Politics

Opposition CNRP youth activists at an election rally in Phnom Penh on June 2. (Photo by Duncan McCargo)
Politics

Local poll leaves Hun Sen looking vulnerable in 2018 election

Cambodia's ruling party needs to woo disenchanted voters to retain hold on power

8 June 2017
The Chinese-built Colombo International Container Terminals towers over reclaimed land earmarked for a China-backed commercial development. (Photo by Marwaan Macan-Markar)
International relations

Japan races China to secure Asian port rights

Tokyo on the lookout over Beijing's Belt and Road Initiative

8 June 2017
A Y-8-200 F military aircraft.
Politics

Debris from missing Myanmar military aircraft found

10 bodies recovered; plane apparently crashed into sea

8 June 2017
Sandar Oo, managing director of Myanma Insurance, answers audience questions at the Myanmar Investment Forum 2017 in Naypyitaw. (Photo by Yuichi Nitta)
Business

Myanmar readies reforms to liberalize insurance market

Plan for opening doors to foreign insurers coming in three months

8 June 2017
From left: ASEAN Secretary-General Le Luong Minh, Philippine Foreign Affairs Undersecretary for Policy Enrique Manalo, and Myanmar National Security Adviser Thaung Tun.
Economy

South China Sea agreement expected in November: official

Key ASEAN figures bullish on bloc's economic outlook

6 June 2017
Myanmar's National Security Advisor Thaung Tun speaks to Nikkei reporters in Tokyo on June 5.
Politics

Myanmar 'making progress' on peace talks, Rohingya, China ties

National security advisor denies systematic abuse in Rakhine State conflict

6 June 2017
A protester holds a poster with a defaced image of Aung San Suu Kyi during a demonstration against what protesters say is a crackdown on ethnic Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar, in front of the Myanmar embassy in Jakarta in November. The text on the poster reads, "Bring Aung San Suu Kyi to the court."
Politics

Federalism, peace process on Suu Kyi's Canada agenda

Rohingya crackdown a likely point of dispute on Myanmar leader's tour

6 June 2017
Laotian Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith speaks during an interview in Tokyo on June 5.
Politics

ASEAN, Beijing building 'good momentum' on South China Sea issue

Laotian leader says Korean Peninsula should be 'nuclear-free zone'

5 June 2017
ASEAN Secretary-General Le Luong Minh says governments need to communicate better to stem the tide of isolationism.
Economy

Threats to free trade 'cannot be taken lightly,' ASEAN chief warns

Secretary-General Le Luong Minh insists bloc will remain 'beacon' of openness

5 June 2017
Laotian Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith says the region must commit to resolving problems "by peaceful means."
Politics

Asia's diversity is an asset in a globalized world, Laotian PM says

Don't regard it as a 'hindrance,' stresses Thongloun Sisoulith

5 June 2017
Voters lining up to enter a polling station inside a school in the south of the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh on June 4 (Photo: Simon Roughneen)
Politics

High turnout in Cambodian local elections as opposition poised to gain

Test run for 2018 national elections suggests government support eroding

5 June 2017
Government troops head to the front-line as fighting with Muslim militants in Marawi city continues in the southern Philippines.
Politics

Shangri-La Dialogue focuses on terrorism in SE Asia

Mindanao siege a wake-up call for ASEAN's fight against extremism

4 June 2017
Opposition Cambodian National Rescue Party convoy inching across Phnom Penh's Cambodian-Japanese Friendship Bridge on the afternoon of June 2. (Photo by Simon Roughneen)
Politics

Phnom Penh sees huge final campaign rallies ahead of crucial elections

Campaigning closed Friday ahead of Sunday's fiercely contested commune polls

4 June 2017
Myanmar State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi (C) chats with Myanmar's president Htin Kyaw after opening ceremony of 21st Century Panglong conference in Naypyitaw on May 24.
Economy

Myanmar's peace conference leaves talks on uncertain path

Much vaunted 'Panglong' talks made unexpected progress but revealed vulnerabilities and pitfalls

31 May 2017
Supporters of the opposition Cambodian National Rescue Party in Siem Reap on May 25 (Photo by Simon Roughneen)
Politics

Cambodia's local elections seen as national test run

June 4 commune vote pits main opposition against Hun Sen's machine ahead of 2018 poll

31 May 2017
A misinformed Facebook post appeared on the opening day of Myanmar's 21st Century Panglong Conference for political dialogue.
Politics

Myanmar faces onslaught of social media fake news

False Facebook posts could complicate politics in fragile democracy

30 May 2017
Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmar's de facto leader, center, attends the closing ceremony of the 21st Century Panglong Peace Conference in Naypyitaw on May 29.
Politics

Myanmar ethnic groups partially agree on federal state principles

Full accord still elusive as sides disagree on secession rights

30 May 2017
Many plants are under construction at the Thilawa special economic zone industrial park outside Yangon.
Economy

Myanmar sends mixed message to foreign investors

Outsiders are welcome in the special economic zone; not so much elsewhere

27 May 2017
Myanmar State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, center, and Myanmar's president Htin Kyaw, right, attend the 21st Century Panglong Conference in Naypyitaw on May 24. (Photo by Yuichi Nitta)
Politics

Suu Kyi meets with ethnic armed group, hoping to break deadlock in talks

China keen to support Myanmar in efforts to end decades-long civil war

27 May 2017
A statue of a Chin tribesman stands in front of a model of the heart-shaped Rih Lake at the National Races Village in Yangon. (Photo by Sean Gleeson)
Politics

Myanmar's monument to myth

Cosmetic vision of national harmony belies fraught history of ethnic relations

25 May 2017
A statue of a Chin tribesman stands in front of a model of the heart-shaped Rih Lake at the National Races Village in Yangon. (Photo by Sean Gleeson)
Politics

Myanmar's monument to myth

Cosmetic vision of national harmony belies fraught history of ethnic relations

25 May 2017
Better times: ethnic representatives at Myanmar's August 2016 peace talks (Photo by Aung Naing Soe)
Politics

Divergent strategies behind Myanmar's peace process

Peace efforts in Myanmar complicated by multiple stakeholders with different agendas

22 May 2017
A Ta'ang National Liberation Army soldier on guard duty in Shan State amid clashes with Myanmar's military in February 2016 (Photo by Steve Tickner)
Politics

Aung Naing Oo: Myanmar's peace talks are growing even more tangled

Government faces greater obstacles as armed groups start to cooperate

11 May 2017
Myanmar's armed forces at their annual military parade and ceremony to mark Armed Forces Day in the capital, Naypyitaw, on March 27. (Photo by Steve Tickner).
Politics

Why Myanmar's military is not planning a coup

Speculation about military intentions makes for a good conspiracy theory but facts tell a different story

8 May 2017
Representatives at the ADB'S 50th annual meeting discussed the challenges facing Asia as the region pursues prosperity. (Photo by Akira Kodaka)
Economy

ADB meeting finds the 'Asian century' so close, yet so far

Infrastructure and banking reforms key to easing poverty, participants say

8 May 2017