Human rights

Twenty-four Montagnards are set to return to Vietnam on 8 October, becoming the first group to volunteer for repatriation since the government last month ordered the asylum seekers to leave of their own volition or be forcibly expelled, officials said. Keep reading ...

A prominent Areng Valley activist joined three other environmentalists in jail on 7 October in Koh Kong after being questioned at the provincial court about alleged “forest crimes”. Ven Vorn, 36, a community representative and commune councillor with the ruling Cambodian People’s Party, was arrested at the ...

In an apparent effort to ensure good relations with local residents and avoid the problems that have dogged other development projects, local authorities have agreed to pay compensation in advance to people forced to move to make way for the Yangon-Dala Bridge. The committee set up ...

More than 1,000 demonstrators from about 50 communities across the country gathered Monday to mark U.N. World Habitat Day and protest against widespread land and housing evictions, but found their march blocked by municipal authorities, who claimed the protesters posed a risk to security. Beginning the ...

Human rights violations are again an issue in Laos – and a thorn in the side of a government more concerned with centrally-planned economic policies – following the death 61-year-old Tiang Kwentianthong. Tiang was originally arrested for praying for a sick woman without government approval. Reports ...

The government is threatening legal action against web activists who launched cyber attacks on state agency websites on Wednesday in a bid to derail the government’s proposal to restrict the flow of online information, causing sporadic disruptions of several government home pages. Keep reading ...

A court in Laos has sentenced a Polish activist to nearly five years in prison after he posted criticism of the Lao government online, according to state media, drawing criticism from a diplomatic official who said the defendant was never given access to an attorney. Keep reading ...

Several Thai government websites temporarily crashed due to a “symbolic act” by people against plans to introduce a single Internet gateway, officials said on 1 October, a measure critics say will make it easier for the ruling junta to censor the web. Keep reading ...

Activists campaigning for internet freedom have slammed the government’s recent move to develop a single internet gateway to expand state control over online media. Last week, citizens learned of the government’s intention to build a single gateway, after it ordered the Ministry of Information and Communication ...

Thailand’s junta is facing growing opposition over plans to introduce a single Internet gateway for the country to make it easier to monitor the web and block content. Tens of thousands of people have signed a petition against the proposal, which has been dubbed the “Great ...