New Mandala

While people may and should debate on the merit of the lese majeste law, outright verbal attacks online, especially those that are unsubstantiated have led to a feeling that the online virtual debating community is degenerating into verbal abuse and uncompromising dogmatism, both from the political left and right. These reckless and vicious contributors end [...]

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Most people who arrive at New Mandala are looking for something meaty about the countries of mainland Southeast Asia.
A quick glance at the search engine terms that consistently bring readers to rspas.anu.edu.au/rmap/newmandala gives a strong indication of reader interests.  Some of the phrases that rank particularly highly are the predictable ones: “sufficiency economy”, “burma cyclone”, [...]

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New Mandala has long sought to draw attention to the injustices of Thailand’s lese majeste law.
From Oliver Jufer and Harry Nicolaides, to Suwicha Thakor and Daranee “Da Torpedo” Charnchoengsilpakul, whenever a lese majeste case is prosecuted, and every time an outrageous sentence is proclaimed, we receive a tragic spike in readership.  Outrage is voiced by [...]

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New Mandala will not be available from about 6pm (Canberra time) on Friday 14 August until about 6pm on Sunday 16 August 2009, due to major electrical works at the ANU.

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This afternoon I will be attending the launch of South Asia Masala the latest addition to the blog stable here at the ANU.
South Asia Masala aims to deliver a true masala of interdisciplinary analysis that spans political, economic, cultural, social, developmental and strategic issues emanating from the region.
South Asia Masala’s central raison d’être is to [...]

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I have recently learned that the Study Abroad in Laos (SAIL) program organised by the Center for Laos Studies has a blog to complement their exciting activities on the ground in mainland Southeast Asia.  More details on the program and its participants are available here.  They even have a short video presentation that gives some [...]

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There’s been another — albeit less tragic — mishap at a major Buddhist shrine in Myanmar, less than one week after the collapse of Danok Pagoda on May 30.
Exile news website Mizzima reports that eight monks were injured on June 4 when a lift malfunctioned at Myanmar’s largest standing Buddha, which is located near the [...]

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Regular readers will recall that in recent weeks I have pointed out some of the interesting parts of Burma and Thailand that are visible on satellite images.  Today I have been scouting around for other places of interest and decided that a short tour of the towns of Ruili and Muse would be appropriate.
From high [...]

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Readers looking for consistent coverage of “Thailand’s Underworld” will appreciate the new Bangkok Crimes blog.  Run by Khlong Cowboy, it “aims to document the many different crimes occurring in Thailand and to try and understand them within the context of Thailand’s unique socio-cultural and political framework.”
It is off to a promising start, and will offer [...]

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The Irrawaddy published an article yesterday on a new website, entitled 64 for Aung San Suu Kyi, which was created this Wednesday. The aim of the website is to gather messages of support for Burmese opposition leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, whose 64th birthday is coming up on 19 June.
According to The Irrawaddy, “[t]he organizers of [...]

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