The Diplomat  |  Author

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
Page 54 of 169
October 06, 2023

Malaysia Calls for Regional Action to Tackle Transboundary Haze

By Sebastian Strangio
ASEAN's current regional mechanisms have seemingly done little to prevent the deterioration of the region's air quality over the past two decades.
October 05, 2023

TikTok Culls Social Media Business Platform in Indonesia

By Sebastian Strangio
The move came after the Indonesian government announced an immediate ban on commerce transactions on social media platforms.

October 05, 2023

Thai PM Promises Tighter Gun Regulations After Bangkok Shooting

By Sebastian Strangio
The shooting spree, which took the lives of two foreign nationals, is the latest to highlight the country's high rates of gun ownership, both legal and otherwise.

October 04, 2023

Activists Call for Probe Into Alleged Indonesian Arms Sales to Myanmar

By Sebastian Strangio
A complaint filed with the country's Human Rights Commission claims that three state-owned firms have transferred arms to Myanmar's military in recent years, including since the 2021 coup.

October 04, 2023

Malaysia Could Shut Schools Due to Spiking Air Pollution

By Sebastian Strangio
This year has seen the worst air pollution since 2019, due to the effects of the El Nino weather pattern.
October 03, 2023

China Establishes Temporary ‘Border Control Zone’ to Fight Myanmar Scam Operations

By Sebastian Strangio
The announcement comes after a rash of deportations of alleged Chinese scammers from rebel-held regions of eastern Myanmar.

October 03, 2023

Indonesian President Inaugurates Southeast Asia’s First High-speed Railway

By Sebastian Strangio
The $7.3 billion project connects the cities of Jakarta and Bandung, which lie along one of the world's most congested travel corridors.
September 29, 2023

Vietnam Sentences Environmental Advocate to 3 Years Prison

By Sebastian Strangio
Hoang Thi Minh Hong is the fifth climate activist to be sentenced to a lengthy prison term on tax-related charges over the past two years.

September 29, 2023

Indonesia Bans E-Commerce on Social Media Networks

By Sebastian Strangio
The ban is set to impact the Chinese social media network TikTok, which has launched an aggressive expansion into the e-commerce space.

September 28, 2023

Philippines Will Toughen South China Sea Stance, Admiral Says

By Sebastian Strangio
Vice Adm. Alberto Carlos' comments come two days after the Philippine Coast Guard removed a barrier that Chinese ships had installed at the disputed Scarborough Shoal.

September 28, 2023

Cambodia To Block Release of Chinese Cyber-Scam Film

By Sebastian Strangio
The Ministry of Culture claims that “No More Bets," which has topped the box office in China, could damage the country's reputation.
September 27, 2023

UN Report Details Massive Scale of Southeast Asia’s ‘Scamdemic’

By Sebastian Strangio
The region's multibillion-dollar cyber-scam industry is being supported by "one of the largest coordinated trafficking in persons operations in history."

Page 54 of 169