ASIA HAND
The case for invading Myanmar
If ever there was an opportunity for the United States to take out an "outpost of tyranny", as Washington likes to call Myanmar, it is now. The tardy response of the junta in allowing in foreign aid for its cyclone-devastated population provides a strong moral case for a United Nations-approved, US-led humanitarian intervention. Such a move would also allow President George W Bush to burnish his legacy, which to date will be judged harshly due to his pre-emptive military policies waged exclusively in the name of fighting terror. - Shawn W Crispin (May 9, '08)

'All we can do is drink whisky'
Myanmar's people have again been forced to weather a catastrophe on their own, banding together with little help from the government. Food and water supplies are growing scarce, disease looms and power is expected to be out for months. The whisky, too, will soon run out. - Zao Noam (May 9, '08)



Myanmar places votes before relief
Estimates now point to a quarter of a million dead in the cyclone that hit Myanmar, while foreign aid agencies still wait for approval to assist the millions of homeless. For the country's military rulers, the more pressing issue appears to be to galvanize support for Saturday's constitutional referendum, the results of which are already a forgone conclusion in favor of the junta. - Larry Jagan (May 8, '08)

   Grim fight for survival  (AFP)

Myanmar courts political disaster
Myanmar's military rulers are playing with fire through their response - or deliberate lack of one - to the cyclone calamity that has claimed over 22,000 lives and damaged huge swathes of premier rice-growing areas. The generals fear that diverting the military to relief operations will compromise security in a country already on the edge of an abyss, but even then, this is a prime time for the urban-based population to revolt and for simmering ethnic insurgencies to explode. - Brian McCartan (May 7, '08)

Myanmar faces up to cyclone disaster
With the death of more than 15,000 people and millions missing or homeless following Saturday's cyclone, the junta in Myanmar is slowly opening its doors to foreign aid, even though this will expose the full extent of the disaster and the inadequacy of the government's initial response. At the same time, the junta is adamant the weekend's national referendum on a new constitution will go ahead. - Larry Jagan (May 6, '08)

   Myanmar cyclone deaths leap to 15,000 (AFP)

Food crisis gatecrashes ADB
As food prices soar to unprecedented highs, the Asian Development Bank at the weekend outlined its vision for eradicating poverty in the region. Yet after 40 years of being the premier lender of development cash in the Asia-Pacific, the bank had a solitary paragraph about agriculture in the document outlining its goals. (May 5, '08)

The politics of cluster bombs
A proposed new treaty is calling for a comprehensive ban on cluster munitions, but some of the world's most powerful militaries, including the US, Russia, China, India and Pakistan, remain firmly outside the process. If the ban passes this month in Dublin, signatories will be barred from conducting joint operations with militaries that use the bombs - an issue already causing problems for NATO forces in Afghanistan. - Brian McCartan (May 5, '08)

ASIA HAND
What's eating Thai Tesco?
British-based superstore operator Tesco has notched up remarkable growth in Thailand, where shoppers appreciate the clean and air-conditioned environment of its outlets along with the low prices. With success comes enemies, some armed, and government legislation that could curb growth. Now the company is fighting back in the courts, risking even more local wrath. - Shawn W Crispin (May 2, '08)

SEX IN DEPTH
Grrrl power Asia, hear it growl
In terms of women's rights, Asia still lags far behind the West. The feminist movement, one might say, is still in its training bra. And yet there is no need for total pessimism; for as Asia enters its so-called "sexual evolution", women are roaring to the forefront of society, discarding ancient social roles and flexing new-found power. This isn't feminism as you know it, and there are some tantalizing learning curves. - William Sparrow (May 2, '08)

Local democracy pains in Indonesia
Two disputed results from last year's local elections in Indonesia highlight a lack of neutrality in the institutions tasked with protecting the integrity of elections. In the run-up to general elections next year, this is of growing concern. - Jacqueline Hicks (May 1, '08)

