Indonesia’s Democratic Regression & West Papuan Resistance
While the human rights situation in Indonesia at large – and particularly in West Papua – has worsened, there is increased state repression towards civil society actors and journalists. Furthermore, strong identity politics, cultural intolerance, and religious fundamentalism have risen, resulting in discrimination and violence against vulnerable social groups including women.
Our ASEAN Region has Flawed Democracies, Not Full Democracies
Former Malaysian cabinet member and MP Tan Sri Sayed Hamid Albar talks to FORSEA on the state of democratization in his native country, and across the region.
Democratization in Malaysia in particular and Southeast Asian region in general
The British-trained international law scholar, politician and humanitarian Tan Sri Dr Syed Hamid Albar with decades of experience in government and international politics will share his thoughts on Malaysia's stalled democratization and the state of democratization in the region.
Renowned Thai Scholar and Veteran Dissident of 1976 Democratic Uprising Speaks to FORSEA
Against the backdrop of the current framing of protests as “unprecedented” in the way they publicly and frontally criticise the Thai monarchy and the monarch himself, Thongchai reminds us that it was only 2 or 3 generations ago that the public in the kingdom were able to openly talk about the monarchy, critically or not.
Votes have changed little in Myanmar since Suu Kyi assumed State Counsellorship 5 years ago
Myanmar’s second experiment with the parliamentary democracy is irredeemably flawed: The constitutional framework in which democratic process is located is categorically anti-democratic.
Burmese activists express solidarity with Thai student protestors
Over the years, thousands of Burmese dissidents have received support and space from Thai communities, politicians and even governments in Bangkok. They now call for solidarity protests across Southeast Asia in support of young Thai protesters on the streets of Bangkok.
Burmese genocide scholar Maung Zarni takes on Myanmar’s most influential abbot, Sitagu Sayadaw
No global justice or international accountability process will be complete without Sitagu being named as a criminal who despite his saffron robe and high honours has provided spiritual patronage to genocidal leaders of Myanmar while offering scriptural justifications for “killing millions of non-Buddhists.”
De-imagining Myanmar and Reimagining Free or Federated States
The painful but necessary question – How will or can Myanmar be de-constructed, or more alarmingly, disintegrated? – needs to be asked openly and debated publicly.
Myanmar’s Double Contagion: the Covid-19 and the Viral Discourse of Islamophobia
Over the last 8 years, another type of virus, namely Islamophobia, has effectively spread across all segments of Burmese society, with devastating impact on Muslim communities and, more acutely, the community of Rohingyas, numbering 2 millions in total.
What does the Myanmar Provisional Measures Order by the International Court of Justice mean for ASEAN?
It is long overdue for ASEAN to sync its policies towards Myanmar with international opinion, legal and human rights, and the global public.