Politics

A supporter of Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen and National Assembly President Heng Samrin wears stickers of the leaders ahead of last month's election.
Hun Sen's Cambodia

Aid to Cambodia tops $20bn, but 'democratic society' still far off

Political repression by strongman Hun Sen puts further support in jeopardy

14 August 2018
Some question the effectiveness of the suspensions, as fresh ones are set up daily. (Getty Images)
Politics

Twitter puts foot down on fake followers in Southeast Asia

Sway over elections in Cambodia, Malaysia and Pakistan raises concerns

11 August 2018
Religious leaders and students attend a ceremony to mark the 30-year anniversary of the 1988 democratic uprising, also known as the "8888 uprising," in Yangon.
Politics

30 years on, Myanmar's democracy still under military sway

Suu Kyi absent from anniversary event to avoid irking generals

9 August 2018
Shoppers check produce at a Yangon supermarket. Domestic retailers are wary of competition from foreign-owned stores. (Photo by Yuichi Nitta)
Economy

Myanmar clarifies foreign ownership rules for retail sector

Green light to sell clothes, electronics and furniture attracts Japan's Aeon and rivals

7 August 2018
Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen, left, stands with his son Hun Manet after graduation ceremonies at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in May 1999.
Hun Sen's Cambodia

Is Hun Sen's dynasty built to last?

No guarantees Cambodia's next generation will embrace heir apparent Hun Manet

1 August 2018
The golden Shwedagon pagoda in Yangon illuminated at night. Myanmar seeks to facilitate visits by East Asian nationals to put its many tourist attractions to use.
International relations

Myanmar to skip visas for Japanese and South Koreans

Government counts on East Asians for tourism as Rohingya crisis turns Westerners off

1 August 2018
Prior to the election, members of the dissolved opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party were transported in a police vehicle to attend a verdict announcement in Phnom Penh on May 10.
Hun Sen's Cambodia

Cambodia's opposition enters Dark Ages as Hun Sen secures power

Disbanded party activists to confront hardship of increasingly authoritarian state

31 July 2018
Flood victims are transported to safety after the Xe-Pian Xe-Namnoy hydropower dam collapsed in Attapeu province, Laos on July 26. 
Politics

Dam disaster exposes cracks in Laos' communist information wall

Risk assessments hidden from residents as regime pushed ahead with hydropower ambitions

31 July 2018
Cambodian garment workers were promised big raises by their prime minister as he campaigned for Sunday's election, but Western sanctions could dispel their hope.
Hun Sen's Cambodia

Hun Sen's 'flawed' victory puts Cambodian businesses at stake

US and EU could deliver blows by taking away tariff-free access to their markets

31 July 2018
Cambodian leader Hun Sen is set to rule the country for another five years. (Photo by Akira Kodaka)
Hun Sen's Cambodia

Five things to know about post-election Cambodia

Hun Sen now rules a one-party state, though questions about legitimacy remain

31 July 2018
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen waves to supporters in Phnom Penh on July 27, the final day of the election campaign. (Photo by Akira Kodaka) 
Hun Sen's Cambodia

Cambodian ruling party claims near clean sweep in election

Hun Sen's CPP says it won up to 123 of 125 contested seats

30 July 2018
An election official marks a voter's finger with ink at a polling station in Phnom Penh on July 29.
Opinion

Cambodia's flawed election will not remove pressure for change

Hun Sen must listen to his people and deliver reform

30 July 2018
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen casts his ballot during a general election in Takhmao, Cambodia on July 29. (Photo by Akira Kodaka)
Hun Sen's Cambodia

Cambodian polls close with Hun Sen's legitimacy in spotlight

Many expected to boycott election over elimination of popular opposition party

29 July 2018
Commuters wait to buy tickets at a Phnom Penh bus station on July 28, the first day of a three-day weekend ordered by the government in an attempt to get people to show up at their local polling stations. (Photo by Yukako Ono) 
Hun Sen's Cambodia

Cambodians pushed to head home to boost election turnout

Apathy spreads as one-horse race lacks excitement of hard-fought 2013 poll

28 July 2018
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen speaks to hundreds of thousands of his party's supporters in Phnom Penh on July 27. (Photo by Akira Kodaka)
Hun Sen's Cambodia

Cambodia's Hun Sen slams boycott calls as 'destroying democracy'

With an assured victory, prime minister closes campaign with no fresh incentives

27 July 2018
Cambodian workers are being pressured to give a veneer of democracy to their country's increasingly autocratic rulers. These workers are on their home after their shift at a footwear factory in Kampong Speu.
Hun Sen's Cambodia

Cambodian leader tries legitimizing election by getting out the vote

Aggressive tactics make voters afraid to abstain from casting ballots

26 July 2018
The flag of a Chinese government-owned company flutters on a ferryboat in Laos near the construction site of a high-speed railway project.
Belt and Road

Chinese project spending empowers Southeast Asia's strongmen

A giant new stadium being built in Cambodia gives authoritarian rule a lift

25 July 2018
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen and his wife Bun Rany. Hun Sen is expected to clinch a landslide victory in the elections on Sunday. 
Hun Sen's Cambodia

Hun Sen warms seats for sons in post-election Cambodia

Eldest son seen succeeding but others point to divisions within ruling party

25 July 2018
Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen smiles during a rally in Kandal province on July 4.
Opinion

Cambodia's Potemkin election -- what will come next?

Fresh challenges loom for long-ruling Hun Sen

25 July 2018
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, center, joins hands with Indonesian President Joko Widodo, right, and Brunei's Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah before the ASEAN Summit in Manila last November.
Hun Sen's Cambodia

Southeast Asia urged to reject Cambodia's 'sham election'

Human rights group fears Hun Sen's example will inspire authoritarians in region

25 July 2018
Laos has been aggressively building hydropower dams on its rivers to sell electricity to neighboring countries (Getty Images).
Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos

Laos dam collapse triggered by heavy rain, says Thai investor

At least several reported dead and hundreds missing near hydropower project

24 July 2018
Myanmar's de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi at the 21st Century Panglong Union Peace Conference on July 16. The charismatic leader faces major hurdles in bringing lasting peace to the strife-torn nation.
Politics

Myanmar's aim of becoming a federalist state remains a dream

Ethnic strife and a reluctant military impede efforts to transform nation

23 July 2018
Cambodia's strongman leader Hun Sen, who hopes to hold onto power for another decade, has removed his main opposition for the upcoming elections.
Hun Sen's Cambodia

Five things to know about the Cambodian national election

With major opposition disbanded, all eyes are on voter turnout and legitimacy

23 July 2018
Serge Pun, center, heads a government-owned company that endeavors to win private sector financing that would be put into developing a new urban center for Yangon.
Politics

Plenty of political will but no cash for New Yangon project

Massive infrastructure development and a new urban center promised by 2020

22 July 2018
State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi speaks at the 21st Century Panglong peace talks. (Photo by Yuichi Nitta)
Politics

Suu Kyi's power at risk as Myanmar peace process stalls

Minority groups feel safety has deteriorated under her party's rule

19 July 2018