Paul Rivers

Joshua Wong and Agnes Chow in September 2014 blindfolded with a red scarf, symbolising Communist China's political repression. Source: Wikimedia   China's ability to control its southern neighbours' domestic affairs raises increasing doubts about their independence. Malaysia, Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia and Thailand appear to have assumed quasi-colonial status. As...

Isfahan. The end of UN sanctions could help unlock Iran’s architectural gems. Source: Flickr Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has arrived in Malaysia on the second leg of his Asean trip in which he aims to boost trade relations following the lifting of UN sanctions. Rouhani's two-day...

There are countless graphic images from the massacre. Source: YouTube Buddhist monks, survivors, mourners and pro-democracy activists have gathered to mark the 40th anniversary of one of the darkest days in Bangkok’s history, when police killed as many as 100 students taking part in a...

Video taken of the "pornographic" billboard in Jakarta. Source: YouTube An Indonesian who was arrested for hacking into an electronic billboard displays in South Jakarta and broadcasting a Japanese adult film could face seven years in jail and a heavy fine, according to the capital's...

The “Umbrella Movement” of 2014 challenged the Chinese mainland's relationship with Hong Kong. Source: Wikimedia Thailand has barred a Hong Kong student activist from entering the kingdom, with Thailand’s Nation saying he had been deported and "blacklisted" at Beijing's request. Joshua Wong, 19, helped organise pro-democracy...

The threat of microcephaly is worrying pregnant women in Asean. Source: YouTube The Thai authorities are considering testing all pregnant women for the Zika virus, following confirmation last week of microcephaly, a birth defect marked by small head size, linked to the tropical disease.  The two...

Papuans claims they are victims of genocide. Source: YouTube Jakarta has been called to relax its restrictions on access to West Papua, following a wave of UN concern about human-rights abuses in the easternmost Indonesian provinces. Pacific island leaders raised concern at the UN General Assembly...

Philippine marines claim credit for forcing the release of hostages. Source: Wikimedia Three Indonesian men have been freed in the southern Philippines after being held by Abu Sayyaf for more than three months, the foreign minister in Jakarta told the media.  The former hostages were undergoing...

Rodrigo Duterte makes a familiar gesture to the European Union last month. Source: YouTube The Philippine's president, Rodrigo Duterte, does not see himself as another Adolf Hitler but is willing to kill three million people to battle crime, according to his spokesman. Duterte has been condemned...

The entrance to the Marina Bay Sands casino in Singapore. Source: Wikimedia Singapore will allow online betting before the end of the year as the city-state's lottery operator Singapore Pools and the Singapore Turf Club were given the all clear to begin operations. The two companies...