This is just a link to the Far Eastern Economic Review homepage, the book review itself is not available for free online. It is a positive review by Sadanand Dhume, who looks at Greg's work together with a number of recent books on Islam in Indonesia, including Robert Hefner's edited Making Muslim Politics. The new Review has a strong books section, which of course we think is a great thing.

The fierce Chinese reaction to the new Japanese textbooks has been matched by some circles in Southeast Asia. The Federation of Chinese Associations of Malaysia led a petition drive, and the Johor Baru Chinese Federation conducted a ceremony that burned a Japanese soldier in effigy. Read the story in The Japan Times. Guns of February becomes an even more important book in this context, with its highly nuanced look at the actions of particular Japanese solider and officers, and they way they dealt with the legacy of their actions after the war.

Over the weekend, in chilly Chicago, we announced the launch of a new online resource, Southeast Asia in the Ming Shi-lu. This is a remarkable piece of work from Geoff Wade - an index of all the Southeast Asian references in the Ming Shi-lu, or annals of the Ming Dynasty imperial court. The index alone is highly useful, but these references are also translated to English, bringing the Ming Dynasty court records to Southeast Asian historians who may not have Chinese language skills. The site comprises more than 3000 entries, and indexes some 8000 place and personal names. The records can also be free-text searched. Thanks to the Geoff and the Asia Research Institute.