Paul Millar

Paul Millar

Paul Millar is former Southeast Asia Globe’s lead editor writing mainly on politics and social issues. He joined as a reporter after moving to Phnom Penh from Australia in early 2016. A former journalist and subeditor at Australian online daily Crikey, Paul’s writing has appeared in Issimo, Fah Thai, Farrago, Catalyst, Voiceworks and ABC Online.

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Articles by Paul Millar

Mar 17, 2020 • 6 min read
Whatever happened to

Cambodia’s ‘HIV village’

Archive Top Read: In 2014, an unlicensed medic infected almost 300 people with HIV in Battambang province's Roka village. In 2017, we visited the residents of the village, who were still picking up the pieces three years on
By Paul Millar - Mar 17, 2020

Dec 04, 2019 • 6 min read
PARTNER CONTENT
Cambodia looking forward

Into the future

In 20 years time, Cambodia will be as unrecognisable to us as our present would have been to our parents. Over the next eight weeks, Southeast Asia Globe, in partnership with Future Forum, will be speaking to some of the Kingdom’s brightest minds about the future they envision for the next generation.
By Paul Millar - Dec 04, 2019

Nov 08, 2019 • 11 min read
Sam Rainsy’s return

The great disappointment

Sam Rainsy’s long-promised return to Cambodia on November 9 seems to have fallen at the first hurdle. For the exiled opposition leader, this humiliation could mark the end of his decades-long political career
By Paul Millar - Nov 08, 2019

Oct 31, 2019 • 7 min read
Renewable energy

Looking on the bright side

When it comes to quick, clean and scalable solutions to Cambodia’s energy dreams, a recent surge in investment in solar power is promising a pathway to prosperity
By Paul Millar - Oct 31, 2019

Oct 22, 2019 • 8 min read
Cambodian Politics

The return

On November 9, Cambodia’s opposition leaders have promised to return to the Kingdom to take the fight to Prime Minister Hun Sen’s ruling party. We spoke to senior CNRP politician Mu Sochua about her fast-approaching date with destiny
By Paul Millar - Oct 22, 2019

Oct 10, 2019 • 10 min read
Geopolitics

Public enemies

Long accused by its critics of serving as a Vietnamese puppet, Cambodia's government now stands condemned of trying to serve two masters
By Paul Millar - Oct 10, 2019

Oct 01, 2019 • 6 min read
Opinion

Red flags

Seven decades on from the founding of the People's Republic of China, the inequalities that laid the foundation for years of socialist struggle across Southeast Asia remain rife across the region
By Paul Millar - Oct 01, 2019

Sep 13, 2019 • 11 min read
Cambodia construction

Building a Kingdom

Buried amid the noise of Cambodia’s real estate boom, the Kingdom’s construction workers are still struggling for access to a steady wage and basic social protections
By Paul Millar - Sep 13, 2019

Aug 21, 2019 • 17 min read
Foreign investment

Cambodia’s crossroads

The Kingdom's open economy has been hailed as a triumph of the free market. But as growing foreign investment in the Kingdom’s real estate sector threatens to price locals out of the market, the time has come to ensure that economic growth serves all Cambodians, not just a wealthy few
By Paul Millar - Aug 21, 2019

Aug 13, 2019 • 2 min read
Editorial

Going the distance.

This week we’re looking at Joko Widodo's last chance for reform, Cambodia's looming EBA crisis and 50 years since West Papua's so-called Act of Free Choice
By Paul Millar - Aug 13, 2019

Aug 07, 2019 • 14 min read
Microfinance institutions

Left with nothing

With the backing of the world’s development agencies, Cambodia’s microfinance institutions stand accused of driving the nation’s most vulnerable ever deeper into debt – forcing them to sell off their land when the time comes to collect
By Paul Millar and Veng Sonita - Aug 07, 2019

Jul 31, 2019 • 3 min read
Editorial

Think again.

This week we’re looking at practical solutions to the plastic crisis, the winner of Trump's trade war and life for trans Cambodians under the Khmer Rouge
By Paul Millar - Jul 31, 2019

Jul 27, 2019 • 3 min read
Editorial

Out of reach.

This week we’re looking at Cambodia’s urgent need for aged care, how social media entered the fight against HIV and why the region’s governments are struggling to raise the revenue they need.
By Paul Millar - Jul 27, 2019

Jul 24, 2019 • 9 min read
Plastic waste imports

Waste not, want not

The discovery of 1,600 tonnes of illegal plastic waste in a Cambodian port is just the latest example of wealthy nations heaping their trash on countries ill-equipped to handle it
By Paul Millar - Jul 24, 2019

Jul 15, 2019 • 3 min read
Editorial

Under the surface.

