22 January 2024 — Irene Khan, U.N. Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression and Opinion, visits the Philippines following mounting concerns on human rights and conditions of the press. Rights groups grimly report on President Marcos Jr. perpetuating the drug war policies of his predecessor, and the weaponizing of social media to whitewash abuses both under his term and that of Marcos Sr. It remains to be seen if her findings can pressure the government to address these issues.  (Photo: Shutterstock.com)

15 January 2024 — Laos faces a challenging ASEAN chairmanship in 2024, overshadowed by its struggle to address the Myanmar crisis. Their shared border, as well as Laos’ own track record in terms of human rights issues, adds complexity to regional diplomacy. Its attempts to engage with Myanmar’s junta leader Min Aung Hlaing are also viewed cautiously; rights advocates suggest engaging with the exiled National Unity Government. Can Laos steer the regional bloc in the right direction? (Photo: Shutterstock.com)

29 January 2024 — The Samrong Tbong community’s fight for survival amid echoes a painful reality for many Cambodian communities fighting for land rights. Currently, 76 families face eviction from Boeung Tamok lake, their home for over 25 years, as authorities cut up sections of the lake area in favor of private developers. Their difficulty in getting titles for their homes has also highlighted anew Cambodia’s time-consuming land titling process, making affected communities vulnerable to aggression and displacement.  (Photo: Shutterstock.com)

30 January 2023 —Across much of the world, elections are seen as an exercise in democracy and a means by which regular people choose their leaders. But in Myanmar, the military junta has hijacked the electoral process, transforming it into a tool to stay in power and continue its oppression of the Burmese people. Still scheduled for August 2023, Myanmar’s elections are already being widely considered as being a sham process orchestrated by Min Aung Hlaing to silence the citizen-led National Unity Government and wipe out Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy party. (Photo: Shutterstock.com)

6 February 2023 —Cambodia’s crackdown claims another independent media outlet. Prime Minister Hun Sen has ordered the closure of Voice of Democracy, one of the very few remaining independent media organizations in the country, after the outlet ran a story on Hun Sen’s son. VOD’s closure is part of the Prime Minister’s efforts to suppress critical voices ahead of Cambodia’s polls in July – and further demonstrates the dire state of press freedom and democracy in the country. (Photo: Shutterstock.com)

6 February 2023 —Thailand joins the ever-growing list of countries that have placed drug use and addiction under the ambit of crime and law enforcement rather than public health. Following the rampage of a police officer – fueled by psychoactive substances – that killed 37 people, 24 of whom were children, authorities have resolved to classify as pushers even those who only have one pill of methamphetamine. This carceral approach only pushes people dependent on drugs farther away from crucial treatment and support, and closer toward harsh prison terms. (Photo: Shutterstock.com)

16 January 2023 —How long can Tibet hold out against China’s relentless Sinicization campaign? Despite the pressing need for social services and relief amid COVID-19, Beijing appears to be more preoccupied with suppressing the Tibetans’ culture and imposing onto them the majority Han Chinese norms. Four Special Rapporteurs of the UN Human Rights Council, after expressing concerns over the potential rights violations that this campaign brings, have been met with silence from Beijing. (Photo: Shutterstock.com)

16 January 2023 —Indonesian President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo is set to tour the country to personally apologize for past atrocities and human rights abuses. During the mid-1960s, during Indonesia’s post-colonial era, communists and suspected sympathizers were massacred en masse by state forces. But how genuine can Jokowi’s apology be when his term itself has been marked by several human rights abuses and political persecution?  (Photo: Shutterstock.com)

16 January 2023 —There seems to be end to the Thai monarchy’s hunger for power. In the last five years, more than 130 people have been charged under Thailand’s Lèse-majesté law, also known as Section 112, which prohibits any offense against the country’s monarchy. When a 13-year-old protester tried to raise a sign reading “Repeal Section 112,” during the birthday commemoration of the late king Bhumibol, he became the latest target of this law and the subject of harassment from state forces. Alarmed at how not even children are safe from the monarchy’s whims, advocacy groups are clamoring to abolish the law.  (Photo: Shutterstock.com)

