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To kick off LBGTQ+ history month, Emily Donald looks at lesbian history and women’s sexuality in Thailand.
CAMBODIA
Like it or not, the CPP still needs the West
The idea that China will “bail out” Cambodia if the West applies sanctions is fanciful, and the government knows it.
THAILAND AT NEW MANDALA
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Q&A: Supalak Ganjanakhundee on Thailand’s week of chaos
about 4 days ago
The editor of "The Nation" talks to New Mandala.
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Lesbian history in Thailand: value in traces
about 4 days ago
To kick off LBGTQ+ history month, Emily Donald looks at lesbian history and women’s sexuality in Thailand.
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New networks in Thai royal politics
about 6 days ago
On Ubolratana's abortive PM candidacy and what it suggests about the fragmentation of the "network monarchy".
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LIVE: Thailand Uncharted
about 1 week ago
Realtime election-related reprisals, reactions and randomness.
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A rebuke against a sister and the personalising of monarchical control
about 1 week ago
Paul Chambers on King Vajiralongkorn's expanding control over state forces
New networks in Thai royal politics
On Ubolratana's abortive PM candidacy and what it suggests about the fragmentation of the "network monarchy".
MALAYSIA & SINGAPORE
How Deng and his heirs misunderstood Singapore
Chinese elites have looked to Singapore as a model throughout much of the reform era, but have failed to understand what made the city-state tick.
Pakatan Harapan has the momentum in Sarawak
Time is running out for the state's rebranded BN government, despite a late embrace of 'state nationalism'.
Himpunan 812 and a new rivalry in Malay politics
Observations on what many are calling Malaysia's answer to Indonesia's 212 movement.
When illiberal social media takes over democratic Philippines
Social media has amplified, rather than created, an existing culture of disinformation.
the philippines
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When illiberal social media takes over democratic Philippines
about 2 weeks ago
Social media has amplified, rather than created, an existing culture of disinformation.
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Did Duterte change the rules of Philippine elections?
about 4 weeks ago
Dutertismo still hasn’t fundamentally changed how political power is sought and won.
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New Mandala’s most read in 2018
about 2 months ago
Revisit the 20 most popular articles published at New Mandala this year.
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Enjoining moderation: the online self-presentations of the MILF [Part II]
about 2 months ago
The Moro Islamic Liberation Front struggles to sustain a dual image of moderation and militancy.
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Enjoining moderation: the online self-presentations of the MILF [Part I]
about 2 months ago
In its rhetoric the MILF "is forced to walk a tightrope between two extremes", seeking credibility as a negotiator and as champion of Islam.
Indonesia & East Timor
more indonesia
Habib Bahar’s fifteen minutes of infamy
An eccentric—and violent—Islamic preacher has been catapulted to fame in Indonesia after becoming a target of the authorities.
Notes on 212 in 2018: more politics, less unity
The second reunion of the 2016 anti-Ahok rally was a show of force from FPI ahead of elections.
Playing the marriage card in Indonesia
A proposal for marriage registration cards is an invitation for more moral surveillance of Indonesian citizens.
BOOK REVIEWS
Indonesia at the 9th Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art
A despatch from Brisbane, where an eclectic selection of Indonesian works stands out at the APT.
PERSPECTIVES ON THE PAST
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Lesbian history in Thailand: value in traces
about 4 days ago
To kick off LBGTQ+ history month, Emily Donald looks at lesbian history and women’s sexuality in Thailand.
-
Indonesia at the 9th Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art
about 2 months ago
A despatch from Brisbane, where an eclectic selection of Indonesian works stands out at the APT.
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Lost in literature: the misuse of western sources and perspectives [Part III]
about 3 months ago
On the the misuse of western historical sources in the search for Suvarnabhumi.
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Why we should be funding research on the post-Orientalist arts of the Straits of Malacca*
about 4 months ago
A personal reflection on the importance of academic freedom
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Lost in literature: the political and religious consequences of Suvarnabhumi [Part II]
about 4 months ago
On nationalism, religion, archaeology, folklore and pseudo-history.
OTHER COUNTRIES & TOPICS
SEE THE NEW MANDALA ARCHIVES
The end of the road for the Khmer Rouge tribunal
The Nuon Chua and Khieu Samphan verdicts are likely a fitting end for the ECCC and its complicated legacy.
Welcoming ‘Near West’ to New Mandala
New Mandala will be home to a South Asia guest section in the lead up to India's general elections.
Where in the world is Cambodia?
The international community needs to take seriously the scepticism of many Cambodians about its intentions.
MALAYSIA & SINGAPORE
Rebellion and regret: talking to rural voters after GE14
The ‘new Malaysia’ is viewed with sceptical eyes in poor rural communities in Johor.
A new electoral system for a new Malaysia
The majoritarian first-past-the-post system has had its day. It’s time to think about bold options for reform.
Malay dominance remains despite UMNO’s rout
Despite the routing of UMNO at GE14 amid regime change, Malay politicians still dominate the new coalition government.
DEMOCRACY IN CRISIS?
read more
Wielding the purse strings of Southeast Asian civil society
Illiberalism at home, and pro-market ideologies abroad, are putting pressure on Southeast Asian civil society organisations' financial health.
Southeast Asian cyberspace: politics, censorship, polarisation
The internet is both a factor in, and a victim of, the region’s crisis of democracy.
Old dominance, new dominoes in Southeast Asia
Democracy in the region finds itself in dark days. Can anything save it?