Category Archives: NEWS DIGEST

The US has retreated from the TPP, but the multilateral trade deal may still be alive.Laos’s Pak Beng dam is likely to start within months, however, residents in the area still know little about it. Also, Trump finally spoke to Xi by phone and agreed to support ‘One China’ policy. South China Sea disputes still go on. And North Korea could not let Trump and China take all the headlines – the Hermit Kingdom launched a missile test earlier this week; two days later Kim Jong-un’s old half-brother was assassinated in Malaysia’s Kuala Lumpur International Airport.

EXSE FOCUS

While Trump and Abe Eye Bilateral Pact, Australia Keeps TPP Alive – The Diplomat Tokyo and Washington look to take the bilateral track but a slimmed-down TPP may still live on.

Related: How the TPP could survive without the US – Southeast Asia Globe Magazine

Despite the risks, Laos goes ahead with Pak Beng dam -Asia Times With construction likely to start within months, the people most affected still have little information on the hydropower project. /// Environmental impact is not always the only concern raised by hydropower projects. 60 million people’s livelihoods depend on the Mekong river, and therefore are affected by dams. It is concerning that the majority people who live in the area do not have necessary and enough information regarding the Pak Beng dam. And if we look at the numbers given by the article – 26 villages and 4,726 people are directly affected, but there is only US$10.28 million of the US$2.7 billion project cost for their compensation and support over 25 years. It looks to be a terrifying future for someone who does not even know that their livelihoods are about to be largely affected.

Trump Tells Xi Jinping U.S. Will Honor ‘One China’ Policy – NYT President Trump and Mr. Xi, the Chinese leader, spoke by phone on Thursday evening after an extended chill in the two countries’ relationship.

Related: Trump agrees to support ‘One China’ policy in Xi Jinping call – The Guardian

Related: Trump and ‘One China’: Two Phone Calls, Many Interpretations – The Diplomat

Related: China’s Xi Finally Speaks to Trump, Who Affirms US ‘One China’ Policy: Major Takeaways – The Diplomat

Related: ‘The Chinese Learned that Trump Blinks’ – Foreign Policy

South China Sea: US reports ‘unsafe encounter’ with Chinese military aircraft – The Guardian Navy surveillance aircraft and Chinese military aircraft come within 1,000ft of each other near contested reef in apparently unintentional encounter, US says.

Expect a Heavier US Presence in the South China Sea, But What Can It Achieve? – The Diplomat Administration objectives are still unclear, but maintaining the regional status quo may be the most realistic.

Related: More FONOPs Coming Soon to the South China Sea? – The Diplomat

Related: How the South China Sea Could Heat Up Again in 2017 – The Diplomat

North Korea claims missile test success as China rejects US criticism – The Guardian US calls for it to press Pyongyang to ditch nuclear programme are pointless unless Washington looks at own role, Beijing says.

Related: Trump’s Muted Tone on North Korea Gives Hope for Nuclear Talks – NYT

The Guardian view on North Korea: the real cause for concern – The Guardian The death of Kim Jong-un’s brother in Malaysia raises questions about North Korea’s instability. But the pressing issue is the country’s nuclear programme – and how Donald Trump might respond to it

Related: Why Was Kim Jong-un’s Older Half-Brother Reportedly Assassinated? – The Diplomat

Related: Burmese woman detained in probe into death of N. Korea leader’s half-brother – REUTERS

Related: Kim Jong-nam death: Malaysian police arrest female suspect – The Guardian

Related: There Are No Ordinary North Korean Aristocrats– Foreign Policy 

Top Opposition Leader in Cambodia Resigns as Election Nears – NYT The move by Sam Rainsy came after the government began a series of actions that would allow it to dissolve the party he led.

Related: What’s Next for Cambodia’s Sam Rainsy? – The Diplomat

Related: With Sam Rainsy gone, what’s next for Cambodia’s opposition? – Southeast Asia Globe Magazine

Related: Why Did Cambodia’s Opposition Leader Quit? – The Diplomat

REGIONAL RELATIONS

Thai-Cambodian border trade up in January – Bangkok Post Border trade between Thailand and Cambodia through the eastern province rose by 12.71% month-on-month in January, with a 3.34% decline in Thai exports to the neighbouring country and an 89.48% increase in imports.

Malaysian Ship With Aid for Rohingya Arrives in Yangon – NYT A Malaysian ship carrying 2,300 tons of food and medicine to help members of Myanmar’s persecuted Muslim Rohingya minority arrived in Yangon.

ASEAN lacks plan to halt violent extremism – The Bangkok Post Last year was one of rising terrorist activity for Southeast Asia. Arrests and deaths of terrorist suspects in Indonesia more than doubled to 170.

Thais seek closer ties through bilateral business council – The Bangkok Post Thai businesses are ramping up ties with their Burmese counterparts in five main areas — agriculture, border trade, energy, industrial development and tourism — to tap into vast investment opportunities in the neighbouring country.

Keeping Chinese relations on the rails – The Nation Having been posted in Bangkok for three-and-a-half years, Chinese Ambassador Ning Fukui discusses collaboration between China and Thailand in a Facebook Live interview

Sources say Chinese Authorities Meet KNU Leadership in Kunming – The Irrawaddy KNU Chairman Saw Mutu Say Poe believed to be invited by Chinese authorities to discuss China’s role in Burma’s peace process. /// Ethnic issues in Myanmar contribute largely to the country’s long-lasting subnational conflicts. Would NCA be able to stop the conflicts if all relevant players signed it? And what does China’s involvement in Myanmar’s peace process imply? It is worth following the development of this story. 

Will Japan Join Trilateral ASEAN Patrols in the Sulu Sea? – The Diplomat A closer look at a move that has been subject to much speculation.

SUSTAINABILITY AND RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

Striking a balance between conservation and development at the heart of Mekong struggle – The Nation DEPENDING on who you speak to, there are naturally differing perspectives in regard to the future of the Mekong River, as most people living along the river look for a sustainable future through conservation of the existing ecosystem, while governments seek balanced resource usage and benefit-sharing arrived at via diplomacy and negotiation.

Poor households see few benefits from Qinghai solar pilot – The Third Pole The Chinese government is spending 30 billion yuan (US$4.4 billion) to reduce poverty in remote areas by installing solar power. One area seeing investment is Qinghai province in China’s north-west where solar panels are increasingly joining the herders’ tents on the high meadows.

Counterintuitive: Global Hydropower Boom Will Add to Climate Change – Mongabay For many years new hydropower dams were assumed to be zero greenhouse gas emitters. Now with 847 large (more than 100 MW) and 2,853 smaller (more than 1 MW) hydropower projects currently planned or under construction around the world, a new global study has shown that dam reservoirs are major greenhouse gas emitters.

A Thai oil firm, Indonesian seaweed farmers and Australian regulators. What happened after the Montara oil spill? – Mongabay During 74 days in late 2009, a leak in the Montara offshore drilling platform gushed tens of thousands of barrels of oil into the Timor Sea, a body of water shared by Australia and Indonesia. The spill is considered Australia’s worst offshore petroleum accident, and the third-worst spill by volume in the country’s history.

CHINA

‘We had to sue’: the five lawyers taking on China’s authorities over smog – The Guardian In an unprecedented legal case, a group of Chinese lawyers have charged the governments of Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei with failing to protect their citizens from air pollution, which is linked to a third of all deaths in the country. /// Smog has become a life and death issue in China. But everyone seems to be playing a wrong game: trying to find someone else to blame. A clean air is everyone’s responsibility, from the government to companies to exports, and to each citizen. Imposing car restriction on citizens won’t work if the authorities don’t realize they fail to protect the citizens. Using NGOs to hold corporate accountable won’t work if exports don’t help provide solutions. Suing the government? Well, good luck. It is always hopeful to see courageous souls. To tackle the smog problem, all stakeholders, starting from the government, should take their own responsibility and hold each other accountable. There is still a long way for China’s Northern residents to see the blue sky. But can millions of lives wait?

China to establish environmentally protected areas nationwide – GoKunming The Chinese government last week issued sweeping yet vague changes to the country’s development policy, outlining a nationwide program to protect the environment. Of central concern are “natural areas with important ecological functions”, which, according to the new policy, must be identified and protected in every corner of China by 2020.

Trump, Changing Course on Taiwan, Gives China an Upper Hand – NYT In pledging to honor the “One China” policy, the president may have averted confrontation with Beijing, but some said he also sullied his reputation there.

Why Donald Trump can’t bully China on trade – The Guardian Beijing holds trillions of dollars in US debt and any trade disruption could lead to huge price rises in the budget stores on which many Americans rely

China Reshuffles Top Military Posts – The Diplomat Xi Jinping’s military reforms as seen from personnel reshuffle in the PLAN.

U.S. Eyes New Tactic to Press China – WSJ The White House is exploring a new tactic to discourage China from undervaluing its currency to boost exports, part of an evolving Trump administration strategy to challenge the practices of the U.S.’s largest trading partner while stepping back from direct confrontation.

China expels South Korean missionaries amid missile defence tensions – Reuters Beijing believed to be retaliating against Seoul’s plan to host Terminal High Altitude Area Defence system of the US military. China has expelled 32 South Korean Christian missionaries, a Seoul official has said, amid diplomatic tension between the two countries over the planned deployment of a US missile defence system.

How Xi Jinping’s global ambitions could thrive as Trump turns inward – The Guardian As Donald Trump steers the US towards isolationism and protectionism, China’s leader is casting himself as a champion of internationalism and free trade. But are Xi’s values really compatible with those of the rest of the world?

Related: China: The Accidental World Leader? – The Diplomat

China’s Prices Rise at Fastest Clip in More Than Two Years – WSJ Prices in China climbed at their fastest pace last month in over two years, boosted by rising energy prices and Lunar New Year demand for food, though economists expect the momentum to wane before midyear.

Thousands Protest Aluminum Plant in Chinese Oil City of Daqing – RFA Thousands of people took to the streets of northeastern China’s Heilongjiang province on Tuesday in protest over plans to build an aluminum plant near their home, protesters told RFA.

China Claims Coal Cutback Despite Doubts – RFA China has cut coal production for the third year in a row, according to government figures, despite a host of reasons to doubt that it did. Based on official data, China’s mines produced 3.36 billion metric tons of coal last year, down sharply by 9.4 percent from 2015. The decrease marked the biggest annual drop so far since production peaked in 2013.

SOUTHEAST ASIA 

Southeast Asia is in the grip of a biodiversity crisis – Chinadialogue Rich in wildlife, Southeast Asia includes at least six of the world’s 25 “biodiversity hotspots” – the areas of the world that contain an exceptional concentration of species, and are exceptionally endangered. The region contains 20% of the planet’s vertebrate and plant species and the world’s third-largest tropical forest.

