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The Diplomat | Author

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

April 03, 2016

What If They Gave an ASEAN Summit and the Media Failed to Turn Up?

By Luke Hunt

Host nation Laos is doing its very best to make sure they don’t.

March 24, 2016

Why Did Cambodia’s Hun Sen Reshuffle His Cabinet?

By Luke Hunt

A closer look at the move and what it means.

March 19, 2016

Sexual Violation Under Cambodia’s Khmer Rouge

By Luke Hunt

New evidence confirms a brutal legacy of forced marriages and state-sponsored rape.

March 12, 2016

Drought Fans Tensions Along the Mekong

By Luke Hunt

Thailand and Laos trade barbs.

March 03, 2016

Detained Christians in Thailand: ASEAN’s Latest Refugee Issue

By Luke Hunt

Their plight is an all-too-familiar story in the region.

February 26, 2016

China’s Defense Posturing Shields Its Economic Distress

By Luke Hunt

Could a Chinese economic slowdown provide ASEAN leaders with some much-needed leverage?

February 25, 2016

Malaysia, Philippines Face a New Sultan at a Bad Time

By Luke Hunt

The new Sulu Sultan is still staking a claim over Sabah.

February 21, 2016

Beware ASEAN’s Coming Economic Gloom

By Luke Hunt

There is growing evidence that the region’s economic prospects are dimming.

February 13, 2016

What a New Vietnam-Russia Deal Says About the Mekong’s Future

By Luke Hunt

A rather unusual business transaction shows how some Mekong countries are focusing on aquaculture with the river’s future in peril.

February 05, 2016

How Safe is ASEAN from Global Economic Turmoil?

By Luke Hunt

Recent numbers indicate that some members of the bloc may be more insulated from a downturn than initially thought.

January 25, 2016

Leadership Change in Laos: A Shift Away From China?

By Luke Hunt

The election of new leaders may signal a shift away from a heavy dependence on Beijing, among other things.

January 22, 2016

Mekong River Commission Faces Radical Change

By Luke Hunt

Donors have dropped their funding, forcing a radical restructuring.