Myanmar's spoiled vote for democracy
For the first time since 1990, voters in Myanmar will go to the polls for a national referendum on a new constitution. The ruling military junta has promised the vote will be transparent, fair and systematic. Political opposition groups and diplomats are concerned the results could easily be rigged in the military's favor. - Larry Jagan (Apr 30, '08)

The cost of crime in East Timor
United Nations and local police raids have exposed embattled East Timor as a hotbed for Asian organized crime syndicates engaged in narcotics and the sex trade. Smugglers, realizing only two aging gunboats patrol a 870-kilometer coastline, are also increasing operations, and new evidence suggests organized crime played a role in the February assassination attempts against the president and prime minister. - Loro Horta (Apr 29, '08)

   E Timor rebel leader surrenders (AFP)

A new political breeze in Cambodia
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen and his ruling Cambodian People's Party may get an unexpected challenge in July's general elections if the smaller, poorer and perpetually divided opposition parties can unite. No one expects the Hun Sen juggernaut to lose, but its iron-fisted grip on power could be loosened. - Brian McCartan (Apr 28, '08)

New economic deal planned for Malaysia
After last month's election results, there's broad recognition among Malaysians that the decades-old, race-based New Economic Policy has run its course. The ascendant opposition alliance is promoting a new policy - the Malaysian Economic Agenda - designed to end favorable treatment of ethnic Malays over the minority Chinese and Indian communities. - Anil Netto   (Apr 28, '08)

Abdullah's second-chance reform drive
Stung by an election setback and facing rampant criticism, Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi is bidding to win back lost support by implementing a slate of reform programs. But the opposition and its iconic leader Anwar Ibrahim have gained the political upper hand and Abdullah's new campaign is being called "too little, too late". - Anil Netto (Apr 25, '08)

US paradox of construction and destruction
In the 1960s a construction consortium, The Vietnam Builders, completed a nearly miraculous construction effort in South Vietnam and gave a strong fiscal stimulus to the US economy. But Vietnam showed that war is not the same as nation building; greater militarization only brings more suffering and accentuates the paradox of simultaneous construction and destruction, which unfortunately has found painful new life in Iraq. - James M Carter (Apr 24, '08)

Government web-wary in Singapore
As in other Asian countries, Singapore's bloggers are fast reshaping the national debate, cutting deep into the government-influenced media's dominance over news and views. It's a dangerous game for the netizens as Singapore has some of the harshest restrictions on free expression on the Internet. But ultra-strict state policies are becoming a national embarrassment as the government prepares to position the island state as a major regional media hub. - Alex Au (Apr 23, '08)

No friends of the Earth
On Earth Day this Tuesday, there's greater excitement about environmental issues than at any time during the four decades since the celebrations began. Yet environmental groups may sabotage progress. - Muhammad Cohen (Apr 18, '08)

SEX IN DEPTH
A boom at the border
The mismanagement of Myanmar at the hands of the ruling military junta has led to poverty and little, if any, chance for a better life. Such sad reality has caused a sharp rise in the number of impoverished young women lured into the sex trade. And in hardscrabble border towns frequented by foreigners, prostitution is quietly booming. - William Sparrow (Apr 18, '08)

Cracks in constitution divide Myanmar
Myanmar's new junta-drafted constitution contains carefully worded passages that some say render it meaningless. Among the complaints are charges that the military regime has written in immunity for its human-rights abuses and broken promises to ethnic minorities. Rather than unify, the May 10 referendum on the charter will deepen the country's divisions. (Apr 17, '08)

The US's secret plan to nuke Vietnam, Laos
Recently declassified US Air Force documents reveal top-secret plans to use nuclear weapons against communist forces in Vietnam and Laos in 1959, 1961 and 1968. The plans to "cripple the insurgents and their supply lines" were scrapped due to a lack of suitable targets and the possibility of spreading war to China and the Pacific. - Richard Ehrlich (Apr 16, '08)

