HUMANITARIANS

The Debunker Monk Thailand

The South China Morning Post

A young saffron-robed monastic seeks to disabuse his fellow Buddhists of their misguided beliefs in rampant superstitions

Beauty in Death Thailand

The South China Morning Post

A volunteer mortuary cosmetologist provides free services to poor families so they can bid farewell to their deceased loved ones in style

Cserdi's voivode Hungary

The Christian Science Monitor

Once an impoverished Roma village was the pits. Now it's a community of budding entrepreneurs and philanthropists, thanks to a single man

The Enabler Hungary

The Christian Science Monitor

A Hungarian humanitarian has set out to harness the energies and abilities of people with disabilities

Big Big Mother Cambodia

The Jerusalem Report

A flamboyant Australian woman is unabashedly 'loud and pushy' in getting things done for the orphans in her care

Music man on a mission Thailand

The Christian Science Monitor

A classical pianist from Texas reaches out to young musicians from Sudan to Afghanistan by bringing them the sounds of America

Tinseltown story Cambodia

The Christian Science Monitor

A movie mogul turned his back on Hollywood to save the lives of children at Phnom Penh's garbage dumps

Visions of a generation Cambodia

The Christian Science Monitor

A survivor of the Killing Fields teaches self-respect and integrity to young Cambodians

Good as Gold Thailand

The Jerusalem Report

A retired college professor from San Francisco has set out to change lives from Afghanistan to Indonesia — a few dollars at a time

Let the children play Thailand

The Christian Science Monitor

A plucky British expat set about creating daycare centers for the children of migrant construction workers in a booming Thai resort town

Delivering books on elephant back Laos

The Christian Science Monitor

An American publisher has decided to get much-needed reading material to Lao children, through thick or thin

Cooking up a better future Vietnam

The Christian Science Monitor

An entrepreneur returned to Vietnam to help poor kids get off the mean streets by giving them marketable skills

Healing wounds old and new Burma

The Christian Science Monitor

Dr. Cynthia’s border clinic treats victims of war and penury from her native land

St. Joe of Bangkok’s slums Thailand

The Christian Science Monitor

An American Catholic priest gives shelter to abused and neglected children and teaches them “to be good”

The ‘Angel of Bang Kwang’ Thailand

The Sydney Morning Herald

A former Aussie flower child seeks to bring smiles to the faces of people who need it most

Bernie’s Law Cambodia

The Christian Science Monitor

Be it red tape or red carpet, a former Newsweek correspondent will stomp on it to get his way

Krisher the Pusher Cambodia

The Jerusalem Report

A onetime Jewish refugee brings the Internet and hope to Cambodia’s most destitute children

THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL

Tough as (Polished) Nails Thailand

The South China Morning Post

Female muay thai fighters are no shrinking violets, yet at their sport's hallowed bastions they can't touch the rings, much less compete in them

Gun Guys Thailand

The South China Morning Post

Firearm enthusiasts in knock-off uniforms draw inspiration from war movies and let it rip with military-grade weapons at firing ranges

Masters of their Mansion Thailand

The South China Morning Post

The roofs leak, the floorboards are loose and the pillars have cracked. But its owners won't sell their historic heritage at any price

Patpong Memories Thailand

The Jerusalem Report

A ‘culturally Jewish’ Austrian with a colorful family history pays homage to a notorious Bangkok red-light district in his new museum

Fellowship of the Ring Thailand

The South China Morning Post

Numerous youngsters see their way out of poverty through fierce fights. Critics, though,view the practice of encouraging kids to duke it out as child abuse

An Odd Pairing Thailand

The South China Morning Post

Lamsong and Hoy Salah are a bit like the Dumb and Dumber of food reviewers ... and they have become a delicious Internet sensation

The Prisoners of Gender Thailand

The South China Morning Post

Being transgender is a no-no in the conservative Islamic milieu of a southern Thai province. Luckily for Muslim transwomen, a freewheeling society awaits just a ride away

Graffiti guerrillas Thailand

The South China Morning Post

Street artists take on the powers that be with stencils and spray cans. The result: deliciously subversive wall paintings and murals

A whole new Jew Hungary

The Jerusalem Report

A far-right politician trivialized the Holocaust and blamed Jews for the wrongs of the world – before he found out that he was a Jew himself

