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Asian analysis

Articles: Miscellaneous


China's submarine diplomacy reaching deep and wide

Asia Times, February 12, 2022

China is leveraging sub sales to win military access to a growing number of Indo-Pacific ports and naval facilities
[read the article at www.asiatimes.com]

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New US Diplomatic Complex in Thailand Aimed at China and Myanmar

The Irrawaddy, January 24, 2022

The new Cold War may not yet be as hot as the previous one sometimes was, but it is clear that the Americans are building a bulwark against China and that the construction of a new US Consulate General in Chiang Mai is part of that strategy.
[read the article at www.irrawaddy.com]

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Belt and Road starts and stops in China's backyard

Asia Times, October 3, 2021

China-Laos railway will open on December 2 but it's not clear the BRI-built line will extend anytime soon to wider SE Asia
[read the article at www.asiatimes.com]

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Quad and AUKUS building a bulwark against China

Asia Times, September 25, 2021

Washington is building a credible alliance system to contain China's rise and ambitions but Beijing says the effort is 'doomed to fail'
[read the article at www.asiatimes.com]

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France's loss is not China's gain in the Indo-Pacific

Asia Times, September 23, 2021

Chinese media have played up US-EU discord over AUKUS nuclear sub deal but the West vs China battle lines are still firmly in place
[read the article at www.asiatimes.com]

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US encircling China on multiple new Cold War fronts

Asia Times, September 20, 2021

US-Australia nuclear submarine deal is part of a wider alliance-based strategy to counter and contain China's rise and ambitions
[read the article at www.asiatimes.com]

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US, China dueling for power on the Mekong

Asia Times, September 5, 2021

The two superpowers have launched competing initiatives to win hearts, minds and control on the vital river
[read the article at www.asiatimes.com]

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How far would Japan really go to defend Taiwan?

Asia Times, July 19, 2021

Japan defense report says Taiwan's 'stability' is integral to its 'security', putting Tokyo's pacifist forces on a new collision course with Beijing
[read the article at www.asiatimes.com]

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Japan holds the key to Biden's China containment strategy

Asia Times, February 2, 2021

Biden administration already seeks to strengthen military alliance with Japan that was allowed to wither under Trump
[read the article at www.atimes.com]

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BIMSTEC and regional security

Observer Research Foundation, January 15, 2021

Seen against the backdrop of geopolitical rivalries - and the lack of a common strategic vision among BIMSTEC members - it is hardly surprising that the bloc will not play an important role in geopolitical power games in the region.
[read the article at www.orfonline.org]

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Migrants in the crossfire of Thai Covid blame game

Asia Times, January 11, 2021

Thailand's worst yet viral outbreak threatens a crackdown on the Myanmar migrants who in normal times drive the Thai economy
[read the article at www.atimes.com]

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Migrant cluster breaks Thai Covid winning streak

Asia Times, December 21, 2020

Kingdom's highest daily number of detected cases threatens an unwarranted backlash against Myanmar migrant workers
[read the article at www.atimes.com]

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Why the US bit back at China’s ‘Broken Tooth’

Asia Times, December 12, 2020

US sanctions on Wan Kuok Koi link his alleged transnational underworld activities to China’s Belt and Road Initiative
[read the article at www.atimes.com]

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Xi’s masterplan for a homogeneous new China

Asia Times, November 30, 2020

Xi's government is promoting a less tolerant pan-Chinese identity that is pressing minorities into the mold of a new 'single nation-state'
[read the article at www.atimes.com]

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Why China prefers to maintain inflamed borders

Asia Times, November 18, 2020

China has border disputes with nearly 20 neighbors but the conflicts are usually more about leverage than territory
[read the article at www.atimes.com]

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China spies and gamblers want your Covid app data

Asia Times, October 1, 2020

Chinese envoys press Thai officials to access health surveillance databases while Chinese casino operators are buying the information
[read the article at www.atimes.com]

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US doubles down on Taiwan ties to poke China

Asia Times, August 12, 2020

US Health Secretary Alex Azar's official visit to Taipei shows US now effectively recognizes Taiwan as a sovereign state
[read the article at www.atimes.com]

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Japan, Taiwan quietly build a wall against China

