Showing 1 - 10 of 27
South activists' feud with army hots up
Oped, Asmadee Bueheng, Published on 19/01/2024
» The ongoing feud between young political activists from Thailand's Malay-speaking area in the southernmost provinces and the 4th Army Area has intensified as the youth leaders this past week took their case to Bangkok to draw attention from the international community to what they say is judicial harassment by the military.
Anwar Ibrahim's quiet triumph in Malaysia
Oped, Kishore Mahbubani, Published on 07/11/2023
» The path from political prisoner to political power is by no means well-trodden, but those who have made the arduous journey in recent decades include luminaries such as Nelson Mandela, Jawaharlal Nehru, Aung San Suu Kyi, Michelle Bachelet, and Vaclav Havel. To this august group must be added Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who, after nine years in prison, is now showing the same zeal as Mandela did for institutional and economic reform rooted in democratic values.
Which way for Malaysia under Anwar Ibrahim?
Oped, Gwynne Dyer, Published on 02/12/2022
» If Anwar Ibrahim had become prime minister of Malaysia in the late 1990s, when he was in his early 50s, instead of being jailed on trumped-up sodomy and corruption charges, Malaysia might now be a very different place. He's finally getting his chance, but now he's 75. Is it too late for the kind of Malaysia he promised?
Malaysian polls see Islamist surge
News, Clara Ferreira Marques, Published on 23/11/2022
» Malaysia's election has not immediately resulted in a new government, but it has produced an instant winner -- political Islam.
One middleman enough in conflict
News, Asmadee Bueheng, Published on 24/10/2022
» Yahree Dueloh left his village in the southernmost border district of Narathiwat a decade ago, crossed the Kolok River and settled in Rantau Panjang on the Malaysian side of the border, not far from the river that serves as the official border between the two countries.
Elections and old ties grip SE Asia
News, Editorial, Published on 23/10/2022
» The Southeast Asian region is entering election mode -- starting with the upcoming snap election in Malaysia next month, followed by the national election next year in Thailand, which is tentatively set for May, and Cambodia's poll in July.
Jailing Najib is a win for Malaysia
News, Daniel Moss, Published on 25/08/2022
» Let's hear it for Malaysia. Something unimaginable just a few years ago has transpired. A former prime minister, the scion of a prominent political dynasty who retained a strong grassroots following as a top lawmaker, has been sentenced to prison. His fall is a tonic, however brief, for a country whose politics in recent years have been marred by rancor, cynicism and a revolving door of weak governments.
Violence as yellow shirts overreact
News, Paritta Wangkiat, Published on 16/11/2020
» Last week, a rally by a group of ultra-royalists in Nakhon Si Thammarat turned ugly after some elements from the crowd attacked a car, which they falsely believed to be carrying the co-founder of the Progressive Movement, Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, out of a hotel. This is a sign that violent confrontations will be inevitable.
In the South, it takes three to tango
News, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 13/10/2020
» After a pause brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic and unexpected circumstances, some positive signals are coming from the Peace Dialogue Panel, the Thai negotiating team, that the stalled peace process in the country's deep South is moving forward once again. This time, all concerned parties are hoping that dialogue will bridge the divide and forge a common roadmap that will bring an immediate end to the violence and lay firm foundations for peaceful coexistence, greater autonomy and mutual respect for religious beliefs, identities and cultural heritage.
Coronavirus and democracy in Southeast Asia
Oped, James Gomez & Robin Ramcharan, Published on 01/04/2020
» In Southeast Asia, as the health crisis escalates and countries go into different variations of a lockdown, it is affording regimes with authoritarian tendencies the opportunity to suppress political expression, enforce strict obedience and consolidate their rule. Unless this is called out and actions taken to address these measures, a post-Covid-19 Southeast Asia will put democracy on the backfoot in the region.