Reformasi Dispatch

Smoke and mirrors this week in Indonesia: Palangkaraya's air-quality index (AQI) routinely tops 1,000; a technocratic new finance minister suddenly takes over; Nadiem must appeal again; a ferry disaster kills over 130; and elites start maneuvering for an election. Also: in Malaysia, Najib Razaq wins house arrest. Please visit our YouTube channel as well: https://youtube.com/@reformasidispatch It takes a lot of money to run a podcast. You need subscription fees for hosting, audio recordin...

Nazir Foead, formerly head of the now defunct Peatland Restoration Agency (Badan Pengelola Gambut) joins Kevin and Erin to talk about the fire ravaging Indonesia, especially peatland fires, of which Indonesia has 12-14 million hectares of. Also: The rise of Dedy Mulyadi's popularity gives Prabowo a run for his money, a string of disasters, natural and man-made struck Indonesia: Anak Krakatau eruption, forest and land fire, food poisoning that strikes over 2000 children in a week. And finally,...

New data provided insights on smog-producing emissions of nitrous oxides (NOx), which we discuss with the analyst Katherine Hasan of the Centre for Clean Energy and Air (Crea). Also: Kevin and Erin delve into the nuances surrounding a moderate-sized demonstration, plans for a commodity trading bourse and cross-border haze from forest-and-land fires. Read CREA's report here: https://energyandcleanair.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/EN-CREA_Press-release_First-of-its-kind-satellite-base...

As Indonesia's export control policies increasingly attract attention, Vietnam is tentatively embracing the Korean Chaebol model. Max Abbott, a seasoned analyst of both countries, helps compare and contrast their respective policy approaches. Spoiler: the more market-oriented trajectory happens to be in the Communist country... Watch the YouTube version here: https://youtu.be/JqoB5jbxK18 It takes a lot of money to run a podcast. You need subscription fees for hosting, audio record...

Thinzar Shunlei Yi, Magnitsky human rights award recipient for Outstanding Young Human Rights Activist Award and activist of the human rights NGO #Sisters2Sisters joins the Reformasi Dispatch podcast to share the realities of oppression in Myanmar and the diplomatic gains being made by the junta in Asean and beyond. Also, Kevin and Erin discuss the ouster of Indonesia's central bank governor and the upcoming pre-trial suit of the disgraced deputy attorney general Febrie Adriansyah. Watc...