History of Southeast Asia
139 episodes - English - Latest episode: 20 days ago - ★★★★★ - 150 ratingsA history of the lands between India, China and Australia.
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Episodes
Episode 133: The Divided History of Timor, Part 2
April 07, 2024 14:22 - 50 minutes - 34.3 MBI'm back, and sorry for keeping you waiting so long! Today we continue our look at Timor, one of the larger islands on the eastern edge of Southeast Asia. This episode will cover the island's history from 1661 to about 1800. As always, listen and enjoy! Do you think you would like to become a podcaster on Blubrry? Click here for the details on joining. Enter my promo code, HSEASIA, to let them know I sent you, and you will get the first month's hosting for free! Support this podcast! And ...
Episode 132: The Divided History of Timor, Part 1
February 14, 2024 18:45 - 40 minutes - 26.5 MBHappy Valentine's Day, if you observe that holiday, and here is a new episode for the podcast! This episode is the first part of an historical narrative about the island of Timor, covering events up until the mid-seventeenth century. How many more episodes will the history of Timor take? Stick with me to find out! Do you think you would like to become a podcaster on Blubrry? Click here for the details on joining. Enter my promo code, HSEASIA, to let them know I sent you, and you will get...
Episode 131: Sightseeing on Timor
January 06, 2024 22:52 - 42 minutes - 26.3 MBHere is the first episode of the podcast for 2024. This is the first of a two-part series on one of Southeast Asia's easternmost islands, Timor. In fact, it is so far east that it looks more like a place in the South Pacific, than part of Southeast Asia. The island is also poltically divided; the west half of the island belongs to Indonesia, while the east half is the independent nation of East Timor, or Timor Leste. In this episode you will learn what it is like to visit Timor, and the next...
Episode 130: More Southeast Asian Monsters
October 31, 2023 14:30 - 24 minutes - 5 MBThis episode is a Halloween special, a short sequel to one I recorded four years ago. Meet five more of the monsters that Southeast Asians believe in! Do you think you would like to become a podcaster on Blubrry? Click here for the details on joining. Enter my promo code, HSEASIA, to let them know I sent you, and you will get the first month's hosting for free! Support this podcast! And here is the Podcast Hall of Fame page, to honor those who have donated already! Visit the Patreon page...
A Very Special Announcement
October 15, 2023 18:54 - 5 minutes - 5 MBToday, instead of announcing a podcast episode, I am announcing the 2023 Intelligent Speech Conference. This year I will be one of the speakers giving a presentation. Listen here for the details. And click on the link below to join me at the conference. https://intelligentspeechonline.com
Episode 129: Sumba, the Forgotten Island
September 19, 2023 14:22 - 45 minutes - 5 MBI started working on Episode #129 of the podcast in the middle of August, but was interrupted in early September by illness. Now I have recovered enough to finish the episode, so here it is. This time we visit Sumba, an island in eastern Indonesia that you probably haven't heard of, because it is really remote and not visited much, compared with the other islands. Listen and enjoy! Do you think you would like to become a podcaster on Blubrry? Click here for the details on joining. Enter my ...
Episode 128: Komodo and Flores, or Here be Dragons, and Hobbits
July 22, 2023 18:49 - 1 hour - 5 MBPlease accept my apology (again) for taking so long to finish the latest episode! I honestly tried to get it done in less than two months, but again real world concerns got in the way. But I am not here to tell you of my troubles. I am here to announce that Episode 128 is now available! To partially compensate for your long wait, this episode is longer than normal, a full hour. Here we visit the eastern Indonesian islands of Komodo and Flores. These islands are home to the world's largest l...
Episode 127: Sumbawa, or I Don’t Know Where I’m A Gonna Go When The Volcano Blows
May 20, 2023 21:36 - 37 minutes - 5 MBI had a challenging time creating the podcast episode that I am releasing today. I was ill for much of April, and I had to take time out to work on my taxes, as most Americans have to do. Then my computer erased the script for this show, forcing me to take some more days off to re-write it. Finally, it looked like I was done with recording the episode on May 11, but when I listened to the finished work, it didn't sound right. Among other things, I mispronounced the name of the island we are ...
