Category: Misc.

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Thitinan Pongsudhirak on the ASEAN Cambodia Meeting

2012 07 27 asean map

Thitinan Pongsudhirak has in an op-ed in today’s Bangkok Post about the recent ASEAN meeting in Cambodia. He says:

The post-mortems of the failure by Asean to agree on a hitherto routine joint statement after their 45th Ministerial Meeting are coming in thick and heavy. Recriminations and acrimony are crisscrossing the region, the shockwaves being felt and analysed across the Pacific and to the Atlantic.

The annual ministerial joint communiques are as old as Asean itself. Its unprecedented absence is thus a serious setback for the 10-member organisation, a crucial blow to its credibility and coherence in the lead-up to its much-vaunted Asean Community by 2015. While the diplomatic damage incurred in Phnom Penh will be glossed over in Asean capitals, serious and effective efforts beyond damage-control are needed before the Asean summit and its related top-level meetings with other major partners are held in November.

What transpired in the Cambodian capital on July 13 is still not completely clear and confirmed. But it is widely accepted that Asean’s inability to stand jointly on even a diluted position was attributable to Cambodia’s disagreement with the Philippines and Vietnam. As the rotating chair of Asean for 2012, Cambodia refused to include specific references to the Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea, which is being hotly disputed by the Philippines and China. Vietnam also wanted to include wording on its right to an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), as sanctioned by the United Nations Convention of the Law of the Sea. In other words, both Manila and Hanoi have rejected and challenged Beijing’s claims over practically the entire South China Sea, through which more than half of global shipping passes. Apart from the Philippines and Vietnam, Brunei and Malaysia also are Asean claimants of parts of the sea vis-a-vis China.

Thitinan says ASEAN’s “regional mix” is structurally different from the recent past” for at least three reasons:

1.

…First, China’s posture is much more assertive and less hedged, as evident on South China Sea issues and beyond…

2.

Second, the US is more engaged as opposed to the previous decade. Its rebalancing means certain Asean members can rely on the US’s new posture to hedge and leverage vis-a-vis China…

3.

Third, Asean’s internal coherence is not what it used to be…

Worth a read.

Elsewhere, The Wall Street Journal‘s Southeast Asia Real Time had a story last week on the fallout from the meeting.

(Image: Wikipedia.)

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Misc.

Hillary Clinton’s Laos Visit: News Round-Up

Here are a few stories about Hillary Clinton’s visit to Laos today:

The AP touches on the U.S. “pivot” to the region, Southeast Asia’s strategic importance, and the ongoing effects of unexploded ordinance in Laos, among other issues:

Hillary Rodham Clinton became the first U.S. secretary of state to visit Laos in more than five decades, gauging whether a place the United States pummeled with bombs during the Vietnam War could evolve into a new foothold of American influence in Asia.

Clinton met with the communist government’s prime minister and foreign minister in the capital of Vientiane on Wednesday, part of a weeklong diplomatic tour of Southeast Asia. The goal is to bolster America’s standing in some of the fastest growing markets of the world, and counter China‘s expanding economic, diplomatic and military dominance of the region.

Elsewhere, Bloomberg reports:

Hillary Clinton became the first U.S. Secretary of State to visit Laos in 57 years today, and plans to push for more studies on a $3.6 billion hydropower dam on the Mekong River opposed by neighboring countries.

The Wall Street Journal said yesterday:

Hillary Clinton’s visit to Laos on Wednesday will be the first by a U.S. secretary of state in 57 years, and it comes at a crucial time: The small, landlocked nation is taking on growing importance as it is pulled deeper into China’s orbit.

The trip to Vientiane, following a stop by Mrs. Clinton in Hanoi, reflects U.S. efforts to rebuild alliances in Southeast Asia at a time when Beijing is rapidly expanding its influence in the region.

Laos, a small, landlocked nation, has fewer residents than New York City, with a population under seven million. It also has the smallest economy in Southeast Asia, with annual output of about $7 billion, versus about $125 billion for Vietnam, its eastern neighbor.

But Laos has significant untapped mineral resources and a growing consumer market. It is also becoming a more important player in some of the region’s geopolitical issues, especially tensions over territorial rights in the resource-rich South China Sea, where China, Vietnam, the Philippines and several other countries have overlapping claims.

