Five is fine for New Mandala

After more than 3000 posts, 32,280 comments and many millions of web page hits, the ANU blog New Mandala is celebrating its fifth birthday. The blog about Thailand, Burma and the other countries in mainland southeast Asia began on 16 June 2006, with an entry from New Mandala co-founder Dr Andrew Walker reflecting on the Thai political crisis of that time. Since then, led by Walker and his New Mandala co-founder Dr Nicholas Farrelly, both from the ANU College of Asia and the Pacific, the blog has become a first-port-of-call for those interested in debating hot regional issues. New Mandala has also spawned two successful vodcast and podcast series, Thailand in Crisis and Burma Votes . ANU Vice-Chancellor Professor Ian Young congratulated everyone involved in New Mandala and wished them the best for the next five years. ?New Mandala provides a valuable service to readers throughout the world with an interest in issues in the region. Additionally, it provides academic and insider news and views about and for some parts of the world where freedom of speech is restricted,? said Professor Young 'I congratulate them on their notable achievements and success, and look forward to seeing that continue long into the future.' New Mandala will soon be launching a revamped version of their website.