Democracy Digest
Democracy Digest
A bite-sized weekly wrap-up of developments
across the region through a human rights and democratic lens
Democracy Digest

May 16, 2022

In this edition, we highlight news about the following: the decades-long struggle for disability rights in South Korea; a minimum wage law that excludes domestic helpers in Malaysia; India’s antiquated and arbitrary sedition law; and the glaring gaps in alcohol marketing regulations that put young people and heavy drinkers at risk.

South Korea
Will the new president step up, break barriers for PWD?
[dropcap font="" size="50px" background="" color="" circle="0" transparent="0"]O[/dropcap]n May 10, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol was sworn into office in a grand ceremony in the front lawn outside of the National Assembly on Yeouido in Seoul. On the same day, at the nearby Yeouido Station, protesters with disabilities in wheelchairs were occupying the subway station during the morning rush hour.

Some activists got out of their wheelchairs and crawled inside the trains. They are members of Solidarity Against Disability Discrimination (SADD), the country’s largest disability-rights group.

SADD’s dramatic subway protests began in early December on the International Day of Persons with Disabilities (PWD). During the protests, activists prevented the trains from leaving by jamming the doors open with their wheelchairs.

According to The Korea Times, SADD has been demanding that the central government revise the existing laws or introduce new laws to safeguard disabled rights, improve accessibility for public transportation, and provide special education programs for disabled people.

More than 2.6 million people, or 5 percent, of South Korea’s population, are registered as having a disability, reports the South China Morning Post. Because not all disabled have registered, the real number may be higher.

The South Korean constitution guarantees that “all citizens shall be equal before the law.” But discrimination against people with disabilities is “effectively legal,” according to The Nation.

“The right to mobility is an especially crucial right. It’s inextricably connected to one’s right to education, health care, and labor,” said Park Kyeong-seok, a codirector of SADD, in a report in The Nation.

PWD have been denied access to health care because they could not easily get from point A to B. About 90 percent of Seoul’s subway stations have lifts accessible to the disabled, reports the SCMP. However, only city and rural buses are required to become wheelchair-accessible, while intercity buses and taxis are not.

As a result, according to a 2020 survey by the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs, 32 percent of disabled Koreans were unable to get to a hospital or clinic when they needed to — and 30 percent of this group cited transportation as the reason why.

SADD is fighting a decades-long battle for the rights of PWD. The group was formed in 2001, shortly after an elderly couple, both in wheelchairs, were seriously injured after a vertical wheelchair lift at Oido subway station, in a southwestern suburb outside of Seoul, broke apart and threw them 23 feet to the ground. The woman died shortly after the incident. Her husband survived but was severely injured.
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Malaysia
Leaving domestic helpers out in the cold
[dropcap font="" size="50px" background="" color="" circle="0" transparent="0"]A[/dropcap]Malaysian women’s rights activist recently slammed the government for its decision to exclude domestic helpers from being paid the new minimum wage of RM1,500 (about US$340).

Irene Xavier of Persatuan Sahabat Wanita Selangor (Friends of Women) said the Minimum Wages Order 2022, which took effect on May 1, was discriminatory, reports Free Malaysia Today. She asked, “Why does the law exempt domestic workers when the law should be for everybody?”

Economist Firdaos Rosli of MARC Ratings said the exemption for domestic workers created an avenue for employers to suppress wages unfairly.

An estimated 86,084 foreign domestic helpers work in the country, reports The Malaysian Reserve. As of February, about 58,438 of them are Indonesian, according to New Straits Times. There have been reports of Indonesian helpers being abused and forced to work for their employers for years without being paid.

In April, Malaysia and Indonesia signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on the recruitment and protection of Indonesian domestic workers in Malaysia, which would effectively set the minimum monthly wage at RM1,500 (about US$340). Some people say, though, that the MOU is a toothless tiger.

