Amidst a backdrop of popular discontent and social strife, Yingluck Shinawatra, sister to ex-Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, was swept into office Sunday on a tidal wave of support from the poor, rural Thai majority. Ms. Yingluck will become Thailand’s first female prime minister in August when she will be all but certainly be given the […]
I once read that there are but three types of western expats to be found in Cambodia: drunken/stoned womanizers, fugitives, and do-gooders. After much independent research and a brief stopover during a border run from Thailand, I have no reason to question the veracity of this assertion. That said, I will leave the former two […]
It is a dangerous time to be a fishing trawler in the South China Sea these days. Earlier this month, a Vietnamese vessel searching for oil had a rather unpleasant confrontation with a Chinese fishing boat, resulting in damage to the Vietnamese’s seismic equipment used for exploration purposes. Moreover, just this past week, the administration […]
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas for Pheu Thai leaders. As the campaigns for both major parties ratchet up in anticipation of the July 3rd vote, Yingluck Shinawatra, Pheu Thai’s very likely candidate for the premiership and sister to ousted ex-Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, received a huge boost after stumping in Yala province […]
(Author’s Note: The following is a selected passage from a chapter that will hopefully appear in a compendium on neoliberal globalization in the Fall/Winter 2011). In many ways, the implementation and subsequent repudiation of neoliberal policies in Thailand is emblematic of the bitter divide along class lines that has afflicted the country for years and […]
As the date for general elections in Thailand draws ever closer, the complexity of the situation has commonly been acknowledged by Southeast Asian commentators, especially with respect to the unknown status of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. This reality was only augmented following recent statements and actions by some of the parties involved this past […]
In a recent piece which appeared on this website, fellow Southeast Asian blogger Rohan Poojara remarked on the potential which microloans could have on the economy of Indonesia, a country suffering from staggering levels of unemployment amongst its youth and which typically has difficulty in obtaining the necessary capital in order to build and expand […]
A article that I co-authored for The Diplomat: Microfinance is a hot topic in a number of developing countries. Unfortunately, over the last year, it has been in the news for all the wrong reasons. For a start, Muhammad Yunus—the Nobel Prize-winning founder of Grameen Bank—has been pushed out of his job in Bangladesh. In […]
As the world bears witness to the litany of dictators and autocratic governments toppling or trying desperately to avoid doing so during the first half of 2011, the hot topic on the minds of students, scholars, and policymakers has often been which regime will be the next to go? After Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali and […]
It is a debate that invariably rears its head in parts of the world which have been scarred by the horrors of war, ethnic conflict, or genocide. Every government which assumes control of a country that suffers from the unfortunate reality of such a dark and tragic past must eventually confront how best to direct […]
It has been a little more than one year since the street protests which rocked Bangkok and resulted in at least 50 deaths took place in the heart of the Thai capital. After stalling for months since the unrest when he had announced a reconciliatory roadmap for the main political parties with elections to follow […]
A recent BBC article highlights an increasing shortage of low-skilled labor in Malaysia after the government imposed stricter policies for legal immigration. The situation is similar to that in many Western countries where governments have reduced the inflow of foreign labor by instituting minimum education requirements for immigrants, making visa application processes longer and more […]
The world’s shock at the loss of life and destruction to property in NE Japan was soon eclipsed by the worry associated with the possibility of an impending nuclear disaster. While the global community feels for the double whammy that struck Japan and is rallying around the nation, concerns about the short and long-term effects […]
Timor Leste officially applied for membership to the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) last week in an effort to reap the economic and political advantages that come with membership to the regional organization. Despite the backing of Indonesia, the current chair of the ASEAN, Timor Leste’s path to membership will be arduous with […]
An 8.9 magnitude earthquake hit the the northeastern coast of Japan earlier today and triggered a 10 meter tsunami that has killed hundreds of people with the death toll expected to rise. Tsunami warnings are in place for several countries including Indonesia, the Philippines and the U.S. west coast. More details on southeast Asian countries […]