Dec 27, 2013

Dec 21, 2013

Check: Is Thailand so special in protest cycle between the rich urban and poor rural?

Asia Unbound » Thailand’s Political Crisis—Not so Unique
http://blogs.cfr.org/asia/2013/12/19/thailands-political-crisis-not-so-unique/

But in many ways, Thailand is not so unique, and there are lessons to be learned from other democratizing nations—once Thai opinion leaders get beyond the idea of Thai uniqueness. Many countries have made a gradual transition to democracy only to find that some segments of the middle class and elite dislike the shift in power engendered by democratization, and look to extra constitutional means of subverting democracy. In countries like Spain, for instance, remnants of the military/bureaucratic/business elite repeatedly tried to bring down elected governments in the late 1970s and early 1980s. But as King Juan Carlos and other top military leaders repeatedly stymied coups and other interventions, it became accepted that coups were no longer feasible in Spain, and most elites reconciled themselves to democratic politics.

...

Similarly, other countries in the region have made a gradual transition toward building trusted formal institutions of conflict mediation and away from having disputes mediated by informal institutions gathered around one or two top leaders, as was common in Suharto’s Indonesia and has been the case with Thailand’s network monarchy for years. Indonesia slowly has built a more stable and trusted court system, and more trusted institutions designed to monitor elections and address potential electoral fraud. Poorer than Thailand, and in many ways far more divided and harder to govern, Indonesia nonetheless has created reasonably stable formal institutions, allowing politics to be channeled through a system, and no longer through the hands of a small handful of men and women.

Dec 20, 2013

Check: Abducted Taiwanese Tourist Rescued in the Philippines - Southeast Asia Real Time

Abducted Taiwanese Tourist Rescued in the Philippines - Southeast Asia Real Time - WSJ

http://blogs.wsj.com/searealtime/2013/12/20/abducted-taiwanese-tourist-rescued-in-the-philippines

This abduction incident actually has a meaning in Taiwan-Philippines relations.

Since the 2013 Guang Da Xing No. 28 incident, Taiwan and the Philippines have a bad bilateral relations. However the quick and generous response of the Taiwanese government to the Philippines after the attack of Typhoon Haiyan. the Philippines acted proactively when they received a request from Taiwan side. Hence, it was said that the incident created an opportunity of cooperation between the Taiwanese and the Philippines government. The cooperation signify a repair of relations between Taipei and Manila.

More about the incident:

KMT legislator says kidnap victim alive, heads to Malaysia - Taipei Times http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2013/11/18/2003577130

Dec 17, 2013

On SouthEast Asia Game and Myanmar

Check:

Asia Unbound » Myanmar’s SEA Games Success a Positive Omen

http://blogs.cfr.org/asia/2013/12/16/myanmars-sea-games-success-a-positive-omen/

in many respects the Southeast Asian Games, which are really Myanmar’s reentry to the regional/international stage, appear to be a success for the home country. (So far—one never knows when something disastrous could happen in Myanmar.) The infrastructure built and refitted for the Games has held up well, a sharp contrast from events in other countries in the region, like the recent Commonwealth Games in India during which the facilities appeared to be falling apart and the athletes’ areas were so dirty they caused a minor scandal in India. Many athletes, officials, and other foreign visitors have praised the ease of travel in Yangon, hardly a given, and also have praised the availability of assistance in English and other regional languages at the Games.


Dec 16, 2013

Dec 13, 2013

check @reuters interview with Indonesian President candidate from Golkar Party

Ghost of Indonesia's Suharto gives life to his old political party | Reuters
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/12/13/us-indonesia-bakrie-idUSBRE9BC05O20131213

SUHARTO VS SUKARNO LEGACY

Asked if next year's election would be a battle between the Sukarno and Suharto legacies, Bakrie replied: "I don't think that you are wrong," but added he was also a fan of Sukarno and Indonesia's shift to democracy.

 

Dec 11, 2013

Dec 10, 2013

Understanding the background of the Singapore's riot in Little India

Using the title of Forbes's report, the riot is "a shock, but not a total surprise." This blog post is not about the incident itself, but see what academic has done to understand the South Asian migrants or migrants issue in Singapore.
Doing some research, researches about South Asian migrants in Singapore is not as many as studies about domestic workers.

