South East Asia
Election leaves Thai army in charge, helped by the ‘Cambodia factor’
Thailand’s snap election of 8 February produced two clear winners, the conservative Bhumjaithai Party and Thailand’s armed forces. The party’s aggressive support for the military during last year’s clash with Cambodia proved a decisive factor. Pravit Rojanaphruk explains how the election has reinforced the army’s role in a country where it is often described as a ‘state within a state’.
How democracy and elective monarchy sit side-by-side in Malaysia
Malaysia has an unusual system of governance in that both its parliament and its monarch are elected. But while adult citizens elect their parliamentary representatives, the king is elected from a field of nine sultans, hereditary rulers of their respective states, and only sultans get to vote.
Holding Myanmar’s rulers accountable
As Myanmar’s military rulers attempt to consolidate their hold on the country through elections, intended to restore at least a semblance of civilian rule, an independent programme outside the country known as the Myanmar Accountability Project (MAP) is on a regional mission to hold the military authorities accountable for their brutality. Director of MAP, Chris Gunness, reports on a visit to Timor-Leste.
Jakarta takes over as the world’s largest city
The Indonesian capital Jakarta has overtaken previous front runners Dhaka and Tokyo to become the world’s most populous city according to a United Nations report which reveals that all but one of the world’s largest cities are in Asia. Rahul Jaywant Bhise reports.
A fragile truce: Can the Kuala Lumpur accord survive?
The peace accord signed in the Malaysian capital by Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet, on 26 October 2025, witnessed by US President Donald Trump, who claimed it as one of his hallmark international peace achievements, has since then come under strain.
Memes as the new battle flags of Gen Z revolts
The digital realm has given rise to a new lexicon of dissent where ephemeral online artefacts, based on Japanese ‘anime’ cartoon characters popular with Gen Z, mutate into symbols of political resistance. Madhavi Ravikumar compares modern modes of protest across Asian cities.
What are Myanmar’s elections for?
The people of Myanmar have been to the polls to choose members of two national and fourteen state assemblies. Nicholas Nugent questions what difference the polls will make in a country riven by civil war.
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