Southeast Asia Globe is member-supported publication featuring in-depth journalism that promotes a more informed, inclusive and sustainable future. Members work with our team to shape our editorial direction and hold us accountable.
Andrew Haffner is Southeast Asia Globe’s Editor in Chief from the United States with a background in daily newspaper reporting. He now covers subjects in governance, corruption and human development, mainly looking at Cambodia and Thailand.
Despite ongoing controversy in its flagship Southern Cardamom REDD+ project, the Kingdom is driving forward with plans to greatly expand climate finance schemes across its officially protected areas. In partnership with the Earth Journalism Network, the Globe went deep to learn what lies within the country's credit rush
By
Andrew Haffner
- Oct 21, 2023
On Wednesday, the prime minister officially announced that his eldest son, military commander Hun Manet would take his position on 22 August. In this editorial, Globe editor-in-chief Andrew Haffner looks back at the long arc of Hun Sen's political legacy
By
Andrew Haffner
- Jul 26, 2023
By a wide margin, voters rejected the military-backed leadership of Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-o-cha while handing a clear mandate to Move Forward Party and Pheu Thai. As election workers tally final results, it remains to be seen how the next government will actually come together
By
Andrew Haffner
- May 15, 2023
A Lao democracy activist survived shooting while the country keeps struggling with mental health support. In Cambodia, World Press Freedom Day event failed to address the country’s alarming decline in free press, plus interview with an amphibian conservation expert
By
Andrew Haffner
- May 06, 2023
Ever wonder how a features reporter handles their work? Here's a chance to find out. Contributor Daniel Zak spoke with our editor-in-chief Andrew Haffner for this Q&A on the process behind Thursday's piece.
By
Andrew Haffner
- Apr 13, 2023
An abrupt Sunday night order from Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen to revoke the license of VOD, one of the kingdom's last bastions of independent journalism, casts a dark shadow over the future of press freedom in the country
By
Andrew Haffner
- Feb 13, 2023
The watchdog organisation found a mixed bag for ASEAN states in its 2022 Corruption Perceptions Index, which it released on Tuesday
By
Andrew Haffner and Amanda Oon
- Jan 31, 2023
As the ambitious, short-lived agreement marks two significant anniversaries, its influence and impact on ASEAN trade and geopolitics still survives through resurrected and new deals.
By
Andrew Haffner
- Jan 27, 2023
A passion for Southeast Asia and an interest in the region's poulations and economic development helped inspire hobbyist cartographer Terence Teo's striking high definition maps of ASEAN countries.
By
Andrew Haffner
- Jan 25, 2023
U.S. President Joe Biden joins the line-up of international leaders arriving in Phnom Penh for the important event, but criminal organisations pose risks to investment and Cambodias' legacy as Chair
By
Andrew Haffner
- Nov 10, 2022
Roughly doubling in size and population over the past decade, Phnom Penh is a rapidly changing city. What the next 10 years hold is hard to predict, but we've brought on Ngo Natharoun, head of the Center for Khmer Studies, and Michael Waibel, lead of the Build4People urbanism project, to offer their insights
By
Andrew Haffner
- Aug 18, 2021
Until recently, Cambodia's energy was drawn from a healthy looking split of renewables and carbon fuels. But with a rash of announced coal power projects, that ratio is set to significantly worsen by 2030. To discuss this, energy expert Chea Sophorn and ERIA's Venkatachalam Anbumozhi join us in the studio
By
Andrew Haffner
- Aug 11, 2021
This week we take a walk through Prey Lang Forest, in theory a protected sanctuary, but which has seen rampant deforestation propelled by corruption. Joining us are Moeu Chandara, an activist from the Cambodian Youth Network, and Fran Lambrick, a co-founder of environmental and human rights group Not1More
By
Andrew Haffner
- Aug 04, 2021
The outlook seemed bleak for the Kingdom's garment industry when early last year Cambodia simultaneously lost tariff-free access to the EU and the pandemic struck the global economy. Almost 18 months on, we speak with GMAC head Ken Loo and researcher Dennis Arnold to learn about the state of the industry today
By
Andrew Haffner
- Jul 28, 2021
Being Khmer is often treated as synonymous to being Cambodian. But many ethnicities are woven throughout the Kingdom's rich tapestry, as social commentator Din Darathtey and Cambodian Living Arts executive director Prim Phloeun join the podcast to discuss
By
Andrew Haffner
- Jul 21, 2021
As the Globe opens a new chapter, we’ve got the latest episode of the Anakut podcast, a hard-hitting call to abolish Singapore’s death penalty, and an up-close-and-personal history of the East Timor independence movement.
By
Andrew Haffner
- Jul 17, 2021
Proposals for an internet gateway in Cambodia have inevitably drawn comparisons to China's Great Firewall. In this episode of Anakut, we speak with digital security expert Moses Ngeth and James Griffiths, author of The Great Firewall of China, to hear what this plan could mean in practice
By
Andrew Haffner
- Jul 14, 2021
Inside the thriving Vietnamese-American communities of Houston, weighing the legacy of Indonesia’s Jokowi and investigating the plight of Thailand’s migrant workers. We’ve also got a hot new episode of Anakut!
