Region
Southeast Asia
Thailand’s King Endorses Marriage Equality Bill
By Sebastian Strangio
The law is set to take effect on January 22, 2025, when activists say they will hold a mass marriage of same-sex couples.
Indonesia Officially Lodges Application to Join Trans-Pacific Trade Pact
By Sebastian Strangio
Jakarta hopes that membership of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership will help broaden the markets for its exports.
Japan To Downgrade Diplomatic Ties With Myanmar Junta, Report Says
By Sebastian Strangio
Like several of its Western partners, Japan will now be represented in Yangon by a chargé d'affaires rather than a full ambassador.
Myanmar is Not About to Become a ‘Fractured’ State
By Miemie Winn Byrd
Analysts overlook the novel political linkages between the country's resistance groups, and their determination to build a federal democracy.
Vietnam’s To Lam Set to Meet With President Biden
By Sebastian Strangio
During the communist party chief's five-day visit to New York, Vietnamese and U.S. firms have signed a number of economic agreements.
Singapore Opens Corruption Trial of Former Transport Minister
By Sebastian Strangio
In the largest graft trial in decades, S. Iswaran is accused of taking more than S$400,000 in gifts from two prominent business figures.
Is Indonesia’s Middle Class Really Shrinking?
By James Guild
Given the lack of universal definitions, measuring a country's middle-class can be a complicated business.
Malaysia’s 1MDB Scandal and ‘The Siege Within’
By Luke Hunt
A new book by Leslie Lopez details the unfolding of one of the world's largest financial scandals.
Rights Groups Condemn Myanmar Prisoner Executions, Warn More to Come
By Sebastian Strangio
Several sources are reporting that five pro-democracy activists will be hanged at Insein Prison in Yangon today.
Parsing the Philippines’ ‘Pivot’ to China Under Rodrigo Duterte
By Sebastian Strangio
“He was not a strategic thinker. His foreign policy flowed from his personal likes and dislikes.”
Yagi: The Aftermath of a Deadly Typhoon
By Sribala Subramanian
Yagi left a trail of destruction from Manila to Mandalay.
Malaysian Police Rescue 187 More Children as Sex Abuse Probe of Islamic Group Deepens
By Associated Press
572 children have been rescued from homes linked to Global Ikhwan Services and Business (GISB) amid allegations of abuse that shocked and enraged the nation.