ASEAN Governance: Is there a Role for Civil Society? On 12 October 2016, SEA Junction organized a panel discussion titled “ASEAN Governance: Is There a Role for Civil Society?" in partnership with the Heinrich Böll Stiftung Southeast Asia. More than 70 participants, many of them from Southeast Asia, filled SEA Junction premises at the Bangkok Art and Cultural Centre (BACC) in Bangkok, Thailand to eagerly listen to the speakers and exchange views on the challenge of establishing a more representative governance system for ASEAN as a "people-centered" inter-governmental institution. By Farid Khan and Rosalia Sciortino
Duterte's Rise to Power in the Philippines: Domestic and Regional Implications President Duterte is the most controversial figure in the Philippines today, and arguably in the ASEAN region. He is now President of the Philippines, which chairs ASEAN in 2017. What is in store for the Philippines and for the chairmanship of ASEAN? By Segundo J. E. Romero, Jr.
Region’s human rights watchdogs lack bite Are Southeast Asia’s national human rights institutions protecting anyone? A report by James Gomez and Robin Ramcharan gives a bleak assessment. By James Gomez and Robin Ramcharan
‘Protection’ for low-skilled migrants leads to abuse Real protection of low-skilled migrant workers can only occur if justice is placed at the center of the migration debate. How can protection for low-skilled migrants be achieved when discrimination against them lies at the core of ASEAN’s double standard approach to migration? By Rosalia Sciortino
Understanding Chinese Infrastructure Investment in ASEAN The Executive Summary from Inclusive Development International (IDI)'s report "Making Inroads: Chinese Infrastructure Investment in ASEAN and Beyond," By Inclusive Development International
Making Inroads: Chinese Infrastructure Investment in ASEAN and Beyond Inclusive Development International (IDI) released Making Inroads: Chinese Infrastructure Investment in ASEAN and Beyond, its new report that seeks to shed light on the rapidly changing landscape of infrastructure finance in the region which has been driven by China. By Inclusive Development International
Labour Migration in the ASEAN Region Migrant workers in the Asean Region live and work under inhumane conditions. To improve this situation policies, the migration industry and the accountability of employers must all get a lot more attention. By Ashley William Gois
Movement of People in the ASEAN Region: Nomenclature and Concepts In times of increased ASEAN economic integration the official rhetoric around migration is one of free labour markets, opportunities and exchange. However, there are indications that ASEAN's migration management is in fact a "politics of return". By Sverre Molland
The Political Economy of the ASEAN Regionalisation Process The tension between the imperatives of “market sovereignty” and the entrenched principle of “state sovereignty” of authoritarian oligarchies will define the open-ended tendencies and outcomes of the ongoing regionalisation process in Southeast Asia. By Bonn Juego
Environmental Protection in the Post-2015 ASEAN Economic Community Although ASEAN’s efforts to balance economic growth and environmental sustainability are growing, they are often overshadowed by the group’s economic integration agenda. By Dr. Alexander C. Chandra and Fina Astriana