Initiative.

Indian Arms Maker with US, EU Investors Supplies Myanmar Junta, Rights Group Says

Shareholders in India’s Bharat Electronics, which shipped a weapons system to Myanmar in July, include Goldman Sachs, Vanguard, BNP Paribas and Nippon Life.

China Joins Lower Mekong River Countries to Study Impacts of Climate Change, Dams

That has been a major point of contention between China and those who blame the record 11 dams it has built across the mainstream for much of the decline in downstream fish stocks and the sediment flows critical to floodplain farming.

In Thailand, Aerospace Engineers Turn Their Skills to COVID-19

Since going live in mid-July, jitasa.care has seen well over 10,000 households sign on, seeking assistance for everything from food to oxygen to an urgent ride to the hospital, most of them in the capital, Bangkok.

Myanmar’s Junta Woos Moscow to Balance Beijing 

Junta leader Min Aung Hlaing’s choice of Russia for his first trip outside the region since leading a coup highlights his rocky relations with Beijing, analysts say.

Myanmar’s Economic Meltdown Likely to Push Opium Output Up, Says UN

Experts say more people are likely to turn to illegal poppy farming as pandemic and coup drag legal economy down.

Malaysia Ramps Up Harassment of Government Critics, Rights Groups Say

Rights groups say police investigations into journalists, protesters and opposition lawmakers have picked up since the country entered a state of emergency in January

Rights Groups See 'Existential Threat' in Draft Thai NGO Law

Government says law will rein in wayward nonprofits; rights groups say it would give authorities unchecked powers to stifle critics.

Myanmar’s Junta Cool on Commitment to ASEAN’s Plan for Stabilizing Country

Analysts say Myanmar’s military regime will exploit the plan's lack of detail to set the terms and stick to its own agenda.

Myanmar’s Anti-Junta Protesters Turning to Rebel Armies for Military Training

One of oldest and largest ethnic armed groups, Karen National Union, says protesters coming from lowlands of central Myanmar have been trekking to rebels’ hilly jungle redouts for training since late March.

Aid Groups Fear COVID Third Wave in Post-Coup Myanmar 

World Bank, Asian Development Bank Freeze Funds to Myanmar to Shun Junta

Moves by World Bank and Asian Development Bank to freeze funds to post-coup Myanmar could make many vulnerable communities worse off even as lenders look for ways to keep some projects going without government, analysts and experts say.

Scientists Chasing Origins of COVID-19 Add Southeast Asia to Search

Close relatives of the virus causing the pandemic have cropped up in Thailand and Cambodia, raising the odds of an origin outside of China.

Malaysia Uses Emergency Powers to Impose 'Fake News' Law

Malaysians convicted of spreading fake news about the pandemic or the country’s state of emergency could face jail for up to six years.

Myanmar Detainees Get Deportation Reprieve from Malaysia

The UN and rights groups say refugees and asylum-seekers may be among those being held in Malaysia.