This week we’re looking at Southeast Asia’s hidden pirate problem, the bumpy start of the Khmer Rouge Tribunal, how Aung San Suu Kyi took her country backwards and more.
By Paul Millar - Jul 15, 2019

Jul 08, 2019 • 2 min read
Editorial

Time marches on.

This week we’re looking at the dangers facing Thai dissidents in exile, Cambodia’s dying spirit music tradition, Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad’s succession plans and more.
By Paul Millar - Jul 08, 2019

Jul 01, 2019 • 3 min read
Editorial

The weight of words.

Words matter. This week we’re looking at the words we use for the world's end, reformed terrorists and the state of the region’s most independent presses.
By Paul Millar - Jul 01, 2019

Jun 24, 2019 • 2 min read
Editorial

Things fall apart.

Sooner or later, the past always catches up with you. This week we’re looking at the world’s growing garment waste crisis, how BRI’s appetite for traditional Chinese medicine is putting the region’s animals at risk, Cambodia’s domestic debt traps and more.
By Paul Millar - Jun 24, 2019

Jun 20, 2019 • 11 min read
Hun Sen vs Sam Rainsy

The strongman and the strawman

Exiled opposition politician Sam Rainsy has once again pledged to come back to Cambodia. But for a government eager to imagine itself as under assault on all sides, he’s far more useful to Hun Sen in Paris
By Paul Millar - Jun 20, 2019

Jun 10, 2019 • 2 min read
Editorial

Fighting for life.

The Globe may be changing, but our mission remains the same. This week we’re looking at suicide in Singapore’s national service, how Southeast Asia is bracing itself for climate change, Cambodia’s shady grey market cars and more
By Paul Millar - Jun 10, 2019

Jun 03, 2019 • 3 min read
Editorial

A new beginning.

The Globe may be changing, but our mission remains the same. This week we’re looking at how Cambodia’s women with disabilities remain at risk, why hydropower dams are fuelling climate change, the lasting legacy of Thaksin Shinawatra’s deadly drug war and more.
By Paul Millar - Jun 03, 2019

May 30, 2019 • 8 min read
Trade

What the Asean Single Window means for Cambodia

The ASEAN Single Window initiative promises to unite Southeast Asia as a truly integrated economic community through seamless cross-border trade and information sharing. Focus Cambodia spoke to Jayant Menon, head economist for trade and regional cooperation at the Asian Development Bank, about Cambodia’s place in an increasingly integrated ASEAN
By Paul Millar - May 30, 2019

May 28, 2019 • 4 min read
Cambodia’s education system

The keys to the Kingdom

With Cambodia surging ahead towards high middle-income status, ensuring that the next generation has the essential skills it needs to thrive in a high-skilled work environment has never been more important. Wilco Visscher, country programme manager for international education non-profit VVOB, breaks down the challenges and opportunities facing Cambodia’s schools
By Paul Millar - May 28, 2019

Apr 03, 2019 • 4 min read
Malaysia

The region’s corrupt politicians should watch the 1MDB trial closely

Ten years to the day after being sworn in as prime minister of Malaysia, Najib Razak is standing trial for a slew of corruption and money laundering crimes. Asia Institute Tasmania director James Chin explains what the corruption trial means for the region’s once-untouchable political elite
By Paul Millar - Apr 03, 2019

Feb 12, 2019 • 5 min read
Corruption

‘Tackling the scourge of 1MDB cannot be a distraction’

With Malaysia’s disgraced former prime minister Najib Razak’s trial delayed, Southeast Asia Globe speaks with former Malaysian Institute of Integrity principal fellow Abdul Rahman Embong about what role this high-profile prosecution plays in the new government’s crackdown on corruption
By Paul Millar - Feb 12, 2019

Jan 15, 2019 • 11 min read
Analysis

Could Vietnam hold the secret to North Korea’s future?

