COMMENTARIES

8 Sep 2020

India’s Obsession With Thailand’s Kra Canal: Much Ado About Nothing

Ian Storey

News that Thailand has “cancelled” its Kra canal project and replaced it with a land bridge has exercised Indian observers. But you cannot scrap a plan that has not been approved and Indian media reports say more about tensions with China along their land border than a centuries’ old Thai canal plan.

1 Sep 2020

Digital Payments Can Accelerate Master Plan for ASEAN Connectivity

Melinda Martinus

Digital payment systems have proliferated across Southeast Asia, thanks to various platforms provided by banks, ride-hailing apps and fintech firms. For such payments to truly take off, the region needs to work on facilitating cross-border transactions.

ASEAN ASEAN Connectivity ASEAN Master Plan

1 Sep 2020

Non-tariff Barriers to Agri-trade in ASEAN: Taking Down Walls

Sithanonxay Suvannaphakdy

A bid to boost market access for agri-food trade in ASEAN is in jeopardy. Non-tariff measures (NTMs) – policy measures other than tariffs that can potentially hinder trade – have emerged as one of the key obstacles to agri-food trade, namely fisheries and agro-based products. NTMs increase trade costs for producers, importers and exporters through information, compliance and procedural...

Agri-Trade ASEAN Non-Tariff Barriers

28 Aug 2020

Philippine Remittances and Covid-19: Stayin’ Alive

Malcolm Cook

In a pandemic-afflicted year when the country braced itself for smaller remittances from its overseas workers, the Philippines has seen a lower-than-expected fall in such inflows. The OFWs, as they are called, have lived up to their reputations.

Overseas Foreign Workers Philippine Remittances

24 Aug 2020

The Islamic Renaissance Front in Malaysia: Fighting to Reinvigorate Progressive Voices

Mohd Faizal Musa|Siti Syazwani Zainal Abidin

For years, the Islamic Renaissance Front has sought to bring progressive Islam to the front and centre in Malaysia. With a leadership change and increasing state repression, the group has its work cut out for it.

Islamic Renaissance Front Malaysia Progressive Islam

20 Aug 2020

Yang Jiechi’s Singapore Visit: Seeking Strategic Space

Lye Liang Fook

China appears to have embarked on a new round of charm offensive. Yang Jiechi, who is a Politburo Member and Director of the Office of the Central Commission for Foreign Affairs, is visiting Singapore and South Korea this week. While Singapore looks forward to consolidating its ties with China, it seeks to do the same with other key players in the region.

China-Singapore Relations Chinese Foreign Policy COVID-19

18 Aug 2020

Thailand’s Political Unrest: Referendum on the Cards?

Termsak Chalermpalanupap

The Phuea Thai Party is leading a bid to draft a new Constitution, in the wake of student protests calling on the government to stop harassment of critics and dissolve the Senate. Thai prime minister Prayut Chan-ocha can seize the initiative and call for a referendum. Given mounting calls for a “revolution,” not merely reforms, General Prayut does not have the luxury of time.

Thai Politics Thailand

18 Aug 2020

Thai Student Protests: Conjuring Up the Ghosts of 1932

Michael J. Montesano

That calls for replacement of Thailand’s military-imposed constitution have touched on the political role of the monarchy is no surprise. Growing signs of support for constitutional change in provincial Thailand may be a more telling development.

Thai Monarchy Thai Politics Thailand