Adios, Cantina. Viva Hurley!

Published on Mar 28, 2015 by Luke Hunt

One of Phnom Penh’s most legendary venues closes tonight. Cantina, the restaurant-cum-watering-hole and brainchild of Hurley Scroggins III, will shut its creaky, iron gate on the riverside late tonight for the last time – probably after midnight – and end a memorable and historic chapter in the life of this fair city.Read more from Michael Hayes in The Phnom Penh Post..

One In All In, AIIB Gains Momentum

Published on Mar 28, 2015 by Luke Hunt

Plans for a China-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) have proved divisive. As a potential competitor to the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) it has not been welcomed by the United States, which still dominates both institutions.Read more from Luke Hunt in The Diplomat..

A War Crimes Stage Ready for the Next Act

Published on Mar 28, 2015 by Luke Hunt

Marathon efforts to prosecute Pol Pot’s surviving henchmen have never been short on controversy. “Too late,” “too long,” and “too expensive” are among the chief criticisms faced by officials at the Khmer Rouge tribunal. Written by Luke Hunt, this story first appeared in Warscapes.Hopes for justice recently took another hit with accusations that the defense teams for Brother No. 2 Nuon Chea and former head of state Khieu Samphan were deliberately stalling proceedings in their genocide trial at the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC), a purpose-built court on the dusty outskirts of Phnom Penh.The court, as one long-time observer put it, had been ground down in legalese. That was until arguments about whether it should continue exploded....

Philippines Peace Deal Again Under Threat

Published on Mar 28, 2015 by Luke Hunt

The long-promised peace deal struck between Manila and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in the Southern Philippines is struggling to hold after fighting again erupted, this time on two fronts with more than 80,000 people forced to evacuate their homes.Read more from Luke Hunt in The Diplomat..

Cambodia: A Tale of Two HIV Outbreaks

Published on Feb 8, 2015 by Luke Hunt

The HIV outbreak in a small village in the Cambodian countryside continues to grow. But the plight of the victims and their families has gone largely ignored with this country’s leaders doing little to help 226 people inflicted so far with the virus that causes AIDS.The international media and NGO workers have also been relatively silent, particularly when compared with the world health response to the Ebola outbreak in Africa where experimental vaccines are going on trial.Read more from Luke Hunt in The Diplomat..