South East Asia in the context of "East Timor independence"

The Indian elephant (Elephas maximus indicus) is one of three extant recognized subspecies of the Asian elephant, native to mainland Asia. The species is smaller than the African elephant species with a convex back and the highest body point on its head. The species exhibits significant sexual dimorphism with a male reaching an average shoulder height of about 2.75 m (9 ft 0 in) and weighing 4,000 kg (8,800 lb) whereas a female reaches an average shoulder height of about 2.4 m (7 ft 10 in) and weighs 2,700 kg (6,000 lb). It has a broader skull with a concave forehead, two large laterally folded ears and a large trunk. It has smooth grey skin with four large legs and a long tail.

The Indian elephant is native to mainland Asia with nearly three-fourth of the population found in India. The species is also found in other countries of the Indian subcontinent including Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar and South East Asian countries including Thailand, Malaysia, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam with small populations in China. It inhabits grasslands, dry deciduous, moist deciduous, evergreen and semi-evergreen forests across the range. The species is classified as a megaherbivore and consume up to 150 kg (330 lb) of plant matter per day. They consume a variety of diet depending on the habitat and seasons and might include leaves and twigs of fresh foliage, thorn-bearing shoots, flowering plants, fruits and grass.

Tamil Hindus (Tamil: தமிழ் இந்துக்கள்) are the Tamil-speaking people who follow Hinduism.

Hinduism was the first religion to reach the ancient Tamil kingdoms. Tamil Nadu is home to one of the largest functioning Hindu temples in the world. Tamil influence was one of the contributing factors in survival of Hinduism in Sri Lanka and its spreading in South East Asia. Before the Vedic period, many of them followed the ancient Dravidian folk religion. The Hinduism practiced by Tamils today is a fusion of Vedic and Dravidian traditions. There are notable population of Tamil Hindus in Sri Lanka and in Indian states of Tamil Nadu, with small populations in Kerala and Karnataka. Though they are present in many countries as diaspora. During the Sri Lankan Civil War, many Tamils emigrated and Hindu temples were built abroad by the Sri Lankan Tamil diaspora to maintain their religion, tradition and culture.

A gopuram or gopura is a monumental entrance tower, usually ornate, at the entrance of a Hindu temple, in the Dravidian architecture of South India, and Sri Lanka. In temples in other parts of India, they might be present but are more modest, while they are often the highest parts of the temple in the south. They also appear in architecture outside India such as the Khmer architecture in South East Asia.

The gopurams often function as gateways to the temple complex. They might be multi-storeyed and the higher levels typically repeat the lower level features on a rhythmic diminishing scale. They may consist of various sculptures and ornamentation. They are topped by one or more kalasams, which are a type of bulbous metal or stone finials. The gopurams are designed and constructed as per rules given in the texts of Vaastu Shastra.

Asylum in Australia has been granted to many refugees since 1945, when half a million Europeans displaced by World War II were given asylum. Since then, there have been periodic waves of asylum seekers from South East Asia and the Middle East, with government policy and public opinion changing over the years.

Refugees are governed by statutes and government policies which seek to implement Australia's obligations under the Convention relating to the Status of Refugees, to which Australia is a party. Thousands of refugees have sought asylum in Australia over the past decade, with the main forces driving movement being war, civil unrest and persecution. The annual refugee quota in 2012 was 20,000 people. From 1945 to the early 1990s, more than half a million refugees and other displaced persons were accepted into Australia.