In Indonesia, a morality crusade misplaced
As Indonesian legislators adopt a new bill banning all pornographic websites, deepening social problems, such as corruption and poverty, once again go unaddressed. Indonesia, some say, is slipping further into religious intolerance and now the government may have a powerful new tool to muzzle its critics and control information. (Apr 15, '08)

Deadly struggle for migrants in Thailand
Drawn to work in "dirty and dangerous" jobs in fisheries, construction and rubber and palm plantations, migrant laborers from Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia flock to Thailand to find long hours, low pay, deplorable conditions and scant, if any, protection. The death last week of 54 workers from Myanmar underscores their plight. (Apr 14, '08)

Constitution changes for Thailand
The People's Power Party of Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej, which heads the new coalition government, has voted to rewrite Thailand's eight-month-old constitution put forth by the coup-making military junta. The party wants a return to the heralded 1997 "people's constitution", but it's a high-risk political gamble. (Apr 10, '08)

Two-party system takes shape in Malaysia
Malaysia's new political arena is emerging as the first stable two-party system in the history of Southeast Asia. The newly formed opposition coalition led by Anwar Ibrahim is strong enough to challenge the long-ruling National Front of Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi, despite its disparate makeup and over-ambitious reform agenda. (Apr 9, '08)

Not all bliss for take-away Cambodian brides
A dramatic spike in the number of foreign marriage licenses - specifically to South Korean bachelors - has spurred the Cambodian government to take a close look at the murky dealings of international match-making services. Human trafficking is hard to identify, but the number of domestic violence cases involving purchased brides is increasing. - Brian McCartan (Apr 7, '08)

India lays out a red carpet for Myanmar
The elephant in the room when Myanmar's Number 2, General Maung Aye, was greeted graciously in India this week was an energy hungry China. Outbid by Beijing for energy blocks across the world, an alarmed New Delhi has softened its stand against Myanmar and is increasingly wooing the junta. Beyond energy, at stake are port projects, transport lanes and strategic control of the Indian Ocean. - Siddharth Srivastava (Apr 4, '08)

Labor vs market in Vietnam
Vietnamese workers churning out goods in foreign-invested factories for Nike and other international companies are turning to strike action to demand better pay and conditions. Such protests, however, may soon put the workers on a collision course with the communist government. - Long S Le (Apr 4, '08)

SEX IN DEPTH
Church has last word in the Philippines
A plan to revamp the secondary school sex education curriculum has run into trouble with the Philippines' powerful Catholic clergy. But as the church tries to prevent educators from spreading "immoral" information about such taboos as family planning, pre-marital sex and abortion, activists point to spiraling population numbers and declining public health. (Apr 4, '08)
William Sparrow writes a weekly column looking at issues relating to sex in Asia.

Another miner going nowhere in Indonesia
Australian gold miner Archipelago Resources is struggling to raise funds for a proposed project in Sulawesi as it battles a divided bureaucracy to secure the necessary paperwork. Close by the proposed mine site, other businesses are seeking to develop projects of their own - tourist-related and dependent on clear waters and a peaceful backdrop. - John Helmer (Apr 3, '08)

Anti-Chinese cracks in Philippine rice bowls
Fast-rising rice prices in the Philippines are reinforcing the widespread belief that Filipino-Chinese rice barons are hoarding supplies in clandestine stockpiles around the country. The government has pledged to "hit the hoarders", but the issue continues to play into the deep anti-Chinese sentiments of a population that believes "rich Chinese" dominate just about every area of business and finance. - Donald Kirk (Apr 2, '08)

A military 'Walter Mitty' in Myanmar's jungles
In the bad lands of the Thai-Myanmar border, the armed struggle of the Karen rebels has attracted do-gooders and wannabe warriors for decades. Enter Thomas Bleming, a seemingly well-intentioned American who served in Vietnam and in his words "at least nine civil wars and revolutions". Bleming calls himself "a revolutionary", but it's unclear whether his quixotic notions will benefit the Karen cause. - Brian McCartan (Apr 1, '08)

