Southeast Asia Archive

CHIANG MAI, Thailand — As the third day of a military crackdown on protestors begins in Burma, the mass movement is at a critical juncture. Following the arrests of hundreds of monks in the past two days, the demonstrations that had reached a peek participation of around 100,000 earlier in the week have simmered down, though tens of thousands are still marching. Meanwhile, reports on the ground indicate Burmese military forces are massing in Yangon and the administrative capital at Naypyidaw. Government crackdowns against protesters escalated early Thursday when large-scale pre-dawn raids on Buddhist monasteries throughout Yangon were carried out […]

When I heard the news that protesting Buddhist monks in Burma had managed to reach the home of pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi last week, a wave of cold dread washed over me. My mind traveled back to the time a few years ago when I tried to reach Suu Kyi’s home on University Avenue in Rangoon (now named Yangon by the brutal military rulers of Burma, itself renamed Myanmar by the same illegitimate government). My thoughts then moved further back in time, to 1988, when street protests led by the astonishing Suu Kyi ended in tragedy. By some […]

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — Arriving at Kuala Lumpur International Airport, you might be forgiven for thinking you had landed in the Middle East: In addition to English and Malaysian Bahasa, arrival and departure announcements are made in high-flown Arabic, just one indication that Malaysia is fast becoming a favorite holiday destination for Arabs. From June to October, Arab tourists increasingly flee the furnace-like temperatures of the Gulf for Malaysia’s green landscape and pristine coastal waters. While many hotels all over the country — from Kota Kinabalu in Sabah to Langkawi near the Thai border — cater to Arab tourists during […]

DENPASAR Indonesia — After 20 years in exile, José María Síson was arrested in Utrecht, Holland, Aug. 28 and charged with ordering the murder of two dissidents of the outlawed Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP). Although he now calls himself a “consultant” to Asia’s oldest rebel movement, Síson is widely perceived to be the leader of the CPP and its armed wing, the New People’s Army (NPA), both of which he founded nearly 40 years ago. His arrest has given rise to a whirlwind of opinions, with some experts stating that it could be a severe blow to the […]

BANGKOK, Thailand — While desperate people braved pro-government thugs on the streets of Rangoon to protest economically devastating fuel price rises, Burma’s chief energy planner was in Singapore spouting fantastic figures about his country’s oil and gas wealth. Burma has reserves of more than 600 million barrels of oil and almost 16 trillion cubic feet of gas, claimed U Soe Myint last week. Selling Abroad, Shortages at Home The figures, if they are to be believed, should be good news for a country of 53 million impoverished people who suffer intermittent electricity supplies, or none at all in many areas, […]