ASEAN + China and Bhutan?
Published on Apr 10, 2012 by Luke Hunt
Within the various corridors of power across Southeast Asia, tongues are still wagging over the outburst delivered by Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen at last week’s ASEAN summit.At the heart of the speech was Cambodia’s close relationship with China, and his message was simple: Beijing’s generous financial backing of his government didn’t compromise Cambodia’s standing as the annual host of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).Read more in The Diplomat..
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Ramos-Horta Dumped
Published on Mar 19, 2012 by Luke Hunt
Nobel Laureate Jose Ramos-Horta has been dumped as President of Timor-Leste, with the battle for the post now likely to be fought in an April 21 run-off between Francisco “Lu Olo” Guterres of the left-leaning Fretilin party, and Taur Matan Ruak, the former chief of the nation’s armed forces.Preliminary results from Saturday’s ballot show a tight contest between Lu Olo and Ruak, who had polled well after winning the support of Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao and his National Congress for the Reconstruction of East Timor party (CNRT). Read more in The Diplomat..
Malaysian Sideshow
Published on Dec 10, 2011 by Luke Hunt
While there is that motion picture-like air of a “coming to a polling booth near you, the nation’s next blockbuster – the 13th General Election” – in the rapidly changing Malaysian state of Sabah, the people remain unmoved and cynical.“It may be a new election but like some movies the plot never changes … in Sabah it will be the same old story,” volunteered a middle aged man, on his way to drop his family of four off at a cineplex in Kota Kinabalu, the state capital, to watch the latest offering.Like him, the nagging question on most locals’ minds as they prepare to countdown to elect a new government and Parliament anytime between now and 2013 – will the....
Trading Malaysian Places
Published on Aug 5, 2011 by Luke Hunt
It didn’t take long. The ink on the refugee swap deal between Australia and Malaysia was barely dry before the first batch of boat people was re-directed to camps in Kuala Lumpur for processing.Fifty-four asylum seekers, intercepted en-route to Australia, were denied their destination of choice as part of regional efforts to limit the people smuggling trade and the transporting of human cargo out of Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Iran and Sri Lanka to Australia’s west coast. Read more in The Diplomat..
