Category Archives: east asia

Thailand’s Absurd ‘Red Bowl’ Sedition Threat

By admin | May 9, 2016

Read more at The Diplomat A housewife was arrested and charged with sedition in Thailand for posting a photo of a red bowl given by ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra on Facebook. She was released after posting a bail of 100,000 baht ($2,800). If found guilty in a military trial, she could face up to […]

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Behind Cambodia’s Social Media War

By admin | April 29, 2016

Over the past few weeks, there has been a focus in Cambodia on what one might call an ongoing social media war between the ruling party and its opposition. The Facebook page of the current Cambodian prime minister Hun Sen, who has governed the country for more than three decades, now has more than 3 […]

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Remembering ‘People Power’ in ASEAN

By admin | April 20, 2016

In recent years, the “Occupy” movements and “Arab Spring” came to symbolize popular actions for social change across the world. In Southeast Asia, the massive gathering of citizens against an unjust political order is more widely known as an expression and legacy of “People Power.” The idea of People Power became a potent political force […]

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Cambodia’s Hun Sen Wants a South China Sea Apology

By admin | March 10, 2016

Written for The Diplomat Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen is seeking apology from those who criticized him in 2012 when the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) failed to issue a joint communique for the first time in the organization’s history during Cambodia’s chairmanship. In 2012, some analysts accused Cambodia, then the ASEAN chair, of […]

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A ‘Prayut Effect’ in Southeast Asia?

By admin | February 28, 2016

Written for The Diplomat Three new leaders have risen to power in Southeast Asia since 2014: Thailand’s Prayut Chan-o-cha, Indonesia’s Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, and Myanmar’s Aung San Suu Kyi. In some ways, the three could not be more different. Prayut was the army chief who led a coup and established a new government in Thailand. […]

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What Made Headlines in Southeast Asia in 2015?

By admin | January 23, 2016

Written for The Diplomat A look back at some of the top stories from Southeast Asia in 2015: 1. Landslide victory for Myanmar’s National League for Democracy. Opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi may be constitutionally barred from becoming president of Myanmar but her party secured an historic victory in the general election. A tenth […]

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1975: The Start and End of Conflict in Southeast Asia

By admin | January 14, 2016

Written for The Diplomat This year, we commemorate the 40th anniversary of the end of Vietnam War, a two-decade conflict that pitted a poor and divided Asian nation against the rich and powerful United States. Understandably, it was a politically significant moment in world history. But there were other equally memorable events that took place […]

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Who Are Southeast Asia’s ‘Lost’ Generations?

By admin | January 9, 2016

Written for The Diplomat The theme of ‘lost generations’ is relevant across Southeast Asia, a region besieged by decades of civil war, foreign invasion, military dictatorship, and economic underdevelopment over the past half century. In Myanmar, the ‘missing’ generation refers to young people who were deprived by the military regime of the right to political […]

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Malaysia’s New National Security Law: A Step Toward Dictatorship?

By admin | December 22, 2015

Written for The Diplomat Malaysia’s parliament swiftly approved the proposed National Security Council Bill despite the appeal of the opposition to conduct more debates and consultations about the measure. The bill, which was just introduced on December 1, was immediately tabled for deliberation despite the admission of the ruling party that there was no internal […]

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Politics of Memory: What 1965 Means in Southeast Asia

By admin | December 15, 2015

Written for The Diplomat The year 1965 is politically significant in several Southeast Asian countries: Singapore became an independent nation, Ferdinand Marcos was elected president of the Philippines, and an anti-communist purge killed at least half a million people in Indonesia. Singapore separated from the Malaysian Federation and subsequently, an independent government was established led […]

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