Who is he? Sombath Somphone is a Lao agricultural and development economist and, in 1996, founded the nongovernmental organization PADETC, or the Participatory Development Training Center, which seeks to advance community education and training on sustainable development in Laos. In…
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The Leaderboard: Mari Pangestu
by cogitASIA Staff • • 1 Comment
Who is she? Dr. Mari Elka Pangestu is Indonesia’s tourism and creative economy minister, and previously served for seven years as trade minister, a post from which she took a strong stance in support of free trade. In her current…
The Leaderboard: U Soe Thane
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Who is he? His Excellency U Soe Thane is a minister in the President’s Office and head of the Myanmar Investment Commission. In his role in the President’s Office, Soe Thane serves on the so-called super-cabinet that advises President Thein…
The Leaderboard: Oscar Temaru
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Who is he? Oscar Manutahi Temaru is the current president of Tahiti Nui (French Polynesia), an overseas territory of the French Republic. He is the leader of the pro-independence party Tavini Huiraatira (People’s Servant Party) and the Union for Democracy…
The Leaderboard: Aye Maung
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Who is he? Dr. Aye Maung is chairman of the Rakhine Nationalities Development Party (RNDP) and a member of parliament of the Union of Myanmar representing Rakhine state in western Myanmar. Although the RNDP was only formed in 2010, Aye…
The Leaderboard: Erlinda Basilio
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Who is she? Ambassador Erlinda Basilio is a career Philippines diplomat. Her posts have included Switzerland, Cuba, and Japan, and she served as ambassador to Sweden from 1997 to 2003. She was permanent representative to the United Nations in Geneva…
The Leaderboard: Idris Jala
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Who is he? Mr. Idris Jala of Malaysia is a minister without portfolio in the Prime Minister’s Department, and the Chief Executive Officer of the Performance Management and Delivery Unit (PEMANDU). PEMANDU is a government unit established in 2009 to…
The Leaderboard: Ed Royce
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Who is he? Edward “Ed” Royce is a republican U.S. representative for California’s 40th congressional district, in Orange County. Representative Royce was born in Los Angeles and attended California State University, Fullerton, and became a state senator in 1982. He…
The Leaderboard: Father Etienne Chan Tin
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Who is he? Father Etienne Chan Tin is a Vietnamese Catholic priest known for his relentless fight for human rights and religious freedom in Vietnam over the last six decades. Born in a small village in central Vietnam in 1920,…
The Leaderboard: Tep Vanny and the Boeung Kak 13
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Who are they? The Boeung Kak 13 is a group of 13 women, ranging in age from 25 to 72, who live around what used to be Boeung Kak Lake near Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Tep Vanny, 32, is their de…