New Summit Old Problem

Published on Nov 21, 2012 by Luke Hunt

FAR EAST CORRESPONDENT — When the Indonesian delegation flew into Phnom Penh for the ASEAN and East Asian Summits late last week President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono was hoping that there would be no repeat of the diplomatic events that marred a similar meeting of regional foreign ministers in July. Back then a split emerged in the 10-member trading bloc over how best to deal with China and the growing tensions over conflicting territorial claims in the South China Sea. Read more in The Diplomat. .

Poverty in Laos

Published on Nov 18, 2012 by Luke Hunt

FAR EAST CORRESPONDENT — Laos is a country in transition that is enjoying robust economic growth as a result of its exposure to global markets, increased foreign investment in the country’s abundant natural resources, and a blossoming tourism industry. At the same time, more than a third of Laos’s population continues to live below the global poverty line of U.S. $1.25 PPP a day in a society where most of the population remains dependent on subsistence agriculture. Farming still accounts for 67.6% of total employment, compared with 16.9% of the population who is self-employed and only 15.5% who are wage-earners, according to the World Development Report 2013. The UN Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that 93% of women who participate....

Emulating Singapore?

Published on Nov 14, 2012 by Luke Hunt

FAR EAST CORRESPONDENT — Singapore has attracted admirers for its success in transforming from one of Asia’s less developed countries into an international economic powerhouse. Now, with China seeking to do the same for itself and double per capita income by 2020, could the tightly controlled but economically vibrant city-state help show Beijing’s communist leaders how to maintain their grip on power? Read more from Anthony Fensom in The Diplomat. .

Thai Rice Crisis

Published on Nov 10, 2012 by Luke Hunt

FAR EAST CORRESPONDENT — After years as the world’s top rice exporter, Thai PM Yingluck Shinawatra’s populist policies are causing serious problems. As the elected senator of northeastern Nakhom Phanom province, Dr. Vitthaya Inala is in a difficult position. The majority of his roughly 750,000 constituents, many of them poor paddy farmers, are in full support of a year-old government scheme that promises them 15,000 baht ($488) per ton of white rice, he says, far more than they earned in the past. Read more in The Diplomat. .

Vietnamese Bears Face Eviction

Published on Nov 9, 2012 by Luke Hunt

FAR EAST CORRESPONDENT — Across Southeast Asia land grabbing has become an enormous issue. In Vietnam, a showdown is looming between animal rights activists and the government, which is planning to evict a wildlife sanctuary from a national park used to house bears rescued from illegal bile farms. Practitioners of traditional Asian medicine claim bear bile is effective as an anti-inflammatory in the treatment of fever and can improve eyesight while healing an assortment of ailments. The practice is barbaric with the bile harvested through a catheter or a needle which is inserted into the bile duct of the bear held captive in small cages often for years at a time. Read more in The Diplomat. .