Episode 126: Lombok and the Volcano
March 25, 2023 18:38 - 44 minutes - 30.4 MBHello! As you have been expecting, here is the next episode in the podcast mini-series on eastern Indonesia. Today we visit Lombok, a little-known island just east of Bali. Lombok is home to a volcano that erupted in 1257, possibly changing the course of world history. Unfortunately I have had a bad cold this week, so hopefully I don't sound too congested in this recording. Do you think you would like to become a podcaster on Blubrry? Click here for the details on joining. Enter my promo co...
Mini-Episode: It Must Be The Mystery Factor
February 18, 2023 21:09 - 12 minutes - 8.35 MBThis is a special mini-episode. It has nothing to do with Southeast Asian history. In a recent conversation I had, the subject of ancient aliens came up. For the record, here are my opinions on that subject. Listen and enjoy, while I work on the next regular podcast episode! And here is a photo of the statue of Hemiunu, the real builder of the Great Pyramid in Egypt. I talked about the statue in the middle of this episode. http://xenohistorian.faithweb.com/africa/images/hemiunu.jpg
Episode 125: Sulawesi and the Way of the Ancestors
February 02, 2023 20:42 - 1 hour - 52.8 MBHappy Groundhog Day, if you are in the United States! But seriously, after nearly three months of researching, recording, editing, and fighting off the challenges that kept me from working on the podcast, Episode 125 is now available! Today we take a close look at Sulawesi, the largest Indonesian island between Borneo and New Guinea. To compensate for the long time you waited, this is the longest episode I have made so far, at one hour and 23 minutes. So grab some refreshment (food or a drin...
Episode 124: Another Look at Bali
November 05, 2022 20:18 - 39 minutes - 25.9 MBOne of my listeners requested I give equal time to eastern Indonesia, because in the past when I talked about this vast island nation, I concentrated on the big western islands: Java, Sumatra and Borneo. Well, it turns out I'm going to need more than one episode to fulfill that request, so here's the first part in a mini-series on eastern Indonesia. Today we will look at the "Island of the Gods," Bali. Do you think you would like to become a podcaster on Blubrry? Click here for the details ...
Episode 123: The Association of Southeast Asian Nations
September 30, 2022 13:19 - 1 hour - 40.2 MBThank you for your patience! This shows that despite all the little things life has thrown at me since the last episode, I was able to get another one done. Today's episode covers another topic that a listener requested, an in-depth look at ASEAN, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. Again, listen and enjoy! Do you think you would like to become a podcaster on Blubrry? Click here for the details on joining. Enter my promo code, HSEASIA, to let them know I sent you, and you will get t...
Episode 122: The Boat People
July 09, 2022 21:52 - 49 minutes - 32.2 MBThis is the first episode I promised on special topics that were overlooked when we were going through the historical narrative, in previous episodes. Today we have an in-depth look at the Boat People, the refugees who fled Vietnam in the last quarter of the twentieth century. Listen and enjoy! Do you think you would like to become a podcaster on Blubrry? Click here for the details on joining. Enter my promo code, HSEASIA, to let them know I sent you, and you will get the first month's host...
Episode 121: Question and Answer Session 5
June 03, 2022 12:39 - 55 minutes - 36.8 MBAs promised, here is the newest episode! Today I answer the eleven questions I didn't have time for in the previous episode. Do you think you would like to become a podcaster on Blubrry? Click here for the details on joining. Enter my promo code, HSEASIA, to let them know I sent you, and you will get the first month's hosting for free! Support this podcast! And here is the Podcast Hall of Fame page, to honor those who have donated already! Visit the Patreon page to become a long-term sup...
Episode 120: Question and Answer Session 4
April 06, 2022 13:09 - 43 minutes - 28.4 MBOkay, I am back at last! The previous episode of the podcast completed our historical narrative of Southeast Asia. Now for today's episode, I will start answering the questions you have sent me over the past two months. In fact, you sent me so many questions that I will answer some of them in the next episode as well. But I don't mind; thank you for your enthusiastic response! Oh, and one other thing. I got an email from one listener who said the volume on the podcast was too loud. I though...
