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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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October 30, 2024

Malaysian Court Rules Evidence Sufficient for Second 1MDB Trial to Proceed

By Sebastian Strangio
Former Prime Minister Najib Razak has been ordered to enter his defense against four charges of abuse of power and 21 charges of money laundering.
October 30, 2024

EU Announces Sanctions on Myanmar Militia Involved in Online Scams

By Sebastian Strangio
The European Council has targeted three individuals and one entity associated with the Karen Border Guard Force, which controls a large territory in Karen State.

October 29, 2024

Vietnam Signs Economic Partnership Agreement With United Arab Emirates

By Sebastian Strangio
The agreement, Vietnam's first free trade deal with a Middle Eastern nation, comes after a busy couple of years in the country's foreign relations.

October 29, 2024

In Senate Testimony, Former Philippine President Duterte Defends ‘Drug War’

By Sebastian Strangio
Rodrigo Duterte said that he had "no apologies, no excuses" for the campaign of violence, which involved thousands of extrajudicial killings.

October 28, 2024

House Arrest Bill Not Related to Najib Case, Malaysia’s Government Says

By Sebastian Strangio
The timing of the proposed law has given rise to speculation that it might be used to free former Prime Minister Najib Razak from prison.
October 28, 2024

Indonesia’s President Prabowo Inaugurates Cabinet With Military-Style Retreat

By Sebastian Strangio
The 73-year-old former general says that the four-day retreat was intended to instill unity among his sprawling cabinet.

October 25, 2024

Indonesia to Push For Full BRICS Membership, New Foreign Minister Says

By Sebastian Strangio
The announcement comes after the nation and three Southeast Asian neighbors were anointed BRICS "partner countries."
October 25, 2024

Former Malaysian PM Najib Apologizes for 1MDB, Again Claims Innocence

By Sebastian Strangio
The former leader said that he had already been punished politically and should not also be “legally victimized.”

October 24, 2024

Rights Groups Call on Thai Government to Apprehend Tak Bai Accused

By Sebastian Strangio
With the statute of limitations due in the case to expire tomorrow, the seven defendants accused of the 2004 massacre are set to walk free.

October 24, 2024

Thai Authorities Cut Illegal Internet Cable Running Into Laos

By Sebastian Strangio
The National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission claims that the illegal connection was used by Laos-based scamming gangs to target Thai nationals.

October 23, 2024

Son of Singapore’s Lee Kuan Yew Granted Asylum in UK

By Sebastian Strangio
Lee Hsien Yang, 67, alleges that he and his wife have been the subject of a campaign of persecution by the Singaporean authorities.
October 22, 2024

Cambodian Court Refuses Bail For Detained Journalist Mech Dara

By Sebastian Strangio
The 36-year-old, whose reporting has linked powerful businesspeople to the country's online scamming industry, is reportedly suffering from a number of health problems.

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