With Vietnam set for the next Trump-Kim summit, figures on both sides of the table are touting Vietnam’s Doi Moi reforms as a model for North Korea’s own economic liberalisation. But with a nuclear arsenal, a more prosperous neighbour to the south and decades since the Cold War, Kim Jong-un may choose to walk a different path
By Paul Millar - Jan 15, 2019

Jan 14, 2019 • 15 min read
Universal basic income

The cost of living

Fuelled by rampant poverty and fears that rising automation will strip millions of low-skilled workers of their livelihoods, more and more countries are exploring the idea of a universal basic income that guarantees a livelihood for all their citizens
By Paul Millar - Jan 14, 2019

Dec 25, 2018 • 15 min read
Whatever happened to

Vietnam’s forgotten veterans

On Christmas Day 40 years ago, 150,000 Vietnamese troops crossed the border into Cambodia to drive the murderous Khmer Rouge regime from power. Decades later, those men remain haunted by their memories
By Paul Millar - Dec 25, 2018

Dec 03, 2018 • 3 min read
Apirat Kongsompong

What Thailand's new military chief means for next year's elections

The appointment of General Apirat Kongsompong as head of Thailand’s armed forces signals a profound shift in the factional makeup of the military’s highest echelons – and puts the Kingdom’s army in the hands of a man who has threatened to unleash yet another coup if next year’s long-awaited elections don’t go according to plan
By Paul Millar - Dec 03, 2018

Nov 26, 2018 • 3 min read
Mae Tao Clinic

The refugee healthcare centre treating the casualties of an endless struggle

Nestled on the border between Thailand and Myanmar, the Mae Tao Clinic, in the Thai town of Mae Sot, has given desperately needed healthcare services to the thousands of ethnic minority refugees fleeing military crackdowns in their homeland for more than three decades
By Paul Millar - Nov 26, 2018

Nov 15, 2018 • 8 min read
Pridi Banomyong

Thailand’s “Father of Democracy”

Thailand’s first popularly elected prime minister, Pridi Banomyong, was instrumental in the overthrow of the Kingdom’s absolute monarchy and the creation of the nation’s first constitution. But as the palace-backed military junta continues to pave the way for the long-promised return to elections, his fierce struggle for democracy is being written out of the Kingdom’s chequered history.
By Paul Millar - Nov 15, 2018

Nov 13, 2018 • 14 min read
Anti-China sentiment

Seeing red

China is investing billions in Cambodia’s economy. But as more and more Cambodians raise fears of crime, corruption and colonial ambition, could rising public resentment lead to racially motivated violence?
By Paul Millar - Nov 13, 2018

Nov 05, 2018 • 3 min read
Sar Kheng

Is Hun Sen’s long-time rival really a ‘democratic alternative’?

Cambodia's Interior Minister Sar Kheng has long been hailed by Western diplomats as a more liberal alternative to Prime Minister Hun Sen's decades-long strongman rule. But with the factional heavyweight growing increasingly strident in his criticism of corruption and incompetence within the ruling party, just what has the former Khmer Rouge cadre done to deserve this reputation?
By Paul Millar - Nov 05, 2018

Oct 29, 2018 • 3 min read
Ferdinand Marcos Jr

Potential heir apparent for Duterte?

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has named failed vice-presidential candidate Ferdinand Marcos Jr as his potential heir-apparent. But is the nation ready for another Marcos presidency?
By Paul Millar - Oct 29, 2018

Oct 17, 2018 • 9 min read
Whatever happened to

The liberation of Marawi City

One year ago, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte stood in the ruins of the southern city of Marawi and declared it ‘liberated’ from terrorist influence. But for the tens of thousands of civilians still unable to return to their homes, the ongoing presence of the Philippine military and the unflinching rule of martial law suggest not liberation but occupation
By Paul Millar - Oct 17, 2018

Oct 01, 2018 • 7 min read
Education For All

The sobering reality of Cambodia’s free education drive

Cambodia has long promised to provide free primary and secondary education to every child within its borders. But with a quarter of a million kids still out of school, how can the Kingdom keep its most vulnerable from slipping through the cracks?
By Paul Millar - Oct 01, 2018

Sep 18, 2018 • 3 min read
Gloria Macapagal Arroyo

What the former president’s comeback means for the Philippines

Former Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has survived corruption accusations, a four-year detention and a serious illness to become house speaker of the parliament. But can she bring her power to bear to fulfil President Rodrigo Duterte’s dream of a new Philippines?
By Paul Millar - Sep 18, 2018

Sep 13, 2018 • 7 min read
Whatever happened to

Cambodia’s homemade electric car?

