3 November 2018 - Dr. Robin Ramcharan analysed the role of youth interaction with religious leaders in constraining religious extremism during a workshop on freedom of religion or belief (FoRB), organised by the Rule of Law Program of the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung and its partners in Singapore, from 29 to 30 October 2018.  He noted analysis worldwide that showed the impact of marginalization and of religious-dissonance on the progression of youth from their regular lives towards extremist thoughts  and sometimes violence. Research has shown that religious leaders can play a vital role in youths’ search for theological consistency in their…

Asia Centre and Monash University co-hosted a roundtable on the Rohingya Crisis on 15 December 2017, which was held at the National Centre for South Asian Studies at Monash. Experts and discussants pondered the causes and the future of the humanitarian efforts, including the November 2017 agreement between Bangladesh and Myanmar for the return of over 700,000 Rohingya to Rakhine State. Whereas the UN and wider international community have responded within constrained parameters, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) appears to be impotent in the face of one of the worse cases of gross and massive violations of human…

The desperate plight of the Rohingya people in Myanmar was raised by the Ambassador of Bangladesh, H.E. Ms. Saida Muna Tasneem during an address at Asia Centre to youth from South Asia and Thailand. As Bangladesh bore the brunt of the influx of refugees, Ambassador Tasneem made an impassioned plea for the world and Southeast Asia to both care about and act resolutely to address the humanitarian crisis in Myanmar, which the international community has called “Ethnic Cleansing”. The United States has also labeled the situation ‘ethnic cleansing’.   It will be recalled that over 600,000 Rohingya refugees have fled…

On Thursday 30 November, Asia Centre participated in the SDG (Sustainable Development Goals) Week organized by UN’s Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific.     This year’s event focused on innovation – integration – inclusiveness and implementing the 2030 agenda for sustainable development in Asia and the Pacific. The SDG Week brought together government organizations, intergovernmental partners and agencies, regional organizations, businesses, think tanks, academia and other stakeholders to engage in discussions on effective implementation of the SDGs.   Throughout the SDG week Asia Centre showcased its work at the Pavilion of Partnerships alongside other social enterprises,…

Four speakers came forward to share their research interests in their respective fields at AsiaCentre's third International Faculty Club (IFC) Night. They spoke on a variety of topics, including niche areas such as on representations of Tibetan Buddhism in contemporary China, women's entrepreneurship and digital technologies and linguistics.   Jingyu (Forrest) Huang, introduced his study on a three-dimensional Buddhist Mandala in Pule Temple, in Chengde, China, and the understandings of these works in contemporary China. He shared his keen interest in the art history of Tibetan Buddhism.  He is a Master’s student at the College of Religious Studies of Mahidol University.   Gender, migration and entrepreneurship was…

Asia Centre is pleased to announce its membership in ADPAN, which works towards abolishing the death penalty in Southeast Asia and beyond, on the occasion of the 15th world anti-death penalty day on October 10, 2017.  Southeast Asia has seen a resurgence in the use of the death penalty in recent years, notably in Malaysia and Singapore. Whereas it has been abolished in the Philippines since 2006, the current government seeks to re-instate its use. Indonesia and Vietnam appear to use this sentence liberally. Moratoria remain in other parts of the region. The right to life is guaranteed under international…