HEADLINE: THAILAND: Peace talks on Thai south unrest restart in Kuala Lumpur
CAMBODIA: In Pictures: Crowds rush to stock up on Chinese New Year specialities in Phnom Penh
Khmer Times’ roving snapper Yarn Soveit caught the scenes this morning as crowds thronged Phnom Penh’s Orussey Market to stock up on roasted suckling pigs and other delights for Chinese New Year.
Memento Maxima Digital MarketingLAOS: Lao students muscle up for Asean School Games
Students in Laos are preparing to compete in the 13th Asean School Games taking place in Danang city, Vietnam, ...More >>>
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MYANMAR: Myanmar junta troops murder seven IDPs in Karenni’s Shadaw Township
The victims were all displaced civilians and included a pregnant woman and three children, local sources reported
Seven displaced civilians, including a pregnant woman and three children, were murdered by regime forces in Karenni State’s Shadaw Township on Sunday, according to Karenni sources.
“Two women with disabilities, a pregnant woman, three children, and a man were killed by junta troops. They were detained and used as human shields and guides before being fatally shot,” said Ko Benya of the Karenni Human Rights Group.
The children were aged three, five, and seven, he added.
A representative of the Karenni Nationalities Defence Force told Myanmar Now that the victims were killed by regime reinforcements that arrived in the area by helicopter on Sunday.
“Around 70 junta troops were sent from Mong Ping in southern Shan State to Shadaw Township on Sunday evening. They detained seven people from three displaced families,” he said.
“Our comrades discovered their bodies on Monday morning. All of the victims were shot in the.
SINGAPORE: PM Lee urges Singaporeans to have more children, and to do so earlier
SINGAPORE – As the Year of the Dragon beckons, it is as good a time as any for young couples to try for babies, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong as he once again took the opportunity to urge people to have children in his annual Chinese New Year message.
On its part, the Government will support the marriage and parenthood aspirations of Singaporeans, and build a “Singapore Made For Families”, he added.
“Many Chinese families consider a child born in the Year of the Dragon to be especially auspicious, the dragon being a symbol of power, strength and good fortune,” he said.
THAILAND: Peace talks on Thai south unrest restart in Kuala Lumpur
KUALA LUMPUR (AFP) – Thailand’s chief negotiator hailed a positive atmosphere as peace talks resumed yesterday aimed at ending a rumbling two-decade insurgency in the kingdom’s deep south.
A low-level conflict has dragged on in Thailand’s southernmost provinces since 2004, with militants in the region carrying out regular attacks as they battle for greater autonomy from the state.
Over 7,300 people have been killed and 13,500 wounded over the past 20 years, according to Deep South Watch, a local think tank.
A new two-day round of talks began in Kuala Lumpur yesterday between Thai government representatives and the separatist movement Barisan Revolusi Nasional, a year after the last one broke up.
The Thai government’s new chief negotiator Chatchai Bangchuad said the first day of discussions in the Malaysian capital had gone well.”Both sides are taking it seriously, trying to solve problems jointly,” he told reporters.
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