The contents of the nearly 100-year-old envelope opened earlier this month contained first Czechoslovak president Tomas Masaryk's thoughts on his approaching death and final messages to his country, Robert Coalson reports for Compass: compass.icwa.org/p/first-czec...

Thai Lawyers for human rights have kicked off their "Class of 2020" interview series in which they talk to young people from the 2020 protest movement about their reflections. This one is with a student from Bad Student, who now lives in Vancouver.

“Criticism is practically treason.” Bill Mauldin, 1969.

Next week, New York will become the stage for the UN General Assembly. But what is it, and what is likely to happen? Our expert, @mayaungar.bsky.social, explains #UNGA2025. ⬇️

As ICWA marks its centenary this year, we’re looking back at the writing & lives of our fellows over the past 100 years. In this 1922 dispatch on Compass, our first fellow John O. Crane tours the countryside with Tomas Masaryk, Czechoslovakia's first president: compass.icwa.org/p/icwa100-cz...

My take on the recent protests in Indonesia www.newmandala.org/mass-protest...

“Governments around the world copying Spain’s wealth tax on the super-rich could raise more than $2tn (£1.5tn), according to campaigners calling for the money to help finance the climate transition.”

I wrote about the judiciary, its violence and political imprisonment in Thailand for @us.theconversation.com —

Tensions soar between Thailand and Cambodia as nationalist fervour and a political fracas fuels a longstanding border dispute. Really great explainer ⬇️ from @mzwheeler.bsky.social who unpacks how the bitter feud is endangering the Thai government’s future. www.crisisgroup.org/asia/south-e...

⚡️ Russia seeks to involve Laos in war against Ukraine, military intelligence claims. Moscow is reportedly organizing the deployment of a combined unit of military engineers from the Lao People's Armed Forces to Russia's Kursk Oblast, allegedly to help with demining operations.

Phnom Penh has established a special committee to crack down on online scams, following an order from Prime Minister Hun Manet.

For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences

Breaking News: The prime minister of Thailand was suspended from office amid a spiraling crisis that was set off by a chat she had with a foreign leader.

Hun Sen has threatened to expose private conversations held between himself and former ally, Thaksin Shinawatra, including alleged insults against the Thai King, accusing him of betrayal.

A very important caveat: “As a practical matter, it could take weeks following the bombing of the facility to assess whether the highly enriched nuclear material there was destroyed or already moved away by Iranian personnel who anticipated the strike – and even then, uncertainty may remain.”

Japan scraps ‘two-plus-two’ meeting with U.S. over defense spending demand, report says www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/06...

Japan has canceled a high-level meeting with the U.S. set for July following a demand that Tokyo spend even more on defense, according to a media report, in the latest point of friction between the allies.

Dr. Michael Montesano on fallout from leaked Paetongtarn-Hun Sen phone call.

My latest: www.ucanews.com/news/thai-go...

Not So Fun Fact: The right-wing "Network of Students and People for Reform of Thailand" doesn't really contain any students and were one of the more radical groups involved in the most chaotic episodes of the '13-'14 anti-PM Yingluck protests that ended in the 2014 military coup.

South Korea's Lee touts ‘inseparable’ Japan ties after Ishiba meeting www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/06...

NEW REPORT | The Dangers of a Rohingya Insurgency Armed groups in Rohingya camps have joined forces to battle the Arakan Army which has taken over much of the refugees’ home state in Myanmar, but insurgency is more likely to hurt than help their cause. www.crisisgroup.org/asia/south-e...

WaPo and NYT readers know nothing about this at this hour. apnews.com/article/trum...

One of the messed up things about the wsj firing Selena Cheng, was that the wsj & her colleagues including the one that fired her were in the midst of calling for freedom of the press & release of another journalist. The disparity of who mattered was on full display. May she win her case.

As I wrote earlier today, the Trump administration's projects of domestic political repression and militarized immigration enforcement have converged in California. www.crisisgroup.org/united-state...

"Trump reneged on more than a billion dollars the Biden administration promised to tribes for renewable energy and salmon recovery."

In case anyone's interested in Buddhism and how young people engage with organized religion in Thailand!

Noem’s language in this reported letter to the Pentagon is a further illustration of how the administration has sought to repurpose the terminology and tools of counterterrorism and war against migrants and domestic political opponents. www.crisisgroup.org/united-state...

