Pheu Thai leader Cholnan Srikaew, right, and Bhumjaithai leader Anutin Charnvirakul speak at a news conference after their meeting on July 22. (Screenshot from Pheu Thai's YouTube channel)
Thai election

Thailand's Pheu Thai courts conservative parties

No. 2 grouping's move could force Move Forward into opposition

24 July 2023
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen shakes hands with a supporter after voting at a polling station in Kandal province on July 23. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi)
Hun Sen's Cambodia

U.S. says Cambodia vote 'neither free nor fair,' unveils sanctions

Human rights groups decry 'farce' as Chinese state media applauds Phnom Penh

24 July 2023
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen shows his finger after voting at a polling station in Kandal province on July 23. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi)
Hun Sen's Cambodia

Cambodia's Hun Sen dominates election, threatens ballot spoilers

Ruling CPP on track to take 96% of seats in widely criticized vote

24 July 2023
Bank of Japan Gov. Kazuo Ueda speaks at a news conference in April. The central bank is this week set to make its latest monetary policy decision.
Your Week in Asia

Marcos State of the Nation Address, Thailand PM choice, BOJ meeting

Your weekly lineup of Asia's biggest business and political events

23 July 2023
Move Forward Party leader Pita Limjaroenrat failed to drum up enough support from either rival parties or military-appointed senators to become prime minister. (Photo by Ken Kobyashi)
Thai election

On topic: Why Thailand's Pita failed to become prime minister

A collection of stories to catch up on a recent hot topic

22 July 2023
All eyes are on whether Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s Maharlika Investment Fund can give the country's infrastructure a big push. (Photo by Koji Uema)
Politics

Philippine sovereign fund a double-edged sword for Marcos

President touts infrastructure potential, but critics worry about graft

22 July 2023
A woman holds a board of Prime Minister Hun Sen during a campaign rally in Phnom Penh on July 21. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi)
Hun Sen's Cambodia

Cambodia's one-sided election: 5 things to know

Walkover expected for Hun Sen's CPP after main opposition party banned

22 July 2023
Pheu Thai Party prime minister candidates Srettha Thavisin, right, and Paetongtarn Shinawatra meet supporters at an election rally in Bangkok on May 12. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi)
Thai election

Thailand's Move Forward yields to Pheu Thai candidate for PM

Coalition's No. 2 party to name candidate on July 26 before next vote

21 July 2023
Move Forward Party leader Pita Limjaroenrat leaves parliament on July 19 after the suspension of his membership by Thailand's Constitutional Court. (Photo by Ken Kobyashi)
Opinion

Thailand just isn't ready yet for Move Forward's agenda of change

Despite election victory, Pita's party lacks enough support to have its way

21 July 2023
U.S. semiconductor subsidies aren't just for domestic factories: Washington will pay foreign friends to invest in chips, something Asia should exploit, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said in Vietnam. (Photo by Lien Hoang)
Semiconductors

Yellen urges Asia to tap CHIPS Act funds for semiconductors

U.S. Treasury Secretary also says Amkor plans mega chip plant in Vietnam

21 July 2023
Theary Seng, a Khmer Rouge survivor who is 12 months into a six-year prison sentence, began a hunger strike on July 17.
Hun Sen's Cambodia

Jailed U.S.-Cambodian activist starts hunger strike ahead of elections

Theary Seng languishes in prison after Cambodia turns from West to China

21 July 2023
Move Forward supporters protest in front of Bangkok's Democracy Monument on July 19. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi)
Thai election

Thailand's pro-democracy coalition mulls next steps without Pita

Pheu Thai's move in focus as parliament convenes again on July 27

20 July 2023
Move Forward leader Pita Limjaroenrat removes his member of parliament badge as he was ordered to leave the chamber on July 19. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi)
Thai election

Pita's Thai PM bid blocked in critical blow to Move Forward

'The people are halfway to victory,' leader says after suspension as lawmaker

19 July 2023
Steakholder sees similarities between Jewish kosher and Muslim halal dietary requirements. (Photo courtesy of company)
Food & Beverage

Israel's food tech upstarts eye ASEAN's Muslim countries

Indonesia, Malaysia offer halal gateway for Jewish state's companies

19 July 2023
Move Forward leader Pita Limjaroenrat attends a parliament session on July 19. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi)
Thai election

Thai court suspends Pita as lawmaker over media shares

Decision deals blow to Move Forward leader as parliament convenes for PM vote

19 July 2023
Pita Limjaroenrat reacts after failing to win parliamentary support to become Thailand's prime minister on July 13. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi)
Comment

Thai PM plots thicken with Senate bill, apparent 'judicial coup'

Parliament votes again Wednesday after Pita fails to claim post in 1st round

18 July 2023
Some 10 years after almost losing an election, Hun Sen, center, no longer tolerates competition from serious opponents as he maneuvers to transfer power to eldest son Hun Manet, left, in a reform-resistant, economically and politically fragile system.
Asia Insight

Cambodia democracy dream fades as Hun Sen eyes election walkover

Strongman to coast to July 23 victory, signaling start of handover to eldest son

18 July 2023
Budi Arie Setiadi looks on during his inauguration as minister of communication and information in Jakarta on July 17.
Politics

Jokowi names new communications minister amid graft case

Appointment spurs allegations of cronyism in run-up to presidential vote

17 July 2023
A view of the Parliament House in Singapore. "My mistake raised broader questions over my neutrality," Tan Chuan-Jin writes in a letter to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.
Politics

Singapore parliament speaker quits, adding pressure to ruling party

People's Action Party backlash grows as Tan Chuan-Jin admits to causing hurt

17 July 2023
Students at New Blood School in Mae Sot, northwestern Thailand, on June 29 prepare to take the U.S. General Education Development tests. (Photo by Kosuke Inoue)
Myanmar Crisis

Myanmar kids in Thailand pull off U.S. high school diploma miracle

Mae Sot school helps those who fled military action re-imagine their futures

17 July 2023
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen attends a campaign rally in Phnom Penh on July 1. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi)
Your Week in Asia

China GDP, Tesla's Malaysia launch, Hun Sen's Cambodia elections

Your weekly lineup of Asia's biggest business and political events

16 July 2023
Lai Wei-hsin, speaking at a Jakarta restaurant, heads the Indonesia chapter of the Trust Lai Taiwan Friendship Association (Photo by Randy Mulyanto)
Politics

Taiwan presidential hopefuls woo Southeast Asian diaspora

Front-runner Lai has set up support bases across region as China influence dims

16 July 2023
Move Forward leader Pita Limjaroenrat speaks in a video he posted to Twitter on July 15. (Screenshot from Pita's Twitter account)
Thai election

Thailand's Pita to give nod to Pheu Thai if his next PM bid fails

Coalition piles pressure on Move Forward ahead of second vote on Wednesday

15 July 2023
Foreign ministers and delegates attend the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Regional Forum in Jakarta on July 14. 
International relations

ASEAN forum highlights resolve and discord: 5 things to know

Myanmar issue continues to strain bloc as it juggles ties with U.S., China, Russia

15 July 2023
Demand for structural steel in Vietnam has plummeted as the struggling economy has left some buildings unfinished.
Economy

Vietnam's glowing economic statistics raise eyebrows at home

Businesses question GDP figures as Hanoi buildings sit half finished

15 July 2023