Daily News on Southeast Asia – 12 Dec 2023

Every weekday, ISEAS Library collates articles relevant to Southeast Asia and special topics in line with the research interests of the ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute. To view articles behind paywalls, please visit the Library during its operating hours.

Today’s issue includes the following commentaries and citations attributed to ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute and its researchers. You can click on the links to go to the articles directly.


Brunei | Cambodia | Indonesia | Laos | Malaysia | Myanmar | Philippines | Singapore | Thailand | Timor-Leste | Vietnam | ASEAN / Southeast Asia | Asia PacificEast/South China Sea | Climate Change/Environment | Media, Technology & Society | Others


Indonesia

1. Indonesia’s defense: Toward regional power by 2045
Hotmangaradja Pandjaitan and Wibawanto Nugroho Widodo
Jakarta Post, 12 December 2023
 
2. Analisis Survei: Pemilih Demokrat dan PAN tak Solid Dukung Prabowo-Gibran [Survey Analysis: Democrat and PAN voters do not solidly support Prabowo-Gibran]
Wahyu Suryana
Republika, 12 December 2023
 
3. From Army General to Cuddly Grandpa: Prabowo’s TikTok Makeover
Karishma Vaswani
Bloomberg, 11 December 2023
 
4. Will US-China Rivalry Spur the Transformation of Indonesia’s Critical Minerals Sector?
Moch Faisal Karim
Diplomat, 11 December 2023
 
5. Indonesians set to roll the dice on Prabowo
Editorial Board, ANU
East Asia Forum, 11 December 2023
 
6. Activists demand clear commitment to democracy, ethics in first presidential debate
Nina A. Loasana and Dio Suhenda
Jakarta Post, 11 December 2023
 
7. Surveys show Ganjar, Anies locked in tight competition for runoff
Dio Suhenda
Jakarta Post, 11 December 2023
 
8. Defence minister Prabowo surges ahead in Indonesia’s presidential race
Reuters, 11 December 2023

Laos

9. How Will Laos Handle Its 2024 Chairmanship of ASEAN?
To Minh Son
Diplomat, 8 December 2023

Malaysia

10. PM Anwar wants Malaysia’s investment landscape, ecosystem to be more creative and investor friendly
Malay Mail Online, 12 December 2023
 
11. [Full list] Anwar’s new cabinet line-up
New Straits Times, 12 December 2023
 
12. Too many parties fighting over small Indian pie
K. Kabilan
The Malaysian Insight, 12 December 2023
 
13. Working with DAP won’t destroy Umno
Moaz Nair
The Malaysian Insight, 12 December 2023
 
14. 纳吉还有影响力吗? [Does Najib still have influence?]
戴子豪
星洲网, 12 December 2023
 
15. My Say: One year at Miti: A journey to elevate Malaysia’s economy
Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz
Edge Markets, 11 December 2023
 
16. Upko ready to face early Sabah polls, says Youth chief
Durie Rainer Fong
Star, 11 December 2023
 
17. Orang Melayu mungkin belum melihat keberkesanan kerajaan Perpaduan [The Malays may have yet to see the effectiveness of the Unity government]
Syed Azlan Sayid Hizar
Utusan Malaysia, 11 December 2023

Myanmar

18. Myanmar Junta Chief Uses Injured Soldiers and IDPs for Propaganda Splash
Irrawaddy, 11 December 2023
 
19. Myanmar Junta Loses Over a Dozen Troops, More Bases in Three Days of Resistance Attacks
Irrawaddy, 11 December 2023
 
20. China brokers talks in Myanmar between military junta and rebel groups that yield ‘positive results’
Reuters and Agence France-Presse
South China Morning Post, 11 December 2023
 
21. In Its Seventh Week, Operation 1027 Continues Expanding in Myanmar
Irrawaddy, 9 December 2023

Philippines

22. U.S.-China rivalry hits home in this Philippine province
Nick Aspinwall
Nikkei Asia, 12 December 2023
 
23. Making peace, making history
Philippine Daily Inquirer, 12 December 2023

Thailand

24. MFP gives Pheu Thai the hurry-up on charter reform
Aekarach Sattaburuth
Bangkok Post, 12 December 2023
 
25. Tackling our precarious border scenario
Kavi Chongkittavorn
Bangkok Post, 12 December 2023
 
26. More Democrats join exodus following election of new leader
The Nation, 11 December 2023
 
27. Thailand unveils two weapons to attract foreign investment
The Nation, 11 December 2023

Vietnam

28. China’s president will visit Vietnam weeks after it strengthened ties with the US and Japan
HUIZHONG WU
APNews, 12 December 2023
 