The homegrown Angkor Car has hinted at a future free from the gas-guzzling SUVs on Cambodia’s crowded streets. But despite a glamorous launch in 2013, the Kingdom’s first electric car seems to have stalled at the starting line
By Paul Millar - Sep 13, 2018

Sep 12, 2018 • 11 min read
Waste and recycling

The plastic tide

As Southeast Asia buckles beneath the weight of the world's redirected refuse, experts say sustainable waste management can only come by abandoning our throwaway culture
By Paul Millar - Sep 12, 2018

Aug 30, 2018 • 7 min read
Capital Punishment

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

Aug 18, 2018 • 3 min read
Ahmad Zahid Hamidi

No end to race-based politics in sight under UMNO's new president

Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has been elected as Umno’s new president after the ruling party’s devastating defeat in Malaysia’s May national election. But is this stalwart of the establishment the right leader to break decades of deep-seated nepotism and patronage politics within the overtly race-based party?
By Paul Millar - Aug 18, 2018

Aug 02, 2018 • 3 min read
Interview: Ronald Almera

Booms and busts: top tips for investing in Cambodia

For first-time investors, talk of bulls and bears, booms and busts, can sound like so much gibberish. Grant Thornton Cambodia CEO and partner Ronald Almera breaks down some of the basic do’s and don’ts of putting your money to work
By Paul Millar - Aug 02, 2018

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 - Jul 31, 2018

Jul 30, 2018 • 4 min read
Politics

No surprise in Cambodian election landslide

In a nation where voters seem to have stopped holding their breath during election season, Prime Minister Hun Sen and his Cambodian People’s Party sweep to victory
By Paul Millar - Jul 30, 2018

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 - Jul 19, 2018

Jul 10, 2018 • 7 min read
Bareknuckle boxing

Blood sport

We travel to Naypyidaw to witness a rival to any Muay Thai or MMA match – but when Lethwei warriors go head to head, the gloves are off
By Paul Millar - Jul 10, 2018

Jun 27, 2018 • 6 min read
Traditional cuisine

'I really think that Cambodian food deserves a place in the world'

Scouring the countryside for traditional recipes on the verge of fading from living memory, chef Rotanak Ros is striving to put Cambodian cuisine on the world map through cooking classes, quick and easy recipes, and luxury-dining nights at her riverside terrace
By Paul Millar - Jun 27, 2018

Jun 13, 2018 • 6 min read
Cambodia

Empowering a Kingdom’s businesswomen

Although women own 65% of Cambodia’s businesses, fewer than half of them employ more than one person. Women-focused social impact fund She Investment co-founder Loem Lida explains how her organisation is helping the Kingdom’s women grow as entrepreneurs
By Paul Millar - Jun 13, 2018

Jun 01, 2018 • 8 min read
Whatever happened to

The editor of Playboy Indonesia?

More than ten years after his arrest, the editor of the "indecent" Playboy Indonesia opens up
By Paul Millar - Jun 01, 2018

May 25, 2018 • 3 min read
Fitness tips

How to keep fit and healthy in Phnom Penh

Crossfit Amatak head coach Minna Ajo shares her tips and tricks on staying in shape in Phnom Penh's urban sprawl
By Paul Millar - May 25, 2018

May 18, 2018 • 3 min read
Taste of tradition

The Vietnamese bar serving pho-infused cocktails

In Hanoi's trendiest bar, Pham Tien Tiep's creative concoctions combine modern mixology with the savoury tastes of pho, fish sauce and Vietnamese pickles
By Paul Millar - May 18, 2018

May 11, 2018 • 7 min read
Whatever happened to

The unsolved murder of Najib Razak’s confidant’s lover?

Malaysia was shocked by the murder of socialite Altantuya Shaariibuu, who was shot and then blown to pieces with explosives. Will Mahathir's election victory lead to the reopening of the case? 
By Paul Millar - May 11, 2018

May 08, 2018 • 3 min read
Win Myint

Myanmar’s ambitious new president pushing for changes to military-drafted constitution

Who is he? Born on the Irrawaddy Delta just three years after his nation declared its independence from the British in 1948, Win Myint’s own foray into political life came in 1988 when the then-barrister was swept up in the nationwide prodemocracy protests against General Ne Win’s one-party rule. Joining…
By Paul Millar - May 08, 2018

May 01, 2018 • 11 min read
Thailand Politics

The billionaire challenging military might

A new progressive party has promised to break the military's grip on power, but can the young billionaire at its helm win the hearts and minds of Thailand's rural majority?
By Paul Millar - May 01, 2018

Apr 27, 2018 • 2 min read
Smells like success

The Singapore café using durian in every dish

At a time when restaurants across Southeast Asia are desperate for a way to stand out from the pack, Singapore’s Mao Shan Wang Café has found its niche as the city-state’s first durian-centric eatery
By Paul Millar - Apr 27, 2018

Apr 10, 2018 • 11 min read
Women's rights

Praying for equality

The kingdom's pagodas have long been home to men and women who have left their lives behind and dedicated themselves to following the Buddha's teachings. But unlike monks, the Kingdom's female devotees enjoy little prestige
By Paul Millar - Apr 10, 2018

