New Mandala

…but any time I read about the seizure of illegally felled timber in Southeast Asia, I sit back and sigh.  Anybody who has worked or travelled much in the region will have seen timber – of small and large quantities – that is not exactly procured according to the letter of the law.  It is no secret [...]

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Some recent reporting on new taxis plying the streets of Rangoon only highlights the manifold problems of land transportation in Burma.  Even on the capital’s plushest streets, the basic requirements of efficient, economical and sensible public or private transport are rarely met.  It does, however, sound like these new taxis are a step in the [...]

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While many people in southern Thailand enjoy newfound wealth from tourist development, rampant land speculation and the rubber boom, others still take a daily harvest from the sea.  After once again satisfying local and international demand for the Gulf of Thailand’s seafood bounty, fishing fleets lie idle during the day at villages up and down the coast.  In the dark - in the [...]

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No, not the punchline to an obscure joke – just another chapter in the Australian government’s on-going efforts to “process” asylum claimants in small, semi-dependent, Pacific Island nations.�
Eight Rohingya arrived on Ashmore Reef and have since been transferred to Christmas Island, reports the Sydney Morning Herald.  Plans are afoot to foil any claims to live in Australia.  The report notes that [...]

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From the Lao News Agency: 

Khammuan to build cultural village
Last weekend at Pakpeng village in Thakhek district, Khammuan province, a certificate presentation ceremony was held for 87 cultural families from Pakpeng village, which has 205 families. The ceremony was attended by the Deputy Chief of Thakhek district Mr Khamsing Bouphaseng, Head of Provincial Culture Sector Mr [...]

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Kevin Hewison’s article about “neo liberalism and domestic capital” (Journal of Development Studies, 2005, volume 41, no. 2)predates the current political crisis but it provides important insights into the Thai Rak Thai phenomenon. Hewison traces Thaksin’s political success to the reaction against the IMF imposed neo-liberalism of the late 1990s. Neo-liberal policies posed real threats [...]

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There have been provocative words from the Thaksinites over the past days, as former Thai Rak Thai MPs from the northeast threaten that their supporters will descend on Bangkok.  The Nation repeats the claim that perhaps 10 million people could mobilise to defend Thaksin.�
As the anti-Thaksin forces start more loudly declaring their intention to call mass protests [...]

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Here is a first-hand account of recent flooding in Luang Namtha in north-western Laos.
The great flood.pdf
The author is Bill Tuffin, owner of the Boat Landing Guesthouse. He makes some interesting observations about the possible causes of flooding. Clearly the primary cause is extremely high rainfall. But Tuffin suggests a number of other contributing factors – [...]

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Today, The Nation reports a massive gathering of Burmese sports fans in Nakhon Pathom, just outside Bangkok, which resulted in mass arrests. The article begins:
When more than 10,000 itinerant Burmese labourers gathered at the sports ground of the Royal Police Cadet Academy in Sam Pran, Nakhon Pathom, yesterday, they were looking forward to enjoying their annual traditional celebration.
But [...]

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Accurate, timely and interesting news on local developments in the far-flung corners of Southeast Asia is often hard to come by.  I maintain some focus on a number of the region’s more remote areas, including Burma’s northern Kachin State.  While there is some Burmese and Jinghpaw language coverage of what goes on up there, little of that flows to the [...]

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