Freedom of Expression A Fundamental Right
Academic, press and internet freedoms are a cluster of rights that form freedom of expression. To realise these rights, one must have access to accurate information and be able to express an opinion across platforms of one’s choice. This is a fundamental right and we can not allow it to be diluted by authoritarian governments who are increasingly challenging the universality of rights. To unpack these issues, Asia Centre, together with the May 18 Memorial Foundation, co-convened a panel, “Freedom of Expression and Democracy in Asia”. The event was held as part of the Gwangju Democracy Forum, and was hosted online and live-streamed over social media on 20 May 2021. Imperative that all categories of freedom of expression are recognised, Dr. James Gomez, Regional Director at Asia Centre, in his opening remarks highlighted academic, press and internet freedoms as forming a cluster of rights that make up freedom of expression. Presenting data from East, South and Southeast Asia, he pointed that scores in one area of freedom often tend to mirror scores in other areas and a deterioration of one freedom affects other freedoms in the cluster. Speaking about developments following the February 2021 Myanmar coup, Khin Mai Aung, an Advisory Board Member at Asia Centre, in a video recording, presented on the state of internet freedoms. She stated that social media has come under attack by the military junta, which sought to control the flow of information through internet shutdowns and throttling internet speeds. In response, the people are using encrypted channels of communication to bypass censorship. Given the ability of the people to adapt, she was hopeful that their resilience will ensure the military junta is overcome. Against the backsliding of democracy and human rights in Thailand, Yawee Butrkrawee, Programme Coordinator at Asia Centre discussed the state of freedom of expression in the country. He pointed out the culture of self-censorship, resulting from the attack of ultra-conservative groups on university staff and students, choice of news by major media outlets, manipulation of social media by the military, and legal threats by cabinet members, is a major inhibitor of freedom of expression. In a strong show of resistance, student-activists and the youth are engaged in a push back to reclaim and secure a civic space where free and open discussion can take place. Speaking on media regulation in Pakistan, Umar Bacha, award-winning journalist from Dawn, discussed the increased use of the law to silence criticisms against the government and military. Citing closures of media organisations, retrenchment of journalists, and increased control of social media, he emphasised how such laws target both traditional and new digital forms of media are worsening the state of media freedom in the country. Umar believes this challenge can be overcome if media outlets continue to train journalists to be better aware of legislation, and how to produce effective journalism without fear. An independent researcher from Taiwan, Lilly MC Lee analysed China’s increasing role in instigating information warfare in her home country and broadly in Asia. In Taiwan, the government had enacted a National Security Law, introduced a nationwide media literacy programme and encouraged the establishment of fact-checking groups to mitigate this problem. She said, despite China’s attempts to enhance its international position through the proliferation of fake news, a blend of laws and non-legal measures can be used to respond to China’s information warfare. In this way, freedom of speech can be defended and a democratic world order maintained. Pulling the discussion together, Dr. Robin Ramcharan, Executive Director at Asia Centre, emphasised the need to understand all dimensions of freedoms of expression. Protection of all forms of expression is vital, for the encroachment on rights of a singular facet creates an overall deterioration; realisation of this is key. He cautioned that authoritarian regimes are using economic progress as a justification to infringe upon human rights. In this regard, individuals have a significant role in protecting and advocating for their personal freedom of expression. The Gwangju Democracy Forum is the third in a series of democracy forums where Asia Centre has presented its work on freedom of expression. The previous ones included the Tokyo Democracy Forum on 16 February 2021 and the Kathmandu Democracy Forum on 6 November 2020. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g6cAEnYhTwE&list=PLy6qU5BKTny0QKVZFd9Hua5A2EYkXaUt6&index=10
Innovation Important to Overcome Media Hurdles
