Victorious Anwar on the path to power
Malaysian opposition icon Anwar Ibrahim's overwhelming victory in Tuesday's by-election has galvanized his campaign to topple the government and made true his pledge to move to Putrajaya, the administrative capital, where he intends to look Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi "in the eye". - Anil Netto (Aug 27, '08)



ASIA HAND
Thai protests turn nasty
Anti-government protesters violently stormed government buildings and blocked roads in the Thai capital Bangkok on Tuesday, sending residents fleeing and the stock market diving. The unrest ominously points to splits inside the military, and the honeymoon following former premier Thaksin Shinawatra's flight into exile is over. - Shawn W Crispin (Aug 26, '08)

The UN at dead-end in Myanmar
United Nations special envoy Ibrahim Gambari's left Myanmar at the weekend embarrassed and empty-handed. His latest failure to break the deadlock between the military junta and opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi raises doubts about the UN's role in Myanmar, as well as other conflict-resolution efforts around the world. - Larry Jagan (Aug 26, '08)

Young Indonesians seek a new order
Indonesia's young business leaders are bullish on the country's economic future, but scathing of the government's failure to fight corruption, unemployment and poor education. Patience is wearing thin, and hopes have fallen on youth-savvy mavericks as Indonesia prepares for parliamentary and presidential elections. - Stanley A Weiss (Aug 25, '08)

Exposing the CIA's 'most secret place'
Long Chen, the air base for the vast bombing and ground operations conducted by the CIA in Laos during the Vietnam War, is the subject of The Most Secret Place on Earth, a new film that also explores the plight of ethnic Hmong tribes, who were backed by the CIA until US withdrawal from Indochina in 1975. (Aug 25, '08)

China damned over floods
Massive dams in China exacerbated the fatal floods which recently struck Southeast Asia's Mekong River region, environmental groups claim. Sitting upstream in a position of geographical strength, China has bluntly refused to release key environmental data on the dam issue, in contrast to its broader policy of soft power to forge greater integration with the region. - Brian McCartan (Aug 22, '08)

Applause for Glitter's Asian exit
The deportation of British rock star and convicted pedophile Gary Glitter this week is seen as a victory against sex tourism that exploits minors. However, the prevailing image of sex predators as white men overlooks the disturbing truth that the majority of child abusers are from other parts of Asia. (Aug 22, '08)

Repression before reform in Malaysia
In Malaysia, an influential Catholic newsletter faces closure, an inter-ethnic forum on religious freedom has been forcibly disrupted and a popular book on Islam banned. The growing repression has only intensified an opposition movement bidding to topple the government by next month. (Aug 20, '08)

Philippines hungry for rice investment
High rice prices mean tough times for the Philippines' fast-growing population and a quandary for the government as import bills mount for the essential foodstuff. More investment in irrigation and research would help ease the country's plight. (Aug 20, '08)

Singapore hangs out jobs-vacant sign
Singapore is seeking more immigrants - notably white-collar, well-paid staffers - to help the city modernize its economy. Some locals feel they are getting the worst of the deal. - Megawati Wijaya (Aug 20, '08)

Myanmar exchange scam fleeces UN
Myanmar's military junta, which wants more overseas funds to rebuild the country after the devastation of Cyclone Nargis, is profiting from a dual exchange rate that may have cost the United Nations as much as US$10 million in losses. - Brian McCartan (Aug 19, '08)

Singapore at 'green' cutting edge
Singapore is pushing ahead with alternative-energy and conservation campaigns with a mix of business and environmentalism awareness that may serve as a template for foot-dragging neighbors. - Andrew Symon (Aug 18, '08)

In Cambodia, a rock 'n roll revival
When the Khmer Rouge took power in 1975, emptying the cities and systematically eradicating the existing culture as corrupt and decadent, they almost completely destroyed what was the most unique and vibrant rock and roll scene in Southeast Asia. Now, thanks to the efforts of young Cambodians and Western aficionados, it's coming back. (Aug 18, '08)

Peace falls to pieces in the Philippines
The Supreme Court in the Philippines is reconsidering its initial decision to abort a government peace deal with forces of the insurgent Moro Islamic Liberation Front. The separatist rebels have their guns at the ready should the deal not be put back on track, but even if it is, there is a long road ahead. - Noel Tarrazona (Aug 15, '08)

