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☆ From Rock Star to Bodyguard to Resisting Myanmar’s Coup in Film
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-08 | by ( Sui-Lee Wee | More About Sui-Lee Wee | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Long before he became an award-winning filmmaker, Lynn Lynn was already a star. His voice was ubiquitous on the radio, belting out rock songs, and he played sold-out shows in stadiums across the country. But all that fame was confined to Myanmar, a country he had to flee after a February 2021 military coup. He was also close to the country’s now-imprisoned civilian leader, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, having once served as her bodyguard. Now living in the Thai city of Mae Sot, bordering Myanmar, the 39-year-old rocker has taken on a new identity: refugee.

Persons: Long, Lynn Lynn, selfies, Daw Aung, Suu Kyi Locations: Myanmar, Suu, Thai, Mae Sot

☆ A Global Cyber-Scam Industry Is Booming in Plain Sight in Cambodia
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-28 | by ( Sui-Lee Wee | More About Sui-Lee Wee | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Around the world, reports of cyber-scam schemes targeting unsuspecting victims online have proliferated rapidly. Southeast Asia has become a center of gravity for those criminal syndicates, often in remote and war-torn corners. But in Cambodia, the scam industry has been flourishing well within the reach of officials. Instead, they were forced to work for online scam mills while under intense surveillance in nondescript compounds, part of a multibillion dollar industry that has entrapped victims on both sides. Despite the crackdown and well-documented evidence linking well-known Cambodian officials to the mills, the country has not arrested any major figure.

Organizations: New York Times Locations: Southeast Asia, Cambodia, Cambodian

☆ After Thais Vote to Move Forward, the Old Guard Just Shifts Its Grip
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-24 | by ( Sui-Lee Wee | More About Sui-Lee Wee | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

As the second-largest economy in Southeast Asia and an ally of the United States, Thailand was once a powerful player in the region. More recently it has suffered from a period of prolonged economic stagnation, brought about by nine years of military rule under Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, the general who seized power in a coup in 2014. For the first time, disaffected young Thais questioned publicly the relevance of the country’s powerful monarchy, a topic previously considered taboo. Move Forward capitalized on this anti-royalist, anti-military sentiment, which became the bedrock of the party’s progressive platform. It announced more than 300 policy proposals, including shrinking the military budget and breaking up big business.

Persons: Prayuth Chan, Prayuth, Thais, “, It’s, ” Organizations: University of Sydney Locations: Southeast Asia, United States, Thailand, Australia

Dozens of countries have expressed interest in joining BRICS, a group encompassing Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa that views itself as a counterweight to the West, and is meeting this week in Johannesburg. Argentina, Egypt, Indonesia and Saudi Arabia are thought to be among those most likely to be admitted. But Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India is said to be concerned about adding nations close to Beijing; India and China have border disputes and tend to consider each other potential adversaries. Here is a look at some of the nations vying to join. Saudi ArabiaThe addition to BRICS of Saudi Arabia, one of the world’s leading oil producers, would add economic clout to the group and bolster its chances of positioning itself as a rival to the U.S.-led financial order.

Persons: Xi Jinping, Narendra Modi Locations: BRICS, Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Johannesburg, Argentina, Egypt, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Beijing, U.S

☆ Thai Ex-Prime Minister Returns From Exile, Adding to Political Chaos
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( Sui-Lee Wee | More About Sui-Lee Wee | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Thaksin Shinawatra, the former premier who was ousted in a coup and has been living in exile since 2006, returned to Bangkok for the first time in 15 years on Tuesday, adding to the country’s political drama on a day that Parliament was to vote for a new prime minister. Mr. Thaksin was living in self-imposed exile in part to avoid facing corruption and abuse of power charges affiliated with his telecom business. While in exile, he shuttled between England, Hong Kong and Dubai, avoiding Thailand for fear of not receiving a fair trial. He was tried for most of these cases in absentia and found guilty of several charges. Mr. Thaksin’s private jet arrived Tuesday morning at the Don Muang International Airport in Bangkok.

Persons: Thaksin Shinawatra, Thaksin Organizations: Don Muang International Locations: Bangkok, England, Hong Kong, Dubai, Thailand

☆ After 38 Years, Cambodian Leader Hands Power to His Son
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( Sui-Lee Wee | More About Sui-Lee Wee | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

But the transition of power has significant implications for Cambodia’s future, Southeast Asia and for the United States and China, which are jockeying for influence in the region. When Mr. Hun Sen became prime minister 38 years ago, the country was emerging from the destruction of the Khmer Rouge movement. He ushered in an era of strongman rule that has included the eradication of opposition parties and independent media. claimed it had clinched a “landslide victory” in elections that international observers said were stage-managed and unfair. As leader, Mr. Hun Sen embraced China, which he described as Cambodia’s “most trustworthy friend.” Beijing, Cambodia’s largest trading partner, supplied loans to finance airports, roads and other infrastructure projects.

