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ASEAN Beat
‘One Vision, One Identity, One Community.’ That’s the ASEAN motto. But what’s the reality? Our bloggers based around this diverse and strategically key region give you an insider’s perspective on politics, security and society in South-east Asia.
Vietnamese War Victims’ Struggle for Justice: A Tale of Two Lawsuits
By Phan Xuan Dung
Two Vietnamese women have filed lawsuits seeking justice for the American use of Agent Orange and atrocities committed by Korean soldiers. The government only endorses one of them.
The Duterte Years Were Especially Deadly for Philippine Lawyers
By Sebastian Strangio
The National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers says that 133 lawyers have been killed in the Philippines since 1984, 59 of them over the past six years.
Indonesia Gears Up to Start its First High-Speed Rail Line
By Dita Alangkara
The project is part of a planned 750-kilometer line that would cut across four provinces on the main island of Java.
No Post-Election Coup, Promises Thai Commander-in-Chief
By Sebastian Strangio
But the army's history of political interventions means that its promises are very far from reassuring.
Indonesia Launches First Home-Grown COVID-19 Vaccine
By Sebastian Strangio
The head of the state-owned firm Bio Farma says that the development of IndoVac will "help reduce the nation's dependency on imported vaccines."
Laos and ‘Xiplomacy’
By Sribala Subramanian
China’s leader has leveraged a boyhood connection into a blooming strategic partnership.
Why Did Thailand Abstain on This Week’s UN Vote on Ukraine?
By Sebastian Strangio
On the same day as the vote, Russian President Vladimir Putin confirmed his attendance at next month's APEC Summit in Bangkok.
Another Sorry Week for Press Freedoms in Myanmar
By Sebastian Strangio
Since the coup of February 2021, the country has become a worse jailer of journalists than China.
Why Did Cambodia’s Hun Sen Sue His Rival in a French Court?
By David Hutt
The Cambodian leader may have wanted simply to clear his name – but there is another, more chilling, explanation.
Graft Convictions Extend Aung San Suu Kyi’s Prison Term to 26 Years
By Grant Peck
New convictions extend the NLD leader's prison term, an effort critics of the military government say is designed to keep her from contesting elections planned for 2023.
Philippines’ Maria Ressa to Appeal Cyberlibel Case at Supreme Court
By Sebastian Strangio
The journalist and Nobel laureate faces a number of charges relating to her pioneering work at the local news site Rappler.
French Court Rejects Cambodian PM’s Claim of Defamation Against Opposition Leader
By David Whitehouse
Exiled opposition figure Sam Rainsy had accused Prime Minister Hun Sen of responsibility for the deaths of a leading Cambodian trade unionist and the former chief of police.