ASIA HAND
Anwar's moment of truth or consequence
Malaysia's opposition is a multi-racial political force bent on economic overhaul, social reform and ending endemic corruption, Malaysian politician Anwar Ibrahim tells Shawn Crispin. Anwar predicts defections to his alliance will topple the ruling government by mid-September, but first he must win a parliamentary by-election this month - and stay out of jail. (Aug 14, '08)

Vietnam sets out recovery path
The Vietnamese politburo, after looking back at months of rising inflation, declining stock markets and demands by workers for higher pay, has set out its table for the economy for the rest of the year. The winds already seem to be turning in its favor. (Aug 13, '08)

Thai courts too much for Thaksin
Former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra and his wife fled from Bangkok to London on Monday, skipping a slew of trials over corruption allegations. The scale of the cases is unprecedented, but just as they showcase the increased power of the judiciary, they raise questions about its independence. (Aug 12, '08)

Laura Bush's Myanmar crusade
United States First Lady Laura Bush has long been a strident critic of Myanmar's ruling junta. Whether this is genuine or political, ever since she picked up the cudgel there has been more scrutiny on Myanmar - a country that reportedly has more destroyed villages than Darfur and the largest use of children by a government army. - Brian McCartan (Aug 8, '08)

ASIA HAND
US, Thailand: A conflicted alliance
President George W Bush's farewell address to Asia was made symbolically in Thailand, where he heaped praise on the kingdom as his country's oldest Asian ally. Unaddressed was speculation from supporters of ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra that Washington has backed the Thai military and put strategic interests before commitment to democracy. - Shawn W Crispin (Aug 7, '08)

Vietnam at reform crossroads
Vietnam's surging inflation and balance of payments deficit have undermined confidence in the ruling Communist Party. As the country's leaders take measures that are likely to drive up prices further, a new consensus is being sought on how to deal with the deteriorating economy. - Long S Le (Aug 6, '08)

Sex and politics in Malaysia
Malaysia's opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim hopes his bid to re-enter parliament through a by-election this month will encourage defections from the embattled ruling coalition. But Anwar faces new sodomy charges, and he might not remain a free man long enough to contest the poll in person. - Anil Netto (Aug 4, '08)

US twist to Thaksin court case
A pending Thai Supreme Court case against former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra for his alleged role in approving a government bank loan to help Myanmar's rulers buy satellite services - reportedly provided by his family's company - will be watched nervously in Washington. US taxpayers helped finance the technology in question, despite the sanctions in place against Myanmar. - Peter J Brown (Aug 1, '08)

ASIA HAND
Credibility crisis at the BoT
Bank of Thailand governor Tarisa Watanagase says she has never felt her job was at risk in a two-year tenure noted for several unorthodox decisions. Yet her days in office may soon be over amid concerns about the central bank's independence and the possibility of a run on the Thai currency. - Shawn W Crispin (Jul 31, '08)

Ill state of the Philippine nation
Seven years on,President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo sounds much as she did when she assumed power in the Philippines: promises and more promises. Her state of the nation address has done little to encourage those buckling under the weight of economic woes. She is unlikely to lose the tag of "most unpopular leader" any time soon. - Joel D Adriano (Jul 30, '08)

Trade tangle for Bush in Thailand
Pirated DVDs and imitation designer garments are disappearing from Bangkok's tourist spots before a farewell visit to Thailand by US President George W Bush. Simmering US-Thai trade tensions are less easy to hide. (Jul 30, '08)

Temple spat may delay oil riches
A face-off between troops from Thailand and Cambodia over contested territory surrounding an ancient temple on their mutual border threatens to delay even longer the resolution of a more economically significant border dispute between the two sides. - Andrew Symon (Jul 29, '08)

Strongman tightens grip on Cambodia
The Cambodian People's Party of Prime Minister Hun Sen rode a booming economy and a surge of Khmer nationalism to a landslide victory in Cambodia's general election, securing 90 of 123 parliament seats and clinching a new era of one-party rule. - Geoffrey Cain (Jul 28, '08)

China narrows ASEAN trade gap
China, which imports more from the 10-member Association of Southeast Asia Nations than it exports to them, moved closer to a trade surplus with its junior neighbors in the first five months of this year, even as wages at home accelerated, driving up production costs. (Jul 28, '08)

New-age Chinatown has Laos on edge
A proposed development near the center of the Laotian capital of Vientiane is raising concerns about the growing influence of China over its southern neighbor, with Chinese workers set to play a major role in construction of the project's shops, factories and hotels, and perhaps staying on in the new homes being built. - Brian McCartan (Jul 25, '08)

