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A lively and easy to read guide to Southeast Asia written by one of the world's pre-eminent historians of the area.
A “remarkable” history of the great river of Southeast Asia (Jill Ker Conway, author of The Road from Coorain). The Mekong River runs over nearly three thousand miles, beginning in the mountains of Tibet and flowing through China, Burma, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam before emptying into the China Sea. Its waters are the lifeblood of Southeast Asia, and first begot civilization on the fertile banks of its delta region at Oc Eo nearly two millennia ago. This is the story of the peoples and cultures of the great river, from these obscure beginnings to the emergence of today’s independent nations. Drawing on research gathered over forty years, Milton Osborne traces the Mekong’s ...
Long neglected by Western travellers, Phnom Penh became Cambodias permanent capital in 1866. It has been home to Iberian missionaries and French colonialists, with a stunning mix of traditional palaces, Buddhist temples and transplanted French architecture. In the 1960s Phnom Penh deserved its reputation as the most attractive city in Southeast Asia. But after 1970 all this was to change, and a terrible civil war was followed by the Khmer Rouges capture of the city in 1975. Since the defeat of Pol Pot in 1979, Phnom Penh has slowly recovered, once again attracting perceptive travellers.
In 1941 Norodom Sihanouk ascended the Cambodian throne, supported by the French with the intent that he be their puppet king. Milton Osborne traces the complete background leading to this event, and then follows Sihanouk's remarkable growth to political maturity: his transformation from a dilettante king to a vigorous and sometimes ruthless politician. Fully acknowledging his remarkable energy, the book shows how the early years of Sihanouk's successes turned sour as, unwilling to share responsibility, he gradually alienated politicians on both the left and the right. Convinced that he alone knew what was best for Cambodia, his repression of dissent became more vicious and led finally to his overthrow in 1970.
Region of Revolt: Focus on Southeast Asia deals with the phenomenon of revolt and revolutionary change in Southeast Asia. Countries covered include Vietnam, Laos, Indonesia, Burma, Thailand, Cambodia, and the Philippines. Images of revolt, such as those indicating heroism, are considered, along with traditional patterns of revolt. This book is comprised of 10 chapters and begins with an overview of images typically associated with revolt, including those of brave but beautiful women leading their troops against the enemy. The next chapter explores the four categories of revolt in Southeast Asia: revolts against foreign domination; revolt involving elite rivalries; revolts of minorities and o...
The Mekong is one of the world's great rivers, and by far the largest in Southeast Asia. Empires have risen and fallen in the lands through which the Mekong flows and it has been linked to remarkable adventure and exploration as well as war and massacre. Now that Indochina is at peace, new dangers threaten the river's future. For more than forty years Milton Osborne has been fascinated by the Mekong and its history. He has lived beside it, travelled on it and written an acclaimed account of its exploration in the nineteenth century. Here he recounts the history of the river from its earliest times to the present, a history full of the stories of remarkable men-Spanish and Portuguese freeboot...
Written by one of the world's preeminent experts on Southeast Asia, this easy-to-read guidebook offers a lively chronicle of a tantalizing part of the world that has undergone dramatic changes during its long and colorful history.
A generation after Pol Pot's regime killed one quarter of the nation's population, Cambodia shows every outward sign of having overcome its devastating history - the streets of Phnom Penh are paved; skyscrapers dot the skyline. But behind this fa ade lies a country still haunted by its years of terror. In 2008 and 2009, Joel Brinkley - who won a Pulitzer Prize for his reporting on the fall of the Khmer Rouge - returned to Cambodia. He discovered a population in the grip of a venal government. He learned that between one third and one half of Cambodians who lived through the Khmer Rouge era suffer from post - traumatic stress disorder, and that its afflictions are being passed to the next generation. His extensive close - up reporting in Cambodia's Curse illuminates the country, its people, and the deep historical roots of its modern - day behaviour. This is a devastating and important look at Cambodia today.
Chronicles the history of Laos, discussing such topics as its early kingdoms, French rule, the Royal Lao Government, and the impact of the Vietnam War.