The Barefoot Boy From Songwad

Thailand's political problems attracted international attention when yellow shirted anti-Thaksin protestors closed down Bangkok's international airports in November 2008; the following April pro-Thaksin red shirts prevented an ASEAN-East Asia Summit, and clashed violently with the army in the streets of Bangkok. Conflict between groups for and against former Prime Minister Thaksin has polarized Thai society. Under his watch, violence also returned to the Malay Muslim south, with the loss of over 3,000 lives. The military coup that ousted Thaksin was supposed to end all this, but instead polarization increased and southern violence continued. This book is about how Thaksin divided Thailand, the nature of the southern conflict, and problematic attempts to establish a consensus around a post-Thaksin political order.

George Yeo: Musings (In 3 Volumes) available as a set hereOver sessions which lasted two to three hours each time, every week for half a year, George Yeo met and mused over a wide range of topics with writer Woon Tai Ho and research assistant Keith Yap. Speaking from notes, he began with himself and his hope for Singapore, and then spanned over a wide range of subjects — from the importance of human diversity and Singapore's reflection within itself of the world, to history, politics, economics, philosophy, taijigong and religion. He gives his views on India, China, ASEAN, Europe, the US and other parts of the world, and how Singapore's history and destiny are connected to all of them. The style is conversational and anecdotal.George Yeo: Musings is exactly that — musings. Some themes recur throughout the book which reflect his view of life. But there is no grand theory. He does not expect all of his reflections to be of interest to everyone, but he hopes that everyone will find something of interest.This is the third of a three-part series.

As part of “China’s south,” Southeast Asia has historically assumed a peripheral position when juxtaposed against the power of the Chinese state. In the existing scholarly literature, the power asymmetry is reflected in the ostensible bias where most studies are about China’s presence in or engagement with Southeast Asia rather than the reverse; studies on the presence or influence of Southeast Asia in China have been a marginal enterprise. The present volume aims to fill this void by exploring the historical entanglements and contemporary engagements of Southeast Asia(ns) in China through a Southeast Asian perspective. As China seeks to understand Southeast Asia’s presence in the country on its own terms, it is also engaged in a process of self-discovery and defining where and how it should stand in relation to the region. Departing from the discourse of China as the a priori center dominating the scholarship on China–Southeast Asia relations, the present volume hopes to subvert such power relations in order to bring fresh perspectives on the historical and contemporary contributions of Southeast Asia(ns) in China.

This collection of essays by and about Wang Gungwu brings together some of Wang's most recent and representative writing about the ethnic Chinese outside China giving the reader a deeper understanding of his views on migration, identity, nationalism and culture, all key issues in modern Asia's transformation. The book collects interviews, speeches and essays that illustrate the development and direction of Wang's scholarship on ethnic and diasporic Chinese.

This engrossing and engaging book tells the story of Singapore¿s President S.R. Nathan in his own words. It takes readers on a journey from Nathan¿s modest beginnings and his life as a runaway in Singapore and Malaya, through his experiences of the Japanese occupation, the birth of Singapore¿s modern trade union movement, and his time as Permanent Secretary, Executive Chairman of the Straits Times newspaper for a number of years, Singapore¿s High Commissioner in Malaysia, and as Ambassador to the United States, to the Presidential elections in 1999 and his tenure as Singapore¿s longest-serving President.

Intro -- Contents -- Acknowledgments -- 1. Beliefs about American Hegemony in Southeast Asia -- 2. Behind Beliefs: Hard Interests, Soft Illusions -- 3. The Politics and Economics of Interests: Ruling Elites and U.S. Power -- 4. History Lessons -- 5. Professional Expertise -- 6. Regime Interests, Beliefs, and Knowledge -- Appendix: Interviews -- References -- Index.

These 13 papers were selected from those given by senior analysts from Thailand and the region at the 2006 and 2007 seminars of the National Thai Studies Centre at the Australian National University. The Coup of 2006 and other turbulent events were more or less in progress during the seminars so some of the papers have the flavour of immediacy. Among the subjects addressed are: the Constitutions of 1997 and 2007 and their impacts; the policies, fall and possible future impact of Thaksin Shinawatra, Prime Minister 2001-2006; four papers are on aspects of the ongoing insurgency in Southern Thailand; and the final three papers focus on the economy with discussion of the impact of political uncertainty on business. With much tabulated data and index.