By
Andrew Haffner
- Jul 10, 2021
We have a hot one for the second episode of Anakut Season 2. Things get animated as former Cambodian ambassador to Japan Pou Sothirak and former Singaporean diplomat Bilahari Kausikan discuss Cambodia's role in ASEAN, under scrutiny as its ties with China grow stronger
By
Andrew Haffner
- Jul 07, 2021
Also: Checking in with Thailand’s protest movement, looking behind the curtain of Myanmar’s military newspaper, and the economic aspirations of Vietnam’s worker visa crackdown
By
Andrew Haffner
- Jul 03, 2021
Welcome to Season 2 of the Anakut podcast! As June is the Pride Month, we're kicking off with Cambodia's LGBTQ+ community, discussing the hopes and challenges facing individuals today. Joining us is Skyler Ros, a transgender fashion designer, and Seng Reasey, executive director of rights group SILAKA
By
Andrew Haffner
- Jun 30, 2021
We dove right back into things on our first week back from the publishing holiday with a look at at Cambodia’s vanishing national parks, the endless land struggle of the indigenous Orang Asli of Malaysia and the bittersweet life of Saiful, a hopeful 10-year-old Rohingya who died last month off the shore of the far flung Bhasan Char island.
By
Andrew Haffner
- Jun 26, 2021
This week, we announce the opening of a new job at Globe and make (another) plug for our ongoing fundraiser. In features, we go to Myanmar to cover the war of informants now facing activists, investigate brutal land grabs in Thailand and imagine the future of tourism in Cambodia.
By
Andrew Haffner
- Jun 11, 2021
We explore the rich history of the unlikely birthplace of Cambodia’s post-war independent newspapers and dive further into the economic and educational effects of Covid-19
By
Andrew Haffner
- Jun 05, 2021
Plus, the eccentric missionary behind Thailand’s first-ever newspaper, the high stakes of disrupted schooling in Laos and the Olympic dreams of Vietnam’s young bobsled team
By
Andrew Haffner
- May 29, 2021
Myanmar’s February 1 coup not only overturned a fragile political order, it also risked worsening a precarious public health situation in a country battling to contain Covid-19. Today, the situation remains desperately unclear for health professionals in and out the country
By
Andrew Haffner
- May 25, 2021
This week we also covered the trust issues complicating Myanmar’s proposed civilian-led federal army and May’s dark history in Thailand
By
Andrew Haffner
- May 22, 2021
The capital’s growth has been centuries in the making. In this compilation sourced from libraries and other digitised collections, cartographers mapped the expansion of the city from a riverside settlement to a modern metropolis
By
Andrew Haffner
- May 18, 2021
Plus: Inside Myanmar’s art protests, the feminist view of Vietnam’s new pro-family directives, the perils of negotiating with the Tatmadaw and a very intimate view of modern Cambodian history
By
Andrew Haffner
- May 15, 2021
Covid-19’s more infectious variant is ripping through the Mekong countries, women fight domestic violence in Thailand’s Muslim communities and the Globe catches up with noted wartime reporter Elizabeth Becker
By
Andrew Haffner
- May 08, 2021
Plus the underground press of Myanmar, the struggle for meaningful hacktivism, the modernist hold on Vietnamese architecture and marking the 46th anniversary of the fall of Saigon with a wartime reporter who saw it happen
By
Andrew Haffner
- May 01, 2021
Cambodia had avoided the worst health effects of the pandemic until recent months. Now, with Phnom Penh under an ever-stricter lockdown as cases spiral, it's the capital's thousands of informal, hand-to-mouth workers who are suffering as they are locked inside
By
Andrew Haffner and and Borin Sopheavuthtey
- Apr 26, 2021
Plus, we test the waters of a possible Myanmar federal army, explore the legacy of one of Vietnam’s female military icons and see what the Fourth Industrial Revolution actually means for Cambodia. In Thailand, we also explore the languishing world of academic freedom and learn of one man’s quest to end garbage for good with a bold new startup
By
Andrew Haffner
- Apr 24, 2021
This week, against the backdrop of Khmer/Thai/Burmese New Year (and other lunar holidays across the region), the Globe recapped last week’s webinar on our controversial Myanmar trip, celebrated Chinese-Thai identity and explored the quiet halls of Cambodia’s languishing stock exchange. We also revisited the brutal history of the Khmer Rouge -- first through an intimate family narrative prompted by an outrage over doctored photos from S-21 prison, and later on the anniversary of Pol Pot’s death
By
Andrew Haffner
- Apr 17, 2021
We embarked on a controversial military-organised PR tour to Myanmar two weeks ago. In the interest of transparency, we opened ourselves up to questions from the public in a webinar hosted on April 9, a wrap up of which is provided here by editor Andrew Haffner
By
Andrew Haffner
- Apr 13, 2021
An artist has caused uproar and anguish after photoshopping smiles onto the faces of inmates photographed at notorious Khmer Rouge prison camp S-21. Here, the brother of Khva Leang, incorrectly introduced as Bora in the piece, tells the true story of his long-lost kin
By
Andrew Haffner and Alastair McCready
- Apr 12, 2021
Our trip to Myanmar last week thrust the Globe into a major ethical debate. Catch this roundup of everything related to the controversial media junket in this week's editorial
By
Andrew Haffner
- Apr 09, 2021
Plus, the fight to save Thai’s independent cinemas, the online angst of the Burmese diaspora in Singapore and the plight of self-censorship when covering #WhatsHappeningInThailand
By
Andrew Haffner
- Apr 03, 2021
This week it emerged that Koh Meas, 'Gold Island', could be the latest patch of undeveloped land within a stone’s throw of Phnom Penh to be consumed into the urban sprawl, as the Khun Sea Import/Export Company was granted a 50-year lease for the area
By
Andrew Haffner
- Mar 26, 2021