Anti-coal protesters shrug off PM’s threat – Bangkok Post Once again, Bangkok is to become a scene of protests for anti-coal activists, as the top energy policy agency will meet and make a decision on the contentious coal-fired power plant in Krabi

Related: Kill all coal energy plans – Bangkok Post     

Co-ops seek lucky draw for solar power grid plan – Bangkok Post Agriculture cooperatives nationwide will submit a petition to Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha Tuesday asking the government to use a lucky draw to select solar farm projects which will supply electricity to the national power grid, instead of bidding as proposed.

Trump and the US-Thailand Alliance – The Diplomat The new chapter some are hoping for may not read the way Bangkok would like it to.

Related: US, Thailand to Launch 2017 Cobra Gold Military Exercises – The Diplomat

Manhunt Scours Laos for Accomplices in ‘Mr. X’ Drug Ring – RFA Lao and Thai authorities have launched a manhunt for five people believed to be part of a major drug gang that operated in the Mekong River region, according to Thai authorities.

Xayaboury to Halt Banana Plantations mid This Year – Lao News Agency The northern province of Xayaboury has decided that as of mid-this year, no more Chinese investments in banana plantations will be allowed.  Currently, there are over 520 ha of banana plantations in the province.

Vietnam plans large warehouses at border – Phnom Penh Post The Vietnamese government has launched a trade-development scheme that aims to construct 116 warehouses to store imports and exports along the Cambodian and Lao borders with a tentative completion date of 2035, a Vietnamese government official said.

A Race to Document Rare Plants Before These Cliffs Are Ground to Dust –NYT The species native to Cambodia’s limestone karsts exist nowhere else. Now these unique environments are being pulverized for cement.

Government Delays New Studies on Dams Backed By Kith Meng – The Cambodia Daily The Mines and Energy Ministry has yet to sign a memorandum of understanding with business mogul Kith Meng to undertake studies of three new hydropower dams, more than three months after the Council of Ministers gave it permission to do so.

The Rohingya Insurgents: Myanmar Creates Its Own Frankenstein – The Diplomat Harakah al-Yaqin, a new insurgent group in Rakhine state, is different that its predecessors.

Burma to probe police over alleged crimes against Rohingya – Reuters Burma is to investigate whether police have committed abuses against Rohingya Muslims, the government has said, after officials promised that allegations of atrocities against members of the Muslim minority would be looked into.

Related: Myanmar Investigation Commission Says it Cannot Verify UN Report on Rakhine Violence – RFA

Former army officer suspected in killing of Ko Ni – Reuters The President’s Office on Wednesday said a former military officer is suspected to have hired the killer of a prominent lawyer advising Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi’s ruling party, in a likely bid to destabilise the country.

Related: Myanmar Says Ex-Army Officer Ordered Prominent Lawyer’s Murder – NYT

Government earns $20 million in Letpadaung mine revenues – DVB The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation said Tuesday that the government has netted almost $20 million in revenue from the Letpadaung copper mining project through the first 10 months of the current fiscal year.

Dawei SEZ development loan on track – The Bangkok Post Plans for the Dawei special economic zone have inched ahead after the Burmese government agreed to borrow 4.5 billion baht ($128 million) from Thailand to finance the construction of a 132­-kilometre road from Dawei’s proposed deep-­sea port to Ban Phu Nam Ron in Thailand’s Kanchanaburi province.

Foreign Direct Investment Goal Reached Ahead of Schedule – The Irrawaddy The Myanmar Investment Commission expects to surpass its annual goal of US$6 billion in foreign investment before the fiscal year ends.

This week’s news digest is curated by Sonya Zhao.

ExSE Focus

Briefing: A Call for Strategic, Basin-wide Energy Planning in Laos – Stimson Center A new approach in Lao PDR would maintain the existing focus on exporting electricity to regional markets but also include setting a realistic target of total electricity production from a mix of sources, notably hydropower, solar, and wind. The portfolio mix would be optimized by (1) incorporating sound political, financial, environmental, and social risk analysis into the decision making process; (2) integrating multiple uses of water such as hydropower, transportation, irrigation, and flood control at a basin-wide scale in ways that addresses the needs of downstream countries; and (3) avoid building unnecessary dams in Lao PDR given the associated social and environmental risks.

Governments Must Chart a New Course for the Mekong River – International Rivers 2016 brought the worst drought in nearly a decade to the Mekong Delta. The severe drought compounded water shortages along the length of the lower Mekong River, resulting in the lowest water levels since 1926. The impacts on farmers, fishermen and agriculture throughout the Mekong Region were devastating. Fishing communities in the Tonle Sap Lake in Cambodia reported that water levels dropped by three meters, preventing the lake from completing its natural flood cycle and expanding into surrounding forests, which are vital areas for fish to spawn. In the Delta – Vietnam’s “rice bowl” – the Mekong River’s low water levels reduced its capacity to hold back seawater, resulting in saltwater intrusion up to 90 kilometers inland, which decimated rice paddies and food supplies in Southern Vietnam.

PM to pay visit to Don Sahong dam – Phnom Penh Post Prime Minister Hun Sen will visit the Don Sahong dam, which he once opposed, during a visit to Laos next week, the Foreign Ministry announced yesterday. Hun Sen and his Laotian counterpart, Thongloun Sisoulith, will preside over the inauguration of a new border checkpoint between the two nations on January 10, according to a ministry statement.//Is Hun Sen flip flopping back toward supporting Mekong mainstream hydropower now that LS2 is nearly complete and investors are gathering for the Sambor Rapids project? Still much opposition to mainstream and large dams on Mekong tributaries exists within the CPP.

Spare the Mekong –Bangkok Post (Opinion) The Prayut Chan-o-cha government made an out-of-the-blue decision that paves the way for the demolition of the Mekong River’s rocky outcrops for the sake of “improved waterway navigation”. But the plan to destroy the river’s outcrops and disrupt its ecosystem is obviously not viable for the river and must not be accepted by any countries, including Thailand.

Clearing for Lao-China Railway Begins, but Questions About the Project Still Remain – RFA Work began on the controversial Laos-China railway as crews started clearing the right-of-way in the ancient Lao city of Luang Prabang late last month, but questions over who will get the bulk of the jobs building the $6 billion project and how much people displaced by the construction will get paid still linger.//This is oversimplifying, but the Chinese Ambassador to Laos must have whispered something like this into the Lao PM’s ear, “See, Obama’s visit was a fluke. The US will never be back to Laos, it’s time to build that railroad.”

Kasy town to be relocated to make way for railway –Vientiane Times The urban centre of Kasy district in Vientiane province will be relocated to an area near the Kasy road to allow for construction of the Laos-China railway. A plot of flat land located in the Kasy road area has been allocated, requiring the relocation of about 400 houses and government offices that currently line Road 13 North.//Another  shady deal for an entire town goes down in Laos. Why not just move the railroad?

A human rights activist, a secret prison and a tale from Xi Jinping’s new China  Guardian Peter Dahlin spent 23 days in a ‘black prison’ in Beijing, where he says he was deprived of sleep and questioned with a ‘communication enhancement’ machine. Here he tells the story of his incarceration and expulsion from the People’s Republic of China.

Couple Held in China Are Free, but ‘Even Now We Live Under a Cloud’ NYT Kevin and Julia Garratt, Christian aid workers who had lived in China off and on for 30 years, are back in Canada, but say they do not feel completely safe.

Closing China’s Ivory Market: Will It Save Elephants? – NYT If the Chinese government really commits to combating the ivory trade, then the price of ivory could collapse. Criminal organizations and poachers will then abandon the business.

Myanmar Holds Officers After Video Purports to Show Police Beating Rohingya – NYT The recording, which appears to depict unarmed members of the Rohingya minority being beaten in Rakhine State, adds to pressure on the government.//ASSK cracking down too hard risks empowering the military and the Arakan army, too soft risks alienating the rest of the world. With thousands of Rohingya lives at risk, a Goldilocks solution work will unlikely bring swift relief to the Rohingya.

Malaysian aid flotilla bound for Arakan ‘not coming to create tension’ – DVB A Malaysian NGO has announced plans to send a flotilla of humanitarian aid to the stricken Rohingya population in northern Arakan State, while Burma’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has cautioned that any such shipment should be directed at assisting both Muslim and Buddhist communities in the country’s west.//The move threatens the long standing ASEAN principle of non-interference.

REGIONAL RELATIONS

Quick Take: ADB still has more muscle than the AIIB –China Economic Review It has been almost a year since the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) was formed, since it was launched in January 2016, the AIIB has approved eight projects in Oman, Myanmar, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Tajikistan and Indonesia totalling just over $1 billion. This compares to the 126 projects the ADB has approved over the course of 2016, with latest annual figures showing total investments at a record $27 billion in 2015.

A Bull Named Trump in a Shop Called China – Project Syndicate With US President-elect Donald Trump’s help, the “Chinese Century” may arrive sooner than anyone expected. By openly engaging with Taiwan, pointlessly pillorying China, and dismantling the Trans-Pacific Partnership, Trump is simultaneously provoking and empowering Asia’s rising hegemon.

Nixon’s Vietnam Treachery – NYT New evidence proves that Richard Nixon sabotaged peace talk plans in 1968, a move that may be worse than Watergate.

Why Are China’s Submarines Visiting Malaysia? – The Diplomat A brief look at how to read the latest naval engagement between the two sides.

Rex Tillerson at State: What Will He Mean for U.S.-China Relations? ChinaFile On December 13, President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team announced the selection of ExxonMobil Chief Executive Rex Tillerson as Secretary of State. We asked ChinaFile contributors to respond to the choice with a specific focus on how Tillerson might affect U.S.-China relations.

Philippines says South China Sea ruling not on agenda at ASEAN summit Channel News Asia An arbitration court ruling that rejected China’s claims to the South China sea and strained Chinese relations with the Philippines will not be on the agenda of this year’s Southeast Asian summit, a senior Philippine official said on Thursday.

All Aboard China’s ‘New Silk Road’ Express – FP China’s railway from the Pacific to London showcases the country’s turn toward Europe at a time of tension with the United States.

China Launches Lancang-Mekong Economic development initiative –Tactical Investor For centuries, the Mekong Delta region had witnessed wars and peace, and now residents on the river’s basin are seeking greater prosperity and development, while Beijing hopes to play a more pivotal role. The 1st Lancang-Mekong leaders meeting is held in Sanya on March 23. Leaders from Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam are expected to attend along with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang. Governments in the region plan to coordinate on water resources, security and development, particularly in connectivity infrastructure, production capacity, agriculture and poverty alleviation.//The article states that navigation improvements will permit river trade between Yunnan’s Simao port and Luang Prabang. The Jinghong mega-dam downstream from Simao has no navigation locks, so China’s Mekong trade terminus is in Jinghong, but most boats still use the Guanlei port further downstream close to the border with Laos.

