ASIA HAND

Teves in race to fix Philippines' economy
Philippines' Finance Secretary Margarito Teves is scrambling to control a ballooning budget deficit while boosting revenues to pay for past pump-priming efforts. Selling off state assets will help, but time is running out as he has only until elections in May to sort out what he can. "It's been a very difficult period for us," he tells Asia Times Online. - Jennee Grace U Rubrico (Feb 5, '10)

Anwar trial another black eye for Malaysia
To many, Anwar Ibrahim is not the only defendant in the dock in a sodomy trial that is the talk of Malaysia. Amid explicit language and allegations, everyone from the prime minister and the political establishment to the police and judiciary itself could be dragged through the mud if, as in Anwar's first trial, the courtroom drama turns into a high-stakes soap opera stretching out for months. - Anil Netto (Feb 4, '10)

THE ROVING EYE
Staring at the abyss
On Indonesia's tropical island of Bali, everything is about sekala and niskala, ritual and the occult. In the United States, the Pentagon has its occult as it continues its descent into the ghostly abyss of its "long war". When President Obama visits Indonesia next month, he'd do well to do some soul-searching on Bali if he is to avoid being permanently engulfed by hungry ghosts. - Pepe Escobar (Feb 4, '10)

Obama expectations revised in Indonesia
Confirmation that United States President Barack Obama will make a much-awaited visit to his childhood home of Indonesia has had a mixed reception. Fading hopes that Obama will upgrade Jakarta's strategic importance in Washington mirror discontent with Indonesia's own president, raising doubts whether Obama's visit will benefit the Indonesian leader. - Sara Schonhardt (Feb 3, '10)

Temasek and Thaksin lost in space
A corruption case against exiled former Thai premier Thaksin Shinawatra is overshadowing Shin Satellite, which he sold before being ousted from power. Singapore's Temasek Holdings, the present owner, faced with the prospect of a canceled tax holiday, may find it best to get rid of its stake, but attracting a buyer for the debt-burdened, loss-making unit could be tough. - Peter Brown (Feb 2, '10)

Anwar's epic battle, the sequel
Anwar Ibrahim stands before a Malaysian court on Tuesday accused of sodomy for the second time in his long political career. The opposition leader and his supporters maintain the charges are trumped up to stop his rise to power, Whatever Anwar's fate, members of his coalition party say the case cannot derail momentum for political reform. - Baradan Kuppusamy (Jan 29, '10)

How Myanmar's opium grows
Local monitors say opium production is surging under areas of government control in Myanmar, as militias mandated with quelling rebels increasingly engage in drug cultivation, processing and smuggling. These findings contrast with those of a United Nations agency, perhaps because the UN group relies on cooperation with the military regime for its information. - Brian McCartan (Jan 29, '10)

Scaled-back expectations in Indonesia
Thousands of Indonesians took to the streets on Thursday to condemn President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's record since he started his second term last October. His government had set out an ambitious 100-day agenda of tackling graft, climate change and terrorism, but its performance has been tarnished by a failed bank bailout and corruption allegations. - Sara Schonhardt (Jan 28, '10)

A thin line between Cambodia and Vietnam
Cambodia's main opposition party leader, Sam Rainsy, has been sentenced in absentia in his home country to two years in jail for uprooting Vietnamese border posts he said encroached on Cambodia. The border controversy has raised questions over the ruling Cambodian People Party's links with Hanoi - which plans to invest billions in Cambodia's energy, agriculture and mining industries - as well as government influence over the courts. - Jared Ferrie (Jan 27, '10)

Justice deficit in southern Thailand
When gunmen attacked the al-Furqan mosque in Thailand's restive south, killing 10 worshippers, few accepted government claims that Muslim insurgents were involved. A former Thai ranger wanted for the crime has now surrendered, but it's unclear if the military has been holding him in secret custody and whether the government's policy of forming local militias contributed to the massacre. - Brian McCartan (Jan 26, '10)

Property bounces back in the Philippines
Strong demand for business outsourcing work is helping to buoy the Philippines property market, which is recovering after a period of falling rental rates and rising vacancies. With overseas workers hanging onto their jobs and sending more cash home, the outlook for domestic housing is also looking good. - Jennee Grace U Rubrico (Jan 25, '10)

World Bank aims to earn 'green' stripes
The World Bank, associated more with mega dams than with conservation efforts, is polishing its "green" credentials through involvement with efforts to save the tiger in Asia, just as China and its neighbors prepare to celebrate the Year of the Tiger. The bank will also push for more stringent controls to curb the US$10 billion to $20 billion illegal trade in tiger parts. - Marwaan Macan-Markar (Jan 25, '10)

ASIA HAND
Trial by fire in Thailand
The highly anticipated verdict of a corruption case involving exiled ex-Thai premier Thaksin Shinawatra could result in the seizure of US$2.3 billion of his and his family's assets. It could also set the scene for more political instability, with Thaksin's red-shirted supporters already pressurizing the legal proceedings with threats of chaos and street violence. - Shawn W Crispin (Jan 22, '10)

Syria turns its attention east
By appointing former ambassador to Malaysia Lamia al-Assi as minister of economy and trade, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's intentions are clear. Though she's the country’s first woman to hold the position, it is no token nomination. Backed by Assi's expertise in the affairs of the Far East, Syria hopes to take its relations there to a new level. - Sami Moubayed (Jan 21, '10)

To live and die with Hun Sen
From his days spent as a Khmer Rouge cadre to his rough-and-tumble rise through the ranks of the communist state established by the invading Vietnamese, Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen has deftly adapted to master new surroundings. His 25 years in power have been marred by corruption and human-rights scandals, but his firebrand rhetoric and perceived ruthlessness keep the public very much in awe of him. - Paul Vrieze (Jan 21, '10)

Golf and the great Lao land grab
Anger among residents of communities outside the Laotian capital of Vientiane is rising over government orders that their land will soon be converted into an 18-hole golf course and luxury resort. The compensation on offer is well below market prices, the latest in a series of land grabs carried out as part of the communist government's new market-led development model. - Beaumont Smith (Jan 20, '10)

