Social development
Human rights
Interior Ministry mulling investigations into NGOs' "neutrality"
Human rights NGOs Licadho and Adhoc were among a group of organisations who were warned by the Ministry of Interior today that they are being scrutinised for allegedly violating their neutrality by supporting the opposition CNRP. News of the inquiry was first disclosed by government-aligned ...
Governor halts work on coal railway being built without permits in Indonesian Borneo
After coming under public scrutiny, Central Kalimantan Governor Sugianto Sabran halted the construction of a railroad being built to transport coal through forested areas of the province. The governor’s decision followed a May 21 report by Mongabay’s Indonesian sister site, which documented that the developers ...
Oz offender ban may be felt in Cambodia
The Australian government on May 30 announced plans to ban those listed on the country’s national sex offender registry from travelling abroad – a plan that would nullify the passports of 20,000 offenders, including those who may be living or travelling in Cambodia. Australian Foreign Minister ...
At 97, this Vietnamese grandma has mastered the Internet
At first glance, it’s easy to dismiss Le Thi as just another raddled old woman. At 97, she has lost almost all her teeth and a severe hunchback impedes her movement. She spends most of her time lying in bed on her side, slowly chewing ...
Free speech takes a hit ahead of the Thai vote
An explosion at a military hospital in Bangkok on the third anniversary of the ruling junta underscored Thailand’s delicate political situation ahead of the first full-fledged election in seven years. The kingdom’s two largest political forces have remained deeply split since the coup that brought ...
ISPs escape liability for illicit content in new Act
Local internet service providers (ISP) and foreign social networking companies will be exempt from liability for illegal content under Thailand’s new Computer Crime Act 2017, says a legal expert.The new Computer Crime Act, which goes into effect today, does not have a mandate to impose ...
Net giants join govt on clean-up
The Asia Internet Coalition (AIC), an industry association made up of eight internet giants, has agreed in principle to work with local authorities to tackle webpages and content that violate the law. The agreement was allegedly reached Tuesday after a meeting among representatives of the AIC, ...
Young volunteers paint a brighter future in slum
More than 1,200 young people came out to volunteer on May 20, repairing roads, renovating a school and building toilets for a low-income community. The young people were taking part in Habitat for Humanity Cambodia’s fifth annual Young Leader’s Build in Phnom Penh’s Dangkor district, where ...
David Brown: peace gets a chance in Vietnamese land conflicts
Last month, a band of farmers forced their way into the administrative compound of Dong Tam, an ancient village on the fringes of Hanoi, to protest the expropriation of their land. To the astonishment of many observers, Vietnam’s communist regime calmed the explosive situation after ...
New media ombudsman set up
In-House Media ombudsmen were officially introduced for the first time on May 17 by the National Press Council of Thailand to improve effective self-regulation of the industry. The move came as the state has attempted to introduce a new media regulation bill that media groups ...