Apr 03, 2018 • 7 min read
Laos

Game of thrones

Toppled from their throne by the Pathet Lao in 1975, the exiled Lao royal family has long attempted to unite the country's fractured diaspora
By Paul Millar - Apr 03, 2018

Mar 27, 2018 • 3 min read
Thai cuisine

Award-winning chef Tim Butler on Thailand's evolving culinary scene

The mind behind award-winning restaurants Eat Me! and Esenzi, chef Tim Butler came to Bangkok from New York just over ten years ago. Here, he talks about the nation's rapidly evolving culinary character and his struggle to source sustainable seafood
By Paul Millar - Mar 27, 2018

Mar 08, 2018 • 7 min read
Art

From boardrooms to brothels

Through its art walks, OH! Open House, an organisation in Singapore, leads enthusiasts through locations from boardrooms to brothels with the aim making art less of a "middle class, bourgeois pursuit."
By Paul Millar - Mar 08, 2018

Mar 01, 2018 • 10 min read
Sustainable urban development

Southeast Asia's megacities have a choice: Shangri-La or slum

With Southeast Asia's population expected to grow by more than 100 million people in the next 30 years, the region's crowded megacities are in danger of becoming dystopian nightmares - unless governments and city planners act now
By Paul Millar - Mar 01, 2018

Feb 12, 2018 • 14 min read
Child sex abuse

The sound of silence

An unregulated pagoda environment, the status of monks and the downplaying of male rape means that sexual abuse of children in the monkhood is likely more widespread than anyone dares to admit
By Paul Millar - Feb 12, 2018

Jan 22, 2018 • 7 min read

Child sex abuse revisited

Convicted of child sex abuse, seven school employees continue to languish in an Indonesian prison for a crime that many believe they did not commit. A group of online activists are now trying to clear the men's names
By Paul Millar - Jan 22, 2018

Jan 01, 2018 • 15 min read
Cambodia

Why the West was doomed to fail

Backed by China, Prime Minister Hun Sen has entered 2018 triumphant from his decades-long struggle with the West – and set the stage for his succession
By Paul Millar - Jan 01, 2018

Dec 22, 2017 • 3 min read
Cambodia

"Some of the best and brightest will leave"

With Cambodia’s main opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) dissolved and 118 of its officials banned from politics for five years, Prime Minister Hun Sen’s ruling party has effectively crushed the last threat to his 30-year rule. Occidental College associate professor Sophal Ear discusses the new face of resistance in a nation that no longer offers its citizens a political path to reform
By Paul Millar - Dec 22, 2017

Dec 05, 2017 • 3 min read
Abu Sayyaf

This known ‘savage’ in terror group is rumoured to be the next Isis emir in Southeast Asia

Infamous for his love of beheadings, Abu Sayyaf cell leader Furuji Indama may be taking charge of Southeast Asia’s Isis-aligned terror groups Military armoured personnel carriers drive past as fighting between Islamist militants and government forces continued in Marawi City on 07 June 2017 Photo: Merlyn Manos/EPA
By Paul Millar - Dec 05, 2017

Nov 22, 2017 • 7 min read
Whatever happened to

Cambodia’s Funcinpec Party

From commanding almost half of the popular vote in Cambodia’s 1993 elections to barely a footnote in the most recent ballots, Funcinpec’s resurgence as a tool in the government’s fight against the opposition is a bitter reminder of how far they've fallen
By Paul Millar - Nov 22, 2017

Oct 10, 2017 • 6 min read

Sex work and socialism

Lijia Zhang's debut novel Lotus follows the day-to-day life of a sex worker on the margins of Chinese society. Zhang reflects on the struggles of many women left behind by the superpower’s rapacious pursuit of profit
By Paul Millar - Oct 10, 2017

Oct 04, 2017 • 3 min read

Is this the new face of Thailand's opposition?

With former Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra now living in exile, Thaksin loyalist Sudarat Keyuraphan has been tipped to take the reins of the opposition Pheu Thai Party
By Paul Millar - Oct 04, 2017

Oct 03, 2017 • 13 min read
Media Freedom

Without fear or favour: The Cambodia Daily

Philanthropist and foreign correspondent Bernie Krisher launched a daily newspaper in 1993 with a handful of journalists working out of an old hotel. By the time the Cambodia Daily closed amid a fiery dispute with the government, it had become one of the region’s most respected sources of news
By Paul Millar - Oct 03, 2017

Sep 21, 2017 • 7 min read
Whatever happened to

Cambodia’s oil prospects?