Migrant Care Malaysia representative Alex Ong told New Straits Times that the document, similar to the ones signed between the two countries in the past, is not legally binding. “Whether a worker is paid RM1,200 (about US$272) or RM1,500 (about US$340), it is down to the contract submitted to the authorities, which overlooks the hidden impact of [illegal] charges by agencies,” he told the publication. One Malaysian employer said that one agent had asked RM30,000 (about US$6,820) in fees.
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India
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Will an antiquated sedition law finally be scrapped?
[dropcap font="" size="50px" background="" color="" circle="0" transparent="0"]I[/dropcap]ndian citizens have been jailed for innocuous acts such as sharing a “toolkit” intended to help farmers protest against new agricultural laws, cheering Pakistan’s win over India in a cricket match, and liking a Facebook post. Under a 152-year-old law — which the British colonial government used against Mahatma Gandhi and other leaders of a campaign for independence — they are guilty of sedition.

Section 124-A under the Indian Penal Code defines sedition as: “Whoever, by words, either spoken or written, or by signs, or by visible representation, or otherwise, brings or attempts to bring into hatred or contempt, or excites or attempts to excite disaffection towards, the Government estab­lished by law shall be punished with im­prisonment for life, to which fine may be added …”

Successive governments have wielded the colonial-era law against students, journalists, intellectuals, social activists, and others who are critical of the government to suppress dissent and free speech. According to data compiled by the website Article14, 13,000 people were charged with sedition between 2010 and 2021.

Recently, India’s Supreme Court put the controversial sedition law on hold. It said that until the government completes a review, no further cases should be registered under the law. The court also asked the authorities to pause all existing sedition trials, reports the BBC.

New Delhi-based lawyer Tanveer Ahmed Mir told Al Jazeera that the top court has realized that in a constitutional democracy, “disaffection towards the government cannot be a prosecutable offence because dissatisfaction or affection is basically demanded by a monarch.” In short, the law has no place in a modern democracy.

Critics say Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party has widened the law’s scope “to target minorities and ideological dissenters,” reports Al Jazeera. Ninety-six percent of sedition cases filed against 405 Indians for criticizing politicians and governments between 2010 and 2021 were registered after 2014, when the strongman and his party swept to power, says Article14.

The United Nations Human Rights office welcomed the Supreme Court’s decision on the sedition law and called for the immediate release of all detained individuals under the colonial law. It said the law has been used “arbitrarily and widely against peaceful critics.”
Global
‘Glaring gaps’: A sobering reality in regulating alcohol ads
[dropcap font="" size="50px" background="" color="" circle="0" transparent="0"]A[/dropcap]t an event in Singapore, a whisky brand unveils its new look by exhibiting framed photos of Lalisa “Lisa” Manobal with the whisky bottle and by showing a slick video of her promoting the brand. The South Korea-based member of the girl group Blackpink has signed on as the brand’s first female endorser in Asia.

The event featuring Manobal, a Thai citizen, as Chivas Regal’s first female ambassador has sparked controversy. Thailand bans all forms of alcohol advertising. Section 32 of the Alcohol Beverage Control Act states that “no person shall advertise or display, directly or indirectly, the name or trademark of any alcoholic beverage in a manner showing the properties thereof or inducing another person to drink.”

Thailand’s law is fairly comprehensive, notes the World Health Organization in its technical report, Reducing the harm from alcohol by regulating cross-border alcohol marketing, advertising and promotion. Advertising is limited to giving “social creative knowledge,” which may include showing the symbol or logo associated with the product and its manufacturer.

However, notes WHO, these rules do not apply to “any advertisement broadcast from outside of the Kingdom.” As a result, “cross-border marketing originating from outside Thailand … escapes regulation.” Many of Thailand’s alcoholic beverage brands get around the law by running advertisements abroad instead of in their home country, reports the South China Morning Post.

On the other hand, internet users in Thailand who have shared Manobal’s ads online for the whisky brand have run afoul of the law. Under the Act, posting or reposting images of alcoholic beverages online can result in a fine of up to 500,000 baht (about US$14,380) and/or up to one year in prison. Thailand’s Alcohol Control Committee has been investigating anyone who has posted or shared the ads, says SCMP.

The publication reports that Piyabutr Saengkanokkul, secretary general of the Progressive Movement political party, criticized the Act for “restricting rights and liberties beyond reason” in a Facebook post. He also slammed the fine for being too high. In comparison, traffic fines in Thailand are capped at 1,000 baht (about US$29).

