Bin Laden’s Asia Shadow

Published on May 10, 2011 by Luke Hunt

Even in death, Osama bin Laden will continue to haunt Southeast Asia, where he helped forge the backbone of the region’s terrorist outfits, from the Southern Philippines to West Indonesia. The ink on the Saudi’s death certificate was barely dry when the first warnings of pending attacks were issued. Read The Diplomat. The politicians were correct if predictable in the issue of travel warnings, but more ominous were comments coming from the region’s insiders, people like Nasir Abbas – a reformed jihadist who turned state’s evidence against Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) in the wake of the 2002 Bali bombing.   .

Weekly News Summary – May 6

Published on May 6, 2011 by Luke Hunt

A look at the headlines making news this week from around south-east Asia and a little bit beyond. ASIAWATCH — Terrorist leader Osama bin Laden was reportedly killed during a top-secret joint mission by US Navy SEALS and CIA agents in Abbottabad, Pakistan. The military operation was conducted without the support or knowledge of the Pakistani government. Its intelligence services have been accused of harbouring the 9/11 mastermind, who hid for five years in the luxurious compound in the centre of the military city located 100km north of Islamabad. Whilst Al Qaeda has not – yet – launched any retaliatory attacks, in Afghanistan the Taliban announced a spring offensive with a suicide bomber aged 12 killing four people in the....

Osama Bin Laden’s Second Front

Published on May 4, 2011 by Luke Hunt

The killing of Osama bin Laden in a plush mansion northeast of Islamabad by US special forces should be greeted with the cheers it deserves. His face was one of the most recognizable on Earth, and the idea that one man could have had such a profound impact on foreign policy everywhere would have been incomprehensible just a decade ago. Luke Hunt writes for The Diplomat. In Southeast Asia, Bin Laden’s presence was felt and feared as much as anywhere else. His ties with Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) shouldn’t be underestimated, nor should the slaughter that accompanied that terrorist outfit. Together, bin Laden and JI have been rightly pilloried for bastardizing their own faith and using it as an excuse to....

Bomborra Productions

Published on May 4, 2011 by Luke Hunt

Bomborra is a loose knitted production house and publisher of the news portal Far East Correspondent, which is used by correspondents to drive readership to their clients, the online regional magazine AsiaWATCH and photo library Bomborra Images. The group is also a collaboration by journalists and photographers who work primarily in Asia. Registered in Hong Kong, Bomborra also acts as a resource for journalistic works, ranging from the written word and photo to audio and video with a focus on East Asia. .

Bin Laden’s Death an Emotional Marker

Published on May 3, 2011 by Luke Hunt

With arguably the most notorious manhunt of all time now over, many are reflecting on the emotional significance Osama bin Laden’s death carries for a generation that has come of age since Sept. 11. Guy Taylor writes for World Politics Review. With the gravity of the development sinking in this morning, World Politics Review contributor Luke Hunt reminded Trend Lines that what bin Laden did “has dominated and dictated our lives professionally for more than a decade.” Another WPR contributor, J. Edward Conway had this to say: “When I found my way into the U.S. Defense Department after Sept. 11, I was met by a sea of 20-somethings who felt the exact same way I did as part of the....