Asia News

Obama lifts the Bamboo Curtain

By Kien Leong Thu, Nov 19, 2009 4:15AM UTC

It was interesting to see Barack Obama’s Town Hall event in Shanghai on Monday. This is a method of communication with government that is new to China, yet well established in America’s political process. As such, it was appropriate that freedom of speech was the topic most actively reported in

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Thai Post interviews Sulak: Part 2 on Abhisit and Thaksin

By Bangkok Pundit Thu, Nov 19, 2009 2:00AM UTC

Sulak Sivaraksa is a Thai intellectual who is probably much better known in intellectual circles outside of Thailand than inside Thailand for his role on the lecture circuit in the ’70s and ’80s in particular. BP has blogged on some of his views on lese majeste (LM) here and here.

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Afghan capital tightens security for inauguration

By Thu, Nov 19, 2009 1:41AM UTC

Security forces increased patrols on some streets in the Afghan capital and blocked others entirely Wednesday, bracing for possible militant attacks during the inauguration ceremony that will cement President Hamid Karzai’s tumultuous re-election victory. Karzai will be sworn in Thursday for his second five-year term, with many in the international

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Bangladesh tightens security ahead of verdict

By Thu, Nov 19, 2009 12:57AM UTC

Bangladesh stepped up security in the capital ahead of a Supreme Court ruling on a final appeal by five former soldiers sentenced to death in the 1975 killing of the country’s independence leader in a military coup, officials said Wednesday. A Dhaka court sentenced the men to death in 1998

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Thai minister hopes to recover Cambodian temple

By Wed, Nov 18, 2009 10:33PM UTC

Thailand hopes some day to prove its claim to a historic border temple awarded to Cambodia by the World Court almost half a century ago, its justice minister says. Justice Minister Pirapan Salirathavibhaga expressed his opinion on the controversy over the 11th century Preah Vihear temple as Thailand’s relations with

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