Showing 1 - 6 of 6
The great Cambodia land grab
Spectrum, Luke Hunt, Published on 19/05/2013
» Ask Sreap Samoen where are the communal grazing lands? Where can local villagers fish and grow crops? The 50-year-old woman with a weather-beaten face points into the distance and says: "It's all gone. The company has it now."
Ly Yong Phat, the King of Koh Kong
Spectrum, Luke Hunt, Published on 03/02/2013
» Thai-Cambodian relations have been defined high in the Dangrek Mountains ever since troops from both sides began clashing over the 12th century ruins at Preah Vihear five years ago. Further south, where the Kaoh Pao meets the Gulf of Thailand, it's a very different story.
2012 - When Asean felt Beijing's bite
Spectrum, Luke Hunt, Published on 30/12/2012
» Twenty-twelve should be remembered as the year in which China acted on its long-standing claims in the South China Sea, took off the gloves and arraigned its intimidating military and diplomatic arsenal against its neighbours to the south. Gone were the usual glib lines that China only gives foreign aid and soft loans to countries in need, with no strings attached. Cambodia _ for years a benefactor of Beijing's largesse _ was bullied onto China's political front lines, acting as a spoiler against fellow Asean countries attempting to forge a united front against Beijing's territorial and maritime ambitions.
Furious foreign investment driving land grab scourge
Spectrum, Luke Hunt, Published on 07/10/2012
» Land grabbing has emerged as the biggest blight to afflict Cambodia in recent years. Thousands of villagers have been pushed off their family plots for what they say is too little compensation as big corporations move in with the government's blessing.
Muslim acceptance in Laos stark contrast to Myanmar intolerance
Spectrum, Luke Hunt, Published on 02/09/2012
» Just over a decade ago the tiny Islamic population of Laos, like Muslims everywhere, watched on in horror as al-Qaeda carried out its suicide attacks on New York and Washington. They were then flabbergasted as a tide of Western opinion turned on them.
As doors open, businesses face a formidable frontier
Spectrum, Luke Hunt, Published on 29/01/2012
» As Myanmar trades political reforms in return for an end to economic sanctions, businesses big and small are queuing for access to the region's last closed economy. Entry will be dictated by political connections, financial clout, further reforms and necessity.