The United States, on behalf of Israel, is now putting significant resources into sending out teams of masked men to arrest students who have protested or written about the genocide in Gaza. Is the US-based International Studies Association @isanet.bsky.social still too coy to say anything?

What role do transnational factors play in the decline of democracy in mainland Southeast Asia? Here I argue that its wrong to look only at China. Instead, we should note that Mekong states and their security forces put regime security ahead of traditional concerns. Article is free to download.

After the grant was terminated by the federal government, RFA Khmer no longer broadcasts its full show but instead news briefs.

The latest Element in Politics & Society in SE Asia is out: Diana Kim's "Rethinking Colonial Legacies across SE Asia"! Kim explores the significance & legacies of Japan's WWII occupation of SE Asia for understanding colonial legacies. Download FREE through 2 April. www.cambridge.org/core/element...

This is mostly a LinkedIn thing, but getting a little tired of people arguing it's time to have a "conversation" on "reimagining" foreign assistance when there are literally thousands of people dying right now.

"My name is Mahmoud Khalil and I am a political prisoner. I am writing to you from a detention facility in Louisiana where I wake to cold mornings and spend long days bearing witness to the quiet injustices underway against a great many people precluded from the protections of the law."

300 Gazans killed by Israeli air strikes. The direct genocidal violence ramps up again with impunity www.theguardian.com/world/2025/m...

For over 80 years, Voice of America delivered news to countries—many under authoritarian rule—where reliable information was scarce. Now, those broadcasts, once a vital tool for promoting democracy and transparency, are fading away.

BREAKING—The United States Institute of Peace (USIP) office was just on lockdown for close to an hour while members of the DOGE team tried to enter the building, multiple people have told me. Security has now escorted out remaining staffers who’ve been told to telework until further notice.

The threat of a border wall is an effort by Bangkok, goaded by China, to cajole Phnom Penh into doing more to clamp down on its vast cyber scam industry,

Thirty USAID Contracts Cease in Cambodia; Civil Society Find Ways to Survive, Gov’t Unfazed

While relocating to Bangkok (thanks to the Cambodian government) I've not had chance to share the stories that I've been reading in between trying to assemble furniture, calm two antsy cats and adapt to a whole new country, culture and language on the fly. Here's a rundown of what caught my eye:

Thai authorities have arrested and charged 100 Thai nationals for their involvement in transnational call center scams operating from Cambodia.

Since 2024, Cambodian authorities have cracked down on 18 illegal online sites and arrested 3,724 foreigners of 16 nationalities.

CAMBODIA: Huione Pay, the banking arm of what’s been called world’s ‘largest ever illicit online marketplace,’ stripped of banking license by National Bank of Cambodia for noncompliance, writes @jackadamovicdavies.bsky.social for RFA. www.rfa.org/english/camb...

NEW ARTICLE: Surreal to be worrying about SE Asian authoritarianism currently. But it should be understood on its own terms. Open access and part of a forthcoming SI edited by Aim Sinpeng and I on Thailand's 2023 election. @anubellschool.bsky.social dx.doi.org/10.1177/1868...

Per Dr Atul Gawande, ex USAID: “All malaria supplies protecting 53 million people, mostly children, including bed nets, diagnostics, preventive drugs, and treatments – terminated.” There are no words that sufficiently describe this level of cruelty and sadism.

Following crackdowns on the Thailand-Myanmar border cyber-scams, China's Assistant Minister for Public Security Liu Zhongyi met leaders in Cambodia to increase cooperation against call-center fraud and human trafficking.

Future Southeast Asia Newsletter No. 254: - Visiting Cambodia's coastal casino city - Bali overdevelopment - Rebuilding a former CIA airport in Laos - Selangor railway - Proposed merger of Bangkok bus terminals, - Hanoi Metro Line 5 news.futuresoutheastasia.com/p/26-februar...

Call for papers! We are inviting scholars working on public opinion manipulation through social media in SEA to gather in Undip, Semarang in august, to discuss recent findings & steps forward. Do send your abstract by 15 April. www.kitlv.nl/news/online-...

Glad to see I'm in good company with my doubts about the utility of a Code of Conduct in the #SouthChinaSea! cc: @susannahpatton.bsky.social @channelnewsasia.bsky.social: www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/asean-c...

Cambodia reports a new human death from H5N1 bird flu.

CAMBODIA/CHINA: Liu Zhongyi, assistant public security minister China assigned to lead its scam crackdown visited Cambodia today with sizable delegation. This month his visits to Myanmar & Thailand were followed by massive & ongoing border crackdown. 1/2 freshnewsasia.com/index.php/en...