SUSTAINABILITY AND RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

China to invest £292bn in renewable power by 2020 – Guardian World’s largest energy market looks to move from coal towards cleaner fuels. China will plough 2.5tn yuan (£292bn) into renewable power generation by 2020, the country’s energy agency has said, as the world’s largest energy market continues to shift away from dirty coal power towards cleaner fuels. The investment will create more than 13m jobs in the sector, the National Energy Administration said in a blueprint document that lays out its plan to develop the nation’s energy sector during the five-year 2016 to 2020 period.

China Punishes Polluters as Toxic Smog Swamps Northern Cities – RFA China entered 2017 with toxic smog still choking cities in the north and center of the country, in spite of anti-pollution measures that included punishments for offenders. China’s environmental protection ministry announced it had punished more than 500 enterprises and construction sites and 10,000 vehicles for breaching air pollution alert restrictions.

Decisions due on coal, gas, petroleum auctions –Bangkok Post The development of two coal-fired power plants in the South are the retirement of the Erawan and Bongkot gas blocks and the long-delayed 21^st round of new concessions for 29 petroleum are very crucial and controversial. Energy experts and operators had initially hoped that the issues would be concluded by 2017 before the military government steps down. But final decisions appear to be a long way yet due to strong opposition from villagers in the case of the power plants, and from energy activists and NGOs on the concession issue.

Environmental Justice In Thailand –Chanel News Asia (Video) The Mekong River is a source of livelihood for millions.  But a web of business deals and official corruption threaten to destroy it.  In this episode, a Thai activist and lawyer seeks to stop the construction of a dam in Laos, and defend villagers’ rights to the land and river.

Environmental issues a major concern among public in 2016 –VietNamNet Bridge The environmental disaster caused by the steel complex of Taiwanese Formosa Group discharged untreated waste water polluted four provinces in the central region, caused mass fish deaths and damaged local people’s livelihoods was just an example of environmental disaster in 2016. 2016 has been a year full of burning environmental issues, with Vietnam saying that it would not welcome foreign investors who conduct transfer pricing or cause environmental problems.

CHINA

China Rates the Best Toilets for Tourists (and Tells the Laggards to Clean Up) – NYT The country is making an effort to build, expand and renovate 100,000 toilets in scenic areas and along tourist routes.//100,000 clean tourists won’t replace blue skies and bring international tourists back to China. But it might work in Yunnan province where the air is relatively unpolluted and the public toilets rank among the worst in the developing world. 

 What All of China’s New Leaders in 2017 Will Have in Common – The Diplomat As the Party Congress looms, all those elevated will share one thing: loyalty to the center.

SOUTHEAST ASIA

The NLD should start 2017 by scrapping the Myitsone dam – MekongEye The beginning of the year is always a time of prediction and thus peak season for pundits. Twelve months ago, many pundits on Myanmar predicted the National League for Democracy-led government would, once it assumed power, quickly scrap the controversial Myitsone dam project.

Thai election won’t happen this year, legislator says – REUTERS Thailand will need to delay a planned general election until 2018 to allow time to pass the necessary laws, a member of the military government’s national assembly said on Monday.

New Year message to Thais: No elections in 2017? – InvestVine Democratic elections initially planned for this year will not happen until at least mid-2018 because the necessary legislation has to be passed first, a process that will take around 15 months, a member of the military-appointed and army-backed National Legislative

Thai leaders say general election on track for this year – DVB Thai Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan said on Wednesday a general election will be held this year after doubts were raised by a member of the national legislative assembly. Thailand’s next polls will restore civilian rule following a 2014 coup, and will be the first under a new constitution, approved in a referendum last year, that critics say will ensure military oversight of elected governments.

Welcome to Mogok, Myanmar’s mysterious mining mecca – SEA Globe Myanmar’s miners have been left with little more than scraps following years of military plunder. High in the hills of northeastern Myanmar, past a few sleepy army checkpoints on a stretch of road where mobile phones lose their signal, an ageing signpost set against a mountainous landscape reads: “WELCOME TO RUBY LAND”. This is the entrance to a little-known and seldom-visited town called Mogok, which is said to be the source of 90% of the world’s finest rubies.

How Aung San Suu Kyi is wasting Myanmar’s economic potential – SEA Globe Despite the lifting of economic sanctions on Myanmar, Aung San Suu Kyi’s government has yet to prove the country’s economy is in safe hands

Cambodians Need Somebody to Speak for Their Ghosts – FP The U.N. tribunal that just upheld Khmer Rouge convictions is slow, biased — and entirely indispensable.

Cambodian Evictees Attempt to Return Home to Borei Keila – RFA More than two-dozen residents violently evicted from their homes in Borei Keila neighborhood in the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh five years ago met the same fate on Tuesday when they attempted to reoccupy their old homes.

PM’s attempt to ‘split’ CNRP will fail: Rainsy – Phnom Penh Post Opposition leader Sam Rainsy said that Prime Minister Hun Sen is “dreaming” if he believes he can split the leadership of the Cambodia National Rescue Party, describing deputy opposition leader Kem Sokha as his “life-long partner in the rescue of the nation”.

YUNNAN

New governor sparks controversy with verbal gaffe — GoKunming In an era where public figures are recorded, filmed and instantly scrutinized during and after every public appearance, little mistakes have a tendency to set off firestorms. This was definitely the case recently when Ruan Chengfa (阮成发) was caught on tape mispronouncing the name of the province he now governs, multiple times.

Dual high-speed railways usher in new era for Yunnan – GoKunming The Spring City, once famous for its laid-back lifestyle, made another leap toward modernity at the turn of the new year. Kunming South Railway Station, officially opened December 28, is the last stop on the Shanghai-Kunming High-speed Railway. The new railway — opened in conjunction with a separate southern line — connects Kunming with other important national transportation hubs, including Shanghai, Hangzhou, Nanchang, Changsha and Guiyang.

Heshun: Old school charm in western Yunnan GoKunming  Heshun (和顺) is located in southwest Tengchong County (腾冲县) in the far west of Yunnan. It was once an important stop on the Ancient Tea Horse Road. Today, it remains one of the better-preserved old towns in the entire province.

This week saw stories about natural disasters in Indonesia and Thailand, and human rights disasters in Myanmar and the Philippines. Also, Thailand has a new king, Cambodian opposition party vice president Ken Sokha is pardoned, and Trump continues to scare us all with his twitter account.

EXSE FOCUS

Thai Prince Becomes King—New York Times The prince, Maha Vajiralongkorn, accepted the invitation to be the king of Thailand in a ceremony on Thursday.

Related: Thailand’s long succession—New Mandala

‘They Are Slaughtering Us Like Animals’—New York Times Inside President Rodrigo Duterte’s brutal antidrug campaign in the Philippines, our photojournalist documented 57 homicide victims over 35 days.//This is the most powerful piece of journalism that I have seen in a long time. The photos are very disturbing, but this piece effectively conveys the horror of Duterte’s “war on drugs.” The author writes, “I have worked in 60 countries, covered wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and spent much of 2014 living inside West Africa’s Ebola zone, a place gripped by fear and death. What I experienced in the Philippines felt like a new level of ruthlessness: police officers’ summarily shooting anyone suspected of dealing or even using drugs, vigilantes’ taking seriously Mr. Duterte’s call to “slaughter them all.”

Related: Duterte Says Trump Wished His Drug Crackdown ‘Success’

Confronting genocide in Myanmar –New Mandala Interethnic divisions in a young democracy cannot be downplayed or wished away, and it’s time Myanmar’s government and the international community acknowledge strong evidence that genocide is being perpetrated against the Rohingya and act to end it, Katherine Southwick writes.

Related: The Dark Depths of Myanmar’s Rohingya Tragedy—The Diplomat

Related: Killings, rapes, burnings: Rohingya describe their terror after fleeing Myanmar—South China Morning Post

Malaysian PM urges intervention in Arakan State—DVB Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak called for foreign intervention to stop the “genocide” of Rohingya Muslims in Burma on Sunday, as he joined thousands of Rohingya protesters in Kuala Lumpur.//One of the key features of ASEAN is its commitment to the principle of non-interference in the affairs of other states. The treatment of the Rohingya in Myanmar is once again putting this commitment to the test. Back in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s, human rights violations in Myanmar caused ASEAN to seriously reevaluate its principle of non-intervention for the first time since the Cold War. It was this that lead ASEAN to adopt the policy of “constructive engagement.” Read Amitav Acharya’s “Constructing a Security Community in Southeast Asia: ASEAN and the Problem of Regional Order” for more information on this.

Related: PM Najib leads Malaysian protest against ‘genocide’ of Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar—South China Morning Post

Related: Malaysia, Don’t Use Burma to Distract from Disquiet at Home—The Irrawaddy

China transforms smaller Southeast Asian neighbours with railway, power plant and property investment—South China Morning Post China’s investment is transforming its smaller Southeast Asian neighbours like never before while helping turn Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar into bigger destinations for its exports.

Joy as China shelves plans to dam ‘angry river’—The Guardian Environmentalists celebrate as Beijing appears to abandon plans to build giant hydroelectric dams on 1,750-mile Nujiang.//The author argues that economics is the most important explanation for the decision. Phillips writes, “Waning demand for power, a consequence of China’s slowing economy, and the difficulty of transmitting electricity from remote regions such as Yunnan to the rest of the country, means many believe large-scale dams no longer make financial sense.” If this is the case, we are likely to see more Chinese dam projects abandoned in the future. However, Chinese dam developers will continue to search for financially viable projects in other countries.

REGIONAL RELATIONS

Trump, Taiwan and China: The Controversy, Explained—New York Times No American president or president-elect is believed to have spoken with a Taiwanese president in decades — until a fateful telephone call on Friday.

What’s Behind Growing Japan-Singapore Relations?—The Diplomat As they celebrate 50 years of ties, the two Asian states are moving ever closer amid regional and global anxieties.

Pay Attention to Australia and Singapore’s Growing Defense Ties—The Diplomat The two states share a common vision for Asian security, and are increasing cooperation to that end.

Has China offered to bail out Malaysia’s 1MDB? At what cost?—South China Morning Post China’s economic largesse to Malaysia was back in the spotlight on Wednesday following an apparent renewed effort by Beijing to bail out the Southeast Asian country’s beleaguered 1MDB state investment fund.

Related: Singapore to Ban Former Goldman Banker in Connection With 1MDB Scandal—WSJ

Demise of TPP revives RCEP—Phnom Penh Post The announcement by US president-elect Donald Trump that he intends to pull the United States out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement has breathed new life into the largely dormant Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), a rival multilateral free trade proposal that puts China and ASEAN in leading roles.//Currently, RCEP is far less ambitious than the TPP, especially in terms of its depth of coverage on goods and services. It also lacks environment and labor standards, which were included in the TPP. For a comprehensive list of the similarities and differences, see this chart by the Asian Trade Centre.