SEX IN DEPTH
Pedophiles get tech-savvy
New technology has transformed the nefarious world of child pornography with tech-savvy pedophiles now using digital cameras, encryption and the Internet to anonymously transfer material - making for a complex and daunting crime that continues to outpace authorities. - William Sparrow (Jul 25, '08)

Taking the high ground at Preah Vihear
In just weeks, Cambodia has gone from celebrating in the streets over the listing of Preah Vihear as a World Heritage site to a tense military stand-off with neighboring Thailand over the ancient Hindu temple. But ahead of its most-stable general elections this Sunday, Cambodia has acted with unheard of maturity. The real fallout from the fracas may be in Thailand. - Craig Guthrie (Jul 24, '08)

Pitfalls open in Philippine mining
The relationship between the resource-rich Philippines and Australian mining companies is failing to live up to the hopes of either, as the Australian ambassador in Manila steps into the fray. - Joel D Adriano (Jul 24, '08)

Catholics see more light in Vietnam
Pressure from the United States and the push to join the World Trade Organization have helped ease restrictions on the Catholic Church in Vietnam. Now, the extent to which the church politicizes economic problems may determine the direction of Hanoi's policies. - Andrew Symon (Jul 23, '08)

Towards Hun Sen's Cambodia
Phnom Penh's streets are a kaleidoscope of competing political colors ahead of Sunday's general elections, but the underlying picture is more of black and white. Prime Minister Hun Sen and his Cambodian People's Party have consolidated their hold over the electorate through a masterful opera of jibes, scaremongering and gold-toothed charm. - Craig Guthrie (Jul 22, '08)

China stirs over offshore oil-pact
China's protests at Exxon Mobil's move to explore for oil in the seas off Vietnam raise anew the dispute surrounding control of the Spratly and Paracel islands and interest in the role of China's deep-water navy.- Peter Navarro (Jul 22, '08)

Asia's inflationary winners and losers
Rising inflation in Asia threatens the hard-won gains made in the region since its financial crisis of a decade ago. A repeat of that meltdown is unlikely - at least for those countries willing to let their currencies strengthen. - Shawn W Crispin (Jul 21, '08)

Hun Sen's diplomatic juggling act
More than any other Southeast Asian country, Cambodia is caught between competing superpowers. With the United States extending strategic initiatives and Beijing coughing up financial assistance, Prime Minister Hun Sen has deftly balanced the diplomatic overtures to his government's political advantage. - Geoffrey Cain (Jul 17, '08)

Philippines pays for geek exodus
The failure in the Philippines to invest in science education and to pay competitive wages to those scientists it does produce is costing the country dearly - perhaps including the lives of more than 800 people in the recent Princess of the Stars ferry disaster. - Joel Adriano (Jul 16, '08)

A judicial revolution for Thai politics
Recent court rulings have shaken the coalition government of Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej and created a "new power equation" in Thailand's fragile democracy. The emboldened judiciary has delivered tough verdicts against the politically powerful, raising expectations about checks and balances to unbridled power. (Jul 14, '08)

SPEAKING FREELY
Say a prayer for Vietnam
Now that Vietnam has taken over the presidency of the United Nations Security Council, closer attention should be paid to its violations of religious freedom, such as Hanoi's warnings to Buddhist leaders not to turn the funeral of the 87-year-old patriarch of their banned church into an "anti-government rally". - Preeta D Bansal and Richard D Land (Jul 14, '08)

ASIA HAND
Thailand's conflict gets economic
Samak Sundaravej's tenure as Thailand's prime minister has looked wobbly since he came to power last December. Now an early downfall through economic mismanagment is replacing expectations that his young administration would be toppled in a military coup or through forced dissolution of his ruling party. - Shawn W Crispin (Jul 11, '08)

Thai massage for China's military muscle
Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej's four-day visit to China last week was another indication of the cozy Sino-Thai military-security relationship. But Bangkok is still trying to balance the interests and influence of two superpowers; keeping its military alliance with the US well lubricated while at the same time expanding defense ties with China. - Ian Storey (Jul 10, '08)

Different drums for Malaysia's opposition
An ugly incident at a concert involving a rock band reveals much about the state of Malaysia's democratic reformation and the loose coalition of opposition parties behind it. For one thing, one of its members, the conservative Islamic party known as PAS, has shown strains of intolerance over diversity, religious doctrine - and underwear. - Ioannis Gatsiounis (Jul 9, '08)

