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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 27, 2023
US Aircraft Carrier Arrives in Vietnam For Six-Day Friendship Visit
By Sebastian Strangio
The visit of the USS Ronald Reagan came as Vietnam's Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh embarked on his first visit to Beijing since his appointment in 2021.
June 27, 2023
Cambodian Microfinance’s High Repayment Rates Are Built on Misery, Research Finds
By David Whitehouse
Boosters of microfinance claim that it can rescue people from rapacious informal lenders. That’s not the case in Cambodia.
June 27, 2023
Military-Aligned Border Guard Forces Defect in Southeastern Myanmar
By Sebastian Strangio
Local media reported that two Border Guard Forces, formed by the military in 2009, had joined resistance attacks on junta outposts in Kayah State.
June 26, 2023
Cracks Are Appearing in Thailand’s Pro-Democracy Coalition
By Tita Sanglee
Beneath a facade of unity, the country's two main opposition parties continue to jostle for advantage.
June 26, 2023
Cambodia Amends Election Law, Disqualifying Non-Voting Candidates
By Sebastian Strangio
The amendment is intended to prevent a boycott of the July 23 election, which could undermine the planned handover of power from Prime Minister Hun Sen to his son.
June 26, 2023
Malaysia Sues Meta Over ‘Undesirable’ Content on Facebook
By Sebastian Strangio
The decision comes amid a rise in racial and religious online rhetoric as the country moves toward important state elections.
June 26, 2023
Heyzer’s Exit Marks a Low Point for the UN’s Envoys to Myanmar
By Mark S. Cogan
Why the recently departed special envoy should be the last.
June 23, 2023
Snares and Traps: Thai Politics After the May Election
By Punchada Sirivunnabood
If the victorious Move Forward Party is unable to garner the votes to form the country's next government, an alternative is lurking in the wings.
June 23, 2023
US Aircraft Carrier to Visit Vietnam Amid South China Sea Tensions
By Sebastian Strangio
The six-day friendship visit by the USS Ronald Reagan comes a year after Vietnam canceled a similar planned exchange.
June 23, 2023
Malaysia Charges Four Men Over Mass Graves and Trafficking Camps
By Sebastian Strangio
The charges relate to the discovery of more than 100 bodies in mass graves in the Thailand-Malaysia border region in 2015.
June 23, 2023
Suitcase Killer’s Plea Deal Is Rare Shot of Double Justice
By Aisyah Llewellyn
Chicago woman Heather Mack was sentenced to 10 years in prison in Indonesia for aiding in the murder of her socialite mother in 2014. Will she now face further time in the U.S.?
June 23, 2023
Philippine Senate Probes Afghan Refugee Deal
By Mong Palatino
A proposal to resettle 50,000 refugees, mostly former employees of the U.S. government in Afghanistan, has stirred up a political controversy.
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