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  • 1 day ago
    • Cambodia
    • China
    • Indonesia
    • Japan
    • Malaysia
    • Southeast Asia
    • Thailand
    • Australia
    • Australia and Asia

    China’s rise in Southeast Asia is bringing in a golden age for Australia

    Susannah Patton
    Disquiet about Beijing’s growing presence is motivating countries across the region to seek deeper cooperation with Canberra.
  • 15 Aug 2024
    • Thailand

    Thailand loses a prime minister

    Susannah Patton
    Srettha Thavisin was not important, nor will his successor be.
  • 18 Jun 2024
    • Asia
    • Indonesia
    • Malaysia
    • Thailand
    • Climate change
    • Environment
    • Sustainability
    • Transnational Challenges

    The carbon sinks of Southeast Asia are in trouble

    Mohd. Yunus
    Global demand for palm oil and paper is threatening a fragile peatland ecosystem. International cooperation is needed now.
  • 10 May 2024
    • Myanmar
    • Thailand

    Thaksin Shinawatra’s Myanmar talks likely driven by politics and money

    Craig Keating
    This is not the first time the former Thai PM has showcased his supposed statesman qualities.
  • 13 Feb 2024
    • Asean
    • Cambodia
    • Laos
    • Thailand
    • Australia

    ASEAN summit a chance for Australia to reach out to mainland Southeast Asia

    Hadrien T. Saperstein
    Melbourne gathering is a unique chance for Australia to relate to Cambodia, Laos and Thailand in ways that do not depend on geopolitical alignment.
  • 27 Dec 2023
    • China
    • Japan
    • Thailand
    • United States

    Power in Asia: Six surprising facts

    Jack Sato , Susannah Patton
    Following the launch of the 2023 Asia Power Index, the authors dig into data that reveals how power is shifting in Asia.
  • 21 Dec 2023
    • Thailand

    The changing face of Thai nationalism today

    Pavin Chachavalpongpun , Patrick Jory
    Over the last century, Thailand has swung between two forms of nationalism – one focused on the monarchy, the other on the people.
  • 15 Dec 2023
    • Thailand

    The limits of Thailand’s populist politics

    Jitsiree Thongnoi
    The new government is treading a well-worn path with cash hand-outs and other appeals to voters – only many wanted a different approach.
  • 22 Nov 2023
    • China
    • Chinese Trade
    • Myanmar
    • Southeast Asia
    • Thailand
    • Trade and Investment in the Asia Pacific
    • Australia and Asia
    • Quad
    • Australian trade, investment & economy
    • Trade

    Why is Myanmar’s new deep-sea port such hot property?

    Shaun Cameron
    An alternative route to the Strait of Malacca offers China, and others, a safer, faster and more efficient trade route.
  • 28 Sep 2023
    • Myanmar
    • Thailand

    The new Thai PM has his work cut out on Myanmar

    Jitsiree Thongnoi
    After debuting at the UN General Assembly, the Thai PM must get to work on foreign policy issues, not least Myanmar.
  • 29 Aug 2023
    • Cambodia
    • China
    • Thailand

    Cambodia, Thailand and dealing with China: The more things change…

    Jitsiree Thongnoi
    New prime ministers might be in the job, but don’t expect any big shifts in approaches to Beijing.
  • 15 Aug 2023
    • Asean
    • China
    • Indonesia
    • Malaysia
    • Philippines
    • Taiwan
    • Thailand
    • Vietnam
    • Energy

    Pipe dreams: Turning an interconnected ASEAN gas market into a reality

    Massita Ayu Cindy Putriastuti , Nadira Asrifa
    An old idea for a regional network might hold the answer for energy demand into the future.
  • 14 Aug 2023
    • Thailand

    Thailand’s monarchy: Heirs and spares

    Craig Keating
    A surprise visit to Thailand by two of King Vajiralongkorn’s sons after an absence of 27 years shows dynastical survival trumps personal animosity.
  • 29 May 2023
    • Thailand
    • The Americas

    What Thailand’s youth leaders can learn from Chile’s radical government

    Adhiraaj Anand
    The Move Forward Party hope to remake politics but that means carrying people along.
  • 16 May 2023
    • Thailand

    Thailand’s election: will the country move forward?

    Susannah Patton
    The Kingdom’s conservative forces may have little option but to give way to the elected parties, at least for now.
  • 8 May 2023
    • Thailand

    Does Thailand’s election matter?

