By Jan Servaes* BRUSSELS, 23 Feb 2023 (IDN) — Tantawan “Tawan” Tuatulanon and Orawan “Bam” Phupong, aged 21 and 23, respectively, have been on hunger strike since January 18 to push for reforms in Thailand’s judicial system, the release of political prisoners and the abolition or reform of some of the laws against dissidents, including […]
US Re-Launches Military Alliance with Philippines
By Thalif Deen NEW YORK (IDN) — When Ferdinand Marcos Sr. was presiding over a right-wing authoritarian regime in the Philippines (1965-1986), the United States was one of his closest political and military allies. After a long break of successive regimes, where the US was cold-shouldered, the Biden administration re-launched in January 2023 its military […]
Australian FM Urges Britain to Confront Its Colonial Past in Asia
By Kalinga Seneviratne SYDNEY (IDN) — In a landmark speech at King’s College London, Australia’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong has urged Britain to confront its colonial past if it wanted to strengthen and build new ties in the Indo-Pacific. Malaysian-born Wong said that Britain and other countries should strive to shed staying “sheltered in narrower […]
What the Resignation of New Zealand’s Inspirational Prime Minister Means
By David Robie* AUCKLAND (IDN) — Aotearoa New Zealand has been shaken to the core by the sudden resignation of one of its most iconic and revered prime ministers amid a fierce controversy over misogyny and death threats stirred by the global coronavirus pandemic. Jacinda Ardern, the world’s youngest female prime minister at 37 when […]
Heated Debate on Giving a Constitutional Voice to Indigenous Australians
By Kalinga Seneviratne SYDNEY (IDN) — Each year on January 26, Australians celebrate “Australia Day”, a national holiday that marks the day Captain Arthur Phillip sailed into Sydney Cove in 1788, planted the Union Jack and proclaimed the continent for the British Crown. Later it was enshrined in the Australian constitution that it was “terra […]
Iran: Public Figures Amplify Protest Across the Country and Beyond
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. DUBLIN, Ireland (IDN) — Iran’s Islamic Republic continues to violently suppress ongoing pro-democracy protests, which broke out in September in response to the killing of a young woman who had been arrested for not wearing a proper head covering. According to the NGO […]
“How The Rich and Powerful in Thailand Escape the Law”
Viewpoint by Jan Servaes* BRUSSELS (IDN) — A crashed Ferrari, a dead police officer and a fugitive heir to a multibillion-dollar fortune—ten years later, Thailand is no closer to solving one of its most infamous hit-and-run crimes. Red Bull’s story, according to the Indian news channel WION (World Is On News), is again “a reminder […]
US Hits Myanmar with More Military Sanctions
By Thalif Deen UNITED NATIONS (IDN) — The United States, which has failed in its attempts to move a divided UN Security Council to adopt a resolution restricting arms sales to the military regime in Myanmar, has been left with only one alternative: continue to hit Myanmar with unilateral military sanctions. With two veto-wielding permanent […]
Revered West Papuan Leader Found Dead on the Beach
By David Robie AUCKLAND (APR/IDN) — On a tragic day of mourning, thousands thronged the West Papuan funeral cortège on November 2 for the funeral of Filep Karma, and the banned Morning Star led the way in defiance of the Indonesian military. There have not been so many Papuan flags flying under the noses of […]
Sri Lanka Foundation Awards Honour Excellence Among Expatriates
By Nandi Jasentuliyana The author is a former Deputy Director-General United Nations and Director of the UN Office for Outer space Affairs. LOS ANGELES, USA (IDN) — An awards ceremony recognizing those in the Sri Lankan expatriate community whose work has had an essential impact on the lives of others has taken place since 2003. […]