Blog
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.
January 17, 2023
Could Vietnam’s President Be the Next Senior Official to Fall?
By Sebastian Strangio
The country's National Assembly will reportedly hold a meeting tomorrow that could result in the removal of more high-level officials.
January 17, 2023
Chinese and Indonesian Workers Clash at Indonesian Nickel Plant
By Muhammad Zulfikar Rakhmat and Yeta Purnama
The violence, which resulted in the deaths of two workers, is likely to inflame anti-Chinese sentiment in the country.
January 17, 2023
Indonesia Opens Trial Into Malang Stadium Disaster
By Sebastian Strangio
Five individuals are accused of "criminal negligence" for their alleged roles in the crowd crush, which took the lives of 135 spectators.
January 16, 2023
Foreign Companies Enabling Myanmar’s Domestic Arms Industry: Report
By Sebastian Strangio
Since the late 1980s, the military has developed a "multi-faceted arms industrial complex" that has cushioned it from the impact of Western sanctions and arms embargoes.
January 16, 2023
‘What is Happening to Us is Coming For You’
By Sribala Subramanian
How the Philippines became “ground zero” for the corrosive effects of social media.
January 16, 2023
How the Onion Became the Symbol of Inflation in the Philippines
By Mong Palatino
In December, the staple vegetable was selling for more than the cost of chicken and beef.
January 16, 2023
In Indonesia, Thousands Rally Against Presidential Job Decree
By Sebastian Strangio
Critics accuse President Joko Widodo of using emergency powers to circumvent a Constitutional Court's ruling on a controversial jobs creation law.
January 13, 2023
Min Aung Hlaing Family Assets Recovered in Thai Drug Raid
By Sebastian Strangio
The discoveries, which include assets belonging to the Myanmar junta chief's adult son and daughter, suggest that military figures are using Thailand as a financial safe haven.
January 13, 2023
Malaysia Could Cut Palm Oil Exports to the European Union
By Sebastian Strangio
The move followed Brussels' passage of a law that could severely restrict palm oil imports to the European bloc.
January 12, 2023
Indonesia to Establish Special Office to Handle Myanmar Crisis
By Sebastian Strangio
Among the challenges facing Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi and her team will be how to respond to the junta's planned sham elections.
January 12, 2023
Indonesia’s Jokowi Admits to Serious Past Human Rights Abuses
By Sebastian Strangio
The leader acknowledged 12 episodes of gross human rights violations that occurred between the 1960s and the early 2000s.
January 11, 2023
Cambodian PM Threatens Opponents With Legal Action, Violence
By Sebastian Strangio
Despite his party's nearly unchallenged dominance, Hun Sen is bent on preventing the emergence of a political alternative.