UN experts warn of human rights violations facing North Koreans forcibly repatriated from China
Luke Ravetto | U. Pittsburgh School of Law, US October 23, 2026 03:50:20 am Prince Roy, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons UN human rights experts on Wednesday expressed concern that many nationals of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) forcibly returned from China remain unaccounted for, warning that they may face enforced disappearance, arbitrary detention, torture, and other human rights violations. China resumed large-scale forcible returns of DPKR nationals in
JuristNews
Oct 29
Country report: Myanmar October 2026
By H. H. Hlaing People extinguish a fire in a building that was destroyed in a bombardment carried out by Myanmar’s military in Thabeikkyin Township in Mandalay Region of Central Myanmar on April 19, 2025. Getty Images Since gaining independence in 1948, Myanmar has experienced prolonged conflict between the Bamar-dominated government and ethnic minority groups, including the Rohingya. The persecution of the Rohingya intensified under the military rule of General Ne Win, who
Genocide Watch
Oct 29
Special Report: Cyber Scam Operations in Southeast Asia
Southeast Asian cyber scam operations have evolved into a transnational criminal ecosystem fusing human trafficking with industrial-scale fraud: at least Thousands of victims from dozens of countries have been trafficked, mostly through fake online job offers, into guarded compounds where they endure 16-19-hour workdays, torture, sexual exploitation, debt bondage and passport confiscation under conditions the UN describes as modern slavery of "industrial proportions".
Genocide Watch
Oct 27
Indonesia passes agrarian reform law amid concerns over land protections
By Hans Nicholas Jong September 28, 2026 Credit: Afriadi Hikmal / Greenpeace Indonesia’s long-debated Agrarian Reform Regulation Law was approved on Sept. 22. The legislation establishes a framework for resolving agrarian land disputes, restoring land rights and redistributing land, but details of how the law will operate remain unclear. JAKARTA — Indonesia’s parliament has passed a law intended to resolve long-running land conflicts and curb land concentration, but civil soc
Mongabay
Oct 25
Singapore:Kokila Annamalai charged in anti-free speech trial
By: Lydia Lam October 7, 2026 After she received the correction direction, Kokila Annamalai put up an article titled, "I Defy: Why I am not complying with my POFMA Correction Direction". Credit: CNA/Raydza Rahman SINGAPORE: Activist Kokila Annamalai went on trial on Wednesday (Oct 7) for failing to comply with a correction direction issued to her under the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (POFMA). This was in relation to posts that she made on social med
Channel News Asia
Oct 21
Amnesty: fewer death penalties in SE Asia; Singapore still executes
By Ellie Cho October 9, 2026 Credit: Chensiyuan, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons Amnesty International on Thursday said a growing number of Southeast Asian states are cutting back on the death penalty, creating new momentum towards abolition in a region long known for its strong support for capital punishment. The statement came ahead of the World Day Against the Death Penalty on October 10, alongside a new briefing examining progress towards abolition and continued resis
Jurist News
Oct 20
Why Is the US Reopening Talks With Myanmar’s Junta?
October 16, 2026 By Sana Khan Myanmar's junta chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, who ousted the elected government in a coup, presides at an army parade on Armed Forces Day in Naypyitaw, Myanmar, March 27, 2021. © 2026 REUTERS/Stringer//File Photo The United States and Myanmar’s military-backed government have held a second round of talks in a month, signalling a potential shift in Washington’s approach to the Southeast Asian country following the 2021 military coup. The l
Modern Diplomacy
Oct 19
Trump Administration’s Shift on Myanmar Is Disastrous
Washington’s sudden decision to open talks with Myanmar’s government grants further legitimacy to an authoritarian regime and is unlikely to deliver access to rare earths. By Joshua Kurlantzick October 8, 20 US congress appeals to its mission in UN to resist Myanmar junta representatives, while Trump administration holds talks with junta military rulers Last night, news broke that the U.S. government, which for years had shunned Myanmar’s brutal military regime, now appears t
China Expands Its Military Reach by Building a Base in Laos
By Chris Buckley, Graphics by Josh Holder October 8, 2026 The new runway in Ban Keun is currently used by only small jets. Neighboring nations are watching warily to see if Beijing expands it for larger aircraft. China has begun operating a new air force base in Laos, marking another step in Beijing’s efforts to establish military footholds abroad and project power into Southeast Asia. Satellite images released this week revealed that eight small military aircraft had arrived
New York Times
Oct 17
FBI arrests California woman accused of spying on Taiwan leader's family for China
By Jamie Ding, Hui Zhong Wu, and Jamie Stengle October 5th, 2026 The FBI has arrested a California real estate agent at Los Angeles International Airport as she was leaving the country and accused her of spying on the Taiwan president’s family for China ABC News Live The FBI arrested a California real estate agent as she prepared to fly to China, accusing her of secretly working for Beijing to surveil the president of Taiwan's family in the U.S., federal officials said. The c
ABC News
Oct 10
Myanmar’s Min Aung Hlaing visits Malaysia
By AP and Reuters Oct 7, 2026 Myanmar leader Min Aung Hlaing arrives in Malaysia for his first visit since the 2021 coup, as deportations of Myanmar nationals draw concerns from the UN and rights groups. Myanmar President Min Aung Hlaing gestures at a business forum during his official state visit to Vietnam, in Hanoi [File: Thinh Tien Nguyen/Reuters] Myanmar’s military leader-turned-president has arrived in Malaysia for talks with Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, as Kuala Lumpu
Al Jazeera
Oct 7
Singapore: Independent rights experts urge immediate end to ‘unlawful use’ of death penalty
UN News August 18, 2026 Independent UN Human Rights Council-appointed experts on Tuesday condemned the execution of at least 16 people in Singapore for drug-related offences this year and urged the country to end its “continued and unlawful use of capital punishment.” Credit: The United Nations According to the experts – who receive no salary for their work from any UN entity and are not employed by any organization – the Government’s mandatory death penalties and statutory p
United Nations
Oct 6