Brunei's fund of wealth and scandal
The recent rise to global prominence of sovereign wealth funds has drawn attention to their potential to wield power over overseas assets and on their masked accounts. One long-standing example of such money is found in Brunei, where oil wealth has been parlayed into private wealth and public scandal. - Geoffrey C Gunn (Mar 31, '08)

Knives out for Malaysia's Abdullah 
Following his party's poor election showing, Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi is on guard on all fronts, from potential challengers within the ranks of his party to the emboldened opposition alliance. Few believe he will survive. - Anil Netto (Mar 28, '08)

SEX IN DEPTH
Indecent exposure in Indonesia
The Indonesian government's new ban on Internet sites with "immoral content" comes at the same time another government campaign attempts to put free Internet access in all the nation's high schools. Such complexities continue, as the world's most populous Muslim nation tries to balance its "sexual evolution" with a bustling sex trade, the cyber age and what Jakarta considers moral decay. (Mar 28, '08)
William Sparrow writes a weekly column looking at issues relating to sex in Asia.

First ladies part ways in the Philippines
The hospitalization this week of Corazon Aquino has forced the former Philippine president to retreat from the front line of activists calling for the ouster of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, the only other woman to ever lead the country. It may be something of a relief to embattled Arroyo, but it's left the opposition reeling. As one long-time analyst opines, "We ain't got much by way of options." - Donald Kirk (Mar 27, '08)

Unreal Rambo finds an army of fans
Rambo averages a record 2.59 killings per minute in his latest cinematic orgy of violence, this time against Myanmar's military regime. The fantasy sets in from the outset, and as a window into what is really happening inside the conflict-torn country, the film's a failure. All the same, it has struck a chord with the exile community - both among political activist groups and migrant workers. - Brian McCartan (Mar 26, '08)

Crisis looms for Myanmar's riven junta
With top junta members under investigation for corruption and the health of senior general Than Shwe deteriorating, Myanmar's leadership is in a state of paralysis. But all the while, tension between rival junta factions is building and something will likely give soon, in the form of a mutiny, purge, or palace coup. - Larry Jagan (Mar 26, '08)

Cambodian dam plans suffer drought
Cambodia, with its own fast-growing economy and a shortage of energy, plans to build a series of hydropower projects that would help to supply its own needs while creating an opportunity to supply electricity to neighboring countries. Yet even projects underway lack transparency while the strong presence of Chinese companies is also raising concern. (Mar 25, '08)

SEX IN DEPTH
My short time with Tito
It all started innocently enough: a simple research outing to uncover the underworld of Western sex workers in Asia. But then, at the unsubtle urging of an over-bulked Baltic bouncer named Tito, the venture became a tour of the sex trade "circuit". What came out was the naked truth about organized crime, immigration, sex and the story behind some of Asia's most notorious ports of call girls.
William Sparrow writes a weekly column looking at issues relating to sex in Asia. (Mar 20, '08)

Politics of poverty in the Philippines
With the Philippine economy seemingly steaming along (7.3% growth last year), President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has some figures with which to deflect her mounting political troubles. But as long as she plays statistical tricks, such as with unemployment data, and the poor remain poor, she's fighting a losing battle. - Joel D Adriano (Mar 20, '08)

Malaysia rocked to the economic core
In the wake of opposition party victories in Malaysia's industrialized states of Penang, Perak and Selangor, new state governments are scrambling to make good on campaign promises to end the decades-old New Economic Policy in favor of their own economic agendas. It's no easy task as ethnic Malays will fight hard to avoid being sidelined. - Anil Netto (Mar 19, '08)

Guns? Not me says Viktor Bout
Viktor Bout, the 41-year-old Russian businessman being held on "terrorism charges" in Bangkok for conspiring to sell "millions of dollars worth of weapons" to Colombian guerillas, is innocent, his lawyer vehemently claims. His reputation for selling guns, guns, guns is being disarmed by his legal team, which says any attempts to extradite Bout to Guantanamo Bay or elsewhere are based only on "blah blah blah". - Richard S Ehrlich (Mar 18, '08)

