Category Archives: east asia

Occupy Singapore Flop

By admin | November 13, 2011

Inspired by the Occupy Wall Street movement, last week saw hundreds of protests against corporate greed and economic inequality spring up around the world. In Singapore, similar action was organized in the financial district to highlight the widening economic gap in the country and to ‘engage the public in creating a new form of democracy.’ […]

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WikiLeaks on Laos

By admin | October 25, 2011

The Laos files from WikiLeaks underscored the country’s underdevelopment, endemic corruption in the bureaucracy and the fragile state of its environment. But we already know that. What makes the cables interesting is the kind of frankness that we don’t often get to see or hear from diplomats’ public statements. For example, here’s how the US […]

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Myanmar’s ‘prisoners of conscience’

By admin | September 22, 2011

The plight of Burma’s political prisoners was among the principal issues raised by Tomas Ojea Quintana, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Burma, after his five-day mission to the country last month. Quintana, who has visited Burma four times since 2008, noted the positive steps taken by the government ‘that […]

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Year of ASEAN Opposition?

By admin | September 12, 2011

Since last year, opposition parties across Southeast Asia have achieved varying degrees of electoral and political success. The opposition Liberal Party dominated the 2010 Philippine elections and defeated the ruling party, which had been in power since 2001. The opposition victory reflected the unpopularity of former President Gloria Arroyo, who was accused of electoral fraud, […]

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Singapore’s Transport Woes

By admin | August 22, 2011

Singapore may be a global city known for its superior quality of living and efficient public services. But its mass transport system isn’t something to be envied. The overcrowding on buses and trains is the visible manifestation of the city’s transport mess, and the main transport operators SMRT (train service) and SBS (bus transit) have […]

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Saudization and Migrants

By admin | August 13, 2011

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is embarking on a ‘Saudization’ programme, or nationalization of jobs, called Nitaqat. Its goal is to provide more than one million new jobs to Saudi citizens by limiting the number of foreign workers that companies can employ. Under Nitaqat, a colour zoning scheme is implemented to determine if companies are […]

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Football Nationalism in Southeast Asia

By admin | July 16, 2011

The landslide victory of the opposition Puea Thai Party in Thailand’s general election may have been last Sunday’s top political story in Southeast Asia. But it certainly wasn’t the most talked about topic in the rest of the region. For most TV viewers and internet surfers in Laos, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Burma, it […]

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Thailand: Yingluck and Gender Politics

By admin | June 29, 2011

Yingluck Shinawatra could become Thailand’s first female prime minister if her Pheu Thai Party performs well in next month’s general election. And her chances certainly seem strong, despite her inexperience, because so many voters are disillusioned with male-dominated Thai politics. Sensing this growing frustration, Yingluck’s handlers have been emphasizing her natural ‘feminine qualities’ to attract […]

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Southeast Asia’s Last Strongman

By admin | June 14, 2011

Lee Kuan Yew, the founding father and architect of modern Singapore, resigned from the Cabinet a week after the ruling People’s Action Party suffered its worst performance in the polls since 1965. Lee was Prime Minister for 31 years from 1959 to 1990, and continued to lead Singapore as Senior Minister for 14 years and […]

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ASEAN and Human Rights Hypocrisy

By admin | May 29, 2011

Burma’s bid to chair the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in 2014 was politely dismissed when the bloc concluded its latest summit in Indonesia without a clear commitment on the matter. Instead of receiving support for its bid, Burma was advised by fellow ASEAN members to build better infrastructure first if it really wants to […]

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