God as politics in Malaysia
Blame for the escalating Allah controversy in Malaysia is being placed on the ruling party's long history of politicizing ethnic and religious divides. With the United Malays Nasional Organization's credibility shaken by perceptions it tacitly condoned violence targeting Christians, there is an opportunity for the Anwar Ibrahim-led opposition to gain the defections it has long sought to topple the government. - Fabio Scarpello (Jan 15, '10)

BOOK REVIEW
She had a dream
Surviving against the Odds by S Ann Dunham
Nearly 15 years after US President Barack Obama's mother passed away, her dream to publish her life's work has been realized. Against the backdrop of top-down Asian development programs of the 1970s and academic anthropology, the book is a testament to Dunham's lifelong passion for helping rural populations around the world. It also offers a few pointers to Obama's early development. - Dinesh Sharma (Jan 15, '10)

Indonesia pulls new strings to tackle terror
From debates staged between prisoners convicted of terrorism and Islamic leaders and psychologists to puppet shows that teach people the dangers of terror, Indonesia is using words rather than weapons to challenge Islamists about the killing of other Muslims. Nasir Abas, once the leader of a terror group, is a key part of the program, but he admits there is a long way to go. - Sara Schonhardt (Jan 14, '10)

Malaysian attacks leave ash of confusion
Attacks on Christian churches in Malaysia after a court's decision to allow wider use of the term "Allah" have left many residents wondering what the fuss is really about. Malay-speaking Christians say they have used the word for hundreds of years, while some Muslim groups fear Christians will use it to confuse potential converts. The ugly hand of politics is also seen to be not far away. - Anil Netto (Jan 13, '10)

US revives Asia trade agenda
United States President Barack Obama's recent reference in Tokyo to the Trans-Pacific Strategic Economic Partnership Agreement has brought out from the shadows a little-known free-trade pact. Its expansion would please Washington and could breathe new life into the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum - or create new divisions in the region. - Benny Teh Cheng Guan (Jan 12, '10)

Bombs tarnish Malaysia's terror record
The firebombing of Christian churches, in a clash of views over terms applicable to a supreme being, has blemished Malaysia's record for being comparatively free of terrorist attacks. The government's stance on such issues may be fanning the flames. - Ioannis Gatsiounis (Jan 11, '10)

China's soft power hardens in Cambodia
China's Vice President Xi Jinping's recent three-day visit to Cambodia included an unprecedented US$1.2 billion in aid agreements with Phnom Penh. The visit came just one day after Cambodian authorities deported to China 20 ethnic Uighur asylum seekers, a vivid illustration of the new bonds now linking Beijing and Phnom Penh. - Sebastian Strangio (Jan 11, '10)

Reds ready to rumble in Thailand
Since last April, when the red-shirted United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship fought running street battles with Thai security forces, the movement has undergone what its proponents claim is a major organizational transformation to avoid just such mayhem. However, if its planned new round of anti-government protests turns nasty, the group says it's still ready for a fight. - Nelson Rand and Chandler Vandergrift (Jan 8, '10)

Fallen pawns in US's strategic game
While Western organizations and human-rights groups wring their hands over Thailand's forced repatriation of more than 4,000 ethnic Hmong refugees to Laos, concern in the United States over Washington's long-term influence in the region may mute its condemnation of the move. - Brian McCartan (Jan 7, '10)

China-ASEAN pact offers more than win-win
The inauguration of a free trade area encompassing China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations marks a remarkable turnaround in relations since the end of the Cold War. Their pact offers numerous opportunities for China's far-smaller neighbors. It also carries risk. - Brantly Womack (Jan 6, '10)

Wahid's death buries Indonesian reform
The death of Indonesia's fourth president, Abdurrahman Wahid, unleashed an outpouring of popular support last week that he never tapped into while in office, when his erratic style helped to derail the reform movement that supported him. Yet he remained prominent as a reformer to the end. - Gary LaMoshi (Jan 5, '10)

ASIA HAND
Politics set to spoil Southeast Asia's recovery
Strong economic growth in the coming year is predicted across Southeast Asia, as rising global growth boosts exports. The danger is that domestic political considerations could trump technocratic sense. - Shawn W Crispin (Dec 23, '09)

Weapons seizure hits North Korea hard
Thailand's detention of an arms cache on a Republic of Georgia-registered plane possibly bound for the Middle East dealt a blow to one of North Korea's biggest sources of foreign currency. It also casts light into the shady world of international arms trafficking. - Brian McCartan (Dec 21, '09)

Myanmar's generals plow a rich furrow
Nobel economics laureate Joseph Stiglitz used an invitation to Myanmar to urge the military rulers to make political reforms to revitalize the stagnant, mostly agriculture-based economy. His well-intended advice is likely to go unheeded, as the present system, in which farmers are forced to hand over a portion of their crops to the army and plant what they are told, suits the authorities rather nicely. - Brian McCartan (Dec 18, '09)

Singapore's big gamble begins
The Lion City's first multi-billion dollar casino resort welcomes visitors this weekend. The gaming floors won't open for weeks - or months - but the chips are down already when it comes to profits. - Muhammad Cohen (Dec 17, '09)

Reform hopes fade in Jakarta
Expectations that Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's resounding re-election would usher in much-needed reforms in the bureaucracy, security apparatus and economy are melting away as the political alliances he built after the vote crumble in the face of financial scandals. - Fabio Scarpello (Dec 16, '09)

Yudhoyono sees coups round every corner
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, already under pressure over economic scandals, has lashed out at unnamed forces in Indonesia he says planned to topple him through anti-graft rallies. As Yudhoyono draws accusations of being increasingly self-centered and paranoid, his administration appears to be rolling back its first-term progress in combating corruption. - John McBeth (Dec 15, '09)

