COVID-19 and Infodemic in Southeast Asia

COVID-19 and Infodemic in Southeast Asia

Download Full Report In the academic article "COVID-19 and Infodemic in Southeast Asia" published in the first issue of Thai Media Fund Journal, Dr. James Gomez and Dr. Robin Ramcharan examine COVID-19 related ‘infodemic’ from 2020 to mid-2021. They take stock of how the 'infodemic' has adversely disrupted access to accurate public health information in Southeast Asia by and assess existing non-legal measures that have been used in response to the infodemic. Strategies reviewed in the article include: information sharing, fact checking, responses of technology companies, quality journalism and media information literacy (MIL) – each with shortcomings of their own. The…

Continue ReadingCOVID-19 and Infodemic in Southeast Asia

Media Freedom in Southeast Asia: Repeal Restrictive Laws, Strengthen Quality Journalism

Media Freedom in Southeast Asia: Repeal Restrictive Laws, Strengthen Quality Journalism

Download Full Report Media Freedom in Southeast Asia: Repeal Restrictive Laws, Strengthen Quality Journalism examines the use of fake news legislation to crack down on legitimate journalistic expression. Seeking to control the flow of information in the online space, governments have enacted these laws to monitor and control the internet infrastructure over which information critical or unflattering of the government can be disseminated. The laws contain vaguely-worded provisions penalising the act of spreading disinformation or information that authorities consider harmful to national security, public order and social harmony. While the negative dimensions of online content are of concern, the increased…

Continue ReadingMedia Freedom in Southeast Asia: Repeal Restrictive Laws, Strengthen Quality Journalism

Business and Human Rights in Southeast Asia: Developing National Action Plans

Business and Human Rights in Southeast Asia: Developing National Action Plans

Download full report AbstractThis work examines the progress made in Southeast Asia towards developing National Action Plans (NAPs) on Business and Human Rights (BHR). A decade after the adoption of the United Nations Guiding Principles (UNGPs) on Business and Human Rights, has there been an uptake in NAPs in the region? What are the various NAPs development processes and platforms across the region? Have all stakeholders been consulted? What are the obstacles to deepening the NAPs processes and the BHR agenda in the region? This work finds that: 1) An initial grudging uptake by States has engendered a cascade in…

Continue ReadingBusiness and Human Rights in Southeast Asia: Developing National Action Plans

COVID-19 and Democracy in Southeast Asia

COVID-19 and Democracy in Southeast Asia

Download Full Report ABSTRACT COVID-19 and Democracy in Southeast Asia: Building Resilience, Fighting Authoritarianism examines trends under which Southeast Asian governments have used crises as opportunities for their political advantage. This report, centred around the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), highlights the routine response from governments with the announcement of emergency decrees and laws, suspension of civil freedoms, corruption of electoral democracy, censorship, digital surveillance measures, and framing human rights activists as national security threats. Post- crises, governments then enact long term laws and policies that effectively shrink civic space. Their methods also include limiting media and journalists’ watchdog activities through…

Continue ReadingCOVID-19 and Democracy in Southeast Asia

Hate Speech in Southeast Asia

Hate Speech in Southeast Asia

Download Full Report ABSTRACT Hate speech, often disseminated online, is increasingly a problem in Southeast Asia with consequences of violence and communal strife. As a result, several countries in Southeast Asia such as Singapore, Malaysia, Myanmar and Thailand have introduced or are revising bills aimed at securing social, racial or religious harmony. Non-legal measures to foster social cohesion, interfaith dialogues and social harmony activities have also been used to address hate speech and promote cross-communal understandings. A majority of states in Southeast Asia have also signed the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD) to…

Continue ReadingHate Speech in Southeast Asia

Call for Chapter Proposals

Call for Chapter Proposals

Call for Chapter ProposalsFake News and Elections in South AsiaBOOK PROJECTProposal to Established PublisherSouth Asia has not been spared the scourge of fake news that has spread globally in the social media era. Strategic exploitation of fake news negatively affects fact-based democratic discourse and the conduct of elections, the most basic indicator of governmental legitimacy. At election-time disinformation and misinformation exact a toll on democracy, especially in contexts of low-literacy.The central theme of this book is on disinformation, fake news, hoaxes and foreign influence operations immediately prior to and during elections that have taken place in South Asia since 2016.…

Continue ReadingCall for Chapter Proposals

Call for Chapter Proposals

Call for Chapter Proposals

Call for Chapter ProposalsFake News and Elections in East AsiaBOOK PROJECTProposal to Established PublisherAsia Centre invites high quality proposals for chapters of a forthcoming book on Fake News and Elections in East Asia. Interested authors may submit a title, an abstract of 300 words (max), 5 keywords and a bio of 100 words (max) per author for consideration. The central theme that chapters must focus on is disinformation, fake news and foreign influence operations immediately prior to and during elections that have taken place in the years 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020 in East Asia. Chapters on Japan, Hong…

Continue ReadingCall for Chapter Proposals

Call for Chapter Proposals

Call for Chapter Proposals

Call for Chapter ProposalsFake News and Elections in Indonesia: The Politics of IdentityBOOK PROJECTProposal to Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan  Asia Centre invites high quality proposals for chapters of a forthcoming book on Fake News and Elections in Indonesia: The Politics of Identity. Interested authors may submit a title, an abstract of 300 words (max) and bio of 100 word (max) for consideration. The central theme that chapters must focus on is disinformation, hoaxes and fake news immediately prior to and during the presidential elections of 2019. Authors are recommended to make comparisons to the 2014 presidential elections and to also discuss the post-2019…

Continue ReadingCall for Chapter Proposals

Business and Human Rights in Asia: Duty of The State to Protect

Business and Human Rights in Asia: Duty of The State to Protect

Buy Now Abstract In this book the authors examine the State’s duty to protect human rights in Asia amidst rising concern over the human rights impact of business organisations in Asia. States in the region have recently begun to consider the need for rules and policies in this area. This work examines the upswing in interest in business and human rights (BHR). It focuses on the duty of the State in the region to uphold their existing obligations, which has hitherto been understudied. It examines a range of inter-connected issues: the advent of international standards, the UN Guiding Principles on…

Continue ReadingBusiness and Human Rights in Asia: Duty of The State to Protect