2  January 2023 —The landslide that wiped out a family campsite in Genting Highlands in Malaysia, also claiming the lives of 31 people, is part of a larger trend of political oversight in the country. The latest in around 10 such incidents in nearly two years, the tragedy raises crucial questions about how well the government can monitor the operation and safety of these campsites. Father’s Organic Farm, the site of the incident, was found to be operating without a permit is now in the middle of calls for an inquiry.  (Photo: Shutterstock.com)

9 January 2023 —This week, Singapore saw another workplace casualty. Last year, there were 46 work-related deaths in the country, the highest since 2016. This morbid trend has raised questions about the government’s roles and responsibilities in protecting workers’ rights and safety. In an attempt to prevent similar incidents from happening, the Ministry of Manpower has imposed a 6-month period of heightened safety, forcing companies to assure the wellbeing of their workers. But how effective will this measure be, given the state’s lax oversight of this industry? (Photo: Shutterstock.com)

26 December 2022 — If Myanmar’s military Junta could have its way, democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi will live out the rest of her days in jail — and with her sham trial entering its final phase, this may very well pan out. Still, supporters and believers continue to clamor for her release. Though the 77-year-old Nobel laureate is kept hidden from the public eye, the dissent and outcry in her name continue and may stoke further unrest (Photo: teera.noisakran/ Shutterstock.com)

19 December 2022 — In an attempt to mitigate the environmental damage of the Tet celebration, Vietnam is deploying groups of sanitation workers to clean up the mess from the 7-day celebration. While a step in the right direction, there is still much more that the government must tackle to make the country environmentally clean and safe. Between 2016 and 2020, the Southeast Asian country diagnosed more than 20,000 cases of lung cancer per year. Meanwhile, waste pollution is slowly killing the Mekong Delta, a central waterway upon which the country’s food production depends. As the year 2023 approaches, Vietnam needs to take serious stock of—and appropriate action for — its environmental health. (Photo: Shutterstock.com)

12 December 2022 — Faith and democracy are put to a test in Muslim-majority Indonesia as the government moves to pass a new criminal code that outlaws sex and cohabitation outside of marriage and further stifle political dissent. Though the current draft appears to have made some concessions from a 2019 version that triggered widespread protests, democracy advocates continue to raise alarms, saying that the new code is a step back for the country. In particular, some of the changes could be overly broad and be used by the state to threaten civil liberties. (Photo: Shutterstock.com)

5 December 2022 — Many Filipinos may well be asking: Until when will the country tolerate a murderous military? The recent killing of peace consultant, activist, and poet Ericson Acosta has sparked a massive outcry from democracy defenders in the Philippines, who bemoan that the armed forces are turning their barrels toward the very people they should be defending. Meanwhile, military officials maintain that Acosta was killed in an armed clash with insurgent forces. As calls for an impartial investigation escalate, the number of activists allegedly killed at the hands of the military is steadily on the rise. (Photo: Kel Malazarte/Shutterstock.com)

21 November 2022 — In Indonesia, people living with disabilities continue to be marginalized, even by institutions that are supposed to stand for them. In the media, for example, they are still referred to as disabled, a label that the community has worked to grow past. Popular narratives about PWDs are also often tokenistic, painting them as helpless or weak. In turn, these reflect the systemic challenges and prejudice that this community faces — a pervasive belief that accessibility is a special privilege afforded to PWDs, rather than what should be the default. (Photo: Paramarta Bari/Shutterstock.com)

14 November 2022 — From the huge excess mortality at the peak of the pandemic to the recent syrup medicine controversy, Indonesia continues to be a perilous country for children’s health. Syrup medicine contaminated with high levels of ethylene glycol and diethylene glycol, both industrial compounds, have left nearly 200 children dead in the Southeast Asian nation, exposing the sorry state of the government’s regulatory checks of pediatric drugs. Meanwhile, with few legal options available, families can do little else aside from mourn. (Photo: Shutterstock.com)