This week, we spoke with Myanmar anti-coup protestors from the country’s ethnic minority groups, detailed the rough relationship between the Thai press and Prime Minister Prayut Chan-Ocha (a former junta boss himself) and got a look at the “world’s saddest zoo”
By
Andrew Haffner
- Mar 20, 2021
Plus, going deep on Myanmar’s new, would-be civilian government, investigating the push to legalise Thailand’s underground gambling industry and ringing in International Women’s Day
By
Andrew Haffner
- Mar 13, 2021
This week, in a first ever for the Globe, we produced a story decided by you, our readers. We put several ideas to our paying members back in January, and you decided that you’d like to know more about Cambodia’s former child sex tourism village, Svay Pak. Andrew and Allegra spent the past month visiting Svay Pak, learning how it’s been transformed from a den of abject suffering to a tight-knit community today
By
Andrew Haffner
- Mar 06, 2021
Once the centre of child sex tourism in Cambodia, today Svay Pak is a drastically changed community due to efforts by authorities and NGOs in recent decades. But the industry, today eradicated from street corners, has adapted to the digital age
By
Andrew Haffner and Allegra Mendelson
- Mar 05, 2021
This week we’ve dug into a trove of information that has gone largely unregistered in the mainstream press, as hundreds of gigabytes of information, leaked from government websites in Myanmar, detail the length and breadth of the military’s influence in the country’s economy. We also look at the fight for press freedom in Malaysia, speaking with embattled outlet Malaysiakini about their recent 500,000 ringgit fine for five user comments on their website
By
Andrew Haffner
- Feb 27, 2021
This week we’re marking the anniversary of the Sino-Vietnam War with a wonderful piece from first-time contributor Hoang Minh Vu, in which he lays out the short-lived conflict’s significance in shaping the Cold War. Our very own Kiana Duncan also looks at the Myanmar military’s track record of pouncing on disasters to make political gains, and ask, will the coup exacerbate the pandemic?
By
Andrew Haffner
- Feb 20, 2021
Our eyes have remained mostly pinned on events unfolding in the streets of Myanmar’s cities, as youth-led activists protest the coup. On this topic we have not one, not two, but three in-depth features. First up is Wanpen Pajai in Bangkok, herself part of Thailand’s own pro-democracy movement, as she sees how Myanmar is slotting in to the Milk Tea Alliance. We also have features from Kiana Duncan and Allegra Mendelson, the former looking at how we can hit the pockets of Myanmar’s military without hurting citizens, while the latter looking at where the Rohingya stand in all this. Enjoy!
By
Andrew Haffner
- Feb 13, 2021
While high-profile land grabbing disputes involving disempowered communities have made headlines in Cambodia in recent years, the case of Arey Ksat – a village of well-connected and wealthy residents near Phnom Penh – shows few are safe from the practice
By
Andrew Haffner
- Feb 10, 2021
This week normal service is interrupted as we scramble to cover events unfolding in Myanmar, with civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi arrested in the early hours of February 1 by military officials. We’re aiming to provide up-to-date, on-the-ground coverage through our partner journalists in the country. Stay tuned!
By
Andrew Haffner
- Feb 06, 2021
Cambodia’s recent turn to coal-fired energy has raised eyebrows among investors. But for those in the renewables sector, there are still plenty of reasons to look on the bright side
By
Andrew Haffner
- Feb 01, 2021
This week we have three history-focused pieces, providing a peak into bygone eras and trends (some good, some not so good) from across the region. First, we take a birds-eye view of 1950s Indochina, as friend of the Globe Fabrice Moussus offers up photos taken from the plane of his father, a French airforce pilot. The Globe's Govi Snell also delves into the disappearing world of Vietnam's rich tradition of typography, while investigative reporter Klas Lundstrom looks at how decades of war and occupation in Timor-Leste can still be seen in the bodies and minds of the country's youth today
By
Andrew Haffner
- Jan 30, 2021
This week the Globe’s Wanpen Pajai covers an unusual clash between environmental conservation and indigenous rights in Thailand, as in the Kaeng Krachan National Park indigenous Karen are increasingly restricted within their ancestral home as authorities strive for UNESCO heritage status. Ashley Lampard in Hanoi also marks an important date, as he speaks with the folks at Agent Orange community programme Friendship Village on the anniversary of the chemical first being dropped in Vietnam
By
Andrew Haffner
- Jan 22, 2021
With refugee camps burning, relocation to the island of Bhasan Char under way, and a potentially significant three-way meeting held this week between China, Myanmar and Bangladesh raising the issue of repatriation – the Rohingya refugee population is in a state of flux
By
Andrew Haffner
- Jan 21, 2021
This week our eyes are bigger than our bellies over here at the Globe, as we’re got not one, not two, but three food-based stories. First, our reporter in Bangkok Wanpen Pajai dared to utter the unthinkable and extoll the virtues of the much-maligned food seasoning MSG. Next, our intern writer in Kuala Lumpur Huei Ting Cheong ran us through the unfolding blend of old and new one of the Malaysian capital’s culinary heritage areas, Chinatown. And finally, senior reporter Andrew Haffner delved into the growing world of bug-based products – asking, are they truly the future of food? Bon appetit!
By
Andrew Haffner
- Jan 16, 2021
A staple food for billions, recent years have also seen insects marketed as an environmentally friendly and nutrient-rich protein source to wealthier consumers. But as bug-based products hit supermarket shelves, do they hold the potential to become a mainstay in Western diets?