SUSTAINABILITY AND NATURAL RESOURCES

Why the Mekong River Commission Matters—The Diplomat Despite its limitations, the body is key to ongoing efforts to save one of the world’s largest and longest rivers.

Burma Rivers Network Calls for a Halt to Dam Projects in Conflict Areas—The Irrawaddy Findings from BRN’s two-year documentation process indicate that completed and planned dam projects have diminished locals’ livelihoods and security.

Indonesia to Tackle Loss of Forests, Fires –The Irrawaddy Indonesia strengthens its moratorium on converting peat swamps to plantations in a move a conservation research group says will help prevent annual fires

Hydropower in Laos: An Alternative Approach—East by Southeast It’s time to take another look at the future of energy in Southeast Asia.

VN green energy gets strong tail wind—Mekong Eye Việt Nam is hoping to boost its renewable energy production, especially wind and solar energy, to more than 10.7 per cent of total generation by 2030, up from the previously planned 6 per cent.

How Big Banks Are Putting Rain Forests in Peril—New York Times Global lenders, sometimes flouting their own policies, have financed projects in Indonesia and elsewhere that destroy ecosystems and contribute to climate change.

“My spirit is there”: life in the shadow of the Mong Ton dam—Mongabay The Mong Ton is the largest of five dams planned for Myanmar’s stretch of the Salween River. If it is built, traditional ways of life, and areas of global ecological significance, will be gone forever.

Off-grid solar to help Myanmar bring electricity to all by 2030—The Guardian In a country where only 16% of rural homes have power a government-led scheme is bringing electricity to thousands of villages

CHINA

32 dead in China’s second major coal mine blast in a week—South China Morning Post Thirty-two miners were confirmed dead on Sunday in the second coal mine explosion in a week on the mainland, state-run media reported.

SOUTHEAST ASIA

The end of cheap labour in Southeast Asia?—Southeast Asia Globe As the International Labour Organisation kicked off its 16th annual Asia and the Pacific Regional Meeting today, Maurizio Bussi, director of the ILO country office for Thailand, Cambodia and Laos, spoke to Southeast Asia Globe about the challenge of turning the region’s economic growth into social progress

Burma suspends sending of migrant workers to Malaysia amid diplomatic row—DVB The Department of Labour in Naypyidaw on Tuesday ordered overseas employment agencies to temporarily stop sending migrants to Malaysia amid rising tensions between the two countries over the treatment of Rohingya Muslims in western Burma.

Related: Myanmar bans workers from going to Malaysia as Rohingya crisis grows—The Star

MYANMAR

Kofi Annan, in Myanmar, Voices Concern Over Reported Abuses of Rohingya—New York Times Mr. Annan, the former head of the United Nations who leads a commission that was formed to study conditions in restive Rakhine State, urged security services to follow the “rule of law.”

Related: Myanmar’s Leader Faulted for Silence as Army Campaigns Against Rohingya—New York Times

Related: Aung San Suu Kyi accuses international community of stoking unrest in Myanmar—The Guardian

Obama Lifts Some Sanctions Against Myanmar—New York Times The low-key announcement came despite the fact that Myanmar’s army is in the midst of a brutal campaign to drive out the Rohingya, a Muslim minority.

Shan State MPs vote to designate Northern Alliance ‘terrorists’—DVB In an emergency session on Wednesday, the Shan State legislature passed an urgent proposal to designate as “terrorist organisations” the four ethnic armed groups fighting with Burmese government forces in the state’s north.

Shan State Peace Talks Fall Apart—The Irrawaddy ‘Now let’s go back to our territory and launch this war again,’ says TNLA Col Tar Phone Kyaw, as talks fail to materialize.

THAILAND

Thailand to Investigate BBC over Profile of New King—The Irrawaddy ‘Authorities have to pursue the matter. It is their duty to pursue anything that is against the law,’ says Thai Defense Minister Prawit Wongsuwan.

Related: Prayut takes aim at BBC Thai over report—Bangkok Post

Severe Flooding in Southern Thailand Kills 14—The Irrawaddy Severe flooding due to heavy rain in southern Thailand has killed 14 people, including five students.

PHILIPPINES

Philippine vice-president resigns, promises to lead opposition to Duterte policies—South China Morning Post Philippine Vice-President Leni Robredo vowed on Monday to spearhead national opposition to extrajudicial killings and other flashpoint issues surrounding President Rodrigo Duterte’s controversial anti-crime crackdown.

Related: Philippines Vice-President resigns due to differences with Duterte administration—Investvine

Who built Marcos’ tomb?—New Mandala Asia’s oldest democracy is starkly divided, as Filipinos’ disappointment in post-EDSA democracy leads to disillusionment and, for some, a rise in authoritarian nostalgia, Cleve Arguelles writes.

Growing insecurity in Muslim Mindanao—New Mandala Five months into Duterte’s presidency, there are worrying signs that the long-running peace process with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front may be off track, Nathan Shea writes.

CAMBODIA

Cambodia’s King Grants Royal Pardon to Kem Sokha—RFA Cambodian opposition leader Kem Sokha received a royal pardon on Friday, freeing him from serving a five-month jail sentence and setting the stage for an easing of a year of political tensions as the authoritarian Southeast Asian country heads into election in 2017 and 2018.

Boom built on ‘slavery’—Phnom Penh Post The use of debt bondage to trap workers in “modern day slavery” is widespread in many of Cambodia’s brick-making factories, indicates research by rights group Licadho, whose findings suggest the Kingdom’s recent building boom is built on the illegal practice.

Shifting Idylls: Urban-Rural Dynamics in Cambodia—The Diplomat A closer look at how the city and the countryside – and perceptions of them – are evolving.

MALAYSIA

Najib’s fear campaign—New Mandala The Malaysian Prime Minister’s ruthless tactics to hold onto power at all costs demonstrate that he is the one who is most afraid while his people are willing to fight on, Bridget Welsh writes.

Related: Why Malaysian PM Najib Razak is playing the race card—South China Morning Post

INDONESIA

Indonesia Earthquake Kills Almost 100 in Aceh Province—New York Times The temblor had a preliminary magnitude of 6.5 and struck while many were asleep.

Related: Indonesian government declares state of emergency after quake leaves thousands displaced in Aceh province—South China Morning Post

Indonesia Muslims Push to Jail Christian Politician Accused of Blasphemy—WSJ Conservative groups held the second mass rally in a month against the capital’s Christian governor for allegedly insulting the Quran, stoking tensions in a city on edge following recent arrests linked to Islamic State.

Related:  Has Jokowi handed a strategic victory to radicals?—New Mandala

Indonesia’s Inward Turn—The Diplomat The country’s focus on domestic priorities is a loss for ASEAN and the world.

Jokowi wakes up the leviathan—New Mandala Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo is turning state-owned enterprises into ‘strong buffaloes’ to drive his economic development strategy. But, not everyone is happy, not least the country’s private sector. Kyunghoon Kim explains why.

This week’s news digest was curated by Gabriella Neusner.

Last week, the Trump headlines that dominated most newspapers and news sites were simply too upsetting to engage with in any depth. This week, we’re diving head-first into the fallout from the US election and finding absurd headlines that would have seemed unthinkable a couple of weeks ago.

EXSE FOCUS

As Jakarta governor faces trial for insulting Islam, is Indonesian stability about to unravel?—South China Morning Post Indonesia’s decision on Wednesday to proceed with investigating Jakarta’s popular ethnic Chinese and Christian governor over a controversial allegation of insulting Islam could hurt nearly two decades of peace building between the country’s majority Muslims and its minorities

Related: Jakarta’s ethnic Chinese governor ‘Ahok’ named suspect in blasphemy case that sparked mass protest—South China Morning Post

Related: The perils of a protest—New Mandala //More analysis of the Jakarta protests is in the “Southeast Asia “ section below

Another blow to Obama’s TPP after Vietnam says it won’t ratify trade pact—South China Morning Post Vietnam’s government has stopped seeking the National Assembly’s ratification of the US-led Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) pact, as conditions are not sufficient following changes in the United States, the country’s prime minister said on Thursday.

Related: How TPP Can Survive Trump—The Diplomat It’s too early to declare the agreement dead, and countries are already weighing alternatives.//Someone still has hope! Article suggests that TPP may move forward without the US, and the US coming on board later. Many hundreds of hours of labor hav gone into negotiating this agreement, so hopefully this work will not go to waste.

Related: Shinzo Abe and Najib Razak team up to keep their TPP ambitions alive—South China Morning Post

Southeast Asia Responds to the U.S. Election—CFR Asia Unbound While the incoming U.S. presidential administration focuses on domestic issues that drove the presidential campaign, from health care to tax reform, U.S. relations with Southeast Asia are likely to be mostly forgotten. 

REGIONAL RELATIONS

Climate change a Chinese hoax? Beijing gives Donald Trump a lesson in history—The Guardian China points out to global warming denier and president-elect that Republicans under Reagan and Bush actually put global warming on international agenda// As with the US abandonment of the TPP, a US failure to fulfill the promises that it made in the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement would dramatically damage the credibility of the US around the world. Climate change skepticism in the US government is one of the most dangerous forces affecting US leadership abroad.

Related: China tells Trump that climate change is not a   China Morning Post

Related: Will China take the lead if Trump pulls out of climate change treaty?—South China Morning Post

China threatens to cut sales of iPhones and US cars if ‘naive’ Trump pursues trade war—The Guardian President-elect ‘will be condemned for his recklessness, ignorance and incompetence’ if he imposes tariffs, says Communist party-controlled paper

Should China’s Neighbors Rely on the U.S. for Protection?—ChinaFile President-elect Donald Trump campaigned on a platform of neo-isolationism that could see many traditional U.S. allies in Asia left without Washington’s support in the newly roiled waters of the South- and East China Seas.

Myanmar Government, Anti-Muslim Leaders Alike Congratulate Trump—RFA Myanmar State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi sent a letter of congratulations on Wednesday to U.S. president-elect Donald Trump, expressing her hope that the two countries maintain and strengthen their ties, while anti-Muslim leaders in the Southeast Asian nation did the same but for different reasons.//The new leader of the United States is receiving praise from the enthno-centric Arakan National Party in Myanmar because of his anti-Muslim rhetoric. Let that sink in.

CPP sees parallels with protests in America—Phnom Penh Post If Prime Minister Hun Sen was not already adequately pleased with Donald Trump’s victory in the US presidential election last week, officials from his party have this week found one more reason for him to grin: the post-election protests in America.

Trump change ‘points to calmer waters’ on South China Sea horizon—South China Morning Post The transition to a new administration in Washington and stronger ties between Beijing and Southeast Asian nations are expected to calm waters in the troubled South China Sea in the near term, observers said.

Is China Getting Better at Charming Southeast Asia on the South China Sea?—The Diplomat Beijing looks to be getting better at how it uses soft power in the region.

