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Laura Villadiego
Laura Villadiego
Born and raised in Spain, Laura Villadiego is a freelance journalist specialized in human rights, labour issues and the environment. Based in Thailand, she has been covering Southeast Asia since 2009. Her work has been published in international media outlets, such as Al Jazeera, The Guardian or the Spanish News Agency EFE. She has also co-authored two books focused on supply chains.

For 15 years, a bloody conflict has raged in southern Thailand but Malaysia’s involvement in the peace process could move the country closer to a resolution

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Hakeem al-Araibi, who has permanent residency in Australia, was detained at the request of his native Bahrain after arriving in Bangkok for his honeymoon

Rahaf Mohammed al-Qunun is being evaluated by the UN refugee agency to assess her need for protection, while Human Rights Watch says a return to her home country would put her in danger as she has renounced Islam

Unclear licensing rules have given rise to fears of foreign firms benefiting unfairly and the public thinking marijuana is now legal for everyone. It isn’t.

Police said the man was heavily drunk and angry about feeling unwelcomed at his wife’s family’s party when he started shooting, eventually turning the gun on himself

Southeast Asian nation’s closeness to feuding rivals could stand it in good stead if dispute rumbles on next year, but it is not immune to the economic damage caused by the tariff war.

The military junta has announced that the long-delayed elections will be held on February 24. But analysts and opposition politicians question if the polls will really be free, or fair.

Thailand is on the verge of becoming the first Asian country to recognise same-sex civil unions, but many LGBT activists see the move as entrenching their status as second-class citizens

More than 200 refugees, mainly from Vietnam, Cambodia, Syria and Pakistan, have been arrested and subjected to indefinite detention, caught up in a widespread campaign against foreigners living illegally in the country

Amid fears that most of the world’s corals will vanish by 2050 because of overtourism, fishing and global warming, hope blooms in the form of an environmentally friendly restoration technique, as witnessed off the island of Koh Ha.

Sexual minorities in the Land of Smiles face discrimination in education, work and their love lives, though attitudes – and the law – are beginning to change.

Recent high-profile defections by Pheu Thai Party members may be the least of the opposition’s worries as the military puts the finishing touches on a legal framework that will all but ensure it stays in power.

With elections looming, a successful rescue of the 12 boys trapped in a Chiang Rai cavern could prove a timely popularity boost for the military government.

The military government, under pressure to hold elections and seeking a popular move, has launched a campaign to clean up the monkhood. But in stoking Buddhist nationalism, it is playing with fire.

The junta once criticised the exiled former prime minister’s appeals to Thailand’s rural voters as populism. Now, under pressure to hold elections, it’s turning to the same people – in an effort to be popular.

From environmental damage to technology transfer, the junta’s overdrive to tap Chinese investment raises a lot of questions as the men in uniform try to breathe life into a slackening economy in order to legitimise their rule.

The Thai government claims it is regulating the fishing industry more tightly, yet slavery persists. One man, duped into the trade and whose nightmare ended a few years ago, is determined to pursue justice for fellow victims

Having almost no rights in their home country, Cambodia’s ethnic Vietnamese are forced to live on the water, in poor conditions and with few opportunities. However, writes Laura Villadiego, the latest Khmer Rouge trial has given rise to a little optimism. Pictures by Vincenzo Floramo.