By
Andrew Haffner
- Jan 14, 2021
The Globe’s Ashley Lampard hit the dirt trails of downtown Hanoi, venturing over to Banana Island – among the last green holdouts in the Vietnamese capital. While famous for its nudist colony and banana plantations, Ashley met with the community whose livelihoods are under threat from looming development. Lead editor Alastair McCready also marks an important date in Cambodian history, the Vietnamese invasion of Phnom Penh on January 7, 1979, toppling the Khmer Rouge. While enmity towards Vietnam has thrived since that day, observers believe feelings may be warming
By
Andrew Haffner
- Jan 09, 2021
It’s here, that moment we’ve all been waiting for in this seemingly endless race to the bottom throughout this calendar year – the end of 2020! We at the Globe warmly welcome this development, and to mark this most auspicious of occasions we end the year with strong coverage from around the region. We kick things off with a new contributor, investigative reporter Klas Lundstrom, who provides us with the latest from Indonesia’s fast-escalating, yet under-reported, conflict in West Papua. We also have the latest from the Globe’s stringer in Singapore, Ashley Tan, who tackles a lesser-seen angle on race and ethnicity in a city-state constructed around it. See you next year!
By
Andrew Haffner
- Jan 02, 2021
As we enter the penultimate week of a pretty hellish year, over here at the Globe we’re taking some time to wind down and reflect on a not-too-unsuccessful year from a journalism and business perspective. But while things are inevitably a little slower this time of year, we’re still bringing you stories from across Southeast Asia, including a group trying to tackle ultra-clean Singapore’s surprising plastic problem, while Govi Snell in Ho Chi Minh city takes a look at Vietnam's motorcycle helmet issue. Enjoy!
By
Andrew Haffner
- Dec 26, 2020
Cambodian workers have long suffered from a lack of education and training. While historically the public and private sectors have placed responsibility for producing a quality workforce on one other, as the skills gap widens, cooperation on the issue is growing
By
Andrew Haffner
- Dec 25, 2020
A new week, and Professor Mark S. Cogan joins us again for his bi-monthly piece of analysis breaking down the ins and outs of Thai contemporary politics – this week it’s corruption in the kingdom. Globe reporter in Bangkok Wanpen Pajai also turns her hand to the country’s upcoming regional elections, the first chance for Thais to head to the polls since the pro-democracy movement exploded earlier this year. The results will offer a powerful gauge of the kingdom’s mood
By
Andrew Haffner
- Dec 19, 2020
As Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Cambodia, Rhona Smith has faced criticism for being too strong in her assessments by some, while labelled too weak by others. Entering the final six months of her mandate, Smith reflects on the evolution of democracy and human rights in the Kingdom during her tenure
By
Alastair McCready and Andrew Haffner
- Dec 04, 2020
Much of Cambodia's rapid economic growth in recent decades can be attributed to one substance: sand. Homes are built with it, islands created and wetlands filled. But while it's being extracted en masse from the Kingdom's rivers, environmental considerations in the shadowy industry are hard to come by
By
Andrew Haffner
- Dec 03, 2020
Almost six months after Thai activist Wanchalerm Satsaksit disappeared off a Phnom Penh street in a seeming daylight abduction, his sister, Sitanun, is in Cambodia searching for the truth
By
Andrew Haffner
- Nov 28, 2020
This week, hosts Meng and Andrew wrap up the first season with a slightly meta topic: The Cambodian media landscape today. Joining them are reporter Phorn Bopha, CCIM media director Ith Sothoeuth, and Focus: Ready for Tomorrow lead editor Nov Povleakhena
By
Andrew Haffner
- Nov 26, 2020
Almost six months since her brother was snatched off the streets of Phnom Penh, the sister of missing Thai dissident Wanchalearm Satsaksit has arrived in the Cambodian capital seeking answers on her brother's whereabouts
By
Andrew Haffner and Alastair McCready
- Nov 25, 2020
This week, Transparency International Cambodia’s executive director, Pech Pisey, joins Meng and Andrew in the studio to discuss that hottest of topics in the Kingdom today – the state of democracy and corruption in Cambodia
By
Andrew Haffner
- Nov 19, 2020
While the US election result remains officially undeclared, the Democrats look to have won the race. Since 2016, the Trump administration's stance towards Southeast Asia has been erratic at best – what could the next four years look like under Biden?
By
Andrew Haffner
- Nov 14, 2020
While the US election result remains officially undeclared, the Democrats look to have won the race. Since 2016, the Trump administration's stance towards Southeast Asia has been erratic at best – what could the next four years look like under Biden?
By
Andrew Haffner
- Nov 13, 2020
A reliance on development assistance has been a feature of the post-war Cambodian economy. But as the Kingdom moves towards upper middle-income status, should foreign investment replace foreign aid? Author Dr Ear Sophal joins Andrew in the booth to discuss
By
Andrew Haffner
- Nov 12, 2020
As the monarchy rocks under growing pressure for reform in Thailand, professor Mark S. Cogan puts bold thoughts to page, penning another piece of analysis for us in which he asks a once unthinkable question – will the kingdom’s royal institution survive? We also cover the flooding that has decimated communities across the region, first covering the Cambodians living under water in a photo-led piece, before the Globe’s reporter in Hanoi, Ashley Lampard, gives us a comprehensive run-down of why Vietnam is experiencing its worst flooding for decades
By
Andrew Haffner
- Nov 07, 2020
In episode five, we talk leapfrogging. Not the children’s game, but the idea that developing states can skip old tech to get up to speed with the latest and greatest. To learn more, we spoke to Kem Bora of investment group Mekong Strategic Partners, and Manu Rajan, CEO of digital money transfer service Wing
By
Andrew Haffner
- Nov 05, 2020
Cambodia’s recent turn to coal-fired energy has raised eyebrows among investors, with global brands in particular reluctant to operate using dirty power. But for those in the renewables sector, there are still plenty of reasons for the Kingdom to look on the bright side
By
Andrew Haffner
- Nov 04, 2020
This week sees us kick off a new partnership with the United Nations Development Programme in Cambodia, in which over the next few months we’ll look at the future of work and industry in the Kingdom – among the hardest hit nations in Asia, economically speaking, by the pandemic. The Globe’s Lead Editor, Alastair McCready, gets the conversation started with a piece of analysis looking at how Industry 4.0 preparations in Cambodia compare to neighbours Thailand and Vietnam. Here’s to the future!
