ASEAN member states have had an eventful seven days. In recent years, Southeast Asia has enjoyed increasing democratisation along with economic growth.
Hong Kong is on a knife’s edge. Once one of Asia’s freest and most open cities, it now faces the spectre of a new China-imposed security law that would curtail its people’s liberties and create a climate of fear. The law is in flagrant breach of the Sino-British Joint Declaration, which is registered at the United Nations (UN), and would open the way for widespread human-rights violations.
It has been three years now since the tragic “Marawi Siege”, but until now, terrorist attacks continue to permeate the Philippines making it hard for the government to secure its citizens from those who persistently seek to attack the lives and the way of life of every Filipino. The Marawi Siege just like the tragic events of 11 September (9/11), the Bali bombings, and the home-grown terrorists’ attacks in London, is the quintessence of the country’s long struggle against terrorism.
Human rights are fundamental to all human beings, regardless of race, sex, nationality, ethnicity, language, or religion. However, due to the diverse cultures and varying political structures in Southeast Asia, tackling human rights issues remains a major hurdle for the region. In the wake of the pandemic, human rights issues have been highlighted by authorities and rights groups around the world.
Hundreds of protesters rallied in Manila Friday against anti-terrorism legislation that critics fear would give Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte sweeping powers to stifle dissent. The bill, which has been approved by Congress and is expected to be signed into law by Duterte, would create a council of presidential appointees that could order warrantless arrests of people it deems are terrorists.It also allows for weeks of detention without charge. Activists fear the legis
On Monday, about 30 activists gathered outside the Cambodian Embassy in Bangkok, the capital of Thailand, calling on the Cambodian government to help find pro-democracy Thai activist Wanchalearm Satsksit.
The LGBT+ community has always been made a scapegoat for natural or man-made disasters through the years. In 2005, one of the worst disasters to hit the United States (US) was hurricane Katrina, which killed an estimated 1,836 people. Maurice Mills, a local politician from the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) received major backlash for claiming that the reason the state of New Orleans was severely affected by the hurricane was because God had decided to punish its gay community.
Over the years, there have been more girls attending schools and completing their studies with many focusing on their careers and a bright future. Girls are also leading global movements on issues ranging from climate change and poverty to gender-based violence and child marriages, proving themselves to be unstoppable. In Lao PDR, youths below the age of 25 make up more than half of the country’s population.
I had been captive in Afghanistan for about two weeks when the government of my home country, Canada, contacted those attempting to negotiate my release. They told negotiators to get me on the phone the next day, when the United States (US) military would be flying a drone over where they thought I was being held, in order to determine my whereabouts.The negotiators were unable to secure that concession.
Since the early 2000s, child prostitution has become an increasingly difficult issue for Indonesia. This issue particularly affects the party islands of Bali and Batam where tourists exploit the child sex trade. As “sex tourism” rises worldwide, Indonesia has become a major “destination country” for human trafficking.
South Korea experienced one of the world’s largest initial outbreaks of COVID-19 outside China. But, unlike the United States (US) and many European countries, we have been able to contain and drastically reduce the spread of the virus, at least so far – and without imposing a nationwide lockdown.
In Europe, officials, doctors and engineers are looking at how smartphones could be enlisted in the war against the spread of the new coronavirus. One obvious attraction for health officials is the possibility of using smartphones to find out with whom someone diagnosed with COVID-19 has been in contact. But can this be done without intrusive surveillance and access to our devices that store a wealth of private information?Anonymised And Aggregated Firms can "a
