Myanmar

Political transition in Myanmar from a military to a civilian government holds the promise of opening up political spaces to previously marginalized groups. However, the dividend of the country’s democratization process seems to be still far off for the LGBTI community.

On 31 October 2016, the Institute of Security and International Studies (ISIS Thailand) organized the Public Forum titled “What’s AIIB All About? China, Asia and A Contested Global Order” in cooperation with Heinrich Böll Stiftung Southeast Asia (hbs) and Chulalongkorn University. The event hosted speakers from a variety of backgrounds to comment on the report “Making Inroads: Chinese Infrastructure Investment in ASEAN and Beyond” by IDI.

Are Southeast Asia’s national human rights institutions protecting anyone? A report by James Gomez and Robin Ramcharan gives a bleak assessment.

In early 2015 the Thai military government announced to establish various Special Economic Zones in border areas. There, the military uses its absolute powers to secure disputed plots for investment.

“One of the major challenges for Burma is the rushing economic wave as the country is seen as Asian last frontier for business. This creates another gold-rush manner where foreign businesses are rushing to come in to seize opportunities in particular on natural resources extraction,“ said Khin Ohmar, a Myanmar Human Rights Activist from Burma Partnership.

The TAZ, the German Federal Foreign Office and HBF coorganised a workshop for 9 Myanmar journalists in Berlin 2014. Myanmar Times covered the trip.

In March 2014 a conference was held to show the outcome of the capacity building program on Participatory and Indigenous Natural Resource Management.

To enable local journalists from Myanmar to study media landscapes and media practices abroad, in November 2013 ten journalists went on an exposure trip to Germany.

At least since the “energy-protests” of May 2012, Myanmar’s strategy of exporting energy to its neighboring countries came under heavy criticism by its own population. Yet while the contested Myitsone hydropower dam on the confluence of the Irrawaddy River was suspended by President Thein Sein due to public pressure, several other big hydropower dams are still being under construction on the Salween River in Myanmar’s eastern border areas with the support of Thai investors.

During the 3rd International Conference on International Relations and Development (ICIRD 2013) entitled “Beyond Borders: Building a Regional Commons in Southeast Asia”which took place on 21-23 August 2013 at Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand the Heinrich Böll Stiftung (hbs) organized a workshop on Indigenous Peoples’ natural resource management and the creativity of Indigenous Knowledge and the Natural Commons.