By Neville de Silva* LONDON 2 July 2023 (IDN) — Politics, say those not averse to giving Shakespeare’s words a little twist, make strange bed fellows. Last July two of Sri Lanka’s leading political parties and arch enemies decided to bed together, not because of a newfound intimacy but rather for their political survival.
Thailand’s ‘Sufficiency Economy’ Philosophy Bears Fruits in Laos
By Pattama Vilailert VIENTIANE, Laos. 28 June 2023 (IDN) — It was at the height of the Thai Economic Crisis in 1997 that the term “sufficiency economics” came into prominence when the late King of Thailand Bhumibol Adulyadej told his people that rather than building factories to become another Asian Tiger, the important thing for […]
Tonga: A ‘Paradise’ in the South Pacific Ocean Turns to a Plastic Landfill
By Fresh Polutele* NUKU’ALOFA, Tonga, 23 June 2023 (IDN | Wansolwara) — The kingdom of Tonga in the middle of the South Pacific Ocean was known as a “paradise” island. But not anymore. Plastic and glass waste is an ongoing problem in Tonga’s environment and it has created a dilemma for the government. How will […]
South Pacific Is Not in Good Shape Because of Other Peoples’ Wars
By Kalinga Seneviratne SUVA, Fiji, 20 June 2023 (IDN) — In a keynote speech at the annual Pacific Update conference at the University of the South Pacific (USP), the university’s former Dean of the Business and Economic Faculty, and now the Deputy Prime Minister and Economics Minister of the island country, Professor Biman Prasad told […]
Asian Leaders Call for Unity to Confront West’s “De-Risking” Strategy
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 […]