Thai netizens are fuelling a get-rich-quick online culture but the lavish lifestyles they flaunt are often illusory and mask the heavy costs of maintaining visibility to satisfy platform algorithms.
Category Archives: Commentaries
Cambodia’s Warming Ties with Washington Reflect Continuity, Not Realignment
Maintaining flexibility in its diplomacy towards two big powers is the clear pragmatic option for Cambodia in today’s geopolitical climate.
Indonesia’s Nahdlatul Ulama in Turmoil
Indonesia’s largest Muslim organisation is split at its top echelons over worldly politics.
Vietnam’s Police Are Joking Online and That Makes Their Messaging More Serious
The unusual turn taken in a social media page run by a Vietnamese police anti-drug unit shows how controlling the conversation through humour can be a useful weapon.
Gun Jompalang: The Grey Zone of Influencers and Warfare in the Thai-Cambodia Conflict
A Thai influencer’s controversial actions in the conflict zone between Thailand and Cambodia highlight the inadequacy of the laws of war and military protocols in this digital age.
Indonesia’s Problematic Criminal Procedure Code Revision
Indonesia’s new Criminal Procedure Code might make it harder for justice to be done.
The Human and Environmental Costs of Critical Mineral Mining
With critical minerals mining activity expected to expand in Southeast Asia, ASEAN countries must collectively tackle the resulting transboundary pollution and impose stricter socio-environmental regulation of the sector.
ASEAN’s Regional Ambitions for the Semiconductor Industry
A new non-binding framework for relevant ASEAN member states to ramp up their semiconductor industries and supply chains has the potential to provide some relief against a darkening geopolitical outlook.
How China Outmanoeuvres the West in Myanmar
The West’s incoherent strategy is no match for a ruthless, integrated Chinese approach that leverages economic links to its advantage.
The Domestic Calculations of To Lam’s Foreign Policy
Domestic factors seem to impel Vietnam’s top politician as he jetsets around the world, ahead of an all-important Party congress.