Asia Democracy Chronicles

It is estimated that over 100 dead bodies wash up on Japan’s shores each year. Almost all of them are North Korean fishermen. In this Dispatches episode, journalist Ian Urbina takes us to the East Japanese Sea and investigates the phenomenon of ‘ghost boats’.

Mongolia is still far from getting rid of hostile attitudes toward the LGBTQI+ community, but there are indications that positive change has begun.

Thais voted for change in their country’s recently concluded elections, but many obstacles stand in the way of any real political transformation.

As the violence in Myanmar escalates, the country’s people are calling for the international community to go beyond words and act to stop the carnage.

Changes may be coming to Japan’s programs for foreign workers, but they may not necessarily be for their benefit.

Millions of Pakistanis are constantly falling ill because of unsafe drinking water.

Palm-greasing continues in Vietnam even as authorities intensify the state’s anti-corruption drive.

Sectarian violence is decimating Shia families in northwestern Pakistan.

Working conditions seem to have gone from bad to worse for the women in Pakistan’s agricultural sector after the 2022 floods.

What is the dark art of a Magic Pipe? In this Dispatches from the Ocean episode, Ian Urbina investigates on how some ocean liners use these pipes and become complicit in committing environmental crimes.

Last year’s mass protests in Sri Lanka gave hope briefly to members of the country’s LGBTIQ community, but many are wary of the government’s recent overtures hinting of reforms regarding their rights.

Three years into the pandemic, healthcare systems in most of Asia remain severely underfunded and overwhelmed. As inflation spirals, rising healthcare costs are crushing the budgets of those who need it most.

Rights advocates renew calls for more concrete action from the international community as Myanmar’s junta escalates its airstrikes and more and more civilians end up dead.

Almost a year since he became president, Ferdinand Marcos, Jr.’s administration claims that the country’s economy is bullish, but the situation on the ground shows otherwise.

A new research unveils the history of cooperation between Vietnam and then-East Germany, and how it helped transform Vietnam’s police into what they are today

A global scourge, sea slavery is something most people do not realize exists. We take a look at Thailand’s fishing industry and see why it persists.

For many Burmese refugees, escaping the turmoil in your home country can be very challenging — even if it’s to your nearest neighbor

Unregulated commercial aquaculture has wrought havoc on the lives of many people in India, and is posing serious threats to the environment as well.

Thais could yet push the military out of power in the upcoming 14 May election – but only if the numbers turn out right.

In Antique, central Philippines, women across age groups are at the helm of conserving a once- denuded natural park