There’s also a blog post at The Hill from Rep. Michael Honda. And there are stories from the BBC and AFP.

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Aung San Suu Kyi Arrives in Thailand

First post about one of the many happenings this week:

Aung San Suu Kyi arrived here in Bangkok last night on her first trip outside Myanmar in 24 years.

The AP has the backstory:

For 24 years, Aung San Suu Kyi was either under house arrest or too fearful that if she left Myanmar, the government would never let her return.

Now, in a sign of how much life there has changed, the democracy activist and long-time political prisoner is resuming world travels, arriving Tuesday night in neighboring Thailand after an 85-minute flight from her homeland.

In a story headlined “Amid Disorganization, Aung San Suu Kyi Visits Thailand,” The New York Times reports:

“We’ll have to play it by ear, I guess,” said Thani Thongphakdi, a spokesman for the Thai Foreign Ministry.

He was referring to the visit of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, the leader of Myanmar’s democracy movement and a newly elected member of Parliament who arrived in Thailand on Tuesday. Ignoring a row of photographers awaiting her, she left the airport quickly without commenting.

A trip outside Myanmar is a personal milestone for Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi — her first journey abroad in 24 years. But planning it appears to have been an afterthought. For example, no one from her office contacted the Thai Foreign Ministry, which normally coordinates such high-profile visits. “As far as I know, we have not been approached by her team,” Mr. Thani said a few hours before she was to land.

The Wall Street Journal says:

During her visit to Thailand, Ms. Suu Kyi will encounter the economic transformation that has changed the face of Bangkok and much of the rest of Southeast Asia during her time in Myanmar, also known as Burma. While Thailand and other neighboring countries have ratcheted up decades of rapid growth, Myanmar remains an impoverished backwater, cut off for years by strict sanctions from the U.S. and European Union and beset by power outages and crumbling infrastructure.

And:

Global business leaders gathering in Bangkok for the World Economic Form meetings will likely seek assurances from Ms. Suu Kyi about doing business in the country and attempt to learn more about what kind of policy agenda she might pursue in Myanmar’s Parliament.

This morning Suu Kyi spoke to a large gathering of migrant workers from Myanmar in Samut Sakhon, outside Bangkok.

For images and text dispatches, see Tweets from Anasuya, Zoe Daniel, and Jonah Fisher.

Particularly memorable is this image, snapped by Zoe:

2012 05 30 assk samut sakhon

(All emphasis mine.)

(Image: Zoe Daniel, on Twitter.)

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Gone Fishin’

I won’t be posting anything here until next week.

In the meantime, if there’s big news, you may be able to catch me on Twitter.

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A Few Odds and Ends

2012 05 02 bangkok grocery nyc

Here are some items from the last several days that I wanted to point out, at least belatedly:

  • On Aung San Suu Kyi and reforms in Myanmar:

    The AP provides the context on Aung San Suu Kyi’s parliamentary swearing in today:

    Opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi was sworn in to Myanmar’s military-backed parliament Wednesday, taking public office for the first time since launching her struggle against authoritarian rule nearly a quarter century ago.

    The opposition leader’s entry into the legislature heralds a new political era in Myanmar, cementing a risky detente between her party and the reformist government of President Thein Sein, which inherited power from the army last year.

    Meanwhile, representatives of Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have an op-ed in today’s WSJ headlined “Burma’s Reform Is Still on Parole.”

  • On Chiranuch “Jiew” Premchaiporn:

    The AP says:

    A Thai judge postponed a verdict that had been expected Monday for a webmaster accused of failing to act quickly enough to remove Internet posts deemed insulting to Thailand’s royalty.

    Judge Nittaya Yaemsri said more time was need to process documents in the case, which has drawn global criticism because many see it as an assault on freedom of speech. A new court date was set for May 30.

    Here’s more from the Bangkok Post

  • On David Thomson and Bangkok’s Nahm restaurant:

    Australian Chef David Thompson’s restaurant here in Bangkok, Nahm, has come in at number 50 on the newest list of the “The World’s 50 Best Restaurants.”

    (Previously at Newley.com: Here’s an earlier post on Thompson and the issue of foreigners cooking Thai cuisine. And here’s an audio slide show I made about Thompson in 2009.)

  • And finally, speaking of Thai food:

    Thanks to my good friend Dan S. for Tweeting the photo, above, of Bangkok Center Grocery in New York City.

