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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

December 26, 2013

Cambodia’s Looted Art and Other Embarrassments

By Luke Hunt

Theft of Buddhist artifacts calls Cambodia’s ability to protect national treasures into question.

December 18, 2013

Drugs, Surfing and Shiploads of Trouble

By Luke Hunt

Peter Maguire, author of Thai Stick, talks about pot smuggling in Southeast Asia and the War on Drugs.

December 17, 2013

Missing Sombath Still Dogging Laos

By Luke Hunt

Scrutiny from human rights groups and charges from the ICC likely if officials don’t come clean.

December 13, 2013

Credit Suisse Invests Big in Vietnamese Land Grabber

By Luke Hunt

Swiss bank becomes largest international shareholder of HAGL days after Deutsche Bank divests.

December 13, 2013

Even the Chinese are Rapping Cambodian Knuckles

By Luke Hunt

China joins the ranks of Cambodia critics, accusing the Hun Sen regime of corruption.

December 10, 2013

People Smugglers Feel the Pinch

By Luke Hunt

People smugglers find business tougher as the Australian government’s crackdown begins to have an impact.

December 06, 2013

Maid Wars Continue to Simmer

By Luke Hunt

The murder trial of an Indonesian maid highlights deep-seated concerns over cheap foreign labor.

December 04, 2013

Deutsche Bank Divests Stake after Report on Vietnamese Land Grabs

By Luke Hunt

Scathing report by Global Witness likely influenced the bank’s decision to abandon HAGL.

November 30, 2013

Scientists: The Saigon River Is Dying

By Luke Hunt

Current wastewater management infrastructure can’t even begin to treat staggering levels of pollution.

November 26, 2013

Thai Tensions Escalate as Protests Gain Momentum

Yellow Shirts lash out against Yingluck, Thaksin, and one unfortunate journalist.

November 23, 2013

Naypyidaw Rejects UN Appeal

The plight of the Rohingya continues as Myanmar refuses to grant them citizenship.

November 20, 2013

Japanese Maintain Soft Approach Vying for Indochinese Influence

Tokyo has earned plaudits for its aid approach, but it wants support for its maritime disputes.