Sen. Webb and wife, Hong Le Webb
– U.S. Senator Jim Webb (Dem. VA) recently met with the Burmese Junta and Aung San Suu Kyi and successfully secured the relief of the John Yettah, the Americans whose odd actions initiated the latest Aung San Suu Kyi trial and conviction. If the Obama Administration really wants to take take proactive and pragmatic steps toward closer relations with ASEAN in order to check China’s movements in the region this is an opportune time. They can use this event as an excuse to expand diplomatic discussions with the junta. As discussed previously, the United States is limited in its ability to influence the regime if it refuses to engage it. The article reveals that Sen. Webb seems to agree with this line of reasoning. Webb, the Chair of the Senate Foreign Relation’s Subcommittee on East Asia and Pacific Affairs, is not quite finished in the region yet. He plans to visit Vietnam, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos and Thailand. Senator Webb has always taken special interest in Vietnam since the time he spent there as a Marine during the Vietnam War. He also speaks Vietnamese and his wife is Vietnamese-American.
– Further economic integration between Cambodia and Vietnam signals a worsening Thai-Cambodian relationship.
Cambodia will be a potential market for Vietnam as Cambodian people has turned their eyes on consuming Vietnam’s goods and products instead of Thailand’s ones, said Yeav Kim Hean, a commercial counselor of Vietnam-base Cambodian Embassy.
Thailand and Cambodia have had conflict in recent years over their border region, which has sparked nationalistic sentiments in both populations.
-Today, Indonesia celebrates the 64th anniversary of its independence from the Netherlands. A special ceremony were led by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono at the Merdeka Palace.
– In Singapore, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong gave an address outlining the four challenges he sees facing the 50 year-old independent city-state. 1) Religious Harmony: he warned that aggressive proselytizing might threaten members of other faiths, which could trigger intolerance and lead to ghettos of co-believers. 2) The Economy: although Lee says that the current crisis is passing, the GDP was – 6.5% for the first half of 2009. Since employment is a lagging indicator, he warns of a slow recovery. 3) Health Care: although health care has improved, there will need to be more hospitals built and integrated into other health care facilities to better care for the aging population. 4) Infrastructure: Singapore needs continuous investment to maintain its infrastructure and improve education at all levels. As stated before, much of Singapore’s hope for long term economic growth, which will generate the tax revenue to finance these initiatives, will depend on it’s immigration policy.
