History Of Southeast Asia

Okay, I am back at last! The previous episode of the podcast completed our historical narrative of Southeast Asia. Now for today's episode, I will start answering the questions you have sent me over the past two months. In fact, you sent me so many questions that I will answer some of them in the next episode as well. But I don't mind; thank you for your enthusiastic response!Oh, and one other thing. I got an email from one listener who said the volume on the podcast was too loud. I thought the sound was all right, because no one mentioned it in the past, and when I listen to my own recordings, I don't have to turn the volume almost all the way up, as is the case with some other podcasts. Therefore, with the software I use for the recording, I turned down the microphone volume, from 86 to 70 percent. Drop me a line if you feel strongly about the change, whether you like it or not. And like always, listen and enjoy! Do you think you would like to become a podcaster on Blubrry? Click here for the details on joi

To all the listeners of this podcast, I want to thank you for your patience.  I actually started to record this in the third week of January (there is a reference to January early in the episode), but the work was interrupted more than once, for more than a day each time.  Now at last, it is finished and good to go.  This time we finish the series of episodes on recent Southeast Asian history, by looking at events in Thailand, from 2001 to the present.  At the end I tell you about a new icon to give special recognition to the show's donors, and remind you that the next episode will feature your questions.  February is a short month, so if you have any questions, send them to me today!Do you think you would like to become a podcaster on Blubrry? Click here for the details on joining. Enter my promo code, HSEASIA, to let them know I sent you, and you will get the first month's hosting for free!Support this podcast!And here is the Podcast Hall of Fame page, to honor those who have donated already!Visit the Patr

If you listen to the podcast, here is a Christmas present from me! This episode covers the turbulent recent years of Myanmar's history, from 2008 to 2121. The next episode will come out in 2022, so Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!Do you think you would like to become a podcaster on Blubrry? Click here for the details on joining. Enter my promo code, HSEASIA, to let them know I sent you, and you will get the first month's hosting for free!Support this podcast!And here is the Podcast Hall of Fame page, to honor those who have donated already!Visit the Patreon page to become a long-term supporter of the podcast!

At last, after promising it for a long time, here is the episode on East Timor! Meet Southeast Asia's newest country.Do you think you would like to become a podcaster on Blubrry? Click here for the details on joining. Enter my promo code, HSEASIA, to let them know I sent you, and you will get the first month's hosting for free!Support this podcast!And here is the Podcast Hall of Fame page, to honor those who have donated already!Visit the Patreon page to become a long-term supporter of the podcast!

Sorry again for making you wait five weeks. As compensation, this episode is the longest I have recorded in the past year. Today we finish up the narrative on the Philippines, covering the recent history of those islands from 1992 to the present. Overall it has been an up-and-down experience for Filipinos; from my point of view, life is getting better for them, but they still have a long way to go, before they can claim to be as successful as some of their neighbors.Do you think you would like to become a podcaster on Blubrry? Click here for the details on joining. Enter my promo code, HSEASIA, to let them know I sent you, and you will get the first month's hosting for free!Support this podcast!And here is the Podcast Hall of Fame page, to honor those who have donated already!Visit the Patreon page to become a long-term supporter of the podcast!

This episode of the podcast is the last one planned for Indonesia. Here we look at events in the world's largest archipelago, from 1998 to the present. Listen and you will understand what is going on in a large nation that often does not get much attention in the outside world. Do you think you would like to become a podcaster on Blubrry? Click here for the details on joining. Enter my promo code, HSEASIA, to let them know I sent you, and you will get the first month's hosting for free!Support this podcast! And here is the Podcast Hall of Fame page, to honor those who have donated already! Visit the Patreon page to become a long-term supporter of the podcast!

This episode of the podcast covers Cambodia, from 1989 to the present. As you can guess from the title, it's mainly a story of how Cambodia has recovered from all the awful things that happened to it in the twentieth century. Do you think you would like to become a podcaster on Blubrry? Click here for the details on joining. Enter my promo code, HSEASIA, to let them know I sent you, and you will get the first month's hosting for free! Support this podcast! And here is the Podcast Hall of Fame page, to honor those who have donated already! Visit the Patreon page to become a long-term supporter of the podcast!