Philippines’ Duterte makes U-turn on US order for 26,000 rifles—South China Morning Post The Philippines police will push ahead with the purchase of 26,000 assault rifles from a US supplier, the police chief said on Monday, following an about-face by President Rodrigo Duterte, who previously said the deal would be scrapped.

Asia Trade Focus Shifts From U.S. to China-Led Accord—Wall Street Journal Malaysia pins its hopes on Beijing-led free-trade area after Trump election sinks hopes for American-led one

Related:Australia signals support for Chinese-led trade deals to replace TPP—The Guardian

Cambodia signs MoU with China for tourism—Phnom Penh Post Chinese and Cambodian officials have signed a memorandum of understanding to increase exchanges of investment and training for tourism, the Ministry of Tourism said in a press release yesterday

As Malaysia PM Najib visits, Japan to compete with China for high-speed rail project—South China Morning Post Japan will pitch for a lucrative high speed rail project linking Kuala Lumpur and Singapore, as Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak arrived in Tokyo on Tuesday for a three-day visit.

Japan to Give Malaysia 2 Large Vessels During Najib Visit—The Diplomat New deal could be inked later this week.

SUSTAINABILITY AND NATURAL RESOURCES

Experts question praise of China’s ‘drought relief’—Phnom Penh Post The Mekong River Commission, in a missive posted on their website on Monday, credited China’s “emergency water release” from its Mekong dams with successfully helping to alleviate the drought in the Mekong River Basin earlier this year, a claim disputed by experts

Indonesia Tries New Tactics to Douse Annual Firestorms—Wall Street Journal The Southeast Asian country is confronting one of the world’s worst deforestation problems, one fueled in large part by global demand for some of its major exports: palm oil, pulp and paper.

Wildlife smugglers using Facebook to sell ivory and rhino horn–The Guardian An investigation reveals the social media site is acting as a shopfront for a multimillion dollar trade in animal parts, centred in a small village outside Hanoi

How China’s bid to curb coal output has backfired, encouraging production and increasing mining accidents—South China Morning Post Government efforts to curb coal production capacity in China have backfired, according to analysts, driving up prices, encouraging production and increasing the risk of mining accidents in the rush to produce more of the fuel

Govt to Resume Harvesting Timber—The Irrawaddy The government will resume the harvest of aged timber in northern Burma but will keep a moratorium on harvesting timber along the Pegu mountain range.

Illegal logging ‘ravaging’ Myanmar’s Indawgyi Lake Wildlife Reserve—Mongabay Monitoring by conservationist group Fauna & Flora International indicates widespread logging activity in or near the sanctuary as recently as October 2016.

Vietnam scraps plans to build nuclear power plants—Investvine Vietnam has decided to ditch plans to build two nuclear power plants in its southeastern Ninh Tuan province owing to soaring costs and safety concerns.

Vietnam reduces number of hydropower plants in its Power Development Plan 7—Mekong Eye Vietnam’s Ministry of Industry and Trade (MOIT) today said it will remove 471 small and cascade hydropower plants from its Power Development Plan 7 (PDP 7) that would have had a combined installed capacity of 2,059 MW.

KLCM: Sucking Blood from Earth – Thailand Diverts the Mekong River and Threatens Its Water Security—Mekong Eye

Incomes of Thousands of Cambodian Villagers to be Harmed by Don Sahong Dam—Mekong Eye The lives of the Preag Romkil villagers have turned to grief since Laos started building the Don Sahong Dam on the other side of the border.

Official speaks out against coal power—Mekong Eye If the people say “no” to coal, so do we, say government officials. In an interview with The Myanmar Times this week, a deputy permanent secretary of the Electricity and Energy Department has confirmed that the government has no plans to pursue coal-based energy.

Vietnam Cracks Down on Dissenters—RFA The Vietnamese government is escalating a nationwide crackdown on human rights activists and people critical of the government’s handling of the chemical spill that devastated the country’s central coast, according to Amnesty International and other reports.

Open Letter to the Developers of the Don Sahong Dam—Mekong Eye//Not a new trend, but still interesting to see how Vietnamese NGOs under the umbrella of government control (Vietnam River Network and WARECOD) have signed this letter. It shows that some forms of protest are permitted in Vietnam, so long as they do not threaten the legitimacy of the government

Laos dam projects put entire region at risk—Bangkok Post Almost two weeks ago, Laos notified the Mekong River Commission (MRC) Secretariat of its intention to develop the Pak Beng dam on the mainstream Mekong River, following its previous notifications on the controversial Xayaburi and Don Sahong dams.

Choking off the Mekong—Bangkok Post The Mekong, Asia’s third-longest international river, is increasingly dammed, notably by China in its upper part and Laos in the lower stretches./ The authors  make several recommendations, including this interesting one: “Thailand, as a key power importer from Laos, can do more by lowering its projected electricity demand to a more realistic level to avoid power reserve surpluses.“

SOUTHEAST ASIA

Jakarta Protest, Tied to Faith, May Have Deeper Links to Secular Politics—New York Times Analysts say politicians are exploiting religious fervor to challenge the capital’s governor and his close ally, President Joko Widodo.

Ahok, the FPI and PilPres 2019—New Mandala The angry protests against Ahok weren’t about his race. Instead they were aimed at bringing him down for his efforts against religious groups and their illegal cash flows, writes Russell Dunne.

Violence Escalates Between Myanmar Forces and Rohingya—New York Times After two soldiers were killed by attackers, troops of the Buddhist-majority government burned villages in Rakhine State close to the Bangladesh border.

Related: Burma Army Says 86 Killed in Fighting in Arakan State—The Irrawaddy

Related: What is Happening in Western Myanmar?—CFR Asia Unbound

Hundreds of Rohingyas flee to Bangladesh—DVB Hundreds of Rohingya Muslims are fleeing a military crackdown in western Burma to Bangladesh, trying to escape an upsurge of violence that has brought the total number of dead confirmed by the army to more than 130.

ASEAN lawmakers call for Arakan probe—DVB A group of parliamentarians from member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) are calling on Burma’s government to investigate alleged abuses in northern Arakan State as a military lockdown in the region continues in the wake of a series of attacks on border police early last month.

Govt Refutes Human Rights Report on Arakan State Violence—The Irrawaddy The govt refutes a Human Rights Watch report that said more than 400 buildings in three Rohingya Muslim villages in Maungdaw Township were burned.

Burma’s Abused, Intimidated LGBT People Long for Acceptance in New Era—The Irrawaddy One year after the election that brought the NLD to power, many LGBT activists are disappointed by a lack of progress toward ensuring their rights.

Myanmar struggles to control tumbling currency—Investvine Myanmar’s central bank has increasing difficulties to prevent the depreciation of the country’s currency, the kyat, which has reached new record lows these days.

One year later, Rainsy’s ‘escape’ remains divisive—Phnom Penh Post A year ago today, opposition leader Sam Rainsy turned his back on a promise to return to Cambodia and face down a two-year prison sentence for defamation revealed while he was abroad.

Malaysia Silences 1MDB Whistleblower in Blow to Rights—The Diplomat The sentencing of an opposition politician is just the latest attempt to cover up a deepening 1MDB scandal.

Anti-Najib alliance brings Anwar Ibrahim back into the crosshairs—Southeast Asia Globe The case of jailed opposition heavyweight Anwar Ibrahim has never been far from Malaysia’s consciousness, but a new pact with former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad has returned him to the spotlight

Mahathir Mohamad urges Malaysians to join protest rally against Prime Minister Najib Razak as tension grows—South China Morning Post Former Malaysian premier Mahathir Mohamad on Wednesday threw his weight behind a massive rally planned for this weekend to demand that scandal-tainted Prime Minister Najib Razak resign, with clashes feared between protesters and pro-government groups

Papua New Guinea, Timor-Leste Prepare for Strategic Elections—The Diplomat Elections in the two countries could determine their future interactions with ASEAN neighbors.

Got milk? Demand for dairy soars in Southeast Asia—Southeast Asia Globe Thanks to rapid urbanisation and rising incomes, Southeast Asia is consuming dairy at one of the fastest-growing rates in the world

Thai company ordered to pay Burmese workers—DVB Over 180 Burmese migrant workers who were left unpaid by their employer in the northern Thai city of Chiang Mai were awarded more than five million baht (US$140,000) in compensation by the Chiang Mai Labour Protection and Welfare Office on Monday.

Lao Lawmakers Approve Restrictive Amendment to Media Law—RFA Lawmakers in Laos have approved an amendment to the country’s media law that further tightens the government’s control of reporters, ensuing that they disseminate the policies of the ruling communist party in a country where press freedom is already nonexistent.

Duterte’s Descent into Authoritarianism—New York Times Who will stop him? And what will he stop at?

When A Populist Demagogue Takes Power—The New Yorker Since Rodrigo Duterte was elected President of the Philippines, in May, more than three thousand people have been killed in a vicious drug war.

BOOK REVIEWS

Charting conflict and peace in a new Myanmar—New Mandala Michael Wesley reflects on a new volume examining Myanmar’s path to peace and political transition.

This week’s new digest was curated by Gabriella Neusner.

R.I.P. US Rebalance to the Asia Pacific

EXSE FOCUS

 Asia, a Target of Trump’s Criticism, Greets His Election With Caution—New York Times Donald J. Trump has had harsh words for China and other nations, but the question for the region now is how much of that rhetoric he will act on.// We cannot know what to expect in terms of how the US’s role in Southeast Asia will shift. What is likely is that the TPP will not survive and that China will take on a larger role in the region.

Related: ‘An epochal change’: what a Trump presidency means for the Asia Pacific region—The Guardian

Related: President Trump and Southeast Asia—New Mandala

Related: Trump Wins: Implications for US Allies and Partners in Asia—The Diplomat U.S. allies will face new levels of uncertainty (and anxiety) under President Trump.

Laos pushes ahead with plan for third contentious dam on the Mekong—South China Morning Post Laos has notified its Southeast Asian neighbours that it’s moving ahead with a third contentious hydro dam on the Mekong River’s mainstream. The MRC is now under a lot of pressure. The failure of the first two consultation processes lead to a feeling of pessimism surrounding the utility of the entire consultation process. Unfortunately, the reputation of the MRC has also been too closely linked to the success or failure of these consultation processes. No changes have been made to date to the MRC’s Procedures for Notification, Prior Consultation and Agreement since they were first agreed upon. However, more research on the cumulative impacts of hydropower construction on the Mekong mainstream has been completed since the first consultation was done for the Xayaburi dam in 2010.

