ASEAN Today
The poor state of press freedom is stunting social progress in Southeast Asia
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) released their annual ranking of the global state of press freedom earlier this month and Countries in Southeast Asia did poorly—none of the 11 countries in the ASEAN bloc scored above RSF’s “difficult situation” designation. RSF ranks countries based on a questionnaire given to ...
Zachary Frye
Lao government, ethnic communities clash over development projects
New reports of Lao military operations against ethnic Hmong communities suggest the government is tightening its control over areas targeted for development and investment. According to a Radio Free Asia report on April 1, Lao military forces have repeatedly attacked Hmong living around Phou Bia mountain in Xaysomboun province, ...
Editorial
Vietnam’s economy is among the most vulnerable in the world to climate change impacts
While Vietnam has largely succeeded in combatting the coronavirus, COVID-19 is not the only crisis facing the country, as the threat posed by climate change is reported to be, in some ways, just as serious. According to the latest Global Climate Risk Index report, published in January, Vietnam’s ...
Umair Jamal
Cambodia’s Tonle Sap shows what’s at stake in the Mekong’s dam-fueled decline
Every year around December, fishers, farmers and families across Cambodia begin the season for making the country’s traditional prahok fish paste, a vital staple in the country’s diet. But this tradition, along with the food supply and livelihoods of millions of people, is under threat from a growing ecological ...
Editorial
Angkor sells out: Cambodia turns a blind eye to vanishing forests
A series of reports this year show that protected forest areas across Cambodia are under increasing threat from land grabs and deforestation. As Cambodians struggle with the economic impacts of COVID-19, journalists and advocates report that illegal logging and land development continues, from central Cambodia’s Prey Lang Forest to the Cardamom Mountains ...
Editorial
Geopolitics plays out on the Mekong with doubts on dams and promises of cooperation
Recent weeks have seen new developments in the ongoing tension over the Mekong river and its waters, as the river basin faces ecological crises and its waters play an ever-larger role in geopolitics. Thailand has announced that it is reconsidering its decision to purchase power from the planned Sanakham ...
Editorial
Severe storms show how dams, displacement magnify climate impacts in Laos
As a wave of storms drives flooding across Southeast Asia, a community in northern Laos displaced by a hydropower dam says their new homes are no longer safe due to the threat of landslides. Over 12,000 people have been relocated to allow for the construction of seven dams on the ...
Editorial
Typhoon Vamco strikes Vietnam and the Philippines, showing force of climate crisis
On November 15, Typhoon Vamco struck the coast of central Vietnam with gusts topping 100 kilometers per hour, becoming the latest in a string of storms to hit the country in recent weeks. Following months of harsh drought, the storms have caused widespread flooding and landslides, displacing ...
Editorial
Extreme weather highlights Southeast Asia’s vulnerability to climate change
Over the past several weeks, parts of Southeast Asia have been pummeled by severe storms. Widespread flooding across the region, especially in Vietnam, left hundreds of thousands of residents temporarily displaced. In Vietnam alone, at least 90,000 people were forced from their homes during the first several weeks ...
Zachary Frye
Are Southeast Asia’s cyber defenses vulnerable to Chinese attacks?
A telecom firm in the Philippines recently hired the services of a United States-based cybersecurity firm to shore up its defenses against the potential threats of spying by China. It became the latest in a string of Southeast Asian corporations to have engaged a cybersecurity firm to strengthen ...
Umair Jamal
