From 24 to 26 August 2022, Asia Centre convened its 7th International Conference: ‘Freedom of Expression in Asia’. Following the relaxation of COVID-19 restrictions, participants and panellists flew from different regions to join the Conference held at the Radisson Blu Plaza Hotel, Bangkok. Meanwhile, those who could not join in-person due to travel and health advisories participated remotely via Zoom.Into its 7th year, Asia Centre’s annual conference continues to grow with the 2022 Conference having 16 partners: Taiwan Foundation for Democracy; Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom, Thailand; Embassy of Switzerland in Thailand; Google Asia Pacific; International Development Research Centre (IDRC);…

Asia Centre will consolidate its research work under a new Hub, as the team expands to publish more books, baseline studies, policy papers, and opinion pieces. Part of this work will involve making submissions to the UN, following the granting, in 2021, the UN’s ECOSOC Special Consultative Status. The Research Hub, housed in a 131 sqm office on the 20th floor of the Chamnan Phenjati Business Center, and located 200m away from Rama 9 MRT Station, has a mixture of open working spaces and meeting rooms. Fitted with the latest video-conferencing technology, the Hub will enable the Asia Centre Team…

The ongoing war in Ukraine has accelerated several key challenges to the ASEAN-European Union (EU) relationship. These challenges include the EU’s unclear role in mediating the great power relationship in the wider Indo-Pacific region, a difference in approach towards regional integration, trade negotiations hampered by the political contexts of ASEAN states, and non-aligned over human rights issues that prevented the deepening of relationships. Despite these challenges, there is a desire within both regions to work towards maintaining and strengthening this strategic partnership. This was the primary sentiment that emerged from the conference “ASEAN-EU Relations in light of the War in Ukraine”, co-convened…

Increased internet use by Thai citizens for political expression and mobilisation gave rise to the implementation in 2007 and the later amendment in 2017 of the Computer Crime Act (CCA). In the name of national security and public order, the Act has been used to prosecute internet users placing their digital rights at risk.Asia Centre’s Researcher Korbkusol Neelapaichit made these opening remarks during the report launch of “Thailand’s Computer Crime Act: Restricting Digital Rights, Silencing Online Critic”, jointly published with EngageMedia and supported by The International Center for Not-for-Profit Law (ICNL). Korbukusol then went on to highlight the key concerns…

“Harmony laws”, while well-intentioned, their implementation has inevitably led to the spread of hate speech directed at minorities in Southeast Asia. This is primarily due to the use of these laws against ethnic-religious minorities and those seen as a threat to the majority group.  This was the finding that Asia Centre’s Regional Director, Dr.James Gomez, highlighted in his keynote speech delivered at the 14th Doha Interfaith Conference titled “Religion and Hate Speech: Between Scriptures and Practice” which took place on 24-25 May 2022 in Doha, Qatar. His speech, based on his conference paper, titled “Legislating Hate Speech in Southeast Asia: Impacts…

A range of electoral reforms are needed if multiparty democracy is to take root in Southeast Asia. Reforms related to electoral laws, the media, independence of election management boards and the voting age formed the broad suite of ideas that emerged from speakers of the parallel session “Multiparty Democracy in Southeast Asia” during the 2022 Gwangju Democracy Forum convened by Asia Centre.Co-convened with the May 18 Foundation – a South Korean organisation founded in commemoration of the May 18 Uprising – the 19 May 2022 online event was as part of the Gwangju Democracy Forum, an annual international conference held…

Giving effect to its 5-year strategic plan to 2027, to step up its engagement with UN human rights mechanisms and international organisations, Asia Centre undertook an outreach mission to Geneva, Switzerland during April 2022.This mission stems from the Centre’s continuous growth over the past seven years which has seen it achieve the following:Recognition as a research institute in the regional and Thai landscape on democracy, rights and geopolitical issues,Establishment of a branch in Malaysia,Production of seminal, policy-oriented knowledge products on democracy and human rights in the region,Building networks across the region on critical issues (business and human rights, freedom of…

Disinformation, and lots over it over social media, was the predicted winner of the 2022 Philippines Presidential Elections. This was the sentiment of speakers and respondents as well as the results of 2 online polls on 3 May 2022 during an event to commemorate World Press Freedom Day. Entitled, “2022 Philippines Presidential Election: Fake Accounts, Bots, and Trolls”, Asia Centre, in collaboration with the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom Southeast and East Asia convened a roundtable discussion to assess the impact of social media on mainstream media and election campaigning. (Watch the TikTok here, the event video here,  and see…