Showing 1 - 9 of 9
Why we need to care about Myanmar
Oped, Johanna Son, Published on 03/02/2024
» Myanmar is entering its fourth year since the Feb 1, 2021 military coup. Its multiple crises continue -- a mix of economic difficulties and a humanitarian catastrophe -- at a time when armed conflict, including anti-junta resistance, has now spread to most of its regions.
Vaccination in Southeast Asia: it's complicated
Oped, Johanna Son, Published on 24/04/2021
» 'So which wave of Covid-19 are you in?" is a question Southeast Asians ask of one another these days. A year after the lockdowns that their countries went into, many of them are, well, back in them again, even as vaccinations are underway in all countries in the region.
Covid and the climate crisis in SE Asia
Oped, Johanna Son, Published on 17/09/2020
» 'A global reset", "a sick planet", "health security" are huge, heavy phrases that have been swirling in the global psyche for most of this Covid-19-marked year. They speak of the "must-do-something" type of issues that weigh on the minds of people everywhere, including in Southeast Asia, as they hope for a post-pandemic period to come.
Philippines' hollow victory over China
News, Johanna Son, Published on 20/08/2018
» In an Asean multilateral meeting in Cambodia in 2012, the Philippines' then-foreign secretary, Alberto del Rosario, found himself in an uncomfortable diplomatic situation.
The minefield of reporting the Rohingya
News, Johanna Son, Published on 19/04/2018
» When the Myanmar Journalism Institute held a discussion on the Rohingya crisis, it had to be an "invitation only" event instead of a public one. In Myanmar media, it has become mainstream to avoid using the word Rohingya and keep some distance from a topic that is too sensitive and too risky for the political and financial survival of news outlets.
The Philippines' headache over China
News, Johanna Son, Published on 18/07/2017
» When history is written one day of how a country called the Philippines dealt with China, would it make for a legend about how it smartly navigated geopolitical waters to assert its territorial and economic rights -- or a case study in how to bend over backwards and cede these to its giant neighbour to the north?
Chairing Asean, Philippine fiesta style
News, Johanna Son, Published on 28/01/2017
» There is a song for the 50th anniversary of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), a commemorative stamp for the occasion, and a Filipino pop singer proudly announcing that he is "Filipino, proudly Asean".
Philippines split on Duterte's drug war
News, Johanna Son, Published on 21/12/2016
» Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte doesn't bat an eyelash when saying he shot dead three criminals as city mayor more than 20 years ago, but sheds tears when visiting soldiers wounded in battle. The 71-year-old president makes off-colour jokes about women, but has named no less than five women in his cabinet, including three from leftist backgrounds.
Voter anger, frustration drove Duterte to the presidency
News, Johanna Son, Published on 12/05/2016
» Just months ago, Rodrigo Duterte, the Philippines' next president, had been saying he would not run for the country's top post. "The country does not need me. I find no need for it," he said, adding that he wanted to retire after more than two decades as the popular, tough mayor of southern Davao city.