Uneven recovery in the Philippines
The Philippine stock market is on a tearaway run, yet there is little in the economy to justify such optimism. Joblessness remains persistently high in spite of government stimulus spending and economic growth is barely registering. - Jennee Grace U Rubrico (Dec 14, '09)

War brings profits to south Thailand
The visit of Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak to Thailand has reaffirmed Malaysia's support for Thai counter-insurgency policies against Muslim rebels in the southernmost provinces on the border with Malaysia. The insurgency there will not end, though, as long as there is profit to be made, notably from human trafficking and drug-smuggling. - Brian McCartan (Dec 11, '09)

Indonesians take to the streets
The very democracy-promoting non-governmental organizations with which Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono was once seen to have common cause, have turned on the troubled leader. Tens of thousands of Indonesians have taken to the streets in protest over scandals surrounding Yudhoyono's freshly elected government. - Patrick Guntensperger (Dec 10, '09)

Vietnam seeks billions for ports overhaul
Vietnam wants international investors to help fund an up to US$56 billion upgrade of its port system, which has failed to expand in line with the country's increased involvement in world trade. Corruption and concerns about the state of the local economy could weigh heavily in the minds of possible partners. - Michael Mackey (Dec 8, '09)

Calculated ambiguity in the South China Sea
China's end goal for the South China Sea may not just be a vast exclusive economic zone. Rather, Beijing appears to be expanding into the disputed waters to project naval power, including through a fleet of nuclear ballistic missile submarines. Peter J Brown (Dec 7, '09)

Dubai adds to the Philippines' woes
The debt crisis in Dubai, home to hundreds of thousands of Philippine workers, is adding to concerns about the Philippines' economic recovery from the recent downturn, which is proving less strong than expected. - Joel D Adriano (Dec 4, '09)

Dangers in jailing Malaysia's Anwar
Malaysia is feeling a sense of deja vu, with opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim facing another sodomy trial in January. But much has changed since his first trial in 1999, including media coverage. A public uproar in reaction to any perceived injustice in the proceedings could make the protest movement he sparked over a decade ago look tame. - Anil Netto (Dec 3, '09)

Washington's Myanmar initiative falters
The United States' recent diplomatic overtures to Myanmar's reclusive regime appear focused on the release of detained opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, but the nation's leaders are unlikely to accept any deal that would see her run in 2010 elections. One possible compromise would have her released to take on an apolitical role. - Larry Jagan (Dec 1, '09)

Condom friction in pious Indonesia
Islamic groups in Indonesia have taken exception to the government's campaign to promote the use of condoms as a way to curb HIV transmission. For different reasons, the Catholic Church also opposes the drive, which others say simply won't work because of the scare tactics it uses. - Sara Schonhardt (Dec 1, '09)

Arroyo caught in an impunity dilemma
Killings of one or two people in the Philippines' south are often soon forgotten. But last week's massacre of at least 57 people will endure as emblematic of deeper problems. The question now is whether President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo will play down the mass murder - which apparently involved close political allies - or try to tackle the nation's culture of impunity. - Donald Kirk (Nov 30, '09)

From stability to chaos in Indonesia
Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's vague response to an alleged attempt to take down a popular anti-corruption body raises fears of a return to Suharto-era impunity for top-level officials. Yudhoyono's belated reaction also leaves unanswered questions about his own possible involvement in the alleged plot. - Patrick Guntensperger (Nov 25, '09)

Electoral mud flies in the Philippines
The fists are already flying in the lead-up to next year's Philippine presidential vote. According to opinion polls, popularity is now on the side of 49-year-old opposition Senator Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino. His rivals aren't giving up that easily though, and have already dug up a number of controversial claims - including accusations of autism. - Al Labita (Nov 25, '09)

Arroyo's failures seen in massacre
The massacre of at least 39 people on the Philippines' restive island of Mindanao brutally highlights outgoing President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's failure to stem political violence in provincial areas. The military has blamed the savage attack - which targeted a politician challenging an Arroyo ally - on the local police force, paramilitary forces and politicians. - Al Labita (Nov 24, '09)

Honeymoon over for Yudhoyono
Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, a month after being inaugurated to his second and final term in office, is hounded by a corruption scandal that puts his often plodding style in unfavorable focus. Yudhoyono's skill at taking the middle road may be what Indonesia needs to ensure the growth of its democracy, but he is unlikely to leave a meaningful policy legacy for his successor. - Gary LaMoshi (Nov 19, '09)

OBAMA ON THE ASIAN HIGHWAY
A new courtship for Southeast Asia
Barack Obama at the weekend became the first American president to share a room with all 10 leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. The US's new Asian focus is based partly on a belief that the region has been neglected, giving China a pre-eminent position, and that it's time to get down to business. - Brian McCartan (Nov 18, '09)

Why Yudhoyono needs FDI
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono wants to see faster growth and more people at work in Indonesia, where more than half the 240 million people live on less than US$2 a day, but liberalization measures that would help to attract foreign direct investment, or FDI, to plug the vast gap in the required budget may be slow in coming. - Fabio Scarpello (Nov 18, '09)

Missing the nuance in south Thailand
Misconceptions about the insurgent violence in Muslim southern Thailand have grown with the conflict, as reports exaggerate or romanticize separatist sentiments while claiming the Thai state's policy of arming Thai Buddhists is fueling the violence. Overlooked are the connection many southerners feel with Bangkok and local Muslim animosity towards the insurgents. - Jason Johnson (Nov 16, '09)

'Advisor' Thaksin hits out at protests
Exiled former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, taking up a controversial post as Cambodia's newest economic advisor, has accused the Thai government of "false patriotism" in its objection to his new role. While Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen stands firmly behind Thaksin, his purpose in signing him up is far from clear. - Jared Ferrie (Nov 12, '09)

OBAMA ON THE ASIAN HIGHWAY
Myanmar up close
President Barack Obama's meeting with Southeast Asian leaders next week will likely focus on the new US policy of "constructive engagement" with Myanmar, one indication he intends to put a greater emphasis on engaging with allies in the region after seeing China expand its presence during the George W Bush years.(Nov 12, '09)