Dec 9, 2013

Dec 8, 2013

What does Southeast Asia look in OECD’s latest PISA survey? (Updated)

Yesterday, news talked about the PISA result. There were five ASEAN countries participated in PISA 2012. They were Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Most SE Asian PISA-related news was only appeared in their local news headline but not in international news. This post summarized the PISA result of SEA participants and the local commentary about the result.

@Reuters Special Report: Thailand secretly dumps Myanmar refugees into trafficking rings (Add feedback from Thai PM)


Different special report from SCMP (HK):



Dec 4, 2013

Read an argument why there should not be a presidential apology from the Philippines to Hong Kong victims in the 2010 hostage tragedy

One month passed after the Hong Kong government set a deadline for Philippines to make "progress" on the compensation talks with victims of the incident. General population of Hong Kong believe that there should be a presidential apology from the Philippine President, Benigno Aquino III. However, the Philippine President kept saying that there should not be an official presidential apology. A Hong Kong blogger, Evan Fowler, has shared the similar view on no-presidential-apology in a Hong Kong internet news. It worth to see the reasons made Evan believe that.
 
SEE: A Shameful Reaction to the Philippine Hostage Tragedy | Evan Fowler 方禮倫 | 主場新聞 http://thehousenews.com/politics/a-shameful-reaction-to-the-philippine-hostage-tragedy/ 

Dec 2, 2013

Dec 1, 2013

Nov 29, 2013

SEARC Director commented on Thailand's protest in local media - RTHK's The Pulse

SEARC director, Prof Mark R. Thompson, has commented on the ongoing Thailand protest in Hong Kong local media, RTHK.
 

Source: snapshot of online playback from RTHK (http://rthk.hk/)
 
If you missed the show on TV please visit RTHK's website to watch the playback.
The link is:
 
The Pulse: Unrest in Thailand; Corruption Crackdown in China; Mong Kok Pedestrian Zone:
 
 
Or
 
 
Content of the show:
Protests are still continuing in Thailand, with demonstrators this morning protesting in six different sites. There have been similar scenes in Bangkok over the years, and some have even involved military intervention, but is it likely to go so far this time? With us in the studio is Professor Mark Thompson from the South East Asia Research Centre of the City University of Hong Kong.

Nov 27, 2013

Check this: ADBI Working Paper : Disaster Risk Management at the National Level By Mikio Ishiwatari

ADBI just released a working paper on disaster risk management in Asia-Pacific. Due to the recent Philippines typhoon disaster or even the Indonesian volcano incident, the working paper is just on time for people who interested in the disaster related issue in the region.

Nov 26, 2013

Nov 22, 2013

Nov 20, 2013

Nov 17, 2013

Nov 13, 2013

About the IMF's call on the rice subsidies in Thailand

There are reports about the IMF's suggestion to stop the rice subsidies to poor farmer in Thailand which is the chief policy of the current Yingluck's government to gaining support from the majority in Thailand.
 
For people who interested into the issue, here is the link of the whole IMF report and the original quotes from the report regarding to the financial situation of Thailand. 

A sum up of Thailand’s 2013 amnesty bill (Update Nov 15, 2013)

The controversial amnesty bill has been rejected yesterday. The bill was widely seen as a go-back-to-home chance for the expelled former PM, Thaksin Shinawatra. Indeed, the bill could also exonerate another former PM of Thailand, Abhisit Vejjajiva, who is now being charged with murder in the 2010 red-shirt protest. It can be said the bill itself was a good attempts to reach reconciliation between yellow and red in Thailand.

For people who interested in the process of the bill, here is a summary of news articles related to the issue.



News reports:


Nov 15, 2013

The 2013/11/15 printed issue of the Economist has a entry about the the politics of the whole amnesty bill:

Banyan: Blowing the whistle | The Economist

http://econ.st/HVpees or
http://www.economist.com/news/asia/21589873-thailands-former-prime-minister-thaksin-shinawatra-loses-battle-winning-war-blowing

 

Nov 13, 2013




Nov 11, 2013





Nov 9, 2013





Nov 7, 2013




Nov 6, 2013





Nov 5, 2013


  • Thaksin's Thai Amnesty Plan Could Prove to Be a Strategic Blunder - Southeast Asia Real Time – WSJ
    http://on.wsj.com/185ByPd



Nov 1, 2013





Sep 28, 2013



Quotes from scholars:

"If Mr. Thaksin and other leaders had not been added to the amnesty bill coverage, the majority of the people would have agreed to give amnesty to the ordinary people affected (in the conflict)," said Prinya Thaewanarumitkul, a law professor at Bangkok's Thammasat University.

