Category Archives: Legal Matters
UDD core members in prison after the Supreme Court’s rejects leniency call
Thailand’s Supreme Court has dismissed the pleas for leniency by five former and active core members of the red-shirt movement. The court upheld the two year and eight month sentence, issued by the Appeals Court, for their leading roles in the violent siege of the residence of the late Privy Council President Prem Tinsulanonda in
Investigation Underway in Cambodia Over Thai Activist’s Disappearance
Cambodia’s national police force has launched an investigation into the alleged abduction of Thai political activist Wanchalearm Satsaksit despite earlier calling his disappearance “fake news,” prompting frustration over delays from a rights group that demanded an independent and transparent probe. Wanchalearm, 37, was apparently abducted in broad daylight on June 4—two days after he posted
Vietnam Arrests Khmer Krom Family Over Land Dispute Clash
Vietnamese authorities in Kien Giang province have arrested a Khmer Krom minority family of six for their involvement in a violent confrontation during a forced eviction last month, relatives told RFA Tuesday. After their arrest on Sunday, the six were questioned for several hours before five of them were released, while the last member of the
Supporters of Missing Thai Activist Demand Cambodia Probe His Alleged Kidnapping in Phnom Penh
Some 100 supporters of a Thai political activist who was snatched from the streets of Cambodia’s capital in broad daylight protested Monday in front of the country’s embassy in Bangkok, demanding that Phnom Penh investigate his case, while Cambodian officials continued to disavow knowledge of his abduction. The supporters also accused the Thai government of
Myanmar Avoids Helping Rohingya Minority Despite International Court Order, Observers say
TAIPEI, TAIWAN – Myanmar has sidelined an international court order to improve conditions for its long-embattled Rohingya minority, despite fears that the Southeast Asian government is trying to commit genocide against the group, observers say. The U.N.’s International Court of Justice in January ordered Myanmar to “take all measures within its power” to prevent any
UN Says Anti-Drug Crackdown in Philippines Has Come at Expense of Human Rights
The United Nations said Thursday that Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s brutal crackdown on suspected drug traffickers has come “at the expense of human rights.” In a new report, the U.N. Human Rights Office said a “heavy-handed focus on countering national security threats and illegal drugs” has led to serious human rights violations, including “killings and
U.N. Rights Chief Alarmed at Asia-Pacific Crackdown on Freedom of Expression Amid COVID-19 Pandemic
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet voiced alarm Wednesday that curbs on freedom of expression had increased in 12 Asia-Pacific countries during the COVID-19 pandemic, with dictatorships and democracies alike stifling public debate in the name of fighting fake news. “Arrests for expressing discontent or allegedly spreading false information through the press and social
Tropical storm Amanda kills 11 in El Salvador
Tropical storm Amanda caused significant destruction in El Salvador, killing 11 people before it weakened into a tropical depression, the government said on Sunday, Trend reports citing Mudslides, floods and bursting rivers led to the fatalities, the civil protection agency said. Three of the deaths occurred in Granadillas, a district in the town of San Juan Opico,
Vietnam Journalists Arrests a ‘Chilling Message’ From Nervous Ruling Party-RSF
Vietnam’s back-to-back arrests last week of two independent journalists sends an “extremely chilling message” to those who promote public debate in the communist-run country, a media freedom watchdog group said Tuesday. Police in Hanoi arrested RFA blogger Nguyen Tuong Thuy Saturday, accusing the vice chairman of the Vietnam Independent Journalists Association of “making, storing, and disseminating