President Trump has now pardoned 9 members of Congress convicted of crimes

According to Cambodian Army spokesperson Mao Phalla, one Cambodian soldier was killed in a brief exchange of fire at a disputed border area between #Cambodia and Thailand.

NEW REPORT | The U.S., China and the Search for a New Equilibrium As China projects its advancing military capabilities and the U.S. sends mixed messages about security assurance, Washington and Beijing should resume talks to manage any risks of escalation. www.crisisgroup.org/asia/north-e...

A new report finds the bottom 60% of U.S. households—or *two-thirds* of the population—can't afford a “minimal quality of life": housing, health care, and other necessities. "Indicators like GDP and unemployment tell us the economy is thriving. But they don’t reflect the reality of most Americans."

WhileTrump claims Bessent brokered a “total reset” of 🇺🇸 🇨🇳 economic ties, it’s not evident 🇺🇸came out ahead. Trump’s gambit, far from inducing 🇨🇳 to capitulate, ultimately showcased how much Beijing’s capacity for asymmetric retaliation has grown since his first term www.crisisgroup.org/united-state...

Election Day in the Philippines arrived. All eyes on the Bangsamoro region.

The lèse majesté and computer crime cases against American academic Paul Chambers will be dropped, according to a statement by the Office of the Attorney General. Dr. Chambers was arrested weeks ago and is not only fighting against the charges but also his visa revocation.

This indicates a fundamental misunderstanding of the reconciliation between the US & Vietnam over the last three decades since normalization. The deep level of trust rests on open & honest dialogue and the hard work of countless diplomats on both sides. www.nytimes.com/2025/04/22/w...

“The Trump administration has told its senior diplomats in Vietnam not to take part in events marking the 50th anniversary of the end of the war” www.nytimes.com/2025/04/22/w...

NEW: My commentary for @crisisgroup.org on how the Trump administration has repurposed the terrorism framing and applied it to cartels, migrants, and domestic political opponents. www.crisisgroup.org/united-state...

NEW BRIEFING | A Rebel Border: India’s Evolving Ties with Myanmar after the Coup Newly announced border controls could undercut New Delhi's approach to rebels holding most of Myanmar’s periphery. Fine-tuned policies would better serve its ends. www.crisisgroup.org/asia/south-e...

Condemning the Arrest of Scholar Paul Chambers on Lèse-majesté: 112WATCH condemns his arrest and urges the Thai government to uphold academic freedom and prevent the politicisation of Article 112. April 4, 2025 112watch.org/condemning-t...

Thailand is charging US academic Paul Chambers with article 112 & Computer Crimes Act based on @iseas-singapore.bsky.social description of an academic program that was neither written nor published on line by Paul. So how were these charges developed? Who is responsible? www.hrw.org/news/2025/04...

#BREAKING: American academic Dr. Paul Chambers, a renowned expert on the Thai military and security apparatus, has been arrested for lèse majesté and denied bail by a Phitsanulok court.

Japan and NATO plan to take their partnership to the next level by stepping up information-sharing and defense-industrial cooperation, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte told The Japan Times in an exclusive interview.

Local media reports that Dr. Paul Chambers, historian and Thai military history expert has been arrested on lesé-majeste (article 112) charges. Dr. Chambers is a critic of Thai military involvement in politics and so called “khaki capitalism” #article112 #lesemajeste #thailand

Powerful piece by @rebtanhs.bsky.social @washingtonpost.com #MyanmarEarthquake #USAID: www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/0...

Myanmar’s earthquake comes at a time when a beleaguered, illegitimate junta is locked in an existential battle with its opponents. Many observers are understandably questioning whether Myanmar’s generals are sincere in their calls for international help. www.crisisgroup.org/asia/south-e...

New by me @foreignpolicy.com: I argue that despite the seeming normalcy of the US-Japan defense ministerial over the weekend, Tokyo shouldn't be under any illusions about the potential risks to the alliance. foreignpolicy.com/2025/04/01/j...

Was speaking with a USAID person yesterday explaining how at any other time countless phone lines wld be buzzing, working groups stood up, go-teams and aid being dispatched to after the Myanmar quake. Now ... nothing.

Very much a long-shot, but I'm trying to figure out the first name of a French military officer, Captian Lucar (Lucas?), who was invited by the Japanese Army in 1921 to teach an eight-week course on anti-aircraft maneuvers. All I have is the Japanese rendering of the family name, リュカー Any ideas?