Episode 119: The Unconquered Kingdom, One More Time
February 07, 2022 19:11 - 1 hour - 47.3 MBTo all the listeners of this podcast, I want to thank you for your patience. I actually started to record this in the third week of January (there is a reference to January early in the episode), but the work was interrupted more than once, for more than a day each time. Now at last, it is finished and good to go. This time we finish the series of episodes on recent Southeast Asian history, by looking at events in Thailand, from 2001 to the present. At the end I tell you about a new icon...
Episode 118: Which Way is Myanmar Going?
December 25, 2021 02:37 - 1 hour - 42.3 MBIf you listen to the podcast, here is a Christmas present from me! This episode covers the turbulent recent years of Myanmar's history, from 2008 to 2121. The next episode will come out in 2022, so Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Do you think you would like to become a podcaster on Blubrry? Click here for the details on joining. Enter my promo code, HSEASIA, to let them know I sent you, and you will get the first month's hosting for free! Support this podcast! And here is the Podcast ...
Episode 117: East Timor, the New Kid on the Block
November 22, 2021 09:58 - 36 minutes - 24.9 MBAt last, after promising it for a long time, here is the episode on East Timor! Meet Southeast Asia's newest country. Do you think you would like to become a podcaster on Blubrry? Click here for the details on joining. Enter my promo code, HSEASIA, to let them know I sent you, and you will get the first month's hosting for free! Support this podcast! And here is the Podcast Hall of Fame page, to honor those who have donated already! Visit the Patreon page to become a long-term supporter ...
Episode 116: The Philippines Muddle Through
October 28, 2021 15:21 - 1 hour - 44.6 MBSorry again for making you wait five weeks. As compensation, this episode is the longest I have recorded in the past year. Today we finish up the narrative on the Philippines, covering the recent history of those islands from 1992 to the present. Overall it has been an up-and-down experience for Filipinos; from my point of view, life is getting better for them, but they still have a long way to go, before they can claim to be as successful as some of their neighbors. Do you think you would ...
Episode 115: A New Beginning for Indonesia
September 21, 2021 08:47 - 53 minutes - 36 MBThis episode of the podcast is the last one planned for Indonesia. Here we look at events in the world's largest archipelago, from 1998 to the present. Listen and you will understand what is going on in a large nation that often does not get much attention in the outside world. Do you think you would like to become a podcaster on Blubrry? Click here for the details on joining. Enter my promo code, HSEASIA, to let them know I sent you, and you will get the first month's hosting for free! S...
Episode 114: Cambodia, a Rocky Road to Recovery
August 23, 2021 20:03 - 35.8 MBThis episode of the podcast covers Cambodia, from 1989 to the present. As you can guess from the title, it's mainly a story of how Cambodia has recovered from all the awful things that happened to it in the twentieth century. Do you think you would like to become a podcaster on Blubrry? Click here for the details on joining. Enter my promo code, HSEASIA, to let them know I sent you, and you will get the first month's hosting for free! Support this podcast! And here is the Podcast Hall o...
Episode 113: Vietnam, the Phoenix of Asia
July 24, 2021 22:22 - 26.9 MBToday we finish up the podcast's narrative about Vietnam. This time it won't be war stories, but the story of how Vietnam recovered from the wars it suffered in the twentieth century, and how it has become the exciting, growing country that visitors see today. Do you think you would like to become a podcaster on Blubrry? Click here for the details on joining. Enter my promo code, HSEASIA, to let them know I sent you, and you will get the first month's hosting for free! Support this podcas...
Episode 112: Yesterday's Burma, Today's Myanmar
June 26, 2021 21:33 - 26.5 MBAll right, Episode 112 of the podcast is now available! Today we pay another visit to Burma, to look at what happened from late 1988 to 2011. To start with, from this time onward, the country will usually be called Myanmar. During this period, the military is still in charge, and while the generals aren't as eccentric as Ne Win, the general who ran the show in Episode 101, they pull one crazy stunt: a new capital city is built from scratch, and the government is suddenly ordered to move ...
Episode 111: Brunei, Southeast Asia's Little Marvel
June 06, 2021 18:30 - 23.3 MBToday's episode is the first that is just about Brunei, a country that the podcast has mentioned many times in the past. It is also the last, because this episode covers Brunei up to the present. Although Brunei is one of the smallest countries in Southeast Asia (only Singapore has less land), and it is home to only a few hundred thousand people, its recent history is amazing, thanks to its oil wealth. Thirty years ago, the current sultan was the richest man in the world. Listen to hear w...
