Showing 61 - 70 of 198
Press Freedom Day in Asean: Much more work to do
Asia focus, Ismira Lutfia Tisnadibrata, Published on 08/05/2017
» With journalists under increasing pressure across Southeast Asia, it was no surprise that the talk on World Press Freedom Day this year in Jakarta turned to finding a way to ensure that media members can do their jobs without fear of persecution or worse.
War on poachers
Asia focus, Ismira Lutfia Tisnadibrata, Published on 10/04/2017
» It was no April Fool's Day joke last week when Indonesian authorities dispatched 81 illegal fishing boats to the bottom of the sea simultaneously at 12 locations across the country.
Myanmar residents shown simple solutions for clean water
Asia focus, Anucha Charoenpo, Published on 10/04/2017
» In Hlaing Thar Yar township of Yangon, dirty water has been a problem for a long time. Local residents like Aung Soe Min have to buy drinking water from shops, resulting in a substantial financial burden.
In search of unicorns
Asia focus, Published on 17/04/2017
» Indonesia-based Kejora Ventures, one of the most active startup accelerators and investors in Southeast Asia, is looking to unite the region's tech entrepreneurs to increase their competitiveness and find those rare unicorns that could be lurking.
At 50, Asean urged to take pride in achievements
Asia focus, Published on 17/04/2017
» As Asean prepares to celebrate its 50th anniversary this August, the regional organisation is deemed a "catalyst for peace" as it provides a platform for stability amid the tug of war between major world powers, says a veteran academic.
Small steps to peace
Asia focus, Pathom Sangwongwanich, Published on 03/04/2017
» After decades on the run from armed conflict in their ancestral lands, Myanmar nationals with Karen heritage are finally getting a taste of peace as they settle into newly built houses in the country's southeastern region. The peace is fragile, but the return of genuine smiles suggests there is hope that it will hold this time.
Prognosis: Improving
Asia focus, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 03/04/2017
» Two decades ago, the healthcare system of Myanmar was best described as comatose. It had been in declining condition since independence from Britain in the late 1940s. Envisioned as offering free primary healthcare, the system failed to do so in practice and languished because of a lack of investment as the country grew increasingly isolated under Ne Win and subsequent military leaders. In 2000, the World Health Organization (WHO) ranked the healthcare system in Myanmar 190th out of 191 countries.
Asean at 50
Asia focus, Published on 06/02/2017
» Asean is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, under the ambitious theme of engaging with the world. Yet the current world might not be an easy place for Asean to engage with. The liberal world order, in which Asean and other multilateral cooperation forums are rooted, might be entering its twilight. Longtime cheerleaders for the globalised economy, an open society and multilateralism, among them the United States and Great Britain, surprisingly have turned more nationalistic, isolationist and protective.
Good neighbour
Asia focus, Published on 06/02/2017
» Before I interviewed the Malaysian ambassador to Thailand, HE Dato' Nazirah Hussain, people told me she was the kindest and most humble female diplomat they have ever met. But what I did not expect was that this soft-spoken woman would make me, a professional journalist on duty, break into tears when she talked so movingly about Thailand's beloved late King Bhumibol Adulyadej.
Many shades of grey
Asia focus, Pathom Sangwongwanich, Published on 06/02/2017
» Not far from Angkor Wat lies a village of wooden homes where 19 year-old Pa Kim San stands out among the other residents. As the treasurer of the local older people's association (OPA), the young Cambodian brings youthful energy to the mission of caring for the grey-haired community.