ASIA HAND
Plots seen in Thaksin's Cambodia gambit
Cambodia's welcome to exiled former Thai prime minister, Thaksin Shinawatra, has added a volatile regional dimension to Thailand's political impasse. Thai military planners now believe Cambodia's leader could be working with Thaksin to bring down the government in Bangkok. However, Thai Prime Minister Abhisit 'Vejjajiva may see no political point in easing tensions, given his surge in domestic opinion polls over the issue. - Shawn W Crispin (Nov 11, '09)

US digs deeper into Mindanao's mire
United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will walk into the middle of a storm when she visits the Philippines this week to press Manila and a separatist Muslim rebel group to resume  peace talks. The government of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and the rebels are at serious odds over the kidnapping of an Irish missionary. Clinton's way forward may be to press on with controversial secret meetings with the separatists. - Al Labita (Nov 10, '09)

Clock winds down on APEC
Twenty years after the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum was established, its goal of moving toward free trade among the now 21 members looks increasingly distant amid rising protectionism and a noodle soup of bilateral deals - Megawati Wijaya (Nov 9, '09)

Cambodia rattles Thailand's chain
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen's appointment of former Thai premier Thaksin Shinawatra as an economic advisor has riled Bangkok. Hun Sen must have known that his cozying up to Thaksin, who lives in exile and has been convicted on corruption charges, would have this effect. But the long-serving Cambodian leader more likely has other reasons in mind. - Craig Guthrie (Nov 9, '09)

Corruption bomb explodes in Indonesia
Allegations in a wiretapped conversation involving businessman Anggodo Widjojo, police and prosecutors, in which they appeared to plot against Indonesia's top anti-graft body, have also mentioned President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. The shadow over Yudhoyono's hitherto squeaky clean image is darkened by his seeming indecisiveness in the complex case. - Patrick Guntensperger (Nov 6, '09)

US gives Myanmar a tentative embrace
This week's landmark visit by senior United States officials to Myanmar featured meetings with military leaders, pro-democracy figure Aung San Suu Kyi and ethnic groups, but none led to any diplomatic breakthrough. Critics claim Washington's engagement gambit, far from being aimed at achieving stability in Myanmar, is more designed to counter China's overtures to Southeast Asia. - Brian McCartan (Nov 6, '09)

Facebook people power
In an echo of the protests that demanded the ouster of dictator Suharto more than a decade ago, Indonesians this month put pressure on President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono over the arrest of two anti-corruption commissioners, subsequently released. This time around, though, the networking site Facebook rather than the streets was the place to protest. - Sara Schonhardt (Nov 6, '09)

Tennis diplomacy on the table in Bali
If the Mohammedans won't come to the mountain, then the mountain - or at least a stone from it - can come to the Mohammedans - or their closest neighboring compatriots. The visit of an female Israeli tennis player to Bali, a resort island of Muslim-majority Indonesia, has echoes of the sports diplomacy trail famously blazed by American and Chinese ping-pong players. - Muhammad Cohen (Nov 6, '09)

Little Laos relishes its big moment
For the first time, Laos will host the Southeast Asian Games, with the 25th edition of the 11-country sporting fest taking place next month. The tiny landlocked country has had to rely on massive foreign aid - notably from China - to stage the event, arousing considerable scorn in some circles. Yet, the enduring theme of Laos' history has been its engagement with and dependence on foreign powers. For Laos, this is a glorious coming-out for the one-party state. - Simon Creak (Nov 4, '09)

Drugs, guns and war in Myanmar
Insurgent groups in the north of Myanmar have begun flooding the region with cheap narcotics to boost revenues as part of a concerted weapons build-up. An illicit trade that for years benefited the military leadership may now help fund a re-ignited civil conflict that has the potential to spill over and rattle relations with close ally Beijing. - Brian McCartan (Nov 3, '09)

New heights for Singapore property
Singapore's property market, buffeted as the city-state felt the full brunt of the global financial crisis, is rebounding so strongly that home sales are setting records and potential buyers are leaving blank checks with agents to secure new apartments in new projects. - Megawati Wijaya (Nov 3, '09)

AN ATOL INVESTIGATION
Deep inside Indonesia's kill zone
Indonesia's Detachment 88 counter-terrorism teams are seen by some critics as too willing to kill suspects and so do away with the need for long trials of suspected jihadis. Yet the training of these crisis response teams, and their weaponry, is in many ways inadequate for confronting at close quarters suicidal and well-armed opponents. - John McBeth (Oct 30, '09)

What keeps Arroyo up at night
When she steps down in eight months, ending her constitutional immunity, Philippines President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo could face charges ranging from corruption and electoral fraud to arranging extra-judicial killings and forced disappearances. Arroyo would, though, dodge any bullets by winning a seat in congress. - Al Labita (Oct 30, '09)

In Cambodia, a threatened tribe of Islam
The distinct practices of the Cambodian Imam San community, which blend Islam and animism, are seen by many Muslims as impure. Adding to the group's estrangement, its members have rejected foreign-funded incentives to convert to more orthodox Islam amid concern over the possible radicalizing influence of foreign teaching. - Brendan B Brady (Oct 29, '09)

As ASEAN dithers, the US circles
The rhetoric used at the latest summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations risks generating false expectations of the 10-member grouping developing into a nascent European Union. Certainly, progress was made on economic integration, but such issues as dealing with Myanmar remain unresolved, which sends a mixed message to the United States as it ponders its engagement in the region. - Simon Roughneen (Oct 27, '09)

Estrada back on center stage
Former Philippines president Joseph Estrada, a 72-year-old one-time screen idol ousted in a 2001 "people's power" movement, is back in the political limelight with a comeback bid. Hugely popular with the masses despite his well-publicized vices and prior conviction for graft, he has promised to revitalize pro-poor programs and wage "all-out war" on Muslim and communist insurgencies. - Al Labita (Oct 26, '09)