Media in the region are facing challenges both in terms of state censorship and financial sustainability. However, in almost all circumstances, innovation and improvisation were key to overcome these hurdles. “Celebrating Journalism: Reporting Without Fear” was held on 4 May 2021 to mark World Press Freedom Day. The event was organised in partnership with Asia Centre and Friedrich Naumann Foundation, with speakers from Internews, EFDEA and Taiwan Foundation for Democracy networks. The event was hosted online and live-streamed over social media (watch here). Frederic Spohr, Head of FNF Thailand and Myanmar, Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom, in his opening remarks stated that many journalists and news organisations are under increasing pressure from governments and state-backed actors worldwide. Despite this, transparent and reliable journalism is still on the rise due to the ease of information sharing provided by the internet and through citizens’ group commitment for freedom of expression. Sao Phal Niseiy, editor-in-chief from Cambodianess, outlined how the COVID-19 lockdown of Cambodia in 2021 reduced the ability of news companies to report on current events. Instead, the pandemic has perpetuated government propaganda as only state sponsored media are allowed to move between regions, reducing journalistic integrity within the country. However, Cambodians do value transparent news sources as they provide a platform which they can trust in order to stay safe from the virus. Hence, there is a role for independent journalists and media companies to play. In Myanmar, citizens participating in the civil disobedience movement and the journalists there are deeply intertwined with the media. Commenting on the 1 February 2021 coup, Dr. Lisa Brooten, an Associate Professor in the College of Mass Communication and Media Arts at Southern Illinois University, said the military junta want total control over the media to legitimise themselves. Nonetheless, the use of social media platforms, creative citizen journalism, and the general populace’s commitment to democratic values, has caused the censorship and propaganda drives by the junta to fail. Speaking about Thailand, Chiranuch Premchaiporn, a former director of Prachatai, made the point that journalists are integral in the fight for freedom of expression, as they record events and have the ability to hold the government accountable. However, journalists face a constant decision between safety and quality coverage of current affairs. She enumerated examples of incidents where journalists have put themselves in danger during the student protest crackdowns in Thailand. She shared a quote from an imprisoned Prachatai journalist; “people and press are freedom partners”, citizens and journalists have to join hands together to guarantee freedom, true journalism means speaking up despite the risks. Daniel Marchette, General Manager of Southeast Asia Globe, discussed the challenges of sustainable business operations for small media outlets. He said that COVID-19 had accelerated the existing trends affecting the media industry. Smaller local news outlets relying on advertising and sponsorship, and those that are struggling to or haven’t made the transition to digital media, have been hardest hit. This has the potential to exacerbate the trend of acquisition of smaller media outlets, leading to a higher concentration of information sources, and fewer perspectives being shared as a result. Sonny Krishnan, Internews’ Regional Humanitarian Advisor COVID-19, pulled together the key points from speakers. He said, despite much negativity surrounding the state of the region alongside an overall fall in the press freedom index within Southeast Asia, there is hope. We can see this in how citizen journalists innovate and continue the critical reporting necessary to promote real awareness of ongoing events. Measures being taken by governments would not work without community support. Against a backdrop of an overall rise in authoritarianism already taking place in Southeast Asia, limiting media freedoms, COVID-19 has aided in accelerating this decline. Yet the pandemic has also brought to light the value that free media can offer in providing a platform people can turn to for reliable information, to keep them safe, and expose mismanagement by governments. Asia Centre works on issues related to freedom of expression. If you like to collaborate with the Centre on evidence-based research, co-coveneing activities or other projects. Send an expression of interest to contact@asiacentre.org https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzM6eMOJmGc
Academic Freedoms Deteriorate As Autocracy Strengthens in Asia
Academic freedoms in Asia have deteriorated as autocracy strengthens across the region. However, in building resilience and fostering change, academic, press and internet freedoms need to be considered together as they form a cluster of rights that collectively make up freedom of expression. This was the thrust of the interventions by speakers from Thailand, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Indonesia on 21 April 2021 when Asia Centre hosted the webinar, “Under Attack: Academic Freedoms in Asia”. The event, which attracted over 150 participants and live-streamed over social media (watch here), was co-hosted with Lund University’s Centre for East and South-East Asian Studies, Scholars at Risk network, EFDEA and Taiwan Foundation for Democracy . In his opening remarks, Asia Centre’s Regional Director James Gomez made a reference to studies showing the current state of academic freedoms in the East, South and Southeast Asia regions and countries. He said while press freedoms and internet freedoms are widely discussed, academic freedom is one of the less discussed dimensions of freedom of expression which the webinar seeks to address. Bencharat Sae-Chua, a lecturer from the Institute of Human Rights and Peace Studies at Mahidol University, commented that in Thailand the challenge to academic freedom comes from the ultra conservative elements of society. Royalists and other conservative groups are increasingly acting as vigilantes and attacking academics and students, who they view as