Showing 1 - 10 of 34
Cambodia starts to flex its muscles
Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 09/07/2024
» The Funan Techo Canal -- a US$1.7 billion (62 billion baht) waterway -- reflects Cambodia's growing confidence and assertiveness in pursuing national interests. This water infrastructure projects Cambodia as a viable and dynamic little tiger, no longer a war-torn nation. Under Prime Minister Hun Manet's leadership, Cambodia is taking a more proactive stance overall despite facing objections from neighbours like Vietnam that stand to bear the direct impact of this naval logistics scheme.
Thailand's regional security makeover
Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 05/03/2024
» After more than six months in power, border security-related issues have emerged as the Srettha government's non-economic top priority.
Myanmar eyes return to Asean fold
Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 13/02/2024
» To understand the current game plan of Myanmar's military regime, it is perhaps a good time to remind ourselves of the letter written by former Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen to Senior General Min Aung Hlaing on Aug 19, 2022. The rather blunt personal letter urged the junta leader to implement the Five-Point Consensus (5PC), saying that if he fails to do so, his Asean colleagues might ban Myanmar from all meetings and recognise the National Unity Government (NUG). In short, Asean would give the seat to the NUG. The letter angered the general, and Hun Sen's practical advice was ignored, including his call for amnesty for four activists who had been sentenced to death. For the past three years, Myanmar's seat at Asean's high-level meetings has been left vacant. Then, on Feb 29, the seat was occupied temporarily.
Thai-Cambodian ties enter a new era
Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 30/01/2024
» Exactly 37 days before Samdech Moha Borvor Thipadei Hun Manet was due to fly to Bangkok on Feb 7 for a one-day official visit, Cambodia extended Thai border pass access to Siem Reap, where Angkor Wat is located. This was an act of goodwill as the proposal has been on the table for discussions since Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin's visit to Phnom Penh in September -- his first official foreign destination after being elected Thai leader.
Lessons from Hun Sen's Cambodia
Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 08/08/2023
» If international relations experts and scholars want to study a small state's diplomatic manoeuvres amid the ever-changing geopolitical landscape, they should make Cambodia their case study. With a new prime minister, Hun Manet, now in charge, the question remains: Will he be able to keep up with his father's multipolar politics?
Cambodia and the rise of a small power
Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 11/04/2023
» For Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo Hun Sen, Prime Minister of Cambodia, timing is everything. Therefore, it was not surprising that the world's longest-serving leader signalled recently that he would step down from politics. Unbelievable, right? He used to say he would remain in power until he was 90. If it had not come directly from him, nobody would have believed a word. His carefully calibrated decision comes at a critical time due to current domestic and external conditions and their likely long-term repercussions.
Asean's international status is rising
Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 27/12/2022
» It might sound pompous to keep stating the strategic importance of Southeast Asia over the past year due mainly to the three heavy-weight summits held in the neighbourhood. Historically speaking, it has always been this way since the colonial period when European powers gobbled up land, suppressed local people, and gained and influenced footholds throughout the region's mainland and archipelagos.
Myanmar and two new game-changers
Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 20/12/2022
» The recently passed bill by Congress, known broadly as the 2022 Burma Act, which allows the US government to provide technical support and non-military assistance to engage with the opposition groups against the military junta in Nay Pyi Taw combined with the incoming Asean chair, Indonesia, could be a game-changer with the Myanmar crisis soon to enter its third year.
New world order starting in SE Asia
Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 29/11/2022
» Right here, right now, the new international order is in the making. Because of the war in Ukraine, the divided world and its leaders had to rendezvous in Southeast Asia for nearly a week recently. Those with the stamina to last the duration have benefited the most from bilateral discussions, aired their new ideas and grievances, cemented new and old friendships and built one-on-one rapport and relations. Many valuable lessons can be drawn from the three summits to which Cambodia, Indonesia, and Thailand played host.
Hun Sen juggles global, regional politics
Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 08/11/2022
» Who could have imagined that the world's longest reigning prime minister, Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo Hun Sen -- or Prime Minister Hun Sen as he is more commonly known -- would stand in the front row defending Ukraine against Russia as the biggest war in Europe since World War II rages on?