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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.
June 28, 2022
ASEAN Envoy Calls for Release of Aung San Suu Kyi from Solitary Confinement
By Sebastian Strangio
This week, Cambodian Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn will begin his second official mission to the country as the bloc's special envoy.
June 28, 2022
Arrests and Censorship Mark Rodrigo Duterte’s Final Month in Power
By Mong Palatino
The president has solidified his reputation as a leader who enabled the rapid deterioration of human rights in the Philippines.
June 28, 2022
Laos Is On the Brink of Sovereign Bankruptcy
By Luke Hunt
Debt, wealth inequality, and corruption will keep the country poor.
June 27, 2022
Cambodia Confirms CPP’s Landslide Victory in Commune Election
By Sebastian Strangio
Prime Minister Hun Sen's party won nearly three-quarters of the vote in an election marred by claims of vote-buying and intimidation.
June 24, 2022
Philippines Nixes Joint Maritime Resource Exploration Talks With China
By Sebastian Strangio
In 2018, Manila and Beijing began talks on the joint exploration of offshore oil and gas resources in disputed areas of the South China Sea.
June 24, 2022
‘Just a Maid’: Report Highlights Emotional Abuse of Migrant Domestic Workers in Singapore
By Sebastian Strangio
Workers, most of them from the Philippines, reported being subject to threats, intimidation, and invasion of privacy.
June 23, 2022
Indonesia Confirms President Jokowi’s Trip to Russia, Ukraine
By Sebastian Strangio
Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said that the Indonesian leader will visit the two warring nations "in the spirit of peace."
June 23, 2022
Myanmar Junta Moves Aung San Suu Kyi Trial to New Prison Facility
By Sebastian Strangio
The ousted leader's transfer came as the military administration's defense minister attended an ASEAN meeting in Cambodia.
June 23, 2022
In Laos, Prime Minister Phankham Viphavanh Is In Trouble
By David Hutt
Since he took the reins last year, the country's economy has entered a downward economic spiral with no clear end in sight.
June 22, 2022
Thailand Sees Fresh Surge of Refugees, Migrants from Myanmar: Report
By Sebastian Strangio
A Thailand-based NGO claims that Thai police have detained nearly 20,000 people trying to cross the border in the last five months alone.
June 22, 2022
China’s Growing ‘Twiplomacy’ in Indonesia
By Muhammad Zulfikar Rakhmat
Despite being banned inside China, Twitter is broadening Chinese diplomats' engagements with the Indonesian public.
June 22, 2022
Leading Thai Opposition Figure Charged With Royal Defamation
By Sebastian Strangio
Piyabutr Saengkanokkul is the second former leader of the banned Future Forward Party to be charged under Section 112 of the Criminal Code.