Episode 110: People Power in the Philippines
May 22, 2021 21:32 - 35 MBIt has been five weeks since I gave you an episode, so thank you for your patience! This time we look at the Philippines from 1981 to 1992, the end of the Marcos presidency, and the presidency of Corazon Aquino. And since I told you previously that my wife is from the Philippines, this episode finishes with the story of how we met. Listen and enjoy! Do you think you would like to become a podcaster on Blubrry? Click here for the details on joining. Enter my promo code, HSEASIA, to let t...
Episode 109: Thailand, the Game of Political Musical Chairs
April 17, 2021 20:15 - 23.9 MBToday's episode covers Thailand, from 1976 to 2000. In the middle of the nineteenth century, modernization became the top priority of the Thai kingdom. While the Thais found it fairly easy to adopt new technology, they found it harder to switch from absolute monarchy to a more modern government, and they have been trying to do that since 1932. Listen in to find out if Thailand can get it right this time. Do you think you would like to become a podcaster on Blubrry? Click here for the det...
Episode 108: Laos, Feeling Good . . . And That's All
March 30, 2021 17:59 - 30.5 MBHere's a phrase I want you to remember: sabai di, pronounced "sa-bye dee." In the Thai and Lao languages it means "feel good." Just as Swahili speakers may say "hakuna matata" (no worries) when they are in a good mood, so the phrase sabai di summarizes the general mood in Laos. In fact, an old article from Time Magazine used the phrase to call Laos "The Land of Feeling Good." Now listen to the latest episode of the History of Southeast Asia Podcast as we finish up the historical narrativ...
Episode 107: The Third Indochina War
March 09, 2021 14:58 - 34.9 MBSpring is on the way! While you are waiting for the season to change, here is the next episode of the podcast. This episode looks at Vietnam from 1975 to 1986, and Cambodia from 1979 to 1989. During this time there were conflicts between Vietnam and the Khmer Rouge, and between Vietnam and China. Together we call these clashes the Third Indochina War, and because they were waged on a small scale, without big battles like those of the previous wars, they are almost forgotten today. Do you...
Episode 106: The Killing Fields of Democratic Kampuchea
February 16, 2021 19:56 - 37.8 MBHere is the next episode at last! I couldn't go anywhere yesterday, because the area where I live is covered with ice and snow, so I finally had time to finish Episode 106. At the beginning of the episode, I will explain what kept me from finishing it at the beginning of February, as I had originally planned to do. Today the topic is Cambodia from 1975 to 1979, the grim period known as "the Pol Pot Terror" or "the Killing Fields." And because I was a teenager when these events were happen...
Episode 105: Malaysia, Another Success Story
January 17, 2021 21:13 - 34.9 MBThis episode completes the historical narrative for another Southeast Asian nation. Here we see Malaysia from 1970 to 2021. In fact, one of the events covered, the 1MDB scandal, blew up after I started recording this podcast. Although Malaysia is not as rich as Singapore or Brunei, it comes in a respectable third place, and here you will learn how they did it. Do you think you would like to become a podcaster on Blubrry? Click here for the details on joining. Enter my promo code, HSEASIA...
Episode 104: Singapore, Success Despite the Odds
January 02, 2021 04:54 - 31.1 MBAlthough it has been said in many times and many ways, Happy New Year! To start the new year right, listen to the latest episode of the podcast, which covers the history of Singapore from 1965 to the present. Singapore's government treats its subjects the way your parents treated you. You have been warned. Do you think you would like to become a podcaster on Blubrry? Click here for the details on joining. Enter my promo code, HSEASIA, to let them know I sent you, and you will get the fir...
Episode 103: Indonesia Under Suharto
December 16, 2020 17:35 - 38.2 MBEpisode 103 of the podcast is now available, just in time for Beethoven's 250th birthday! Today we look at Indonesia during the 1970s, 80s and 90s. This was the time of Indonesia's long-lasting second president, Suharto. Do you think you would like to become a podcaster on Blubrry? Click here for the details on joining. Enter my promo code, HSEASIA, to let them know I sent you, and you will get the first month's hosting for free! Support this podcast! And here is the Podcast Hall of Fa...
