New Mandala

New perspectives on mainland Southeast Asia

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Thandar Shwe’s wedding…

November 2nd, 2006 by Nicholas Farrelly · 10 Comments

…is fast becoming an Internet phenomenon.  Part “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous”, part authoritarian home video - there is something for everyone in this widely downloaded 10 minute slice of dictatorial life.  But be warned: it could amuse, bemuse and cause outrage.  Thandar Shwe is, of course, the daughter of Senior General Than Shwe, the Burmese junta supremo. 
To sate your [...]

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Tags: Burma · Online Issues

The fate of the forests

November 2nd, 2006 by Andrew Walker · 1 Comment

A new publication from Foundation for Ecological Recovery provides a useful overview of Thai forest management since the national logging ban of 1989. The overall argument of the book is that the ban falls a long way short of providing a basis for sustainable and participatory forest management in Thailand.
  
There is not a lot that is new in this [...]

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Tags: Publications · Thailand · Trans-Border Issues

Buddhist Studies at Oxford

November 2nd, 2006 by Nicholas Farrelly · Add a Comment

In one way or another, this has been a big week for the discussion of Buddhist religious expression in Thailand and Burma.
At the other end of the world a new institution with a Buddhist hue is currently being setup.  As part of a wider expansion program here at Oxford University, the United Kingdom’s first endowed professorship in Buddhist [...]

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Tags: Burma · Thailand · Trans-Border Issues