By
Andrew Haffner
- Oct 31, 2020
On Anakut this week we delve into identity and culture, asking that grandest of questions: what does it mean to be Cambodian in 2020? Joining Meng and Andrew in the studio to unpack this are festival organiser Lomorpich Rithy and budding reporter Phannaro Nhem
By
Andrew Haffner
- Oct 29, 2020
This week we’ve rolled back the clocks to shed new light on an unsolved mystery: the hijacking of Malaysia Airlines flight 653. Who did it and why remains a mystery to this day, and the cryptic, twisting and outright bizarre transcript from the cockpit that fateful December night in 1977 offers little in the way of answers. The Globe’s Andrew Haffner also visited Cambodia’s newest and most high-tech dairy farm to learn what it could mean for the future of agriculture in the Kingdom
By
Andrew Haffner
- Oct 23, 2020
Joining Meng and Andrew in their Phnom Penh studio this week are Ham Oudom and Pich Charadine, with chatter turning to one, very large, issue – the fate of the once-Mighty Mekong
By
Andrew Haffner
- Oct 22, 2020
Cambodia's agricultural sector is still heavily reliant on traditional, and inefficient, methods of cultivation. But the Kingdom's newest dairy farm, Kirisu, offers a vision of how technology could play a bigger role in helping the ailing sector offer better yields
By
Andrew Haffner
- Oct 20, 2020
Rarely does the average citizen become concerned with the passage of an economic stimulus law, not least the finer details of a 1,000-page piece of legislation. But in Indonesia, riots erupted last week as parliament pushed through the Omnibus Bill on Job Creation, a law that many feel benefits political and economic elites. Contributor Stania Puspa unravels the controversial bill. We also publish the second episode of Anakut: The Podcast About Cambodia’s Future. This week Meng and Andrew enter the booth to discuss women’s issues in the Kingdom with two esteemed guests
By
Andrew Haffner
- Oct 17, 2020
Anakut: The podcast about Cambodia's future dissects the big issues impacting the Kingdom. This week, feminist figurehead Chak Sopheap and the next generation Ham Pidor discuss a topic directly impacting the lives of 50% of Cambodians – women's rights
By
Andrew Haffner
- Oct 15, 2020
With plenty of help from our friends, the Globe team is launching onto the airwaves. In the inaugural episode of our very first podcast we chat with Future Forum president Ou Virak and economist Chheng Kimlong about Covid-19 and the Kingdom
By
Andrew Haffner
- Oct 09, 2020
This week Thailand marks the 44th anniversary of the Thammasat University Massacre, one of the darkest moments in the kingdom's modern history. Professor Mark S. Cogan reflects on the events of that day, that saw scores of unarmed student protestors murdered, and asks how Thailand reached that nadir. We also turn to trash in Hanoi, as the villagers of Nom San complain of pollution and cancer as they live besides an ever-expanding rubbish dump
By
Andrew Haffner
- Oct 09, 2020
Refuse collectors in Phnom Penh ended a five-day strike on October 7, with mounds of trash set to be cleared from the capital's streets, but the future of refuse collection in capital remains up in the air
By
Andrew Haffner and Alastair McCready
- Oct 07, 2020
Vietnam has been lauded for its robust Covid response, part of which has been the rolling out of contact-tracing app Bluezone. But with few inside the tightly controlled communist state able to scrutinise the methods of those in power, it's been left to the Globe's fearless Sarah Kim to unravel concerns about the app and its potential implications for user privacy. We also turn to Rakhine State in Myanmar, where an internet blackout is leaving women even more vulnerable to sexual violence, and with limited means to report it when it does occur
By
Andrew Haffner
- Oct 02, 2020
The Globe's Andrew Haffner hit the water this week, as he waded into an underreported yet potentially huge story taking place on the banks of the Mekong in the Cambodian capital. As we speak, dredgers are shifting tonnes of sand and relocating it to an area set to form Koh Norea, a new island mega-project touted by developers as the next Koh Pich. While billions of dollars are at stake for investors, ecological harmony in the river is the most significant thing on the line – despite this, a publicly available environmental impact assessment remains illusive
By
Andrew Haffner
- Sep 28, 2020
A major land reclamation in the Mekong has forged ahead in what developers say will be the second Diamond Island. But while land filling elsewhere in the city has been met with unease, this mega-project has taken shape unbothered by current or controversy
By
Andrew Haffner
- Sep 22, 2020
The Globe team has been hard at work for another week of clips from around Southeast Asia. Our Thai bureau (also known as Globe reporters Wanpen Pajai and Tara Abhasakun) went deep this past week into #whatshappeninginthailand, delivering a major dispatch from the weekend protest outside the royal palace in Bangkok that organisers and local media have dubbed the biggest demonstration in years.
