East Asia
Through interviews and analysis, this section focuses on stories from East and Southeast Asia.
We write on the oppression and violence inflicted on Uyghur people in China and reflect on Fukushima following the nuclear disaster. Here, you will also find discussion of the region’s changing relationships internationally, including China’s growing influence in Africa and the power struggles over the South China sea.
Minorities report
Burma’s elections this November will be closely contested - but will the country’s ethnic minorities finally be heard? Tina Burrett reports.
Where is Asia in the world?
Iris Gonzales reports on a conference seeking to create a fairer economy for a region notorious for cheap labour and exploitation by the West.
Is Cambodia refusing to protect persecuted Christians?
Deep in the Cambodian jungle, Clothilde Le Coz meets Vietnamese refugees seeking asylum.
Rohingyas in Canada: portraits of life and struggle
Colin Boyd Shafer documents a community’s resilience in the face of adversity.
Country profile: Burma
In less than five years, Burma has undergone widespread change. We explore its transformation in this month's 'Country Profile'.
Unfulfilled promises and unrelenting poverty
Iris Gonzales looks back on a difficult year for the Philippines.
The truth behind Cambodia’s inequalities
David Nathan looks at a country where gold BMWs are parked next to families living in cardboard houses.
'The British government is promoting its own interests in Burma’
Zoya Phan talks to Jack Gilbert on the Burma-Britain relationship.
‘I aim to help integrate the Deaf and the hearing together in unity’
Iris Gonzales meets an inspiring woman who refuses to be defined by her disability.
Winner takes all – Obama gets his way in the Philippines
Iris Gonzales reflects on a very one-sided state visit by the US President.
Cambodia’s garment workers fight poor working conditions
Alice Cuddy reports on the government crackdown against protesters and trade unions.
PHOTO ESSAY: literacy is a family affair
Glitter Moreño shares images of a rural project in the Philippines, where parents are learning essential skills alongside their children.
Zamboanga, a city under siege
While all eyes were on Kenya, another devastating attack was taking place in the Philippines. Iris Gonzales reports.
Should martyrdom ever be glorified?
Mari Marcel Thekaekara argues that life is more valuable than the political statements made by the ultimate form of protest.
The case of Ban Mae Surin: tragic accident or foul play?
Daniel Pye and Saw C Rogers investigate a suspicious fire which killed 37 Burmese refugees in Thailand.
Philippine ‘comfort women’ still waiting for justice
Osaka mayor’s words anger women raped by Japanese soldiers during the Second World War, as Iris Gonzales explains.
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Welcome to Manila, the gates of hell
Novelist Dan Brown’s description is sadly apt, says Iris Gonzales.
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Tibet: the destruction of Lhasa
Pete Speller describes his anger on discovering that the old city is due to be replaced with a tourist attraction.
Country Profile: Indonesia
Another decade of living dangerously, despite a smart, engaged middle class and increasingly empowered poor.
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Overseas Filipino Workers – heroes at home, exploited abroad
In Qatar, Iris Gonzales is surrounded by fellow Filipinos forced to find jobs away from their families.
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Rio Tinto and the Oyu Tolgoi mine
Richard Harkinson and Richard Solly from London Mining Network on the project threatening the rights of indigenous people in Mongolia.
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A counterfeit life in a Philippines slum
Informal dwellers are struggling to survive in Metro Manila, says Iris Gonzales.
Laying into the poor
From the US to China, Owen Jones documents how the demonization of the have-nots is going global.
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Why won’t Adidas pay-up in Indonesia?
The sportswear giant has lost contracts worth over $10 million because of its refusal to settle a $1.8-million debt to workers.
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Marcos atrocities: the pain continues
The Philippines still bears the scars of military dictatorship, which was imposed 40 years ago this month, says Iris Gonzales.
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BRICS challenge dollar hegemony
Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa team up to resist Western financial domination, reports Lasanda Kurukulasuriya.
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Time to end feudalism in the Philippines
Farmers have always been badly treated – by landlords as by presidents. But could things be about to change?
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Culture of impunity thrives in the Philippines
A year in to his presidency, Benigno Aquino III has failed to address human rights concerns, says Iris Gonzales.
Japan must say no to nuclear!
Despite the Fukushima disaster, the Japanese government seems wedded to its nuclear vision. Outspoken politician Kono Taro has other ideas, as he explains to Tina Burrett.
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Education is a right, not a privilege! say Filipino protesters
Student attempts to occupy Manila may have been thwarted – but the protests will continue, says Iris Gonzales.
iSlave
Electronics giant Foxconn employs over a million people in China – in conditions that drive them to despair, reports Jenny Chan.
Inside North Korea
A rare glimpse into the world’s most secretive country, by French aid worker Jérôme Bossuet who spent three years there.
City of whispers
Among Rangoon’s six million souls, a few have secret conversations with *Dinyar Godrej*.
A Short History of Burma
Today over 80 per cent of Burma’s people are Buddhist and the country has the largest number of monks as a percentage of the total population.