In Thai Senate kills contentious amnesty bill
Nov 11, 2013



"If the bill fails, then Thaksin will have to recalculate his strategy," said Pavin Chachavalpongpun, an associate professor at Kyoto University. "The next step is to heal the rift that he has created among the Red Shirts," he said. "He wants to come home, he wants his money back."

in Thai Senate to Stop Amnesty Bill to Quell Unrest: Southeast Asia
Nov 6, 2013
http://bloom.bg/1iL0r7N via @BloombergNews



 
"Now, for the first time, you can see the split in the Red Shirts," says Pavin Chachavalpongpun, a professor the Centre for Southeast Asian Studies at Kyoto University. "They now have an opportunity to distinguish themselves as being separate from Mr. Thaksin and emerge as a serious pro-democracy, pro-justice movement."
Few Thais expect the likes of Messrs. Nattawut and Weng to throw their lot in with the opposition Democrat Party, though. So far, they have tempered their criticism to the amnesty bill itself. It will also take them a considerable amount of time for them to create their own political party, if indeed that has ever been their long-term aim, Mr. Pavin says.

in Thaksin's Thai Amnesty Plan Could Prove to Be a Strategic Blunder
Southeast Asia Real Time - WSJ
November 5, 2013 http://on.wsj.com/185ByPd



 
"It was a major part of his strategy, using his party and majority vote in parliament," Ora-Orn Poocharoen, an assistant professor at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy in Singapore, said of Thaksin. "Unfortunately, he hasn't got buy-in from everybody, and even people in his party and the coalition party -- they're shaking their heads saying why did we do this? Why did we stab ourselves when the government was actually doing quite well?"

in Thai Senate to Stop Amnesty Bill to Quell Unrest: Southeast Asia
Nov 6, 2013
http://bloom.bg/1iL0r7N via @BloombergNews



 
Messrs. Abhisit and Suthep have rejected the amnesty, saying they prefer to clear their names in court, and their adversaries in the Red Shirt camp are eager to help. They are leading their own rallies to ensure that Messrs. Abhisit and Suthep are put on trial.
"The amnesty issue seems to be bringing people from all sides of the political divide together, even if they are doing it for different reasons," said Pavin Chachavalpongpun at Kyoto University's Center for Southeast Asian Studies.
The conflict over the proposed amnesty shows how far Thailand still has to go in reconciling Mr. Thaksin's populism with a more conservative, technocratic style of government encouraged by Thailand's armed forces and royalist bureaucrats.

in Backlash Over Thai Amnesty Bill Spreads
Updated Nov. 4, 2013


The amnesty bill seems to be the final nail in the coffin for these hopes. Abhisit and his then Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban have been charged with murder but will not face trial, and the UDD is incensed that Pheu Thai is "climbing over the bodies of the Red Shirts so Thaksin can come home," says Pavin Chachavalpongpun, associate professor at Kyoto University's Centre for Southeast Asian Studies.

in Thailand's Amnesty Bill Unites Political Foes Against Government
Nov. 01, 2013
http://ti.me/1ahlwl8 via @TIMEWorld



 
In 2011, Thaksin's sister Yingluck Shinawatra was elected Prime Minister as head of the Pheu Thai Party largely on the back of huge Red Shirt support. Calls for restitution for the victims of 2010 — the military incursion was ostensibly ordered by then Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva of the PAD-backed Democrat Party — reverberated throughout the UDD rank and file. "They want justice for the violence that claimed their loved ones," says Thitinan Pongsudhirak, professor of political science at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok.

in Thailand's Amnesty Bill Unites Political Foes Against Government
Nov. 01, 2013
http://ti.me/1ahlwl8 via @TIMEWorld



 
"Puea Thai is risking making more enemies and losing support from traditional allies if it doesn't listen," said Prinya Thaewanarumitkul, a law professor at Thammasat University.

in Contested Amnesty Bill Advances to Let Thai Ex-Leader Return
Oct. 31, 2013



 

Nov 8, 2013

Nov 7, 2013