Trial by Media in Pol Pot’s Dock

Published on Jul 18, 2013 by Luke Hunt

By Luke Hunt ASIAWATCH — Almost four decades after the Khmer Rouge marched Into Phnom Penh the work of journalists and photographers from that tragic era is finally being laid bare before a war crimes tribunal which prosecutors hope will put away Pol Pot’s remaining henchmen. Importantly, the scope of their evidence and who can testify is limited by the court’s mandate which is consigned to judging crimes and hearing evidence from events that occurred strictly under the Khmer Rouge rule, from April 17, 1975 to January 9, 1979. Among the most prominent was the New York Times correspondent Sydney Schanberg who spoke of the forced evacuations ordered after the Khmer Rouge entered Phnom Penh and how one Khmer woman....

EDIT Free Papua Movement Leader Vows to Fight On

Published on Jul 12, 2013 by Luke Hunt

In a rare interview, the one-legged commander of a Papuan militant group, Danny Kogoya, has vowed to return to the jungle to fight and continue a 50-year struggle against Indonesian rule in the country’s far-east and resource-rich province of Papua.Read more from Luke Hunt in The Diplomat..

Vietnam Declared Free of Weapons Grade Uranium

Published on Jul 11, 2013 by Luke Hunt

FAR EAST CORRESPONDENT — After ten years of painstaking planning and meticulous work, Vietnam has been declared free of weapons-grade uranium by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) after an international effort at the Dalat national research center, which was powered by nuclear fuel supplied by Russia. Read more from Luke Hunt in The Diplomat. .

Fires Demonstrate Danger of Nuclear Power in Asia

Published on Jul 7, 2013 by Luke Hunt

FAR EAST ASIA CORRESPONDENT — After forest fires raged across the island of Sumatra for a week, swaddling Singapore and parts of Malaysia in dense, toxic haze, Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on June 24 was contrite. “I, as the president, apologize and seek the understanding of our brothers and sisters in Singapore and Malaysia,” Mr. Yudhoyono said. “Indonesia had no intention to cause this.” But Indonesia has long failed to effectively manage this threat. For Indonesians, but also others in the region, the fires should be a wake-up call because their governments want to build nuclear power plants to generate carbon-free electricity their economies will need. Read more from Mark Hibbs in The Diplomat. .

In Myanmar It’s Free Beer But No TIME

Published on Jul 6, 2013 by Luke Hunt

FAR EAST CORRESPONDENT — As Myanmar continues its reform process, the politics is throwing-up a bevy of contrasts – some welcomed and others not. One tour company is offering free beer while the government has banned the recent issue of TIME Magazine, featuring a cover of a Buddhist monk blamed for the recent carnage against Muslims in the country’s north. Read more from Luke Hunt at The Diplomat. .