- Over 100,000 illegal migrant workers (from Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia) in Thailand have fled after a Thai military-government crackdown.
- Michael Montesano argues that the US shouldn't intervene in the political quagmire in Thailand as the country's military digs its heels into power.
- The curfew was lifted in Thailand as the Thai Junta's populist 'love and harmony' campaign continues (including the free screening of the World Cup football and free movie tickets).
- A law was upheld in Myanmar this month that bans Aung San Sui Kyi from running in the country's 2015 election. The move will anger many supporters of her NLD party and has the potential to set back the country's fledgling democratic transition.
- The humanitarian crisis continues in Myanmar's Rakhine state, with the UNHCR reporting this week that a total of 86,000 people (mainly Rohingya Muslims) have fled by boat since June 2012 and 137,000 people are still living in IDP camps. Another damning Fortify Rights report alleges acts of torture and other crimes, highlighting that much progress is yet to be made in Myanmar's transition.
- Myanmar's drug trade is again on the rise, says a new report by Transnational Institute.
- Lessons for America's Asia Pivot? Farish Noor of RSIS casts a historical eye at a forgotten US intervention in Southeast Asia, the First Sumatran Expedition in 1832.
- Malaysian intelligence reports that at least 30 citizens have joined the ISIS force in Syria and Iraq, according to local media.
- Since being released last week, the Thai Junta's song 'Return happiness to Thailand' now has nearly 300,000 views on YouTube. The song was reportedly penned by Army Chief General Prayuth Chan-ocha.