WHO’s new report calls for greater collaboration between countries to address “glaring gaps” in alcohol marketing regulations. Cross-border alcohol marketing, particularly, targets young people and heavy drinkers.

Worldwide, some three million people die each year as a result of the harmful use of alcohol – one every 10 seconds – representing around five percent of all deaths, reports UN News. In Southeast Asia, too many people are falling ill and dying as a result of alcohol use.
How many people in Southeast Asia die
as a result of alcohol use?
Source: WHO Global status report on alcohol and health 2018
May 16, 2022
May 16, 2022

In this edition, we highlight news about the following: the decades-long struggle for disability rights in South Korea; a minimum wage law that excludes domestic helpers in Malaysia; India’s antiquated and arbitrary sedition law; and the glaring gaps in alcohol marketing regulations that put young people and heavy drinkers at risk.

May 9, 2022
May 9, 2022

In this edition, we highlight news about the following: the gloomy picture of press freedom in Asia; a heartbreaking polio outbreak in Pakistan; the turning of the tide for a prisoner of conscience in the Philippines; and North Korea’s fashion police.

May 2, 2022
May 2, 2022

In this edition, we highlight news about the following: the latest setback for a fallen democracy icon in Myanmar; hard-won progress for worker safety in Bangladesh; another nail in the coffin of press freedom in Hong Kong; and the human and environmental costs of sand mining.

April 25, 2022
April 25, 2022

In this edition, we highlight news about the following: a landmark legal victory for gay soldiers in South Korea; an assault on education and an ethnic community in Afghanistan; the return of an independence leader in Timor-Leste; and ASEAN’s failed five-point consensus on the Myanmar crisis.

April 18, 2022
April 18, 2022

In this edition, we highlight news about the following: a landmark victory for Indonesian women; Hong Kong’s forgotten elderly; a proposed law that raises fears of a surveillance state in India; and the freedom that is at risk worldwide.

April 11, 2022
April 11, 2022

In this edition, we highlight news about the following: the Filipina politician who is in the crosshairs of trolls and haters; Sri Lanka’s heavy-handed tactics; a horrifying new discovery about forced organ harvesting in China; and the major global problem of toxic air.

April 4, 2022
April 4, 2022

In this edition, we highlight news about the following: “delayed” justice for street sleepers in Hong Kong; a problematic draft law that could shut down Thailand’s vibrant civil society; India’s appalling apathy toward Rohingya refugees; and the “crucial weakness” in the governance of global health organizations.

March 28, 2022
March 28, 2022

In this edition, we highlight news about the following: a watershed moment for lesbian and bisexual women everywhere; the other devastating pandemic; a victory for young voters in Taiwan; and Vietnam’s repressive Article 88.

March 21, 2022
March 21, 2022

In this edition, we highlight news about the following: a baby step forward for women’s rights in Bangladesh; Singapore’s addiction to the death penalty; China’s unsafe food and how it threatens the ruling party; and the Qatari dream that has become the migrant workers’ nightmare.

March 14, 2022
March 14, 2022

In this edition, we highlight news about the following: South Korea’s “anti-feminist” president-elect; the tiny Southeast Asian country that is standing up to Russia; a call to end the Taliban’s crackdown on Afghan women’s rights; and the prescription for a full pandemic recovery.

March 7, 2022
March 7, 2022

In this edition, we highlight news about the following: ASEAN’s fence-sitting on the Ukraine crisis; the “shocking abuses” against indigenous Papuans; scant support for the backbone of Hong Kong’s economy; and lessons from an adaptation role model.

February 28, 2022
February 28, 2022

In this edition, we highlight news about the following: the misleading marketing of formula milk to women worldwide; the guilty verdict that should be a watershed moment for Pakistan’s women; North Korea’s Supreme Leader’s focus on launching missiles over administering COVID-19 vaccines; and “a historic win” for grassroots activists.