Asia Times, July 15, 2020

Tokyo and Taipei lack formal military ties but the two sides are increasingly cooperating to contain Beijing's perceived threat
[read the article at www.atimes.com]

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The time China fought America to a standstill

Asia Times, June 22, 2020

Not only did Mao Zedong defend North Korea and fight America to a halt, he crushed Kuomintang forces in Myanmar
[read the article at www.atimes.com]

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Japan could carry the day in a US-China conflict

Asia Times, May 13, 2020

Japan's military rise has been stealthy but strong and is increasingly concentrated on China's perceived threat
[read the article at www.atimes.com]

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Time may be ripe for China to invade Taiwan

Asia Times, April 28, 2020

Pandemic has left a US security vacuum around the self-governing island China has oft-vowed to 'reincorporate' with the mainland
[read the article at www.atimes.com]

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Busting the myth of China’s New Silk Roads

Asia Times, November 27, 2019

Beijing draws on flawed history and appropriates modern misnomers to soft sell its Belt and Road Initiative
[read the article at www.atimes.com]

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China’s influence looms darkly over Taiwan’s polls

Asia Times, November 22, 2019

Beijing is pulling all the stops to affect the outcome of Taiwan’s January 11 elections
[read the article at www.atimes.com]

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China, Vietnam will never agree on South China Sea

Asia Times, November 15, 2019

While Hanoi threatens an arbitral complaint at The Hague, Beijing avers its competing sea claims are rooted in 'historical fact'
[read the article at www.atimes.com]

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The drug war behind the trade war

Asia Times, November 11, 2019

US accusations that China is flooding American communities with illegally produced fentanyl have poisoned bilateral ties
[read the article at www.atimes.com]

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Where the Uighurs are free to be

Asia Times, October 31, 2019

Sweden has emerged as a safe haven for ethnic Uighurs fleeing political, racial and religious repression in China
[read the article at www.atimes.com]

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China parades its own coalition of the willing

Asia Times, October 8, 2019

Analysis of China’s 70th anniversary military parade largely overlooked the participation and significance of foreign troop contingents
[read the article at www.atimes.com]

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China’s anniversary not cause for all to celebrate

Asia Times, October 1, 2019

US, EU and Japan are all mounting economic, financial and strategic counters to China’s peaceful rise narrative
[read the article at www.atimes.com]

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US, China tilting towards conflict on Taiwan

Asia Times, July 26, 2019

America's announced $2 billion arms sale to Taiwan aims specifically to deter China's threat to invade and 'reunite' the island state by 2020
[read the article at www.atimes.com]

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China winning new Cold War on the Mekong

Asia Times, June 24, 2019

Beijing has leveraged its Belt and Road Initiative to gain the upper hand on the Mekong River while the US and Japan’s competing initiatives wash away
[read the article at www.atimes.com]

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Why a China invasion of Taiwan would fail

Asia Times, January 10, 2019

President Xi Jinping's call for 'reunification' of the independent island and communist mainland aims to cement his strongman legacy but would likewise risk a humbling defeat
[read the article at www.atimes.com]

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Djibouti: the Casablanca of a new Cold War

Asia Times, November 28, 2018

Nowhere in the world are there so many military bases run by rival nations in such close proximity than in East Africa's Djibouti, where intrigue is rife and espionage is de rigueur
[read the article at www.atimes.com]

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Risks bubbling beneath Djibouti's foreign bases

Asia Times, November 28, 2018

Political and economic stability has underpinned the tiny African nation's attractiveness to foreign militaries but several underlying issues could soon break the calm
[read the article at www.atimes.com]

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In a high-stakes dance, China charms Bhutan

Asia Times, July 31, 2018

Senior Chinese envoy's tour of Bhutan signals a bilateral thaw after last year's Doklam stand-off and underscores the kingdom's political soul-searching about its dependence on India
[read the article at www.atimes.com]

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Why China and Taiwan agree on the South China Sea

Asia Times, June 17, 2018

Fierce political rivals find common ground on historical accounts that say the sea's scattered islands are Chinese territory
[read the article at www.atimes.com]

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What it means to be Taiwanese

Asia Times, June 08, 2018

China's rising pressure on the island it regards as a 'renegade' province is contributing to a rising tide of Taiwanese nationalism
[read the article at www.atimes.com]

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Little Laos risks losing it all to China

