Matt Wheeler

“Governments around the world copying Spain’s wealth tax on the super-rich could raise more than $2tn (£1.5tn), according to campaigners calling for the money to help finance the climate transition.”

Thailand’s judiciary is flexing its muscles, but away from PM’s plight, dozens of activists are at the mercy of capricious courts Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has been suspended from office. Meanwhile, leading activists languish behind bars on ‘lèse majesté’ offenses.

I wrote about the judiciary, its violence and political imprisonment in Thailand for @us.theconversation.com —

Border Dispute with Cambodia Sparks Political Disarray in Thailand | International Crisis Group Tensions have soared between the two South East Asian nations as nationalist fervour and a political fracas fuel a longstanding border dispute. In this Q&A, Crisis Group expert Matt Wheeler assesses h...

Tensions soar between Thailand and Cambodia as nationalist fervour and a political fracas fuels a longstanding border dispute.

Really great explainer ⬇️ from @mzwheeler.bsky.social who unpacks how the bitter feud is endangering the Thai government’s future.

www.crisisgroup.org/asia/south-e...

Russia seeks to involve Laos in war against Ukraine, military intelligence claims Moscow is organizing the deployment of a combined unit of military engineers from the Lao People's Armed Forces to Russia's Kursk Oblast, allegedly to help with demining operations, Ukraine's military...

⚡️ Russia seeks to involve Laos in war against Ukraine, military intelligence claims.

Moscow is reportedly organizing the deployment of a combined unit of military engineers from the Lao People's Armed Forces to Russia's Kursk Oblast, allegedly to help with demining operations.

Phnom Penh Sets Up Anti-Scam Task Force Amid Rising Online Scams | CamboJA News Phnom Penh has established a special committee to crack down on online scams, following an order from Prime Minister Hun Manet. | Read more at CamboJA News

Phnom Penh has established a special committee to crack down on online scams, following an order from Prime Minister Hun Manet.

For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences

Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra Suspended Amid Cambodia Dispute Paetongtarn Shinawatra is accused of ethical lapses in a conversation with the Cambodian leader Hun Sen and has faced calls to resign.

Breaking News: The prime minister of Thailand was suspended from office amid a spiraling crisis that was set off by a chat she had with a foreign leader.

Fox News even.

Former PM Accuses Thaksin of Betrayal, Threatens to "Expose" Him Hun Sen has threatened to expose private conversations held between himself and former ally, Thaksin Shinawatra, including alleged insults against the Thai King, accusing him of betrayal

Hun Sen has threatened to expose private conversations held between himself and former ally, Thaksin Shinawatra, including alleged insults against the Thai King, accusing him of betrayal.

A very important caveat: “As a practical matter, it could take weeks following the bombing of the facility to assess whether the highly enriched nuclear material there was destroyed or already moved away by Iranian personnel who anticipated the strike – and even then, uncertainty may remain.”

Japan scraps ‘two-plus-two’ meeting with U.S. over defense spending demand, report says The talks’ cancellation reportedly came after the U.S. asked Japan to hike its defense budget to 3.5% of gross domestic product.

Japan scraps ‘two-plus-two’ meeting with U.S. over defense spending demand, report says www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/06...

Japan scraps ‘two-plus-two’ meeting with U.S. over defense spending demand, report says The talks’ cancellation reportedly came after the U.S. asked Japan to hike its defense budget to 3.5% of gross domestic product.

Japan has canceled a high-level meeting with the U.S. set for July following a demand that Tokyo spend even more on defense, according to a media report, in the latest point of friction between the allies.

YouTube video by CNA What could decide Thai PM Paetongtarn’s fate after leaked phone call?

Dr. Michael Montesano on fallout from leaked Paetongtarn-Hun Sen phone call.

Thai govt at risk of collapse after Hun Sen shares private phone call- UCA News Thai PM Paetongtarn in damage control, cites 'an issue of trust' with Cambodian leader

My latest: www.ucanews.com/news/thai-go...