7 November 2022 — The year-end holiday rush used to mean more work — and more income — for Vietnam’s factory workers. But this year, with a noticeable slowdown in orders, factories in Ho Chi Minh city have had to scale back on staffing and overtime hours, often cutting off an important revenue stream for laborers and their families. In the face of income insecurity, workers are being forced to seek part-time opportunities beyond retail and manufacturing — or abandon the sector entirely. Meanwhile, this dip in economic activity could cripple Ho Chi Minh, itself the main economic driver of Vietnam. (Photo: NamLong Nguyen/Shutterstock.com)

24 October 2022 — Cambodia’s Prime Minister has been in power for nearly four decades and, in all that time, he has tried to stamp out both opposition forces and the embers of democracy in the country. But even as he wields the near-full power of the government to achieve his ambitions, even leveling threats against those who associate with lead opposition figure Sam Rainsy, total control over the government remains elusive. The public, too, appears to have their democratic aspirations intact. Despite the state’s strong control over Cambodia’s elections, people still cast their ballots while holding out hope that these will somehow steer their country back to genuine democracy. (Photo: Seth Akmal/Shutterstock.com)

17 October 2022 — The tragic boat accident that took the lives of 11 children who were on their way to school has exposed the sheer incompetence of the Cambodian government to provide even just the bare necessities for its students. Already struggling to return to normalcy after pandemic-related restrictions, the Southeast Asian country’s education sector also continues to be inaccessible to a majority of students, some of whom are forced to endure long, often dangerous commutes for the sake of learning while public authorities appear oblivious to their needs. Image shows students from Kompong Phluk on their way home from school. (Photo: imagestockdesign/Shutterstock.com)

10 October 2022 — Thailand is left in a mournful daze after a single assailant broke into a nursery school, massacred 24 young children, and then took his own life. Because the gunman was a former member of the police force, the incident has sparked calls for greater gun control and has raised questions about police impunity. The shooting has also prompted public discussion about mental health issues and tighter drug control, despite the autopsy finding no trace of illicit substances in the perpetrator’s body. The horrifying murder and these issues are expected to play a central role in the country’s elections next year. (Photo: kan Sangtong/Shutterstock.com)

3 October 2022 — Indonesia has recently been made aware of how weak its cyber-protection is. A spate of recent spyware attacks has hit several senior officials, including the country’s chief economic minster, various military personnel, and diplomats. This, after some 11 million cyberthreats had been reported in the country during the second quarter of this year alone. Meanwhile, authorities have been left at a loss, unable to ensure the cyber-security of its most powerful leaders — let alone the regular Indonesian. Who should take responsibility over the country’s digital security? (Photo: Shutterstock.com)

26 September 2022 — Pushed by harsh economic headwinds, more and more Malaysians fall for dubious online job offers and fall prey to the increasing number of scams. The Malaysian government has recently moved to pass tighter laws to keep these frauds in check and the hunt down the syndicates behind these schemes. But can an administration that’s always on the backfoot win against slippery underground groups with just reactive and passive measures? (Photo: Shutterstock.com)

19 September 2022 — Khieu Samphan, the last living leader of the brutal Pol Pot regime, is looking at a likely denial of his appeal, bringing an end to the decades-long legal saga that bared his complete lack of remorse and atonement for his deeds. But what comes after the gavel hits the block? The Khmer Rouge has left more than 30,000 survivors, all of whom are grappling with the psychological repercussions of genocide. Survivors are also in dire need of financial and medical support, in their efforts to live normal lives. Can the Cambodian government deliver? Image shows a high school room converted into a torture chamber. (Photo: diy13/Shutterstock.com)

12 September 2022 — Fifty years after the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos, Sr declared martial law to keep himself in power, his son and namesake Marcos, Jr has risen to take the Philippine presidency. Now that he’s finally clinched the presidency, different groups fear that the historical distortions glorifying the authoritarian rule of his father may become deeply entrenched beliefs under the new administration. In this scenario, the Marcoses will continue to escape accountability for the billions they stole from the country’s treasury, and erase from national memory the thousands killed and disappeared under martial law, alongside other atrocities.

