Sri Lanka's Easter Bombings

Published on May 5, 2019 by Luke Hunt

Luke Hunt examines Islamic militancy in the wake of the 2019 Easter bombings in Colombo, Sri Lanka, which claimed 269 lives. The story was initially published by La Croix and UCA News before syndication. Ever since the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (IS) emerged as a ruthless, rampaging force to be reckoned with more than five years ago, the question that has haunted intelligence circles has been: If home is an option for foreign jihadists, what will they do if they return?IS has claimed responsibility for the Easter Sunday bombings in Sri Lanka that left more than *250 people dead and hundreds more wounded, confirming what many had feared.IS, al-Qaeda and Osama bin Laden, and affiliates such as Jemaah....

University of Madras

Published on Dec 6, 2018 by Luke Hunt

In late 2018 Luke Hunt travelled to India where he addressed the University of Madras and the Women's Christian College in Chennai. The topic: Journalism from the Frontlines..

War in Another Century

Published on May 12, 2016 by Luke Hunt

A photo essay from wars and conflicts shot by journalist Luke Hunt and produced by Craig Skehan. Hunt's work mainly covers the latter part of the 20th and early 21st century. Click here to view on YouTube..

China’s aggression Splits Obama from Top Navy Advisers

Published on Apr 19, 2016 by Luke Hunt

Escalating tensions over China’s aggressive territorial claims in the South China Sea are casting a heavy pall over major international naval exercises underway in the Pacific, exposing what some analysts say is a growing rift between President Obama and his top naval advisers over how to repulse Beijing’s provocations in one of the world’s busiest sea lanes.Read more from Luke Hunt in The Washington Times .

Khmer Rouge Survivor Films Return to his Childhood

Published on Feb 29, 2016 by Luke Hunt

Bunhom Chhorn saw the black-uniformed killers in his nightmares as he was growing up in Melbourne.“They appeared stark and terrifyingly real, always trying to catch me or do me harm,” he says.Bunhom tried to push the images away as he studied, worked night-shift in a factory and then won a place in a documentary-making course.Read more from Lindsay Murdoch in The Age.

Malaysia, Philippines Face a New Sultan at a Bad Time

Published on Feb 28, 2016 by Luke Hunt

War against Islamic militancy in Southeast Asia has too often been complicated by layers of nationalism, provincial politics and tribal culture. It’s a thorn in Southern Thailand, Indonesia and in particular the Southern Philippines, where peace talks have struggled to accommodate all and end decades of conflict that feeds off of old tribal hatreds.The importance of the tribes can’t be underestimated, and this was highlighted by a recent appointment among the Sulu clans.Phugdalun Kiram II has been named as the next Sultan of Sulu, a clan position with pretensions to royal ownership of huge swathes of land including much of Sabah in Malaysia’s far east. He took the helm following the death of Esmail Kiram II last year.Read more from....

Khmer Rouge Lawyer’s Jibes at Judge Get Personal

Published on Feb 4, 2016 by Luke Hunt

Victor Koppe, Nuon Chea’s international defense lawyer, rarely misses an opportunity to tell the judges at the Khmer Rouge tribunal what he really thinks.During a documentary hearing in August, Mr. Koppe called proceedings a “farce” and walked out of the courtroom. The following day, the Dutch lawyer went further, ac­cusing Judge Jean-Marc La­vergne of making “cowardly decisions” and lacking “judicial integrity.” (He was referred to the Amster­dam Bar Association as a result.)Read more from George Wright in The Cambodia Daily..

Islamic State Expands into Southeast Asia

Published on Feb 4, 2016 by Luke Hunt

As Islamic State branches out from its base in Syria and Iraq, fears are mounting here that Southeast Asia is emerging as a new target of opportunity for the violent jihadi group.In some cases, Islamic State, also known as ISIS and ISIL, is supplanting established radical Islamist groups — often with ties to the rival al Qaeda — and in other cases is linking up with local jihadi groups that have long battled governments in the region.Read more from Luke Hunt in The Washington Times..

Indonesian Strikes Confirm Spread of ISIS

Published on Jan 18, 2016 by Luke Hunt

Fears that the troubles in the Middle East – where Islamic militants are fighting for a caliphate and centralized Muslim leadership – will spread to Southeast Asia are proving tragically real with a series of bombs and gun battles in Jakarta.Two civilians and five terrorists were killed. Another 26 were wounded and authorities were lucky the toll was not substantially higher after militants opened fire around a Starbucks coffee shop and Western-styled supermarkets in the first such strike in-country since 2009.Read more from Luke Hunt in The Diplomat..

Khmer Rouge Commander Meas Muth Charged

Published on Dec 23, 2015 by Luke Hunt

A Khmer Rouge commander who allegedly sent two Australian yachtsmen to Cambodia’s notorious Tuol Sleng interrogation centre, where they were tortured and killed in 1978, has surrendered to officials of a United Nations tribunal in Phnom Penh.Read more from Lindsay Murdoch in The Age.  .