The intriguing part of this divisive landscape is that everyone agrees Thailand seriously needs reform. Asean's second largest economy is one of the most unequal societies in Asia. In 2011, the most recent year for which official figures are available, its Gini coefficient, a widely used measure of inequality, stood at 0.484. This was lower than Hong Kong's 0.537 that year, but higher than the United States' 0.475. The Gini yardstick ranges from zero to one, with higher values meaning more inequality. Singapore's Gini coefficient last year was 0.463.
Chulalongkorn University economist Pasuk Phongpaichit laid bare more figures in a forum last month: About 100,000 bank accounts, each with more than US$300,000, account for nearly half the value of all bank deposits in the country. Yet these accounted for 0.5 per cent of the total number of bank accounts. The top 10 per cent of land owners own 61 per cent of total title land, she noted.
Land that is not put to commercial use is subject to negligible taxes but there have been no serious attempts to raise them because most politicians are among the top land owners, said Pasuk.

.....
Sick of politicians, they had joined the whistle-blowing crowds in the hope of overhauling the entire system. While they did not entirely trust protest leader Suthep Thaugsuban - a former senior Democrat tainted by graft allegations - they had warmed to his vow to give up politics after forcing Yingluck out. To them, Suthep was somewhat less repugnant than Thaksin, the ousted premier who lives in Dubai to evade a jail sentence for corruption.

Check: Malaysia in The Trans-Pacific Partnership

The Economist just have a Blog about the TPP talk in SG:

The Trans-Pacific Partnership: No end in sight | The Economist

http://www.economist.com/blogs/banyan/2014/02/trans-pacific-partnership-0s

Malaysia's trade minister, Mustapa Mohamed, said there had been no discussion at all in Singapore about the link between TPA and TPP. But it must have been on everybody's mind. Mr Froman stalwartly pointed out that every country has its domestic processes and that the administration was "building support on Capitol Hill". Not fast enough, however, for many of the TPP participants, who face political difficulties of their own, such as Malaysia's worry that TPP might outlaw its affirmative-action policies in government-procurement in favour of "Bumiputras" (ie, mainly ethnic Malays, as opposed to Chinese and Indians), and undermine support for the ruling coalition.

More on Malaysia & TPP from New Straits Times:

TPP: Malaysia continues to seek flexibility - Latest - New Straits Times
http://www.nst.com.my/business/latest/tpp-malaysia-continues-to-seek-flexibility-1.492818

International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed said overall there is still a lot of work that remains to be carried out. “In the area of goods market access, Malaysia is prepared to undertake comprehensive commitments, but this would depend on the overall balance of the negotiations. Malaysia has thus far made good progress in the bilateral discussions on market access.” On tobacco, Malaysian officials convened informal consultations with officials from a number of countries to pursue an exception from the TPP for tobacco and tobacco products. “Negotiators will be consulting on a suitable timetable to continue work with a view to find a solution to the remaining issues.” Malaysia, he said, will continue to undertake domestic engagement with various stakeholders to share with them the outcome of the Singapore meeting and the way forward.

Check: FDI and Power in Philippines

Power Struggles in the Philippines - Southeast Asia Real Time – WSJ

http://blogs.wsj.com/searealtime/2014/02/24/power-struggles-in-the-philippines/

Power Struggles in the Philippines http://t.co/gq184ZWLqe
— WSJ INDONESIA (@WSJ_INDONESIA) February 23, 2014

The high cost and sketchy reliability of electricity supplies in the Philippines are now the main deterrents to investing in the country, according to foreign business leaders, who see the problem as a persuasive reason to invest elsewhere. "Power is the biggest problem we have right now, both in terms of supply and price," said Dong Joo Kim, chief finance officer at Phoenix Semiconductor Philippines Corp., a Korean firm that manufactures components for Samsung in the Philippines.

The one thing the Philippines does seem to have in its favor is its lack of subsidies, said Francis Giles B. Puno, president and chief operating officer of First Gen Corp., a power generation company. And that could make the country more competitive in the future as other Southeast Asian governments find that they can no longer afford to subsidize their energy sectors.

Seminar reminder: Coming Monday, Prof Hans-Dieter Evers on South China Sea

Please come to SEARC next Monday Seminar by Prof Hans-Dieter Evers on the South China Sea issue:

Governing Maritime Space: The South China Sea as a Mediterranean Cultural Area

Prof Hans-Dieter Evers

Date: 24 February 2014 (Monday)
Time: 4 pm – 5:30 pm
Venue: Y4-702, AC1, City University of Hong Kong

More detail:

. @Rachel_TLN on the 35th anniversary of the Sino-Vietnamese war that China would rather you forgot about: http://t.co/hFfzu8OFFH
— Foreign Policy (@ForeignPolicy) February 20, 2014

China's Little Secret:
Beijing wants people to forget the Sino-Vietnamese War.

http://blog.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2014/02/19/chinas_little_secret_sino_vietnam_war_memory

Recent articles on Vietnam in People's Daily, the Chinese Communist Party mouthpiece that essentially declared war on its southern neighbor with an editorial on Feb. 16, 1979, lacked any mention of the conflict. A Jan. 21 People's Daily article about anti-Chinese feelings in Vietnam avoided mention of any armed tussle between the two countries in the late 20th century, instead blaming the negative sentiment on Vietnamese's "sour" and "contradictory" attitude toward historical Chinese cultural influences and current economic dominance.

