Mad Monks of Myanmar

Published on Jul 10, 2013 by Luke Hunt

In this photo essay, The Diplomat offers a close-up look at the anti-Muslim 969 movement on the rise in Myanmar today.Myanmar is home to a growing wave of anti-Muslim sentiment, as seen in the troubling 969 movement. The numerical significance of the digits is rooted in Buddhism’s Three Jewels (Tiratana), which comprise 24 attributes: nine special attributes of Lord Buddha, six core Buddhist teachings, and nine attributes of monkhood.Read more, see more from The Diplomat..

Chrissy Amphlett Dies at 53

Published on Apr 24, 2013 by Luke Hunt

Chrissy Amphlett, Australian former lead singer of the rock band Divinyls, passed away yesterday morning in New York where she lived with her husband and former Divinyls drummer Charley Drayton.Read more from Jonathan DeHart in The Diplomat..

John Holloway: 1943-2013

Published on Mar 18, 2013 by Luke Hunt

John Holloway, a former Australian ambassador who worked as a Cambodian government advisor for almost 20 years, died Tuesday at the age of 70 after a long battle with skin cancer and diabetes.In June 1995, Victorian MP Ken Aldred claimed in Parliament that Holloway was a paedophile. The then Secretary to of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade Michael Costello told Fran Kelly in a media interview that police had investigated and said there was no evidence to support the allegation. Holloway was arrested in Cambodia and brought back to Australia to face charges, including for having sex with a 14-year-old boy. Holloway denied the charge. A magistrate dismissed child sex abuse charges against Holloway, calling the testimony of....

Australian Friends Dead in Laos

Published on Jan 10, 2013 by Luke Hunt

They were happy knockabout workers on boats in the Northern Territory. Both have been found dead within four days of each other in Laos, a popular destination for backpackers, where they had gone for a holiday before Christmas.Read more from Lindsay Murdoch in the Sydney Morning Herald..

Deadly Thais Saving Face

Published on Dec 6, 2012 by Luke Hunt

In early 2012, Luke Hunt travelled across the Muslim dominated provinces of southern Thailand and northwest to Krabi, meeting up with the British photographer and author Dan White. We rode on to the picturesque beachside town of Ao Nang, bought our tickets and boarded a boat to the popular tourist beach, Railay.Along the way we happened upon a simple scam. A return boat ticket was purchased but when we decided to head home the captain refused to recognize the return leg saying it was a fake. All the tourists were told to buy new tickets and urged to complain to the vendor in Ao Nang.Problem: The vendor, working in cahoots with the boat captains, had gone home.  Several hundred tourists....