Is Modern History Biggest Resource Heist in Myanmar?

Published on Oct 24, 2015 by Luke Hunt

Global Witness has staked its reputation on significant investigations and reports into corruption by corporates and governments on a grand scale, particularly in Southeast Asia where objectivity and honest appraisals about the state of the environment are in short supply.Its work in the East Malaysian state of Sarawak – where long serving chief minister Taib Mahmud retired with a family fortune worth an estimated at US$20 billion – was widely applauded, as were investigations into land grabbing across Cambodia by Vietnamese rubber companies.Now the London-based environmental watchdog has set its sights on Myanmar, where it has revised the value of the illegal gem trade substantially higher, at US$31 billion in 2014 alone, almost half of the country’s entire GDP and....

Malaysians Escalate Push For Najib’s Resignation

Published on Oct 10, 2015 by Luke Hunt

Fed up with years of alleged corruption, Malaysian activists escalated their protests, demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Najib Razak and the overhaul of a political system its critics argue is racist and favors the few who are political connected.Police estimated that 25,000 people took to the streets of Kuala Lumpur for the weekend Bersih 4.0 rally, which unlike previous demonstrations passed off peacefully. Organizers said the numbers were much higher, at around 200,000.Read more from Luke Hunt in The Diplomat..

North Korean Leader Wins Indonesian Peace Award

Published on Aug 24, 2015 by Luke Hunt

Judged on performance, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has probably lived up to expectations handed down by his father and his father’s father.He has dealt with his dislikes with a ruthless abandonment. That included the execution of Uncle Jang Song Thaek, who he reportedly once liked and then went on to describe as “despicable human scum.”Read more from Luke Hunt in The Diplomat..

Toil and Trouble off China's Southern Coast

Published on Aug 2, 2015 by Luke Hunt

Naval brinkmanship in the South China Sea is taking a backseat to diplomacy, trade and the international courts. For the time being at least, regional governments are holding back and carefully weighing the ramifications of a conflict in the disputed waters.The softly-softly approach was adopted by ASEAN countries in the wake of last year’s nasty military standoff and despite a decision by Beijing to up-the-ante over the winter with a massive land fill exercise on selective reefs, creating an international outcry.Read more from Luke Hunt in Warscapes..

Praying for a Pope and a Dose of Common Sense

Published on Jan 11, 2015 by Luke Hunt

When Pope Francis makes his first trip to the very Catholic Philippines later this month, long-term observers will be hoping the head of the Holy See will move away from the harsh, more traditional doctrine of the past, with a liberal dose of realism in his sermons.Read more from Luke Hunt in The Diplomat..

Aung San Suu Kyi Concedes she will not be Myanmar's next President

Published on Jan 11, 2015 by Luke Hunt

Myanmar’s opposition leader and democracy campaigner Aung San Suu Kyi has acknowledged she will be unable to become her country’s next president after elections later this year, a decision that will disappoint millions of her supporters.Read more from Lindsay Murdoch in The Age..

Perhaps Its Time to Call It ‘Burma,’ Again

Published on Nov 23, 2014 by Luke Hunt

Myanmar, or Burma as some people prefer to call it, has been cut much slack in recent years with its supporters urging patience and understanding as it attempts to reform itself. This was highlighted by the recent visit of U.S. President Barack Obama, who had hoped to coax further reforms out of Naypyidaw and President Thein Sein during the recent East Asia summit.Read more from Luke Hunt in The Diplomat..

With Guests Arriving, Myanmar Accused of Backsliding

Published on Nov 9, 2014 by Luke Hunt

World leaders including Tony Abbott and Barack Obama travel to Myanmar this week amid concern the country is backsliding on sectarian violence, media freedom and democracy two years after Western nations started lifting economic sanctions.Read more from Lindsay Murdoch in The Age..

Malaysia’s Reputation Hinges on MH370

Published on Oct 19, 2014 by Luke Hunt

The Malaysian government has had a difficult year and its response to traumatic issues – ranging from downed airliners to home-grown Islamic militants tying-up with mercenaries employed by the self-titled Islamic State – has at times been wanting.Read more from Luke Hunt in The Diplomat..

Kim Dotcom and the New Zealand Elections

Published on Sep 21, 2014 by Luke Hunt

The public debate that erupted in the wake of the Edward Snowden revelations about the very private collection of metadata and even more detailed records has not been limited to discussion of the activities of the U.S. National Security Agency: they have been a feature in Australia and New Zealand also.Read more from Helen Clark in The Diplomat..