Violent jihad

Bangkok – At least 22 people were arrested and several were injured during a harsh confrontation between pro-democracy demonstrators and riot police in front of the First Infantry Regiment in Bangkok last night, February 28th. A crowd control officer was reportedly pronounced dead due to an underlying condition of heart disease during the protest dispersal. The pro-democracy protesters, led by a ‘Free Youth’ group (also called ReDEM), marched from Victory Monument to the Regiment on Viphawadee Rangsit road, where the Prime Minister’s military housing is located, in the evening, to attempt to march to the Prime Minister’s home. The protesters were surrounded by a long line of security forces and crowd-control blocking barricades, including shipping containers and barbed wire fences. Some of the cargo containers were removed and wires were cut in order for the group to attempt to march into the Regiment (which is private military property) to demand democracy and the end of ... » Learn More about 22 people arrested, multiple people injured during violent confrontation at pro-democracy demonstration in Bangkok last night

It is the worse unrest Senegal has seen in years KOLDA (SENEGAL) - A schoolboy was killed during violent protests in Senegal at the weekend, officials said, bringing the death toll from days of violence in the West African state to five. Clashes first erupted between opposition supporters and security forces on Wednesday after the arrest of opposition leader Ousmane Sonko, and escalated into the worst unrest seen in Senegal in years. People torched cars, burnt and looted shops and hurled stones at police during the protests, which have highlighted longstanding grievances over living standards and economic exclusion. On Saturday, people were demonstrating in the southern town of Diaobe against Sonko's arrest, when the "situation quickly deteriorated", a security official told AFP. Protesters torched a gendarmerie station, a customs post and several cars, the official said on condition of anonymity. A schoolboy was killed and six people were seriously injured in clashes, the ... » Learn More about Schoolboy among five dead in Senegal unrest

DAKAR (AFP) - A schoolboy was killed during violent protests in Senegal at the weekend, officials said, bringing the death toll from days of violence in the West African state to five. Clashes first erupted between opposition supporters and security forces on Wednesday (March 3) after the arrest of opposition leader Ousmane Sonko, and escalated into the worst unrest seen in Senegal in years. People torched cars, burned and looted shops and hurled stones at police during the protests, which have highlighted longstanding grievances over living standards and economic exclusion. On Saturday, people were demonstrating in the southern town of Diaobe against Mr Sonko's arrest, when the "situation quickly deteriorated", a security official told AFP. Protesters torched a gendarmerie station, a customs post and several cars, the official said on condition of anonymity. A schoolboy was killed and six people were seriously injured in clashes, the official added, a toll confirmed by a ... » Learn More about Schoolboy among five dead in West Africa unrest

NAYPYIDAW: At least 38 people died on Wednesday in the “bloodiest” day of Myanmar’s crisis, the United Nations said, as the military junta defied growing international condemnation of its coup with a violent crackdown that the United States said left it “appalled and revulsed.” Myanmar has been in turmoil since February 1 when the military ousted and detained civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi, ending the nation’s decade-long experiment with democracy and sparking daily mass protests. International pressure is mounting: western powers have repeatedly hit the generals with sanctions, Britain has called for a UN Security Council meeting on Friday, and after Wednesday’s deaths, the US said it was considering further action. But the junta has so far ignored the global condemnation, responding to the uprising with escalating strength. “Only today, 38 people died,” UN envoy to Myanmar Christine Schraner Burgener told reporters on Wednesday, adding that more than 50 people had died ... » Learn More about 38 dead in Myanmar protests crackdown

In recent months, Thai student protesters and other activists have staged a series of escalating protests in Thailand against the Government. The demonstrations initially focused on demands for constitutional change and new elections, after last year’s vote was conducted in an unfair environment. The protestors also called for an objective investigation into the apparent abductions and murders of Thai dissidents living abroad, mostly in mainland Southeast Asia. In recent years, Thai dissidents living in Laos have turned up dead, disemboweled in the Mekong River with their bodies filled with cement, or have simply vanished. But as the protests have grown in size and spread across the country, reaching universities and secondary schools and other locales in smaller towns across the kingdom, the demonstrators’ demands increasingly have focused on greater transparency in and reform of the monarchy. Yet despite the monarchical taboo, and the real threat of punishment—several were ... » Learn More about Explaining the Mounting Protests by Students in Thailand