After a decade of failed negotiations with multinationals and a severe slump in global oil prices, Cambodia's expectations to become an oil producing nation might be disappointed
By Paul Millar - Sep 21, 2017

Sep 18, 2017 • 11 min read
Agriculture

The Future of Cambodia: Agriculture

Economists say farmers need to reduce their reliance on the crop in order to revitalise Cambodia’s struggling agriculture industry
By Paul Millar - Sep 18, 2017

Sep 12, 2017 • 3 min read

Will Duterte finally agree to self-rule in Mindanao?

Under the leadership of Al Haj Murad Ebrahim, the once-reviled Moro Islamic Liberation Front’s alliance with the Philippine government has added momentum to the struggle for self-rule among the nation’s Muslim minority
By Paul Millar - Sep 12, 2017

Aug 30, 2017 • 2 min read

How mobile technology conquered Cambodia

DMI's chief innovation officer Magnus Jern discusses how the mobile tech industry has transformed day-to-day life in the Kingdom
By Paul Millar - Aug 30, 2017

Aug 25, 2017 • 6 min read

A leisurely lunch with two of Cambodia’s culinary kings

Focus Cambodia sat down with Cambodian chef Luu Meng and his business partner Arnaud Darc at their restaurant Malis in Phnom Penh to discuss the Kingdom’s dining renaissance
By Paul Millar - Aug 25, 2017

Aug 08, 2017 • 8 min read
Thai democracy

Whatever happened to Thailand’s Redshirts?

With much of its leadership scattered or forced into hiding, the pro-democracy movement is in danger of losing the mass support that once propelled it to power
By Paul Millar - Aug 08, 2017

Aug 07, 2017 • 12 min read
Cambodia

Manufacturing on the line

Amid rising labour costs, stagnant export prices and productivity rates well below its neighbours', what might the future of the Kingdom's factories look like?
By Paul Millar - Aug 07, 2017

Jul 06, 2017 • 11 min read
Cambodia

Murderous witch-hunts

A single word from one of Cambodia’s traditional healers can turn a whole community against outsiders in their ranks – often with fatal results
By Paul Millar - Jul 06, 2017

Jun 22, 2017 • 2 min read

The pitfalls of preserving and promoting Angkor Wat

Cambodia’s culture minister Phoeurng Sackona discusses the double-edged sword of the nation’s flourishing tourism industry Minister of Culture and Fine Arts Phoeurng Sackona at her office in Phnom Penh. Photo: Sam Jam
By Paul Millar - Jun 22, 2017

Jun 16, 2017 • 8 min read
Whatever happened to

The gruesome Vallier murder case?

Almost six years ago, Frenchman Laurent Vallier was found drowned in a pond along with his four children in rural Cambodia. Investigations have been at times farcical and fruitless – and the unsolved murder still haunts the area
By Paul Millar - Jun 16, 2017

Jun 01, 2017 • 12 min read

The two faces of President Duterte

Although Duterte’s unrelenting war on drugs dominated international coverage of his first year in office, a closer look at the firebrand's policies reveals a politician who refuses to fit the boxes built for him
By Paul Millar - Jun 01, 2017

May 30, 2017 • 3 min read

The path of least (antibiotic) resistance

With the threat of antibiotic-resistant ‘superbugs’ looming large across the region, Southeast Asia Globe spoke with tropical medicine researcher Marco Haenssgen about his work educating rural communities on the dangers of misusing antibiotics A medical officer (C) escorts volunteers with a simulated flu infection for transfer to the hospital at an arrival gate in the Changi Airport during an island-wide flu pandemic exercise in Singapore on Friday 21 July 2006. Photo: EPA/How Hwee Young
By Paul Millar - May 30, 2017

May 22, 2017 • 6 min read
Entrepreneur Chy Sila

A Cambodian story

From a $500 business selling pirated CDs in Phnom Penh, Chy Sila has risen to become CEO of Cambodia’s leading media organisation
By Paul Millar - May 22, 2017

May 03, 2017 • 3 min read

Media director Sitha Nuon on the value of hard work in Cambodia

Moving to Phnom Penh at the age of 18, Sitha Nuon spent years working at a minimart and as a receptionist before rising through the ranks of media giant Havas Riverorchid Cambodia Sitha Nuon, Havas Riverford Orchid's media director, was voted Agency Head of the Year in last year’s prestigious Mumbrella Asia Awards. Photo: Sam Jam
By Paul Millar - May 03, 2017