Episode 102: Western New Guinea, Forgotten War, Unwanted People
December 01, 2020 22:14 - 36.7 MBThis episode goes all the way to the eastern extremity of Southeast Asia -- western New Guinea. Geographically speaking, it's really part of the South Pacific region of the world, but it has been considered part of Indonesia since the Dutch claimed it, nearly two hundred years ago. Now we will look at what has happened there since the Dutch handed over western New Guinea to Indonesia, in 1962. Can we call this the last Southeast Asian colony? This is the Morning Star flag, the emblem of...
Episode 101: Burma, A Ne Win Situation
November 16, 2020 14:38 - 34.2 MBWith this episode, the second hundred episodes of the podcast will begin! Today we look at Burma from the 1950s to 1988, going up to the point just before the country was renamed Myanmar. During this period, the country had only two leaders, U Nu and Ne Win. U Nu tried unsuccessfully to turn Burma into a socialist state, while Ne Win was a dictator who did some wild things because he was also superstitious. Do you think you would like to become a podcaster on Blubrry? Click here for the ...
Episode 100: The Philippines, A Dictatorship Made For Two
November 01, 2020 12:29 - 43.9 MBTurn your clock back an hour (if you are in a place that does that), and tune in to the podcast! After four years and four months, here is the podcast's 100th episode! Today we go to the Philippines, to look at those islands from 1957 to 1981, a period that includes the first part of the Marcos dictatorship. And then listen in to hear how I will celebrate, because completing 100 episodes is a big deal for any podcast. Imelda and Ferdinand Marcos. And here is a 1972 newspaper, announcing ...
Episode 99: Thailand Experiments With Revolution
October 17, 2020 20:40 - 31.9 MBThis episode looks at Thailand from 1957 to 1976. Here attempts are made to replace the military dictatorship with a true Western-style democracy, but the civilian government is too unstable to last, showing that the Thais still have much to learn. Do you think you would like to become a podcaster on Blubrry? Click here for the details on joining. Enter my promo code, HSEASIA, to let them know I sent you, and you will get the first month's hosting for free! Support this podcast! And her...
Episode 98: Malaysia and Singapore Get Organized
October 03, 2020 20:41 - 36.1 MBFor this episode, the narrative goes to Malaya, which was last covered in Episode 69, and to Singapore and the British-ruled areas on the north side of Borneo. We will hear how Singapore became independent, and how Malaya became Malaysia. Here is a simple map of Malaysia showing all the places talked about in this episode, including Singapore and Brunei. Do you think you would like to become a podcaster on Blubrry? Click here for the details on joining. Enter my promo code, HSEASIA, to l...
Episode 97: Indonesia Under Sukarno
September 16, 2020 13:18 - 31.2 MBToday's episode begins a series of episodes on the recent history of Southeast Asia. We will start by looking at Indonesia from 1950 to 1967, when Sukarno was the country's first president. In 1961, Indonesia's President Sukarno visited Washington, D.C., to meet with John F. Kennedy. Both presidents were notorious womanizers, but while Sukarno was proud of it, in Kennedy's case the girl-chasing was kept secret until several years after his death. Under Sukarno, Indonesia helped get the No...
Episode 96: The Second Indochina War, Part 23
September 01, 2020 19:00 - 49.2 MBThis episode is the longest for the podcast yet, because it wraps up the narrative that has continued since Episode 71. Yes, today you will hear how the Second Indochina War ended, in Cambodia, Vietnam, and Laos! So this is also the last episode of what I called "the Unofficial Vietnam War Podcast." For those of you who were listening when the podcast started covering the Vietnam War, thank you for sticking with it to the end. Do you think you would like to become a podcaster on Blubrry? ...
Episode 95: The Second Indochina War, Part 22
August 16, 2020 18:20 - 44.4 MBThe previous episode of this podcast was a bit on the short side, so to make up for it, this episode is twice as long! Today we look at Vietnam and Cambodia, in 1973 and 1974. A cease-fire is signed for Vietnam in early 1973, which ends active American involvement in that country, but it fails to end the fighting. As for Cambodia, it takes two to make peace, and the communist Khmer Rouge don't even want to talk about it, so the Cambodian Civil War was a fight to the finish, with American ...
