About Me

Sebastian Strangio is a freelance foreign correspondent based in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Since 2008, he has reported widely on politics, human rights, business and environmental issues from across the Asia-Pacific.
Posts tagged "History"
Beyond Bazaar

Beyond Bazaar

Protecting the buildings of bygone eras is no easy task in rapidly changing Old Dhaka.
Khmer Rouge No. 2 gives insight to his role in Cambodia's 'killing fields'

Khmer Rouge No. 2 gives insight to his role in Cambodia’s ‘killing fields’

Nuon Chea, the deputy leader of the Khmer Rouge regime blamed for 1.7 million deaths in Cambodia’s ‘killing fields’ told the tribunal today that he carried out its policies to protect the country.
Khmer Rouge trial opens in Cambodia amid claims of interference

Khmer Rouge trial opens in Cambodia amid claims of interference

Critics say political interference and judicial misconduct are tarnishing the UN-backed Khmer Rouge trial, seen as key to justice more than 30 years after the brutal regime was ousted.
REVIEW: 'The Ideal Man', by Joshua Kurlantzick

REVIEW: ‘The Ideal Man’, by Joshua Kurlantzick

On Easter Sunday 1967, Jim Thompson, a prominent businessman and Bangkok expatriate, disappeared while on holiday in Malaysia’s Cameron Highlands. The 61-year-old American left his bungalow to take a solitary hike in the hills and never returned.
As Asia Rises and Europe Declines, Russia Invests Its Hopes in its Far East

As Asia Rises and Europe Declines, Russia Invests Its Hopes in its Far East

Vladivostok, a Pacific port city long in decline, is being revitalized by Moscow. But the city’s slow integration with China, Japan, and South Korea is clashing with its long-Slavic identity. Can a city be both European and Asian?
Ghosts of the killing fields

Ghosts of the killing fields

An apparent unwillingness to try two Khmer Rouge commanders for war crimes reflects a growing mood to bury Cambodia’s bloody past
Cambodia's prince of mystery

Cambodia’s prince of mystery

Norodom Chantaraingsey, Lon Nol’s warrior prince, was presumed killed after the fall of Phnom Penh in 1975. Sebastian Strangio reports on the elusive legacy he left behind.
Saving Old Dhaka's landmarks

Saving Old Dhaka’s landmarks

Preservationists worry that in the rush to modernise Bangladesh’s capital, the city’s architectural legacy is being destroyed.
A mixed reaction to judgment day

A mixed reaction to judgment day

KAMPONG THOM PROVINCE–IN the cafes of Stoung district, yesterday’s verdict in the case of Kaing Guek Eev, alias Duch, proved a hard sell. At one cavernous establishment on National Road 6, a broadcast of the proceedings vied for attention with a cheaply made Chinese action film.
Duch’s neighbours reflect on his life

Duch’s neighbours reflect on his life

KAMPONG THOM PROVINCE–THESE days, life in Chaoyot village, a collection of stilt houses nestled along the banks of the Stoung river, proceeds in much the same way it did 68 years ago, when Kaing Guek Eav, alias Duch, was born to parents of Khmer-Chinese extraction. It was here, in a small concrete home shaded by...
From carpet-bombing to friendship-building

From carpet-bombing to friendship-building

As Cambodia and the United States celebrate six decades of diplomatic ties, the Post looks back at a  relationship that has moved from alliance to alienation and back. By Sebastian Strangio & Neth Pheaktra.

KRT judges divided on next cases

THE Khmer Rouge tribunal has released letters documenting a disagreement concerning the timing of investigations into five additional regime suspects, continuing a long-standing pattern of disputes between Cambodian and international officials over the issue. Documents made public Wednesday showed that Cambodian co-investigating judge You Bunleng reversed an earlier agreement with his international counterpart Marcel Lemonde...