Beyond the Mekong

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Beyond the Mekong

Delve into Southeast Asian geopolitics with The Diplomat's Luke Hunt and guests who know the region and the issues.

  1. Pol Pot’s March Into Phnom Penh, 50 Years On

    11 HR. AGO

    Pol Pot’s March Into Phnom Penh, 50 Years On

    Historian Henri Locard explains how Cambodia's communists differed from their counterparts in Vietnam.[audio mp3="https://manage.thediplomat.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/thediplomat_2025-01-15-212351.mp3"][/audio] The fall of Indochina to communism in 1975 sharply changed the political dynamics of Southeast Asia within the framework of the Cold War. North Vietnam annexed the South, ending a decade of conflict but in Cambodia the arrival of the Khmer Rouge resulted in disaster. Pol Pot and his henchmen inflicted unprecedented carnage, genocide, forced labor camps, and sickness, claiming about 2 million lives, or about a third of this country’s population, after seizing Phnom Penh on April 17 and evacuating the capital. South Vietnam fell on April 30. The Vietnamese invasion of Cambodia in late 1978 ended Pol Pot's tyrannical rule but civil war continued for another two decades, Paris Peace Accords and the 1992-93 United Nations peacekeeping operation that enabled Cambodia’s first democratic elections. At 85 years of age, French historian Henri Locard ranks among the best academics who have made Cambodia their life’s work. He first arrived here in 1964, and lived through some tumultuous years, authoring many books, including "Pol Pot’s Little Red Book." As the 50th anniversary of the Khmer Rouge takeover approaches, Locard spoke with The Diplomat’s Luke Hunt about the differences that separated the Vietnamese and Cambodian communists, including the importance of Nuon Chea who was "brother number two" to Pol Pot. He talks at length about the role former monarch Norodom Sihanouk played throughout the conflict, his relationships with neighboring countries and the United States, and the importance of Catholicism within the context of Vietnamese communism. Also important was Sihanouk’s relationship with friends like Nhiek Tioulong, the Cambodian politician who featured in many of his movies, and – like many of Sihanouk’s confidants – did not support communism. Since 2000, after retiring from the Université Lumière – Lyon 2, Locard has lived in Phnom Penh and worked as a consultant with the Khmer Rouge Tribunal. He is now a visiting professor at the Royal University of Phnom Penh lecturing in history.

    38 min
  2. Listening to the Geography of the Moon

    12/31/2024

    Listening to the Geography of the Moon

    An interview with musicians Andrea Rubbio and Virginia Bones.

    34 min
  3. When Hollywood Comes to Cambodia, with Nick Ray

    12/23/2024

    When Hollywood Comes to Cambodia, with Nick Ray

    From “Tomb Raider” to “Banged Up Abroad” and “37 Heavens.”

    32 min
  4. Myanmar and China: An American View with Michael Martin

    12/11/2024

    Myanmar and China: An American View with Michael Martin

    Chinese plans for Myanmar could have far reaching consequences in 2025.Michael Martin, adjunct fellow with the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C., returns to Beyond the Mekong amid speculation that China and Myanmar's military junta are preparing to establish a “joint security company” to protect Beijing’s interests in the war-torn country. The junta has reportedly formed a committee to prepare an MoU for establishing a security company, which could be dispatched into Rakhine State, where fighting this year has been intense and the U.N. that two million people are facing “the dire prospect of famine." Rakhine is also the starting point of Beijing’s 771-kilometer oil and gas pipelines, which stretches across the country and are a crucial energy source for the Chinese economy. A joint security company to protect the corridor could include Chinese boots on the ground and the sale of weapons and special equipment. It’s a strategy with the potential to reshape the military equation after the junta suffered dramatic territorial losses over the past year to anti-regime forces, consisting of ethnic armed organizations, the People’s Defense Force and the National Unity Government in exile. Martin has spent two decades as a specialist policy advisor on Myanmar alongside China, Hong Kong, and Vietnam. His work includes a 15-year tenure with the Congressional Research Service of the Library of Congress, where he provided political and economic analysis. He spoke with The Diplomat’s Luke Hunt about Chinese intentions for Myanmar and the need to protect its interests in the country, regardless of which side emerges victorious in a bloody civil war that has lasted almost four years and claimed an estimated 50,000 lives.

    30 min
  5. Myanmar: Situation Update with Paul Greening

    11/21/2024

    Myanmar: Situation Update with Paul Greening

    Is China preparing to put boots on the ground to protect its investments in the country?

    35 min
  6. Keith Richburg Discusses Trump 2.0, China, and ASEAN

    11/13/2024

    Keith Richburg Discusses Trump 2.0, China, and ASEAN

    The veteran Asia correspondent is expecting another “carnival of chaos” after Trump returns to the White House.

    35 min
  7. Melody Mociulski on Taking Myanmar’s ‘Intrepid Paths’

    11/07/2024

    Melody Mociulski on Taking Myanmar’s ‘Intrepid Paths’

    A trip down the 1970s hippie-trail led the American author to a lifelong relationship with the country and its people.

    34 min
  8. Talking ASEAN Supply Chains With Chris Catto-Smith

    10/30/2024

    Talking ASEAN Supply Chains With Chris Catto-Smith

    A logistics specialist discusses economics, poverty and the nuts and bolts of climate change in Southeast Asia.Why do Southeast Asian farmers get paid so little? How can people respond to the immediate impact of climate change? What must governments in ASEAN do if they’re serious about cross-border trade? Why is Cambodia building a 180-kilometer canal at a cost of $1.7 billion? Chris Catto-Smith is a logistics specialist, a career which began with the Royal Australian Air Force in the 1970s. He moved to the private sector and then took his experience to Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands encouraging disadvantaged communities to develop value chains and new routes to markets. He spoke with The Diplomat’s Luke Hunt in Melbourne, where he explained the issues confronting farmers and fisherfolk who are struggling to make ends meet and discussed what needs to be done in regards to the devastating impacts of climate change. Catto-Smith’s business principles are aligned with Corporate Social Responsibility, also known as CSR, which allows him to utilize consulting income to offset pro-bono development work. It’s a new model which allows him the freedom to select and support projects of his choice. Within the region where he works, climate change and severe storm damage have emerged as immediate problems, particularly in Vietnam, where he spent the COVID-19 years. During the pandemic, he began rethinking how to deal with the major issues confronting Southeast Asia – and getting goods to market. That includes the provision of cold storage, transport, clean water, sanitation, and health and education facilities, as well as the logistics needed in remote areas, where crops are grown but basic necessities are wanting and the infrastructure and post-harvest skills needed for the market are lacking.

    39 min
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About

Delve into Southeast Asian geopolitics with The Diplomat's Luke Hunt and guests who know the region and the issues.

Information

  • Creator
    The Diplomat
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2025
  • Episodes
    100
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2025 Diplomat Media Inc.
  • Show Website
    Beyond the Mekong

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