Episode 94: The Second Indochina War, Part 21
July 29, 2020 15:49 - 22.1 MBThis episode covers the war in Vietnam, also called the Second Indochina War, during 1972. North Vietnam launches a major offensive that is eventually defeated, thanks to American air power, but they are able to grab ten percent of South Vietnam's territory, and keep their soldiers in it afterwards. Meanwhile, the peace talks continue. The United States and North Vietnam finally reach an agreement, but the talks are interrupted by two major US bombing campaigns against North Vietnam, lead...
Episode 93: The Second Indochina War, Part 20
July 12, 2020 16:14 - 31.2 MBBetter late than never, as the saying goes! Sorry for the delays. This episode covers the war in Vietnam during 1970 and 1971. Also covered are events in the United States in the same time that affected the war: more antiwar protests, and the publication of the Pentagon Papers. Do you think you would like to become a podcaster on Blubrry? Click here for the details on joining. Enter my promo code, HSEASIA, to let them know I sent you, and you will get the first month's hosting for free!...
An Important Announcement
July 01, 2020 20:44 - 4.79 MBToday the podcast is four years old. Listen for a special message on where the podcast is going from here.
Episode 92: The Second Indochina War, Part 19
June 16, 2020 20:34 - 36.2 MBToday we look at the first half of the Cambodian Civil War, the phase of the Second Indochina War in Cambodia, from 1970 to 1972. Also, if you like educational podcasts besides this one, you won't want to miss a conference coming up on June 27, 2020! Details about that are given at the end of this episode. The North Vietnamese-backed invasion of Cambodia began in late March 1970, and was halted in August 1970. This map shows communist-controlled areas (grey) and government-controlled area...
Episode 91: The Second Indochina War, Part 18
June 01, 2020 20:30 - 38 MBAfter thirteen episodes about the Second Indochina War in Vietnam, and four episodes about the same war in Laos, it is time to shift our attention to Cambodia. This episode covers Cambodian history from 1953, when independence from France was achieved, to 1970, when the Indochina War spilled across its borders. The first reign of Norodom Sihanouk is covered, and we meet the Khmer Rouge. Do you think you would like to become a podcaster on Blubrry? Click here for the details on joining. E...
Episode 90: The Second Indochina War, Part 17
May 16, 2020 22:37 - 26.2 MBHere is the second episode for May 2020, and this one is a hair-raiser for sure! Today we cover one of the Vietnam War's most notorious events, the My Lai Massacre. Do you think you would like to become a podcaster on Blubrry? Click here for the details on joining. Enter my promo code, HSEASIA, to let them know I sent you, and you will get the first month's hosting for free! Support this podcast! And here is the Podcast Hall of Fame page, to honor those who have donated already! Finall...
Episode 89: The Second Indochina War, Part 16
May 02, 2020 03:24 - 33.1 MBThis episode covers events in the Second Indochina War, also called the Vietnam War, in 1969. In the United States there is a new president, Richard M. Nixon, and he starts the process of removing the Americans from the war, while on the streets of American cities, antiwar protests reach their peak. And over in North Vietnam, we say goodbye to Ho Chi Minh, who has been an important character in the narrative since Episode 35. Do you think you would like to become a podcaster on Blubrry? C...
Episode 88: The Second Indochina War, Part 15
April 17, 2020 13:51 - 38.7 MBIn the previous episode, we came to the Tet Offensive, which many consider the climax of the Second Indochina War. However, we still have a long way to go before the Vietnam story is finished. Today's episode covers events in the rest of 1968, in Vietnam and the United States. Do you think you would like to become a podcaster on Blubrry? Click here for the details on joining. Enter my promo code, HSEASIA, to let them know I sent you, and you will get the first month's hosting for free!...
Episode 87: The Second Indochina War, Part 14
April 01, 2020 17:54 - 44 MBToday is April Fool's Day and a new episode is available for your listening pleasure. That's no joke! This episode covers what many people consider the climax of the Second Indochina War -- the Tet Offensive. Here the Americans won all the battles, but they may have lost the war here as well. Also covered are the battle of Khe Sanh, and the beginning of the end of Lyndon Johnson's presidency. Do you think you would like to become a podcaster on Blubrry? Click here for the details on joi...