Myanmar and Bangladesh signed a deal on Thursday paving the way for the possible repatriation of Rohingya Muslims who have fled violence in Rakhine state, officials said, as global pressure mounts over the refugee crisis.
More than 620,000 Rohingya have poured into Bangladesh since August, running from a Myanmar military crackdown that Washington said this week clearly constitutes “ethnic cleansing”.
After weeks of tussling over the terms of repatriation, the two sides inked a deal…
‘Brace for more bloodshed’: Philippine police will resume President Rodrigo Duterte’s brutal crackdown on drugs
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has called on police to once again take the lead role in his deadly drug war, having twice demoted them in response to criticism of the crackdown.
The fiery leader, who rights groups say may be orchestrating a crime against humanity with his bloody anti-drugs campaign, said the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) with 2,000 officers was incapable of doing the job.
“Whether I like it or not, I have to return that power to the police,” he…
Uber’s data breach handling provides lessons for others ahead of GDPR, says expert
Businesses can learn lessons from the way that Uber handled a major data breach that hit the company last year, a data protection law expert has said.
US: Myanmar’s Rohingya Muslim crisis is ‘ethnic cleansing’
The United States declared the ongoing violence against Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar to be “ethnic cleansing” on Wednesday, putting more pressure on the country’s military to halt a crackdown that has sent more than 600,000 refugees flooding over the border to Bangladesh.
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson blamed Myanmar’s security forces and “local vigilantes” for what he called “intolerable suffering” by the Rohingya. Although the military has…
Thailand ‘not deporting’ Uygurs to China after detention centre escape, say police
Thai police on Wednesday said ethnic Uygur Muslims from China who escaped an immigration detention centre will not be deported – if they are recaptured – despite a request by Beijing.
The dramatic predawn jailbreak on Monday saw a group of 25 Uygurs use blankets to climb out of their cell in southern Thailand.
Five of them were arrested on Monday while one more was detained on Wednesday, Thai police said, with media reporting the escapee was found over the border in Malaysia.
The…
Duterte defends Philippine troops accused of looting in Marawi siege
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday rejected allegations by a rights group that troops engaged in looting during the bloody battle against Islamic State followers in the southern city of Marawi.
Duterte also assured soldiers he would protect their interests following claims by Amnesty International that they committed abuses during the five-month battle in Marawi that left over 1,000 people dead.
“Those [allegations] of stealing in Marawi, I don’t believe it. I was there…
Philippine court begins hearings in petition against drugs war
The Philippine Supreme Court on Tuesday began hearing arguments in a petition to declare President Rodrigo Duterte’s deadly war on drugs unconstitutional.
More than 3,900 Filipinos have been killed in what the police called self-defence after armed drugs suspects resisted arrest in the 16 month-long campaign. Critics say executions are taking place, with zero accountability, allegations the police reject.
In a petition filed last month, lawyers from the Free Legal Assistance Group (FLAG)…
Pensions freedoms reducing consumer choice and creating ‘capital-lite’ model says report
An in-depth report into the 2015 reform of the UK pensions landscape has said the introduction of pensions freedoms has made the retirement market more complex and ultimately detrimental to consumers.
Firms advised to assess their suppliers’ cyber resilience in the same way they do their own
Financial firms should assess how resilient their suppliers are to cyber risk in the same way that they evaluate their own cyber resilience, a UK regulator has said.
Myanmar’s Suu Kyi blames world conflicts partly on illegal immigration amid Rohingya crisis
Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi said the world is facing instability and conflict in part because illegal immigration spreads terrorism in a speech on Monday that comes as her country is accused of violently pushing out hundreds of thousands of unwanted Rohingya Muslims.
Suu Kyi did not directly mention the refugee exodus as she welcomed European and Asian foreign ministers to Naypyidaw, the capital of Myanmar. But her speech highlighted the views of many in Myanmar who see the Rohingya as…