Myanmar signs up energy partners
Companies from India's Bharat Heavy Electricals to Thailand's PTT Exploration and Production are securing multimillion-dollar deals with Myanmar's military junta, even as its rulers seek billions of dollars in emergency aid from international donors in the wake of the Cyclone Nargis disaster. - Brian McCartan (Jul 9, '08)

Asia's angry monk syndrome
Usually apolitical Buddhist monks are making their voices heard in unprecedented ways and increasing numbers across Asia, and in the process bringing the Sangha directly into the cut-and-thrust of everyday politics. It is a potentially profound trend, but the agitated ascetics face worldly risks, such as being manipulated for narrow political purposes. - Megawati Wijaya (Jul 8, '08)
 
Brinksmanship in polarized Malaysia
Accusations are flying in Malaysia, where opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim has retaliated to sodomy charges with a vengeance. His latest political broadsides, aimed at the minister of defense, attorney general and chief of police, symbolize a larger struggle between old and new political forces fighting for power. - Anil Netto (Jul 3, '08)

Tolerance test for secular Indonesia
Hardline Muslims are confronting moderates over the existence of Ahmadiyya, a 100-year-old sect in Indonesia that does not accept Mohammad as the last prophet of Islam. Religiously moderate President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and his government are caught in the middle, and it is a campaign season in which conservative religious groups have clout. - Tom McCawley (Jul 1, '08)

Malaysia's Anwar stopped in his tracks
Ten years ago, Anwar Ibrahim fell from political grace on charges of sodomy. Now the Malaysian opposition leader faces similar allegations. Coincidence or not, the development comes with Anwar on the brink of a remarkable comeback, and the government on the ropes. - Ioannis Gatsiounis (Jun 30, '08)

ASIA HAND
Vietnam's reforms on the line
Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung's inability to rein in inflation and calm market jitters provides a wide opening for conservative elements in the ruling party to make a case against the premier. Some influential party factions, alienated by Dung's non-consensual leadership style, can now raise the bogey of social unrest to challenge the premier. At stake are ambitious economic and financial liberalization initiatives, including more openness to foreign investors. - Shawn W Crispin (Jun 27, '08)

BOOK REVIEW
How history shaped the Pearl of Asia
Phnom Penh - A Cultural and Literary History by Milton Osborne
Wearing a white sharkskin suit, a 22-year-old Milton Osborne first visited Phnom Penh in 1959 where he met British writer Somerset Maugham and began a long and affectionate affair with the beautiful but troubled Cambodian capital. Osborne has now compiled a half-century of observations into a tender portrait of Phnom Penh and an analysis of how the course of Cambodian history has shaped it. - Andrew Symon (Jun 27, '08)

Thai investment drive on target
Thailand's minister of Industry Suwit Khunkitti says Thailand's ongoing political turmoil has dampened investment, but the ministry still maintains a target value of investment promotion applications at US$17,892,477) for this year. - Tony Allison (Jun 27, '08)

More cracks in Abdullah's crumbling facade
Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi's administration managed to ride out the widespread public ire over the removal of fuel subsidies. Now members of parliament from two key energy producing states are threatening to defect from Abdullah's ruling coalition. It is not a hammer blow yet, but it is a situation ripe for opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim to exploit. - Anil Netto (Jun 25, '08)

US helps Thailand rub out fake passports
United States security agents have joined their Thai counterparts to break counterfeiting rings producing passports and other documents in Thailand. The US fears the gangs may have done business with al-Qaeda and other terrorists, but new laws and technology are aimed to crack down on the rampant underground trade. - Richard Ehrlich (Jun 25, '08)

Freedom to kill in East Timor
East Timor President Jose Ramos-Horta's decision to grant early release to 94 criminals, including Joni Marques, a notorious militia leader found guilty of torture and murder, has brought the impoverished and restive country to the boil. The move also clouds Ramos-Horta's bid to become the United Nations' next high commissioner for human rights. - Jesse Wright(Jun 24, '08)

ASIA HAND
Same rally cry, 
different Thai reception
Many analysts and investors speculate that Thailand's four-month-old administration could collapse in a military coup prompted by street protests. However, the current media-generating demonstrations are significantly different from the ones that paved the way for the military coup in 2006, and notably lack the middle-class support that the previous street movement enjoyed. - Shawn W Crispin (Jun 23, '08)

