Editor’s May Note

Published on May 21, 2010 by Luke Hunt

Plans are affot to preserve the natural habitat of the Maliau Basin. Contributions from Luke Hunt and Karl Wilson have been added which include coverage of the elections in The Philippines, Vietnam’s 35th anniversary commemorating the end of the Vietnam War with America and plans to win a World Heritage Listing for the Maliau Basin, also known as the Lost World hidden deep inside Borneo’s interior. Clients include The Times, The Diplomat, Radio Australia and Voice of America. Ed. .

Stiletto by Max Kolbe — May, 2010

Published on May 21, 2010 by Luke Hunt

Protests in Thailand and the bloody violence that most of us saw coming, claimed the lives of two foreign correspondents and injured a few more with the Thai government claiming victory over civilian protestors. The dead were Japanese journalist Hiroyaki Muramoto, a TV cameraman with Thomson Reuters killed on April 10 and Italian freelance photographer Fabio Polenghi who died on May 19 from gunshot wounds. Dutch radio and television journalist Michel Maas was injured while reporting on the violence in the Thai capital, as was Briton Andrew Buncombe and two Canadian journalists, Nelson Rand shot three times, and Chandler Vandergrift who suffered shrapnel wounds to the head. Three Thai photographers and one reporter were also wounded. The deaths were the....

Vietnam, China’s ‘Little Sister’

Published on May 11, 2010 by Luke Hunt

Vietnamese hate the moniker, reports Luke Hunt for The Diplomat. But their feelings about their big neighbor are a lot more complicated. The rooftop balcony of the Majestic Hotel commands sweeping views across the Saigon River where tinysampans mix with giant cargo ships and ply their trade. Loaded with history and nostalgia, its bar is also a venue for the Old Hacks Reunion—a once-in-five-year affair when Vietnam War era combat reporters get together and trade tales from the past and down a few of their favourite ales. Great survivors, like Peter Arnett, Jim Pringle and photographers Tim Page and Al Rockoff, were there this year. But their ranks, like their hairlines, are gray and thinning. .

Vietnam’s 35th

Published on Apr 30, 2010 by Luke Hunt

Snapshots from the 35th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War. On April 30, 1975, Soviet-made tanks smashed through the gates of the Presidential Palace in Saigon signalling the war with South Vietnam and its chief ally the United States was over. Significant commemorations are held every five years which includes a reunion of combat reporters who covered the era. .

Lost World for World Heritage

Published on Apr 26, 2010 by Luke Hunt

by Luke Hunt for The Times Malaysian authorities have ended years of tortuous debate and decided to nominate the Maliau Basin as a World Heritage Site, in effect saving the celebrated rainforests from the clutches of timber and mining interests.The basin, located deep within the remote interior of North Borneo, was discovered only in the 1970s and remains largely unexplored. Scientists hailed the decision, saying it was a victory for the environment and the species that remain undiscovered. .