Asia Democracy Chronicles

War, aid cuts, and sanctions shape the holy month of Ramadan in Afghanistan. Read this report by Kanika Gupta: bit.ly/4syiGb2

An insurance fraud scandal has once more turned the spotlight on the practice of Chinese authorities of placing political dissidents in indefinite – and often secret – detention in psychiatric facilities. Here is a report by Yanxi Mou: bit.ly/4bzrVk7

The remittances of #SouthAsian #migrant workers shore up economies and support families. But state systems continue to fail them especially when they run afoul of the law overseas. Here is Rejimon Kuttappan's report: bit.ly/4dd4QWT

November’s devastating flash #floods in parts of #Sumatra in #Indonesia can be traced to the country’s fast disappearing #forests. Read this report by Garry Lotulung: bit.ly/4u2v6cv

#Bangladesh is still among the countries most affected by the impacts of #climate change, but #Anticipatory Action has been helping some local communities limit the destruction wrought by natural calamities. Rafiqul Islam Montu reports: bit.ly/3MAeacI

In #Sri Lanka, yet another land dispute involving #Buddhist monks sparks tensions and puts pressure on President Anura Kumara #Dissayanake to deliver on his pledges. Read Shabeer Mohamed's report: bit.ly/3OHYgh6

#Taiwan is one of the world’s leading manufacturing hubs, but its #migrant-worker policies lag behind international standards. Here is a report by Brian Hioe: bit.ly/4spyPPX

Forced out of #Myanmar and now in danger of being forced out of #India, #Rohingya women refugees are nevertheless finding ways to rise above their dire circumstances and even have reasons to smile about. Here is a report by Mir Umar: bit.ly/3OM9aSH

The push for #renewable #energy, often sold as a shared response to the #climate crisis, has shifted the burden away from the governments that made the commitments onto the communities fighting to make the transition just. Read Sherwin De Vera's report: bit.ly/4rfv1Aq

More than 40 years after a pesticide plant in Bhopal, India leaked gas that led to thousands of deaths in the city, the facility’s waste is still posing health risks to communities there and elsewhere. Diwash Gahatraj and Chandra Pratap Tiwari reports: bit.ly/4asAfSp

Tensions remain high between #Thais and #Cambodians as local politics add fuel to their ongoing war of words on social media. Here is a report by Pravit Rojanaphruk: bit.ly/4r7HYMB

Among the #Afghans that #Iran has been deporting by the tens of thousands are the ethnic minority #Hazara, who have never felt welcome and safe in their homeland. Read this report by Omid Sobhani: bit.ly/3MbnjYJ

As U.S. democratic patronage recedes, Asian societies are recalibrating democracy into a low-visibility, pragmatic practice shaped less by Western ideals than by the demands of survival in an era of geopolitical uncertainty. Khoo Ying Hooi reports: bit.ly/4k3siY0

Beijing’s support of Myanmar’s junta has enabled the latter to have what observers say are short-term gains in a long-term civil war. Read this report by Jesua Lynn: bit.ly/4acgL5f

Frequent Chinese aircraft intrusions and military drills are apparently not enough for #Taiwan’s people to start worrying about what #Beijing might be planning. Brian Hioe reports: bit.ly/3NNNiWC

The death sentence of Bangladesh’s deposed leader Sheikh Hasina may have marked a turning point in the country’s history, but will it help the South Asian nation move forward – or push it into a downward spiral? Piyas Biswas reports: bit.ly/45PpIPs

As energy-insecure #Philippines prepares to position itself as Southeast Asia's top #datacenter hub against #Singapore, #Filipinos bear the brunt of the surge in power demand, both in power prices and #carbonemissions. Here's a report from the PCIJ: bit.ly/4qER3wb

#India enters 2026 with an unmet 2025 goal: ending #childlabor, a problem that is likely to persist for years or even decades to come. Gafira Qadir reports: bit.ly/3Z8vIz0

Across #SoutheastAsia, rights advocates continue to be forcibly disappeared, but monitoring such incidents is increasingly difficult in the face of government impunity. Here is a report by Nguyện Công Bằng: bit.ly/4qblUjL

#Indonesia’s geothermal energy ambitions clash with the determination of the #Indigenous Peoples of Flores Island to keep #geothermal projects out of their communities. Here is a report by Adi Renaldi: bit.ly/4aE4qrn