- 'Gini out of the bottle': an excellent World Bank infographic on inequality in Indonesia.
- The US and the Philippines have begun an 11-day military exercise near Spratly Islands in the South China Sea.
- Over at World Politics Review, Saurav Jha examined India's 'Act East' Policy in Vietnam.
- In what may be a defining moment for Buddhist nationalism in the region, Myanmar's firebrand monk, Ashin Wirathu, (often referred to as the 'Buddhist bin Laden') announced that his 969 movement would join with Sri Lankan Buddhist extremists Bodu Bala Sena to 'protect Buddhism around the world' (foreshadowed in previous posts here and here). The move comes after al Qaeda's chief stated earlier this month that it would conduct operations in Myanmar and Sri Lanka.
- In its sixth round, Myanmar's nationwide ceasefire process suffered another set back this week as talks ended prematurely. Clashes also broke out between the DKBA, an armed ethnic group, and the military near the Thai border prompting heightened security measures in Thailand.
- In a busy week in Cambodian politics (reactions to the Australian refugee deal here - HRW, The Diplomat, Time Magazine, UNHCR), Prime Minister Hun Sen found time to proudly tell university graduates that after 10 failed attempts he had finally quit smoking.
- Abu Sayyaf, one of Southeast Asia's most vocal supporters of ISIS (shown in this video), has threatened to kill German hostages kidnapped in April.
- And finally, ASEAN released a joint statement on ISIS this week as concern grew with further reports that ISIS fighters from Malaysia and Indonesia have formed a Malay-speaking unit with at least 22 members:
Photo: @Charles_Lister