Adam Bemma

  • Southeast Asia Dispatches: Freedom of Expression in Myanmar

    After winning the general elections in 2015, the National League for Democracy (NLD) became the first democratically elected, civilian-led government in Myanmar since 1962, which kindled hope that the country would see a significant shift in freedom of expression. Almost five years on, substantive changes have yet to happen. On this week’s episode of Southeast…

    Adam Bemma

  • Once a Safe Haven, Bangkok Now a “Hunting Ground” for Dissidents

    Joseph steps off the subway train onto Bangkok’s Chatuchak metro station platform. As the 29-year-old Laotian refugee exits to the street above he notices two men trailing behind him. Both men are carrying large suitcases that seem light to the touch as they lift them easily on to the escalator, Joseph* recalls. He had recently…

    Adam Bemma

  • Myanmar’s ‘Peacock Generation’ silenced as political prisoners being politicized

    Three Burmese men wearing traditional blue longyis shackled at the waist and feet carefully step down, one after the other, from a police truck in Ayeyarwady Region – 84 kms from the commercial capital, Yangon. Armed officers lead Zayar Lwin, Paing Ye Thu and Paing Phyo Min into a courthouse. The three are members of…

    Adam Bemma

  • In Laos, price of free speech a heavy one

    BANGKOK [OP-ED] – The imprisonment of Houayheuang “Muay” Xayabouly, a young, female Lao environmentalist turned internet activist who simply asked for help for flood victims, should be a matter of deep concern to the international community. On Sept 5, 2018, Muay used her 17-minute-long Facebook Live broadcast to counter the official narrative of the government…

    Adam Bemma

  • No Progress or Answers on Enforced Disappearances in Thailand

    BANGKOK, Thailand – Porlachi “Billy” Rakchongcharoen went missing in 2014. At the time, the land rights activist had been assisting Karen villagers with a lawsuit against the authorities in Phetchaburi province, 190km southwest of Bangkok, who had evicted and burnt down their homes. Five years later, his skull fragment was discovered by special investigators in a burnt…

    Adam Bemma

  • After the Easter massacre, Sri Lanka nun heals religious tension

    Sister Christine supports survivors in need and Muslims facing backlash following ISIL-claimed attack that killed 253. NEGOMBO, Sri Lanka – Katuwapitiya, a grief-stricken Sri Lankan village of 600 families, is in the coastal city of Negombo, about 30 kilometres north of Colombo. On April 21, 149 Katuwapitiya residents died inside its St Sebastian’s Church, according…

    Adam Bemma

  • Is Sri Lanka using the Easter attacks to limit digital freedom?

    Sri Lanka has drafted a new cybersecurity bill but experts warn country could be using political turmoil to pass laws. COLOMBO — Hours after the Easter Sunday bombings in Sri Lanka, rumours started to circulate online that Colombo’s water supply was poisoned and that there was a truck full of explosives driving down the capital’s…

    Adam Bemma

  • Rohingya Refugee Voices Amplify Across Southeast Asia

    BANGKOK — The 2017 Rohingya humanitarian crisis caused by Myanmar is not only affecting Bangladesh, which has taken in 740,000 refugees, but it’s also causing strife in Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand. Despite Myanmar’s alleged attempts at repatriation, Rohingya have stayed put in camps and cities fearing the security situation in their villages and towns of Rakhine…

    Adam Bemma

  • Thailand’s parliament meets, but military retains upper-hand

    Elections took place on March 24 under a complicated new system that empowered small parties – and the military. Bangkok, Thailand – Thailand’s newly-elected parliament sits for the first time on Friday, as pro-military and pro-democracy parties manoeuvre for power two months after controversial elections that ensured the armed forces the upper hand in the…

    Adam Bemma

  • Thailand’s Urban Refugees, Migrant Workers and Stateless People

    BANGKOK – The stench inside Suan Phlu Immigration Detention Centre is indescribable. The guards give detainees bright orange t-shirts – with a phone number printed on the front – to wear when they enter the IDC reception area. About a dozen visitors line up on the opposite side of a fence separating them from the…

    Adam Bemma
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