Wendy Nicole Duong (Denver): From Puccini’s Madam Butterfly to the Statue of the Awaiting Wife in North Vietnam: Where is Portia in the Vietnamese American Experience? Sangmi Lee (ASU): Searching for the Hmong People’s Ethnic Homeland and Multiple Dimensions of Transnational Longing. Old wars never die: An article on the unhappy fate of the Hmong. From Irrawaddy, a review of Than Shwe: Unmasking Burma’s Tyrant by Benedict Rogers; an interview with James Ross of Human Rights Watch on efforts to bring Burma's generals to justice; and Burma’s despised despot is on track to face some earthly justice, if the divine variety doesn’t catch up with him first. Mechai Viravaidya on how Mr. Condom made Thailand a better place. The Buddhist Mahachulalongkornrajavidyalaya University allows English-language speakers the opportunity to study with monks in Thailand. The New York Times profiles Lee Kuan Yew, the man who defined Singapore. From Inside Indonesia, a special issue on the killings of 1965-66; who’s to blame for Papua’s tragedy? A review of An Act of Free Choice: Decolonisation and the Right to Self-Determination in West Papua by Pieter Drooglever; and critics say it’s just a fad but some young upper middle-class Indonesians are rediscovering forgotten histories. Up until 2005, Indonesia seemed sure to succumb to a wave of Islamist terror, but, in the post-Suharto era, even political Islamists seem intent on democracy, tolerance and keeping the peace. An interview with Wulan Mei Lina on what it’s like to take sexy pictures in Indonesia. Southeast Asian nations seek a peaceful end to South China Sea disputes.