Rice tariffs snarl ASEAN single market
The failure of Thailand, the world's largest exporter of rice, and the Philippines, heavily dependent on imports of the food stuff, to agree on rice tariffs has dealt a blow to efforts by the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations to forge a free-trade area along the lines of the European Union. (Oct 26, '09)

US zeroes in on China's clout in Myanmar
A senior United States State Department mission is going to Myanmar to ostensibly discuss democracy and human rights, but the subtext will clearly be boosting ties and building influence in a country long considered to be in China's diplomatic pocket. The competition between Washington and Beijing for influence in Southeast Asia could hinge on how Myanmar's generals react. - Brian McCartan (Oct 23, '09)

COMMENT
How Australia can help Myanmar
The message the Australian government has for the military regime in Myanmar is roughly: "We don't like what you're doing, but we are dead-set on continuing to help your people." This is precisely what the generals need to hear. It is also what Myanmar's business-focused neighbors - China, India and Thailand - need to recognize in order to modify their approaches. - David Scott Mathieson (Oct 23, '09)

The shape of things to come in Indonesia
Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's Democrat Party controls nearly four times the number of seats in the legislature than it did during his first term. The level of support for the new government, from both inside and outside the political establishment, gives it an unprecedented opportunity to build on national stability and push through important reforms. - Jacqueline Hicks (Oct 22, '09)

Yudhoyono faces democratic test
Overwhelming political support in parliament and a potential dearth of lawmakers who understand their roles could revert Indonesia's legislature into a rubberstamp body for the president's office - as it was during the era of dictator Suharto. Indonesians already view the government as corrupt, and a return to a culture of collusion won't help. - Sara Schonhardt (Oct 22, '09)

From killing fields to fields of dreams
America's favorite pastime - the holy sport of baseball - has found its way to the undeveloped backcountry of Cambodia through the efforts of a quixotic Cambodian-American who fell in love with the game as a refugee in Tennessee. He carved the country's first diamond out of some rice fields, and now Cambodians are coming, and playing, in droves. - John Perra (Oct 21, '09)

Philippine farmers feel the pinch
Back-to-back typhoons have devastated the island of Luzon, which accounts for half of the total agriculture output of the Philippines. Not only has the country's farm growth rate been slashed, about 50,000 farming families face financial ruin. - Prime Sarmiento (Oct 21, '09)

Swarms of rats plague rural Myanmar
Some 100,000 residents of Myanmar's Chin State are without proper food after a rare mass flowering of nearby bamboo forests triggered an infestation of ravenous rat armies which promptly devoured local crops. Thousands of people are migrating to neighboring countries, especially India, in search of food and employment. - Colin Hinshelwood (Oct 20, '09)

Cambodia balances East and West
As China deepens its ties with Southeast Asia, Cambodia has become a major beneficiary of its loans, aid and investment largesse. Some fear the lack of human rights and good governance strings attached to such bilateral deals have adverse effects on society, while others see Beijing as offering Phnom Penh a vital financial lifeline. - Sebastian Strangio (Oct 19, '09)

ASIA HAND
Thailand mulls royal succession
Hundreds of thousands of Thais from across the country have journeyed to Bangkok to wish 81-year-old King Bhumibol Adulyadej a quick recovery from illness that has kept him hospitalized for nearly a month. Even as the revered monarch slowly recovers, the nation faces up to what will be the most profound transition in the kingdom's recent history with the monarch's eventual passing. - Shawn W Crispin (Oct 16, '09)

BOOK REVIEW
On Indonesia's Islamic road
My Friend the Fanatic by Sadanand Dhume
The writer of this timely travelogue crisscrosses Indonesia's archipelago, searching out the movers and shakers of a movement that aims to impose its intolerant version of Utopia on a fledgling democracy. It's a vivid, graceful and astute work, offering an inside look at the high toll politicized Islam exacts on Indonesia. - Ioannis Gatsiounis (Oct 16, '09)

Bali escapes tide of recession
In the face of global economic woes and collapsing tourism markets, Indonesia's top holiday destination is notching up record arrival numbers. - Muhammad Cohen (Oct 15, '09)

Sinking feeling in the Philippines
The tropical storm-induced flooding that has killed at least 700 people in Manila and nearby provinces points to years of government failure in urban planning and disaster-management preparedness. Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's limp response has pulled her popularity ratings down even further, and may sink her anointed successor in next year's polls. - Joel D Adriano (Oct 13, '09)

INTERVIEW
The 'perfect' quake this way comes
The 7.9-magnitude earthquake that struck the west coast of Sumatra island on September 30 and killed more than 1,000 people was nothing compared to the mammoth quake scientists predict for the area in the relatively near future. The geological deck is stacked against the region, explains Sumatran tectonics expert Richard Briggs, and local government apathy isn't helping. - Charles McDermid (Oct 8, '09)



Cambodia's monarchy quietly evolves
King Norodom Sihamoni, since replacing his colorful and controversial father, has withdrawn the monarchy from the turbulent world of Cambodian politics, positioning it as a symbol of national reconciliation. At the same time, the dominant Cambodian People's Party is squeezing royalist political parties out of existence. - Sebastian Strangio (Oct 8, '09)

Ghost of Thaksin's past visits Abhisit
Even as Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva works hard to assure foreign investors and diplomats that Thailand's recent turmoil is no cause for concern, he is struggling to control his unwieldy and scandal-tainted coalition. Whether Abhisit can maintain his clean image while in league with coalition partners and party members who seem bent on self-enrichment may determine his political future. - Seth Kane (Oct 6, '09)

Trial and tribulations in Cambodia
As the first case at Cambodia's Khmer Rouge tribunal, of notorious torture chief Kaing Guek Eav, comes to a close, the court's future remains in doubt over nagging allegations of political interference, corruption and fears that elderly defendants will die before facing justice. - Jared Ferrie (Oct 5, '09)

