6 October, recently, marked exactly 43 years since the Thammasat University massacre in Thailand back in 1976, an attack by state forces and far-right paramilitaries on student protesters on the campus of Thammasat University and the adjacent Sanam Luang Square in Bangkok. Prior to the massacre, 4,000 to 5,000 students from various universities demonstrated for more than a week against the return of former military dictator Thanom Kittikachorn to Thailand from Singapore.To this day,

Indonesia's human rights commission called for a probe into scores of deaths in Papua on Friday after some of the deadliest violence in years swept the restive region.Dozens were killed when riots broke out in Wamena city last month, with some victims burned alive when buildings were set ablaze, and others stabbed in the chaos.Since mid-August, Papua has been hit by waves of mass protests and violence fuelled by racism against indigenous Papuans by Indonesians from other parts of the arc

A controversial law critics say would weaken Indonesia's anti-corruption agency came into effect Thursday after it sparked nationwide protests that left at least three students dead and scores injured.The new bill was introduced as the Southeast Asian nation is on high alert ahead of President Joko Widodo's second-term inauguration Sunday, after Islamic State-linked militants tried to assassinate a government minister.Under tight security in the capital Jakarta on Thursday, about a

Malaysia held talks with Goldman Sachs about dropping charges against three units of the Wall Street bank that prosecutors brought over the multi-billion-dollar 1MDB scandal, a report said Thursday.Huge sums were stolen from Malaysian state fund 1MDB in a fraud allegedly involving former leader Najib Razak and his cronies, and spent on everything from high-end real estate to a luxury super-yacht.Goldman's role has been under scrutiny as it helped arrange bond issues worth US$6.5 billion

The recent storm in Vietnam and the Philippines over a controversial cartoon is a prime example of how China’s intricately-woven influence in Hollywood is making its mark in Southeast Asia.Hollywood films are hugely popular across the world, and realising their potential, China has been actively buying media assets in the United States (US) since 2012 as its bids to exert its soft power through the entertainment industry.China is also the second largest film market in the world, and Hollywood

Brussels hopes to wake up to a Brexit breakthrough Wednesday as EU and British negotiators worked hard through the night on a draft agreement.The pound hit its highest level in five months after both sides voiced cautious optimism that an outline agreement could be found before Thursday's key European summit.Any deal would still have to go to EU leaders at that summit and then be voted on by a sceptical British parliament – perhaps as early as during a special session on Saturday.But EU

The US House of Representatives passed a bill Tuesday sought by pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong that aims to defend civil rights in the semi-autonomous territory, prompting an angry response from China.The Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act, which will now move to the Senate before it can become law, has drawn rare bipartisan support in a polarised Congress.The law would end the Hong Kong-US special trading status unless the State Department certifies annually that city authoritie

Vietnam has pulled the animated film "Abominable" from theatres over a scene featuring a map of the South China Sea showing Beijing's claims in the flashpoint waterway, cinemas and state media reported Monday.China has long used its so-called nine-dash line to justify its jurisdiction over most of the resource-rich sea, often to the displeasure of Hanoi, which also claims parts of the waterway.The U-shaped line appears on a map of the South China Sea in a scene in the film – re

The Philippines' top policeman, who leads the nation's deadly drugs crackdown, quit on Monday as he faces allegations of protecting officers accused of selling a huge haul of seized narcotics.Though the scandal dates from before Oscar Albayalde's time as national police chief, it has raised fresh criticism of President Rodrigo Duterte's signature anti-narcotics campaign, which is key to his massive popularity among Filipinos.As part of Duterte's internationally condem

President Xi Jinping has warned that any attempts to split China would result in "bodies smashed and bones ground to powder", amid four months of anti-Beijing unrest in Hong Kong.Xi issued the dire message during a weekend visit to Nepal, according to a foreign ministry statement released on Sunday."Anyone who attempts to split any region from China will perish, with their bodies smashed and bones ground to powder," Xi said, according to the ministry."Any external for