With acoustic blast, China ups aggression in disputed waters: Philippine Navy. Beijing’s deployment of long-range acoustic device in the South China Sea is among its “gray-zone” tactics in the contested waterway, Manila said.

2 days ago · Papuans Behind Bars, a website tracking political prisoners in Papua, reported 531 political arrests in 2023, with 96 political prisoners still detained by the end of the year.. Most were affiliated with non-armed groups such as the West Papua National Committee (KNPB) and the Papua People’s Petition (PRP), while only 11 were linked to the armed West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB).

3 days ago · Hamas militants have released five Thai farm workers after holding them captive for more than 15 months in Gaza, as part of a recently struck ceasefire and prisoner deal with the Israeli government.. The five were among 31 Thai nationals captured and taken hostage during the Palestinian militant group’s attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. . Twenty-three of those hostages had already ...

3 days ago · Philippine National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) chief Jaime Santiago (front center) speaks alongside Philippine military chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. (front right) and Justice Undersecretary Raul Vasquez (front left) as they present five arrested Chinese suspected of espionage (back row) during a press conference at the NBI offices in Manila, Jan. 30, 2025.

4 days ago · Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim (second from left) and Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. (right) attend the closing ceremony of the 44th and 45th ASEAN summits and for the handing over of chairmanship to Malaysia, at the National Convention Centre in Vientiane, Laos, Oct. 11, 2024.

3 days ago · Groups helping victims of Myanmar’s turmoil are struggling to provide assistance after the United States placed a 90-day freeze on nearly all foreign aid, an organization said, as the United Nations warned of looming hunger five years after the military ousted an elected government.. More than 3.5 million people have been displaced in Myanmar because of the war between the junta that seized ...

BenarNews is an online news service affiliated with Radio Free Asia that reports in five languages: Bengali, Thai, Bahasa Malaysia, Bahasa Indonesia and English. BenarNews reporters and stringers are dedicated to bringing the truth to their readers and are bound by a strict code of journalistic ethics. BenarNews is funded by an annual grant from the United States Agency for Global Media (USAGM ...

Hamas frees 5 Thais after 15 months of captivity. One Thai worker remains a captive of Hamas in Gaza as negotiations between the Palestinian militant group and Israel continue.

Mission. BenarNews provides clear and accurate news on security, politics and human rights on the local and regional level for the people of the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Bangladesh, and island-nations in the Pacific.

Jan 13, 2025 · A human rights group has urged Thailand not to deport to China 48 Uyghurs who have languished for more than a decade in detention, saying their safety and human rights must be the priority. The Uyghur men have been held at Thailand’s Immigration Detention Center since 2014, after attempting to ...