tier-1



STORY OF THE DAY • Dec 22, 2020 • 2 min read

History [Photos] An idyllic slice of 1957 Cambodian life

By Saigoneer • Dec 22, 2020
Pre-war and genocide, the 1950s was a time of great hope and aspiration in Cambodia. This collection of photos, taken by LIFE Magazine photographer John Dominis in 1957, captures that time in the Kingdom's history

STORY OF THE DAY • Dec 22, 2020 • 7 min read

Pollution As Singapore’s shores become garbage magnet, group leads the clean-up

By Toh Ee Ming • Dec 22, 2020
Surrounded by the world's worst plastic polluters, the shores of ultra-clean Singapore have become a magnet for waste. With their team of beachcombers, Seven Clean Seas are tackling the issue, while also looking for region-wide solutions to the issue of polluted oceans

STORY OF THE DAY • Dec 21, 2020 • 4 min read

Natural resources Cambodia’s giant life-giving Tonle Sap lake in peril

By Suy Se/AFP • Dec 21, 2020
More than a million people live on or around Tonle Sap lake, the world's largest inland fishery, but as a result of climate change and dams upstream on the Mekong, water levels are falling and fish stocks are dwindling

STORY OF THE DAY • Dec 21, 2020 • 7 min read

Analysis What will India’s withdrawal from the RCEP mean for Southeast Asia?

By Jennifer Chance • Dec 21, 2020
Marred by domestic concerns and tension with China, in 2019 India declared that it was withdrawing from the RCEP. Regarded as a crucial counterbalance to Beijing in Southeast Asia, how will this decision impact power dynamics in the region for years to come?

Dec 19, 2020 • 2 min read
Editorial

Thailand’s fight for democracy

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

Dec 18, 2020 • 4 min read
Human rights

Myanmar gang rape victim wins legal battle with military

After a brutal gang rape by soldiers, steely-eyed Thein Nu went up against the powerful Myanmar military in a months-long battle for justice – a self-admitted "courageous" act that paid off as a military court has ruled in her favour in a rare admission of guilt
By Agence France-Presse • Dec 18, 2020

Dec 18, 2020 • 5 min read
Opinion

Putting migrant workers at the heart of Covid-19 recovery

To mark International Migrants Day, Kristin Parco, Chief of Mission for the International Organization for Migration in Cambodia, and Graeme Buckley of the International Labour Organization highlight the vital role migrant workers play in Cambodia and worldwide
By Kristin Parco and Graeme Buckley • Dec 18, 2020

Dec 18, 2020 • 7 min read
Thai democracy

In Thailand, provincial elections set to bring back local democracy

This weekend will see Thais go to the polls at provincial elections for the first time since in at least six years. A time of enormous political tension in the kingdom, many are viewing the vote as a bellwether for the health of Thailand's democracy
By Wanpen Pajai • Dec 18, 2020

Dec 17, 2020 • 6 min read
Migration

The Wait: Podcast spotlights the struggles of refugees in Indonesia

For decades, Indonesia has served as an open-air prison for thousands of refugees and asylum seekers stuck in limbo awaiting resettlement. Hoping to shed light on their plight, two women have documented their stories for new podcast, The Wait
By Julia Winterflood • Dec 17, 2020

Dec 16, 2020 • 2 min read
Food

Lab-grown meat to make historic debut at Singapore restaurant

In a culinary first, lab-grown chicken meat will make its debut at a Singapore restaurant this weekend, after the company behind the product announced its inaugural commercial sale on December 16
By Agence France-Presse • Dec 16, 2020

Dec 16, 2020 • 7 min read
Opinion

Corruption should be the issue that binds Thailand together

Thailand's military generals seized power in 2014 vowing to end the kingdom's endemic corruption, but what has followed has been a weakening of the very institutions needed to combat graft. Professor Mark S. Cogan argues the antidote lays in a thriving democracy
By Mark S. Cogan • Dec 16, 2020

Dec 15, 2020 • 9 min read
Migration

Rohingya trafficking network sells dreams, delivers violence and extortion

Boatloads of Rohingya landing across Southeast Asia are victims of complex human trafficking networks run by a dizzying web of players, from crime bosses and corrupt cops to poor fishermen, rickshaw drivers and even Rohingya themselves
By Sam Jahan, Haeril Halim and Peter Brieger/AFP • Dec 15, 2020