Related: Press Release | Flawed Prior Consultation Cannot Legitimize New Mekong Dam—

International Rivers

Related: Laos Submits Mekong Dam Proposal—Mekong Eye

Myanmar’s plan to arm, train non-Muslims in Rakhine ‘recipe for disaster’, watchdog says—South China Morning Post Myanmar’s plans to arm and train non-Muslim residents in the troubled north of Rakhine State is likely to “aggravate an already dire human rights situation”, the International Commission of Jurists, a human rights watchdog, has said

Land grabs on the rise as Burma pushes for peace—DVB Land conflicts in Burma have escalated in recent years, with military and armed groups driving people from their land, and new laws failing to protect farmers, a rights watchdog said on Thursday.

REGIONAL RELATIONS

Rodrigo Duterte Plays U.S. and China Off Each Other, in Echo of Cold War—New York Times The Philippine president’s strategy of balancing between the powers by threatening to change loyalties was used successfully by leaders throughout the era.

Trump Election Kills TPP—The Diplomat President-elect Donald Trump promises to roll back free trade, starting with aborting TPP and killing NAFTA.

The End of American World Order—The Diplomat Insights from Amitav Acharya

ASEAN’s Mekong Potential the Focus in Vietnam Meeting—The Diplomat The recent WEF-Mekong meeting in Hanoi was a useful reminder of the subregion’s significance.

Unshackling ASEAN—Project Syndicate The Association of Southeast Asian Nations is required to make decisions by consensus, which unites disparate member states, while allowing them to protect their national interests. But this provision also limits ASEAN’s effectiveness in addressing emerging regional security threats, not least China’s territorial claims.

Malaysia Is Not Pivoting to China With Najib’s Visit—the Diplomat Suggestions of a dramatic shift are grossly exaggerated and not grounded in reality.

Philippines’ Duterte hails Trump, wants no more quarrels with US—South China Morning Post Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte congratulated Donald Trump on his election win and said on Wednesday he now wished to stop quarrelling with ally the United States

Trump Business Partner Is Philippines’ New Trade Envoy to U.S.—New York Times The chairman of the company that is building the Trump Tower in metropolitan Manila will be the special envoy for trade, investment and economic affairs.

SUSTAINABILITY AND NATURAL RESOURCES

KNU Signs Forestry Memorandum with WWF—The Irrawaddy ‘The objective is to protect and restore forests and wildlife in KNU areas’ says KNU forestry department.

Can Myanmar’s hydropower study truly be for the people?—Myanmar Times In recent weeks, violent clashes in Kayin State have further disrupted Myanmar’s fragile peace process.

A call for basin-wide energy plans—Mekong Eye Preparatory work for the next big dam on the Mekong — Pak Beng — in northern Laos has begun.

Pak Beng – The Third Domino in The Series of Mainstream Dams on The Lower Mekong in Laos—Mekong Eye According to Mr. Viraphonh Viravong, Deputy Minister of Energy and Mines of Laos, Pak Beng is one of the five hydropower dam projects on the mainstream to be built in North Laos in the district of Pak Beng, Oudomsay Province.

Ministry of Environment issues island protection decree—Phnom Penh Post A new decree has been issued by the Ministry of Environment in regards to the protection and preservation of nature within the Kingdom.

Ministry plans wildlife corridors to boost Cambodia’s biodiversity—Phnom Penh Post Cambodia’s Ministry of Environment gathered a network of government and civil society representatives on Tuesday to begin planning the creation of a biodiversity conservation corridor that would make it easier for wildlife to thrive.

Vietnam Scraps Plans for Its First Nuclear-Power Plants—Wall Street Journal Vietnam’s government has decided to scrap its long-delayed plan to build the country’s first nuclear-power plants because other energy sources have become cheaper and power demand has slackened due to slowing economic growth.

Parents who say Indonesia’s haze killed their children testify in citizen suit—Mongabay The father of a little girl who died during Indonesia’s 2015 fire and haze crisis testified on Thursday as part of a legal challenge to the police’s closing of cases against 15 companies alleged to be complicit in the burning.

CHINA

China’s new cybersecurity law sparks fresh censorship and espionage fears—The Guardian Legislation raises concerns foreign companies may need to hand over intellectual property and help security agencies in return for market access// The new cybersecurity law is significant not only for foreign companies, who will face tough choices on how much information they are willing to provide to the Chinese government in order to do business there. It is also an important change for Chinese citizens, since the new law has provisions for greater censorship of the internet in China.

Related: China Approves Cybersecurity Law—Wall Street Journal

Hong Kong Elected 2 Separatists. China Took Drastic Action.—New York Times By acting against two dissident lawmakers, Beijing is asserting an authority to set policy in the territory, challenging its semiautonomous status.

Related: Clashes, Pepper Spray in Hong Kong Amid Angry Protests Over China’s Intervention—RFA

SOUTHEAST ASIA

Bersih and the battle to unseat Najib Razak—Southeast Asia Globe For the past decade, Malaysian protest movement Bersih has been demanding sweeping political change. But Prime Minister Najib Razak is unlikely to feel threatened as long as the country’s opposition remains weak and fragmented

Philippines, Malaysia agree to cooperate on tackling Abu Sayyaf kidnappings—South China Morning Post The Philippines on Thursday agreed to allow Malaysia and Indonesia to carry out “hot pursuits” in its territorial waters, as the three nations look to tackle kidnappings and piracy by Islamist Abu Sayyaf rebels.

Philippine agency files corruption, narcotics charges against key Duterte critic—South China Morning Post A Philippine law enforcement agency filed bribery, graft and drug-related complaints against a senator and former minister on Thursday, in the first step towards prosecuting the biggest critic of President Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs

Islamists March in Jakarta, Demanding Christian Governor Be Jailed—New York Times Tens of thousands of Indonesians marched in Jakarta on Friday, demanding that the city’s first Christian governor in decades be jailed for blasphemy.

Related: Hard-Line Strain of Islam Gains in Indonesia—Wall Street Journal

Related: Indonesia’s president blames ‘political actors’ for stirring Muslim protest—South China Morning Post

Indonesia’s Challenge to Radical Islam—The Diplomat The country is emerging as a champion of tolerance amid the rise of the Islamic State.

Stuck in the immoderate middle—New Mandala Recent protests and riots have put a sharp focus on sectarianism, political opportunism and Jakartans’ grievances against their Christian-Chinese governor, Ahok. But a lot of this opposition is being spurned on by Indonesia’s Muslim middle class.

Islamic rage and identity politics in Indonesia—New Mandala How Jakarta’s 4 November protest will impact on Indonesia’s democratic consolidation and the Jokowi presidency.

Political actors suspected of behind violence on Friday’s protest in Jakarta—Thai PBS Indonesian national police have launched an investigation into President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s suspicions that political actors were behind the eruption of violence of the otherwise peaceful protests by Muslim hardliners in Jakarta last Friday

Controversial Jakarta land reclamation project gets legal go-ahead—Mongabay The developers behind Islet G, a small artificial island off the coast of Jakarta, may have finally been given the legal green light to continue the project, which has been stalled since April of this year.

Aid to Resume in Northern Arakan—The Irrawaddy Diplomatic mission returns from two-day visit to area under military lockdown, calls for ‘independent and credible investigation.’

HRW: Peace Process Exposes Farmers to New Glut of Land Seizures—The Irrawaddy Burma’s peace process opens up access to ethnic areas and leaves farmers vulnerable to powerful interests ‘gaining land through questionable means.’

The Public Loves Myanmar’s New War on Muslims—Foreign Policy One year after a historic election put a civilian government in charge, the country’s army is using brutal methods to regain its popularity.

Myanmar Government Takes Measures to Prevent Spread of Zika—RFA Myanmar’s health and sports ministry is warning women not to travel abroad where cases of the Zika virus have been reported, as the country battles its own recent outbreak of the disease.

Who buried The Brunei Times?—New Mandala More bad news for press freedom in Southeast Asia.

Cambodia’s Hun Sen Calls on the Military to Suppress ‘Color Revolutions’—RFA On the same day jailed opposition party activists called on Cambodia’s political leaders to set aside their differences for the sake of the nation, Prime Minister Hun Sen issued a call to the nation’s armed forces to put down any so-called “color revolution.”

Thai junta offers farmers $514 million in rice loans—DVB Thailand‘s rice committee announced new loan schemes worth US$514 million on Monday to help rice growers struggling with falling prices as farmers of the grain become the new battleground between the junta and the opposition ahead of 2017 elections.

Politicising rice can be a worthy cause—Bangkok Post The regime’s responses to plummeting rice prices have been both disappointing and disastrous to it and farmers

Related: Band-aid solutions hide real rice problems—Bangkok Post

EXSE FOCUS

In Western Myanmar, a Lockdown and Fears of More Violence—New York Times Aid work has ceased in the north of Rakhine State after attacks on police officers, and videos purporting to show local Muslims urging jihad have added to fears of unrest.

Related: Violence Erupts in Myanmar’s Rakhine State—The Diplomat

Related: New fears of communal violence in Myanmar—The Economist

Vietnam gives thumbs-up to US regional role as pivot stumbles—South China Morning Post Vietnam supports US “intervention” in the Asia-Pacific if it helps keep peace and stability, the defence ministry said, in a timely endorsement of a continued U.S. presence amid uncertainty over Washington’s faltering “pivot”

What’s going on in Thailand?—New Mandala With the passing of King Bhumibol Adulyadej, Rama IX, his son and heir apparent, Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn, should have been named King Rama X. He hasn’t.  As Andrew MacGregor Marshall writes, Thailand’s succession struggle isn’t over yet.// New Mandala has published several excellent articles in the past week that provide in-depth analysis of the political situation in Thailand following the death of King Bhumibol

Related: Thailand Looks to Likely Future King With Apprehension—New York Times

Related: Thailand is on tenterhooks over the king’s health—The Economist

Thai people encouraged to ‘socially sanction’ critics of monarchy—The Guardian Justice minister appears to back vigilantism which has risen in wake of King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s death

Related: Thailand to ask other countries to extradite suspected critics of royal family—South China Morning Post

Philippines’ Duterte praises China on Beijing visit—Channel NewsAsia Visiting Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte had praise for China on Wednesday, setting aside a maritime dispute as the combative leader reconfigures his country’s diplomatic alliances.

Related: Philippines’ Duterte Not Planning to Raise South China Sea Disputes in China Visit—WSJ

Related: South China Sea dispute to ‘take back seat’ in talks with Xi, Duterte says—South China Morning Post

Related: Rodrigo Duterte arrives in China with ‘make friends, not war’ message—The Guardian

In China, Rodrigo Duterte and Philippines May ‘Pivot’ Away From U.S.—New York Times The Philippine leader’s talks in Beijing are likely to signal how far he is willing to go in building closer ties with China and reducing American military influence at home.

