Philippines: Due to political pressure, the Arroyo administration has been forced to take serious action over November 2009’s Election Massacre. A suspect from the Ampatuan political clan was charged:
“Andal Ampatuan Jr., the prime suspect in the massacre of 57 people in Maguindanao, southern Philippines on Nov. 23…”
The government has also set up a special commission charged with investigating the estimated 132 militias (totaling 10,000 men) held by various political clans (ridos) throughout the country. However, the commission is only allowed to make recommendations to President Arroyo. Legal enforcement will be carried out by the Army and the Philippine National Police (PNP) at the order of the president. Since the militias are not secret, some are questioning why a commission is needed at all, other than for political popularity.
Laos and Thailand: In light of the recent deportation of 4,000 Hmong to Laos from refugee camps in Thailand, where they have been since America’s conflict in Vietnam, the United Nations has demanded that Laos provide them access to monitor the plight of the returning refugees. Not surprisingly, Laos has refused. Thailand has stated there is no reason for concern, which I suppose is why they deported people who they have previously found in need of protection. The Laotian government has claimed that the refugees being returned were illegal migrants, which will be “housed” in “villages” dedicated to their “re-integration”. Sounds like a form of Laogai.
Myanmar: Here is an interesting post about child soldiers and slaves in Myanmar.
According to a recent report, the military junta also claims to rescue 1000 victims of human trafficking since the year 2005. [2] The same report also stated that more than 1100 traffickers were arrested in connection with 400 trafficking cases according to the regime’s agency. [3]
Both the junta and the rebel ethnic militias utilize children in this way, usually sold by poor parents in return for basic sustinance.
A few months ago, I wrote about the early stages of the conflict in Ukraine through the lens of Sun Tzu’s The Art of War. While it appears likely that the war will carry on into the foreseeable future, enough time has passed for us to make an honest assessment of each side’s relative […]
The Ukrainian Army has made dramatic strides in the last few weeks. Ukraine’s tactical commanders have outfoxed their Russian counterparts, and by issuing a feint towards the south the UA has been able to earn substantial gains in the north of their country. The impact of these efforts have been compounded by the steady stream […]
In mid-May the Irish political party, Sinn Féin, won the plurality of seats in the Northern Ireland Assembly. Many American readers might not fully understand the significance of Sinn Féin’s political victory- but rest assured that subjects of the United Kingdom and a wide range of political movements the world over have heard the message […]
The first wave of the Russian offensive in Ukraine has fallen short of Russian autocrat Vladmir Putin’s ambitions. Most analysts deduced that Putin had hoped to achieve a decapitation strike of the Ukrainian government- taking Kiev and replacing Ukrainian President Vladimir Zolinski with a pro-Kremlin voice. Kiev has been threatened repeatedly through the course of […]
On the weekend of March 26th, the notorious MS-13 gang went on a massive killing spree in El Salvador which left more than 70 people dead by Sunday. Even for a country where powerful gangs hold massive sway, this recent tragedy stands out considering that it was the bloodiest day on record since the civil […]