Not only China, even in Hanoi

Vietnam also suppresses memories of the war. On Feb. 17, the Vietnamese government deployed aerobic dancers to break up anti-Chinese protests in the capital city of Hanoi, while on Feb. 12 U.S. outlet Voice of America quoted an anonymous senior Vietnamese editor as saying the country's watchdog issued "confidential instructions" to restrict coverage of the 35th anniversary of the war.

Also, these people also were forgotten:

According to a blog post written by a self-identified Beijing reporter and posted on Sina, a few dozen veterans gathered in front of a government building in central Hunan province on Feb. 17, complaining that they had been "abandoned" and shortchanged in veterans benefits. The blog post also shows a banner, with sadly ironic text. "The martyrs who gave their life defending their sacred territory," it reads, "will never be forgotten."

Check this showcases of contemporary paintings from Myanmar

Prof Ian Holliday from HKU has set up a website, Thukhuma, showing his collection of painting from Myanmar.

Those painting are drawn by contemporary painter from Myanmar which some of them are displayed in CityU of HK last year.

The Thai Malaise by Duncan McCargo
http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2014/02/18/the_thai_malaise

Check SEARC Feb seminar 2: Governing Maritime Space: The South China Sea as a Mediterranean Cultural Area by Prof Hans-Dieter Evers

SEARC will soon have another seminar :

Is Thai political saga, according to Suthep, is a Thai soap opera ?

In today New Mandala, an article suggests Suthep’s version of Thai current political troubles is similar to a Thai soap opea or Thai lakorn:

CALL FOR PAPERS notice: Democracy and Human Rights in Southeast Asia @ Journal of Current Southeast Asian Affairs

For people who are interested:

Academic Articles in 1st & 2ndweek of Feb 2014

The 1st&2nd weekly update of academic articles in Feb 2014 are here:

Check this not-so-political news about Thailand election: Meet the Handsome Japanese Reporter Stealing the Show in Bangkok

Check this: Thai election by the numbers

Chris Baker posted a blog post in New Mandala about Thai Election.

From Thailand recent political saga to worries about the effects of regional populism

Just read a article in BloombergView about the rise SEA populism.

Thailand Is Only the Tip of Asia’s Iceberg @BloombergView
By William Pesek Jan 24, 2014

http://bloom.bg/19R4Mb0
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-01-23/thailand-is-only-the-tip-of-asia-s-iceberg.html

Similar examples of populism trumping progress can be found in such places as Vietnam, Brunei and Myanmar. Even the most first-world of Southeast Asian economies -- Singapore -- has some worried. Case in point: a Jan. 13 Forbes article alleging that the city is headed for an “Iceland-style meltdown.”

The common denominator in all these countries is weak leadership, and it’s appearing at the worst possible moment. The rapid growth Asia has enjoyed since the 2008 global crisis had more to do with Ben Bernanke than we like to admit. All that hot money pumped up gross domestic product, boosted asset prices and pushed yields lower to make government debt loads appear manageable.

The Fed chairman’s largesse made growth too easy. It bred hubris. Officials in Bangkok, Jakarta and Kuala Lumpur were too busy cutting ribbons, toasting flashy new skyscrapers, applauding splashing initial public offerings, and basking in headlines about Asia having decoupled from the West to do their jobs properly.

Check SEARC Feb seminar 1: Liberalism, Free Trade and Empire: The diverse roles of John Bowring in Asia by Mr Philip Bowring

There will be a seminar organized by SEARC in February:

Liberalism, Free Trade and Empire:
The diverse roles of John Bowring in Asia

by Mr Philip Bowring,

17 Feb (Mon), 4 pm

(Y4-702, AC 1, City University of Hong Kong)

Abstract

This paper looks at the impact of various strands and contradictions of western liberalism and imperialism through the career of Sir John Bowring, 1792-1892. Bowring was a hyperactive poloyglot and polymath, a liberal writer, trader and entrepreneur who was deeply engaged with democratic reform movements in Europe, a radical member of parliament in Britain and supporter of Chartism, a pioneering advocate of free trade, became consul in Canton and then governor of Hongkong, a peace advocate who started a war with China but also negotiated the Bowring Treaty with King Mongkut which proved a crucial event in Southeast Asian history. His career not only spanned the 60 years of Britain's global pre-eminence from the defeat of Napoleon to the rise of the US and of united Germany but was engaged with several of its key issues in Britain, Europe, the Middle East and Asia. The paper will place his roles in China and Hongkong in a wider context than normally viewed by historians of Hongkong.

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Liberalism, Free Trade and Empire: The diverse roles of John Bowring in Asia