- The Myanmar Government announced a much needed funding boost of US$5 million to deal with the country's HIV epidemic. In 2013 there were 190,000 people living with HIV; only a third were receiving treatment. The Ministry of Health also received US$11.5 million to fight drug-resistant tuberculosis. Concerns remain for a dramatic rise in drug-resistant malaria.
- What will Southeast Asia look like in 2035? Wikistrat, a crowdsourced analytical community, ran a 60-analyst simulation and found these potential futures.
- Vietnamese and Chinese minsters of defence (and a healthy entourage) meet; Carl Thayer explains its immense significance.
- The UK summoned a Thai diplomat this week (see summons here), but Thai PM Prayuth Chan-Ocha says his diplomat wasn't summoned and that the UK was just 'confused'.
- Prayuth's approval rating came in this week at an unbelievably high 93%.
- Myanmar is on a non-proliferation roll, writes David Santoro. And why not, when the rewards are so big: Myanmar will hit its full year FDI target in first six months of 2014-15.
- A top ten list of must-reads on ?Cambodia. (H/t Milton.)
- Former Australian Ambassador to Indonesia Bill Farmer writes on bilateral relations under Jokowi.
- An Indonesian suicide bomber, 26-year-old Ridwan from Solo, was the latest Southeast Asian ISIS fighter killed in Syria. In better news, Abu Sayyaf released its two German hostages amid claims of a ransom payment.
Southeast Asia links: HIV in Myanmar, SEA 2035, Vietnam-China, ISIS, Prayuth's approval and more
Published 21 Oct 2014
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