CHAN AKYA
Vietnam's hard economic
lesson for China
The unraveling of the Vietnam investment story in the past few weeks shows dangers for other large Asian economies, in particular China, which faces the dual dangers of rapidly rising inflation and heightened risks in its financial sector. The term Middle Kingdom seems destined to mean something altogether less salutary in coming years (Jun 23, '08)

SEX IN DEPTH
Miss Tiffany, a good son
Thailand has long accepted its "third sex" - known to new-age Westerners as "alternative lifestyles" of the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered variety. Now Thais are celebrating Nong Noeng, adjudged this year the country's most beautiful male-to-female transvestite. She is articulate and - it is safe to say - not all that she appears. - William Sparrow (Jun 20, '08)

Doubting donors withhold Myanmar aid
One month into the Cyclone Nargis internationalized relief effort, there are growing signs that Myanmar's military junta has reneged on its promises to better address the humanitarian crisis, raising difficult questions about whether the international community should meet the junta's request for US$11.7 billion to rebuild and rehabilitate disaster-hit areas. - Brian McCartan (Jun 19, '08)

Miracle to mirage in Vietnam
Vietnam, in recent years Asia's new tiger economy, is reeling from runaway inflation, a stock-market collapse and the threat of a bursting property bubble. Its technocrats must now find the skills to prevent once-successful moves to a more open market from coming completely undone. - Karl D John (Jun 16, '08)

AN ATol INVESTIGATION
The wrong way to end a secret war
The ethnic Hmong people, displaced from the jungle mountains of Laos, are again stuck in geopolitical limbo, with thousands clustered in "Cold War-relic" refugee camps on the Thai-Lao border and fighting forced repatriation. Washington seems more concerned with counterbalancing China than standing up for its former allies, and Bangkok and Vientiane would like to see the Hmong problem fade away quickly so they can focus on trade and investment. - Brian McCartan (Jun 12, '08)

ASIA HAND
'Crusading spirit' caught in Thai political mill 
The current case against former minister Jakrapob Penkair could be the highest-profile application of lese majeste in Thailand since 1984. Jakrapob's situation may be even more volatile given the current unsettled state of Thai politics, and his downfall is part and parcel of Thailand's grinding political conflict. - Shawn W Crispin (Jun 12, '08)

Fuel on Malaysia's political fire
The administration of Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi has abruptly repealed fuel price subsidies and Malaysians are fuming. The sudden 41% increase in petrol comes at bad time for Abdullah, whose ruling coalition is still shell-shocked by the March election. His credibility and longevity now hang precariously at the pump. - Anil Netto (Jun 10, '08)

Clouds over Singapore's blogosphere
The Singapore government's stranglehold on mainstream media is nothing new, but a closely watched case against US lawyer-turned-blogger Gopalan Nair has raised fears that such tight control will now be applied in cyberspace. (Jun 10, '08) 

Sinophile Rudd loses Asian friends
Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd is clearly an Asia enthusiast. But his opening salvo of unforced diplomatic errors - from favoring China at the expense of Indonesia and Japan to an ill-formed proposal for an Asia-Pacific bloc - has derailed relationships with Canberra's major neighbors. - Purnendra Jain (Jun 10, '08)

Indonesia leaves OPEC, GM downsizes
Indonesia's decision to leave the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries recognizes the country's declining role as a world oil producer, with imports overtaking exports and new supplies increasingly hard to find. It is not alone in acknowledging a new era, with US car giant GM easing back on producing gas-guzzling machines as the price of fuel soars. (Jun 9, '08)

Power politics in the Philippines
A battle for control of the Philippines' dominant power distributor amid continuing complaints at the price it charges for energy goes to the heart of the country's economic inefficiencies and underscores the still strong control a handful of business families have over the national economy. - Joel D Adriano (Jun 9, '08)

Gates offers reassurance for Asia
United States Defense Secretary Robert Gates, speaking at a high-level meeting of regional leaders in Singapore, was at pains to stress the US would remain involved in the development of Asia's regional security architecture, at the same time, with China in mind, calling for more openness in military modernization. - Ralph A Cossa (Jun 5, '08)

Unscrupulous scalpels in the Philippines
In the business of transplant tourism, one of the few growth industries in the Philippines, it is possible to arrange a Filipino organ from a website in less than 10 days. But tough international scrutiny and concerns about syndicates trafficking in human organs have prompted a government ban on transplants for foreigners. - Cher S Jimenez (Jun 4, '08)