ISLAMABAD: After 20 years of military engagement and billions of dollars spent, NATO and the United States still grapple with the same, seemingly intractable conundrum — how to withdraw troops from Afghanistan without abandoning the country to even more mayhem. An accelerated US drawdown over the past few months, led by the previous US administration, has signaled what may be in store for long-suffering Afghans. Violence is spiking and the culprits are, well, everyone: the Taliban, the Islamic State group, warlords, criminal gangs and corrupt government officials. According to NATO’s website, there are about 9,600 troops currently in Afghanistan, including 2,500 US troops. NATO defense ministers will meet on Wednesday and Thursday to discuss the way forward. Meanwhile, President Joe Biden is reviewing his predecessor’s 2020 deal with the Taliban, which includes a May 1 deadline for a final US troop withdrawal from the war-ravaged country. In Washington, calls are mounting for ... » Learn More about NATO faces conundrum as it mulls Afghan pullout

ASEAN used to be considered an organization that tended to sweep the dirt under the carpet, but that is no longer the case, at least since the entry into force of the ASEAN Charter in December 2008. The Informal ASEAN Ministerial Meeting (IAMM) on March 2, 2021, that followed Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi’s shuttle diplomacy was a case in point. All ASEAN foreign ministers, including a representative of the Myanmar military authority, attended the virtual meeting held specifically to discuss the developments in Myanmar. The IAMM called for the safety of the people, restoration of democracy and constitutional government, rules of law and respect of human rights, as enshrined in the ASEAN Charter, which Myanmar, under the military-ruled government, has ratified. As ASEAN still faces some pressing issues, including COVID-19, the main message of the IAMM constitutes ASEAN’s prompt response and concern about the situation in Myanmar, as well as willingness to help stop the ... » Learn More about Adherence to the ASEAN Charter matters to all

The Criminal Court on Wednesday sentenced former protest leader Suthep Thaugsuban and 25 others to jail for their role in street rallies to oust the elected government led by Yingluck Shinawatra. The court jailed former People’s Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC) leader Suthep for five years. Twenty-five other members of the movement were also found guilty in a ruling that took six hours for the court to read. Other key PDRC leaders were given jail sentences as follows: Buddhipongse Punnakanta – seven years Nataphol Teepsuwan – seven years and four months Thaworn Senneam – five years Issara Somchai – eight years and four months Suwit Thongprasert, formerly Buddha Isra – four years and eight months Chumpol Julsai – 11 years Suriyasai Katasila – two years. Jail terms were not suspended “Today several key PDRC members were sentenced to jail for multiple years. However, our principles remain unchanged on serving the religion and monarchy,” Mr Suthep ... » Learn More about Suthep Thaugsuban Jailed for Terrorism, Insurrection Over Street Rallies

A woman holds a candle and a picture of leader Aung San Suu Kyi as Myanmar citizens protest against the military coup in Myanmar outside the United Nations venue in Bangkok on Saturday. (Reuters photo) As a result of a military coup in Myanmar on Feb 1, many migrant workers in Thailand say they are reluctant to go back home, but a student said he and his friends are determined to study and return for the betterment of their homeland. A 45-year-old Myanmar migrant worker, known only as Macho, said she was concerned over the fate of her country as she believes other nations will boycott the country resulting in a reduction of investment and loss of employment opportunities. The country "is also going backwards" in terms of democracy. She said that under the National League for Democracy (NLD) Party, the country found a new direction, such as better education and public utility systems, as well as increases in state officials' salaries and pensions, from 50,000 kyat (1,500 baht) a ... » Learn More about Future cloudy for Myanmar expats

The driver of a Toyota sedan have died after crashing into the rear of a freight truck waiting to make a u-turn, in western Thailand Tuesday. Police reported the tragic accident happened at about 8.30am at kilometer marker 10 on a by-pass in Kanchaburi province. Police said the six-wheel freight truck was stationary as the driver was waiting to make a U-turn. The Toyota Corolla sedan rammed into its rear end. The violent impact tore off the car’s roof and sent the wrecked vehicle into the roadside ditch. The driver, Pakorn Sonsa-nguan, 22, from Saraburi, died behind the wheel. His friend, Saiyut Lampong, 28, from Nonthaburi who was in the passenger seat was seriously injured. Prachuap Kongka, 49, the lorry driver, said he was delivering electrical appliances from Bangkok to a department store in Kanchanaburi, Thailand. Police reported they were examining footage of CCTV security cameras, for further information. Young doctor decapitated after crashing into freight truck ... » Learn More about Driver of Toyota Killed after Crashing into Back of Freight Truck