Najib Holds on, Just

Published on May 8, 2013 by Luke Hunt

FAR EAST CORRESPONDENT — Malaysia’s ruling powers have extended their unbeaten grip on power following Sunday’s elections. However, their performance was far from convincing, leaving Prime Minister Najib Razak vulnerable to a future challenge. Meanwhile, opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim has refused to accept the result amid widespread allegations of cheating. Read more from Luke Hunt in The Diplomat. .

Punting on Bokor’s Colonial Charm

Published on May 5, 2013 by Luke Hunt

ASIAWATCH — Architects and historians say a conglomerate’s US$1 billion plan to build a gaming centre on Bokor Hill could mean it losing its unique French heritage, Luke Hunt Reports. Hidden in the clouds on a mountain overlooking the provincial capital of Kampot in Cambodia’s south sits a relic of a long-gone French colonial era. For decades a Catholic church, possibly the oldest in the country, remained abandoned here as wars were waged for decades on the flat lands below. Under the Chinese-backed Khmer Rouge, churches _ alongside all forms of religious life _ were anathema and systematically destroyed, believers persecuted and clergy exterminated by the Communists. In Phnom Penh, the 19th century Notre Dame Cathedral became the first building....

ASEAN Finds Common Ground

Published on May 3, 2013 by Luke Hunt

FAR EAST CORRESPONDENT — At the latest summit of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Brunei leaders provided a refreshing change to the infighting and bickering which characterized the 12 months since April 2012 when Cambodia – with some dabbling from China – was host. Divisions remained, however, and agreements on touchy subjects like how to handle overlapping claims and best deal with Beijing in the South China Sea were as elusive as ever. Read more in The Diplomat. .

Malaysia Govt. Spends Up Ahead of Poll

Published on Apr 30, 2013 by Luke Hunt

FAR EAST CORRESPONDENT — The two key States of Sarawak and Sabah are crucial for both major parties leading up to Malaysia’s election. The eastern states have traditionally been a stronghold of the ruling coalition, but it’s expected there will be a significant swing towards the opposition. Watch more from Liam Cochrane at Australia Network News. .

Sabah Candidate Expects to be Blamed for Insurgency

Published on Apr 28, 2013 by Luke Hunt

FAR EAST CORRESPONDENT — Sabah PKR candidate for Penampang in the upcoming Malaysian election Ignatius Dorrel Leiking says he is likely one of the three opposition leaders accused of plotting the Sulu incursion into Lahad Datu. Read more from Malaysiakini.   .

Sarawak Tycoon ‘Avoids’ Aussie Tax Bills

Published on Apr 28, 2013 by Luke Hunt

FAR EAST CORRESPONDENT — One of Asia’s richest tycoons has avoided tax on tens of millions of dollars in profits from Australian property deals over the past two decades. Onn Mahmud – brother of the billionaire chief minister of Sarawak – has used an elaborate global financial network to export his earnings from a portfolio of Sydney commercial and residential properties worth an estimated $100 million. Read more from Mark Baker in The Age. .

Thailand Lifts Ban on Preah Vihear Documentary

Published on Apr 27, 2013 by Luke Hunt

FAR EAST CORRESPONDENT — Two days after Thai authorities banned Boundary, a documentary about Thailand’s festering border dispute with Cambodia at Preah Vihear, censors have lifted the ban, citing a “technical mistake”. The ban occurred as the International Court of Justice (ICJ) prepares to make a ruling over territory surrounding the 11thcentury ruins. Initially, Thai film censors claimed the documentary, which was directed by Nontawat Numbenchapol and debuted in February at the Berlin International Film Festival, was a threat to national security and international relations. Read more from Luke Hunt in The Diplomat. .

Feiz Muhammad: One Lead for the Boston Bombing

Published on Apr 23, 2013 by Luke Hunt

FAR EAST CORRESPONDENT — In the United States, a picture is emerging of the personalities behind last Monday’s bombing at the Boston Marathon. Thanks to the technologies of the digital age, the histories of Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev have been traced from Cambridge, Massachusetts, to Russia and Chechnya, with links found as far away as Australia and Malaysia. As authorities sifted through the two suspects’ social media accounts, from Twitter to YouTube and beyond, they came across a rant by Australian cleric Feiz Muhammad, an advocate of jihad and violence in the cause of militant Islam, among other sentiments from the Muslim fringe. Read more from Luke Hunt in The Diplomat. .

Dunkley Was Given Permission to Leave Burma: Lawyer

Published on Apr 22, 2013 by Luke Hunt

FAR EAST CORRESPONDENT — Australian newspaper publisher Ross Dunkley was blocked from leaving the country despite having the proper exit visa, the Myanmar Times director’s lawyer told The Irrawaddy. Dunkley was barred from making a trip to Cambodia on April 11 at Rangoon’s international airport. Read more from The Irrawaddy. .

Sabah Conflict Garners Election Interest

Published on Apr 22, 2013 by Luke Hunt

FAR EAST CORRESPONDENT — The ongoing conflict in Sabah has generated interest in the Philippines for Malaysia’s upcoming general elections. Both Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak and Philippine President Benigno Aquino have questioned the timing of the Sabah incursion in March, as both countries are in the middle of crucial general elections. Read more from Channel News Asia. .