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Sebastian Strangio

Sebastian Strangio

Sebastian Strangio is Southeast Asia editor at The Diplomat. 

In 2008, he began his career as a reporter at The Phnom Penh Post in Cambodia, and has since traveled and reported extensively across the 10 nations of ASEAN. Sebastian’s writing has appeared in leading publications including Foreign Affairs, the Los Angeles Review of Books, and The New York Times, The Diplomat, and Nikkei Asian Review, among many others. He is the author of “Hun Sen’s Cambodia” (Yale, 2014), a path-breaking examination of Cambodia since the fall of the Khmer Rouge, and “In the Dragon’s Shadow: Southeast Asia in the Chinese Century (Yale, 2020). 

Alongside his journalistic work, Sebastian has also consulted for a wide variety of economic risk firms and non-government organizations, and is quoted frequently in the international media on political developments in Southeast Asia. Sebastian holds a B.A. and Master’s degree in international politics from The University of Melbourne. He currently lives in Adelaide.

You can get in touch with Sebastian via Twitter, Facebook, or email.

Posts by Sebastian Strangio
February 02, 2024

Royalist Lawyer Seeks Dissolution of Thai Opposition Party

By Sebastian Strangio
The petition was filed a day after the Constitutional Court ordered the Move Forward Party to stop advocating the reform of Thailand's harsh lese-majeste law.

February 02, 2024

Dissident Russian Rock Band Departs Thailand for Israel

By Sebastian Strangio
Moscow had requested the extradition of the group, whose members were detained for violating Thai immigration laws.
February 01, 2024

Myanmar Junta Again Extends State of Emergency Ahead of Coup Anniversary

By Sebastian Strangio
With resistance forces gaining ground across the country, the military's plans to hold elections later this year are looking increasingly delusional.

February 01, 2024

Former Malaysian PM’s Prison Term Halved by Royal Pardon, Report Claims

By Sebastian Strangio
Former PM Najib Razak is currently serving a 12-year sentence for his involvement in the multibillion-dollar 1MDB corruption scandal.

January 31, 2024

Ahead of Coup Anniversary, Myanmar Resistance Groups Release Political Roadmap

By Sebastian Strangio
The National Unity Government and three allies have released the most detailed plan yet for what would follow the collapse of the military regime.

January 31, 2024

Vietnam, Philippines Sign Agreements on Maritime Security Cooperation

By Sebastian Strangio
The agreements come at a time of intensifying tension in waters claimed by China and the Philippines.
January 30, 2024

Thailand-China Railway Project Should Be Expedited, Chinese FM Says

By Sebastian Strangio
The high-speed rail line, which would connect Bangkok to a recently completed line in Laos, has been hampered by delays.

January 30, 2024

Former Malaysian Finance Minister Latest to be Charged in Corruption Probe

By Sebastian Strangio
Daim Zainuddin, a former close associate of ex-PM Mahathir Mohamad, has been accused of failing to declare millions of dollars worth of assets.

January 29, 2024

Myanmar Junta Sends Representative to ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting

By Sebastian Strangio
Marlar Than Htaik, the permanent secretary of the junta's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is attending this week's two-day retreat in Laos.

January 29, 2024

Myanmar Court Sets March Auction for Imprisoned Leader’s Villa

By Sebastian Strangio
The lakeside villa, where Aung San Suu Kyi spent more than 15 years under house arrest, will go under the hammer on March 20.

January 25, 2024

Philippines Military to Provide ‘Unimpeded’ Access to Sea Resources, Defense Chief Says

By Sebastian Strangio
The new "comprehensive archipelagic defense concept" will seek to secure Manila's access to resources lying within its Exclusive Economic Zone, including in the South China Sea.
January 25, 2024

Thai Constitutional Court Clears MFP Leader of Breaching Election Law

By Sebastian Strangio
Pita Limjaroenrat, the leader of the Move Forward Party, can rejoin Parliament – but more legal challenges loom.

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