Category: Opinion
The latest opinion from those committed to making our region fair, just and democratic.
As in Myanmar, Coups are Becoming More Successful, and More Sophisticated
Military dictatorships are not as common as they were during the Cold War. Today, leaders trying to roll back democracy usually do so in creeping ways, by altering legal systems, voting rules and other institutions to give themselves greater power. And yet coups have not only lingered; they’ve become more effective in the past decade.
Japan’s Values Diplomacy Runs Aground in Myanmar
Japan’s rivalry with China reinforces Tokyo’s inclination to avert its eyes from human rights abuses, electoral fraud, corruption and suppression of fundamental freedoms. Tokyo is not opposed to liberal democracy but also not prepared to risk anything to support it.
The Sun has Set on Empire: Let’s Reimagine Southeast Asia
The struggle for racial, political and economic justice in Southeast Asia is a fight for a genuinely postcolonial condition, and its establishment is implied in each protest against authoritarian ambitions. If colonialism made the modern world, then decolonisation will not be complete until the world – including Southeast Asia – is reimagined.
FORSEA Supports Joint Statement on Myanmar by Myanmar National Human Rights Commission and Progressive Voice
People from the whole country who are taking part in peaceful demonstrations are facing violations of their basic human rights. This includes arbitrary arrests and charges, threats, the use of indiscriminate violence such as intentionally shooting into the crowd, beatings, the use of weapons, rubber bullets and water cannons, and restrictions on their freedom of expression.
Gay Couple Caned in Aceh, Indonesia
Same-sex practices in Aceh traditionally were not seen in contradiction with local customs (adat) and religion. It is ironic that in Aceh today, homophobic political and religious officials voice opinions that would be more intelligible to the condescending Dutch colonizers than to Aceh’s elite circles a century ago.
မောင်ဇာနည် To fellow Burmese activists
တော်လှန်တက်ကြွမှုဆိုတာ ဘာလဲ - ဘယ်အာဏာရှင်မှ အရှင်မထွက်ဘူး သူတို့ကို ခြေထောက်က ဆွဲထုတ်မှ ရတာ
Militaries of Thailand & Myanmar: A Tale of Two Perennial Coup-Makers
Myanmar has just made headlines with its coup. Thailand and Myanmar are no strangers to coups. For almost a century, Thailand has been locked in a vicious cycle of military coups. Its counterpart in Myanmar, the Tatmadaw, has also been playing king and kingmaker alternately since the late 1950’s.
FORSEA Condemns Military Coup in Myanmar
FORSEA, a grassroots network of scholars and activists across Southeast Asia, unequivocally condemns Myanmar military's coup and the detention of NLD leaders and MP-elects.
“Bringing University to Heel”? An Unprecedented Attack on Academic Freedom in the Philippines
The abrogation of the UP-DND Accord means that the military and police can now enter UP campuses at will. The academic community now faces the prospect of armed military and police presence and constant surveillance. Schools and universities in the Philippines are under attack by a regime that knows no limits to its brutality and violence.
What is Activism?
Activism is Community, striving to end inhumanity, injustices, exploitation, and oppression.