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.”
Thai Royalists Must Change Tactics in Dealing with Free Speech
After printing "I'm losing faith in the monarchy" on a tee shirt, a critic of the monarchy was locked in a mental asylum. Not surprisingly, it did little to reassure Thais that authorities were acting in their best interests.
Manila’s a Trap: Sensing the City in Filipino Indie Music
With the advent of laptops, synths, mixers and other musical gadgetry, the DIY ethic endeared by small indie labels is back on track. The indie culture keeps artistry aground since in today’s music industry, the story will always be an issue between the haves and the have-nots.
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.
FORSEA co-hosted a Special On-line Seminar: The Future of Crisis-Torn Rakhine State in Myanmar, with the School of Interdisciplinary Studies, SOAS, and Free Rohingya Coalition
"Our seminar today embarked on the long term program of de-imagining and de-colonizing Myanmar as an internally colonial state and re-imagining a new type of genuinely post-colonial society and a cluster of autonomous regions with a set of inclusive national and regional identities based on common good, multiculturalism, and respect for all faiths".
A FORSEA-led Seminar on the Future of Rakhine
Much-awaited online seminar, 16 July 2020, on “What Future for Rakhine?: End Games for the Arakanese (Rakhine, Rohingyas and Other Co-habitants)”.
Quick-take reflections on Singapore’s elections
The 2020 Singaporean general election was held on 10 July, electing MPs to the 14th Parliament of Singapore. The PAP, in power since 1965, won 83 of 93 parliamentary seats or 61.2% of the vote – down from nearly 70% it had in the 2015 poll. The opposition Workers' Party secured 10 seats - its best result.
#HoldTheLine campaign launched in support of Maria Ressa
A coalition has been set to aid Maria Ressa and independent media from state’s harassment in the Philippines. Sixty press freedom groups and civil society organisations, journalism institutions, filmmakers, and others have formed a coalition in support of Maria Ressa and independent media united around the call to #HoldTheLine.
Thailand is caught in the Sino-US rivalry that has shaped a new world order
Thailand's current Prayuth government may like to think that Thailand could play a balancing game between the United States and China. But the Thai domestic problems have compromised its position.
Soldiers’ Court-Martial Myanmar’s Latest Sham, say Rohingya Groups
Activists' organisations denounce lack of transparency and say it's foolish to expect justice from Myanmar’s military.