Related: Duterte’s pivot—The Economist

Related: Rodrigo Duterte and Xi Jinping Agree to Reopen South China Sea Talks—New York Times // Duterte’s remarks have left many American officials puzzled. State Dept spokesperson, John Kirby responded saying, “We are going to be seeking an explanation of exactly what the president meant when he talked about separation from us…It’s not clear to us exactly what that means and all its ramifications (via inquirer.net)

REGIONAL RELATIONS

Indonesia President Steers Cautious Course in Tense South China Sea—Wall Street Journal

President Joko Widodo wants to keep the sprawling archipelago out of an intensifying great-power conflict while he tries to revitalize ambitious economic plans that have so far fallen short.

Is the Belt and Road Initiative Globalizing China’s National Security Policy?—The Diplomat Chinese security policy experts use potential threats to BRI projects to highlight the necessity of a globalized security posture.

Makers of Agent Orange to be tried for ‘war crimes’ by a people’s tribunal—Southeast Asia Globe Five decades after being commissioned to produce Agent Orange, which the US military dropped on Vietnam with devastating effects, a people’s tribunal is putting Monsanto ‘on trial’ for war crimes.

Rainsy says China aid to blame for rights abuses—Phnom Penh Post Days after signing a statement welcoming Chinese President Xi Jinping to Cambodia, opposition leader Sam Rainsy took to Radio Free Asia to slam China for enabling human rights abuses in the Kingdom with no-strings-attached loans.

China to help Cambodia modernise its armed forces, officials say—South China Morning Post China has agreed to help modernise Cambodia’s military, Cambodia’s defence minister said on Monday, after the two countries signed new agreements to boost military aid.

Judges and Rice: Cambodia’s Expanding Reliance on China—The Diplomat Is there a limit to Beijing’s largesse for its southern ally?

SUSTAINABILITY AND RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

China Using Ecological Protection to Boost Claims in Disputed Waters –VOA China’s public order to keep away from a rare, environmentally unique ocean sinkhole in the Paracel Islands signals a new effort to tighten its grip on a tract of water disputed with Vietnam and monitored by the United States.//This is ironic, considering that China’s activities in the South China Sea have caused catastrophic damage to coral reefs and fish stocks in the region. See this report by Yale Environment 360 for more information on this.

A plan to save the Mekong Delta—Mongabay This is the final installment of an in-depth, four-part series exploring threats facing the Mekong Delta and how they might be addressed.

Government urged to work with Cambodia on solutions to water resources—Mekong Eye Scientists have urged the Vietnamese government to cooperate with Cambodia and draw up a plan to take full advantage of water resources.

Will Hydropower Turn the Tide on the Salween River?—Mekong Eye Both history and future development plans point to risks for the Salween River and its eco-systems and communities. Over-development, lack of public consultation and the appetite for energy threaten Asia’s last free flowing, international river.

Vietnam playing ‘key Mekong sub-region role’—Mekong Eye Vietnam has been making practical contributions to turning the Mekong sub-region into a dynamic and prosperous economic area via two crucial cooperation frameworks.

Manila is set to agree on joint petroleum exploration with Beijing—Thai PBS The Duterte administration is set to enter into an agreement with China to jointly explore energy sources in the disputed West Philippine sea

On the Role of Chinese Religion in Environmental Protection—New York Times In an interview, Prasenjit Duara, an Indian-born historian of China, discusses how traditional values can be a force motivating people to action.

As China Shifts From Exporter to Importer, Fortunes Change—New York Times The country’s energy sector has gone through a major reshaping, perhaps nowhere more so than in the city of Daqing, home to China’s biggest oil field.

Biomass power plants affect health: study—The Nation A recent study on health risks from biomass power plants in Surin province has confirmed that nearby residents are being exposed to tiny dust particles in amounts that exceed the level recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Chinese nationals nabbed for mining sandstone in Shan State—DVB Chinese nationals allegedly caught mining sandstone without official permission in Shan State’s Muse District were apprehended by local villagers on Monday.

Production Slowing at Wa Tin Mine—The Irrawaddy Output from a mysterious Burma tin mine that has disrupted the global market in the metal is falling sharply and deposits could be depleted in “two to three years”

Company Accused of Bribing, Misleading Locals to Build Coal-Fired Power Plant—The Irrawaddy Questions were raised in the Rangoon Division parliament about an unnamed company using underhanded methods to induce locals of Zweba Kone village, in semi-rural Kyauktan Township on the outer fringes of the city, to consent to the building of a coal-fired power plant.

Hanoi Moves to Derail Drive to File Lawsuits Against Formosa in Vietnam—RFA The Vietnamese government is attempting to prevent Catholic parishioners from filing more lawsuits against the Taiwan-owned steel company responsible for a chemical spill that devastated the country’s central coast,

Laos Orders Factory to Stop Recycling Spent Beer Malt Over Pollution Concerns—RFA The Lao government ordered a factory in the capital Vientiane that recycles 80 tons of spent beer malt a day to shut down after its owners failed to control pollution from the process, RFA’s Lao Service has learned.

To Fix the Mekong, Just Look at the Evidence: Q&A With Dr. John Ward—Mekong Eye Dr. John Ward is a research scientist at the Mekong Region Futures Institute specializing in integrated natural resource management. He spoke with VOA’s Neou Vannarin about the future of the Mekong, the effects of climate change, hydropower development, and the impact on the environment and people of the region.

Xi’an Under Security Alert After Thousands Protest Incinerator Plant—RFA Authorities in the northern Chinese city of Xi’an have issued a security alert after thousands took to the streets this week at the weekend over a waste incinerator plant planned for their neighborhood.

SOUTHEAST ASIA

Thailand’s New Uncertainty—Project Syndicate Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s death, though long anticipated, still came as a profound shock to the country. Following the death of a unifying – if not always pro-democratic – political leader who reigned for 70 years, what comes next for Thailand and its military junta is unclear.

Thailand Bids Farewell to Beloved King Bhumibol Adulyadej—Time Thailand’s King Bhumibol Adulyadej was the superlative monarch.//A particularly good obituary of King Bhumibol with photo series and video

Related: Over 500,000 gathered to see royal procession—The Nation

Related: Bhumibol, a King of the People, Leaves Them to the Generals—New York Times 

A Serious Concern Over the First Use of E-Voting in Thailand—The Diplomat If not implemented transparently, the initial e-voting system in Thailand may trigger internal political conflict.

Vietnam floods: deaths reported, tens of thousands of homes destroyed—The Guardian Local authorities mobilise army and police to rescue trapped residents in central Vietnam following torrential rain

ADB approves $230 mln loan to help Vietnam improve power transmission—Mekong Eye The Asian Development Bank on Thursday signed a loan agreement of $231.31 million with the Vietnamese government to help build and upgrade the transmission networks in the southern region.

Malaysia’s Growing Crackdown on Dissent—The Diplomat A new report sheds light on a disturbing trend.

Supertyphoon Haima slams into northern Philippines; following hard on typhoon Sarika —South China Morning Post Super Typhoon Haima slammed into the northeastern Philippine coast late Wednesday with ferocious winds and rain that rekindled fears and memories from the catastrophe wrought by Typhoon Haiyan in 2013.

Jakarta offers $1.50 reward for each rat as it launches massive rodent hunt—South China Morning Post The Indonesian capital Jakarta, one of the world’s most overcrowded and polluted megacities, has launched a new bid to rid its streets of vermin – by offering residents $1.50 for every rat they catch. //Interested to see how effective this policy is. The rat race is on.

Indonesia tracking dozens of militants returned from Syria, police chief says—South China Morning Post Dozens of Indonesians who joined Islamic State in Syria have returned home with combat experience and pose a major threat to the world’s biggest Muslim-majority nation, the police chief said on Monday.

90 refugees set to return to Karen State next week—DVB Ninety residents of the Nu Po refugee camp in Thailand’s Tak Province are set to return to Burma next week in the first round of official repatriations for refugees since a peace deal was struck late last year.

UN aid not reaching Arakan, as lockdown continues—DVB Violence in a Muslim-majority region of Burma is stopping aid agencies from delivering food and medicines

Related: NGOs Face Difficulties Getting Aid to Maungdaw Residents in Myanmar’s Rakhine State—RFA

End To US Sanctions a Boon to Burma’s Economy, But Woes Remain—The Irrawaddy KFC’s grinning Colonel Sanders and his goatee are among the few prominent signs of US brands or business in Burma’s biggest city, Rangoon.

Philippine Police Van Rams Protesters at U.S. Embassy, Hurting Dozens New York Times Dozens of protesters were hurt on Wednesday after a Philippine police officer used a van to ram into them during a demonstration against the United States in the capital.

Duterte administration to seek loan from AIIB for infrastructure projects—Thai PBS The Duterte government is gearing up for the Philippines to formally join the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) in time for President Rodrigo Duterte’s visit to Beijing this week

Kem Ley’s Spirit Still Powerful in Cambodia—RFA The spirt of slain government critic Kem Ley still casts a shadow over Cambodia as thousands of people clogged the main roads on Sunday for the close of his 100-day ritual ceremony and some of his former students began selling a compilation of his political essays.

Cambodia worst in region for rule of law: report—Phnom Penh Post Cambodia ranked 112 out of 113 countries surveyed globally and dead last in the East Asia and Pacific region when it comes to the perceived rule of law, a new report released today states.

Failure of dams leads to flooding in Phnom Penh, Kampong Speu—Phnom Penh Post Thousands of homes in Phnom Penh and Kampong Speu have been flooded after three dams were seriously damaged following two weeks of torrential rain and warnings from government officials.

Singapore Unveils New ASEAN Cyber Initiative—The Diplomat City-state steps up efforts to promote regional cooperation in the cyber domain.

Thailand’s King Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX) passed away this afternoon at Bangkok’s Siriraj Hospital. The 88-year-old monarch led Thailand for 70 years. Prime Minister and military junta leader Prayut Chan-ocha said that Thailand will hold a one-year period of national mourning and that flags will fly at half-mast for the next month. Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn was named as successor in the early 1970s and is expected by many to ascend the throne.

The East by Southeast team extends our sincere condolences to our Thai contributors and all of our Thai readers. 

King Rama IX oversaw great changes in Thailand over his seven-decade reign. He was seen domestically as a stabilizing force in the country during its many periods of political turbulence and multiple coups, the most recent coming in 2014. However, critics argue that the palace has played a central role in the country’s coups and human rights abuses.

King Rama IX’s death opens the door for a long-feared period of instability in the kingdom. The king’s health has been deteriorating for years and questions over his eventual death and the succession plan swirled in the background of the 2014 military coup. The Crown Prince is largely disliked by Thais and whether or not he will actually succeed the throne is still unknown. Prime Minister Prayut was quoted as saying the Crown Prince did not want to be proclaimed king immediately, first desiring “to take some time to mourn, together with the people of Thailand.”

This delay has raised questions over succession plans. Powerful members of the royal advisory Privy Council are known to find the Crown Prince unfit to rule and his sister, Crown Princess Sirindhorn, is seen by many as a more popular choice for the next monarch or regent. The following few months will be crucial for the future of Thailand and the region and a smooth transition of power, while desirable, is not entirely likely. 

