With Guests Arriving, Myanmar Accused of Backsliding

Published on Nov 9, 2014 by Luke Hunt

World leaders including Tony Abbott and Barack Obama travel to Myanmar this week amid concern the country is backsliding on sectarian violence, media freedom and democracy two years after Western nations started lifting economic sanctions.Read more from Lindsay Murdoch in The Age..

Malaysia’s Reputation Hinges on MH370

Published on Oct 19, 2014 by Luke Hunt

The Malaysian government has had a difficult year and its response to traumatic issues – ranging from downed airliners to home-grown Islamic militants tying-up with mercenaries employed by the self-titled Islamic State – has at times been wanting.Read more from Luke Hunt in The Diplomat..

Kim Dotcom and the New Zealand Elections

Published on Sep 21, 2014 by Luke Hunt

The public debate that erupted in the wake of the Edward Snowden revelations about the very private collection of metadata and even more detailed records has not been limited to discussion of the activities of the U.S. National Security Agency: they have been a feature in Australia and New Zealand also.Read more from Helen Clark in The Diplomat..

Hong Kong on Edge

Published on Sep 7, 2014 by Luke Hunt

A fatalistic dread is sweeping through Hong Kong amid fears that a violent confrontation between Chinese forces and supporters of the pan-democrats and Occupy Central movement, demanding full universal suffrage by 2017, is imminent with neither side prepared to give ground.Read more from Luke Hunt in The Diplomat..

Malaysian Police Investigate Teen Boy for Liking Israel

Published on Aug 18, 2014 by Luke Hunt

While Malaysia wracks its collective soul over its responsibilities for the downing of two planes belonging to the national carrier, more menial though no less disturbing problems are continuing to surface, highlighting this country’s problems and its inability to deal with sensitive issues.In Penang a teenage student simply hit “like” on an “I love Israel” page on Facebook. Teachers weren’t happy, one shared and vilified the student, about as absurd as senior management at Malaysian Airlines still holding their jobs.Read more from Luke Hunt in The Diplomat.  .

Jokowi Urged to Deal With Darth Vader

Published on Aug 11, 2014 by Luke Hunt

Indonesia’s fresh-faced president-elect Joko Widodo, aka Jokowi, is being urged to prepare his own legal action to counter his nemesis Prabowo Subianto, who has unwittingly succeeded in portraying himself as the villain of recent national elections.Read more from Luke Hunt in The Diplomat..

Justice Late, Better than Never

Published on Aug 11, 2014 by Luke Hunt

FOR Cambodians it has been a long wait. Almost 35 years after the Khmer Rouge were driven from power by a Vietnamese invasion, the movement’s last surviving senior leaders have been found guilty of crimes against humanity and sentenced to jail for life.Read more from The Economist..

Can Cambodian Deal End Year-Long Standoff?

Published on Jul 27, 2014 by Luke Hunt

The Cambodian government and opposition have struck a deal to end a year of post-election political fighting that has left at least seven people dead and many more injured, in jail, and before the courts.But analysts are warning the agreement – reached shortly before seven senior figures from the Cambodian National Rescue Party (CNRP) were released on bail – was vague, lacked substance, and could offer no more than a lull in the protests that have dominated the political landscape.Read more from Luke Hunt in The Diplomat.

Indonesia Polls: Early Count Suggests Widodo Wins

Published on Jul 13, 2014 by Luke Hunt

Early counting today suggested that former furniture salesman and governor of Jakarta Joko Widodo has won Indonesia’s presidential election; however, analysts said there were widespread fears the final vote could be rigged against him.Read more from Luke Hunt in The Diplomat..

ASEAN’s Tepid Response

Published on May 20, 2014 by Luke Hunt

As ASEAN wound up its annual meeting in Naypyidaw with the usual round of backslapping and handshakes, Thailand was again close to political implosion while Vietnam’s navy faced another Chinese incursion in waters not far from Danang.Sadly, both threats to regional stability elicited only a tepid response from ASEAN leaders gathering for the first time ever in Myanmar, a country whose human rights record could end a global attempt to coax its regime out of a North Korean-like status.Read more from Luke Hunt in The Diplomat. .