Asia Times, May 13, 2018

Lao-China high-speed railway project aims to promote fast trade, movement and integration but the terms of the $6 billion deal will cost Laos dearly
[read the article at www.atimes.com]

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ASEAN Paralysis Gives China Free Hand in South China Sea

YaleGlobal, August 12, 2014

Tensions run high over Chinese assertiveness in the South China Sea, as ASEAN fails to reach consensus
[read the article at yaleglobal.yale.edu]

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Obituary: Passage of a trailblazer

Asia Times, October 18, 2011

Adrian Cowell, one of the greatest documentary filmmakers of our time, passed away in London earlier this month.
[read the article at www.atimes.com]

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Wise man on the hill

Asia Times, March 30, 2011

A farewell to the legendary former US CIA officer William Young who passed away in Chiang Mai aged 76.
[read the article at www.atimes.com]

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Chinese pieces to Iran's nuclear puzzle

Asia Times, March 30, 2011

Military analysts claim East Asia is becoming Iran's main source of nuclear-related materials and often the origin of these nuclear-related goods is China.
[read the article at www.atimes.com]

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How you're unwittingly financing terror

Finance Asia, March, 2011

You probably knew the dodgy money-changer on the corner of a red light district wasn't 100% legit, but did you know you could be sponsoring terrorist activities when you slurped some soup?
[read the article (pdf)]

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Why the US really wants Bout

Asia Times, August 31, 2010

Why is Washington so eager to get its hands on alleged Russian gunrunner Bout and why is Moscow doing everything in its power to prevent that from happening?
[read the article at www.atimes.com]

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Australia's strategic little dots

Asia Times, June 25, 2010

Together with Christmas Island to the north, the Cocos form Australia's Indian Ocean territories. The territories give Australia - and indirectly its Western allies, including the United States - a strategic advantage in an increasingly important maritime area.
[read the article at www.atimes.com]

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The Roots of Thailand's Turmoil

Asia Society, June 4, 2010

Was Thailand's recent unrest really a clash between the "the haves" and the "have-nots" as depicted by an almost unanimous chorus of foreign media?
[read the article at www.asiasociety.org]

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The Roots of Thailand's Turmoil

Dateline Bangkok, Second Quarter 2010

Bertil Lintner on the background to Thailand's current struggles.
[more]

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Thai Workers Fly to Sweden Where the Wild Berries Are

YaleGlobal, September 23, 2009

Wet summer weather in Northern Sweden has affected not only the yield of wild berries growing there, but also the economic well-being of the berry pickers, which, in this case, happen to be temporary workers from Thailand.
[read the article at yaleglobal.yale.edu]

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The Battle for Thailand

Foreign Affairs, July/August 2009

After widespread civil unrest, Thailand remains deeply polarized, its economy is contracting, and its king is getting older. Whatever the outcome of the present crisis, the future of Thai democracy does not look good.
[read the article at foreignaffairs.com]

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The Real Thai Crisis

The Wall Street Journal, Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Bertil Lintner on Thailand's 'black songkran'.
[read the article at wsj.com]

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Is This Man a 'Lord of War'?

Far Eastern Economic Review, March 6, 2009

Today marks the one year anniversary of alleged Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout's arrest in Bangkok, a contested covert operation that has put Thailand in the geopolitical middle of the United States and Russia.
[read the article at here]

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Regional Fallout from Thai Turmoil

YaleGlobal, January 15, 2009

Bitter political division in Thailand and the resultant instability has been affecting trade and tourism for neighboring nations that rely on the country as a regional hub, explains Bertil Lintner.
[read the article at yaleglobal.yale.edu]

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Thailand in Tatters, Democracy Delayed

Far Eastern Economic Review, December, 2008

While recent tensions may have been defused, Thailand's political crisis is far from over.
[read the article (pdf)]

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Thailand's Red October

Far Eastern Economic Review, October 8, 2008

Thailand's political crisis took a turn for the worse on Tuesday, Oct. 7, when thousands of protesters, who have occupied Government House since Aug. 26, left the area and began marching on the Parliament.
[more]

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A Thailand Riven By Politics

Far Eastern Economic Review, September, 2008

Thailand's political future could not look more uncertain as the crisis that's gripping the country has reached a point of no return.
[more]

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Chill sets in over US arms sting

