Lindsey Kennedy

How the Taliban’s ‘War on Drugs’ Could Backfire

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan—As Afghanistan plummets deeper into a devastating economic crisis, the Taliban have declared a war on drugs that snatches away the sole cash crops relied on by many struggling rural families—opium poppy and ephedra, a plant that…

Cambodia’s modern slavery nightmare: the human trafficking crisis overlooked by authorities

Despite promises by government to eradicate trafficking rings, people are still being sold in Cambodia and forced to run online scams t 3.28am on 29 June 2021, Xu Mingjian crept out of a dorm room inside a gated compound in Sihanoukville, Cambodia,…

Laos’ criminal casino empire: Chinese gangsters suspected of running brothels and online scams, and trafficking humans, animal parts and drugs

he first time Seng saw someone jump to their death was from the window of his dorm, in a gated compound where armed guards patrolled outside, making sure no one escaped. But Seng had never spoken to the man he saw die that day; workers weren’t…

‘After the War, People are Still Very “Us Versus Them”’

Lindsey Kennedy and Nathan Paul Southern report from Bosnia and Herzegovina on the recent General Election and how the country’s complicated past continues to shape present realities “I lost my youth to war,” says Drago, an ethnic Serb Bosnian…

The online scammer targeting you could be trapped in a South-East Asian fraud factory

By Lindsey Kennedy and Nathan Paul Southern August 21, 2022 — 6.00am , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Every year, Australians of all ages and backgrounds are scammed out of billions of dollars, with fraudsters developing more…

Southeast Asia corruption

Inside Southeast Asia’s Casino Scam ArchipelagoSpecial Economic Zones and self-governing statelets across the Mekong region have become conduits for human trafficking on a massive scale.The country records the region's worst score in Transparency…

Inside Southeast Asia’s Casino Scam Archipelago

Special Economic Zones and self-governing statelets across the Mekong region have become conduits for human trafficking on a massive scale. Around six months ago, Ekapop Lueangprasert, a local government official and business owner in the Sai Mai…

Criminogenic casinos and illicit trade in environmental commodities in South East Asia

The Asia Pacific region is the largest and fastest-growing market for gambling in the world. The proliferation of physical and online casinos in South East Asia presents criminal entities with a myriad of opportunities to engage in illicit…

Modern slavery in the Mekong’s casinos

COVID-19 travel restrictions decimated the tourism industry worldwide. In South East Asia’s popular casino hubs, the sharp drop in visitor numbers, especially gamblers from China and Thailand, has fostered an alarming new organized crime phenomenon –…

Khmer Rouge Tribunal, helping Cambodians heal, nears end

Hybrid UN-Cambodia court has been criticised for its slow pace and lack of convictions, but experts say it forced the country to confront the horrors of its past. After 19 years, hundreds of millions of dollars and just two successful convictions,…

Central Asia Is Turning Back to Moscow

On the sleeper train from Tashkent to Nukus, a drunk Uzbek army officer wants to know where we’re from. “England” is met with a noncommittal shrug. On hearing “Scotland,” though, his face lights up. “Scotlandia!” he slurs, miming bagpipes.…

Myanmar’s Opposition Is Forming Fragile Alliances With Armed Ethnic Groups

Sipping a beer in a Cambodian bar in his denim hotpants and painted nails, Michael Prestidge (he’s long adopted the Western name) is a striking example of the gulf between Myanmar’s youthful, progressive activists and its conservative elders who fill…

Cambodia’s nightlife scene tests COVID success

In March 2020, Cambodian authorities made it clear they would take no chances with COVID-19. Tourism visas were suspended. Land borders were closed, leaving citizens stranded. Curfews and domestic travel restrictions emptied the kingdom’s…

Endangered Species Are Paying the Price of COVID-19

The table we’re writing on is made of rosewood, the most trafficked wildlife product in the world. For months, we’ve been researching the uptick in logging and poaching, which are gradually emptying out the forests here in Cambodia as well as…

The Kampot Festival that Plans to Absolutely Smash It

Remember festivals? Ah, they were great, weren’t they? Well we’ve got some pretty damn excellent news, because if you’re in Kampot this coming Saturday, there’s the perfect one taking place at Meraki. And you’re going to love it. There will be…

Do Try This At Home: The Lotus Table Cooks Up a Seven Course Feast

Fed up with FoodPanda? Completed Nham24? Or perhaps you’re daydreaming about throwing a legendary dinner party when things ease up? Personal chef Kenzie Boyette of The Lotus Table spills the beans (or in this case, the tapioca) on where she finds the…

SurfShark Review 2021

Surfshark is undoubtedly one of the frontrunners on the VPN market at the moment. Sitting at around half the cost of other premium VPNs, I was slightly skeptical at whether it could perform up to the standard of some of the other big names. While…

A Day to Never Forget: Meeting the Rescue Elephants of Mondulkiri

How do you know if an elephant’s had enough water? Why do so many rescue elephants have damaged feet? Is it ever okay to ride an elephant, swim with an elephant or “give an elephant a spa for the day”? And what happens if an elderly elephant was…

Scottish Activists Want a Quiet, Safe, Progressive Independence

Peaceful transitions of power rarely make history. Europe’s litany of wars, invasions, and uprisings eclipse the far more boring tradition of well-managed plebiscites and legally recognized independence movements. Amid the horrors of 1944, who…

Sharing Is Caring: Art Exhibition Raises $60k for NGOs

When artists Serey Chea and Adana Mam-Legros unveiled a collection of paintings called The Art of Sharing at Sosoro Museum in Phnom Penh, they hoped their work would lend some moral support to the community in these troubled times. Three months…