Indonesia a cut above Malaysia
A long-running feud between Indonesia and Malaysia over cultural ownership of traditional dance, music and dress styles has been re- ignited with the former's batik method of decorating cloth now added to a United Nations heritage list. Jakarta claims it as a victory, while Malaysians say an Indonesian inferiority complex is at work. - Sara Schonhardt (Oct 2, '09)

US storms troops into the Philippines
About 3,000 United States Marines are due to arrive in the Philippines for training and humanitarian missions in the wake of recent floods there. That's the official line, anyway. With extremists having recently killed two US soldiers on war-torn Sulu island, the marines might have another mission in mind. - Al Labita (Oct 2, '09)

China warily watches US-Myanmar detente
Ongoing concern in Bejing over unrest near the China-Myanmar border, which led to a mass influx of refugees into southern China, has been heightened by diplomatic overtures by the junta to the United States. China's leaders are suspicious of any US attempt to counter its influence in the region. - Larry Jagan (Oct 1, '09)

Islam as politics in Malaysia
American pop diva Beyonce will perform in Kuala Lumpur despite a raft of piety-tinged controversies in recent weeks, including the sharia law sentencing of a woman to caning for drinking alcohol in public. Issues of political Islam - somewhere between "Western sexy" on the one hand, and jihadi terror on the other - now weigh mightily on Malaysia's national discourse. - Simon Roughneen(Sep 30, '09)

US takes a radical turn on Myanmar
The announcement that the United States intends to engage with Myanmar's generals is a stunning change of tack towards the "outpost of tyranny". Critics question the sense of dialogue with a reportedly rights-abusing narco-state, but the US State Department says it was the generals who sought the contact. - Brian McCartan (Sep 29, '09)

US bids to erase its Lao past
The United States has dropped charges against a 79-year-old Hmong leader and former Central Intelligence Agency collaborator for allegedly purchasing weapons in a plot to overthrow the government of Laos. Yet a new indictment for the same crime has been filed against 11 other Hmong and a former US Special Forces officer, raising questions about connections between insurgents in Laos and their ethnic brethren in the US. - Brian McCartan (Sep 28, '09)

Trees of profit
A trio of "serial entrepreneurs" is nurturing a for-profit initiative to cut carbon emissions and convince Asians of the importance of growing and protecting trees. - Muhammad Cohen (Sep 25, '09)

In a haze, Indonesia slows deforestation
Smoke from annual fires again blankets Indonesian Borneo and beyond, temporarily obscuring genuine progress in the battle to save Asia's largest remaining rainforest. - Muhammad Cohen
(Sep 25, '09)

Capital outflows cloud Malaysian outlook
Malaysians relieved at signs that the economy's severe contraction is easing still have plenty to worry about, including surging government debt and outflows of capital, with recent reforms failing so far to stem the tide. - Anil Netto(Sep 24, '09)

Myanmar's monks under close watch
The Myanmar government has stepped up surveillance, infiltration and restrictions on monks since the "Saffron" revolution two years ago, wary of the Buddhist clergy's huge influence and mindful of its revolutionary past. The junta's efforts have reportedly led to the imprisonment of hundreds, but monks are still seen as the most likely catalyst for change. - Joel Chong (Sep 23, '09)

Aceh drops a sharia gauntlet
The Muslim-dominated Indonesian territory of Aceh this month passed a series of strict sharia-inspired laws that forbid adultery and homosexuality and hand down a public flogging for the consumption of alcohol. If the central government challenges the new ordinances, a peace deal with semi-autonomous Aceh could unravel along religious lines. - Patrick Guntensperger (Sep 23, '09)

New frontrunner emerges in the Philippines
Philippines Senator Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino, who two months ago wasn't even in the running for the presidency, has surged to the top of opinion polls. Last month's death of his mother, former president Corazon "Cory" Aquino, catapulted the family back into the national spotlight, dramatically altering the race to next year's elections. - Joel D Adriano (Sep 22, '09)

Vietnam teeters towards a currency crisis
The Vietnam government's struggle to raise funds through bond auctions as its fiscal deficit rises means it is likely to unload debt onto private and state-owned financial institutions. That, alongside overall economic mismanagement, spells trouble for the country's currency. - Duy Hoang (Sep 21, '09)

Indonesia strikes a blow against terror
Authorities in Jakarta confirmed on Thursday the killing of terror mastermind Noordin Mohammed Top following a raid and gun battle at a Central Java home. The death of this "Robin Hood figure" - one of Southeast Asia's most wanted and dangerous militants - has eliminated a major threat before United States President Barack Obama's expected visit in November. - Sara Schonhardt (Sep 18, '09)

China in Laos: Counting the cost of progress
China's role in the development of northern Laos has grown significantly in recent years, but with several unfortunate side effects. Rare wildlife is being poached for Chinese consumption, while land grabs for rubber plantations are destroying not only the environment, but also the livelihoods of local people. - Daniel Allen (Sep 18, '09)

ASIA HAND
Thai recovery sets political quandary
Thailand's export-dependent economy is showing all the signs of a strong rebound, playing into the hands of the ruling Democrat Party if it wants to hold a general election next year. Yet if it sensibly decides to trim crisis-timed spending plans, that could turn to the advantage of political opponents. - Shawn W Crispin (Sep 17, '09)

Bank bailout scandal rocks Indonesia
When Indonesia's Century Bank faced a severe crunch last November, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and his technocrats were there with a hefty handout. Now the political opposition, including the vice president, claim behind-the-scenes collusion allowed connected depositors to recover their cash. - Patrick Guntensperger(Sep 16, '09)

COMMENT
A vote for Webb's Myanmar opening
The recent visit of United States Senator James Webb to Myanmar has been criticized by the sincere but somewhat misguided Burmese democracy movement. Webb's trip did not, and could not, resolve all the issues of the sorry state - but isolation only exacerbates those problems. The world should applaud the modest beginning Webb's visit has created, and explore its positive ramifications. - David I Steinberg (Sep 16, '09)

