Showing 1 - 10 of 103
Delayed Rohingya repatriation becoming a regional crisis
Asia focus, Abantika Kumari, Published on 08/08/2022
» The future of the Rohingya people is not only a Bangladeshi issue, it is now a global issue. Bangladesh has been seeking the cooperation of regional countries and the United Nations to repatriate hundreds of thousands of Rohingya since they were first driven from Myanmar in 2017. But the results have not materialised, and the security risk is growing.
Myanmar's twin crises loom
Asia focus, Nareerat Wiriyapong, Published on 01/08/2022
» While the rest of the world continues to be preoccupied by Covid-19 and fallout from Russia-Ukraine war, the downward spiral of Myanmar continues. A once-promising frontier market risks slipping into a Sri Lanka-like economic crisis, exacerbating the humanitarian crisis created by the cruelty of its military junta.
Pakistan and Nepal pursue better understanding
Asia focus, Malika-e-Abida Khattak, Published on 20/06/2022
» Most bilateral relations in South Asia, including those between Nepal and Pakistan, are dominated by India's massive influence in the region. Nepal and Pakistan have a long history of diplomatic and political ties, and India has played an important role in their considerations.
New Asean-US era
Asia focus, Apiradee Treerutkuarkul, Published on 13/06/2022
» The special summit held last month in Washington between US President Joe Biden and nine Southeast Asian leaders clearly emphasised his administration's attempts to engage the region it sees as central to countering China's rising influence in Asia and beyond.
Lancang-Mekong 'soft connectivity'
Asia focus, Duan Haosheng and Liu Yunkang, Published on 30/05/2022
» China has collectively consulted, contributed to and shared in the development of the Lancang-Mekong region with the five Mekong countries -- Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam -- over the past five years, helping to promote economic sustainability and connectivity.
Bangladesh pursues careful Myanmar policy
Asia focus, Parvej Siddique Bhuiyan, Published on 02/05/2022
» The history of Myanmar is one of struggle with coups, military rule, religious persecution and ethnic conflict. The ongoing violence between the country's military and organised armed civilians is now leading the country to the verge of a full-blown civil war that is unlikely to end anytime soon.
Some hopeful signs for women
Asia focus, Nareerat Wiriyapong, Published on 07/03/2022
» Two years of the protracted Covid-19 pandemic have proved to be tough for everyone, with millions losing their jobs as economies slumped across the world. Women in particular have faced hardship from changes in the working environment.
Myanmar soldiers collecting bills at gunpoint
Asia focus, By Richard C Paddock of the New York Times, Published on 31/01/2022
» The schoolteacher had just got out of bed when four Myanmar army soldiers pounded on her door. Her electricity payment was overdue, they said, and ordered her to pay it immediately at the government power company office.
Hun Sen's Myanmar gamble
Asia focus, Nareerat Wiriyapong, Published on 17/01/2022
» I'm not a fan of Hun Sen, the strongman who has ruled Cambodia for more than 38 years. A co-premier from 1993-97 before seizing power in a 1997 coup, the Cambodian leader has won all subsequent elections while political rivals have been jailed or exiled and critical media crushed. His legacy appears secure now that his Cambodian People's Party has endorsed his eldest son, 44-year-old army commander Hun Manet, as "future prime minister".
Unlocking potential in South Asia
Asia focus, Apiradee Treerutkuarkul, Published on 20/12/2021
» South Asia, home to nearly two billion people, has been among the fastest-growing regions in the world over the past decade. Yet intraregional trade is well below expected levels, suggesting that regional spillover from the growth of some individual countries has been limited.