Southeast Asia Archive

Earlier this month, the leaders of Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, and host country Thailand gathered for the first-ever Mekong River Commission (MRC) summit to discuss the future of the Mekong, one of the world’s longest and most resource-rich rivers. There was much to discuss. The Mekong — which flows through China, Myanmar, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and Thailand, and provides food, water, and transport for about 65 million people — is now at its lowest level in two decades due to a prolonged drought. Its future is also in peril due to a host of natural and man-made threats. Unless riparian states […]

The tragedy in Bangkok on Saturday, April 10, marked what is for now the low point of the ongoing political crisis that has plagued Thailand since mid-2005. The deadliest political violence the country has seen in almost 20 years claimed a total of 24 lives, including 18 protesters, 5 soldiers and a Japanese news cameraman, and injured more than 800 people. On the surface, the incident appeared to be a clash between the soldiers and the so-called “Red Shirt” protesters. In reality, however, Thailand’s political struggle is much more complex and involves multiple players, each with their own specific, and […]

On March 30, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak unveiled a new growth strategy designed to transform Malaysia into a high-income economy by 2020. But while the New Economic Model (NEM) contains much-needed reforms to boost Malaysia’s economy and political image in the face of dwindling foreign investment and rising competition, severe doubts remain about whether Najib can actually implement them. The NEM pledges to boost Malaysia’s per capita annual income from the present $7,000 to $15,000 through a raft of measures, including enhancing the role of the private sector, improving worker skills and productivity, and reducing the dependence on foreign […]

In Thailand, three leaders of anti-government demonstrations evaded arrest, embarrassing the police sent to capture them. As the Vejjajiva government falters, Thaksin’s opposition continues to protest. VOA’s Daniel Schearf reports from Bangkok.

Secretary of State Hilary Rodham Clinton appeals to the people of Thailand for peaceful talks. As violence and loss of life continues in Bangkok, Clinton asks for Thais to look for an agreement that will strengthen democracy. “The challenges you are facing cannot be resolved by force, but only by dialogue,” she said. “We believe a negotiated solution is possible.”

The 16th summit of the Association of Southeast Asia Nations (ASEAN) ended in Hanoi last Friday with a pledge to broaden implementation of the bloc’s cooperation pacts over the next five years, a move expected to provide a significant boost to regional economies. As the leaders signed off on the pledge, free trade across much of Southeast Asia was marking its first 100 days. Implemented on Jan. 1, the ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA) is off to a promising start, although it has also won its fair share of critics in recent months. AFTA’s initial target was to eliminate import […]

Engaging Burma is not a lost cause, according to an Asia Society task force report released (.pdf) last weekat a roll-out conference at the Asia Society headquarters in New York. The task force — co-chaired by former U.S. presidential candidate Gen. Wesley Clark and Henrietta Fore, former administrator of USAID — devised a three-phase plan for the United States to engage Burma. The remaining question is, Does the Burmese government want to be engaged? The plan — replete with NGO assistance, the bolstering of ethnic minorities, micro-financing and support for the agricultural sector — hinges on one key element: a […]

The state of emergency declared in Bangkok late on Wednesday night has done little if anything to calm Thailand’s escalating political tensions. The Emergency Decree issued by Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva gives security forces extended powers to clear thousands of anti-government demonstrators from the heart of Bangkok’s luxury retail district. The protesters had been camped out there, at a cost of up to $430 million in losses to the country’s economy. Government spokesman Panitan Wattanayagorn said the decree was issued to “return normalcy” as well as “safety and security” to Bangkok. But it has so far failed to accomplish those […]

The Obama administration’s break with the policy of isolating the world’s worst regimes has just suffered another defeat. Efforts to alter the behavior of Iran and Syria through engagement have gone nowhere. Now, it seems clear that the change in policy has failed, as well, in Burma, the Asian country also known as Myanmar. On Monday, the National League for Democracy, Burma’s main opposition party, announced that it will not participate in an obviously rigged election that the ruling military has been preparing to stage this year. The elections would have marked a milestone in what the world has long […]