Take off: The Cambodian Space Project

Published on Jan 14, 2016 by Luke Hunt

A podcast with Cambodian diva Sry Thy — also known as Channthy Kak – and Australian musician Julien Poulsen, the stars of the rock band Cambodian Space Project, which has won a legion of fans across the region and beyond for their music and politics.Tours across Asia, Europe and gigs with Australian music icon Paul Kelly and American Motown legend Dennis Coffey have cemented the bands eclectic status which has received an added boost with the release of a documentary “Not Easy Rock ‘n’ Roll”.Produced by German film maker Marc Eberle and Australian Richard Kuipers the documentary traces their rise from Cambodian rice fields to sold out rock venues in Berlin.Channthy and Julien spoke with The Diplomat‘s Luke Hunt about....

Brunei Bans Santa

Published on Dec 27, 2015 by Luke Hunt

Relations between the Islamic and Christian worlds have seen their fair share of tensions and even conflict, particularly in the Middle East where both faiths were initially fostered. That animosity is also being fostered in the tiniest corners of Earth where religion is often fashioned for political gain.Read more from Luke Hunt in The Diplomat..

Cambodian Art Rises from the Ashes of War

Published on Oct 10, 2015 by Luke Hunt

For centuries, Cambodian art was defined by one-dimensional paintings of Angkor Wat, the imposing 12th century temple, or idyllic scenes of village life.It was a stock and trade venerated by the Royal Palace until its virtual annihilation under the murderous rule of the Khmer Rouge and the following three decades of war.Read more from Luke Hunt in The Diplomat..

Vietnam Waives Visas, for Some

Published on Jul 3, 2015 by Luke Hunt

Vietnam’s decision to axe visa restrictions on five European countries is expected to be extended in a bid to shore up its tourism industry, which has been punished by a military standoff with China and a sharp deterioration in the Russian economy.Read more from Luke Hunt in The Diplomat..

Kelly Slater Buys Thai Stick

Published on Apr 12, 2015 by Luke Hunt

Film rights to Thai Stick, a scholarly work on the illicit marijuana trade between Southeast Asia and the West coast of the United States in the 1960s and 70s, have been recently acquired by perhaps the greatest ever competitive surfer, American Kelly Slater. Media stereotyping has often linked surfing with the smoking of weed and while Slater does not smoke marijuana he certainly supports the de-criminalization of the product in the U.S. and doubts whether it should even classified as a drug.“It’s a plant and it’s beyond ridiculous that people have somehow decided making it illegal was the right thing. The end result is generally users going to jail who cause society no harm,” he recently toldsurfing publication Swellnet.“I don’t....

Adios, Cantina. Viva Hurley!

Published on Mar 28, 2015 by Luke Hunt

One of Phnom Penh’s most legendary venues closes tonight. Cantina, the restaurant-cum-watering-hole and brainchild of Hurley Scroggins III, will shut its creaky, iron gate on the riverside late tonight for the last time – probably after midnight – and end a memorable and historic chapter in the life of this fair city.Read more from Michael Hayes in The Phnom Penh Post..

Wrap: HIV Tragedy, a Sufi Poet and a Granny on Drugs

Published on Jan 4, 2015 by Luke Hunt

In a small village in Cambodia’s west, a tragic tale of  international significance has caught the local authorities off-guard. An unlicensed doctor has been charged with causing an outbreak of HIV and murder after lax practices resulted in at least 201 people contracting the potentially fatal disease.Read more from Luke Hunt in The DiplomatBelievers of All Faiths Celebrate Sufi PoetAs conductor of 20 of the world’s most accomplished whirling dervishes, and 30 of the greatest Sufi musicians, Fahri Ozcakil holds one of the highest spiritual positions in Turkey. But despite his high status, Mr Ozcakil remains resolutely humble.Read more from Dan Boylan in The NationalAussie Drugs Granny May Have Been Fooled By LoveAn Australian grandmother facing execution on drugs charges....

Kathleen O’Keefe: 1960-2014

Published on Dec 14, 2014 by Luke Hunt

To journalists working across Southeast Asia in the 1990s and 2000s, the name Kathleen O’Keefe was the stuff of legends.In 1992, the Medford native, along with her then-husband Michael Hayes, a Wellesley native, moved to war-ravaged Cambodia to launch one of the bravest free press publishing experiments in recent journalism history: Cambodia’s first, modern independent newspaper — The Phnom Penh Post.Read more from Dan Boylan in the Boston Herald..

Boxing's Great Leap Forward

Published on Dec 14, 2014 by Luke Hunt

When boxing great Manny Pacquiao put Chris Algieri on the canvas for a sixth time at the Venetian Cotai Arena in Macau, 15,000 fans leapt from the edge of their seats. Pacquiao’s status as one of the fight game’s greats was secured and victory raised the tantalizing prospect of a showdown with Floyd Mayweather – the world’s highest paid athlete.The smart money, however, already had their victory, and with an eye on China promoters were already counting the cash as a hopelessly outgunned Algieri struggled to his feet.Read more from Luke Hunt in The Diplomat..

Cambodia Brings Its Water Festival Back

Published on Nov 16, 2014 by Luke Hunt

With a terrific sense of relief, Cambodia has held its first Water Festival since 2010, the year 353 people, mainly youths, were killed in a tragic crush on Diamond Island Bridge, raising serious questions about the government, the police, and their ability to control large crowds effectively.Read more from Luke Hunt in The Diplomat..