Lest we forget: the undocumented children of East Malaysia
Memo #367 By: Linda A. Lumayag – llumayag [at] um.edu.my The multi-decade migration of Filipino refugees from the Philippines to Malaysia has important implications for human rights and citizenship. This movement and settlement processes have spotlighted issues regarding the rights of undocumented and multi-generational refugee communities. A protracted war between Muslim separatists and the government of […]
The Thai Military, Coups, and the False Hope of Professionalism
Memo #362 By Jacob I. Ricks – jacobricks [at] smu.edu.sg Thailand is one of the most coup-prone countries in the world, having experienced no less than 19 coup attempts since 1932. The prevalence of military interventions casts doubt on whether Thai politicians will ever be able to reign in their armed counterparts. One prominent response to this […]
For Love of Languages, Travel, and Fieldwork: A tribute to Benedict Anderson
Memo #357 By Apichai W. Shipper – apichai.shipper [at] georgetown.edu There will never be another Ben Anderson but he has left a part of himself in all who knew him. He instilled in our DNA, among many other things, a love of languages and fieldwork. In an age where regressions and generalizable models sometimes seem to shunt careful […]
Where are the voices and the interests of rural Lao women in ASEAN?
Memo #356 By Carly Teng – c.teng [at] alumni.ubc.ca The primary focus of ASEAN has been on economic development, with some attempts since 2014 to include “women’s economic empowerment” through support of female entrepreneurship in its member countries. ASEAN’s recognition of the need for women’s economic empowerment is necessary, but not sufficient to advance women’s rights, especially […]
Investigating Evidence: Japan’s War Responsibility in Southeast Asia (A Video Memo with Dr. Nobuyoshi Takashima)
Memo #350 Featuring Nobuyoshi Takashima [youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gyKGbIXU2OM[/youtube] A few weeks ago the Asia Pacific Memo sat down with Dr. Nobuyoshi Takashima, Professor Emertius at the University of the Ryukyus. He is a noted scholar in the areas of history education, textbook issues, war responsibilities and war memory, including those of Okinawa. Professor Takashima has been leading study tours to Malaysia and Singapore […]
Has Chinese foreign policy in Southeast Asia entered a bolder and more assertive phase?
Memo #342 By Kai Ostwald – kai.ostwald [at] ubc.ca With the major exception of the South China Sea, China’s political presence in Southeast Asia has been low profile in recent decades, if only because it has chosen to project power indirectly through economic might and behind closed doors. Its response to recent events in Malaysia, […]
LNG in British Columbia, Scandals in Malaysia, and the Complexity of Policy Decisions
Memo #340 By Kai Ostwald – kai.ostwald [at] ubc.ca Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) production is an important potential source of revenue and new jobs for British Columbia. The consortium tasked with developing the industry is led by Petronas, the Malaysian state-owned national oil firm. Given the size of investments (an initial $12 billion) and the […]
Migration Crisis on Southeast Asian Shores: Individual or Regional Responsibility?
Memo #338 By Kazi Fahmida Farzana – fahmida [at] uum.edu.my On May 10–11, 2015 some 2,000 new Rohingya migrants from Myanmar landed in Malaysia and Indonesia. Many others are believed to have lost their lives in this desperate journey, while hundreds are still drifting on the high seas. By seeking asylum on the shores of Southeast […]
AEC 2015: Stop Talking to Other Governments, Start Talking to Firms
Memo #325 By Cesi Cruz – cesi.cruz [at] gmail.com and Benjamin A.T. Graham – benjamin.a.graham [at] usc.edu How can the governments in ASEAN help businesses prepare for the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) scheduled to start in 2015? Foreign firms operating in the Philippines are preparing for the changes, but what help do they want from […]
Fighting for Myanmar’s Child Soldiers
Memo #324 Efforts to release some 70,000 child soldiers in Myanmar face multiple challenges. By Kai Chen – chenkai [at] zju.edu.cn Since Myanmar’s independence in 1948, the nation’s interest groups—in particular its ethnic minorities and the national military—have been at odds on how to rule Myanmar. The result has been a long simmering armed conflict […]