Turning east
By most accounts, the past few years have been anni horribiles for human rights and democracy in Southeast Asia.
The Rise, Fall and Possible Renewal of a Town in Laos on China’s Border
For five years, this remote town on the China-Laos border has lived in the shadow of more prosperous times.
REVIEW: ‘Aid Dependence in Cambodia’, by Sophal Ear
PHNOM PENH – On November 22, 2011, at Cambodia’s United Nations-backed war crimes court, one of the former leaders of the Khmer Rouge rose to address the chamber.
China’s Aid Emboldens Cambodia
Hun Sen aims at balancing US, Vietnamese and Chinese interests for Cambodia’s benefit
Lost in Time
Harmonising history with modernity is crucial to preserving Yangon’s stunning architectural past.
Is Microfinance Pushing the World’s Poorest Even Deeper Into Poverty?
DHAKA—In August, Bangladeshi police broke up a ring of human organ dealers operating in Joypurhat, a district in the north of the country.
Inside Bangladesh’s organ bazaar
In what is supposed to be a microfinance mecca, many go to extreme measures to pay off debts.
Cambodian NGOs under the gun
PHNOM PENH – These are tough times for Cambodia’s embattled non-governmental organizations (NGOs). As the government gears up to pass controversial legislation regulating the country’s estimated 2,000 civil society groups, it has drawn strong criticism for a coordinated crackdown on land rights groups working on a foreign donor-funded railway renovation project.
Land rights acrimony in AusAID Asian project
By Rebecca Puddy & Sebastian Strangio A TAXPAYER-FUNDED development project is mired in controversy after the Cambodian government launched a crackdown against land rights organisations critical of the compulsory resettlement of families.
REVIEW: ‘Cambodia’s Curse’, by Joel Brinkley
In June 2010, diplomats and donors converged on a conference hall in Cambodia’s capital for a meeting with senior government officials. Seated in rows with headphones beaming in live translations, donor representatives listened to key ministers speak about the country’s progress on a series of agreed to good governance reforms.
$1.1 billion pledged in donor aid
INTERNATIONAL donors have pledged a record US$1.1 billion in development assistance for the upcoming 18-month period, following a two-day government-donor forum that wrapped up in the capital Thursday. At the close of the third Cambodia Development Cooperation Forum (CDCF), Minister of Economy and Finance Keat Chhon hailed the outcome of the talks.
