Bali, 10 Years After

Published on Oct 19, 2012 by Luke Hunt

FAR EAST CORRESPONDENT — Anniversaries and commemorations can be awkward affairs, bringing people together for no other reason than a shared experience and the passage of years. However, the 10th anniversary of the Bali bombings might prove different and leave their own indelible mark. As the last bags are packed and return flights boarded by those who traveled to attend the commemorations for the 2002 attacks on the Kuta-Legian strip that left 202 people dead, the Indonesian authorities and governments around the world who sent envoys will no doubt be breathing a little easier. Read more in The Diplomat. .

Drunks & Politicians

Published on Oct 18, 2012 by Luke Hunt

FAR EAST CORRESPONDENT — At the weekend a court in Ho Chi Minh City fined a mischievous drunk for causing public disorder while under the influence of alcohol. Pham Van Binh, a 43-year-old cycle-rickshaw puller, had climbed the bronze statue of General Tran Nguyen Han, a 15th-century warrior who fought Chinese occupation (pictured to the right). He had waved at the crowd and sat on the General’s hand, stretching his criminal performance to a good 15 minutes, while as police tried their best to coax him down. They even laid out an air-mattress, in case he fell. He jumped, eventually. Read more in The Economist. .

Poverty & Politics in SE Asia

Published on Oct 16, 2012 by Luke Hunt

FAR EAST CORRESPONDENT — Populist economics is on the risein Southeast Asia. Politicians have been actively adopting policies that aim to impress upon the poor that governments are doing something, however trivial, to improve their conditions. It is generally a positive development but is it sustainable? Read more in The Diplomat. .

Pchum Ben marked in Cambodia

Published on Oct 15, 2012 by Luke Hunt

FAR EAST CORRESPONDENT — In the early morning hours this week, while most of Phnom Penh was still asleep, vendors gathered in front of Wat Lanka to sell plates with fruits, sticky rice and paper cuttings vaguely resembling human beings in different colors. Read more in The Cambodia Daily. .

Laos Ready for WTO

Published on Oct 13, 2012 by Luke Hunt

FAR EAST CORRESPONDENT — Fifteen years ago Laos lodged its application for membership to the World Trade Organization (WTO). It then embarked on a process of sometimes painful economic reforms, designed to make a one-party communist state feel a little more acceptable for the overwhelmingly capitalist classes who founded and run the world trading bloc. Vientiane followed a path chartered by the likes of China, Vietnam and to a much lesser extent Cambodia. Their work is about to pay off and Laos is expected to become the last member of ASEAN to join the 157-member WTO at meeting slated for later this month. Read more in The Diplomat. .