By
Andrew Haffner
- Sep 21, 2020
After some delay, we’re back on our regular schedule from today on, bringing the latest from across our corner of the Globe
By
Andrew Haffner
- Sep 14, 2020
The upcoming parliamentary contest is seen as a crucial milestone in the democratisation of ultra-diverse Myanmar. But the country’s lingering embrace of ethnic-based levels of citizenship stands to make the ballot yet another barrier to those suffering state repression
By
Andrew Haffner
- Sep 10, 2020
This week, as protests continue unabated in Thailand, the Globe provides a platform for the the kingdom's student activists. First we serve up a piece of analysis by the Globe's eyes and ears in Bangkok Wanpen Pajai, before hearing from Mahidol student activist Francis Bunkueanun Paothong about his organisation's perspective on the movement. We also speak with former armed revolutionary Aung Myo Min on the 20th anniversary of Equality Myanmar, as he tells us about the state of affairs for the country's LGBTQ community.
By
Andrew Haffner
- Aug 31, 2020
Last week the Globe was taking some downtime to celebrate Khmer New Year. But while our screens were dimmed and swivel-chairs empty, we've got a few quirky bits of history to tide us over until we resume normal service this week. We look at the life and legacy of little-known Karen revolutionary leader Saw Ba U Gyi, delve into the memoirs of British photojournalist Jon Swain from his time in Cambodia and Vietnam in the 1970s, as well as cast an eye to the anti-opium movement of the Straits Settlements in the 19th and 20th centuries
By
Andrew Haffner
- Aug 24, 2020
Wrapping up a week of delving into the four pillars of the Cambodian economy – garments, agriculture, construction and tourism – Globe editor Andrew Haffner offers reflections on the findings and process behind the series
By
Andrew Haffner
- Aug 14, 2020
It's a big week at the Globe, as we publish the fruit of two months of labour. With Cambodia set to be among the hardest hit nations in the region due to the global economic downturn, we've spent recent months travelling the Kingdom, speaking with local communities and experts to report on the four pillars of the Cambodian economy – garments, agriculture, construction and tourism.
By
Andrew Haffner
- Aug 14, 2020
Tourists have clamoured to see the sights of Cambodia and, for years, business has moved to meet demand. But the sudden collapse of the global travel industry has brought an end to the party, with once-bustling towns like Siem Reap now lying dormant
By
Andrew Haffner
- Aug 13, 2020
With no building in Phnom Penh higher than four storeys only 20 years ago, Cambodia's capital and many provincial cities have seen explosive development. But with the hard hats hung up on many smaller projects in recent months, how sustainable is the boom?
By
Andrew Haffner
- Aug 12, 2020
Once the largest single industry in the Kingdom, Cambodia's agricultural sector has shrunk significantly with the growth of industrialisation. Now, with few other options as the economy stalls due to the pandemic, Cambodians are once again going to ground
By
Andrew Haffner
- Aug 11, 2020
For centuries the Tonle Sap has been key to the Kingdom's fisheries and a source of nourishment for millions. Now, dams on the Mekong, negligence and climate change are changing history and threatening the Kingdom's food security
By
Andrew Haffner
- Aug 11, 2020
For decades the garment and footwear industry has fuelled Cambodia's economic miracle, with more than 900,000 workers employed by over 1,000 factories at its peak. But with the global economic shutdown, the factory lights are off and the doors locked
By
Andrew Haffner and Kong Meta
- Aug 10, 2020
This week we pay homage to one-time visionary Cambodian state architect Vann Molyvann, whose home is up for sale in the capital Phnom Penh. Rather than preserving the site as the cultural monument that it is, it is being sold off to the highest bidder – with no guarantees over its conservation. Our Lead Editor Alastair McCready advocates for its preservation as a museum, a tool to educate the Kingdom's generations to come.
By
Andrew Haffner
- Aug 07, 2020
As youth-led protests heat up in Bangkok, Member of Parliament Rangsiman Rome discusses the increasingly bold rhetoric of activists who are, for the first time in Thai modern history, daring to criticise the monarchy
By
Andrew Haffner
- Aug 05, 2020
This week we look at the insights to be garnered from pre- and post-election sentiment among the public in two very different countries across the region. In Singapore, historic gains for the opposition Workers' Party may signal a rising appetite for pluralism in the PAP dominated city-state, while in Myanmar, a recent jade mine tragedy may be the straw that breaks the camel's back for Aung San Suu Kyi's party in the country's ethnic minority-dominated areas.
By
Andrew Haffner
- Jul 31, 2020
This week, we took a dive into the world of modern tech finance with an analysis of the uber-popular, very unprofitable Grab, a long-awaited legislative ban on torture and forced disappearances in Thailand and a new look at the devastating effects of mass snaring in Southeast Asia’s protected wildlife areas. This has been yet another week of diverse coverage from around the region, so scroll down and see what happened this week in the Globe
By
Andrew Haffner
- Jul 17, 2020
Four years since the passing of Cambodian political commentator and advocate Dr Kem Ley, his murder remains a highly sensitive political issue in the Kingdom. Why does his legacy continue to hold such significance in Cambodian discourse today?
By
Andrew Haffner
- Jul 10, 2020
With Cambodia recently designated a "high-risk" country for money laundering by the EU, followed the promulgation of a new law last week to combat illicit currency flows, we turn to experts to ask how effective efforts will be to stamp out the deep-rooted practice in the Kingdom. We also mark the two year anniversary of the Tham Luang cave rescue by speaking with those who risked their lives in the daring mission to save a Thai junior football team in 2018.
By
Andrew Haffner
- Jul 06, 2020
Today, you'd be lucky to spot a gibbon in the Cambodian jungle, but in the capital, a trip to Toul Tumpoung should do the trick. These primates, along with a flock of hornbills, are often seen walking the power lines of this Phnom Penh suburb, for a rather peculiar reason
By
Andrew Haffner
- Jun 30, 2020
Globe staff members Andrew and Alexi made the trip back to Phnom Penh this week, in an aviation industry far different than before. Socially distanced boarding, face masks and dreaded swab tests, they recount the process of returning to Cambodia
By
Alexi Demetriadi and Andrew Haffner
- Jun 24, 2020
Cambodia has enacted a sweeping new legal approach to construction since the deadly Sihanoukville building collapse that killed 28 workers and their family members. But with legislation in hand, has anything changed for the labourers building the Kingdom a year on?