    If you’re interested in the Thai language, you might like to know that the image prompted a a back-and-forth on Twitter, embedded below and on Storify here, about the establishment’s name and its spelling in Thai:

(Image: @NewYorkFitness.)

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Off topic: Carl’s Jr. is Coming to Thailand

2012 04 19 carls jr bangkok

Burger and fast food gluttons fans only…

Given my past writings about hamburgers in Bangkok, I feel compelled to point out this news: the well-known U.S. burger chain Carl’s Jr. says it is opening an establishment here in Bangkok on May 15.

As you can see in the Tweet below, a restaurant representative says the establishment — apparently one of three to come in Thailand — will be located on Thanon Thaniya, in Bangkok’s Silom area.

And there’s more where that came from.

According to the Carl’s Jr. Thailand Facebook page, the chain is also set to open branches on Sukhumvit Soi 24 and in the city of Pattaya.

Carl’s Jr. restaurants are generally located in central and Western U.S. states. But East-coast fast food fans should fret not: Carl’s Jr.’s parent company apparently owns Hardees and serves their signature biscuits.

(Hat tip to Patrick Winn for spotting the Soi 24 site.)

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Misc.

NY Times on Yestersday’s Quake

The New York Times sums things up:

Two powerful earthquakes struck about two hours apart off the coast of Sumatra on Wednesday afternoon, spreading panic among residents of the Indonesian island and reviving memories of the devastating 2004 earthquake and tsunami in the same area.

There were no reports of casualties or significant damage, and the tsunami warnings that were widely broadcast on television, cellphones and the Internet were called off again a few hours later.

The first quake, whose magnitude was measured at 8.6 by the United States Geological Survey, was centered about 200 miles offshore and was felt across a large area. Tremors were felt in Bangladesh, India, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand as well as Indonesia. The second quake, measured at 8.2, was somewhat farther offshore.

Though the quakes did not ultimately cause a tsunami, they tested the region’s tsunami warning systems, as residents fled coastal areas for higher ground. In Banda Aceh, at the northern end of Sumatra, the hurried, spontaneous evacuation came after several minutes of heavy shaking.

The Bangkok Post also has a story, as does The Nation.

Meanwhile, on a related note, the AP reports today that:

KFC Thailand has issued an apology after being criticized for a Facebook message that urged people to rush home during Wednesday’s tsunami scare and order a bucket of KFC chicken.

As people were being urged to evacuate from beach areas, the company posted this message: “Let’s hurry home and follow the earthquake news. And don’t forget to order your favorite KFC menu.”

(All emphasis mine.)

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Indonesia Quake Update: Thailand Tsunami Alert Lifted

The latest Tweet from the AP:

And their story recapping today’s events:

Two massive earthquakes triggered back-to-back tsunami warnings for Indonesia on Wednesday, sending panicked residents fleeing to high ground in cars and on the backs of motorcycles. There were no signs of deadly waves, however, or serious damage, and a watch for much of the Indian Ocean was lifted after a few hours.

(All emphasis mine.)

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Indonesia Quake Update: No Major Damage Reported, But New Tsunami Warning for Aftershock

An update to my previous post — here’s the he latest from the AP:

Indonesia has issued a fresh tsunami warning after an aftershock with a preliminary magnitude of 8.2 shook its western coast.

The first 8.6-magnitude quake off Aceh province, hours earlier, spawned a wave around 30 inches (80 centimeters) high but caused no serious damage.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the strong temblor that followed was centered 10 miles (16 kilometers) beneath the ocean around 380 miles (615 kilometers) from the provincial capital, Banda Aceh.

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Tsunami Warning After 8.9 Magnitude Indonesia Quake

A quick heads up on a developing story. Will keep you posted on potential implications for Thailand.

AP says:

Indonesia issued a tsunami warning Wednesday after an earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 8.9 hit waters off westernmost Aceh province.

People on Twitter said tremors were felt in Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia and India. High-rise apartments and offices on Malaysia’s west coast shook for at least a minute.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the powerful quake was centered 20 miles (33 kilometers) beneath the ocean floor around 308 miles (495 kilometers) from Aceh’s provincial capital.

I didn’t feel the quake here in central Bangkok, for what it’s worth.

Follow me on Twitter and check out my Bangkok journalists Twitter list for updates.