Asian Correspondent Asia News

US condemns use of force against Burmese student protesters

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. is condemning the use of force against students protesting for academic freedom in Burma....

Indian police break up Tibetan protest at Chinese Embassy

NEW DELHI (AP) — Indian police have detained about 100 Tibetans who were protesting outside the Chinese Embassy in New Delhi on the anniversary of a failed 1959 uprising against China’s rule in Tibet. Protesters interlocked their hands and tried to form a chain around the embassy before police stepped in and dragged them away....

Meryl Streep attends US debut of banned Indian rape documentary

NEW YORK (AP) — A rape documentary banned by the Indian government has received its U.S. premiere at a star-studded New York event including Meryl Streep....

4 Filipinos among 9 foreigners abducted from Libya oil field

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Officials say four Filipinos are among nine foreigners abducted by still-unidentified armed men from an oil field in central Libya and their abductors have yet to communicate any demand....

Merkel tells Japan: Facing WW II atrocities was key to reconciliation

TOKYO (AP) — German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on a visit to Japan that Germany was able to return to a respected place in the international society because of its efforts to squarely face its World War II atrocities that caused tremendous damage to its neighbors....

Thai police say court grenade attack linked to Bangkok Paragon Mall bombing

BANGKOK (AP) — Thailand's national police chief says the suspects in a weekend grenade attack at a Bangkok courthouse are connected to those behind a bombing at an upscale shopping mall in the capital....

Rights group alleges torture, killings of civilians by Burmese army in Kokang

Two recent reports by the NGO Shan Human Rights Foundation (SHRF) appear to confirm earlier reports that the Burmese army has indiscriminately killed civilians and committed human rights abuses during recent fighting in the Kokang area....

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The show must go on… without elephants

When the elephants are gone, The Greatest Show on Earth will never be the same again. Animal lovers worldwide welcomed the recent announcement of Feld Entertainment, the parent company of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, to end elephant circuses by 2018. The company said 13 elephants will be finally off the road by then....

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Indonesian clothing company in hot water over sexist washing instructions

An Indonesian clothing manufacturer has issued an apology for printing a message on shirts it produced for a top flight Indonesian football club, which read: "Washing instructions: Give this shirt to a woman. It's her job."...

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Thailand’s student activists speak out against political oppression

Since the declaration of martial last year in Thailand and subsequent crackdowns on public dissent, criticism against the junta, led by Prayuth Chan-ocha, who was appointed Prime Minister by a military-heavy national assembly, has been aired for the most part in print and online (despite a newly drafted Computer Crimes Act that includes suitably vague criminalization of the creation and/or dissemination of information deemed harmful to the country)....

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MH370: Lessons still not learned after a year

Flying is safe… If you value your life, take the plane. Ironically, flying 30,000 ft above the ground has become the safest way to travel in the 21st century. Statistically speaking, it’s safer than taking the train, it’s safer than driving, and it’s certainly safer than riding a motorcycle. In 2013, one out of 300,000...

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Bali Nine: How death row diplomacy has made us unwitting hypocrites

Somehow, we’ve managed to sympathise with Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran, the masterminds of a plan to smuggle 8.3 kg (18 lb) of heroin into Australia. It all began when we could put a face to the name; unlike the scores of faceless and nameless victims of heroin abuse who we only hear of as a statistic. We see Chan and Sukumaran everywhere now, sometimes behind bars, other times smartly dressed, and most recently, under armed guard; but we don’t see the heroin overdose victims....

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