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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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December 17, 2024

Malaysia’s Anwar Appoints Former Thai PM as Advisor on ASEAN Affairs

By Sebastian Strangio
Thaksin Shinawatra, 75, is the first member of a “informal advisory group” that Malaysia intends to establish during its chairmanship of the Southeast Asian bloc.
December 16, 2024

UK Officially Joins Trans-Pacific Trade Agreement

By Sebastian Strangio
The country has become the 12th member of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership.

December 16, 2024

‘Bali Nine’ Drug Convicts Return to Australia After Indonesia Deal

By Sebastian Strangio
The five men have returned to Australia after having the rest of their life sentences commuted "on humanitarian grounds."

December 13, 2024

Myanmar Remains World’s Leading Source of Illegal Opium Cultivation

By Sebastian Strangio
Despite a slight decrease in opium production, the UNODC warned that the conditions were in place for its continued expansion.

December 12, 2024

Myanmar Economy to Shrink Further in 2025, World Bank Says

By Sebastian Strangio
Myanmar’s GDP is expected to contract by 1 percent in the fiscal year ending March 2025, a downward revision from the previous projection of modest growth.
December 12, 2024

Thai Government Approves Measures to Reduce Household Debt

By Sebastian Strangio
The country's household debt-to-GDP ratio is among the highest in Asia, which has acted as brake on its recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

December 11, 2024

Ex-Malaysian PM Mahathir Denies Betraying Country Over Island Dispute

By Sebastian Strangio
A royal commission of inquiry has recommended that the former leader face “criminal investigations” for dropping claims to two islets in a dispute with Singapore.
December 11, 2024

Philippines Will Not Deploy Navy in Stand-offs With China, Marcos Says

By Sebastian Strangio
On December 4, Chinese ships, including a navy vessel, confronted Philippine vessels close to a disputed shoal in the South China Sea.

December 10, 2024

Laos Bestows National Development Award on Sanctioned Chinese ‘Crime Boss’

By Sebastian Strangio
Zhao Wei is the head of the Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone in Bokeo province, a known haven of cyber-scam operations.

December 10, 2024

Ethnic Armed Group Claims Full Control of Myanmar’s Border With Bangladesh

By Sebastian Strangio
The Arakan Army says that it has captured the last remaining junta base in Maungdaw Township, after six months of fighting.

December 09, 2024

Indonesia, Philippines Agree to Repatriation of Filipina Drug Convict

By Sebastian Strangio
Mary Jane Veloso, 39, has been on death row in Indonesia since her arrest for heroin trafficking in 2010.
December 06, 2024

Vietnam Signs Agreement with Nvidia to Establish AI Research and Data Centers

By Sebastian Strangio
Last year, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said that he wanted to make Vietnam the AI chipmaker's "second home."

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