History of Southeast Asia

This is not the usual episode. This is an announcement for the upcoming Intelligent Speech Conference of 2026. If you'd like to attend, here is what you need to know.

Okay, here's the latest episode! Right after the fighting on the Thai-Cambodian border in late July, I decided to do an episode on the crisis, because to many of you it must have seemed like it came out of nowhere. I called it a mini-episode, on a par with what I recorded in 2023 when I shared my thoughts about ancient aliens, but after doing the research and recording what I had, the result is lo...

Greetings, dear listeners! Better late than never, as the saying goes. Three months after I gave you the previous episode of the podcast, a new episode is now available! And before you ask, I am still having a challenging year. Besides real world concerns like the ones I told you about last time, this time I had a difficult subject to research. Today we are visiting three groups of Indonesian isla...

At last, I am back with another episode for the podcast! So far this has been a difficult year for me. Not only has the weather been bad enough for my state to be declared a disaster area, but I lost my wife in January. For this episode, we finish our multi-episode look at the island of Timor, by covering its history in the late twentieth century. Now what place will we visit next? Do you think yo...

Merry Christmas, if you're inclined to observe that holiday! For this episode of the podcast, we go back to Timor, at the eastern fringe of Southeast Asia, and look at its history during World War II. 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 ho...

At last, Episode 135 of the podcast is ready for your listening pleasure. This episode is longer than most, and here we continue our coverage of the island of Timor, looking at its history in the first forty years of 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...

I wanted to produce a podcast episode in May, and here it is, on the last day of the month! Today we continue our extended look at the island of Timor, by covering its history in the nineteenth 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...

I'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 k...

Happy 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...

Here 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 Ti...

This 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...

Today, 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

I 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 yo...

Please 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 e...

I 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...

Hello! 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...

This 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 t...

Happy 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...

One 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,"...

Thank 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 d...

This 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.  E...

As 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...

Okay, 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 th...

To 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...

If 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...