Latest Articles about Southeast Asia
Brief: University Catholic Service Bombing Raises Fears of Abu Sayyaf Resurgence in the Philippines
Abu Sayyaf is considered a group in “demise” according to leading Philippine military officials (Benar News, July 31). The killing of key commander Mudzrimar “Mundi” Sawadjaan on his way to Sulu island from Basilan Province in early December only furthered this government narrative (SunStar, December... MORE
Brief: Rising Risk of Radicalization in Indonesia Following Outbreak of Israel-Hamas War
In January 2016, then-vice president of Indonesia, Jusuf Kalla, held a press conference in Jakarta to announce the opening of the Indonesian Hospital in Gaza. The hospital was intended to be a symbol of “Muslim unity” between the world’s most populous Muslim country, Indonesia, and... MORE
TPNPB Rebels Adopt New Tactics in Indonesia’s West Papua Province
On August 28, the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB) killed a Papuan social worker, Michelle Kurisi Doga (suara.com, August 31). The group alleged that she was collecting data on Papuan refugees and mapping out TPNPB camps for Indonesia’s security forces in the restive territory... MORE
Russia Tries and Fails to Gain a Foothold in Asia-Pacific
Few prospects worry Moscow more than a potential reduction of tensions between the United States and China. Such a development, even if half-hearted and temporary, would threaten a curtailment of Beijing’s support for Russia in the international arena—at least from Moscow’s perspective. The Asia-Pacific Economic... MORE
Vietnam’s Four Nos Policy and Implications for Vietnam-China Relations
In Hanoi on September 10, 2023, US President Joe Biden and the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee Nguyễn Phú Trọng upgraded their countries’ diplomatic relationship to a “comprehensive strategic partnership” (White House, September 11). Vietnam bestows this term on the... MORE
Brief: Sulu Island in the Philippines ‘Abu Sayyaf-Free’ after Mass Surrender of Militants
On August 2, a Philippine military spokesman announced that Sulu Island in Mindanao is now free of Abu Sayyaf (The Manila Times, August 2). If there were any doubts about the military’s confidence in this claim, on September 7, the commander of Joint Task Force... MORE
Indonesian President and West Papuan Militants Rely on Regional Organization to Resolve Conflict; Negotiations to Free Hostage New Zealander Continue
On May 27, Indonesian President Joko Widodo (“Jokowi”) received a video-recorded death threat from Egianus Kogoya (“Egi”), the commander of the West Papua National Liberation Army-The Free Papua Movement (TPNPB-OPM) in Nduga Region, Highland Papua Province. Egi stated he would execute his hostage, New Zealander... MORE
Brief: Drug-Trafficking and Jihadist Nexus Possibly Behind Terror Attack in Southern Thailand
On August 29, a Thai police officer and two local defense volunteers were killed in an ambush in Yarang district in Pattani province, southern Thailand, where ethnic Malay Muslim militants have been waging an insurgency for decades. While the attack has not been claimed by... MORE
Coalitions of the Week: BRICS, ASEAN, the G20
Supreme leader Xi Jinping’s failure to attend the G20 summit in New Delhi this weekend (September 9-10) — thus nullifying the possibility of a meeting with top Western leaders including American counterpart President Joe Biden — is symptomatic of the isolation that China is facing... MORE
Brief: Indonesia Reins in Islamic State Remnants
It has been nearly ten years since Indonesia’s elite counter-terrorism force, Densus 88, began hunting down the country’s most influential Islamic State (IS) loyalist, Santoso, in Sulawesi in 2015. The force eventually killed him in 2016 (jakartapost.com, December 1, 2015). Since Santoso’s death and IS’s... MORE