Sampit proves that diversity is not naturally stable. ASEAN must prioritise fair institutions to prevent predictable cycles of ethnic violence.
Security
After 20 years and over 7,000 deaths, the peace process remains a symbolic exercise stalled by institutional dissonance. Peace fails when the people are treated as objects, not subjects.
The 11 January 2026 attacks mark a violent return to reality for Southern Thailand’s peace process.
The Thai-Cambodia border conflict is also fuelled by a multi-billion-dollar scam economy and the domestic survival of political elites.
For a peace process to be meaningful, it must move beyond “talk shops” and address the criminalisation of political discourse in Patani.
The Indo-Pacific region is drifting from its inclusive vision toward record militarisation and a deepening trust deficit.
Forced migration in Myanmar serves as a strategic diagnostic, revealing how China’s geopolitical calculations shift regional power and human lives.
International sanctions and military raids are dismantling Myanmar’s billion-dollar scam hubs, reshaping border alliances and human safety.
Peace talks between the Thai government and BRN are back on track after two years, but philosophical and legal hurdles remain.
Is Indonesia heading towards a digital dystopia?