February 21, 2022
February 21, 2022

In this edition, we highlight news about the following: the pernicious practice of “red-tagging” in the Philippines; firewall fears in Hong Kong; a crackdown against journalists in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir; and a harmful and unnecessary rite of passage for girls.

February 14, 2022
February 14, 2022

In this edition, we highlight news about the following: a horrifying hijab ban in India; an alarming spate of custodial deaths in Malaysia; the bullies hiding behind keyboards in South Korea; and the high toll of Japan’s strict entry ban.

February 7, 2022
February 7, 2022

In this edition, we highlight news about the following: the “burner phone Olympics” in Beijing; Myanmar’s annus horribilis; the steep price Sri Lankans are paying for botched schemes; and the mountain of pandemic-induced medical waste that threatens health and the environment.

January 31, 2022
January 31, 2022

In this edition, we highlight news about the following: a report that shows how, across the globe, corruption and human rights violations go hand in hand; a “shamelessly scandalous” scheme that threatens media freedom in the Philippines; the living hell of the Afghan LGBT community under Taliban rule; and the “positive endings” Chinese censors impose on Hollywood movies and even a local show.

January 24, 2022
January 24, 2022

In this edition, we highlight news about the following: an anti-poor “no vaccination, no ride” policy in the Philippines; a “sportswashing opportunity” for China; the bogus charges against a Cambodian opposition leader; and two rays of hope for Pakistan’s women.

January 17, 2022
January 17, 2022

In this edition, we highlight news about the following: a cautiously positive report from Human Rights Watch; the math of misogyny in Indonesia; India’s draconian anti-terror law; how Cambodia keeps a lid on dissent; and the fight for the rights of migrant workers in Taiwan.

January 10, 2022
January 10, 2022

In this edition, we highlight news about the following: Cambodia’s strongman playing “rogue diplomat”; a welcome ban on child marriage in the Philippines; North Korea’s “boomerang defector”; and the weaponization of technology against Muslim women.

January 3, 2022
January 3, 2022

In this edition, we highlight news about the following: a wave of hate speech and violence against India’s religious minorities; press freedom in tatters in Hong Kong; a horrifying Christmas massacre in Myanmar; and how the Taliban have revoked Afghan women’s hard-won rights.

December 27, 2021
December 27, 2021

In this edition, we highlight news about the following: Myanmar’s blood gemstones; Hong Kong’s “selection”; the failed talks on killer bots; and the need for safe, legal migration options for workers.

December 20, 2021
December 20, 2021

In this edition, we highlight news about the following: the seamy side of a Chinese ultra-fast fashion leader; the “silencing of a Laotian son”; Kim Jong Un’s decade of abusive rule; and calls for change in a country where sexual violence regularly goes unpunished

December 13, 2021
December 13, 2021

In this edition, we highlight news about the following: the widespread condemnation following Aung San Suu Kyi’s conviction; the Nagaland killings that have revived debate about a controversial decades-old law; the other global infection; and Pakistan’s deadly blasphemy laws.

December 6, 2021
December 6, 2021

In this edition, we highlight news about the following: a high point for China’s struggling #MeToo movement; confusion over a perplexing court ruling in Indonesia; growing awareness of the rights of the hijra in Bangladesh; and the price Pakistan’s children pay for dirty needles.

November 29, 2021
November 29, 2021

In this edition, we highlight news about the following: three women journalists who have held those in power to account and have paid a high price; why Thailand is no Land of Smiles for refugees; the plight of the “marriage migrants” in Taiwan; and another victory for Mother Nature Cambodia.

November 22, 2021
November 22, 2021

In this edition, we highlight news about the following: Modi’s volte-face on India’s contentious farm laws; the wealthy country where hunger hides behind closed doors; Pakistan’s “living ghosts”; and the life-saving importance of the porcelain throne.

November 15, 2021
November 15, 2021

In this edition, we highlight news about the following: how China’s “gray zone” strategy seems to be backfiring in Taiwan; the Asian countries clinging to capital punishment; the lethal weapons still claiming thousands of victims, often long after hostilities have ceased; and the “unconstitutional” calls for royal reform in Thailand.

