29 Aug 2023
Cambodia, Thailand and dealing with China: The more things change…
New prime ministers might be in the job, but don’t expect any big shifts in approaches to Beijing.
-
-
15 Aug 2023
Pipe dreams: Turning an interconnected ASEAN gas market into a reality
An old idea for a regional network might hold the answer for energy demand into the future. -
14 Aug 2023
Thailand’s monarchy: Heirs and spares
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
What Thailand’s youth leaders can learn from Chile’s radical government
The Move Forward Party hope to remake politics but that means carrying people along. -
16 May 2023
Thailand’s election: will the country move forward?
The Kingdom’s conservative forces may have little option but to give way to the elected parties, at least for now. -
8 May 2023
Does Thailand’s election matter?
The election won’t be free and fair but it could be highly consequential for the country and the region. -
30 Mar 2023
Paying for a new Thai democracy
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
With caution and tact: How Asian countries voted on Ukraine at the UN
A resolution forces nations to show their hand. After Russia’s invasion, consistency has not been to everyone’s liking. -
7 Feb 2023
Power in Asia: six surprising facts
Following the launch of the 2023 Asia Power Index, the authors dig into data that reveals how power is shifting in Asia. -
24 Aug 2022
Will Thailand’s prime minister defy time?
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
What Vietnam can learn from Thailand’s fight against illegal fishing
After being issued a yellow card, Hanoi must look to its neighbours and international laws for the way forward. -
9 Jun 2022
Thailand seeking to profit from a global food crisis
The war in Ukraine has highlighted weaknesses in Thailand’s policymaking and prompted cartel behaviour … again. -
6 Jun 2022
Proceed with caution: high-speed rail for Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur
The potential connectivity benefits for two of Asia’s big cities are huge. The obstacles are many. -
16 May 2022
Diplomacy is indispensable to manage the Mekong
The goal of a healthy river won’t be helped by misreading the shared mission of the Mekong River Commission. -
12 Apr 2022
How the Mekong River Commission ignores reality
Nothing is worth celebrating in how a once mighty wild river has been cruelly tamed. -
7 Mar 2022
Reading Southeast Asia on Ukraine
Russia’s invasion has unified the West with new clarity, yet exposed ambiguity and uncertainty in Southeast Asia. -
1 Dec 2021
Increasingly illiberal Thailand
By stifling free expression, authorities are shutting off any prospect of change that is broadly acceptable to all. -
26 Nov 2021
Trouble on the Mekong
Countries along one of Asia’s longest rivers need to address the effects of climate change and overdevelopment. -
15 Nov 2021
Thailand’s regressive royal insult law
The kingdom’s youth and others are speaking out about their monarchy, at great personal expense. -
13 Oct 2021
Thailand’s military and human rights
A history of violence against troops and civilians is finally being recognised, and justice is creeping in. -
22 Sep 2021
By land or sea: Thailand perseveres with the Kra Canal
The fabled Thai waterway meant to bypass the Strait of Malacca has been mooted for centuries. Could its time have come? -
30 Aug 2021
Thai lives matter, too
Alleged police brutality captured in a widely shared video puts a spotlight on abuses and demands for reform. -
14 Jul 2021
Sun, surf and a sandbox escape from a pandemic
Thailand’s holiday island Phuket is trialling vaccine tourism in a bid to recover from the Covid-19 wave. -
27 May 2021
Thailand’s overcrowded prisons hit by Covid-19 surge
Amid one of the world’s highest incarceration rates, an outbreak was always a risk. But the government has struggled. -
15 Apr 2021
Thailand’s sweeping associations law courts disaster
Draft legislation to strictly control all kinds of groups could crush civil society and drive out foreign organisations. -
9 Dec 2020
A reckoning for Thailand’s indigenous defence industry
The Covid pandemic forced into action long-held plans to remodel defence procurement, but it’s a big challenge. -
28 Oct 2020
Thailand: Military, monarchy and the masses
To understand today’s protests, look to the decades past and the country’s incomplete transition to democracy. -
16 Oct 2020
Progressive politics in Thailand’s polarised polity
A new “hyperleader” has capitalised on the mood of a younger generation fed up with being patronised. -
10 Sep 2020
Rising protests and a sinking economy spell trouble in Thailand
A wave of dissatisfaction with the ruling elite and a Covid-induced recession have shaken the country’s foundations. -
11 Aug 2020
Chinese dams and the Mekong drought
The environmental impact of China’s dam building upstream is undeniable. The silence from some quarters is surprising. -
-
24 Jul 2020
Book review: The memory of a massacre in Thailand
Survivors and perpetrators alike have preferred silence as a way of coping with a traumatic past. -
3 Jul 2020
Southeast Asian democracies in declining health amid Covid-19
An illiberal turn across the region has been exacerbated by the pandemic. Australia should take note. -
12 Jun 2020
Thailand: Another dissenter disappears
A fresh abduction case raises serious questions, not for the first time, about the reach of Thai authorities. -
6 May 2020
Thailand: Killings of insurgents ends southern separatist ceasefire
The focus is the Thai state. Foreigners and foreign interest are not targets in this fight. -
14 Apr 2020
Covid-19 ceasefire unlikely to hasten peace in Thailand’s south
The tempo of violence in the long-running insurgency has slowed for years, yet the virus may not stop it altogether. -
10 Mar 2020
On the Mekong, Khon Pi rapids saved – for now
The drive to dam the river continues to outpace real understanding of the dams’ impact. -
18 Jul 2019
After the voting, personality beats policy in Southeast Asia
Malaysia is not the only country consumed by speculation about who takes over from a conspicuous and captivating leader. -
2 Apr 2019
The frustrated wait for Thailand’s election outcome
The military already stacked the odds in its favour, and suspicion about missing ballots have only compounded doubts. -
13 Mar 2019
Military on the front line in Thai election
An ex-army general poised to become prime minister and a junta-manipulated constitution has many Thais fired up. -
13 Feb 2019
The long tail of the al-Araibi case
A case where Bahrain didn’t need to win to send a chill of horror up the spines of other dissidents watching on. -
11 Feb 2019
The fight to preserve the Khon Pi Luang rapids
China is pushing to expand its navigation of the Mekong River, raising tricky questions of sovereignty and environment. -
8 Feb 2019
Thailand: the Princess vs the General
It’s very unusual for key players from the country’s two most powerful institutions to publicly showcase divisions. -
26 Nov 2018
Thailand should lead ASEAN with a migrant worker agenda
Bangkok’s ambition of leading ASEAN, stymied by domestic strife, can be achieved by combating labour trafficking. -
31 Oct 2018
Caught in the net: slavery on Southeast Asian seas
The seafood you bought from your local market could have been caught by a slave. -
6 Aug 2018
Wanted: Yingluck
The requested extradition of Thailand’s former prime minister warns of trouble ahead for free and fair elections. -
16 Jul 2018
Thai cave rescue: no country for Wild Boars
Attention has turned to the “stateless” problem of three of the boys, their coach, and maybe 3 million more in Thailand. -
5 Jul 2018
International rescue: the Thai cave response
The latest dramatic rescue has spurred a huge international response – but cooperation never seems to outlast a crisis. -
1 Mar 2018
Elections in Thailand, maybe, but still in the middle of a muddle
The coup-installed government is living on borrowed time. -
11 Dec 2017
Learning to trust: Lessons from Thailand, the US and China
Attitudes about friend or foe shift dramatically when countries work together on a serious security problem.