Analysis by Kalinga Seneviratne SINGAPORE, 28 May 2023 (IDN) — The international media may have focused on the attempts at the G7 meeting this month in Hiroshima to unite against China promoting a “de-risking” strategy, which China sees as “containment” of their economic rise. It seems many Asian leaders agree with China.
India Partners with the South Pacific University
Climate Change Research Center Launched By Joeli Bili* SUVA, Fiji, 26 May 2023 (IDN | Wansolwara) — A partnership forged between the Government of India and The University of the South Pacific (USP) will see the establishment of a new center for climate change, coastal and ocean management in Fiji. The Sustainable Coastal and Ocean […]
How Myanmar’s Arms Purchases Circumvent Sanctions
By Thalif Deen UNITED NATIONS, 18 May 2023 (IDN) — The much-maligned military regime in Myanmar, accused of genocide and human rights abuses, is being sustained by nearly a billion dollars’ worth of arms—plus raw materials to manufacture weapons—originating primarily from China and Russia, two permanent members of the Security Council, along with Singapore, Thailand […]
Thai People Want Change. And the Conservative-Military Elite?
By Jan Servaes* BRUSSELS, 16 May 2023 (IPS) — 39.5 million (or 75% of registered) Thai voters flocked to the polls on 14 May in a hotly contested election that will determine whether Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-Ocha, the general who seized power in a 2014 coup, will be overthrown by his rivals. There is a […]
After Historic Apology, Fiji Moves to Build a New Nation
By Kalinga Seneviratne SUVA, Fiji, 15 May 2023 (IDN) — In an emotionally charged “Reconciliation and Thanksgiving” service organized by Fiji’s Methodist Church—the country’s largest Christian denomination—the President of the church Reverend Ili Vunisuwai and Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka apologized to the Indo-Fijian community for the suffering and insults they have endured in Fiji’s post- […]
Thai Elections: More of The Same, Or Break with Tradition?
By Jan Servaes* BRUSSELS, 7 May 2023 (IDN) — The 69-year-old General Prayuth Chan-Ocha, who has been Prime Minister of Thailand since his coup in 2014, is again a candidate in the elections on 14 May 2023. He refuses to participate in debates but fully indulges during the Songkran New Year festivities. It had been […]
South Pacific: Climate Change Havoc Worries New Zealanders
By Kalinga Seneviratne SUVA, Fiji, 12 April 2023 (IDN) — It is not only the poor island countries of the South Pacific that worry about the future in the midst of climate change. New Zealand—a comparatively rich country—is worried too after devastating floods and cyclonic storms brought destruction to the islands this year.
Thailand: Chiang Mai Breaks Records
By Jan Servaes* BRUSSELS, 9 April 2023 (IDN) — Chiang Mai, in the north of Thailand, is consistently cited as one of the best tourist destinations in the world. While Thailand ranks among the world’s best places to retire, Chiang Mai is also popular with digital nomads and backpackers from around the world. Moreover, Chiang […]
American Journalists in China
By Jan Servaes* BRUSSELS, 2 April 2023 (IDN) — After the success of the ‘Assignment China’ TV-series, Columbia University Press. recently published the book with the same title: “Assignment China: An Oral History of American Journalists in the People’s Republic”. The themes already covered in the TV series have been updated and expanded to 25 […]
Western Flags All Over Oceania Ensure a Continuing Hegemony
By Greg Fry and Terence Wesley-Smith* SUVA, Fiji, 15 March 2023 (IDN) — In his recently published article “Sea of many flags”, the head of the ANU National Security College Rory Medcalf makes the case for why Pacific Island states should regard the deep regional involvement of a Western coalition of powers, “quietly” led by […]