    Susannah Patton
    The election won’t be free and fair but it could be highly consequential for the country and the region.
  • 30 Mar 2023
    • Cambodia
    • Thailand

    Paying for a new Thai democracy

    Greg Earl
    The real winners are far from clear, but Thailand’s populist, party jumping election is Asia’s vote to watch this year.
  • 9 Feb 2023
    • Asia
    • Asean
    • China
    • India
    • Laos
    • North Korea
    • Sri Lanka
    • Thailand
    • Vietnam
    • Defence & Security
    • Russia
    • Ukraine
    • United Nations

    With caution and tact: How Asian countries voted on Ukraine at the UN 

    Stéphanie Fillion
    A resolution forces nations to show their hand. After Russia’s invasion, consistency has not been to everyone’s liking.
  • 24 Aug 2022
    • Thailand

    Will Thailand’s prime minister defy time?

    Shaun Cameron
    Depending on how you count it, Prayut Chan-o-cha’s tenure could be up in 2023 … or not. In politics, numbers matter.
  • 27 Jul 2022
    • Thailand
    • Vietnam
    • International law
    • Sustainability

    What Vietnam can learn from Thailand’s fight against illegal fishing

    Thư Nguyễn Hoàng Anh
    After being issued a yellow card, Hanoi must look to its neighbours and international laws for the way forward.
  • 9 Jun 2022
    • Russia
    • Thailand
    • Vietnam
    • Philippines
    • Ukraine

    Thailand seeking to profit from a global food crisis

    Craig Keating
    The war in Ukraine has highlighted weaknesses in Thailand’s policymaking and prompted cartel behaviour … again.
  • 6 Jun 2022
    • Thailand
    • Malaysia
    • China – Belt and Road Initiative

    Proceed with caution: high-speed rail for Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur

    Wu Shang-Su
    The potential connectivity benefits for two of Asia’s big cities are huge. The obstacles are many.
  • 16 May 2022
    • Sustainability
    • Multilateral Institutions
    • Cambodia
    • Thailand
    • Vietnam
    • Laos
    • Environment

    Diplomacy is indispensable to manage the Mekong

    Anoulak Kittikhoun
    The goal of a healthy river won’t be helped by misreading the shared mission of the Mekong River Commission.
  • 12 Apr 2022
    • Sustainability
    • Myanmar
    • Cambodia
    • China
    • Thailand
    • Vietnam
    • Laos

    How the Mekong River Commission ignores reality

    Milton Osborne
    Nothing is worth celebrating in how a once mighty wild river has been cruelly tamed.
  • 7 Mar 2022
    • Asean
    • Indonesia
    • Russia
    • Thailand
    • Vietnam
    • Singapore
    • Laos
    • Ukraine

    Reading Southeast Asia on Ukraine 

    Susannah Patton
    Russia’s invasion has unified the West with new clarity, yet exposed ambiguity and uncertainty in Southeast Asia.
  • 1 Dec 2021
    • Thailand

    Increasingly illiberal Thailand

    Craig Keating
    By stifling free expression, authorities are shutting off any prospect of change that is broadly acceptable to all.
  • 26 Nov 2021
    • Cambodia
    • Thailand
    • Climate change
    • Southeast Asia

    Trouble on the Mekong

    Mark Tilly
    Countries along one of Asia’s longest rivers need to address the effects of climate change and overdevelopment.
  • 15 Nov 2021
    • Thailand

    Thailand’s regressive royal insult law

    David Hopkins
    The kingdom’s youth and others are speaking out about their monarchy, at great personal expense.
  • 13 Oct 2021
    • Thailand

    Thailand’s military and human rights

    Craig Keating
    A history of violence against troops and civilians is finally being recognised, and justice is creeping in.
  • 22 Sep 2021
    • Thailand

    By land or sea: Thailand perseveres with the Kra Canal

    Shaun Cameron
    The fabled Thai waterway meant to bypass the Strait of Malacca has been mooted for centuries. Could its time have come?
  • 30 Aug 2021
    • Thailand

    Thai lives matter, too

    Craig Keating
    Alleged police brutality captured in a widely shared video puts a spotlight on abuses and demands for reform.
  • 14 Jul 2021
    • Thailand
    • Coronavirus

    Sun, surf and a sandbox escape from a pandemic

    Erin Cook
    Thailand’s holiday island Phuket is trialling vaccine tourism in a bid to recover from the Covid-19 wave.
  • 27 May 2021
    • Thailand
    • Coronavirus