By
Andrew Haffner
- Jun 22, 2020
After the criminal conviction of Rappler CEO Maria Ressa on charges of cyber libel, the staff and attorneys of the embattled independent Filipino news outlet have no intention of giving up their mission says Managing Editor Glenda Gloria
By
Andrew Haffner
- Jun 17, 2020
This week, as the US is rocked by a moment of intense introspection and reflection on the issue of race and equality, we publish an op-ed on the role of the Khmer diaspora in the Black Lives Matter movement, sent to us by our friends over at the Cambodian American Literary Arts Association. We also have a selection of images depicting ancient Angkor as few have seen it in recent decades, with it largely devoid of visitors in recent months with the dramatic downturn in global tourism.
By
Andrew Haffner
- Jun 15, 2020
Southeast Asia's booming narcotics industry has only been given a helping hand in recent months as governments turn their attention to combating Covid-19. With prices dropping and potency rising, the drug trade could be set to hit the region harder than ever
By
Andrew Haffner
- May 21, 2020
In 2017 Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Sen announced a crackdown on narcotics in the Kingdom. Three years on, rights group Amnesty International says the campaign has been a failure, resulting in rampant rights abuses and overcrowded prisons
By
Andrew Haffner
- May 14, 2020
Malaysia, once a safe haven for thousands of Rohingya, is witnessing a shift in attitude towards the persecuted and displaced minority group from Myanmar. Fuelled by misinformation and government rhetoric, anti-Rohingya sentiment is growing online
By
Andrew Haffner
- May 13, 2020
The overuse of antibiotics is spurred on by over-prescribing physicians and over-the-counter access. With the drugs streaming into Southeast Asia's waterways, animals and humans are getting a heavy dose, with devastating long-term implications for drug-resistance
By
Andrew Haffner
- May 05, 2020
With viruses on everyone's mind, this week we turn to pharmaceuticals fast finding their way into the world's water supplies as people consume (and expel) antibiotics at unprecedented rates in human history. We also delve into the murky history of Cathay Pacific flight 700Z, which was mysteriously downed by a bomb in mid-air after taking off from Bangkok's Don Mueang airport in June 1972. The case remains unsolved to this day – did one alleged culprit, a Thai policeman no less, get away with murder?
By
Andrew Haffner
- May 04, 2020
On Labour Day 2020, NagaWorld union President Chhim Sithar says employees are financially struggling while waiting for Phnom Penh's sole gambling operator to reopen. But even during the Covid-19 shutdown, Sithar says the global fight for labour rights will go on
By
Andrew Haffner
- May 01, 2020
Dams, economic interests and political power are just some of the factors contributing to the over-exploitation of the mighty Mekong. With several competing transnational bodies established to oversee its development, will any of them halt the river’s decline?
By
Andrew Haffner
- Apr 23, 2020
This week, the Globe's editor Alastair McCready wrote his own Tale of the Pandemic, offering his insights into what it was like to lose his father this month whilst being unable able to return home to visit him. We'll also be bringing you all the latest Covid-19 updates from across the region.
By
Andrew Haffner
- Apr 20, 2020
Cambodia and Thailand are set to be two of the region's hardest hit economies according to the IMF, as nations across Southeast Asia are forecast to be ravaged by the global economic slowdown caused by the Covid-19 pandemic
By
Andrew Haffner
- Apr 16, 2020
Bushmeat has been thrust into the spotlight following the likely outbreak of Covid-19 at a wet market in Wuhan. But the trade is not limited to China, with conservationists in Southeast Asia warning of the grave risks involved with the region's ongoing wildlife industry
By
Andrew Haffner
- Apr 14, 2020
This week, we looked past the headlines to hear more from you, our readers, and the diverse communities we cover across Southeast Asia. Check out this week’s coverage for a glimpse into the lives of ordinary people living through extraordinary times
By
Andrew Haffner
- Apr 10, 2020
If March felt like the longest month of your life, you’re not alone. Duke University's Professor Adrian Bejan explains how our perceptions of time are warped when we are overloaded with new information, like during a global pandemic
By
Andrew Haffner
- Apr 03, 2020
Jan Egeland has been Secretary General of humanitarian group the Norwegian Refugee Council since 2013, overseeing projects in more than 30 countries globally. He spoke with the Globe this week about how Covid-19 has, overnight, dramatically changed the way the industry works with refugees and the displaced
By
Andrew Haffner
- Apr 01, 2020
After coming down with a fever three weeks ago, an expat was admitted to Phnom Penh's Khmer-Soviet Friendship Hospital. In the second of our personal essays looking at life during COVID-19, we publish their account of life inside a Cambodian government quarantine
By
Andrew Haffner
- Mar 27, 2020
Driven from their homes and living in arduous conditions, three Rohingya refugees have been equipped with smart phones and trained in photography in order to document day-to-day life in Bangladesh's refugee camps
By
Andrew Haffner
- Mar 26, 2020
50 years ago on March 18 1970, Cambodia's Prince Norodom Sihanouk was overthrown in what is widely regarded a bloodless coup by military general Lon Nol. The tragic events that befell Cambodia in the decade after would go on to shape the Kingdom for generations, with the effects still visible to this day
By
Samantha McCabe and Andrew Haffner
- Mar 18, 2020
Marking the 10th annual World Day Against Cyber Censorship on March 12, press freedom advocacy group Reporters Without Borders listed Vietnam and the Philippines as among the top-four worst countries in the world for spreading state-sponsored disinformation online
By
Miriam Deprez and Andrew Haffner
- Mar 13, 2020
Despite a boom in supposed opposition parties filling the void left by the CNRP, true democracy in Cambodia seems farther out of grasp than ever before
By
Andrew Haffner
- Mar 04, 2020
Thailand's Future Forward Party face the imminent threat of dissolution on February 21, but a new generation of emboldened grassroots anti-junta activists are ready to lead the charge in their place
By
Andrew Haffner
- Feb 21, 2020
Ten baby Siamese crocodiles have been spotted in Cambodia's Steung Knoung River in recent weeks, raising hopes of a breakthrough for a species once believed extinct in the wild
By
Andrew Haffner
- Feb 19, 2020
Thai opposition figure Thanathorn speaks exclusively to Southeast Asia Globe about the charges he and his Future Forward Party face, his plans should the party be dissolved, as well as upcoming protests in the kingdom
By
Andrew Haffner
- Feb 17, 2020
Across rapidly developing Phnom Penh, landless urban poor communities face imminent threats of eviction, on top of a myriad of health and sanitation issues. What is life like for these communities on the margins?
