Burma’s Breakthrough?

Published on Jan 14, 2012 by Luke Hunt

FAR EAST CORRESPONDENT — Burma’s opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi has picked up another award, confirmed she will run for parliament and says her country is on the verge of a breakthrough as its nominal civilian government promises to continue instituting democratic reforms. Read more in The Diplomat.   .

Vietnam’s Computer Game

Published on Jan 13, 2012 by Luke Hunt

FAR EAST CORRESPONDENT — Vietnam is crazy about computer games. So much so that authorities regard game addiction, and the crimes reportedly committed by junkies desperate for their next fix, as a growing problem. Yet this huge popularity, especially of multi-player online games, has so far failed to translate into much of a homegrown industry. Now, at last, Vietnam has released its first blockbuster offering. Helen Clark reports for The Economist. .

The Anwar Verdict

Published on Jan 12, 2012 by Luke Hunt

FAR EAST CORRESPONDENT — A round up of stories from Luke Hunt on the verdict in the sodomy trial of Malaysia’s opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim  from The Diplomat, Time magazine and Voice of America.   .

Cambodian Land Grab

Published on Jan 10, 2012 by Luke Hunt

FAR EAST CORRESPONDENT — Violent clashes and protests over a land-grabbing disputed have taken place in the heart of the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh this week, after a development company began to bulldoze the slum homes of 300 poor families. Faine Greenwood reports for UN Dispatch. .

Anwar Verdict Monday

Published on Jan 8, 2012 by Luke Hunt

ASIAWATCH — Speculation is rampant as to what impact the ruling in the sodomy case against the opposition leader will have on the fortunes of both his party and Prime Minister Najib Razak’s UMNO. Luke Hunt Reports. After two years of graphic and often offending evidence Malaysians will find out tomorrow whether opposition leader, Anwar Ibrahim, will spend up to 20 years behind bars when a verdict is handed down in his sodomy trial. Sodomy is illegal in Malaysia and Mr Anwar’s supporters maintain the charges that have made him a cause celebre are politically motivated and the verdict a foregone conclusion. The government of Prime Minister Najib Razak, however, insists the allegations are a matter for the courts alone.....