Malaysia’s rigged electoral system

A win for the opposition is nearly impossible, reports Asia Sentinel’s Philip Bowring As the......

Japan’s nationalist agenda: The year so far

Is the Japanese government turning more nationalistic and militaristic every day? The evidence tells us......

Burma leader frees prisoners ahead of US visit

YANGON, Burma (AP) — Burma’s president has pardoned at least 20 political prisoners just ahead......

Global warming: Mt Everest’s ice is disappearing

The glaciers of Mount Everest have lost 13% of their mass during the past 50......

Thailand: Ultra-conservatives hijack “Thai Spring” moniker

Thailand’s political climate could be heating up again after the Prime Minister’s Mongolia speech has......

Stranded in Dubai: Tamil refugees live in ‘constant fear’ of deportation

After surviving the brutality of the Sri Lankan civil war and its aftermath, 15 refugees......

Latest NewsAsia News & Opinion

Chinese premier heads to India to boost ties

By Sun, May 19, 2013 4:03PM UTC

NEW DELHI (AP) — Just weeks after a tense border standoff, China’s new premier headed to India on Sunday for his first foreign trip as the neighboring giants look to speed up efforts to settle a decades-old boundary dispute and boost economic ties. China says Premier Li Keqiang’s choice of India for his first trip...

More controversy for Japan party over sex comments

By Sat, May 18, 2013 6:27PM UTC

TOKYO (AP) — An emerging Japanese nationalist political party whose co-leader outraged many with remarks about Japan’s wartime and modern sexual services became embroiled in more controversy Friday when a party lawmaker accused ethnic Koreans of involvement in prostitution. The Japan Restoration Party urged the lawmaker, Shingo Nishimura, to retract his comments suggesting many ethnic...

Leading English language programs for Asian students

By Thu, May 16, 2013 10:03PM UTC

There is no questioning the English language’s role as an international communications tool. Being proficient can revolutionize a person’s professional status. For example, research commissioned by the British Council found that people in the Middle East and North Africa who speak English can earn up to three times more than their non-English-speaking colleagues. Furthermore, some...

Cyclone Mahasen fizzles as it hits Bangladesh

By Thu, May 16, 2013 8:02PM UTC

COX’S BAZAR, Bangladesh (AP) — Cyclone Mahasan weakened Thursday afternoon into a tropical storm, causing far less damage than had been feared as it passed over coastal Bangladesh and spared Burma almost entirely. At least 18 deaths related to Mahasen were reported in Bangladesh, Burma and Sri Lanka, but officials had prepared for a far...

Australian politician knocked down by kangaroo

By Thu, May 16, 2013 7:54PM UTC

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — An Australian politician taking his morning jog through the national capital came out second best Thursday after crossing a kangaroo. Shane Rattenbury, a minister in the Australian Capital Territory government, which administers the city of Canberra, said he was running on a sidewalk in inner-suburban Ainslie and was only seconds away...

2 Malaysians get 24 years for Cambodian maid death

By Thu, May 16, 2013 7:29PM UTC

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — A court has sentenced a Malaysian couple to 24 years in prison for fatally starving their Cambodian housemaid. Police found the body of Mey Sichan at the couple’s home in Malaysia’s northern Penang state in April last year. Medical reports said she weighed only 26 kilograms (57 pounds). The Penang...

Japan mayor in sex slave furor admits he ‘lacked sensitivity’

By Thu, May 16, 2013 4:40PM UTC

TOKYO (AP) — An outspoken Japanese mayor who outraged many with remarks about Japan’s wartime and modern sexual services has stood by his comments, but says he may have lacked “international sensitivity.” Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto said Thursday that his lack of sensitivity to America’s perception of prostitution might have caused outrage to his suggestion...

Leading English language programs for Asian students

By Thu, May 16, 2013 10:03PM UTC View Comments

There is no questioning the English language’s role as an international communications tool. Being proficient can revolutionize a person’s professional status. For example, research commissioned by the British Council found that people in the Middle East and North Africa who speak English can earn up to three times more than their non-English-speaking colleagues. Furthermore, some...

Stranded in Dubai: Tamil refugees live in ‘constant fear’ of deportation

By Thu, May 16, 2013 7:18PM UTC View Comments

After surviving the brutality of the Sri Lankan civil war and its aftermath, 15 refugees face an uncertain future SO desperate for clothing, they fashioned dresses from bed sheets, pulling out individual threads to use as cotton and improvising a needle from pins nailed to wooden crates. Men, women and children live in the searing...

Indonesia extends forest-clearing ban for 2 years

By Thu, May 16, 2013 3:19PM UTC View Comments

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesia has extended a landmark ban on clearing primary rainforests and peatlands for another two years, a move greeted by environmentalists with praise and skepticism. Presidential environment adviser Pungki Agus Purnomo said Thursday that President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono signed the decree to continue the 2011 moratorium, which barred new logging and...

Opinion: Can Aung San Suu Kyi deal with constitutional change?

By Thu, May 16, 2013 3:02PM UTC View Comments

It is too early to start campaigning for Burma’s next general elections in 2015, but major parties like the Union Solidarity Development Party (USDP) and National League for Democracy (NLD) are already making preparations. Ahead of the next polls one of the major issues is the question of constitutional review. Leaders from various ethnic parties...

Triumph for Aquino in the Philippines

By Thu, May 16, 2013 10:59AM UTC View Comments

Despite votes to be counted, the President wins his mandate, reports Asia Sentinel The voters Monday delivered Philippine President Benigno S. Aquino III a resounding mandate along with nine of the 12 Senate seats his slate of candidates were contesting. In the process, voters ignored a last-ditch campaign by the Catholic Church to defeat candidates...

Yingluck: Elements of anti-democratic regime still exist in Thailand

By Thu, May 16, 2013 10:00AM UTC View Comments

Before looking at reaction to the speech that has caused so much drama and debate in Thailand, it is really necessary to look at what Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra actually said. On April 29, Yingluck attended the 7th Ministerial Conference of the Community of Democracies* and below is the text of her speech: I wish to begin...

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