FORUM-ASIA’s report on free speech in Thailand demonstrates the lengths the military will go to in order to protect a system based on patronage, money and outsized influence as activists find increasingly creative ways to push back.
COVID-19 has highlighted the gaps in protection for migrant workers, especially in host countries like Singapore. How can civil society and regional institutions hold governments to account to better protect migrant workers from the next crisis?
The Thai military’s high-tech surveillance methods have caused alarm among Malay Muslims in the country’s south. The ongoing surveillance strategy jeopardizes the potential for successful peace negotiations in the restive region.
Cambodia’s media outlets have come under relentless attack from the government and the worst may be yet to come.
With just over a week until Myanmar’s general election on November 8, the country is struggling with a myriad of controversies surrounding the vote while COVID-19 cases continue to rise.
Thai protests on October 14 a catalyst for resurgent democracy movement. The date commemorates mass protests in 1973 that led to the ouster of a junta leader, but it’s unclear if this year’s movement can lead to lasting changes.
Two Cambodian rappers face charges of inciting social unrest as the government continues its crackdown on dissent. Their cases, like many others in Cambodia, show the reach of Prime Minister Hun Sen’s authoritarianism but also point to the growing role of hip-hop in social movements in Southeast Asia.
Malaysia has reportedly withheld a report on Rohingya graves a full year after a government probe. Its government should make its findings public on the grounds of transparency and accountability.
As Thailand’s economy cracks under COVID-19, land ownership and access are key to many communities’ ability to ride out the crisis. Amid ongoing popular protests, Thailand must decide how to address its stark wealth gap and the needs of low-income rural communities.
A national mapping project in Indonesia aims to use data to find solutions to land conflicts across the country. But indigenous groups say the government refuses to recognize their maps of traditional territory—throwing the land tenure of over a quarter of the country’s population into question.