    Thailand’s overcrowded prisons hit by Covid-19 surge

    David Hopkins
    Amid one of the world’s highest incarceration rates, an outbreak was always a risk. But the government has struggled.
  • 15 Apr 2021
    • United Nations
    • Thailand
    • Human rights

    Thailand’s sweeping associations law courts disaster

    Michael Altman-Lupu  , Matthew Bugher
    Draft legislation to strictly control all kinds of groups could crush civil society and drive out foreign organisations.
  • 9 Dec 2020
    • Defence & Security
    • Thailand

    A reckoning for Thailand’s indigenous defence industry

    Hadrien T. Saperstein
    The Covid pandemic forced into action long-held plans to remodel defence procurement, but it’s a big challenge.
  • 28 Oct 2020
    • Thailand

    Thailand: Military, monarchy and the masses

    Craig Keating
    To understand today’s protests, look to the decades past and the country’s incomplete transition to democracy.
  • 16 Oct 2020
    • Thailand

    Progressive politics in Thailand’s polarised polity

    David Hopkins
    A new “hyperleader” has capitalised on the mood of a younger generation fed up with being patronised.
  • 10 Sep 2020
    • Thailand

    Rising protests and a sinking economy spell trouble in Thailand

    Michael Sainsbury
    A wave of dissatisfaction with the ruling elite and a Covid-induced recession have shaken the country’s foundations.
  • 11 Aug 2020
    • Sustainability
    • Cambodia
    • China
    • Thailand
    • Vietnam
    • Climate change
    • Southeast Asia
    • Laos

    Chinese dams and the Mekong drought

    Milton Osborne
    The environmental impact of China’s dam building upstream is undeniable. The silence from some quarters is surprising.
  • 28 Jul 2020
    • Cambodia
    • Thailand
    • Vietnam
    • Southeast Asia
    • Laos

    What’s the secret to Southeast Asia’s Covid success stories?

    Dominic Meagher
    There is no secret.
  • 24 Jul 2020
    • Thailand
    • Review

    Book review: The memory of a massacre in Thailand

    David Hopkins
    Survivors and perpetrators alike have preferred silence as a way of coping with a traumatic past.
  • 3 Jul 2020
    • Australia
    • Myanmar
    • Cambodia
    • Indonesia
    • Thailand
    • Vietnam
    • Philippines
    • Southeast Asia
    • Coronavirus
    • Human rights

    Southeast Asian democracies in declining health amid Covid-19

    Melissa Crouch
    An illiberal turn across the region has been exacerbated by the pandemic. Australia should take note.
  • 12 Jun 2020
    • Cambodia
    • Thailand
    • Human rights

    Thailand: Another dissenter disappears

    Craig Keating
    A fresh abduction case raises serious questions, not for the first time, about the reach of Thai authorities.
  • 6 May 2020
    • Terrorism
    • Thailand

    Thailand: Killings of insurgents ends southern separatist ceasefire

    Craig Keating
    The focus is the Thai state. Foreigners and foreign interest are not targets in this fight.
  • 14 Apr 2020
    • Defence & Security
    • Thailand
    • Coronavirus

    Covid-19 ceasefire unlikely to hasten peace in Thailand’s south

    Craig Keating
    The tempo of violence in the long-running insurgency has slowed for years, yet the virus may not stop it altogether.
  • 10 Mar 2020
    • China
    • Thailand
    • Vietnam
    • Laos

    On the Mekong, Khon Pi rapids saved – for now

    Milton Osborne
    The drive to dam the river continues to outpace real understanding of the dams’ impact.
  • 18 Jul 2019
    • Asia
    • Indonesia
    • Thailand
    • Philippines
    • Malaysia
    • Southeast Asia

    After the voting, personality beats policy in Southeast Asia

    Greg Earl
    Malaysia is not the only country consumed by speculation about who takes over from a conspicuous and captivating leader.
  • 2 Apr 2019
    • Thailand

    The frustrated wait for Thailand’s election outcome

    Andrew Nachemson
    The military already stacked the odds in its favour, and suspicion about missing ballots have only compounded doubts.
  • 13 Mar 2019
    • Thailand

    Military on the front line in Thai election

    Greg Raymond
    An ex-army general poised to become prime minister and a junta-manipulated constitution has many Thais fired up.
  • 13 Feb 2019
    • Australia
    • Thailand

    The long tail of the al-Araibi case

    JJ Rose
    A case where Bahrain didn’t need to win to send a chill of horror up the spines of other dissidents watching on.
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