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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

April 17, 2023

NUG Warns ASEAN Not to Negotiate with Myanmar Junta

By Luke Hunt

The call came as the death toll from last week's airstrike on Kanbalu township rose to 168.

April 11, 2023

Thousands Flee Myanmar Amid Heavy Fighting Around Shwe Kokko

By Luke Hunt

Casino targeted as displaced civilians find sanctuary in Thailand.

April 04, 2023

Cambodian PM Tells Foreign Countries to Choose

By Luke Hunt

Have Western embassies been told to consider closing?

March 31, 2023

Hun Sen Announces Free Tickets for Southeast Asian Games

By Luke Hunt

The Cambodian leader has also said that broadcast rights will also be free, ending a standoff with Thailand.

March 27, 2023

Cambodia and Thailand: A Tale of Two Elections

By Luke Hunt

The two countries have both been criticized in recent years for violating democratic norms, but that’s about where the similarities end.

March 20, 2023

Should Myanmar Be Declared a Failed State?

By Luke Hunt

There is mounting evidence that the military administration has lost its hold on the country.

March 14, 2023

ICC Asked to Expand Investigations After Further Massacres in Myanmar

By Luke Hunt

Victims were reportedly decapitated, amputated, and disemboweled in a grisly incident in Sagaing Region.

February 27, 2023

Rescuing the Trafficked in Southeast Asia

By Luke Hunt

A conversation about modern day enslavement in Southeast Asia.

February 24, 2023

It’s Time for the Leadership of Myanmar’s NUG to Step Up

By Luke Hunt

Western sanctions should be welcomed but the country's opposition must do more.

February 21, 2023

The Cambodian Government’s ‘Recommendations’ For Journalists

By Luke Hunt

This month's closure of the independent news outlet Voice of Democracy serves as a warning for those who fail to toe the government line.

February 07, 2023

Focus on Human Trafficking Shifts From Cambodia to Myanmar

By Luke Hunt

Interpol proves its worth in cross-border rescue operation in the country's east.

January 31, 2023

Cambodia’s Turn to Raise Eyebrows Over Infrastructure Projects

By Luke Hunt

Up to $30 billion in financing is potentially on the table – most of it from China.