A senior official from Thailand's Department of Special Investigation on October 11 stated that 29 members of the anti-government "Red-Shirt" protestors were trained in a Cambodian military base to assassinate top Thai officials including Prime Minister Vejjajiva. Cambodia issued a statement denying any involvement in the training of the alleged Thai militants and stating the official's comments did not reflect the government stance. Vejjajiva has now urged security officials to exercise caution while making public statements. Comment: Relations between Thailand and Cambodia have been contentious for decades. Tensions flared in 2008 over a disputed border temple. Diplomatic relations were also curtailed after the Cambodian government appointed ousted former Thai Prime Minister Shinawatra, considered a hero by the Red-Shirts, as an economic advisor in November 2009. Relations were restored only in August of this year after Shinawatra resigned. The Red-Shirt row now threatens to reverse the recent thaw in relations. (AFP, Canadian Press, Phnom Penh Post, AsiaOne)

CHINA: Chinese dissident wins Nobel Peace Prize

Imprisoned Chinese dissident and writer Liu Xiaobo was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize on October 8 for his advocacy of human rights and peaceful democratic change. He is the second person to win the prize while incarcerated. The Chinese Government criticized the decision of the Norwegian Nobel Committee. Many countries, including the U.S. and Japan have called for the Liu's release. Liu's wife is also reportedly under house arrest, and the U.S. and EU urged Beijing to let her move freely again. On Thursday, China rejected calls for Liu's release and stated that supporters of the imprisoned Liu were encouraging crime in the country and should stop interfering in his case. Comment: Liu is the first citizen of the People's Republic of China to win the Peace Prize. Analysts suggest that Liu's win underscored the limits of China's influence even as the country emerges as a global power. China had reportedly warned the Norwegian government in the run-up to the decision that selecting Liu would affect mutual ties and has subsequently canceled a string of meetings with Norwegian officials. (AP, AFP, Washington Post)

Yang Hyong-Sop, vice president of North Korea's parliament and a member of the Central Committee of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea, confirmed on Friday that Jong-Un will eventually succeed his father. The statement by the senior official was the first public confirmation of the succession. On Sunday, Jong-Un made his first major public appearance by joining his father for a military parade through the Pyongyang plaza marking the 65th anniversary of the founding of the Worker's Party. Meanwhile, Kim Jong-Nam, eldest son of the North Korean leader, stated in Beijing that he was opposed to the hereditary transfer of power to a third generation of his family. Comment: Seoul's Defense Minister Kim Tae-Young said on Monday that North Korea appears to have used Sunday's celebrations as "the formation of a succession platform" for Jong-Un. Selected international media were allowed into the secretive country to cover the parade. The succession was reportedly speeded after Kim Jong-Il suffered a stroke in 2008. (APTN, AFP, Daily Mail)

On October 13, Indonesia and Australia agreed to additional talks on the development of the proposed asylum center in East Timor. The Australian Government is pushing a proposal for a regional agreement to deal with asylum seekers. The proposal seeks to build a refugee processing center in Dili, capable of holding 2,000 detainees, in order to stem the flow of asylum seekers heading to Australia. Indonesia criticized the plan, and the head of Indonesia's immigration department, Mohammad Indra, said that the center would become a magnet for refugees. He stated, "For us, as the transit country, the processing centre will attract more asylum seekers passing through Indonesia." Meanwhile Australia on Thursday agreed that asylum seekers will not be held indefinitely and would spend a maximum of three years in the facility. The time-limit was a key condition laid down by East Timor in its negotiations over the refugee processing center. Comment: Thousands of asylum seekers travel through Southeast Asian countries every year on their way to Australia. Many link up with "people-smugglers" in Indonesia for the dangerous voyage. About 100 boats carrying more than 4,000 people have arrived this year. The influx of refugees has now become a politically sensitive issue for Gillard's fragile Labor-led coalition.(AFP, The Age, The Australian, ABC)

On October 13, Iran's President Ahmadinejad arrived in Lebanon for his first state visit since taking office in 2005. The visit has split Lebanese politicians, highlighting internal divisions and Iran's influence in Lebanon. President Ahmadinejad plans to tour the villages of Bint Jbeel and Qan, which are close to Lebanon's volatile border with Israel. Comment: Iran's staunch support for Hizbollah is highly opposed by Sunni Muslim and Christian political parties. The visit comes at a contentious time for Lebanon as tensions are running high over an investigation of the 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Hariri. (BBC,BBC, The Christian Science Monitor)

IRAQ: Iraq and Syria improve bilateral ties 

Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki visited Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on October 13. Maliki seeks support for a bid to retain his position as prime minister after inconclusive elections left Iraq's government at a standstill.  The visit aims to improve relations in the political, commercial, and economic sectors between the two countries and to promote the joint interests of security and stability in the region. Comment: Iraq and Syria have experienced strained diplomatic relations for decades. Last year, Maliki accused Syria of harboring those responsible for deadly blasts in Baghdad that left around 100 dead and 600 wounded. By improving bilateral relations, Maliki hopes that Syria uses its influence to end the political stalemate in Iraq and convince parties to join the government. (Reuters, AP, AFP)

KUWAIT: Migrant domestic workers' rights abused

Human Rights Watch (HRW) released a report on October 6 detailing the increase in abuse of migrant domestic workers in Kuwait. Many workers face minimal protection from their employers, work long hours with no days off, and are physically and sexually abused. In recent years, workers from Sri Lanka, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Ethiopia have filed more than 10,000 complaints of abuse to their respective embassies. Comment: There are 660,000 migrant domestic workers in Kuwait constituting nearly a third of the work force in a country of only 1.3 million citizens. HRW called upon the Kuwaiti government to include migrant domestic workers in the country's labor laws, and to abolish the sponsorship system which gives employers complete control over a worker. According to AFP, the Kuwaiti government plans to abolish the system in February. (BBC, AFP, UPI)