The Sydney Morning Herald, June 16, 2008

Bertil Lintner in Bangkok meets an accused weapons dealer whose arrest has put the US on a collision course with Russia.
[read the article at smh.com.au]

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Old map refutes Argentine sovereignty claim

Penguin News, June 13, 2008

An old map found in a Copenhagen bookshop clearly refutes Argentina's claims to sovereignty over the Falklands.
[more]

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China Ascendant - Part I

YaleGlobal, April 25, 2008

Checkbook diplomacy is raising China's standing with Laos and Cambodia.
[read the article at yaleglobal.yale.edu]

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Myanmar drugs fuel Thai gangs

Asia Times, October 23, 2007

Affectionately known as Grandmother Aew among the city's rough and tumble, narcotics-peddling youth gangs, Laddawan Chaininpun, 62, has worked to help rehabilitate Chiang Mai's gangs for more than a decade.
[read the article (PDF)]

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Thailand's New Constitution

Asian Analysis, September, 2007

As expected, a constitution drafted under the auspices of Thailand's military-installed government was approved by a referendum on 19 August. But even junta chief Gen Sonthi Boonyaratglin had to concede a lower-than-expected yes-vote.
[more]

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Tentative Peace Talks for Thai South

Asia Times, September 8, 2007

With Thailand's first post-coup general election on the horizon, none of the candidate parties appears well-prepared to understand and tackle the Muslim insurgency in the country's South.
[read the article at www.atimes.com]

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Who's Who in Thailand's Muslim Insurgency

Asia Times, September 8, 2007

Bertil Lintner summarizes the various groups playing a part in Thailand's troubled South.
[read the article at www.atimes.com]

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Thailand and Post-Thaksin Politics

Asian Analysis, July, 2007

Thailand's once-mighty Thai Rak Thai party may have been dissolved by the courts because of irregularities during an annulled general election in April last year, and its leader, and former prime minister, Thaksin Shinawatra, may be facing corruption charges in court and have been banned from political activities for a five-year period - but he is also showing very clearly that he is not going to be silenced by such actions by the post-coup Thai state.
[more]

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Thailand: The Political Situation Mid-2007

Asian Analysis, June, 2007

Is Thailand now being run by a dictatorship, or is it on the road back to truly democratic rule? Or something in-between? Assessments differ widely.
[more]

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Stanley Ho's Luck Turns Sour

Far Eastern Economic Review, May, 2007

Republican politicians in New Jersey and a faith-based antigambling coalition in New York State are demanding an investigation into Stanley Ho's alleged links to organized crime and the North Korean regime.
[more]

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Kate Webb: 1943-2007

Dateline Bangkok, Second Quarter 2007

Southeast Asia has seen its share of legendary foreign correspondents. But none of them were like Kate Webb.
[more]

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A how-to guide for fleeing China

Asia Times, April 19, 2007

For Chinese migrants, obtaining a genuine passport and settling into far-flung countries like Papua New Guinea, Tonga, the Marshall Islands, Myanmar or even Russia is not especially difficult. But if a Chinese wants to migrate illegally to the United States or Europe, where visa restrictions and immigration controls are much tighter, the procedure is far more complicated - and expensive.
[read the article at www.atimes.com]

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The Sinicizing of the South Pacific

Asia Times, April 18, 2007

Papua New Guinea, and Nuku'Alofa, Tonga - There is nothing particularly unusual about the food at Ang's Chinese restaurant. In fact, the roast duck served there is excellent and the Lonely Planet guidebook assures you that its hot-and-sour soups are especially tasty. Rather, it's the eatery's ambiance that is a tad offsetting.
[read the article at www.atimes.com]

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A new breed of migrants fans out

Asia Times, April 17, 2007

A disorderly line of Chinese citizens jostle through check-in at the airport in the northern Thai city of Chiang Mai on their way to boarding a flight for Bangkok. Not tourists, but business people, they're part of a new wave of Chinese migrants.
[read the article at www.atimes.com]

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Thais in the land of frozen smiles

Asia Times, March 27, 2007

It's hard to imagine two places more different than tropical Thailand and the Arctic Norwegian territory of Svalbard, or Spitsbergen as it is more commonly known after the main island in the frozen archipelago. But ironically Thais are the largest ethnic group here after the Norwegians.
[read the article at www.atimes.com]