Indonesia plays power catch-up
Indonesia is introducing a crash program to build power stations after underinvestment in the sector threatens to hold back the country's economic growth. The program could result in curbs on exports of fuel such as coal and gas, while failure to maintain growth could damage the re-election prospects of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. - Tom McCawley (Mar 18, '08)

My Lai probe hid policy that led to massacre
The My Lai massacre of as many as 400 Vietnamese civilians by US troops in 1968 has long been perceived as the rogue act of overzealous GIs and a clear violation of official policy on the treatment of non-combatants. But a newly obtained document suggests the responsibility for My Lai could be linked directly to the top US commander in Vietnam, General William C Westmoreland. - Gareth Porter (Mar 17, '08)

Inflation tests Vietnam's growth 
Annual GDP growth of more than 8% combined with economic reforms has helped to transform and industrialize Vietnam. Now, as striking workers press for higher pay, the government's success story is threatened by rising inflation, not all of which can be blamed on global factors. - Andrew Symon (Mar 17, '08)

SEX IN DEPTH
Philippines exports labor and sex
To escape poverty and joblessness, young Filipinas have for decades sought employment abroad. But from Shanghai to Dubai, many are underpaid as maids or nannies and often turn to the sex trade to make enough cash to send home. This has helped place the Philippines third in the world for foreign remittances, and funds from abroad now represent almost 10% of the annual GDP. (Mar 14, '08) 
William Sparrow writes a weekly column looking at issues relating to sex in Asia.

ASIA HAND
The politics of revenge in Thailand
Hopes that last December's elections - which on the surface restored democracy and at least symbolically sent the military back to the barracks - would restore political stability and usher in a new era of national reconciliation have already yielded to new worries of a sustained and potentially more violent political conflict. - Shawn W Crispin (Mar 13, '08)

Gloria and God in the Philippines
Never in the modern history of the Philippines has the powerful Roman Catholic clergy been so divided as it is over the mounting calls for President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to resign. Some believe the clergy's political judgment could be clouded by government donations, while its historic role in providing moral authority amid rough and tumble politics is also being questioned. - Cher S Jimenez (Mar 11, '08)

A new democratic era in Malaysia
Despite earning 51% of the popular vote, Saturday's general elections were a stunning setback for Malaysia's long-ruling Barisan Nasional and embattled Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi. Voters, who in the past may have tolerated corruption and authoritarianism in exchange for stability, have sent a clear message for change. If the transition is handled gracefully, Malaysia will have taken an all-important step in its political development. - Ioannis Gatsiounis (Mar 10, '08)

Political shift in the industrial heart
The "jewel in the crown of national politics", the northern state of Penang, is the center of Malaysia's crucial electronics industry and an established barometer of the economy as a whole. Until Saturday's landslide opposition win, it had been a ruling party stronghold for 40 years. Now the new state government has to overhaul Penang's business culture without short-circuiting production or sidelining state-linked projects. - Anil Netto (Mar 10, '08)

Suspicions over Singapore jailbreak
The daring and as-yet unexplained escape of Singapore's most wanted terror fugitive, Mas Selamat Kastari, has called the island nation's terror-fighting credentials into question. The government's bumbling has stoked speculation of a cover-up, and until Mas Selamat is caught foreign confidence in Singapore's security will be hard to restore. - Alex Au (Mar 7, '08)

BOOK REVIEW
Bare bones of Suharto's secrets
Sukarno and the Indonesian Coup
by Helen-Louise Hunter
The tumultuous events of 1965 that led to the end of Sukarno's rule and the rise of Suharto's New Order regime have been described as some of the most significant of the 20th century, not just for Indonesia but internationally. Yet questions linger as to Suharto's role in making things happen and the dark hand of the United States. - Andrew Symon (Mar 7, '08)

