Out of Afghanistan, a podcast with Lynne O'Donnell

Published on Jun 15, 2021 by Luke Hunt

Veteran Australian war correspondent Lynne O’Donnell has returned to Afghanistan to cover the withdrawal of U.S. and allied forces, two decades after the troubled country was invaded following the al-Qaida attacks on New York and Washington, D.C. The Taliban and the government of Ashraf Ghani are positioning themselves for renewed struggle, and O’Donnell says Afghans are worried about their future amid a sharply reduced U.S. military presence. Between 2009 and 2017, O’Donnell was bureau chief in Kabul for The Associated Press and the French news agency AFP. She now writes for a wide range of publications, including Foreign Policy, Tortoise Media, and the South China Morning Post. She holds an MA in War Studies from King’s College London, where she is....

Mafia and War in Myanmar

Published on Jun 2, 2021 by Luke Hunt

 a podcast with Australia-based security-risk consultant Ross Milosevic who has worked across Asia, Africa, and the Middle East for almost three decades but his focus has often remained on Myanmar, which has been torn apart by the February 1 military coup.The bloody protests that followed have pushed Myanmar to the brink of nationwide civil war, with the many ethnic insurgents and ousted politicians rallying against the generals through the establishment of the National Unity Government and the People’s Defense Force.Those military leaders – Commander-in-Chief Min Aung Hlaing, Deputy Commander-in-Chief Soe Win, Brigadier General Than Oo and Brigadier General Aung Aung – also head the list of those most wanted by United Nations-backed investigators for the ethnic cleansing of more than....

Cambodian Rebels Jailed for 20 Years

Published on Mar 2, 2021 by Luke Hunt

Phnom Penh Municipal Court has sentenced former opposition leader Sam Rainsy to 25 years in prison and deprived him of the right to vote or stand as a candidate in upcoming elections for plotting to overthrow the government of Prime Minister Hun Sen.The court also sentenced two senior figures from the dissolved Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), Mu Sochua and Eng Chhay Eang, in absentia to 22 years behind bars.Sentences of 20 years were also handed down to other officials. They include Sam Rainsy’s spouse Tioulong Saumura and former CNRP senior officials Men Sothavarin, Ou Chanrith, Ho Vann, Long Ry and Nuth Romduol.They were charged following Sam Rainsy’s 2019 promise to return to Cambodia from self-imposed exile in France, lead....

Death of a Commandant

Published on Sep 19, 2020 by Luke Hunt

Cambodians greeted the death of Khmer Rouge commandant Kaing Guek Eav – also known as Duch – with a mix of happiness, sorrow and relief, as this country continues to move on from its tragic past.Duch died on September 2, while serving a life sentence at the Kandal Provincial Correctional Center for crimes against humanity and the deaths of more than 16,000 people in Cambodia’s notorious Killing Fields between 1975 and 1979.His conviction was one of three obtained at a United Nations-backed court, which found the former math teacher and born again Christian had ruthlessly lorded over prisoners he deemed fit for extermination at S-21, a prison converted from a high school at Tuol Sleng in the capital city of....

Wrap: Cambodia's Genocide

Published on Aug 27, 2019 by Luke Hunt

PHNOM PENH — Nuon Chea, a Cambodian politician and a chief ideologue as part of the notorious Khmer Rouge, dies Sunday at age 93 after a brief stay in a Phnom Penh hotel for what was reportedly a toe ulcer. His death once again brought to the fore the legacy of one of the leading members of a sobering period in Cambodian history.Read more The DiplomatPHNOM PENH — The Khmer Rouge war crimes trial has gripped the public conscience for more than 13 years, with gruesome evidence and horrific tales from one of the great atrocities of the 20th century reaching its zenith with genocide convictions against Nuon Chea and Khieu Samphan late last year.But the final acts of the....