BlackBerry's success has sour taste
Long the businessman's favorite smart phone, the BlackBerry is increasingly popular among Indonesia's general population. That should be good news for the Canadian producer, except that success has attracted government attention, and the unofficial market undermines direct company sales. - Sara Schonhardt (Sep 15, '09)

ASIA HAND
Chinese shadow over Vietnamese repression Vietnamese authorities have in recent weeks arrested and detained journalists and bloggers who have penned materials critical of China. The crackdown suggests that Beijing's surging economic power, including as an outward investor and potential lender of last resort to Hanoi, may have outweighed the two nations' complex - and at times bloody - relationship. - Shawn W Crispin (Sep 11, '09)

China, Myanmar border on a conflict
The Myanmar government's rout last week of ethnic Kokang insurgents on the Chinese border may have been a test of Beijing's resolve to back its Myanmar-based allies and the readiness of rebel groups to band together against the junta. As all sides prepare for the next round of fighting, it seems unlikely Myanmar's military will be able to control the ceasefire regions in time for the 2010 national elections. - Brian McCartan (Sep 9, '09)

Laos power plant misses jumbo payout
A proposed highly polluting lignite mine and power station in northwestern Laos would feed power to Thailand while threatening to kill local tourism and elephants that are an important attraction. Yet it is the jumbos, if properly husbanded, that could be more lucrative than the mine, with the income staying in Laos. - Beaumont Smith (Sep 8, '09)

Arroyo slips another scandal noose
Although Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and her husband have been cleared of any involvement in a scandal surrounding a US$329 million telecommunications deal with a Chinese company, the incident - and others like it - seriously undermine investor confidence in the Philippines. - Joel D Adriano (Sep 4, '09)

Terrorism takes on democracy in Indonesia
After delivering him two overwhelming electoral mandates, Indonesians are looking to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to entrench democratic policies and institutions. Whether the moderate Yudhoyono can pull this off amid terrorist threats and pressure from his security forces to curb civil liberties in the name of national security will be a key test. - Patrick Guntensperger (Sep 3, '09)

AN ATOL INVESTIGATION
Religion, guns tear apart south Thailand
The number of civilians involved in anti-insurgent, government-organized militias in southern Thailand will pass 100,000 this year. This means lots of guns, little direct military oversight and a high risk of full-blown violence in the shadowy conflict between Thai Buddhist and Malay Muslim communities. - Brian McCartan (Sep 1, '09)

Border war rattles China-Myanmar ties
The Myanmar military offensive against an insurgent group, which has pushed an estimated 50,000 refugees into southwestern China, is a sign that the ruling generals are asserting their independence from Beijing, the regime's main backer. Increased efforts to disarm other rebels, including those that enjoy special ties with China, may plunge the China-Myanmar border into widespread conflict. - Larry Jagan (Aug 31, '09)

DISPATCHES FROM AMERICA
From My Lai to Lockerbie
When the Libyan jailed for the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie was freed, a furor erupted in the United States. At the same time, an apology from an American sentenced to life in prison for the massacre of Vietnamese civilians in 1971 - but who spent only three days locked up - was met with little fanfare. - Nick Turse (Aug 31, '09)

Economic crisis hits Myanmar's migrants
Migrant workers from Myanmar, already struggling to support families back home on low wages earned in factories across the border in Thailand, are finding life even harder as the economic downturn leads to layoffs and reduced working hours. (Aug 31, '09)

Tobacco fair tests Thai anti-smoking efforts
Thailand, in many ways a regional leader in efforts to curb cigarette smoking, faces a direct challenge to its policies and international agreements in the form of a tobacco trade fair in Bangkok - sponsored by the country's own tobacco monopoly.(Aug 28, '09)

A natural successor emerges for Aquino
In the emotional aftermath of former Philippine president Corazon Aquino's death, there are growing calls for her son Senator Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III to run for president. The people believe Noynoy has inherited his mother's religious values and moral authority, making him the perfect antidote to a decade of corruption-plagued rule. - Joel D Adriano (Aug 27, '09)

Singapore faces a 'silver tsunami'
Elderly Singaporeans are being forced into shelters for "abandoned parents" or suing their children for financial support as the island state grapples with the rising health-care costs of an aging society. The trend has grave implications for the economy, and has led to some controversial proposals: one minister has suggested all elderly be shipped to Malaysia. - Megawati Wijaya (Aug 26, '09)

On the march to do business in Myanmar
One is an alleged arms dealer with shadowy links to Asia's most notorious regimes. Another was once known as the "King of Opium". Still others have used family ties and deep pockets to gain favor with the ruling generals in Myanmar. These are some of the businessmen who will be rehabilitated and free for joint ventures with Western partners if sanctions are relaxed against Myanmar. - Brian McCartan (Aug 25, '09)

Murder rap slows Suharto's rising son
The announcement that former dictator Suharto's son Tommy feels a "duty" to assume the leadership of his late father's Golkar party has reset Indonesia's political calculus. There is little question that Tommy's ultimate goal is the presidential palace, but a 2002 conviction for contracting the drive-by killing of a judge may be too much criminal baggage to overcome. - Patrick Guntensperger (Aug 24, '09)

INTERVIEW
From microfinance to social shake-up
Nobel Peace Laureate Muhammad Yunus, after revolutionizing the way in which credit is disbursed among the poor, has now set his sights on universities, arguing that students need to get their hands dirty - not only for their own benefit, but also for the advancement of rural folk. (Aug 21, '09)

Thai rebels head for the hills
Veterans of jungle warfare understand the task the Thai military faces as it battles shadowy Malay-Muslim militants in the southernmost tip of Thailand. For now, the military is turning to small well-armed patrols to track down militants hiding in the forests. The military claims it is making progress, but the enemy remains elusive. (Aug 20, '09)

ASIA HAND
A desperate plea for amnesty
Four months after the bloody street battles in Bangkok, the red-shirted United Front Against Dictatorship for Democracy movement is still a personality cult driven by the aim of restoring exiled former premier Thaksin Shinawatra to power. Its inability to evolve into a more genuine pro-democracy movement will most likely keep the movement's plea for Thaksin's pardon from reaching royal ears. - Shawn W Crispin (Aug 18, '09)