INTERVIEW
Anwar Ibrahim
Anwar to Abdullah: It's nothing personal
Since his release from prison on politically motivated charges, Malaysian opposition icon Anwar Ibrahim has refashioned his image as a pious crusader for social justice and racial equality. Critics say Anwar simply tells people what they want to hear, but the veteran politician tells Ioannis Gatsiounis he's matured after his time in the political wilderness and he's well fed up with what he sees as the ruling government's incompetence. (Mar 6, '08)

Swansong visit for UN's Myanmar envoy
The United Nations special envoy to Myanmar, Ibrahim Gambari, has begun a third visit to the country to discuss the military regime's newly announced plans for political change. The indications are, though, that it will be his last. While Gambari does not see failure to bring about change as an option, the generals have a very different view. - Larry Jagan (Mar 6, '08)

ASIA HAND
Mixed reviews for Thai capital controls
Thailand's new government, which this week removed capital controls imposed by its military-led predecessor, seems willing to sacrifice exports for more domestic demand-led economic growth. Overlooked are other capital controls still in place, while inflation and the prospect of an ever-stronger currency will challenge policymakers. - Shawn W Crispin (Mar 5, '08)

Rice now too costly to give away
Global rice prices, driven by the sagging US dollar, fuel costs and China's increasing food demands, soared 40% last year just as the world's rice stocks hit a 20-year low. Even international aid agencies are struggling to afford sufficient quantities of rice for the impoverished people they're meant to serve in Asia. (Mar 5, '08)

Pre-election hopes for Malaysian opposition
The weekend's elections in Malaysia have been called the best chance the opposition has had to weaken the ruling party's grip on power in at least a decade. Economic and social problems have beset Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi, but the opposition may struggle to convert popular discontent into votes. - Ioannis Gatsiounis (Mar 4, '08)

Why Arroyo won't go
Besieged with mass protests and allegations of mismanagement and moral impropriety, Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is standing her ground. Former presidents Corazon Aquino and Joseph Estrada have joined the calls for her resignation, but with the political, business and religious forces still aligned behind Arroyo, her downfall will likely need to come through the courts rather than the streets. - Shawn W Crispin (Mar 3, '08)

SEX IN DEPTH
Cell swingers in Cambodia
From university sweethearts married in Paris to kingpins in the brutal Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia, 82-year-old Ieng Sary and his wife Khieu Thirith, 75, now bide their time in detention awaiting trial for crimes against humanity. They're in separate cells, and Sary has requested conjugal visits. While the two await an answer, they could reflect on one of the Khmer Rouge's practices - separation of husband and wife. (Feb 29, '08)
William Sparrow writes a weekly column looking at issues relating to sex in Asia.

A whole new game for Thailand's Thaksin
Thaksin Shinawatra's return to Thailand on Thursday marks the first time an elected prime minister who has been deposed from power has come back with politically active support and with the party in power backing him. All the same, Thaksin says it's sport he'll be playing, not politics. And fighting law suits. (Feb 29, '08)

Indonesia's appetite for arms grows
Checks on US military aid to Indonesia are gone, and the floodgates are now wide open. Washington hopes beefing up Indonesia's military will help Jakarta counter terrorism and emerge as a regional leader able to thwart North Korea's nuclear ambitions and deter China's military build-up. Meanwhile, Washington is watching Russian President Putin's recent overtures to Jakarta with a wary eye. (Feb 28, '08)

In Myanmar, a resistance hero on the run
Traveling from one safehouse to the next, often sleeping in the streets and under constant threat of arrest by Myanmar's military junta, Tun Myint Aung is a man in constant danger. Armed with only a trusty radio and a mobile phone, a new leader of the "88 Generation" pro-democracy movement mounts a personal campaign against the ruling junta. (Feb 28, '08)

