New Mandala

New perspectives on mainland Southeast Asia

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The “Karen consensus” strawman is alive and well

September 14th, 2006 by Andrew Walker · 3 Comments

In the final footnote of Claudio Delang’s edited collection Living at the Edge of Thai society: the Karen in the Highlands of Northern Thailand Charles Keyes refers to an article I published in 2001 which critically assessed a range of Thai-language publications on the Karen:
Walker has created a strawman—which he labels the ‘Karen consensus’—which he [...]

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Tags: Publications · Thailand

New Book: Naga Cities of the Mekong

September 14th, 2006 by Nicholas Farrelly · Add a Comment

Martin Stuart-Fox, a prolific writer on Southeast Asian affairs over many years, has made another contribution to the literature on Laos.  His new book, Naga Cities of the Mekong: A Guide to the Temples, Legends and History of Laos, will surely interest many New Mandala readers. 
When we track down a copy, more comments will be forthcoming. 

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Tags: Laos · Publications · The Mekong

“Final boarding call for all passengers flying to Naypyidaw”

September 14th, 2006 by Nicholas Farrelly · Add a Comment

Air Bagan - Burma’s most professional and savvy airline – has announced that it is seeking to develop an international business.  Partly owned by the country’s richest businessman, Te Za, and his Htoo Company, it is, by any measure, a slicker domestic carrier than its many woeful “competitors”.
With Air Asia now flying to Rangoon, there are increasing options for [...]

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Tags: Burma · Trans-Border Issues