5 September 2022 — The rule of Myanmar’s military junta is defined not merely by its brutality and intolerance for dissent, but also by its sheer disregard for the people’s wellbeing. The incoming rainy season, along with poor support for the country’s agricultural sector, has severely crippled the yields of rice farmers. This, coupled with the dismal state of the global economy, is bound to impose a tight squeeze on citizens, who as it is already have to deal with hunger. All the while, the junta’s economic leaders show no signs of turning the situation around.

29 August 2022 — The 12-year prison term heaped on Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak may be one of Malaysia’s most crowning moral victories in recent years — but the glory may not last for long. Given Najib’s long political pedigree, whispers of a royal pardon are growing louder and could pave the disgraced PM’s road to release and could set the stage for his political resurgence. In this context, Malaysia’s quest for justice over the 1MDB scandal and widespread corruption during Najib’s rule could prove precarious. (Photo: SL Chin/Shutterstock.com)

22 August 2022 — Singapore has moved to repeal the colonial-era Section 377A of its Penal Code, which will decriminalize sex between men. While definitely a triumph for gender equality activists in the country, the government has also amended its constitution to further enshrine a heteronormative definition of marriage: that it can only occur between one man and one woman. While parties pushing for same-sex marriage can still do so—by securing a simple majority in Parliament—these amendments only highlight how deeply entrenched conservative values are in Singapore.

15 August 2022 — The Philippines’ Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino (KWF; Commission on the Filipino Language) this week moved to ban five books, citing subversive themes. This triggered strong backlash from democracy leaders, advocates, and the general public at large, who fear for the country’s democracy and are wary of a return to dictatorial rule, marked by censorship and the repression of civil liberties. The Philippines’ Commission on Human Rights was quick to flag the KWF’s move as a signal that the Marcos Administration could exploit the controversial anti-terrorism law to stifle freedom of expression. The Commission’s repressive act harks back to an era under Marcos Sr.’s rule that the namesake son is well familiar with.

8 August 2022 — Conservation and livelihood are coming to a head in Indonesia, after the national government hiked the ticket prices to the Komodo and Padar Islands of the Komodo National Park by more than 20 times. Previously costing Rp 200,000 (~USD 14), tickets now go for Rp 3.75 million (~USD 251). The price increase is in line with conservation efforts that seek to limit foot traffic and visitor volume, protecting the endangered lizards from overexposure to humans. But workers in the tourism industry are saying that such a dramatic price hike is likely to drive virtually all tourists away, leaving them with no means to earn a living. (Photo: Ethan Daniels/Shutterstock.com)

1 August 2022 — Vietnam is now suffering from a crucial shortage of health care workers, crippling public health across the country—and by extension, its pandemic response. Citing dismal pay and high workplace pressures, more than 9,000 frontliners have already left state hospitals and clinics and moved to private institutions. Some have even opted to leave the country in search of the proverbial greener pastures. Vietnam’s electronics industry is similarly in dire straits. Employing only overworked and under-skilled laborers, local manufacturers are languishing in the lowest end of the global value chain. (Photo: xuanhuongho/Shutterstock.com)

25 July 2022 — COVID-19 forced years of remote and home-based learning all over the world, but for the Philippines, a country with awful internet, this has led to a nationwide education crisis. A recent World Bank report has found that nine in 10 Filipino kids struggle to read, making the Southeast Asian archipelago one of the leading countries in the region in terms of learning poverty. While reopening the schools could, in theory, help alleviate the crunch, teachers are actually dreading their return to their cramped classrooms. The Alliance of Concerned Teachers has called on the Marcos administration to address concerns of classroom and teacher shortages. (Photo: Joel D. Pinaroc/Shutterstock.com)

18 July 2022 — The current state of global disorder has yielded an unexpected, but no less fatal, consequence on Malaysia. Driven by supply chain disruptions, fluctuations in foreign currency, and mammoth demand, the supply of medicines has run dangerously low in the Southeast Asian nation. This comes at a most unfortunate moment, given the growing number of COVID-19 cases, the incoming flu season, and a mounting need for fever and cough treatments. In turn, the government has been forced to dip into its federal medicine reserves in order to keep even private hospitals and clinics well-stocked. (Photo: Herrieynaha/Shutterstock.com)