Gendering Indonesia’s responses to COVID-19: Preliminary thoughts

The approach used in the creation of these policies ignores that women may face more difficulty in accessing the promised benefits.

The constitutional rot behind Thailand’s emergency decree

Constitutional rot can eventually lead to a full-blown crisis where no one obeys the highest laws of the land, descending into a perfect chaos.

The ECCC: history education for Cambodia’s young generation?

While survivors often become emotional when speaking about the past, they feel younger generations must learn from the past to prevent genocide in future.

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.

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”.

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.

A scene at Gatot Subroto street during the September 24 2019 Jakarta protests

Indonesian protests point to old patterns

The return of student protests and the government’s response have are reminiscent of the era of authoritarian rule

Indonesia’s omnibus law is a bust for human rights

Trade unions and human rights groups believe the law is in fact no more than an attempt by the nation’s oligarchs to roll back political reform.

“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.

Contemporary art event: Indonesia calling 2020

An upcoming exhibition aims to raise awareness of the impact of COVID-19 in Indonesia and to encourage aid initiatives in any form

How China’s foreign policy shapes prejudice against Chinese Indonesians

China’s domestic and foreign policy actions indirectly affect prejudice against Chinese Indonesians

Remembering martial law in the Philippines: Education and media

Stay at home orders are opening up opportunities for critical thinking and teaching on history.

Myanmar’s electoral management institutions: the challenges of monitoring

In 2020 the role of the Union Election Commission and election monitoring seems increasingly politicised.

Is COVID-19 muting or fueling religious polarisation in Indonesia?

Islamists continue to mobilise based on political considerations rather than science and public health concerns.

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

Disrupting pathways: What awaits rural youth forced home by COVID-19?

An influx of new ideas might boost rural and coastal sectors, but unemployment looms large too.

“Red rim soldiers”: the changing leadership of Thailand’s military in 2020

The palace is working to fill leading army positions with its own faction—the Red Rim Group.

The Slim by-election: putting the “Mahathir effect” in perspective

Mahathir may be losing traction among rural Malays, but grassroots polling data from GE18 shows such support was never straightforward.

Encouraging abuse: foreign terrorist designations of the CPP/NPA

International terrorist designations are fuel for Duterte's war on communist organisations.

Big Ed and Rose: Reality TV representing a different kind of foreign bride

Recent narratives shift racist stereotypes of gold-digging mail-order brides.

Legislating self-reliance and family values in the time of coronavirus?

At the heart of the Family Resilience Bill is the message that the family unit is responsible for its its own poverty and challenges.

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.

New books on Southeast Asia: Liberalism and Democracy in Myanmar (Oxford University Press, 2018)

Nick Cheesman talks to the authors of a new book on the "limited liberalism" that allows the tolerance of some minorities in Myanmar, and the exclusion of others.