The Reds’ Advocate Thailand

The Jerusalem Report

An international lawyer doesn’t shy away from verbal heavy artillery in his battles on behalf of his prominent clients

A friend of the dead Thailand

The Christian Science Monitor

A colorful – and literally so – forensic scientist works on high-profile cases in her fight against police impunity

An ex-Crip dances again Cambodia

The Christian Science Monitor

Deported to Cambodia, an ex-gangland stalwart from the US saves street kids – and himself – with break dance

The world in a matchbox Thailand

The Christian Science Monitor

A Thai boy’s fascination with collecting the tiny art on matchboxes grew into a seven-decade passion

Love and laughter Thailand

The Christian Science Monitor

A self-proclaimed 'superannuated hippie' brings Jesus to the Bangkok Hilton. She hugs and cackles a lot, but doesn't proselytize

The coin collector Thailand

The Christian Science Monitor

A numismatist has it all from “tiger tongue” money to “pig mouth” coins

Good old Dr. Siri Laos

The Christian Science Monitor

A crime writer has given a little-known land its very own celebrated sleuth

Blogging from behind bars Thailand

The Christian Science Monitor

A young drug addict has gained an international following with his no-holds-barred accounts of a troubled life

The accidental bartender Thailand

The Jerusalem Report

An American glamor photographer turned entrepreneur targets Bangkok's "hi-so" crowd by keeping some of the "low-so" sin out of his club in Sin City

All pumped up Hong Kong

The National Post

How a scrawny Montreal teen became master of a empire of health clubs

The ‘Jew’ in Jewelry Thailand

The Jerusalem Report

Israelis in Thailand and around the East are designing, manufacturing and selling silver jewelry — for the body and the soul

The Brokenbone Champ Thailand

The Jerusalem Report

Battered and bruised but undaunted, a onetime Jerusalem fishmonger is a tough-as-nails master of the rib-smashing sport of muay thai

Party animals' cartographer Thailand

The Jerusalem Report

For the ultimate fun-packed lightning tour of Bangkok, Beijing or Bali, an American expat has got a map for you

ANIMAL LOVERS

The Snake Charmer Thailand

The Christian Science Monitor

A wildlife expert seeks to save Thailand's beleaguered snakes by teaching people to fear them less

That Stinging Feeling Thailand

The South China Morning Post

Intrepid scorpion hunters are answering the call of snack sellers and restaurateurs who can’t keep up with demand for the crunchy delicacy

The Venom Man Thailand

The South China Morning Post

A monocled cobra in your bedroom? A reticulated python in your toilet? Who you gonna call? A fearless fireman, that's who.

The Killiman Thailand

The Christian Science Monitor

Everyone wants to save elephants and tigers. A Thai businessman has set out to save lesser-known species from freshwater fish to karst-dwelling geckos

Canine Karma Thailand

The South China Morning Post

Sending pets off on their way back to auspicious new rebirths has become a bit of a cottage industry at a Buddhist temple

Cub scouts Laos

The South China Morning Post

A small team of dedicated conservationists are ratcheting up the fight against the bile trade and building a new sanctuary for rescued moon bears

A home for Mr. Kit Laos

The South China Morning Post

The founders of an ecotourism start-up in Luang Prabang want to do elephant tourism right by providing the entertainment without the exploitation

Prairie dogged Thailand

The Bangkok Post

In their native North America, the borrowing squirrels are widely seen as pesky pests. In Thailand, though, they are pampered pets

Mochas and meerkats Thailand

The South China Morning Post

Wanna have desserts in the company of raccoons, fennec foxes and caracal cats? An animal cafe offers just that chance, for better or worse

Friends, not food Thailand

The Christian Science Monitor

A retired couple and their animal charity are on a quest to get dogs off the menu in Southeast Asia, from Thailand to Vietnam

The Elephant Whisperer Thailand

The Christian Science Monitor

A British backpacker cut her trip short to tend to a sickly baby elephant. Today her sanctuary is home to several rescued jumbos

Suffer the little bears Cambodia

The Christian Science Monitor

An Australian grandmother has created sanctuaries across Southeast Asia for much-abused sun and moon bears

Saving the last big cats Burma

The Christian Science Monitor

Tigers, leopards, jaguars – they have a friend in an intrepid conservationist from New York