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Sebastian Strangio

Sebastian Strangio

Sebastian Strangio is Southeast Asia editor at The Diplomat. 

In 2008, he began his career as a reporter at The Phnom Penh Post in Cambodia, and has since traveled and reported extensively across the 10 nations of ASEAN. Sebastian’s writing has appeared in leading publications including Foreign Affairs, the Los Angeles Review of Books, and The New York Times, The Diplomat, and Nikkei Asian Review, among many others. He is the author of “Hun Sen’s Cambodia” (Yale, 2014), a path-breaking examination of Cambodia since the fall of the Khmer Rouge, and “In the Dragon’s Shadow: Southeast Asia in the Chinese Century (Yale, 2020). 

Alongside his journalistic work, Sebastian has also consulted for a wide variety of economic risk firms and non-government organizations, and is quoted frequently in the international media on political developments in Southeast Asia. Sebastian holds a B.A. and Master’s degree in international politics from The University of Melbourne. He currently lives in Adelaide.

You can get in touch with Sebastian via Twitter, Facebook, or email.

Posts by Sebastian Strangio
January 24, 2025

Hundreds of Same-Sex Couples Wed as Thailand’s Marriage Equality Bill Comes Into Effect

By Sebastian Strangio
Pop-up marriage booths were set up in Bangkok and other Thai cities to handle the eager backlog of couples.

January 23, 2025

Mekong Nations Pledge to Bolster Anti-scam Efforts in 2025

By Sebastian Strangio
China says it is leading regional efforts to crack down on online scamming operations and other transnational criminal activities.
January 23, 2025

Singapore PM Forms Electoral Boundaries Committee, Paving Way For Election

By Sebastian Strangio
Lawrence Wong is set to lead the ruling People's Action Party (PAP) into an election for the first time since taking office last May.

January 22, 2025

Malaysia Seeks Gag Order on Ex-PM Najib’s Royal Document Case

By Sebastian Strangio
The former leader is seeking to convert his current prison sentence, handed down for his involvement in the 1MDB corruption scandal, to house arrest.

January 22, 2025

Trade Resumes After Myanmar Military and Major Rebel Group Agree to Ceasefire

By Sebastian Strangio
The agreement between the military and the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army came after months of Chinese pressure to return to political dialogue.

January 21, 2025

Prabowo’s Approval Rating Tops 80 Percent After 100 Days in Office

By Sebastian Strangio
Since taking office in October, the Indonesian president's popularity has been boosted by his tax cuts and free meal program.
January 21, 2025

ASEAN Foreign Ministers Tell Myanmar Junta to Prioritize Peace Over Elections

By Sebastian Strangio
The bloc says that any poll must be "inclusive," but it has limited power to deter the junta from its election plans.

January 17, 2025

China’s FM Calls on Southeast Asia to Tackle Online Scamming Scourge

By Sebastian Strangio
Wang Yi told ASEAN ambassadors that scamming poses “serious threats to the vital interests of citizens from China and other countries.”

January 17, 2025

Indonesia’s President Prabowo to Pay State Visit to India Next Week

By Sebastian Strangio
The planned trip, which follows visits to China and the United States late last year, underscores Prabowo's focus on major power diplomacy over regional engagement.

January 16, 2025

Japan ‘Gravely Concerned’ About South China Sea Tensions, FM Says

By Sebastian Strangio
Speaking in Manila, Iwaya Takeshi said that his country's partnership with Southeast Asia was "vital for regional peace and stability,”

January 16, 2025

Thai Police Issue Arrest Warrant For Cambodian Linked to Former MP’s Killing

By Sebastian Strangio
Like the other Cambodian national wanted in connection with the murder, Ly Ratanakrasmey, 43, has links to the Cambodian government.
January 15, 2025

Vietnam Signs Nuclear Cooperation Deal With Russian Government

By Sebastian Strangio
Hanoi is restarting its civilian nuclear program nearly a decade after canceling it over cost and safety concerns.

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