Persons: Hun Manet, Hun Sen, Mr, ” Organizations: West Locations: Southeast Asia, United States, China, England, Khmer, ” Beijing

The NewsThailand’s Constitutional Court on Wednesday dismissed a petition to renominate Pita Limjaroenrat, a leading candidate, as the country’s next prime minister. Mr. Pita, 42, led the progressive Move Forward Party to a surprise victory in the general election in May. But last month, the military-appointed Senate voted against him when he was nominated as prime minister by a new coalition. Pheu Thai, a populist party co-founded by former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, said on Tuesday it would nominate Srettha Thavisin, a real estate tycoon, as its prime minister candidate. The next vote for prime minister will take place in Parliament on Aug. 22, the House speaker, Wan Muhamad Noor Matha, said.

Persons: Pita Limjaroenrat, Pita, Pita’s, Thaksin Shinawatra, Srettha, Mr, What’s, Sansiri, Pheu Thai’s, Phumtham Wechayachai, Wan, Matha Organizations: Party Locations: Thailand

☆ Aung San Suu Kyi’s Prison Sentence Reduced in Myanmar
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-01 | by ( Sui-Lee Wee | More About Sui-Lee Wee | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

The military government in Myanmar has reduced the prison sentence for Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, the Southeast Asian nation’s ousted civilian leader, by six years, a military spokesman said on Tuesday. The announcement came as a surprise but would not significantly change the fate of Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi, who was deposed by Myanmar’s military in a February 2021 coup. Her lawyer said that Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi, 78, still has to serve 25 more years in prison. Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi has been serving a 33-year sentence on corruption and other charges since December 2021. Rights groups and supporters say the charges were trumped up and meant to keep the Nobel Peace laureate, who is extremely popular in Myanmar, from elected office.

Persons: Daw Aung, Suu Kyi, Aung Organizations: Myawaddy TV Locations: Myanmar, Suu

☆ They Spoke Up for Free Speech. Now They Are Being Sued for Defamation.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-09 | by ( Sui-Lee Wee | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The Thai activist, Sutharee Wannasiri, knew the poultry company had violated labor laws. The poultry company hit back, suing Ms. Sutharee for defamation and libel. While the case was still pending, her colleague at their human rights organization spoke up for Ms. Sutharee on Twitter and Facebook. She, too, ended up being sued for defamation and libel. Now the colleague, Puttanee Kangkun, is facing a maximum of 42 years in prison as she awaits a verdict.

Persons: Sutharee Wannasiri, Sutharee, Puttanee Organizations: Twitter, Facebook Locations: Thai, Thailand

☆ He Promised Change in Thailand. But Will He Be Allowed to Lead?
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Sui-Lee Wee | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In order to take the role, Mr. Pita needs to gather enough support in the 500-member House of Representatives to overcome a 250-member, military-appointed Senate. Already, several senators have said they would not support a candidate who so threatens the status quo. Thai generals rewrote the Constitution in 2017 so a Senate stacked with military allies could jointly determine the top leader. So far, Mr. Pita has brushed off the petition to investigate him, saying he had already reported the shares to the authorities. He also said he believed there was a group of senators who had “felt their conscience” and understood the consequences of going against the 25 million Thais who voted for change.

☆ New Coalition in Thailand Challenges Military Rule After Election
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Sui-Lee Wee | Muktita Suhartono | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

The two opposition parties that won the largest share of the vote in Thailand’s general election over the weekend said on Monday that they had agreed to form a coalition government. The results of the election were a stinging rebuke to the country’s military leaders, who have governed Thailand since seizing power in a coup in 2014. Although Thailand is a nation where coups are not uncommon, it had never been under military rule for so long. Many voters, disillusioned with the never-ending cycle of putsches and protests, used the election on Sunday to demonstrate overwhelmingly that they wanted change. “People have been through enough of a lost decade,” Pita Limjaroenrat, the leader of the progressive Move Forward Party, told reporters on Monday.