Today we finish up the podcast's narrative about Vietnam. This time it won't be war stories, but the story of how Vietnam recovered from the wars it suffered in the twentieth century, and how it has become the exciting, growing country that visitors see today. Do you think you would like to become a podcaster on Blubrry? Click here for the details on joining. Enter my promo code, HSEASIA, to let them know I sent you, and you will get the first month's hosting for free! Support this podcast!   And here is the Podcast Hall of Fame page, to honor those who have donated already! Visit the Patreon page to become a long-term supporter of the podcast!

All right, Episode 112 of the podcast is now available! Today we pay another visit to Burma, to look at what happened from late 1988 to 2011. To start with, from this time onward, the country will usually be called Myanmar. During this period, the military is still in charge, and while the generals aren't as eccentric as Ne Win, the general who ran the show in Episode 101, they pull one crazy stunt: a new capital city is built from scratch, and the government is suddenly ordered to move to it, without previous warning. Also, we see Aung San Suu Kyi become a heroine in the eyes of the outside world, as she resists the generals. Finally, hear how a handful of Burmese discover punk rock, and use it as another way to express political opposition. Here is the 2012 National Geographic photo mentioned in the episode. It shows an improbable couple, a punk and a monk, getting along fine on the streets of Yangon. Do you think you would like to become a podcaster on Blubrry? Click here for the details on joini

Today's episode is the first that is just about Brunei, a country that the podcast has mentioned many times in the past. It is also the last, because this episode covers Brunei up to the present. Although Brunei is one of the smallest countries in Southeast Asia (only Singapore has less land), and it is home to only a few hundred thousand people, its recent history is amazing, thanks to its oil wealth. Thirty years ago, the current sultan was the richest man in the world. Listen to hear what he (and his youngest brother) have done with that money! Do you think you would like to become a podcaster on Blubrry? Click here for the details on joining. Enter my promo code, HSEASIA, to let them know I sent you, and you will get the first month's hosting for free! Support this podcast! And here is the Podcast Hall of Fame page, to honor those who have donated already! Visit the Patreon page to become a long-term supporter of the podcast!

It has been five weeks since I gave you an episode, so thank you for your patience! This time we look at the Philippines from 1981 to 1992, the end of the Marcos presidency, and the presidency of Corazon Aquino. And since I told you previously that my wife is from the Philippines, this episode finishes with the story of how we met. Listen and enjoy! Do you think you would like to become a podcaster on Blubrry? Click here for the details on joining. Enter my promo code, HSEASIA, to let them know I sent you, and you will get the first month's hosting for free! Support this podcast! And here is the Podcast Hall of Fame page, to honor those who have donated already! Visit the Patreon page to become a long-term supporter of the podcast!

Today's episode covers Thailand, from 1976 to 2000. In the middle of the nineteenth century, modernization became the top priority of the Thai kingdom. While the Thais found it fairly easy to adopt new technology, they found it harder to switch from absolute monarchy to a more modern government, and they have been trying to do that since 1932. Listen in to find out if Thailand can get it right this time. Do you think you would like to become a podcaster on Blubrry? Click here for the details on joining. Enter my promo code, HSEASIA, to let them know I sent you, and you will get the first month's hosting for free! Support this podcast! And here is the Podcast Hall of Fame page, to honor those who have donated already! Visit the Patreon page to become a long-term supporter of the podcast!

Here's a phrase I want you to remember: sabai di, pronounced "sa-bye dee." In the Thai and Lao languages it means "feel good." Just as Swahili speakers may say "hakuna matata" (no worries) when they are in a good mood, so the phrase sabai di summarizes the general mood in Laos. In fact, an old article from Time Magazine used the phrase to call Laos "The Land of Feeling Good." Now listen to the latest episode of the History of Southeast Asia Podcast as we finish up the historical narrative on Laos, looking at events in that country from 1975 to the present. Do you think you would like to become a podcaster on Blubrry? Click here for the details on joining. Enter my promo code, HSEASIA, to let them know I sent you, and you will get the first month's hosting for free! Support this podcast! And here is the Podcast Hall of Fame page, to honor those who have donated already! Visit the Patreon page to become a long-term supporter of the podcast!