By
Andrew Haffner
- Feb 13, 2020
The coronavirus at the heart of the global outbreak now has a name: COVID-19. Here's what we know about the virus that has infectd more than 44,650 people in China and beyond.
By
Andrew Haffner and Samantha McCabe
- Feb 12, 2020
Southeast Asia Globe caught up with Thai musician Notep in Chiang Mai at one of the region's growing number of socially conscious music festivals. Are they able to offer party goers guilt-free hedonism?
By
Andrew Haffner
- Feb 05, 2020
Foreign investors rode a hot streak in Sihanoukville until the gambling game collapsed last summer. Now, with the boomtown at risk of going bust and the city decaying around them, long-term residents, local businesses and construction workers are picking up the pieces
By
Andrew Haffner
- Jan 23, 2020
After more than two years facing charges of treason, Cambodia's embattled former opposition leader Kem Sokha is set to finally receive his day in court on Wednesday. Southeast Asia Globe spoke with his daughter Monovithya, as well as those who have worked closely with him over the years, to learn about the man behind the politics
By
Andrew Haffner and Alastair McCready
- Jan 14, 2020
In the sixth installment of our eight-week collaboration with Future Forum looking at life in the Kingdom in 2040, we delve into law and governance. With poor public service provision, entrenched patronage networks and rampant corruption, does Cambodia have the capacity to reform in order to truly prosper?
By
Andrew Haffner
- Jan 08, 2020
In the fifth installment of our eight-week series with Future Forum looking at the Kingdom in 2040, we turn to the future of work. In the coming decades, the region's economies will change faster than we’ve ever seen before. Will Cambodia ride that energy or fall behind?
By
Andrew Haffner
- Jan 01, 2020
In the fourth installment of our eight-week series in conjunction with Future Forum looking at Cambodia in 2040, we turn to the future of energy and the environment in the Kingdom. While deforestation is currently rampant, does Cambodia have the capacity to transform itself into a green beacon in the region?
By
Andrew Haffner
- Dec 25, 2019
In 1991, National Geographic photographer Michael Yamashita traversed the length of the Mekong, from source to sea, in a groundbreaking trip documenting the communities for which the river was so central to life. The Globe sat down with Yamashita to reflect on his journey almost three decades on, as well as hear his thoughts on the dams and environmental degradation blighting the river today
By
Andrew Haffner
- Dec 17, 2019
As Myanmar's de-facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi takes the unprecedented step of defending her nation on charges of genocide in front of the International Court of Justice, Rohingya Muslims watch on with fear and trepidation using mobiles phones from refugee camps in Bangladesh
By
Andrew Haffner
- Dec 12, 2019
Thailand's first election since 2011 saw ex-military leader Prayut Chan-ocha elected prime minister in March. But in the face of the government's challenge to upstart opposition politician Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit of the Future Forward Party, as well as dissenters nationwide, Thai civil society activists have vowed to keep fighting.
By
Andrew Haffner
- Dec 05, 2019
Asian artists gathered in Bangkok this weekend to explore diverse themes of sexuality in a country commonly regarded as among the most LGBTQ-friendly globally. But does this tell the full story?
By
Andrew Haffner
- Nov 28, 2019
A wave of casino-driven Chinese tourism to Cambodia is creating new challenges for the community networks that child protection groups have spent years setting up
By
Andrew Haffner
- Nov 13, 2019
With the help of foreign donors, Cambodia has taken steps toward universal health coverage. Those in the system say it’s still not enough
By
Andrew Haffner
- Nov 06, 2019
Advances in automation are fuelling fears that the rise of robots could drive millions of Asian factory jobs back to the West
By
Andrew Haffner
- Oct 09, 2019
Across the world, teenagers are striking to protest the climate crisis. We look at why the region's own stand against the fossil fuel industry is so important
By
Andrew Haffner
- Sep 19, 2019
Fake medicine remains a scourge in Southeast Asia despite years of widespread coverage of the issue and promised government crackdowns
By
Andrew Haffner
- Sep 12, 2019
Illegally imported pesticides can be fatal for farmers in Cambodia and across the region. And without proper training and protection, these toxins may continue to work their way into the food we eat every day
By
Andrew Haffner
- Aug 23, 2019