IN THE DRAGON'S LAIR
US prowls for China in the Philippines
With China becoming the US's greatest potential competitor, Washington needs the Philippines more than ever. Not only is it ideally located, its government has been far more willing than other Southeast Asian countries to align itself with the demands of the US. Thus Washington is steadily transforming and deepening its military presence and intervention in the Philippines in preparation for any face-off with China. In return, Beijing is aggressively courting Manila. - Herbert Docena (Feb 27, '08)

Washington reaches to Muslim rebels
The American envoy's recent meeting with the leader of the separatist Moro Islamic Liberation Front in the Philippines signals a softening of Washington's stance on the Muslim rebel group it once considered adding to its terror blacklist. The secretive meet also hints at a larger deal in which Washington will help to broker peace in Mindanao - as long as the rebels sever ties with any groups the US has identified as terrorists, including the Abu Sayyaf. - Romer S Sarmiento (Feb 27, '08) 

Look who's digging for gold in Myanmar
A Russian signatory to an agreement to prospect for gold in northeast Myanmar, witnessed by the Russian ambassador to the country, has a name disconcertingly similar to that of a fraudster in a story written by a former gulag prisoner. Coincidence perhaps, but it's about as much as there is to work on in this mysterious business. - John Helmer (Feb 27, '08)

The politics of Thai revisionist history
Just a few weeks in office and Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej faces protests over questionable remarks on past democracy protests and the insurgency in the south. Critics feel his comments indicate callous policies to come, and even some political allies are feeling alienated. All this with former premier Thaksin Shinawatra returning to Thailand soon, some say to pull in Samak's reins. - Brian McCartan (Feb 26, '08)

Intrigue and illness in Myanmar's junta
Myanmar's top junta leader, the reclusive Than Shwe, is increasingly a general in his labyrinth. Analysts believe he's manipulating an intricate chessboard inside the government and military that's designed to thwart ambitious underlings. The announcement of democratic reforms is a part of his gambit to keep power despite his declining health and to ensure the dominant position of his family. - Larry Jagan (Feb 25, '08)

Why Philippine ores stay underground
Australia-based Xstrata Copper aims to invest as much as US$2 billion to mine copper and gold deposits in the southern Philippines. The stuff they want is close to the surface, but so are a communist insurgency, environmentally concerned Catholic clergy and tribal animosities. - Romer S Sarmiento (Feb 21, '08)

Smart sanctions tighten on Myanmar tycoon
The US has tightened its sanctions around Myanmarese businessman Tay Za to cover key companies and more of his associates. The move may have support in unusual quarters - his extensive wealth and influence (not to mention his loutish offspring) have aroused resentment among the Myanmar's ruling officials, among them potential leader General Maung Aye. Yet Tay Za is far from down and out. - Brian McCartan (Feb 20, '08)

CAMPAIGN OUTSIDER
The Indonesian candidate
Barack Obama's four years in Jarkarta may strengthen his potential to boost bilateral ties and America's tattered global standing, argue some people in Indonesia. Yet that does not mean he will be a strong opponent of extremism in Indonesia and elsewhere. - Muhammad Cohen (Feb 19, '08)

ASSASSINATION AS POLITICS Philippine plot within a plot Uncertainty swirls over an alleged assassination attempt against embattled Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. Local media have buried the story and opposition figures question why the announcement of the plot coincided with a rally to call for Arroyo's resignation. Popular discontent is mounting, but Arroyo's camp is no stranger to fighting with its back to the wall. - Joel D Adriano (Feb 15, '08) East Timor faces new rebels The coup attempt that has left East Timor's president in critical condition and made a likely martyr out of the rebel plot leader who had originally urged his followers to vote for his victim underlines the shakiness of the country's transition from occupation through UN fiefdom to fragile state. - Simon Roughneen (Feb 15, '08) Myanmar gains from leader's death The killing of Mahn Sha La Pan, the respected, if controversial, leader of the Karen National Union rebel group, most likely by a rival splinter faction, further diminishes hopes for a people already in crisis. And the chief beneficiary is the Myanmar junta in its attempts to further divide the rebels. - Brian McCartan (Feb 15, '08)