29. Xi Makes First Vietnam Visit Since 2017 to Counter US Clout
Philip Heijmans
Bloomberg, 12 December 2023
 
30. Putting Xi’s Upcoming Visit to Vietnam in Context
Rane Worldview, 11 December 2023
 
31. In Vietnam, a ‘shared destiny’ and the US are likely to be high on Xi Jinping’s agenda
Shi Jiangtao
South China Morning Post, 11 December 2023
 
32. Vietnam Wary of Chinese Pressure on Infrastructure Program, Experts Say
Ha Nguyen
VOA, 11 December 2023
 
33. 中国将献议无偿援助为越南建设跨境铁路 [China to offer “free assistance” to Vietnam to build cross-border railway]
联合早报, 11 December 2023

ASEAN/Southeast Asia

34. Southeast Asia’s Brewing Refugee Crisis
Lindsey Kennedy and Nathan Paul Southern
Diplomat, 11 December 2023
 
35. Southeast Asia eyes ‘double benefit’ of tapping China, India tourists post-Covid
Biman Mukherji
South China Morning Post, 11 December 2023
 
36. Vietnam and Cambodia to eye US$20 billion trade, complete border demarcation
Voice of Vietnam, 11 December 2023
 
37. Why is maintaining ties with Vietnam important for Cambodia?
Seun Sam is a policy analyst at the Royal Academy of Cambodia.
Phnom Penh Post, 10 December 2023

Asia Pacific

38. Japan’s ‘green’ aid for ASEAN is more about money than climate
Raoul Manuel
Nikkei Asia, 12 December 2023
 
39. Asia lags behind pre-pandemic levels of food security, UN food agency says
[Link to “Asia and the Pacific – Regional Overview of Food Security and Nutrition 2023“]
Elaine Kurtenbach
APNews, 11 December 2023
 
40. Quad should lead region forward in securing mineral supply chains
Abhishek Sharma
Nikkei Asia, 11 December 2023

East/South China Sea

41. The Cambodian Narrative on the South China Sea Dispute, The Unfinished Story
Chheang Vannarith is President of the Asian Vision Institute (AVI) and Founder and Chairman of Angkor Social Innovation Park (ASIP).
Khmer Times, 12 December 2023
 
42. What It Feels Like to Be the Target of China’s Water Cannons
Camille Elemia
New York Times, 11 December 2023

Climate Change/Environment

43. ADB Supports Lao PDR to Address Climate Risks, Improve Livelihoods
Asian Development Bank, 12 December 2023
 
44. OJK to require banks to factor in climate risks starting in 2026
Yohana Belinda
Jakarta Post, 12 December 2023
 
45. Climate Finance: How Countries Can Develop National Strategies for Carbon Markets
Virender K. Duggal, Principal Climate Change Specialist, ADB Climate Change, Resilience, and Environment Cluster, Climate Change and Sustainable Development Department
Asian Development Bank, 11 December 2023
 
46. 气候损失和损害专项基金雷声大雨点小” [COP28 loss and damage fund – much said, little done]
海珂娴
联合早报, 11 December 2023
 
47. Cambodia Making Seven Commitments to Combat Climate Change at COP28
Kann Vicheika
VOA, 8 December 2023

Media, Technology & Society

48. A Chinese-owned News App Is Taking Africa by Storm
Veronika Blablová
Diplomat, 12 December 2023
 
49. KKD will continue to block social media platforms that compromise public morals – Fahmi
Bernama, 11 December 2023
 
50. Finding a Fix for Indonesia’s Data Protection Problems
Arif Perdana and Saru Arifin
Diplomat, 11 December 2023
 
51. Alibaba research unit unveils AI tailored for Southeast Asia as e-commerce giant pushes large language models in fast-growth region
Che Pan
South China Morning Post, 11 December 2023


Image credit: Photo by Mega Caesaria on Unsplash

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