Category Archives: east asia

The Meaning of the Mandalay Riots in Myanmar

By admin | July 29, 2014

Written for The Diplomat More rioting between Buddhist and Muslim groups erupted in Myanmar early this month, killing two people and injuring 14 others. The fatalities included a young Buddhist man who was riding a bike and a Muslim bicycle shop owner. The riots – which took place over four days in Mandalay, Myanmar’s second […]

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Thailand’s ‘Happy’ Coup

By admin | July 12, 2014

Published by The Diplomat Thailand’s coup regime is handing out freebies to prove its sincerity in bringing happiness back to the country. First, it arranged live broadcasts of all 64 World Cup matches on Thailand’s free TV. Then it lifted the night curfew in more than 20 provinces, allowing football fans and tourists to watch […]

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The Jokowi Effect in Southeast Asia

By admin | June 28, 2014

Published by The Diplomat Jakarta Governor Joko Widodo, or Jokowi as he is popularly known, is on track to be the next president of Indonesia. And if he continues his impressive performance as a public servant, he may soon emerge as the most credible leader in Southeast Asia. Win or lose in the coming presidential […]

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Free Speech Under Attack in Southeast Asia

By admin | June 25, 2014

Published by The Diplomat One undeniable and distressing sign that Southeast Asian democracy is regressing is the rising incidence of media freedom violations in the region. If political reforms are slow or are being reversed, the state of free speech is faring even more badly. The muzzling of the press under Thailand’s coup regime reflects […]

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Coup Revives Thailand’s Democracy Movement

By admin | June 14, 2014

First published by The Diplomat General Prayuth Chan-ocha may have received a royal endorsement for launching a coup in Thailand, but the junta could face serious opposition from a nascent citizen democracy movement. In the past several days, hundreds of Thais have joined anti-coup protests across the country, defying an army directive against the gathering […]

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Obama in Philippines: ‘Our Goal Is Not to Contain China’

By admin | May 30, 2014

Written for The Diplomat The Philippines and the United States have signed a new defense agreement that would boost the presence of U.S. troops in the Philippines. But President Barack Obama, who arrived in Manila yesterday on a state visit, claims that the new accord is not meant to contain China. After eight rounds of […]

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The Legacy of Writer and Activist Win Tin

By admin | May 14, 2014

Written for The Diplomat Myanmar is grieving the death of Burmese writer and pro-democracy leader U Win Tin, who died of renal failure on April 21 at the age of 85. Win Tin was editor of a popular newspaper in the 1960s, when he became critical of the military junta. Perhaps his most enduring legacy […]

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Singapore Criminalizes Cyber Bullying and Stalking

By admin | April 30, 2014

Written for The Diplomat Singapore’s netizens have a new legal weapon to defeat the “trolls” of the Internet after Parliament recently approved an anti-harassment law. Under the new law, anti-social acts such as cyber harassment, bullying of children, sexual harassment in the workplace, and stalking are now deemed illegal. A person found guilty of unlawful […]

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Cambodia and Indonesia in the Oscars

By admin | April 26, 2014

Written for The Diplomat Two Oscar-nominated films tackled some very controversial issues involving the modern histories of Cambodia and Indonesia. Rithy Panh’s The Missing Picture made history by becoming the first Cambodian film to be nominated for an Academy Award. Meanwhile, Joshua Oppenheimer’s The Act of Killing was the documentary about Indonesia to get the […]

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Global Spotlight on Malaysia’s Political Tragedies

By admin | April 3, 2014

Malaysia is currently confronting its worst crisis caused by its inability to explain the mysterious disappearance of Malaysian Airlines flight MH370. The government in particular is accused of being less transparent in presenting updates about the search for the missing MH370. But before Malaysian gained global notoriety for mishandling the situation, it was already facing […]

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