Author: Chalong Narkhirunkanok

Ukraine — Prosecutors in Ukraine’s southern Kherson region have opened a war crimes investigation into Russian troops who apparently killed a Ukrainian journalist late Wednesday. Bogdan Bitik was killed while on the Antonivka bridge, a major crossing on the Dnipro river, near Kherson. Russian forces are believed to have partially destroyed it while retreating to Kherson’s eastern bank last fall. Bitik’s body remained on the bridge for several hours, as rescuers said it was too dangerous to approach. He is the first civilian journalist killed on the job in Ukraine this year. Bitik was working as an interpreter for an…

As a child, Dong Van Canh watched while the rice fields of Vietnam’s Mekong Delta were set alight to make way for the next crop, blackening the sky and flooding the air with potent greenhouse gases. Rice — Asia’s principal staple — is to blame for around 10 percent of global emissions of methane, a gas that over two decades traps about 80 times as much heat as carbon dioxide. Usually associated with cows burping, high levels of methane are also generated by bacteria that grow in flooded rice paddies and thrive if leftover straw rots in the fields after…

Thailand is best known for its tropical beaches, lavish royal palaces, ancient ruins, and beautifully decorated temples. The Land of Smiles also offers amazing wildlife encounters, making them a popular destination for animal tourists. From dolphins, sharks, and whales, to tigers, turtles, and even elephants, Thailand is filled with magical biodiversity where tourists worldwide can have a safari-style experience. Ethical animal tourism simply means observing animals in their natural habitat, i.e., from afar. So how will you know whether the sanctuary is ethical? Look for advertisements suggesting bathing or riding an elephant as entertainment. These companies look for profit rather…

Singapore and Vietnam have signed several Memoranda of Understandings (MoU) to enhance economic cooperation. The MoUs cover collaboration on trade, the green-digital economy, and maritime and port cooperation. Singapore and Vietnam have signed several MoUs to enhance economic cooperation in key sectors on February 9, 2023. The signings were witnessed by Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on the sidelines of the latter’s official visit to Singapore. What MoUs were signed between Singapore and Vietnam? MoU on economic trade and cooperation The MoU on economic trade and cooperation builds on the MoU signed…

The Office of the Special Investigator is looking at between 40 and 50 alleged offences, Senate estimates hears The government agency investigating alleged war crimes by Australian soldiers in Afghanistan expects to hand its first brief of evidence to commonwealth prosecutors by the middle of this year. The Office of the Special Investigator – established in the wake of the Brereton report, which found “credible” evidence to support allegations that 39 Afghan civilians were unlawfully killed by Australian special forces soldiers – is investigating “between 40 and 50” alleged offences. Appearing before Senate estimates late Monday, the director general of the OSI, Chris Moraitis,…

Kyrgyzstan’s authorities on Tuesday released former president Almazbek Atambayev, imprisoned since 2020, and allowed him to seek medical treatment abroad. Accused of facilitating the illegal release of a crime boss, the 66-year-old who ruled the Central Asian republic between 2011 and 2017 had been sentenced to 11 years in prison after a chaotic arrest. The Supreme Court’s “definitive and non-appealable” decision, seen by AFP, quashed Atambayev’s sentence. Privately-owned press agency Akipress said he was allowed to seek medical treatment abroad. Atambayev has “serious health problems. He cannot stand for long periods of time and it hurts to walk,” his lawyer…

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has prompted major changes in defense policy in Europe and Asia, with previously neutral countries such as Sweden and Finland applying to join NATO. In East Asia, the invasion of Ukraine and Vladimir Putin’s threats to attack his enemies with nuclear weapons made South Korea and Japan seriously consider acquiring nuclear weapons. The issue of South Korea and Japan acquiring these weapons is not new. Both countries are technologically advanced and have a GDP that is among the ten highest in the world. In Japan, leaders have talked about nuclear weapons before. In 1957, Nobusuke Kishi, then Prime Minister,…

MELBOURNE, Australia — A recent agreement between Indonesia and Vietnam over maritime boundaries in the South China Sea will likely smooth over the occasionally tense relationship between the two South East Asian nations. The agreement, inked Dec. 22, follows 12 years of negotiations, and comes 19 years after both countries adopted a delineation of the continental shelf boundary between them. Details of the agreement and the delineation remain classified. The Vietnamese and Indonesian defense ministries did not respond to requests for comment by press time. “Practically, the successful Indonesia-Vietnam EEZ [exclusive economic zone] demarcation will help both countries to resolve…

Fighting has flared in recent days between Myanmar junta forces and rebels opposed to their rule, officials and locals said Tuesday (Jan 24), with reports that large numbers of civilians have fled the violence. Myanmar has been in turmoil since Aung San Suu Kyi’s (pic) civilian government was toppled in an army coup almost two years ago. Long-established ethnic rebel groups, as well as dozens of “People’s Defence Forces” (PDF), have emerged in opposition and clash frequently with the military. The last few days have seen intense clashes in southeast Karen state, around Kyonedoe and the border town of Payathonzu.…

Vietnam asked Japan for the second time Friday for support in building a north-south high-speed railway.Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh made the request during a meeting with Japanese Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki in Hanoi. It was the second time the Vietnamese PM made the request towards Japan regarding the mega railway, after asking the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) to support the project as he received JBIC chairman Maeda Tadashi in Hanoi in July. The Ministry of Transport has proposed a 1,559 km north-south high speed railway line with speeds of 320-350 kph. This high speed railway would be…