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Luke Hunt

Luke Hunt is a Southeast Asia correspondent for The Diplomat. He has spent three decades working in the region and produces the Beyond the Mekong podcast. He can be followed on Patreon and X – formerly Twitter.

He served as bureau chief for Agence France-Presse in Cambodia and in Afghanistan under Taliban occupation – where he was commended by the United Nations for the “best and most insightful” coverage of the Afghan civil war. Hunt also covered the U.S.-led invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq, and the Global War on Terrorism that followed, specializing in Islamic militancy.

Throughout the 2010s, Hunt focused on civil conflict and uprisings from the Middle East to East Asia and as an adjunct professor wrote the course War, Media & International Relations for Pannasastra University in Cambodia. He is the author of the “Punji Trap” and co-author of “Barings Lost” and is the recipient of several awards including the Hong Kong Human Rights Press Awards, Society of Publishers in Asia, and the World Association of Newspapers.

Follow him on X at @lukeanthonyhunt.

Posts by Luke Hunt

September 14, 2024

Am and Steve Sandford: Witness to a Myanmar Genocide

By Luke Hunt

The journalists discuss the Rohingya persecutions: How did it start and when will it end?

September 11, 2024

To Lam Signals No Honeymoon for Vietnamese Journalists and Dissidents

By Luke Hunt

Nguyen Vu Binh was jailed for seven years over a YouTube post, a simple signal that more of the same is to come under Lam’s tenure.

September 02, 2024

Tamil Refugee Self-Immolates in a Melbourne Suburb

By Luke Hunt

Church groups hope Pope Francis takes notice of asylum seekers during his upcoming visit to Papua New Guinea.

August 30, 2024

Sean Turnell on Myanmar, Civil War, and Economic Reform

By Luke Hunt

How the "best laid plans" of Aung San Suu Kyi's civilian government went awry.

August 26, 2024

Nic Dunlop on the Importance of Photography

By Luke Hunt

The veteran Bangkok-based photojournalist takes aim at the World Press Photo awards.

August 15, 2024

Myanmar’s Rebel Militias Redeploy Towards Mandalay

By Luke Hunt

Anti-regime forces aim to take the former royal capital by year's end.

July 31, 2024

UNESCO to Investigate Alleged Rights Abuses at Angkor Wat

By Luke Hunt

The rights group Amnesty International says more than 40,000 people have been forcibly displaced.

July 29, 2024

In Myanmar, An Impossible Election Is in China’s Interests

By Luke Hunt

With the country's state of emergency due to expire at the end of the month, the junta is plotting its next move.

July 19, 2024

Prosecuting War Crimes in Myanmar and Ukraine

By Luke Hunt

A conversation with Lars Olsen about Cambodia’s hybrid tribunal and lessons for prosecuting war crimes elsewhere.

July 05, 2024

Myanmar’s Civil War: A View from Washington

By Luke Hunt

Michael Martin of CSIS discusses the progress of the conflict, and the possible impact of the U.S. presidential election.

June 28, 2024

Myanmar’s Junta Is Also Losing on the Supermarket Shelves

By Luke Hunt

International financial institutions say the country's economy is stagnating. In reality, it is going backwards.

June 25, 2024

Killing of Monks Raises Fear of a Holy Conflict in Myanmar

By Luke Hunt

As mourners queue, the military apologizes and issues a rare apology for the military's shooting of two monks, including an influential abbot.