Cambodia's False Peace

Published on Oct 30, 2021 by Luke Hunt

Cambodia marked the 30th anniversary of the Paris Peace Accords on Oct. 23 with authorities attempting to justify the state of the country’s democracy while fending off foreign criticism of the deterioration of fundamental freedoms.The diplomatic community offered qualified praise, particularly in regards to poverty reduction, but sidestepped sensitive issues surrounding human rights, which have been under closer scrutiny ever since the ruling party won every seat contested at elections in 2018.British ambassador Tina Redshaw congratulated Cambodia “for its remarkable progress” but urged the government to “reinvigorate the ambition of the agreements and Cambodian constitution to ensure its own political future.”Read more here..

Ending: Khmer Rouge Trials

Published on Aug 22, 2021 by Luke Hunt

PHNOM PENH, CAMBODIA – The last surviving leader of the Khmer Rouge, Khieu Samphan, has made his final appeal against his conviction for genocide as the long-running United Nations-backed Cambodia tribunal held its last public hearings before winding down.  Amid tight security and health restrictions imposed to guard against the COVID-19 pandemic, Khieu Samphan delivered a dramatic 16-minute defense in which he categorically refused to accept his 2018 conviction for genocide against Cambodia’s Muslim Cham and ethnic Vietnamese. Full package: Read, watch listen here. .

From Saigon to Kabul with Angst

Published on Aug 22, 2021 by Luke Hunt

The right-wing politics of U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell are not everyone’s cup of tea. But he’s an old stager and he was right about the Taliban shaping-up to retake of Afghanistan, when he said: “This debacle was not only foreseeable, it was foreseen.” “The Biden Administration has reduced U.S. officials to pleading with Islamic extremists to spare our Embassy as they prepare to overrun Kabul,” he said. Read more here. .

Miss Grand Myanmar

Published on Apr 3, 2021 by Luke Hunt

Han Lay, Myanmar’s representative in the Miss Grand International beauty pageant, will remain in Thailand for security reasons after winning widespread applause for using the event to speak up for the atrocities being committed by the military in her home country.As she was crowned Miss Grand Myanmar 2020 at Saturday’s final in Bangkok, a tearful Han Lay drew thunderous applause as she sang “Heal the World” and pleaded for help, ignoring the pageant’s mantra that contestants remain apolitical.Read more here..

Russia Seduces Myanmar

Published on Mar 2, 2021 by Luke Hunt

Russia’s appetite for influence and lucrative arms sales in Southeast Asia has been whetted by the latest coup in Myanmar, where isolated generals remain distrustful of China but still require allies on the United Nations Security Council. Chinese investments had flourished in Myanmar under the now-deposed civilian government effectively led by former opposition figure Aung San Suu Kyi, and the military, also known as Tatmadaw, benefitted through state owned enterprises brought under its control before Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy won historic 2015 elections. However, relations between junta leaders and Beijing have long been strained over Chinese interference across their common border – an existential threat not shared with Russia – and Beijing’s assistance to long-running ethnic insurgencies, including....