Category: South-East Asia

Singapore-led Asean favors China over US

In a nod towards Beijing, city-state puts free trade rather than South China Sea disputes at center of regional bloc's 2018 agenda By Richard Javad Heydarian Singapore’s anticipated chairmanship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) opened on the weekend with a summit that reaffirmed the city-state’s vision of a “rules-based” regional order but … Continue reading Singapore-led Asean favors China over US

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Hun Sen willing to risk losing his oldest ally

Cambodian premier's deep embrace of China has come to the detriment of his long-time benefactor Vietnam By Alan Parkhouse As global pressure steadily mounts on Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen over his crackdown on the opposition, independent media, nongovernmental organizations and other critics, he is also in danger of losing one of his few close … Continue reading Hun Sen willing to risk losing his oldest ally

Inside view of Myanmar’s Rohingya insurgency

An Asia Times investigation into Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh shows the insurgent Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army relies on religion and coercion to recruit its sometimes reluctant members By Carlos Sardiña Galache Four months ago, while walking to his house from the mosque in his village in Maungdaw in Myanmar’s Rakhine state, Rasheed Ali was … Continue reading Inside view of Myanmar’s Rohingya insurgency

War on terror in Southeast Asia

The ongoing siege of Marawi City in the Philippines marks the start of a volatile new phase in the region's long battle with violent Islamic extremism By David Hutt, @davidhuttjourno When Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte declared martial law over the southern island of Mindanao to combat an Islamic State-linked militant attack on Marawi City, it … Continue reading War on terror in Southeast Asia

Jakarta Traffic Problem – No fast tracks in Indonesia

Jakarta’s epic traffic jams cost the economy US$3.4 billion in losses per year, a tangle even massive infrastructure building could take decades to unsnarl By John McBeth Over the past two decades, Bangkok has made great strides in public transport, building the so-called Skytrain and a subway in the expectation it would relieve the once-canal-laced … Continue reading Jakarta Traffic Problem – No fast tracks in Indonesia