Power

Political reporting and analysis on the big questions facing the region.

Power • STORY OF THE DAY • Sep 04, 2018 • 5 min read

Malaysia Waiting for Anwar

Malaysia’s promise of reform is in full bloom after the ruling coalition’s shock defeat, but despite rumblings of democracy, civil rights strides remain – for now, perhaps – elusive
By Nithin Coca

Sep 04, 2018

Power • STORY OF THE DAY • Aug 30, 2018 • 7 min read

Whatever happened to Thailand’s abolition of the death penalty?

Almost a decade since the last execution in Thailand, a 26-year-old man was killed by lethal injection. And though no one is saying why the nation has suddenly reversed its position on capital punishment, rumours that it is connected to the royal succession are difficult to ignore
By Paul Millar

Aug 30, 2018

Power • STORY OF THE DAY • Aug 24, 2018 • 5 min read

Laos dam disaster Living in fear along the Mekong

The Laos government’s response to the 2018 deadly dam collapse was not enough. Socheata Sim, programme manager for Oxfam's Mekong Regional Water Governance Program, explains why
By Socheata Sim

Aug 24, 2018

Power • STORY OF THE DAY • Aug 22, 2018 • 7 min read

Mahathir Mohamad Reform or ruin

There is optimism following the 100 days of Malaysia’s new government – but the country’s marginalised groups wonder if it will go far enough to fight for equal rights
By Josef Benedict

Aug 22, 2018

Power • Aug 15, 2018 • 6 min read
Timeline

Cambodia’s imprisoned human rights activist

It is exactly two years since Cambodia’s prominent human rights defender Tep Vanny was jailed after protesting against the imprisonment of a group of rights workers known as the Adhoc 5. Southeast Asia Globe looks at her story so far By Lesly Lotha

Power • Aug 13, 2018 • 12 min read
Myanmar

Hate speech on Facebook still persists

In a nation where ethnic and religious hatreds have long simmered and occasionally boiled over, social media represents a brave new digital frontier where news battles with hearsay, gossip and threats that can have deadly consequences By Libby Hogan

Power • Aug 01, 2018 • 7 min read
International relations

Have Timor-Leste and Australia turned a new page?

When Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop arrived in Timor-Leste on her first official visit to the country in nearly five years, it marked a milestone in the countries’ relationship. But the friendly welcome belies the tension remaining between the neighbours By Sophie Raynor

Power • Jul 31, 2018 • 8 min read
Cambodia

Sanctioning Hun Sen’s inner circle

As the US ramps up sanctions against Prime Minister Hun Sen's closest allies, Cambodian political analyst Lao Mong Hay discusses the power of international pressure By Paul Millar

Power • Jul 19, 2018 • 3 min read
Lim Guan Eng

Malaysia’s new finance minister has big job ahead

Malaysia’s new finance minister, Lim Guan Eng, has stated he doesn’t care about being “unpopular” – but can Mahathir Mohamad’s new government fix the $250 billion deficit without abandoning campaign promises? By Paul Millar

Power • Jul 19, 2018 • 9 min read
Bangkok

Losing its soul

Thailand’s military government wants to turn the chaotic metropolis of Bangkok into a kind of Singapore: tidy, sterile and easily controllable – and thus, a symbol of its power By Katrin Kuntz

Power • Jul 12, 2018 • 15 min read
Cambodian elections

A hard choice

The three million people across Cambodia who voted for change in the 2017 commune elections find themselves facing a difficult choice: the ballot or the boycott By Paul Millar and Leng Len