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Terror in Southeast Asia

The Irrawaddy, November, 2006

The US-led war on terror, according to recent intelligence reports, has bolstered the ranks of Muslim radicals, particularly in the Middle East, since September 2001. What this means for Southeast Asia, where several Muslim insurgencies have escalated in recent years, remains unclear
[more]

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Politics: Thailand's Other Conflict

The Irrawaddy, April, 2006

While anti-Thaksin crowds take to the streets in Bangkok, violence in the country's mainly Muslim deep South continues unabated. But Muslim leaders there see no foreign links, and one militant group seeks peace talks.
[more]

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Peace stays far away in southern Thailand

Asia Times, March 15, 2006

Bertil Lintner looks at the Southern Thailand situation in the context of the current Thai political crisis.
[read the article at www.atimes.com]

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A New Battle in Thailand (yaleglobal.yale.edu)

YaleGlobal, November 24, 2004

For Thailand and its neighbors, the union of separatist and radical Islamic groups constitutes a much greater threat to regional stability than the local, isolated separatist movements of pre-Afghan war days.
[read the article at yaleglobal.yale.edu]

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Postcard from Thailand: At Siam's Gate

Far Eastern Economic Review, September 16, 2004

Few in the outside world know about it, but Pratu Siam in Thailand was a once key frontier in a secret war.
[more]

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Amulet Power

Far Eastern Economic Review, April 03, 2003

They are studied under magnifying glasses, judged in competitions, and featured in specialist magazines. They are Buddhist amulets, worn for centuries in Thailand, and many other parts of Asia, to ward off evil spirits and guarantee good luck and a healthy life.
[more]

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Illegal Migration in the 21st Century(yaleglobal.yale.edu)

YaleGlobal, January 10, 2003

Governments of rich industrialized nations spend billions of dollars each year to control inflows of poorer people seeking greater economic opportunities. Despite efforts to legally regulate immigration, however, millions of people continue to seek passage to richer countries. And local crackdowns, such as the recent closure of Sangatte refugee camp in France, have little impact on the flow.
[read the article at yaleglobal.yale.edu]

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Restaurant Review: Chiang Mai's River of Restaurants

Far Eastern Economic Review, December 26, 2002

Bertil Lintner reviews some of Chiang Mai's many riverside restaurants, and finds plenty to please the tastebuds and stimulate the senses.
[more]

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People Smuggling: The Crime of Flight

Far Eastern Economic Review, July 18, 2002

Criminal syndicates are turning from smuggling drugs to smuggling people, and governments and law-enforcement agencies are anxious to stop the flow.
[more]

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Crime: Cinematic Plot

The Week, December 10, 2000

Chhota Rajan's escape story rivals a Bollywood blockbuster. If the Thai police are to be believed, he tied a couple of bedsheets together and climbed down from his heavily-guarded room on the fourth floor of Bangkok's Samitivej Hospital, where he had been since he was shot and wounded in the Thai capital on September 15.
[more]

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Cyberfraud: The fictitious "Dominion of Melchizedek"

The Nation (Bangkok), May 30, 1999

Of all the scams and con jobs perpetrated over the Internet, nothing compares to what a virtual country and its creators have done to the world, writes Bertil Lintner.
[more]

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Safe Haven

Manager, February, 1998

Phichit in Northeast Thailand was the secret hideout for Ho Chi Minh for a period on the 1920s.
[more]

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Restaurant Review: A Hunger for Yunnan

Far Eastern Economic Review, November 6, 1997

There is no shortage of Chinese restaurants in Chiang Mai serving up specialties from Guangdong, Fujian and even Beijing. But surprisingly few eateries offer the succulent spicy cuisine of Yunnan--the home of a large segment of the local Chinese community. Bertil Lintner checks out one that does.
[more]

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Hooking Your Mother: Trout-Fishing in Bhutan

Tokyo Journal, July 1996

In trout-rich Bhutan, landing a fish means trashing your karma.
[more]

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Letter From Your President

Dateline Bangkok, First Quarter 1994

Bertil Lintner discusses his on-the-road education in journalism.
[more]

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Fishing

Dateline Bangkok, Third Quarter 1993

Bertil Lintner goes fishing in Kanchanaburi.
[more]

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