AUTHORITARIANS IN THE ACADEMY, out Aug 19. I'm thrilled to share that my book about transnational repression in higher ed—and the ways critics of authoritarian regimes face censorship and threats on campus—is available for pre-order with @hopkinspress.bsky.social. www.press.jhu.edu/books/title/...

My latest for The Diplomat: The further #Thailand goes toward joint cooperation with #China's Global Security Initiative (#GSI), the worse it will get for dissidents in Southeast Asia and beyond. thediplomat.com/2025/02/thai...

Thai and Cambodian police raided a building in a border town and freed 215 foreigners, a senior Thai official said on Sunday, in an expansion of a regional crackdown against cyber scam centres.​​

They really captured the bags under my eyes

War crimes are bold & proposing war crimes requires courage & vision.

A federal judge, Amir H. Ali, ordered the Trump administration to unfreeze foreign aid spending halted in Trump’s first week, ruling that the freeze was based on dubious logic and likely causing irreparable harm to aid groups facing financial shortfalls and potential shutdowns.

Speaking to people over the last few days about this, there's a sense that these cuts are brutal, thoughtless and will empower autocrats across SEA and beyond. USAID is deeply flawed, everyone knows this, but one big loss will be shreds of transparency in an often authoritarian region.

RFA's cartoon on @geraldrflynn.bsky.social

Happening at the end of the month! Please join us in Cambridge: www.cfg.polis.cam.ac.uk/events/mini-...

In its forum on Israel-Palestine: Atrocity Crimes, the Journal of Genocide Research has published “Mainstreaming a Genocidal Imagination in Israeli Society: Settler-Colonialism, Settler Anxiety, and Biblical Cues” by Tamir Sorek www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

I am really frustrated that the press is discussing the destruction of USAID as something that has happened rather than an illegal action that will likely be undone in two weeks when courts tell the world that it was illegal.

PM Hun Manet: To combat cyber scams and human trafficking, the government will form an ad hoc committee chaired by PM Hun Manet & consist of DPM Neth Savoeun, Sar Sokha, Tea Seiha, Koeut Rith & Prak Sokhonn. The committee will use armed forces to crack down on these issues & restore Cambodia's image

Seng Sary, a political analyst, disclosed that he was paid over $120,000 to work and analyze the opposition's tactics and support for former Prime Minister Hun for four years after his conversations with him were leaked. After this, he stated that he had ceased working for him.

I have been having THOUGHTS and FEELINGS about the meaning and impact of the genocide in Gaza on international law as an academic discipline and area of practice and you can read them here: www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

Cambodia’s Interior Ministry confirmed Wednesday it had blocked a British journalist known for his reporting on human rights abuses and environmental issues, an incident that comes amid growing concerns over press freedom in the Southeast Asian nation.

Terrifying/brilliant to be a guest on Straight Talk Southeast Asia with eminent expert Bridget Welsh, unpacking the impacts of the #USAID freeze and the development challenges facing the region. @zachabuza.bsky.social open.spotify.com/episode/2CV7...

Almost a year to the day, the great French scholar Didier Fassin published his reply to critics of his early and brave interventions on the destruction of Gaza in the Journal of Genocide Research forum I am editing. Now he’s expanded it into a book. A must read. www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

Welcome to the official ANU College of Asia and the Pacific (CAP) Bluesky account! 🦋 Follow us for news and updates about our groundbreaking research, events and activities. Stay tuned for future posts, and check out the Linktree in our bio 🔗 #ouranu #anucap #anuasiapacific #asiapacific #research

In tribute to Emma Hutchison @risjnl.bsky.social has curated a collection celebrating the impact of her work. This includes her RIS article alongside 8 other pieces inspired by her ideas. Emma’s research on emotions in IR shaped an entire generation of scholarship. @cambridgeuppolisci.bsky.social

The Mekong Turtle Conservation Team, in collaboration with the Fisheries Administration and the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) Cambodia, has discovered the first two Asian giant softshell turtle nests of 2025. www.khmertimeskh.com/501631045/tw...

The government will establish an Inter-Ministerial Task Force Committee to fight online scam operations

Healthcare centers serving tens of thousands of refugees on the Thai-Myanmar border have been ordered shut after US President Donald Trump froze most foreign aid last week, forcing Thai officials to transport the sickest patients to other facilities reut.rs/3Es9VuY

The fallout of US President Trump’s foreign aid freeze continues to affect vulnerable communities in SE Asia: The Jesuit Refugee Service announces the suspension of its assistance services for forcibly displaced people, particularly from Myanmar, in Bangkok and Mae Sot.

On that topic: Is anyone aware of emergency funds to help affected organisations? Funds are frequently allocated for small but essential funds. One 🇰🇭 NGO leader told me that they won't be able to pay rent and might be penalised personally for not giving any notice. Any ideas are welcome!

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