Apr 28, 2017 • 3 min read

Where to brunch in Southeast Asia

From modern takes on Malaysia’s coffee spots to the latest in East-West fusion, we bring you our favourite brunch spots to kick-start your weekend
By Paul Millar - Apr 28, 2017

Apr 27, 2017 • 4 min read
Interview

Former New Zealand PM John Key on Trump, China and the TPP

John Key, who ended his term as New Zealand’s leader in December, gave an exclusive interview to Southeast Asia Globe during a visit to Phnom Penh this week, talking about the value of US leadership in Asia and what a resurrected Trans-Pacific Partnership could mean for the region
By Paul Millar - Apr 27, 2017

Apr 20, 2017 • 9 min read
Art market

Should private collectors be allowed to dominate Southeast Asia’s art scene?

As art in the region becomes more and more valuable, private collectors are beginning to take over the region's art scene. While they are providing valuable financial support to a struggling industry, many worry that art is falling prey to the desires of the rich and powerful
By Paul Millar - Apr 20, 2017

Apr 13, 2017 • 3 min read

Anies Baswedan: the ousted minister who may be Jakarta's next governor

Dropped from his role as minister for education and culture by Indonesian President Joko Widodo last July, academic-turned-agitator Anies Baswedan seemed an unlikely candidate for Jakarta governor. Now, he is but one winning vote away from claiming the capital’s top job
By Paul Millar - Apr 13, 2017

Mar 29, 2017 • 4 min read

Is Cambodia's property market set to crash?

As well as heading Cambodian, Lao and Myanmar operations for power tool giant Bosch, Andre de Jong is chairman of the Real Estate and Construction Committee of Eurocham Cambodia. He discusses Cambodia’s real estate boom, health and safety issues in the industry and developing Cambodia’s picturesque coast
By Paul Millar - Mar 29, 2017

Mar 13, 2017 • 3 min read

Ronald dela Rosa’s endless war

Meet the Philippines’ top cop, who has been ordered to purge the crime-ridden ranks of the country’s police force
By Paul Millar - Mar 13, 2017

Mar 07, 2017 • 11 min read
Cambodia

How leaks, lies and fake news took over politics

As social media becomes the number one news source for young Cambodians, the spectre of ‘fake news’ is haunting a nation whose politics is wracked by rumour and ridicule
By Paul Millar - Mar 07, 2017

Feb 27, 2017 • 11 min read
Cambodia

Pay and divide

Islamic organisations from the Middle East are pouring money into Cambodia’s Cham Muslim communities, spreading hardline teachings and threatening to drive a wedge between the Muslim minority and their Buddhist neighbours
By Paul Millar - Feb 27, 2017

Feb 16, 2017 • 4 min read

Sizing up the shadowy leader of the Rakhine State insurgency

As Myanmar’s security forces continue their crackdown on the nation’s Muslim Rohingya minority, foreign-born fighter Ata Ullah is leading a group of insurgents in guerrilla warfare
By Paul Millar - Feb 16, 2017

Jan 31, 2017 • 7 min read
Cambodia

The rain gamblers

Climate change could spell the end for Cambodia’s high-stakes habit of betting on the weather
By Paul Millar - Jan 31, 2017

Dec 02, 2016 • 4 min read

Keys to the Kingdom: Thailand's new King tests military junta

The new king’s seven-week delay following the death of his father may have been the first move in a potential power struggle with the ruling junta A handout image provided by the Royal Household Bureau shows Thailand’s new King Maha Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavarangkun (R) listening to the invitation to ascend the…
By Paul Millar - Dec 02, 2016

Dec 01, 2016 • 9 min read
Partyboat

Music and madness ahoy

Asia’s largest music festival at sea, It’s the Ship, ferried frenzied partygoers on a three-night bash from Singapore to Penang. Southeast Asia Globe hit the decks to meet the DJs, devotees and dancers that make up the region’s rising EDM scene
By Paul Millar - Dec 01, 2016

Nov 10, 2016 • 9 min read
Cambodia

Knowledge for a better future

Forty years after the Khmer Rouge waged a devastating war on education, Cambodia’s children still cannot access the reading materials they need to start a new chapter in their, and the nation’s history. Now, a handful of NGOs are using technology to change that
By Paul Millar - Nov 10, 2016

Oct 24, 2016 • 4 min read
Interview

Fighting words: the Philippines senator Duterte is struggling to silence

Removed from her position as chair of an inquiry into Duterte's war on drugs, Philippine senator Leila de Lima has called for an international investigation into the killings. Now, hounded by Duterte supporters, she is fighting to clear her name
By Paul Millar - Oct 24, 2016

