COLOMBO, 17 May 2012 (IRIN) – Three years after the government of Sri Lanka declared an end to decades of civil conflict with separatist rebels, thousands of people are still missing, according to the UN and Sri Lankan activists. The Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances (WGEID) of the UN Office for the High [...]

MANILA, 7 May 2012 (IRIN) – The Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) have edged nearer to a peace treaty after agreeing to a set of consensus points that could lead to less confrontation on the ground, officials say. At talks in the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur, at the end of April, [...]

* Angry residents throw stones at police carrying shields and batons * Many slum-dwellers flee, carrying clothes, furniture KATHMANDU: Residents of a slum in the Nepalese capital Kathmandu told on Wednesday how the homes they had lived in for up to 20 years were bulldozed to make way for a riverside park. About 1,500 people [...]

Srinagar: Police foiled a march by employees in Srinagar even as work in government offices remained paralysed across the state yesterday for the second successive day. Over 4.5 lakh employees of the Jammu and Kashmir government went on a two-day strike on Tuesday to press their demands, including enhancement in the retirement age from 58 [...]

Spokesman says Pakistan has a clear stand on drone attacks, and considers them illegal, counter-productive Staff Report ISLAMABAD: Pakistan was working with the US at various levels to resolve all outstanding issues, including an alternative to drone attacks, Foreign Office spokesman Moazzam Khan said on Thursday. Addressing a weekly news briefing, Khan said, “We have [...]

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s talks to strengthen China-US ties have been marred by a dissident’s predicament. The Chinese activist has sought US asylum, but it remains to be seen if the US will risk damning relations by granting the request. Recent events involving prominent activist Chen Guangcheng have cast a shadow over Hillary Clinton’s [...]

by PAUL CRAIG ROBERTS Washington has pressured the Philippines, whose government it owns, into conducting joint military exercises in the South China Sea. Washington’s excuse is that China has territorial disputes with the Philippines, Indonesia, and other countries concerning island and sea rights in the South China Sea. Washington asserts that China’s territorial disputes with [...]

Protests rocked the streets of the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur on Saturday, April 28, as an estimated 25,000 people took to the streets in support of Bersih, an organization fighting to reform the nation’s electoral system. The organization refers to itself as ‘The Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections’, comprised of 84 Malaysian non-governmental [...]

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — The Malaysian police pledged on Monday to investigate violence at a rally supporting free elections that spiraled out of control when protesters broke through barricades in central Kuala Lumpur. The inspector general of police, Ismail Omar, quoted by The Star newspaper, said, “We acted with full restraint for several hours and [...]

An in-depth look at the toll wrought by years of violence. In exclusive interviews, bomb squad soldiers and Buddhist and Muslim residents describe the suffering of a region. For more on this story, visit: On Location Video: A years-long insurgency divides Southern Thailand.