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August 15, 2024
 

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George Sioris
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 30, 2002
Tricky laws cap emotional powder keg
CHIANG MAI, Thailand -- After so much controversy surrounding two recent asylum incidents in Beijing, a change of focus may be in order -- from the emotional to the legal dimension. We should begin with the reminder that asylum and inviolability issues, in general, are extremely complicated and can never...
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 15, 2002
Developing Asia's publishing industry
CHIANG MAI, Thailand -- A very interesting conference took place earlier last month in Bangkok with the participation of leading publishers from around Asia. As with many such specialized events, its impact mainly reached people in the publishing industry rather than the public at large. But, because...
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
May 26, 2002
Where art and religion meet
DANCE OF LIFE: The Mythology, History and Politics of Cambodian Culture, by Julie B. Mehta. Singapore, 2001, 304 pp., $96.15/2,800 baht (cloth) In this beautifully illustrated book on Cambodian classical dance, Julie B. Mehta examines the richness of Khmer culture, the horror of the Pol Pot era and the...
COMMENTARY / World
May 11, 2002
Reflecting on the future of Myanmar
CHIANG MAI -- The hopeful news from Myanmar calls for a pause and reflection: What really triggered these happy developments? Which is the most appropriate course for the international community to follow on the strenuous road to a full blossoming of democracy in Myanmar?
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 21, 2002
ASEAN's time to strengthen Indian ties
CHIANG MAI, Thailand -- In a series of previous articles on the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, a certain vacuum has been noted: Although this regional organization has managed through the years to establish meaningful connections with various countries of the world, its links with...
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 7, 2002
A special time of hope for a better future
MANILA -- The end of March is a very special time in the Philippines, when ceremonies are held to honor the year's crop of graduates. Having served as commencement speaker at various institutions for the last two years, I have had the opportunity not only to observe the joyful ceremonies closely, but...
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 16, 2002
Roles of the main Asia-Pacific groups
CHIANG MAI, Thailand -- It may be presumptuous to review Asia-Pacific regional organizations in a single column, but there seems to be so much confusion about them that certain points need to be clarified and properly addressed. The main groups are the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum (APEC),...
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 3, 2002
ASEAN moves toward antiterror policy
CHIANG MAI, Thailand -- The just concluded meeting of foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, was an important landmark in efforts to give new impetus to this regional organization, particularly in the post-Sept. 11 atmosphere. Several points about the meeting are worth...
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 22, 2002
Southeast Asia scores its outside players
CHIANG MAI, Thailand -- Three outside players influence, to various degrees, the destiny of Southeast Asia: the United States, Japan and China. Their influences may intensify or wane over a specific period, depending on the prevailing over- all geopolitical and economic framework. How then can we evaluate...
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 9, 2002
Diplomats: more than traveling salesmen
CHIANG MAI, Thailand -- Recently, the order of a prominent European political leader to his country's ambassadors to begin acting as salesmen made waves all the way to Asia. This is not an isolated case: To various degrees, politicians from Europe to Asia and Oceania are now calling for a new diplomacy...
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 20, 2002
Ladakh: India's timeless Buddhist jewel
CHIANG MAI, Thailand -- Once again tensions are mounting on the famous Line of Control that separates India and Pakistan. The crisis brings to mind images from an earlier pilgrimage I made to that area when I visited Ladakh, an almost inaccessible region in the state of Jammu and Kashmir that is known...
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 14, 2002
Seniority vs. meritocracy: a middle way
CHIANG MAI, Thailand -- Quite often the terms "seniority" and "meritocracy" are used -- or rather "misused" -- antithetically as if they were in a 16th-century arena of charging helmeted knights, where the space occupied by one is totally denied to the other. In such thinking, the former term is usually...
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 31, 2001
Fostering a proper ASEAN perspective
CHIANG MAI, Thailand -- During high-level meetings, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, born more than three decades ago, tends to come under criticism, mainly from the international press but sometimes from analysts and academics, as a "talking shop." Even an authority like Samuel Huntington,...
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Dec 16, 2001
The architect of Burma's freedom