Oct 21, 2016 • 9 min read
Cambodia

Race to the bottom

In the beginning was the word, torn from the throat of a man who would soon see a minor traffic accident descend into murder: yuon. In February 2014, ten men beat the life from a Cambodian man of Vietnamese descent as he came to the aid of his younger brother…
By Paul Millar - Oct 21, 2016

Oct 14, 2016 • 6 min read

The power of status symbols in Cambodia

From the shiny Lexus crawling through Phnom Penh’s crowded streets to the iPhones stacked in towers on coffee shop tables, Cambodia’s expanding middle class has marked its rise with material symbols of wealth and status. Focus Asean spoke to Todd Hunkin, research manager of Cambodian marketing and social research group Market Strategy and Development Company, about this unspoken language of power
By Paul Millar - Oct 14, 2016

Sep 02, 2016 • 4 min read

Homegrown Thai fashion brand Sretsis eyes the world stage

From humble beginnings in the childhood home of three Thai sisters, luxury fashion brand Sretsis is going global. According to creative director Pim Sukhahuta, the trio’s aim is to make the label an international household name
By Paul Millar - Sep 02, 2016

Sep 01, 2016 • 8 min read
Cambodia

Caught in the middle

With tensions rising between China and the West over the South China Sea, Cambodia once again finds itself walking a knife’s edge between the world’s great powers
By Paul Millar - Sep 01, 2016

Aug 31, 2016 • 4 min read

Exiled democracy activist: "Lao people have no free ideas when it comes to politics"

The Alliance for Democracy in Laos is a worldwide network of activists and non-governmental organisations dedicated to bringing democracy to the one-party communist state. Its president, Bounthone Chanthalavong-Wiese, spoke to Southeast Asia Globe about her ongoing campaign for change
By Paul Millar - Aug 31, 2016

Aug 23, 2016 • 12 min read
Responsible Business

How good business changes Southeast Asia

With more and more customers seeking out socially conscious products, the business of ‘doing good’ is booming for social enterprises
By Paul Millar - Aug 23, 2016

Jul 12, 2016 • 6 min read
Cambodia

Memories of a violent past

The murder of respected political analyst Kem Ley marks a return to Cambodia’s dark past of political violence
By Paul Millar - Jul 12, 2016

Jul 07, 2016 • 10 min read
South China Sea

The fighter jet scramble

As China’s fighter jets patrol the disputed South China Sea, a number of Southeast Asian nations are dragging their air force fleets into the 21st century
By Paul Millar - Jul 07, 2016

Jun 29, 2016 • 3 min read
Poets

Top five: Southeast Asia's best poets

From embracing the avant garde in Myanmar to exploring Balinese strictures, the region’s best poets are often a bold voice in opposition to the status quo
By Paul Millar - Jun 29, 2016

Jun 27, 2016 • 7 min read
Literature

A desire to belong

Amid marginalisation of refugee communities in the US, Vietnamese-American poets feel a sense of displacement
By Paul Millar - Jun 27, 2016

Jun 15, 2016 • 3 min read

Malware infections blight region

Emerging markets in Southeast Asia are among the hardest hit by rising malware rates, a new infection index has found
By Paul Millar - Jun 15, 2016

May 25, 2016 • 4 min read
Cambodia

Drought and inaction hit rice industry hard

The effects of Cambodia’s recent drought will serve to exacerbate existing structural weaknesses in the rice sector, say experts
By Logan Connor and Paul Millar - May 25, 2016

May 03, 2016 • 2 min read

Can we expect conflict over the Mekong river?

Professor Marvin C. Ott, a leading Southeast Asia scholar, discusses the potential for conflict over the Mekong river and its resources
By Paul Millar - May 03, 2016

Apr 20, 2016 • 5 min read
Duterte's Philippines

The gaffs and gags of “Duterte Harry"

Philippine presidential candidate Rodrigo Duterte has apologised for his remark about rape. But it is not the first time his mouth has got him in trouble
By Paul Millar - Apr 20, 2016

Apr 01, 2016 • 4 min read

Affordable Art Fair returns to Singapore

We talk to Alan Koh, director of the Affordable Art Fair in Singapore, about contemporary art in Southeast Asia and some of the artists to look out for
By Paul Millar - Apr 01, 2016

Mar 28, 2016 • 4 min read

Region faces double-edged nutrition crisis

While levels of obesity are rising, millions of Southeast Asia’s children are suffering from stunted growth caused by malnutrition
By Paul Millar - Mar 28, 2016