Protesters Demand PM’s Resignation, Threaten Government House Blockade BANGKOK, June 19 (TNA) – The Network of Students and People for Reform of Thailand (NSPRT) and the Dhamma Army are demanding the Prime Minister’s resignation, staging their protests at Chamai Maruchet...

Not So Fun Fact: The right-wing "Network of Students and People for Reform of Thailand" doesn't really contain any students and were one of the more radical groups involved in the most chaotic episodes of the '13-'14 anti-PM Yingluck protests that ended in the 2014 military coup.

Ishiba holds first meeting with South Korea's Lee The South Korean leader emphasized the need for 'future-oriented cooperation' amid global trade challenges, a veiled reference to unilateral U.S. tariffs.

South Korea's Lee touts ‘inseparable’ Japan ties after Ishiba meeting www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/06...

Bangladesh/Myanmar: The Dangers of a Rohingya Insurgency | International Crisis Group Armed groups in the Rohingya camps of southern Bangladesh have joined forces to battle the Arakan Army, the ethnic Rakhine group that has taken over much of the refugees’ home state in Myanmar. But fi...

NEW REPORT | The Dangers of a Rohingya Insurgency

Armed groups in Rohingya camps have joined forces to battle the Arakan Army which has taken over much of the refugees’ home state in Myanmar, but insurgency is more likely to hurt than help their cause.

www.crisisgroup.org/asia/south-e...

Trump directs ICE to expand deportations in Democratic-run cities, undeterred by protests This comes after large protests erupted in Los Angeles and other major cities against the Trump administration’s immigration policies.

WaPo and NYT readers know nothing about this at this hour. apnews.com/article/trum...

YouTube video by Fun City Editions Bad Company (1972) Official Trailer

Bad Company (1972)

One of the messed up things about the wsj firing Selena Cheng, was that the wsj & her colleagues including the one that fired her were in the midst of calling for freedom of the press & release of another journalist.
The disparity of who mattered was on full display.

May she win her case.

As I wrote earlier today, the Trump administration's projects of domestic political repression and militarized immigration enforcement have converged in California.

www.crisisgroup.org/united-state...

Trump upends historic Columbia River Basin agreement, bringing uncertainty to salmon recovery efforts President Donald Trump on Thursday pulled the federal government out of what Northwest tribes have hailed as a historic agreement to recover salmon in the Columbia River Basin.

"Trump reneged on more than a billion dollars the Biden administration promised to tribes for renewable energy and salmon recovery."

2025/42 “Examining Religious Engagement Among Thai Buddhist Undergraduates” by Panarat Anamwathana This paper examines the relationship between Thai Buddhist undergraduates and their religion, drawing on survey data from the Youth and Civic Engagement Survey carried out by ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Insti...

In case anyone's interested in Buddhism and how young people engage with organized religion in Thailand!

Noem’s language in this reported letter to the Pentagon is a further illustration of how the administration has sought to repurpose the terminology and tools of counterterrorism and war against migrants and domestic political opponents.

www.crisisgroup.org/united-state...

I live in Bangkok. I see motorcycle drivers doing this every day. Not on a phone mount, mind you, but with the phone in the left hand. Drives me nuts.

President Trump has now pardoned 9 members of Congress convicted of crimes

According to Cambodian Army spokesperson Mao Phalla, one Cambodian soldier was killed in a brief exchange of fire at a disputed border area between #Cambodia and Thailand.

“LMAO” in the style of Baltimore Orioles logo.

NEW REPORT | The U.S., China and the Search for a New Equilibrium

As China projects its advancing military capabilities and the U.S. sends mixed messages about security assurance, Washington and Beijing should resume talks to manage any risks of escalation.

www.crisisgroup.org/asia/north-e...

Screenshot of a CBS News article headline that reads: "Most Americans don’t earn enough to afford basic costs of living, analysis finds." The article was written by Megan Cerullo

A new report finds the bottom 60% of U.S. households—or *two-thirds* of the population—can't afford a “minimal quality of life": housing, health care, and other necessities.

"Indicators like GDP and unemployment tell us the economy is thriving. But they don’t reflect the reality of most Americans."