☆ In Blow to Junta, Thai Voters Overwhelmingly Back Opposition Parties
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-14 | by ( Sui-Lee Wee | Muktita Suhartono | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

With 97 percent of the votes counted early Monday morning, the progressive Move Forward Party was neck and neck with the populist Pheu Thai Party. In most parliamentary systems, the two parties would form a new governing coalition and choose a prime minister. But under the rules of the current Thai system, written by the military after its 2014 coup, the junta will still play kingmaker. The election had widely been seen as an easy victory for Pheu Thai, the country’s largest opposition party founded by former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. Polls had showed that Mr. Thaksin’s youngest daughter, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, 36, was the leading choice for prime minister.

☆ Thailand’s Election: What to Watch and What’s at Stake
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-14 | by ( Sui-Lee Wee | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Thai voters headed to the polls on Sunday in a hotly contested election that will determine whether Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, the general who seized power in a coup in 2014, is unseated by his rivals. An observer of Thai politics has called the election the most consequential one in his lifetime. Opinion polls show that many voters want change, backing opposition parties that have promised to restore democratic rule in Thailand and roll back some of the authoritarian policies introduced by Mr. Prayuth. There is a broad sentiment that Mr. Prayuth has done little to boost the economy after nine years in power. His harsh crackdown on pro-democracy protests in Bangkok in 2020 has also alienated many voters.

☆ A Crucial Question in Thailand’s Election: Can You Criticize the King?
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-12 | by ( Sui-Lee Wee | Muktita Suhartono | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

When Thais go to the polls on Sunday, they will be voting in a closely fought election that is seen, in part, as a referendum on whether it is illegal to criticize the Thai monarchy. Thailand has one of the world’s strictest laws against defaming or insulting the king and other members of the royal family. The protests represented two sides of an impassioned struggle to determine the role of the crown in modern Thailand. The election could determine whether the Southeast Asian nation of 72 million will revive its once-vibrant democracy or slide further toward authoritarian rule, with royalists firmly in power. He and his supporters argue that amending the law could lead to abolishing the monarchy altogether, and have vowed to defend the royal family.

☆ Marcos, Back in Arms of U.S., Is Making His Own Name in Foreign Policy
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Sui-Lee Wee | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Mr. Marcos — in office for not even a year — has emerged as one of the Philippines’ most transformative foreign policy presidents, engineering a forceful pivot toward the United States in its intensifying rivalry with China. Soon after his inauguration in June, Mr. Marcos welcomed a succession of visits by several top-level American officials. Defense officials began briefing Mr. Marcos about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and the parallels of a potential similar attack by China on Taiwan, which sits across a narrow waterway from the Philippines. Then, in January, Mr. Marcos announced that the United States would gain access to four more military sites in the Philippines. Last month, the Philippines hosted the biggest-ever joint military drills between the two countries.

☆ Facing China, the Philippines and U.S. Join in Biggest Military Drill Yet
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Sui-Lee Wee | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

More weapons could come. After the foreign and defense ministers of both the United States and the Philippines held talks earlier this month, Washington said it would commit to adopt “a security sector assistance road map” in the Philippines, which “will guide shared defense modernization investments.” Mr. Marcos is set to meet President Joe Biden next week in Washington. Collin Koh, a research fellow and expert on maritime security in Southeast Asia, said that the Philippines could “help to complicate Chinese defense planning” in the South China Sea. “Even weaker actors can pull off certain victories,” he said, pointing to how Ukraine’s vastly outgunned military had shocked and stymied Russian forces over the past year. Now, they say they are more reassured, especially after several visits by high-level U.S. officials.

☆ Thailand’s Most Polarizing Family Rises Again Ahead of Election
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( Sui-Lee Wee | Muktita Suhartono | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

For close to two decades, the military and conservative establishment in Thailand has sought to keep former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and his supporters out of power. Mr. Thaksin, a populist politician and a business tycoon, was ousted in a coup in 2006 before he fled the country. Several years later, his sister succeeded him as prime minister and then suffered the same fate. Now, conservatives are watching warily as his political party looks set to dominate next month’s election. The party’s star campaigner: Paetongtarn Shinawatra, Mr. Thaksin’s youngest daughter and a strong contender for prime minister.

☆ What’s in Our Queue? ‘The Glory’ and More
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( Sui-Lee Wee | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

I’ve been obsessed with this fashionista’s Instagram account. She recently learned she has dementia, and her son, who asked her to move in with him, is helping her rediscover her old self through her wardrobe. Her profile also chronicles how she is trying to remember what it is like to write and draw. See the account.

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