The Ahmadiyyah Muslim community in Indonesia is planning to file a lawsuit against the government over a new decree banning activities by the sect, condemned as “deviant” by protesters. “We ask the silent majority of moderate Muslims in Indonesia to… Read moreIndonesia: Ahmadiyyah Muslims to challenge crackdown
The Indonesian Parliament unanimously approved a new anti-terrorism law that will allow the military to directly participate in operations against militant groups. The legislation comes following a slew of suicide bombings in Surabaya by individuals supposedly tied to the Islamic State. President Joko Widodo stated that involvement of the Indonesian National Army in counter-terrorism is necessary in addressing the crisis faced by the nation. A related measure also gives police the power to detain suspects for 21 days without charge. (Photo: Indonesian Navy Special Forces Kopaska)
Three people were killed and 20 injured when a bomb exploded May 28 at the offices of USAID-supported programs housed at the Philippine military’s Edwin Andrews Air Base in Zamboanga, Mindanao. The dead included family members of Philippine military personnel… Read morePhilippines: bomb blast at Zamboanga air base
The price of rice in Burma has jumped 50% since Cyclone Nargis devastated the country’s most important croplands and destroyed several fully stocked grain warehouses. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) warned that the cyclone may “sharply decrease national rice… Read moreBurma: cyclone devastates rice market
From Democratic Voice of Burma, May 10: The Burmese military regime held its national referendum in most of the country today, despite criticism from those who said it should be prioritising assistance for the victims of Cyclone Nargis. The junta… Read moreBurma referendum illegitimate: opposition
Burmese soldiers and riot police opened fire at Insein Prison in Rangoon, killing 36 and injuring 70, after 1,500 inmates there rioted the aftermath of the devastating cyclone Nargis, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners-Burma (AAPPB). The facility,… Read morePrison massacre in stricken Burma
Two small blasts hit Burma’s first city Rangoon April 20, damaging cars in the downtown area but causing no injuries. The blasts, the latest in a spate of similar incidents this year, come three weeks before a referendum on a… Read moreTerror blasts in Burma: tribal peoples push back?
Chanting “Allahu Akbar” and “Disband Ahmadiyya,” some 1,000 members of the Indonesian Muslim Forum (FUI) marched on the Merdeka Palace in Jakarta April 21 to demand President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono issue a decree to ban the “deviant” Islamic sect. “We… Read moreIndonesian fundamentalists march against Ahmadiyya Islam
Indigenous and environmental activist Saw O Moo is reported killed in Burma's conflicted Karen State. According to the Karen Environmental and Social Action Network (KESAN), Saw O Moo was killed in an ambush by Burmese army soldiers while returning home from a community meeting to help organize humanitarian aid for villagers displaced by renewed hostilities between the military and the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA). Saw O Moo was one of the most active local community leaders pushing for the creation of the Salween Peace Park, a proposed 5,400-square-kilometer protected area to be overseen by indigenous peoples. “We will never forget his dedication in the ongoing struggle to build peace and protect ancestral lands,” KESAN said in a statement. (Photo: Burma Link)
Mas Selamat Kastari, accused Singapore commander of the Indonesia-based Jemaah Islamiyah militant network, escaped from a detention center in the Southeast Asian city-state Feb. 27. Kastari allegedly oversaw plans seven years ago to attack Singapore targets including the US Embassy,… Read moreJihadi jailbreak in Singapore
