Asia Democracy Chronicles

The Southeast Asian country’s democratic journey since the Reformasi has been fraught with structural contradictions, where human rights are a political commodity. Anwar Ibrahim’s government exemplifies these tensions.

Six months into his presidency, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto has expanded military influence across the government, raising deep concerns among rights advocates and civil society actors who survived the Suharto dictatorship.

The 2025 World Press Freedom Index paints a bleak picture of press freedom in the region, with declines in economic scores across most countries and no let-up in media crackdowns under authoritarian and repressive regimes.

Myanmar’s junta and its armed local affiliates are keeping the country’s scam centers in business in the midst of a civil war and growing international concern, say observers.

Saigon falls, the United States withdraws, and the country reunifies. But divisions remain and a peace beyond the end of the conflict still seems a distant goal.

The recent 7.7-magnitude earthquake that ravaged central Myanmar magnifies systemic neglect of a people already reeling from oppressive junta rule.

From silencing dissent within Hong Kong, the Chinese government’s crackdown has now extended beyond its borders – and it has no scruples about targeting those whom fleeing activists left behind, either.

Nearly 30 years after the Philippines passed the Indigenous Peoples Rights Act (IPRA), indigenous communities in the Southeast Asian country are still battling for true recognition and control over their lands.

Independent media initiatives that had been helpful in keeping Indonesians updated on vital issues grind to a near halt after Washington shuts down the U.S. Agency for International Development.

Crucial education programs and initiatives supporting democracy in Myanmar are only some of the many casualties of the U.S. aid freeze.

Democratic lights may have dimmed briefly in South Korea amid a short-lived martial law imposed by a now deposed president. But a swift reversal of events turned the spotlight on the nation’s democratic resilience.

Vital programs in the Philippines face closures, highlighting the precarious conditions of marginalized communities as the United States cuts life-saving aid.

In Vietnam, Facebook remains popular, but is a risk-ridden platform.

New Delhi is said to look more kindly toward Afghan refugees compared to other groups, but members of the Afghan community in India – especially the women – are far from being without problems.

These draft amendments are intended to align with the National Security Ordinance and Article 23, two draconian laws that have severely eroded civil liberties in the territory.

Bangkok’s recent deportation of some 40 Uyghur to China may be proof of either of these two: Thailand is fast becoming part of a widening Sinosphere or it is a shrewd player in international politics.

Indian officials say that a slew of infrastructure projects will help India-administered Kashmir prosper, but experts and activists say that these are extracting a heavy environmental cost to the region.

Nepal keeps launching new programs to reduce maternal deaths but bypassing deeper, structural issues that are significant contributors to the problem.

New and impending U.S. policies are leaving Afghan refugees in Pakistan with limited options, and Pakistani policies are further complicating their situation.

Myanmar’s junta wants a recent census to help pave the way to elections that it insists on holding, but questions surround its provisional result.