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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
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July 09, 2024

Philippines, Japan Sign Reciprocal Access Agreement Amid China Tensions

By Sebastian Strangio
The two sides say that the agreement marks a decisive step forward in their bilateral defense relationship.
July 09, 2024

Thai Legalization Advocates Rally as Government Moves Toward Cannabis Ban

By Sebastian Strangio
Late last week, a drug control committee approved a proposal to relist the drug as a narcotic by the end of the year.

July 08, 2024

Malaysia Appoints New Negotiator for Southern Thailand Peace Talks

By Sebastian Strangio
The change comes amid an uptick in violent attacks in the Deep South, including the killing of a prominent human rights defender.

July 07, 2024

Myanmar Junta’s No. 2 Visits China Amid ‘Intense’ Fighting

By Sebastian Strangio
Vice-Senior Gen. Soe Win's visit comes shortly after the Three Brotherhood Alliance of ethnic armed groups resumed their offensive in Shan State.

July 05, 2024

China’s BYD Opens EV Factory in Thailand, Expanding Regional Presence

By Sebastian Strangio
The factory is the Chinese automaker's first in Southeast Asia, where it already dominates the fast-growing market for electric vehicles.
July 05, 2024

Philippine Military Demands $1M in Reparations From China After Maritime Clash

By Sebastian Strangio
The two sides pledged this week to de-escalate the situation after a June 17 clash at a disputed shoal in the Spratly Islands.

July 04, 2024

Fighting Erupts in Myanmar’s Shan State as Armed Groups Resume Offensive

By Sebastian Strangio
The Three Brotherhood Alliance has launched the second phase of its Operation 1027 offensive, attacking regime positions across northern Shan.
July 04, 2024

Malaysian Court Slaps Down Former PM Najib’s House Arrest Bid

By Sebastian Strangio
The former leader's legal team claim that the former king issued an order allowing him to finish his sentence “under condition of home arrest.”

July 03, 2024

China, Philippines Pledge to De-escalate Tensions in South China Sea

By Sebastian Strangio
The "frank and constructive discussions” came two weeks after a major clash close to Second Thomas Shoal in the Spratly Islands.

July 03, 2024

Cambodian Court Sentences Environmental Activists to Hefty Prison Terms

By Sebastian Strangio
The 10 activists, four of whom were arrested outside the court, are members of the group Mother Nature, which was deregistered in 2017.

July 02, 2024

Indonesia Announces Hefty Tariffs on Chinese-made Goods

By Sebastian Strangio
The country’s small businesses could “collapse" under a flood of low-cost Chinese goods, the country's trade minister said.
July 02, 2024

Thai Constitutional Court to Conclude Key Political Cases By September

By Sebastian Strangio
The two high-profile cases could determine the fate of Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin and the opposition Move Forward Party.

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