Latest Articles about Southeast Asia
Indian and Manipuri Governments Reach Fraught Peace Agreement with UNLF’s Pambei Group
Executive Summary: The Indian government and the government of the restive northeastern state of Manipur signed a “peace agreement” with the United National Liberation Front (UNLF), a banned ethnic Meitei organization, on November 29, 2023. While signing the peace agreement is a breakthrough for the... MORE
Brief: Hamas’s Release of Thailand’s Hostages Accomplished Through Thai Professor in Iran
Executive Summary Thailand has managed to secure the release of its 18 hostages from Hamas with the help of a Thai professor at al-Mustafa International University in Qom, who acted as a mediator. Thailand has avoided taking an explicitly critical position on Hamas, despite the... MORE
Brief: Maritime Threat Posed by Abu Sayyaf Curtailed by Philippine Counter-Piracy Efforts
Executive Summary In the last decade, Philippine naval forces have successfully neutralized Abu Sayyaf's once significant piracy operations in the maritime area between Mindanao, Philippines and Sabah, Malaysia. This is due in no small part to regional cooperation and joint anti-piracy efforts by the Philippines,... MORE
New Zealander Pilot’s Fate Unclear as Insurgents Launch Offensive in West Papua
Executive Summary Egianus Kogoya, a West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB) commander, is holding a New Zealand pilot hostage and threatening to execute him unless West Papua wins its independence, though the movement’s leadership has disagreed with this hardline stance. Over the course of two... MORE
Russia Looks to South Asia for Immigrant Workers as Flow from Central Asia Dries Up
Executive Summary: Moscow is looking to South Asia as a source of new immigrants to compensate for the demographic decline of the Russian population and declining numbers of migrant workers from Central Asia. Such a policy faces enormous obstacles given both the negative attitudes of... MORE
Brief: Indonesian Counter-Terrorism Forces on Edge Ahead of Elections
Executive Summary Indonesia's general election is scheduled for February 14, 2024. 59 militants were arrested on October 31, 2023 for planning to disrupt said elections, including 19 members of Jemaa Islamiya (JI), which was previously believed to have been dormant. 40 suspects from the Jamaah... MORE
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