Semporna Boat Festival

Published on Apr 24, 2010 by Luke Hunt

Photo Feature by Luke Hunt Bajau Woman SEMPORNA, Malaysia — Each year in Semporna on the east coast of Borneo the Bajau people hold their boat annual boat festival. The festival is colourful and the people use this to highlight their maritime skills. The government also used the 2010 festival to highlight their military skills.The show of force was meant to intimidate locals who have extensive connections with local prates and members of the Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiyha terrorist outfit in Indonesia and the Southern Philippines. .

Stiletto by Max Kolbe — March, 2010

Published on Mar 20, 2010 by Luke Hunt

Clan Ampatuan & the Munganao Flaks As the Ampatuan clan in the Southern Philippines embarks on a dizzying array of pre-trial maneuverings, authorities have assured Andal Senior and his siblings that they won’t be fronting the courts alone for the massacre of 57 people, including 31 journalists. Of the 197 people facing charges, 196 respondents, including 14 Ampatuans, were to be indicted for 41 counts of murder. Another 16 counts were yet to be ruled on in the November 23 Maguindanao massacre. Breathtaking! Alleged ring leader, Andal Jr has been charged with 56 counts of murder, one shy of the 57 victims, because one body has not been identified. Clan members charged are Andal Snr, Andal Jnr, Zaldy, Akmad, Anwar,....

Khmer Rouge Tribunal Scaling Justice

Published on Mar 11, 2010 by Luke Hunt

Scaling Justice: Case 001 Alights The KR Agenda It has been a long time coming, but soon sentence will be passed on Kang Guek Eav (better known as Duch) the former head of S-21 detention centre. Reporter Luke Hunt has been following the case of the first man to stand trial at the Khmer Rouge Tribunal from its outset. He provides AsiaLIFE with the background on the case and what we should expect to follow. Ever since Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen went to the United Nations more than 11 years ago and asked for an international war crimes tribunal, incompetence and corruption have reared and political brinkmanship has flourished. .

Philippines’ Bloody Poll

Published on Feb 15, 2010 by Luke Hunt

Violence Looms over Upcoming Poll The massacre of dozens of journalists in The Philippines last November grabbed international headlines and shone a light on long-simmering tensions in the country’s south, reports Luke Hunt for The Diplomat, who says clan rivalries, terrorist links and corruption have created a combustible mix ahead of May’s general election. .

Noordin Top: Valentine’s Day Darling

Published on Feb 14, 2010 by Luke Hunt

Noordin Top Legendary war correspondent Sheikh Ya’erbuti has devoted his inaugural Darling of the Year Award to Jemaah Islamiyha acolyte and celebrity bomber Noordin Mohammad Top. The award, announced on Valentine’s Day, was made posthumously after Noordin was gunned down by Indonesian authorities last year following an international man hunt and a very merry dance. “Not just a terrorist but a lover of men, this made Noordin a worthy choice for this award,” Ya’erbuti said while receiving Valentine’s Day wishes from his legions of fans. “He was a true romantic.” Following his death a September autopsy revealed Noordin was sodomized, and often. “There is an anomaly in Noordin’s anus because it is shaped like a funnel,” said Mun’im Idris, a....