Planned China Railway Raises Fears of Land Grabs in Myanmar
Residents of central Myanmar’s Mandalay region said Thursday that they are increasingly fearful of forced property confiscation lost farmland in areas slated for the construction of a high-speed railway running from Kunming in southwestern China to the…
Philippines: 542 Foreigners, Mostly Chinese, Arrested as Suspects in Investment Scam
Philippine authorities arrested more than 500 foreigners, mostly Chinese nationals, suspected of working in the country without permits and being involved in a telecommunications investment scam, during a raid on a Manila area outsourcing firm, officia…
Three Myanmar Soldiers Die in Shan State Ethnic Army Ambush
Three Myanmar government soldiers were killed and at least seven civilians and three other troops were injured Wednesday morning during a rebel army ambush on a military convoy in war-torn northern Shan state, local and military officials and area resi…
UNHCR: Anti-Refugee and Migrant Sentiment Threaten Battle to End Statelessness
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – The U.N. refugee agency warns the battle to zstatelessness. Now at the mid-point of the campaign, activists welcome the progress that has been made, but note so much more remains to be done.They report at least four million peopl…
Australian Couple Released in Iran After 3 Months
SYDNEY/TEHRAN � An Australian travel-blogging couple who were detained in Iran on spying charges have been released and returned home, Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne said Saturday.Perth-based Jolie King and Mark Firkin had been documenting th…
Thailand’s Anti-Fake News Center Fans Fears of Censorship
BANGKOK – Rights groups and opposition parties in Thailand are warning that a new center authorities plan to open by next month to combat the spread of fake news online may be misused to target and silence government critics.Thailand emerged from five …
Hong Kong Lawmakers Seek to Block Mask Ban; Protests Persist
HONG KONG – A group of pro-democracy Hong Kong legislators filed a legal challenge Saturday against the government’s use of a colonial-era emergency law to criminalize the wearing of face masks at rallies to quell anti-government demonstrations, as the…