EXSE FOCUS

What now?—New Mandala With news of King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s ailing health, Llewellyn McCann outlines three key developments to watch after his reign ends.

Related: What the Death of Thailand’s King Means, and What’s Next—The New York Times

Related: PM: Nation is in its greatest sorrow, expects new King by tradition—Bangkok Post

Dozens Believed Killed as Violence Erupts in Myanmar—New York Times The bloodshed in Rakhine State, home to members of the Rohingya Muslim minority, was set off by attacks on police posts.

Related: Escalation of violent clashes involving troops in Myanmar’s Rakhine state leaves twelve dead—South China Morning Post

Related: ‘Groupism’ and sectarian violence in Arakan—DVB

Gov’t, Vietnam exchange blame on logging—Phnom Penh Post Cambodian conservation officials spoke publicly for the first time on Monday about what they described as nearly three years of corrupt practices by their Vietnamese counterparts in facilitating the multibillion-dollar illicit trade in Siamese rosewood. //Cambodia is taking serious steps to combat illegal logging in its borders, but it can’t do it alone. Similar commitment must come from its regional partners, particularly Vietnam, which accounts for much of the demand for illegal Cambodian timber from.

Related: Ministry eyeing wood stockpiles, says Samal—Phnom Penh Post

Related: Multiple timber busts in busy weekend for Forestry Administration—Phnom Penh Post

Behind Duterte’s Bluster, a Philippine Shift Away From the U.S.—New York Times The move is a radical departure for a country that has historically been the most dependable American ally in Southeast Asia, and could undermine President Obama’s foreign policy

China’s new rules for Xinjiang ban parents from encouraging or forcing children into religion—South China Morning Post Parents and guardians in China’s heavily Muslim region of Xinjiang who encourage or force their children into religious activities will be reported to police, the government said on Wednesday while unveiling new education rules// Very interesting. We should watch closely to see how these new laws are legitimized and enforced by the Chinese government.

REGIONAL RELATIONS

US is bright spot for Southeast Asia as its exports to China drop—South China Morning Post After years of looking to China as a source of growth, Southeast Asian countries are turning their attention back to the world’s largest economy on the other side of the Pacific Ocean.

Washington Should Stop Militarizing the Pacific—New York Times China’s leaders feel their country has the right to be the main power in the neighborhood.

Russia Seeks to Reopen Military Bases in Vietnam and Cuba—New York Times The Russian deputy defense minister said that the Kremlin was working to re-establish the former bases, which closed in 2002.

Philippines’ defence minister says military can cope without US aid—The Guardian Lorenzana’s remarks suggest he is following other top government officials in rallying behind maverick president Duterte’s tough anti-US agenda//Since Duterte began making waves with his controversial anti-American remarks, we’ve been reassured  by experts who say that Duterte does not have much support for his anti-American agenda within the government’s ministries and that the working relationship between the US and the Philippines will remain strong.  Do the statements of the Philippines’ defense minister mean than individuals within the government are warming to Duterte’s foreign policy agenda?

‘America has failed us’: Foreign Secretary Yasay explains why the Philippines wants to break away from US—South China Morning Post The Philippines’s top diplomat said President Rodrigo Duterte is seeking an independent foreign policy for the country because “America has failed us” in the decades since it gained independence from its former colonial master.

South China Sea Disputes Are On Duterte’s China Agenda Ahead of Visit, But to What Ends?—The Diplomat Can Duterte make China a workable offer concerning the South China Sea disputes?

Philippine Government Eyes Chinese Investment Ahead of Duterte Visit to Beijing—The Diplomat

South China Sea: Indonesian Military Stages Massive Natuna Sea Exercise—The Diplomat Indonesian President Joko Widodo observed the exercises, underlining the importance of the Natuna Islands.

Related: Indonesia air force holds major military drill at South China Sea islands—South China Morning Post

Obama and Indonesia: Strong Progress But an Uncertain Future—The Diplomat The U.S. has done its part to deepen relations; the ball is now in Indonesia’s court.

China-Thailand Relations in the Spotlight with Activist Deportation—The Diplomat A recent incident has raised questions about how beholden Bangkok is to Beijing.

Chinese president to touch down in Cambodia as nations consolidate ties—Southeast Asia Globe Cambodia is edging increasingly close to China, as the superpower lavishes aid on the Asean nation that has proved a robust ally in the South China Sea dispute

India in ASEAN—New Mandala As Washington’s influence in the region wanes and the China factor increases, New Delhi needs to build lasting strategic and economic ties with Southeast Asia, write Tridivesh Singh Maini and Maithili Parikh.

SUSTAINABILITY AND RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

Coal outgrows hydropower—Phnom Penh Post As Cambodia’s demand for electricity grows and domestic energy production increases, new data released from the Ministry of Mines and Energy yesterday show that coal-fired energy generation surpassed hydroelectricity for the first time last year.

Biomass power plants affect health: study—The Nation A recent study on health risks from biomass power plants in Surin province has confirmed that nearby residents are being exposed to tiny dust particles in amounts that exceed the level recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Thousands flee fighting near site of dam backed by Thailand—The Nation Nearby villages flooded with refugees facing imminent crisis.

Authorities divert water in effort to prevent Bangkok flooding—The Nation

Deputy Prime Minister General Prawit Wongsuwan said yesterday authorities would try to divert water runoff and floodwater to minimise the impact on Bangkok.//Flood policy is fraught with complicated and controversial decision-making that often end up in outcomes that protect the most economically “valuable” regions at the expense of less valuable regions . For this reason, flooding is increasingly being thought of as an environmental justice issue. Concerns over the environmental justice dimensions of flood risk management will only become more pronounced in the region as climate change makes rainy seasons wetter and dry seasons drier.  

ADB Loan for Enhanced Flood Risk Management In Banten, Maluku—ADB The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a $109 million loan to support flood risk management for communities in the Banten and Maluku provinces of Indonesia to enhance preparation for future threats while ensuring infrastructure meets high standards of resilience.

NGO urges halt to Kaiduan Dam project—The Star  A proposed dam project in the south-western Papar district should be scrapped following the arrests of two Sabah Water Department officials for alleged graft, says an NGO representing the affected communities near here.

Mass fish death in Mae Klong river prompts official investigation— Thai PBS The investigation team led by Samut Sakhon governor and director of the Veterinary Medical Aquatic Animal Research Center (VMAARC) – Chulalongkorn University inspected the river and some fish cage farms along the river yesterday and tested the quality of the water.

CHINA

Taiwan’s President Calls for New Talks With Beijing—New York Times In her first National Day speech, Tsai Ing-wen emphasized that Beijing should acknowledge the island’s choice to become a democracy.

Building Collapse in Chinese City of Wenzhou Kills at Least 22—New York Times The toll makes it one of the deadliest episodes of its kind in recent years. Six people have been pulled from the rubble, including a 3-year-old girl.

China Jails Environmental Activist For ‘Revealing State Secrets’—RFA Authorities in the southern Chinese province of Hunan have jailed a prominent environmentalist on charges of “revealing state secrets” in a move that activists said is likely a form of political revenge.

SOUTHEAST ASIA

Vietnam Arrests Mother Mushroom, a Top Blogger, for Criticizing Government—New York Times Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh, a co-founder of the Network of Vietnamese Bloggers, has challenged leaders over topics including a dump of toxic chemicals.

Vietnam declares US-based activist group is a terrorist organization—The Guardian The Viet Tan is accused of training operatives and the government says the California-based organization instigates violence

Vietnam Ramps Up Trade Talks Amid Economic Uncertainty—The Diplomat Things don’t seem to be looking that good for Hanoi.

Thailand steps up security after warning of Bangkok bomb plot—The Guardian Increased police patrols at airports and tourist hotspots amid suspicion armed group may be plotting attacks near capital

Rice exports rebound firmly in September—Phnom Penh Post Cambodian rice exports soared by 54 percent year-on-year in September, after failing to meet last year’s levels for six consecutive months from March through August

Cambodia’s CNRP Again Boycotts Parliament—RFA Less than two weeks after promising to end a months-long legislative boycott of Cambodia’s National Assembly, the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) backed away from its pledge on Friday, citing unspecified threats to opposition lawmakers.

Another case added to long list of Rainsy suits—Phnom Penh Post The Phnom Penh Municipal Court has issued yet another summons for Sam Rainsy, demanding the opposition leader appear at court to face questioning over a new incitement case.

Reconciliation in Rakhine State—New Mandala Now that a state of emergency has been lifted, Myanmar must come up with immediate solutions on local orders that oppress the state’s minority groups, writes Thulasi Wigneswaran.

Govt prepares for repatriation of 90 refugees—DVB Around 90 residents of the Nu Po refugee camp in western Thailand have signed up for official repatriation to Burma.

When Silence Hurts More Than a Bullet—The Irrawaddy

Malaysia’s secular versus religious divide—New Mandala The uneasy co-existence of civil and Sharia law in Malaysia and the polarising ethnic and religious divides within its population could be improved by establishing an independent mediation committee

Is Duterte ‘Nation-Building’ in the Philippines?—The Diplomat Whether his efforts to use simplified history and us-versus-them narratives is a good way to build a nation is another question.

Inside Rodrigo Duterte’s brutal drug purge: how local residents work with Philippine police to compile ‘hit lists’—South China Morning Post Barangay officials are the foot soldiers in a war on drugs that has led to the killing of more than 3,600 people since Duterte took office in June

Philippine president Duterte’s next campaign: public smoking ban—South China Morning Post Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte is turning to another battle aside from illegal drugs: smoking

Progress in the Philippine Peace Process Under Duterte—The Diplomat

The initiative is arguably a silver lining in the president’s controversial tenure thus far.

Is Singapore ready to join the fight against Isis?—Southeast Asia Globe  After a planned attack on Marina Bay Sands was foiled, Singapore’s government is taking the fight to the Islamic State

Will the Village Law change rural Indonesia?—New Mandala Indonesia’s new Village Law has been hailed as a game-changer for rural areas and people. But a long-term view shows that it may not deliver all that it promises, writes Jacqueline Vel.

Southeast Asia Still Has Weak Information Security Against Cyber Threats—The Diplomat With the huge increase in internet use, Southeast Asia is more prone to attacks from outside sources.

Related: Indonesia, Singapore Talk Terror, Cyber in Defense Meeting—The Diplomat

ASEAN centre to tackle animal-borne illnesses—Phnom Penh Post Cambodia joined other Southeast Asian countries earlier this week in a commitment to establish a new ASEAN centre to tackle diseases that can be transmitted from animals to humans, for which exposure is common in the Kingdom’s rural areas.

BOOK REVIEWS

Review of “The Penguin History of Modern Vietnam” by Christopher Goscha—CFR In forty years, the relationship between the United States and Vietnam has swung about as widely as is possible.