Spring is on the way! While you are waiting for the season to change, here is the next episode of the podcast. This episode looks at Vietnam from 1975 to 1986, and Cambodia from 1979 to 1989. During this time there were conflicts between Vietnam and the Khmer Rouge, and between Vietnam and China. Together we call these clashes the Third Indochina War, and because they were waged on a small scale, without big battles like those of the previous wars, they are almost forgotten today. Do you think you would like to become a podcaster on Blubrry? Click here for the details on joining. Enter my promo code, HSEASIA, to let them know I sent you, and you will get the first month's hosting for free! Support this podcast! And here is the Podcast Hall of Fame page, to honor those who have donated already! Visit the Patreon page to become a long-term supporter of the podcast!

Here is the next episode at last! I couldn't go anywhere yesterday, because the area where I live is covered with ice and snow, so I finally had time to finish Episode 106. At the beginning of the episode, I will explain what kept me from finishing it at the beginning of February, as I had originally planned to do. Today the topic is Cambodia from 1975 to 1979, the grim period known as "the Pol Pot Terror" or "the Killing Fields." And because I was a teenager when these events were happening, I will tell you how they have affected me even to this day. Do you think you would like to become a podcaster on Blubrry? Click here for the details on joining. Enter my promo code, HSEASIA, to let them know I sent you, and you will get the first month's hosting for free! Support this podcast! And here is the Podcast Hall of Fame page, to honor those who have donated already! Visit the Patreon page to become a long-term supporter of the podcast!

This episode completes the historical narrative for another Southeast Asian nation. Here we see Malaysia from 1970 to 2021. In fact, one of the events covered, the 1MDB scandal, blew up after I started recording this podcast. Although Malaysia is not as rich as Singapore or Brunei, it comes in a respectable third place, and here you will learn how they did it. Do you think you would like to become a podcaster on Blubrry? Click here for the details on joining. Enter my promo code, HSEASIA, to let them know I sent you, and you will get the first month's hosting for free! Support this podcast!   And here is the Podcast Hall of Fame page, to honor those who have donated already! Visit the Patreon page to become a long-term supporter of the podcast!

Although it has been said in many times and many ways, Happy New Year! To start the new year right, listen to the latest episode of the podcast, which covers the history of Singapore from 1965 to the present. Singapore's government treats its subjects the way your parents treated you. You have been warned. Do you think you would like to become a podcaster on Blubrry? Click here for the details on joining. Enter my promo code, HSEASIA, to let them know I sent you, and you will get the first month's hosting for free! Support this podcast! And here is the Podcast Hall of Fame page, to honor those who have donated already! Visit the Patreon page to become a long-term supporter of the podcast!

Episode 103 of the podcast is now available, just in time for Beethoven's 250th birthday! Today we look at Indonesia during the 1970s, 80s and 90s. This was the time of Indonesia's long-lasting second president, Suharto. Do you think you would like to become a podcaster on Blubrry? Click here for the details on joining. Enter my promo code, HSEASIA, to let them know I sent you, and you will get the first month's hosting for free! Support this podcast! And here is the Podcast Hall of Fame page, to honor those who have donated already! Visit the Patreon page to become a long-term supporter of the podcast!

This episode goes all the way to the eastern extremity of Southeast Asia -- western New Guinea. Geographically speaking, it's really part of the South Pacific region of the world, but it has been considered part of Indonesia since the Dutch claimed it, nearly two hundred years ago. Now we will look at what has happened there since the Dutch handed over western New Guinea to Indonesia, in 1962. Can we call this the last Southeast Asian colony? This is the Morning Star flag, the emblem of the OPM, or Free Papua Movement. This photo from 2011 shows the Indonesian police hauling away participants in the Third Papuan Peoples Congress. And here is Brin-Brin, the family pet I give a tribute to at the beginning of this episode. Do you think you would like to become a podcaster on Blubrry? Click here for the details on joining. Enter my promo code, HSEASIA, to let them know I sent you, and you will get the first month's hosting for free! Support this podcast!   And here is the Podcast Hall of Fame page

With this episode, the second hundred episodes of the podcast will begin! Today we look at Burma from the 1950s to 1988, going up to the point just before the country was renamed Myanmar. During this period, the country had only two leaders, U Nu and Ne Win. U Nu tried unsuccessfully to turn Burma into a socialist state, while Ne Win was a dictator who did some wild things because he was also superstitious. Do you think you would like to become a podcaster on Blubrry? Click here for the details on joining. Enter my promo code, HSEASIA, to let them know I sent you, and you will get the first month's hosting for free! Support this podcast! And here is the Podcast Hall of Fame page, to honor those who have donated already! Visit the Patreon page to become a long-term supporter of the podcast!