We should look beyond elite urban internet users to grasp the reach of Southeast Asian digital governance and its chilling effects
Remembering HMAS Perth (I) for the future
For Indonesia and Australia, the salvage of Perth has put maritime heritage cooperation into the spotlight, prompting greater bilateral engagement.
Fictional forest koperasi: a new pattern of land grabs in Indonesia
Fake cooperatives acting as representatives of farmers can seek land concessions and conveniently serve as an extension of corporations.
Behind the coup: what prompted Tatmadaw’s grab for power?
Despite the seeming incredulity of the military and USDP’s claims of fraud, there is reason to take the Tatmadaw’s insistence on the legitimacy of its constitutional claims seriously.
Civic space in Timor-Leste during COVID-19 Part 1: Governance and civil society
Civic space in Timor-Leste has been challenged and expanded by the pandemic
MALAYSIA, SINGAPORE & BRUNEI
National harmony: race, politics and campaigning in Malaysia
A new report analyses debates around social cohesion and a failed proposal for a National Harmony Commission in Malaysia in light of Pakatan Harapan's collapse
Alternative Visions for Malaysia requires combating political clientelism
Ross Tapsell reviews a new book on Malaysian politics ahead of the ANU Malaysia Update 2020 “Alternative Visions for Malaysia”.
Creating land in the sea: the quest for greater state autonomy in Malaysia
Land reclamation initiatives seek to side-step national regimes which had previously constrained the autonomy of local governments.
THE PHILIPPINES
VISIT THE PHILIPPINES HOME PAGERemembering martial law in the Philippines: Education and media
Stay at home orders are opening up opportunities for critical thinking and teaching on history.
Encouraging abuse: foreign terrorist designations of the CPP/NPA
International terrorist designations are fuel for Duterte's war on communist organisations.
Surviving or thriving? COVID-19 and violent non-state actors in the Southern Philippines
Data analysis strongly suggests correlations between COVID-19 and the commission of political violence, but the causal mechanisms driving these trends are less clear.
CAMBODIA
VISIT THE CAMBODIA HOME PAGEThe Cambodia dilemma: foreign affairs and human rights in tension
Instead of implementing tough trade restriction measures that affect ordinary Cambodians, the EU and US should reconsider its approach to engaging Cambodia on human rights.
Rupture—hydropower dams in Cambodia as “engines of extraction”
Hydropower dams in Cambodia generate extensive processes of commodification and extraction, feeding the country’s vast shadow economy.
Land, emotions and the durability of power in Cambodia
ដីធ្លី, អារម្មណ៍, និងថាវរកម្មនៃអំណាចនៅកម្ពុជា
MYANMAR
VISIT THE MYANMAR HOME PAGEMDBs in Myanmar: risk regulators on complex infrastructure projects?
Environmental and social risks can emerge from MDBs’ lack of awareness of and responsiveness to local conditions.
Myanmar’s electoral management institutions: the challenges of monitoring
In 2020 the role of the Union Election Commission and election monitoring seems increasingly politicised.
Securing a fair election in Rakhine’s conflict zones
As the Arakan Army’s armed struggle appears increasingly attractive to young voters, Myanmar’s democracy cannot afford the appearance of another false promise.
OTHER COUNTRIES & TOPICS
“Song Lang”: a story of art, love and life in post-war Saigon
Song Lang is a film neither about cải lương nor Saigon. It is a film about the city's people, their connections and how relationships shape their selves and life paths.
Emerging dynamics among Southeast Asia’s Nepali diaspora
Associations and the polyvocality of social media can bring to fore diverse meanings of being in the diaspora
Conservation of Timor-Leste’s world-class marine ecology is not being taken seriously
Teeming with the greatest fish species biodiversity on the planet, these seas are under threat from large and small scale illegal fishing compounded by lax law enforcement.
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