Vietnam Frees Some Dissidents Amid TPP Trade Talks
Published on Apr 16, 2014 by Luke Hunt
FAR EAST CORRESPONDENT — Bowing to mounting international political pressure, and a cash-starved economy, Vietnam has announced the release of several dissidents ahead of negotiations with the United States over the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal.Read more from Luke Hunt in The Diplomat..
Cambodia Leads Doubts Over AEC
Published on Apr 9, 2014 by Luke Hunt
In a rare moment of honesty a Cambodian official has admitted his doubts about his country’s ability to meet regional expectations in time for the launch of the much vaunted ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) by the end of 2015.Read more from Luke Hunt in The Diplomat..
Malaysian Uni Lauds North Korean Economic Policy
Published on Nov 1, 2013 by Luke Hunt
A Malaysian university has doffed its cap to North Korea and awarded its latest dear leader, Kim Jong-un an honorary doctorate in economics. A simple ceremony was held earlier this month to confer the title, which raised more than a few eyebrows in academia and on the diplomatic circuit.Read more from Luke Hunt in The Diplomat..
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Indonesia Finally Moves on Fuel Subsidies
Published on Jun 21, 2013 by Luke Hunt
For years the Indonesian authorities have had to weigh the economic realities of providing fuel subsidies against the needs of its people, who have shown a readiness to protest – at times viciously – when prices become too high.However, after months of haggling, petrol and diesel prices are set to rise by an average of 33 percent amid a revised budget. The government hopes cash handouts for the poor will limit protests over an inevitable surge in the inflation rate.Read more from Luke Hunt in The Diplomat..
ASEAN's War on Drugs
Published on Jan 3, 2013 by Luke Hunt
The pledge by ASEAN leaders to intensify campaigns to create a drug-free ASEAN by 2015 is increasingly out of step with international trends which, according to the recent findings of The Global Commission on Drug Policy, increasingly favor drug policy reforms like decriminalization and treating addiction as a public health issue.From Tom Fawthrop in The Diplomat..
