Southeast Asia

While media reports have highlighted increases of reported domestic violence in countries around the world due to the lockdown stresses, the situation is unclear in Thailand. Although many women in Thailand seek out services from non-government organizations, there is widespread belief that a large number of abused women here suffer in silence.

Before COVID-19, seafarers were sought out by family, friends and community members, bearing presents and money, when they came home. But amid the pandemic, returnees have become suspect to their own communities, who see them as outsiders who potentially bear an unseen, dangerous pathogen.

Now that Malaysia has moved from MCO to a ‘conditional MCO’ to a ‘recovery MCO’, life is getting back to some kind of normal. But as Dr Jemilah warned, society must understand we can never return to the "old normal". "That innocent and simple pre-COVID-19 world is in the past," she said. We can't think of "after the pandemic" as it is here to stay. We have to think about how to live with COVID-19.

From all indications, Vietnam has succeeded in managing the pandemic, an achievement that has drawn a lot of news coverage, some envy by countries in Asia and beyond, and praise from international organizations. But while there has been much analysis from outside about Vietnam’s response to the pandemic, what do Vietnamese themselves think?

Across the banks of the Mekong River, by the sprawling grounds by the majestic Royal Palace, Cambodians are sitting on the grass or strolling about, sipping coffee outside the cafes that line the riverfront, as motorcycles and ‘tuktuk’ zip by. Traffic on Phnom Penh’s roads is returning to pre-COVID-19 levels of congestion. Many are heading to coastal provinces to reconnect with friends and family.

The recent shutdown of broadcast giant ABS-CBN is but one of the pieces of mounting evidence—arguably the most damning—of how fragile the state of media freedom in the Philippines has become under President Rodrigo Duterte.

Two months ago, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 as a pandemic with 4,801,202 cases and more than 318,935 deaths as a result of the coronavirus as of current writing. The last few months have been daunting with COVID-19 almost paralyzed the entire world with various countries putting different areas under their jurisdiction in lockdowns.

Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) has been established in Southeast Asia for over 40 years. Each ASEAN Member State, with the exception of Singapore, has a formal and legally binding system of environmental impact assessment for major project that may have a significant environmental or social impact.

Most plants rely on animal pollinators for reproduction, especially in the tropics where an estimated 94% of flowering plant species require pollinators. However, pollinator populations have been declining worldwide, and two of the main factors driving pollinator declines include habitat loss and pesticide use. The good news is that anyone and everyone can help these important animals simply by making their yard landscaping more pollinator-friendly.

On 24 February, Mahathir Mohamad, the 7th prime minister of Malaysia resigned unexpectedly followed by a week-long political fiasco in the form of ‘betrayal’ with lawmakers jumping ship to one another. On 25 February, the prime minister of Timor-Leste, Taur Matan Ruak sent a letter of resignation dated 24 February to the president, Francisco “Lu-Olo” Guterres