Vietnam sets nuclear pace in Southeast Asia
General Electric and its global rivals are lining up to help fast-growing Southeast Asian countries develop nuclear power facilities. Vietnam is leading the way, with an authoritarian government having an advantage in a sector in which public opposition can often play a decisive planning role. - Andrew Symon (Jun 4, '08)

Second wave economic crisis in Myanmar
The Cyclone Nargis disaster was a savage blow to people living in Myanmar's Irrawaddy Delta. Now the country's economy demands that even with seed destroyed, and no means to plow land polluted by seawater and corpses, survivors somehow plant rice or, with their fleets wrecked, gather fish. The option may be famine. - Larry Jagan (Jun 2, '08)

   Yangon's middle class struggles (AFP)

ASIA HAND
To coup or not to coup in Thailand
A new round of political chaos and the threat of violent street clashes between pro- and anti-government groups has renewed speculation that Thailand is ripe for yet another coup. But the military brass has little interest in an unpopular putsch, and would be better served by letting events play out in court, where ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra looks to be on a losing streak. - Shawn W Crispin (May 30, '08)

Risky pipedreams for East Timor
Development of gas fields on East Timor's doorstep could bring vast wealth to Asia's youngest and by several measures poorest country. Yet its lack of a skilled population may prevent it from garnering those riches, and doom it to continued poverty. - Jesse Wright (May 30, '08)

SEX IN DEPTH
The age of innocence in Asia
Establishing national ages for sexual consent is a dicey proposition across the globe, and one increasingly muddied by religion, culture and globalization. In Asia, the average age for legal heterosexual sex is 14.5 years old, but that is about as clear as the issue gets. The laws are meant to protect young people, but each country has its own prejudices and peccadillos. - William Sparrow (May 30, '08)

China's presence in Cambodia grows
Ethnic Chinese families close to Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen are playing a key role in putting Chinese companies in touch with top Cambodian officials, resulting in deals worth billions of dollars. (May 29, '08)(May 29, '08)

Democracy and death in Myanmar
With voting now completed, Myanmar's junta claims 99% of the country's 22.5 million eligible voters turned out in a referendum on a new constitution, and that 92.4% of them approved it. The result has been widely described as "bizarre", as it effectively enshrines the junta's hold on political power - the same junta that has responded so poorly to Cyclone Nagris, which left tens of thousands of people dead and millions homeless. - Larry Jagan (May 28, '08) 

    Suu Kyi detention 'will not affect cyclone'

Murky measures in Myanmar's disaster
The Myanmar junta apparently hopes the military precision with which it rolled out the numbers of dead buffaloes and chickens will move the international community to gush money to help rebuild the shattered Irrawaddy Delta. The junta has asked donors for US$11.7 billion, but critics say the generals are just looking to line their pockets. (May 27, '08)

Earthquake lets China off the hook
The openness that Chinese leaders have displayed in handling the deadly Sichuan earthquake has emboldened Chinese citizens and an increasingly daring media to take a hard look at neighboring Myanmar's cyclone crisis. Many are saying China's "hands-off" approach to Myanmar is inconsistent with its new compassionate image. (May 27, '08)

Thai ties bind Myanmar cyclone relief
The traditional approach of the 10 countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations - non-interference in the internal affairs of member states - helps shield Myanmar from the international scrutiny. This has also aided Thailand, while sending emergency supplies and providing cyclone support for Myanmar, to pursue stronger commercial ties with the country's military government. - Brian McCartan (May 23, '08)

 Myanmar agrees to allow 'all aid workers' (AFP)

Aid pries Myanmar's closed door
For now, all that matters is that help be provided to Myanmar's increasingly desperate survivors of Cyclone Nargis. Still, the country is now more open to outside intervention than at any time in more than four decades, and the cracks continue to widen. Whatever else can be said, Myanmar's facade has been swept away by the cyclone and the ugly reality is there for all to see. (May 21, '08)

Fake farewell for Malaysia's Mahathir
Former Malaysian premier Mahathir Mohamad's shock decision to quit the ruling United Malays Nasional Organization may be a clever political ruse, but others say it is a desperate attempt to avoid an inquiry's recent findings. His nemesis, former deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim, could soon rise to power, but few analysts believe the 82-year-old Mahathir will fade away without a fight. - Anil Netto (May 20, '08)