Male couple sentenced to 85 lashes for gay sex in Indonesia

Indonesia sentences gay men for the first time under new law, amid fears the country’s traditionally pluralistic society is losing its battle with radical Islam A man on trial for being in a same-sex relationship reacts as he listens to the judge at the Sharia court in Banda Aceh, Indonesia, 17 May 2017. Photo: EPA/Hotli Simanjuntak
By Euan Black • May 17, 2017

Cambodian National Police accuse top tycoon of role in large scale environmental crime

On Tuesday evening, police released a damning report supporting claims that the business magnate Kith Meng’s firms have been using a hydropower dam project as a front for illegal logging A photograph of severe deforestation in Prey Lang Forest, Cambodia. According to satellite data released by Global Forest Watch in 2015, since 2001, the Southeast Asian nation has lost over 1.75m hectares of forest, with its deforestation rate accelerating faster than any other country in the world. Photo supplied
By Euan Black • May 17, 2017

Indonesia

The red-light district that everyone loves

Jakarta’s Kalijodo red-light district has been shut down, cleaned up and transformed into a vibrant public space. But the reimagining of the area didn’t come without a human cost
By Gabrielle Lipton • May 17, 2017

Thailand

Selling ‘dictatorship as democracy’

Thailand’s rulers are doing everything in their power to stop the people from choosing who controls their country, writes exiled journalist Andrew MacGregor Marshall
By Andrew MacGregor Marshall • May 17, 2017

State-of-the-art Sunrise Hospital hopes to restore trust in Cambodia's healthcare system

Since opening in late 2016, Sunrise Japan Hospital has made waves as Cambodia’s first Japanese-run hospital. Here, Dr Hayashi Yoshifumi, a neurosurgeon at Sunrise as well as the hospital’s management and clinical director, describes their unique approach to medicine and customer care
By Southeast Asia Globe Editorial • May 16, 2017

Thailand backs down on threat to shut down Facebook

The Thai telecoms regulator says it has no plans to block access to the social media giant after initially threatening to shut it down today if it didn’t block content deemed insulting to the monarchy A person uses a computer displaying the Thai Facebook login page in Bangkok, Thailand, 09 May 2017. Photo: EPA/Diego Azubel
By Euan Black • May 16, 2017

Aboriginal art

Aboriginal art made in Cambodia

In Australia's far north, indigenous Australian artists are weaving a new pattern of trade with the help of disabled Cambodian artisans
By Mark Roy • May 16, 2017

New documentary sheds light on link between gems and war in Myanmar

A film by NGO Global Witness exploring the ties between Myanmar’s military and the country’s murky gem trade will be screened for the first time in Yangon this week A still from the upcoming documentary Jade and the Generals. Photo: YouTube/Global Witness
By Euan Black • May 15, 2017