Regime rides above sanctions
The meeting of United States Senator Jim Webb with Myanmar leader Than Shwe raises new questions about the efficacy of sanctions against the regime, which continues to benefit from Asian states fiercely competing for its oil and gas concessions and other natural resources - Simon Roughneen (Aug 17, '09)

Realpolitik revealed in Myanmar release
United States Senator Jim Webb scored a public relations coup in Myanmar at the weekend by gaining the release of jailed American John Yettaw, but the move was hardly a major diplomatic breakthrough - it may have been the generals' reward for Webb's strident anti-sanctions stance. The trip did make clear that Webb and Washington have the larger goals of containing China in mind. - Brian McCartan (Aug 17, '09)

Suu Kyi verdict tests ASEAN's resolve
The credibility of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations is again at stake as the international community awaits a tough regional response to Myanmar keeping Aung San Suu Kyi under house arrest. Weak words on the junta could fatally undermine ASEAN's long-awaited human-rights body as well as its commitments to promote democracy. - Alistair B Cook and Mely Caballero-Anthony (Aug 13, '09)

Cambodia joins microloan clean-up
Cambodia has emerged at the forefront of a campaign to ensure that borrowers from microfinance companies can find out what interest they are really being charged - and so bring the lenders back to their mission of poverty reduction. If the campaign succeeds, the multi-billion dollar industry could be in for a shake-out. - Stephen Kurczy (Aug 13, '09)

The hunt goes on for terror mastermind
Noordin Mohammad Top, the prolific and ingenious terror bomber, remains at large in Indonesia after a weekend raid in which he was initially said to have been killed. Top's ability to move with impunity and acquire recruits suggests that grassroots support for his radical cause runs deep. Every moment he remains on the loose reinforces that suspicion. - Patrick Guntensperger (Aug 12, '09)

Suu Kyi's detention splits East and West
The ruling of a military court to extend the home arrest of pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi is certain to increase divisions between the West and Asia on how to promote political reform in Myanmar. At least that's what junta leader Than Shwe appears to be counting on, as the ruling generals move toward a peaceful transfer of power to the next military generation under the guise of civilian rule. - Larry Jagan (Aug 12, '09)

COMMENT
To beat terrorists, use judo, not boxing
Terror bombing mastermind Noordin Top has been on the run for years, sustained by a network of supporters. Some say his recent brush with death in Indonesia will only fuel his legend, but there's a counter-perspective: Top's willingness to target and escalate attacks on civilians may have eroded the public support he needs to hide, maneuver and build bombs. - Frank J Cilluffo and Sharon L Cardash (Aug 12, '09)

Myanmar silences Suu Kyi - again
Myanmar's pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi was on Tuesday given one and a half years of house arrest for violating the terms of a previous house arrest order. This will effectively bar her from multi-party elections next year. It will also place Myanmar on a new collision course with the United States, whose carrots of investment money in exchange for Suu Kyi's release were rejected. - Shawn W Crispin (Aug 11, '09)

Remittances save the Philippines
Filipinos, defying the global downturn, continue to find work overseas, aided in part by government deals with countries from Qatar to South Korea. That is helping to maintain remittances to families back home - and prolonging the country's dependence on this source of funds. - Joel D Adriano (Aug 10, '09)

New Tiger chief does not pass go
It was an extremely short stint as leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam for Selvarasa Pathmanathan, arrested in Southeast Asia this week and shipped back to Sri Lanka. The capture of the elusive legend who ran the Tigers' lucrative international operations is a coup for Colombo, but it may have sabotaged any chance that the LTTE would reinvent itself as a political force. - Sudha Ramachandran (Aug 7, '09)

Political rumbles after Indonesian blasts
The two losers in last month's Indonesian presidential polls, Megawati Sukarnoputri and Jusuf Kalla, have teamed up to challenge the vote, heightening the country's already tense political situation following the July hotel bombings. Megawati claims to have evidence of 28.5 million fraudulent votes, a challenge not without merit given past plunders by the General Elections Committee. - Patrick Guntensperger (Aug 6, '09)

No winners in Malaysia's political tussle
Both opposing political sides in Malaysia have suffered setbacks in recent months and are now angling for new advantages. The struggling economy will continue to weigh on Prime Minister Najib Razak's government. But with a new sodomy trial hanging over opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, questions are emerging about how long he can hold his movement's disparate political forces together. - Anil Netto (Aug 5, '09)

SPEAKING FREELY
An 'Asia-Pacific' chimera
While evaluating the "Asia-Pacific community" proposed by Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd last year, attention must be paid to the differing and complex political and economic realities of East, Central and South Asia. Creating a brand new pan-regional institution is impossible. - Andy Yee (Aug 5, '09)

AN ATOL INVESTIGATION
A bid to buy Thai Muslim hearts and minds
Thailand is funneling nearly 100,000 security forces and US$1.85 billion into a four-year pacification and spending program in the country's insurgency plagued southernmost provinces. The military top brass claims recent success in the region, but analysts say the insurgents are far from defeated and instead have become more focused - not to mention more deadly. - Brian McCartan and Mark Oltmanns (Aug 4, '09)

The Philippines loses its democratic heart
The passing of former Philippine leader Corazon Aquino has brought back memories for the hundreds of thousands who joined her idealistic "People's Power revolution" to oust dictator Ferdinand Marcos in 1986. Her dream has been born again in emotional outpourings from a society divided by widening differences in education, income and class. - Donald Kirk (Aug 3, '09)

Aquino: An accidental leader
She was an avowed housewife who became a national leader; a deeply religious widow who dressed a protest movement in yellow and took it to the streets. Along the way, former Philippine president Corazon Aquino became the national embodiment of moral authority, and a beacon of democracy in a region where authoritarian rule is still the norm. - Joel D Adriano (Aug 3, '09)