A Philippines Peace

Published on Oct 12, 2012 by Luke Hunt

FAR EAST CORRESPONDENT — bA peace deal struck between the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) adds another tick to President Begnino Aquino’s list of achievements since coming to office almost two-and-a-half years ago. Since conflict first erupted in the mid-1970s, the quest for a Bangsamoro homeland has claimed more than 120,000 lives. However, whether this latest effort to find peace and enduring stability for the people of Mindanao will win the necessary support from the Christians and institutions that overwhelmingly run the rest of the country remains to be seen. Read more in The Diplomat. .

French Polynesia Battles for Independence

Published on Oct 11, 2012 by Luke Hunt

FAR EAST CORRESPONDENT — In a far flung corner of the South Pacific a secessionist movement is stirring with its protagonists preparing for a major battle looming half a world away. And if Oscar Manutahi Temaru gets his way French Polynesia could one day become the world’s newest country. Temaru has fought a 35-year campaign for independence and indigenous control of his country in a quiet, non-violent but calculated manner that has been largely ignored by the rest of the world. However, the world is starting to take notice. Temaru is taking his fight to New York and staking his country’s claim in the United Nations General Assembly where he is drumming up support from the world leaders for recognition....

Rohingya Unwanted

Published on Oct 10, 2012 by Luke Hunt

FAR EAST CORRESPONDENT — Amidst commendable progress in Burma’s democratization, one voice in the country has been consistently silenced. The Rohingya people are quickly becoming the ethnic minority whose fate will likely be remembered as a “casualty” of democracy – a type of collateral damage symptomatic of states that make the transition from military regimes to full-fledged democracies. In the shadow of Burma’s democratic parading, the fact remains: the Rohingya, a 500,000 Muslim-minority group based in the Arakan region, remain amongst the most persecuted people on the planet — having suffered extreme persecution and discrimination throughout history. The persecution of the Rohingya is not a novel phenomenon.  The Hmannan Yazawin – known in English as the Glass Palace Chronicle –....

Japan War Ships Dock in Cambodia

Published on Oct 9, 2012 by Luke Hunt

FAR EAST CORRESPONDENT — Three Japanese naval ships, including a gun and missile laden destroyer, docked at Sihanoukville Autonomous Port on Saturday on their last stop of a 14-country training expedition throughout Asia and the Middle East. Read more from Simon Marks in The Cambodia Daily. .

The Party in Laos

Published on Oct 9, 2012 by Luke Hunt

FAR EAST CORRESPONDENT — Set alongside the natural beauty of the Nam Song river and the karst mountains of northern Laos, they’re an odd sight: the scores ramshackle bamboo huts built into the jungle, filled with backpackers stumbling in time to the beat of stereo-pumped reggae. Those structures look stranger still now that many of them are abandoned and swiftly becoming dilapidated. In late August, police travelled 160km north from the Laotian capital Vientianne to shut down over 20 bars in Vang Vieng, including many along river and on an island close to the town. The state-run Vientiane Times claimed that the bars it targeted were “being operated in contravention of regulations, including the provision of unsafe drinks to customers,....