Southeast Asia

The massacre of dozens of journalists in The Philippines last November grabbed international headlines and shone a light on long-simmering tensions in the country’s south, reports Luke Hunt, who says clan rivalries, terrorist links and corruption have created a combustible mix ahead of May’s general election.

Reports that Burma’s military junta has received assistance with constructing nuclear facilities from North Korea and Pakistan are causing a headache for Indian strategists, reports Rajeev Sharma.

Ten years after voting for independence even the opposition is upbeat about Timor-Leste’s future, reports Anthony Anderton. But the country still faces daunting obstacles for long-term stability.

The Citarum River is Indonesia’s lifeline. But polluted and poisoned, it now poses serious health risks. Elise Potaka investigates the problem–and possible solutions.

Marketed by the White House as America’s first ‘Asian’ president, Barack Obama spent several years growing up in Indonesia. But as Ben Bland discovers, not all Jakartans are enamoured with the metre-tall incarnation of ‘Barry’ erected in a park last week.

By Invitation: Ambassador Ong Keng Yong

As Singapore emerges from its sharpest and most protracted recession, the city-state’s policymakers have been keen to emphasize the importance of immigrants to the country’s future well-being. But as Jeya Segaram discovers, the downturn has exacerbated simmering tensions over an immigration policy that some Singaporeans believe is too lax.

Just weeks after Timor-Leste voted for independence, the town of Suai was visited by a gang of pro-Indonesian rule militiamen who slaughtered dozens of unarmed citizens hiding in a church. Steve Holland meets Manuel dos Santos who, 10 years later, is still waiting for justice–and for his abducted daughter to come home.

The offer to former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra of a position as an economic adviser to Cambodian Premier Hun Sen has inflamed relations between the two countries. The Diplomat contributor Luke Hunt travels to Phnom Penh, Bangkok and Preah Vihear and finds out how Thaksin’s new role has upset the Thai monarchy and quietly amused Beijing.

Fair trial or kangaroo court? Ben Bland reports from Kuala Lumpur on former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad’s efforts to criminalise war.

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi

The Burmese junta, already known as one of the cruellest regimes in the world, has been stepping up its oppression of political opponents. Phil Thornton reports from the Thai-Burma border, where he speaks with exiled politicians, army deserters, displaced villagers and former political prisoners.