November 8, 2021
November 8, 2021

In this edition, we highlight news about the possible end of China’s relentless 996 work hours, the killing and chilling of journalists, the urgent need to stamp out child labor in Asian farms, and the Burmese military’s history of arson attacks.

November 1, 2021
November 1, 2021

In this edition, we highlight news about a lifeline for Afghan female students, the end of an unconstitutional ban in the Philippines, the plight of North Korean defectors in the South, and India’s cool roofs.

October 25, 2021
October 25, 2021

In this edition, we highlight news about China’s continuing crackdown on peaceful religious practice, a small step for LGBTI people in India, the closure of a human rights watchdog’s operations in Hong Kong, and how the Greater Mekong Subregion and India offer a glimmer of hope for malaria elimination.

October 18, 2021
October 18, 2021

In this edition, we highlight news about a simple yet powerful tool that is beyond the reach of many, Asia’s starving millions, the urgent need to revise Japan’s regressive transgender law, and a low-cost, low-input, and climate-resilient type of farming in India.

October 11, 2021
October 11, 2021

In this edition, we highlight news about the early impact of an offshore data tsunami, why girl children deserve a better normal, the Asian gig workers fighting for their rights, and the rain harvesters in a Nepalese town.

October 4, 2021
October 4, 2021

In this edition, we highlight news about the right to information laws across the region, Malaysia’s youth power, Filipino advocates pushing back against a proposed road to ruin, and the Indian lawyer who won the “alternative Nobel Prize.”

September 27, 2021
September 27, 2021

In this edition, we highlight news about the resiliency of LQBTQ activists in South Korea and Taiwan, the gatecrashing Cambodian prime minister, the Malaysian mothers fighting for their children’s citizenship rights, and China’s shadowy solar industry.

September 20, 2021
September 20, 2021

In this edition, we highlight news about the urgent need for safe childbirth, the dangers of “kinetic impact projectiles,” the never-ending battle for democracy and human rights, and a game-changing procurement system.

September 13, 2021
September 13, 2021

In this edition, we highlight news about “the anaconda in the chandelier,” a spyware scandal, a dangerous place to stand up for the environment, and how people power scored a win for a Malaysian forest.

September 6, 2021
September 6, 2021

In this edition, we highlight news about the other global health threat that cuts life expectancies in the Asian region, the forgotten Afghan refugees in Indonesia, period poverty, and a study that shows how better pay for truck drivers in South Korea made the drivers — and the general public — safer.

August 30, 2021
August 30, 2021

In this edition, we highlight news about the pursuit of justice for the forcibly disappeared in Asia, the Rohingya’s quest for safe havens, lawbreaking law enforcers, and a doctor-entrepreneur who is retelling the story of health in Pakistan.

August 23, 2021
August 23, 2021

In this edition, we highlight news about the South Asian countries where children face extreme risk from climate change, how arbitrary detentions have fueled COVID-19 surges in Myanmar and Thai jails, China’s problematic family planning policies, and the Afghan women fighting the return to the dark days of harsh limits on their freedoms.

August 16, 2021
August 16, 2021

In this edition, we highlight news about the trail of rights violations that follows China’s Belt and Road projects, the two South Asian countries that are failing their daughters, how the Rohingya risk being left behind in the global COVID-19 vaccination race, and the raft of repressive measures that are keeping journalists in the region from their doing their jobs.

August 10, 2021
August 10, 2021

As the Delta variant spreads like wildfire in parts of Asia, we highlight news about Afghanistan’s swift descent into catastrophe, ASEAN Special Envoy Erywan Yusof’s tough assignment in defusing the Myanmar crisis, the severe challenges faced by indigenous peoples, a rare legal victory for online freedom in Thailand, the refusal of Taiwanese Olympians to use a name that exists on no map, and the Asian women athletes who are changing the game.

August 3, 2021
August 3, 2021

In this edition, we highlight news about the slogan that landed a Hong Kong protester in jail, the attacks and arrests Myanmar’s doctors face amid the pandemic, the factory fire that spotlights child labor and safety lapses in Bangladesh, and the marginalized Indian girls who are fighting child marriage.

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