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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Latest articles

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.

New Thai PM Anutin emerges from political maelstrom, while Shinawatra dynasty lies in tatters

Bhumjaithai Party leader Anutin Charnvirakul leaves parliament after he was elected Thailand's new prime minister on Sept 5.

Thai court removes suspended PM Paetongtarn from office over leaked phone call with Cambodian leader

Ousted Thai prime minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra at a press conference to address her removal from office on Aug 29.

Cambodia, Thailand agree on Asean observers monitoring truce, but fundamental differences remain

Thai Deputy Defence Minister Nattaphon Narkphanit, Malaysian Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail and Cambodian Defence Minister General Tea Seiha join hands for a group photo ahead of the Extraordinary General Border Committee (GBC) to discuss border dispute between Thailand and Cambodia in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia August 7, 2025. REUTERS/Hasnoor Hussain/Pool

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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.