Southeast Asia


Southeast Asia  / Thailand
Thailand’s War Against Fake News: Another Attempt to Curtail Media Freedom?
Posted On June 23, 2021
As Thailand fights the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, it is also fighting on a related front: what it terms a proliferation of fake news that is causing confusion among the public. The latter is seen as another covert attempt to limit the freedom of expression and media freedom in the kingdom. Recently, Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan ordered the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society and related agencies, including the Anti-Fake News Centre, the Ministry of Justice, and the Royal Thai police to take legal action.
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China  / Hong Kong  / Myanmar  / United Nations
The United Nations just reelected its worst-ever Secretary-General
June 14, 2021

With a crisis raging in the African Congo, the then-UN Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjöld set off in 1961 to broker a ceasefire with Moise Tshombe, the leader of the secessionist State of Katanga. Yet Hammarskjöld tragically died after the DC-6 carrying him to the talks crashed in Northern Rhodesia, or what is now Zambia. Although peace in the Congo escaped him, the Swedish economist is widely considered the best diplomat to ever hold the office.


Southeast Asia  / Thailand
Murder and impunity: The human cost of land conflict in southern Thailand
June 9, 2021

Thailand is the world’s most unequal country. Deep, persistent inequality is represented across several sectors of the nation’s economy, including agriculture. According to Protection International, while 57% of Thai farmland is publicly owned, 43% is privately owned and 90% of this land – or more than 127 million rai – is owned by just 50 individuals. Half of land in Thailand is used for agriculture and a third of the workforce are employed as farmers.


Cambodia  / Myanmar  / Southeast Asia  / Thailand
ASEAN’s checkered human rights history makes it unlikely to consider meaningful reforms
May 28, 2021

The ongoing crisis in Myanmar has exacerbated concerns about ASEAN’s relevance and competence to police crises within its member states. As of May 27, 828 people have been killed so far in Myanmar since February 1 according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP), and more than 4,300 people are currently being detained. The crisis has seen the first indication that it has become a regional problem, with people fleeing violence into neighboring Thailand and India.


Southeast Asia  / Thailand
In Thailand, May is the month for coups, crackdowns, and villains
May 21, 2021

Historically, May is a turbulent month for Thailand. It’s the season for coups and crackdowns, usually headed by the military. May 1992 and May 2014 are extraordinary periods in contemporary Thai history – one far more insidious than the other. Chronologically speaking, 1992 was a chaotic year. It would see two major elections, several prime ministers and governments, mass protests and public demonstrations on the streets of Bangkok.


Southeast Asia  / Thailand
Shrinking space for Thai human rights defenders is beyond the point of crisis
May 7, 2021

The treatment of Parit “Penguin” Chiwarak—and up until yesterday, Panusaya “Rung” Sithijirawattanakul—along with five others in pre-trial detention for violating Thailand’s draconian lèse majesté law, has raised alarms among human rights groups, partially because Penguin is in deteriorating health due to an ongoing hunger strike. As their applications for bail have been repeatedly denied by the Court, it has become clear that the lives of activists have become secondary to the social norm of remaining completely silent on the sensitive topic of monarchical reform.


Southeast Asia  / Thailand
Thailand’s proposed NGO law will devastate civil society
May 4, 2021

Thailand’s own community of non-governmental organisations is on alert as the country’s military-backed government takes steps to follow suit with its Cambodian counterpart. The Thai Cabinet in February approved a draft law that would bring to heel the country’s non-governmental organisations by requiring them to register under a new set of guidelines established by the Interior Ministry.


Myanmar  / Southeast Asia
Three takeaways following the ASEAN Summit on Myanmar
April 26, 2021

Myanmar’s military chief and leader of the February 1 coup d’état met with leaders from across ASEAN for three hours on Saturday, coming to a fragile and controversial five-point consensus on how to de-escalate tensions in Myanmar. While it remains too early to predict real-world changes on the ground, there are a number of key takeaways from ASEAN’s weekend meeting to consider.


Myanmar  / Southeast Asia  / Thailand
Can Thailand still impact the ASEAN Summit on Myanmar?
April 22, 2021

When Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha decided to opt out of the ASEAN Summit on Myanmar in Jakarta, perhaps the writing was on the wall. By sending Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Don Pramudwinai in place of Prayut, Thailand appeared to have forfeited the chance to steer any of the potential outcomes of the gathering, which seeks to find diplomatic and political solutions to the crisis in Myanmar, which has claimed more than 730 lives since the Tatmadaw launched a coup d’état on February 1.


Southeast Asia  / Thailand
Streckfuss is just the latest victim in Thailand’s academic freedom crackdown
April 21, 2021

It emerged last week that Khon Kaen University (KKU) had terminated the work permit of David Streckfuss, an expert on lèse majesté, as well as the head of the university’s Council on International Educational Exchange, soon after he had participated in a workshop on decentralisation in Thailand. The university administration reached the decision after receiving visits from police and alleged pressure by immigration authorities.