Showing 11 - 19 of 19
Duterte can run but he can't hide
Asia focus, Erich Parpart, Published on 25/03/2019
» Last week the Philippines became the second country in the world to withdraw from the International Criminal Court (ICC) after Burundi, which left in 2017. Many observers, myself included, see this as an attempt to evade an investigation into President Rodrigo Duterte's deadly war on drugs, but it is not going to work.
Keeping the bombs at bay
Asia focus, Erich Parpart, Published on 04/03/2019
» Trump-Kim Summit 2.0 began in a climate of optimism, with some people saying a formal end to the Korean War and complete denuclearisation of the North was in sight, but it was not to be. Disappointment quickly turned to alarm when two other nuclear-armed states -- India and Pakistan -- started sparring.
Media freedom in the dock
Asia focus, Erich Parpart, Published on 18/02/2019
» The decision by Philippine authorities to arrest journalist Maria Ressa and the move by Thailand’s broadcast regulator to suspend the broadcaster Voice TV are the latest examples of how press freedom in Southeast Asia is deteriorating.
Araibi case: own goals all round
Asia focus, Erich Parpart, Published on 11/02/2019
» The contention that Thailand would not have been involved in the controversial case of Hakeem al-Araibi had it not received a red alert notice from Australian Interpol sounded ridiculous when I first heard it. Why would Australia issue an arrest warrant for a person it had granted asylum to?
Hope for refugee children
Asia focus, Erich Parpart, Published on 28/01/2019
» The cause of children's rights got a lift last week when immigration police in Thailand announced that they would stop holding migrant and refugee children in the country's crowded immigration detention facilities.
Don't rule out war over Taiwan
Asia focus, Erich Parpart, Published on 14/01/2019
» Last week was a busy one for China. Headlines took note of fresh harassment of Taiwan, reports of possibly illegal gold mining by Chinese firms in Ghana, and of separatists threatening to attack Belt and Road projects in Pakistan and Malaysia.
We deserve a year-end break
Asia focus, Erich Parpart, Published on 24/12/2018
» What a year it's been, riddled with natural and manmade disasters, not to mention the antics of Donald Trump. Between his landmark summit with North Korea's leader and the lingering trade war with China, the US president's second year in office has been an eventful one for Asia.
Smoked out? Not yet
Asia focus, Erich Parpart, Published on 19/11/2018
» No one disputes that cigarettes can kill. Each year smoking accounts for 7 million deaths worldwide -- that's seven times more than those attributable to the world's deadliest animal, the mosquito.
Saving our overburdened beaches
Asia focus, Erich Parpart, Published on 22/10/2018
» One of my favourite New Year memories is from Boracay in the Philippines, where the entire sky was lit up in red from fireworks set off from boats offshore.