Category Archives: east asia

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 […]

Posted in east asia | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Myanmar’s Census Controversy

By admin | March 22, 2014

Written for The Diplomat Myanmar is scheduled to hold a census next month but local and international monitoring groups are worried that it could inflame ethnic and religious tensions in the country. The census, supported by several UN agencies, is deemed important because it has been more than 30 years since a nationwide census was […]

Posted in east asia | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Why Rice Is Heating Up Politics in Thailand and the Philippines

By admin | March 5, 2014

Written for The Diplomat Rice is a staple food in Southeast Asia, which explains why many politicians panic when rice farmers are agitated or when consumers complain about high prices. Today, rice farmers in Thailand are protesting after the national government repeatedly failed to pay them under the rice pledging program. In the Philippines, the […]

Also posted in economy, nation | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Thailand Election by the Numbers

By admin | February 18, 2014

Written for The Diplomat Thailand conducted a “peaceful” election yesterday amid worsening political tension in the country. Let us first review some essential numbers: Thailand has 48 million eligible voters out of a population of 65 million. According to the Election Commission, voting took place in 89 percent of 93,952 polling stations nationwide. But the […]

Posted in east asia | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Malaysia’s Kangkung Meme

By admin | February 5, 2014

Written for The Diplomat Kangkung, or water spinach, has been trending in Malaysia since last week after Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak cited it as an example of a commodity that has become less expensive over the course of his administration. Najib was responding to protests against rising prices caused by the government’s decision to […]

Posted in east asia | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Protests Greet New Year in Southeast Asia

By admin | January 18, 2014

Written for The Diplomat Southeast Asia was rocked by street protests during the first week of the new year – a troubling preview of the unfolding political and economic crisis gripping many countries in the region. In Malaysia, consumers rallied against the looming price hikes in petrol, sugar and other basic products. In Cambodia, garment […]

Posted in east asia | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Southeast Asia in 2013: Disasters and Election Protests

By admin | January 12, 2014

Written for The Diplomat Southeast Asia experienced numerous disasters in 2013: oil spills, dengue outbreaks, earthquakes, bus crashes, and massive floods. But the two biggest were the trans-boundary haze pollution that affected Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia; and super typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda), which wrought devastation in the central part of the Philippines. The haze was caused […]

Posted in east asia | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

East Timor-Australia Spying Scandal

By admin | December 31, 2013

Written for The Diplomat It seems Australia likes to spy on its neighbors. After Indonesia, it is East Timor’s turn to criticize Australia for alleged espionage targeting its leaders. Australia is accused of conducting an operation that targeted East Timor’s Cabinet when the two countries were negotiating a gas treaty in 2004. After learning about […]

Posted in east asia | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Thailand’s Provocative Protesters

By admin | December 9, 2013

Written for The Diplomat News of Thai protesters occupying several government buildings in Bangkok reminded many of similar provocative rallies which shook the nation’s capital in 2008 and 2010. Indeed, one way to analyze how the current crisis will unfold is to review how various political forces reacted in the past. In 2008 the People’s […]

Posted in east asia | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Why Rallies Are Not Really Rallies in Manila and Phnom Penh

By admin | October 31, 2013

Written for The Diplomat, before the September 11 anti-pork EDSA event. Since last month, Cambodians and Filipinos have been staging massive outdoor rallies in their respective capitals but curiously they are denying that these are protests. After accusing the ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) of manipulating the July 28 election results, the opposition Cambodia National […]

Posted in east asia | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment