Month: December 2022

In post-coup conflict, at least 157 Myanmar children died in 2022

The junta and militia soldiers entered the village under cover of darkness and started torching houses. A 13-year-old child was shot and killed during the Dec. 19 raid on Zee Pin Thar village in Sagaing, witnesses said. The sixth grade student was one of 157 children killed this year by the military as it tried…

27 Bodies Recovered from Cambodian Casino Fire

Cambodian officials said Friday at least 27 bodies have been recovered from the charred remains of a casino hotel complex in Poipet, on the country’s border with Thailand. The cause of the fire at The Grand Diamond City casino and hotel was not immediately clear, but Sek Sokhom, head of the Banteay Meanchey provincial information…

2022: The journey back to normality for Thailand after COVID-19

Life in Thailand began returning to normal at the start of this year after two years of COVID-19 crisis that turned lives, businesses and the education sector upside down. Though the country has not yet managed to declare victory over the new coronavirus, life has normalized in nearly all aspects. Removal of restrictions Thailand started…

China’s manufacturing activity drops despite lifted Covid restrictions

China’s manufacturing activity contracted sharply in December for the third month in a row, according to official figures released Saturday, despite Beijing’s loosening of Covid restrictions at the beginning of the month. The Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) — a key gauge of manufacturing in the world’s second-biggest economy — came in at 47 points, down…

Analysts: As 2023 ASEAN chair, Indonesia must dial up pressure on Myanmar junta

Much is expected from next year’s ASEAN chair Indonesia, especially in resolving the post-coup crisis in Myanmar, but analysts say that little will change unless Jakarta spearheads a hardline stance against the Burmese junta. Navigating geopolitical rivalries between superpowers will pose another challenge, say analysts. Some predict that Indonesia will likely focus its 2023 chairmanship…

Myanmar Media Suffering Under Nearly Two Years of Junta Rule

Nearly two years into the military takeover in Myanmar, the climate for media is in an “abysmal state” experts say, with reporters forced to take big risks to report on opposition to the junta. Beyond media licenses being revoked and news outlets moving into exile, Myanmar currently has more than 40 journalists in custody —…