Category Archives: east asia

Time For Southeast Asia to Address its Climate Problem

By admin | December 7, 2015

Written for The Diplomat Though transboundary haze pollution and the El Niño phenomenon are often reported these days across Southeast Asia, these issues deserve greater attention from regional leaders. These are no longer national problems that local politicians can easily address through rhetoric; the situation already demands a stronger action which can be effectively realized […]

Also posted in greens, nation | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Is East Timor Now a Rich Country?

By admin | November 28, 2015

Written for The Diplomat Timor-Leste’s Ministry of Finance issued a press statement claiming that the small Southeast Asian nation is already among the richest countries in the world. It cited a report of the Global Finance magazine which ranked Timor-Leste’s GDP per capita on a purchasing power parity basis as the 87th highest in the […]

Also posted in economy | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

ASEAN’s Joint Communique: It’s Not Just About China or the South China Sea

By admin | October 11, 2015

Written for The Diplomat The 48th foreign ministerial meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Malaysia concluded by releasing a communique last week. As expected, most media reports focused on the position of ASEAN with regard the South China Sea dispute involving China. This is newsworthy because the issue has regional implications and […]

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

Malay Pride Rally Stokes Race Politics in Malaysia

By admin | September 24, 2015

Written for The Diplomat More than 250 licensed non-government organizations in Malaysia are planning to mobilize 30,000 people on September 16 to protect and promote Maruah Melayu (Malay dignity). The event also aims to show support for the beleaguered leadership of Prime Minister Najib Razak, who is being implicated in a corruption scandal. The event […]

Also posted in media | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Prison Notes of a Singaporean Teenager

By admin | September 13, 2015

Written for The Diplomat “There is barely any sense of time in prison, there are no clocks in cells. Our only indications of time is the little light that seeps out from the vent. And everyday my cellmates would eagerly wait for that light to dissipate, knowing that another day has passed, and they’re one […]

Posted in east asia | Tagged | Leave a comment

Thailand: Prayut’s TV Speeches Give Hints on Transition

By admin | August 13, 2015

Written for The Diplomat Since 2014, Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has been addressing the public through his weekly speeches, which are broadcast live on all television channels. This is government propaganda but democracy advocates can also invoke some of the statements made by the former army general to push for the early restoration of […]

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

A Tough Year for Southeast Asia’s Opposition Parties

By admin | July 31, 2015

Written for The Diplomat If protests and minor election setbacks hounded the ruling parties across Southeast Asia in the past two years, their situation this year has already improved somewhat as opposition leaders in the region run into varying difficulties. In Myanmar, opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi still cannot run for the presidency because […]

Also posted in nation, youth | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Myanmar’s Refugee Problem Is Worse Than You Thought

By admin | July 4, 2015

Written for The Diplomat Two months ago, the world was shocked to discover the persecution endured by the Rohingya ethnic group, which drove many of them to seek asylum in several Southeast Asian countries. The majority of the boat refugees came from Myanmar. But the refugee problem could be worse. Consider these statistics provided by […]

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

Who Will Benefit from the ASEAN Economic Community?

By admin | June 17, 2015

Written for The Diplomat One of the major projects of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations is the establishment of an ASEAN Economic Community, which aims to integrate Southeast Asia’s diverse economies, a region with 600 million people and a combined gross domestic product of $2.4 trillion. But several civil society organizations are moving to […]

Also posted in economy | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Laos’ Economic Agenda

By admin | June 10, 2015

Written for The Diplomat This year marks the 60th anniversary of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party (formerly known as Lao People’s Party), which was founded together with the Indochina Communist Party to expel foreign invaders from Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam. The struggle for independence finally succeeded in 1975, which led to the establishment of the […]

Posted in east asia | Tagged , , | 1 Comment