Uyghurs Test ASEAN's Refugee Credentials

Published on Mar 20, 2014 by Luke Hunt

Handling the plight of refugees and Internally Displaced Peoples (IDPs) has often found the 10-nation Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) wanting.From the eastern shores of Borneo to Myanmar’s northern border with Bangladesh, millions of people have sought sanctuary from wars, civil conflict, and religious and ethnic intolerance. The issue takes on an unwanted dimension when China gets involved.Read more from Luke Hunt in The Diplomat..

Flight 370: Malaysia's Seminal Moment

Published on Mar 15, 2014 by Luke Hunt

The disappearance of Malaysian Airlines Flight 370 is a horrible tragedy but not without precedent. The aftermath of Korean Air Lines Flight 007, Pan Am Flight 103, Adam Air Flight 747, Asian Flight 214 and Air France Flight 447, among others, all held striking similarities with the missing Malaysian plane.Their causes were initially a mystery but each disaster was eventually resolved, providing a litany of potential failures to be dealt with in the future. Among them: pilot error, improper maintenance, a hijacking gone wrong, a terrorist attack, pilot suicide, unwanted military intervention, a systemic failure or a combination of the above.Read more from Luke Hunt in The Diplomat..

Taib Mahmud’s Really Excellent Retirement

Published on Mar 7, 2014 by Luke Hunt

Luke Hunt, writing for The Diplomat, reviews Sarawak’s chief minister's decision to step down with an impressive fortune, and a barrage of legal assaults.For 33 years Taib Mahmud has ruled the East Malaysian state of Sarawak as a personal fiefdom. He has more years at the helm than perhaps any other Southeast Asian leader, longer even than Hun Sen, who has ruled as prime minister of Cambodia for the most part since 1985.In the process, Taib – known as Pak Uban or the “white haired uncle” – and his family have amassed a fortune worth $20 billion or more, and established business tentacles through 400 companies into the tiniest reaches of the state and around the world that will ensure his....

Vietnamese Bloggers gets 30-month Sentence

Published on Mar 2, 2014 by Luke Hunt

The 30 month prison sentence for Vietnamese human rights lawyer and blogger, Le Quoc Quan, was upheld by a Hanoi appeals court. Quan, who has frequently blogged about human rights violations by the government, was convicted in October 2013 on tax evasion charges.Read more from Helen Clark in The Index on Censorship..

Thai Troubles Spoil Southern Peace Talks

Published on Feb 27, 2014 by Luke Hunt

The violent political upheavals in Bangkok have all but scuttled efforts to find a peaceful solution to the conflict in the south where about 6,000 lives have already been lost from an independence rebellion waged by Islamic militants.Read more from Luke Hunt in The Diplomat..