Victor T. King, Distinguished Visiting Professor at the Institute of Asian Studies at Universiti Brunei Darussalam (IAS @ UBD), has recently contributed to a special section in the journal, Suvannabhumi, on COVID-19 and Southeast Asia.

In addition to writing an introduction to the special section, Dr. King also has an article entitled “Covid-19 and Transitions: Case Material from Southeast Asia,” in which he examines the question of whether the pandemic has created a “new normal” or if the availability of vaccines is leading to a return to the old normal with some modest adjustments.

This special section also includes an article by AKM Ahsan Ullah (FASS, UBD), Diotima Chattoraj (James Cook University) and the late Wan Zawawi Ibrahim (FASS, IAS, UBD). Entitled, “The COVID-19 Pandemic and the ‘Stranded’ Migrant Population: An Unequal Pain,” this paper examines the plight of migrant workers whose lives were affected by lockdown and other policies during the pandemic.

Suvannabhumi is an open access journal. The papers in this issue can be accessed on the journal’s website.