AUNG SAN AND THE STRUGGLE FOR BURMESE INDEPENDENCE, by Angelene Naw. Silkworm Books; Chiang Mai, 2001, 284 pp., 595 baht. (Also available through University of Washington Press, $17.50) Aung San, the pillar of the struggle for Burmese independence and immensely popular during those most turbulent years,...
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 8, 2001
Defending the Khmer cultural heritage
CHIANG MAI, Thailand -- When discussion involves Cambodia, a natural reaction is to recall horrendous images of ruthless genocide. While this is true, one should nonetheless not exclusively equate this small country with immense suffering and torment. Cambodia is also home to a precious cultural heritage...
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 28, 2001
Trends in life learning for senior citizens
CHIANG MAI, Thailand -- So much talk about globalization issues nowadays overshadows a couple of other equally important current developments: the longer life span of individuals and their wish to lead a meaningful period of time as silver-haired "senior citizens."
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 22, 2001
Foreign Ministry troubles exact a high toll
CHIANG MAI, Thailand -- It is with hesitation that I write about the current imbroglio involving the Foreign Ministry. First, this is a matter for the Japanese to sort out. Second, suspicions of partiality may arise, given my diplomatic background. But in spite of these valid points, I humbly put forward...
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 14, 2001
Vipassana spirituality a refreshing breeze
BANGKOK -- There was recently a cultural event in Bangkok that deserves to be singled out. It was a special Dhamma talk given by the foremost Vipassana meditation teacher of our times, Satya Narayan Goenka, to a select audience presided over by Princess Galyani, the sister of the King of Thailand.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 7, 2001
Networking takes root in Asian universities
CHIANG MAI, Thailand -- The magic of the new term "networking" is becoming irresistible. How does it translate when we examine its potential in academia, particularly in the Asia Pacific region?
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 18, 2001
China and ASEAN strive to improve ties
CHIANG MAI, Thailand -- For geographic and historic reasons, China has been and will always be a factor in Southeast Asia. Of course, the reverse is also true. And as emphasis shifts from bilateral relations to multilateral ties, the ASEAN-China dimension assumes a special meaning, whether viewed alone...
Japan to revise consumption tax exemption for overseas tourists
Tourists walk through Nakamise shopping street near Sensoji Temple in Tokyo in April
Japan's tourism industry hit by cancellations after megaquake alert
A beach closed due to a megaquake alert in Hiratsuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, from Friday to Thursday.
Focus shifts to incoming typhoon as Tropical Storm Maria dissipates
Newly formed Tropical Storm Ampil, which is forecast to approach eastern Japan this weekend, is seen on the left side of this satellite image.
Kishida to step down in September in bid to show ‘LDP has changed’
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks during a news conference Wednesday at the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo.
Publisher finds surprise audience after translating history textbooks
Yamakawa Shuppansha president Takeshi Nozawa holds the publisher's textbook on Japanese history — used in high schools across Japan — alongside the new English version in Tokyo on May 23.
Economic security is about strengthening and sustaining growth, former minister says
Former economic security minister Takayuki Kobayashi says changes in the international balance of power, along with deepening economic interdependence, have led some countries to attempt to use their economic power to impose their will on others.
Ice bandanas, convenience store breaks: Running under Japan’s summer sun
Blistering heat is becoming a fixture of summer in Japan, but a few tweaks to your routine can make your outdoor runs bearable — if not enjoyable — until cooler temperatures return.
Japan issued its first-ever megaquake alert. What does that mean?
Naoshi Hirata (center), chairman of a committee tasked with evaluating the risk of a Nankai Trough earthquake, speaks at a news conference in Tokyo on Friday.
France brings down the curtain on its Olympic party with Tom Cruise and Leon Marchand
Fireworks are set off during the closing ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics at Stade de France in Saint-Denis on Sunday.
Japan fuels U.S. LNG boom even as climate targets and impacts loom
Flaring at the Cameron LNG export terminal in Hackberry, Louisiana. Flaring, a common sight at LNG plants, is a controlled burning of gas for reasons ranging from depressurizing equipment to disposing of gas that can’t be used. The practice is a "waste of money" and negatively impacts climate change and human health, says the International Energy Agency.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

Sociologist Gracia Liu-Farrer argues that even though immigration doesn't figure into Japan's autobiography, it is more of a self-perception than a reality.
In search of the ‘Japanese dream’
By Thu-Huong Ha

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Azabudai Hills, Tokyo’s green new downtown ‘village’
Azabudai Hills, Tokyo’s green new downtown ‘village’

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