Philip Wen

Regional Correspondent

Philip is regional correspondent at The Straits Times, covering South-east Asia, from his base in Bangkok. He has previously worked as a foreign correspondent in China and India for The Wall Street Journal, Reuters and The Sydney Morning Herald.

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Thailand launches air strikes on Cambodia, leaving peace accord on brink of collapse

Local residents evacuating following clashes along the Cambodia-Thailand border in Oddar Meanchey province, on Dec 8.

War on scams: Record crypto seizures, explosive raids, but political theatre gets in the way

This handout photo taken on October 20, 2025 and released on October 22, 2025 by the Myanmar Military Information Team shows members of Myanmar’s military standing next to Starlink devices seized during a raid on the KK Park online scam centre in Myawaddy, Myanmar’s Kayin State. SpaceX has cut service to more than 2,500 Starlink devices at Myanmar scam centres, a company executive said October 22, after AFP revealed that their use had exploded in the illicit industry. Myanmar's military earlier on October 20 announced it had raided the KK Park scam centre and seized 30 Starlink satellite internet terminals. (Photo by Handout / MYANMAR MILITARY INFORMATION TEAM / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT "AFP PHOTO / MYANMAR MILITARY INFORMATION TEAM" - NO MARKETING - NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS

Debt and diplomacy: China’s growing influence in Laos

Thai-Cambodian ‘peace accord’ may be Trump-centric but could prove to be more than just optics

(From left) Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet, Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and US President Donald Trump at the signing of the “Kuala Lumpur Peace Accord” on Oct 26.

As Trump watches on, Cambodia and Thailand sign ‘peace deal’ at Asean Summit

(From left) Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Manet, Thailand’s Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and US President Donald Trump during the ceremonial signing of a ceasefire agreement on Oct 26.

Proton versus BYD: The fate of Asean’s national cars

The Proton e.MAS 7 (left), Malaysia's best-selling EV in the first three quarters of 2025, and Chinese carmaker BYD's Atto 3, the closest rival to the e.MAS 7.

Royals, politics, fake papers: S-E Asia football’s soul-searching over foreign talent strategy

pwfootball - Malaysian fans celebrated after Harimau Malaya scores a goal during a home match against Laos on October 14.
ST PHOTO: LU WEI HOONG

Asean is already economically divided. AI will make it worse

AI has helped South-east Asians like (from left) Mr Lim Yi Ping from Singapore, Mr Jamras Inpuek from Thailand and Associate Professor Hasyiya Karimah Adli from Malaysia.

In Thailand’s rural heartland, former Thaksin loyalists count cost of nation’s ‘lost decades’

TOPSHOT - Thailand's former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra (C) is escorted into a police van outside the Supreme Court in Bangkok on September 9, 2025, after he was sentenced to a year in prison. Thailand's Supreme Court ordered on September 9, that former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra be taken to jail immediately to serve one year behind bars, after ruling his 2023 prison term was incorrectly served. (Photo by Panumas SANGUANWONG / THAI NEWS PIX / AFP)

Nominating Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize and the rise of flattery diplomacy

US President Donald Trump in the Oval Office with (from right) General Dan Caine, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth on Sept 5.

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MDDI (P) 046/10/2025. Published by SPH Media Limited, Co. Regn. No.202120748H. Copyright © 2025 SPH Media Limited. All rights reserved.