Zsombor Peter

Thai-China Submarine Deal Runs Aground on EU Arms Embargo

China’s construction of a $402 million submarine for Thailand has stalled over German’s refusal to export the engines Beijing promised

Armed Resistance to Myanmar Junta Holding Firm Against Military Onslaught

Myanmar’s military junta is still struggling to hold much of the countryside more than a year after its coup, and faces mounting attacks in some urban areas, analysts say

UN: Myanmar’s Militias, Rebel Armies Ramping Up Drug Trade

The UN Office on Drugs and Crime says armed groups 'on both sides' of Myanmar’s conflict have been spreading record volumes of meth over much of Asia since last year’s coup

Myanmar Diaspora Bankrolling Armed Resistance to Junta Back Home

Myanmar ethnic minority communities in US, elsewhere pouring hundreds of thousands, possibly millions, of dollars into guerrilla war against junta

Thai Prime Minister’s Aide Spearheads Push to Cancel Amnesty International 

Seksakol Atthawong, a vice minister in the prime minister’s office, says he has 1 million signatures on a petition to kick the human rights group out of Thailand 

Forced Labor Claims at Malaysian Firms Spur Spate of US Import Bans

Myanmar to Mark Bloody One-Year Anniversary of Coup Under Military Rule 

Malaysia’s Top Anti-Corruption Cop Sues Whistleblower for Defamation 

News reports triggering suit ask whether Azam Baki’s shareholdings were properly declared, wheth

Myanmar Junta Blocking Aid to Families Displaced by Post-Coup Fighting, Rights Groups Say

Rights groups say it’s deliberately starving civilians of lifesaving supplies to try to crush a growing armed resistance

Cambodian Refugees in Thailand ‘Don’t Feel Safe’ After Arrests, Deportations

Thailand has sent four UN-registered refugees back to Cambodia in the past month, driving dozens of others into hiding

China Launches High-Speed Rail Through Laos in First Leg of SE Asia Corridor

As Laos braces for impact with its giant neighbor, China looks ahead to Thailand and Malaysia

Myanmar Junta, Armed Resistance Dig in For Long Slog

With anti-junta forces starting to pull together and stepping up attacks, analysts see no end in sight to Myanmar’s bloody post-coup crisis

Thai Court Bars Royal Reform Calls, Fuels Fears of Swelling Social Schism

Analysts, advocates and lawmakers say a recent ruling that deems calls to rein in the country’s powerful monarchy unconstitutional cuts off a peaceful path to bridging Thailand’s liberal-conservative divide

Asia’s Forest Loss Leaders Skip, Challenge Global Deforestation Pact

Cambodia, Laos and Malaysia are missing from the COP26 Declaration on Forests and Land Use. Indonesia has joined but cast doubt about its commitment

Thai Businesses Eager for Foreign Tourists’ Imminent Return

Fully vaccinated foreigners from select countries can enter Thailand without lengthy quarantine as of Nov. 1

Thai Water Project Clears Major Hurdle After China Shows Interest

Having rejected project before, government’s environmental watchdog is now on board; move could give Beijing new outpost for its sweeping Belt and Road Initiative

Singapore's New Powerful ‘Foreign Interference’ Law Stirs Fears of Abuse

The new law gives the government the power to block online content going on mere suspicion and takes most oversight authority away from the courts

Indian Arms Maker with US, EU Investors Supplies Myanmar Junta, Rights Group Says

Shareholders in India’s Bharat Electronics, which shipped a weapons system to Myanmar in July, include Goldman Sachs, Vanguard, BNP Paribas and Nippon Life

Thai Parliament Debates Police Reform Amid Latest Scandal

Bill to reform Thailand’s notoriously corrupt police force comes in the wake of a high-living station chief’s alleged torture of a drug suspect for fast cash

China Joins Lower Mekong River Countries to Study Impacts of Climate Change, Dams

The collaboration will be their most ambitious yet, but outside experts wonder whether it goes far enough