Articles
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Red Shirt protester acquitted in all cases related to 2014 protests after a year in detention
A Red Shirt protester has been released after being acquitted in all five cases related to explosives during the 2014 Yellow Shirt protests.
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Indonesian island’s traditional residents face relocation for ‘sustainable’ project
With relocation looming, a community in the Riau Islands is fighting to protect its ancestral villages and coastal environment from harm.
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Anguish for residents as Thailand’s most polluting coal plant gets new lease of life
Thailand has announced it will delay the decommissioning of several coal-fired units at the 2,400-megawatt Mae Moh power plant in Lampang province, prompting fears among communities who have dealt with health problems linked to the plant for decades.
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Prachatai reporter, photojournalist indicted as principals for damaging a historic site
Two Thai reporters, along with a pro-democracy activist, have been indicted as principals with regard to a 2023 incident where an activist sprayed graffiti onto the wall of the Temple of the Emerald Buddha. They have been granted provisional bail pending trial.
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US indicts Cambodia’s Prince Group chairman, sanctions associates for sweeping scam network
Striking new allegations suggest Prince Group gave bribes and a $3-million yacht to unnamed Cambodian officials to ensure the protection of scam-linked buildings. Its scammers controlled thousands of phones and tens of thousands of social media accounts in schemes that allegedly netted the group as much as $30 million a day.
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Border-fuelled politics disrupts families’, businesses’ futures
Mekong Indy and Prachatai talk to employers and migrant workers bracing for financial strain due to the ongoing Thai-Cambodia border conflict.
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Shrinking Mekong megafish underlines risks to the river, study finds
A study has found that the Mekong River’s largest freshwater fish are shrinking in size, with critically endangered species like the giant catfish and giant barb now averaging less than half their historical size.
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Two activists sentenced to prison for royal defamation over APEC 2022 protest statement
Two pro-democracy activists have been convicted of royal defamation over a statement referring to the political situation which was delivered during the APEC 2022 protest.
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Cambodia’s new airport slowly breaks a rural community
As Cambodia’s Techo International Airport rises, development blocks the fishing lakes that supported 400 families for decades. Without formal land titles, the community now faces forced eviction.
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Deaf people in crisis during three-month sign language center blackout
For the past three months, the Thailand Telecommunication Relay Service, which provides online sign language interpretation services for people with hearing impairments, has been shut down due to delay in funding approval.
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Indigenous communities fear impacts of Cambodian wind projects
Cambodia hopes wind farms can help solve its growing power needs, but opaque plans have left the Bunong people worried for their sacred land.
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Finnish berry company CEO jailed for human trafficking over exploitation of Thai berry pickers
The District Court of Lapland has sentenced the CEO of a Finnish berry company to prison over 62 human trafficking cases involving Thai berry pickers.
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Beyond the binary: Thailand’s intersex push for recognition bill
Thailand’s success in legalising same-sex marriage has set the stage for the next frontier in LGBTQI+ rights: the Gender Recognition Bill. The proposed legislation faces political resistance as lawmakers grapple with recognising identities beyond male and female.
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Cambodians crowd Chouk Chey village after civilian confrontation with Thai troops
A confrontation between Thai soldiers and Cambodian civilians at a disputed village leads Cambodians to bring food, water and support to the Banteay Meanchey border.
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As Thailand’s monarchy reform movement wanes, ultra-royalists turn on migrants
The number of prejudiced posts against Cambodian and Myanmar people is growing on Thai social media, as ultra-nationalists turn away from pro-democracy movements and toward migrant laborers.
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Burning: Viet Nam’s outdoor workers struggle in extreme heat
Lacking social support, outdoor laborers are paying the price of rising heat with their health and their pocket
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Thailand passes its first law to protect ethnic groups
Thailand passed its first law to protect indigenous communities, making it the fourth country in Southeast Asia.
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Specter of dams and diversion looms over Southeast Asia’s Salween River
The Thai-backed Hatgyi Dam and the Yuam River Diversion Project risk submerging villages, displacing Indigenous Karen communities, and diverting massive amounts of water for agriculture in central Thailand.
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As Cambodia silences dissent, opposition wives rework their resistance
They’ve lost homes, jobs and safety, but Cambodia’s opposition wives refuse to lose hope. As surveillance tightens and political space shrinks, these women represent the country’s dwindling but defiant resistance.
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Their country denies they exist, they refuse to be forgotten
The Myanmar military burned villages but couldn’t destroy memories. Now Rohingya refugees are turning salvaged family photographs and faded certificates into evidence of their historical presence in a country that insists they never belonged.
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Laos’ illegal wildlife shops boom by duping Chinese mass tour groups
Chinese tourists are tricked into paying high prices for illegal wildlife products they’re led to believe are sustainable, and a new report suggests the trade in Laos is expanding.
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Indonesian palm oil company sues experts who helped secure $18m pollution ruling
Two top Indonesian environmental experts, Bambang Hero Saharjo and Basuki Wasis, are being sued by palm oil firm PT Kalimantan Lestari Mandiri for their court testimony that helped convict the company for massive fires in Borneo.
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Thai court rules eight defendants were trafficking victims, not criminals
A Thai court cleared eight defendants of criminal charges, ruling they were victims coerced by Chinese scammer groups rather than willing participants – a verdict that exposes systemic problems in victim identification.
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Viet Nam’s mega tourism project threatens langurs, livelihoods
Conglomerate Sun Group pushes forward with land reclamation plan on Cát Bà island that many fear will affect UNESCO-listed site
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Behind closed doors: Thailand moves toward secret proceedings in trials of activists
A growing number of Thai activists facing charges for political expression are being tried behind closed doors. In several recent cases, the courts ordered in camera trials and prohibited the publication of information on the proceedings, raising questions about judicial transparency and concerns that defendants were not receiving fair trials. In response, the question of…