being anti-monarchy. As a result, academic work and activities are monitored and these groups actively lobby universities and higher education authorities to expel the students and staff. In Indonesia, Herlambang Wiratraman, a Senior Lecturer of the Department of Constitutional Law, Faculty of Law at Airlangga University and a member of the Indonesian Caucus for Academic Freedom (KIKA) said, the attacks there mainly come from government officials. The last 5 years have seen a rise in the attack on academics and campuses, by government officials who lack an understanding of academic freedom and they are doing so with impunity. In order to respond to this situation, academics are banding together in groups and associations for mutual support and safety. Mubashar Hasan from Western Sydney University said that in South Asia such attacks come from academics and students who have different values and increasingly form the majority at many institutions of higher learning. Using examples from Bangladesh, India and Pakistan, he validated his points to show instances where progressive academics were attacked, sometimes with the support of religious groups, for their activities. As a result, academics and students can no longer be seen as being drivers of democratic transition or that pluralistic democracy can be nurtured at universities. Charles Chong-Han Wu, an associate professor of the Department of Diplomacy, National Chengchi University, said while there is academic freedom in Taiwan, there is a new challenge: the increased commercialization of higher education. This comes from Taiwan’s push to move up in the world university’s ranking which has compelled the government to encourage universities to prioritise and support research that are published in top-notch journals. This means academics now have less choices in terms of the type of research they want to do and where they can publish. Fu Hualing, a Professor at the Faculty of Law, The University of Hong Kong, pointed to the National Security Law in Hong Kong as the main challenge to academic freedom in the city-state. He said universities are trying to cope with the law while maintaining the spirit of dissent. He said that staff and students need to navigate the law’s prohibition as well as engage in dialogue between the university, student bodies and law enforcement agencies. In doing so, he was optimistic that academic freedom in Hong Kong can be maintained. Karin Zackari from Centre for East and Southeast Asian Studies and Scholars at Risk, Lund University, Sweden pulled the discussion together. She said that the deterioration of academic freedom around the world coincides with a decline in fundamental freedoms such as freedom of expression. As some rights are often defined by their universality and interdependence, a violation of one is bound to have impacts on another. In other words, the attacks on academic freedom is but a reflection of political repression broadly occurring globally. The webinar provided an opportunity to review and discuss the challenges to academic freedom in East, South and Southeast Asia. It was clear that the global backsliding of democracy has had an impact on academic freedoms. Asia Centre works on issues related to freedom of expression. If you like to collaborate with the Centre on evidence-based research, co-coveneing activities or other projects. Send an expression of interest to contact@asiacentre.org
Inequality Sharpens During Pandemic
Inequality sharpened during the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly among vulnerable communities in Asia. This was the principal theme in the stories of the 10 finalists which they shared during the 2020-21 Journalism for an Equitable Asia Award. You can watch the event here. Top 10 journalists from Asia, whose articles made it to the final round, wrote how the economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic affected workers in the informal sector. Already struggling under normal times, factory workers, home-based workers, sex workers, street vendors, transport workers—many of whom are women—suffered job losses and income deprivation leading to hardships. Already leading precarious lives, the vulnerable became more vulnerable as they borrowed money at high-interest rates from loan sharks or fell victim to scams run by bogus job placement agencies. In almost all these stories, governments were looked upon to provide support and relief which oftentimes was slow, intermittent or simply not forthcoming. In its second year, the Award received over 100 nominations filed by journalists based in Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. The award is to recognise journalists whose articles highlight the issue of inequality in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic in Asia The Award ceremony, which was held both in-person and live-streamed over social media, was attended by journalists, media academics, civil society actors, and others from Asia and beyond. Lan Mercado, Oxfam in Asia, Regional Director, in her opening remarks, said that in Asia’s narrative the emphasis has always been on economic progress, yet the region is a place where 2/3 of the working poor live and eke out a living. COVID-19 has unfortunately escalated the problem, pushing people into extreme poverty and women have suffered disproportionately. Hence, she said, the work of journalists highlighting issues of inequality are very important. Dr. Robin Ramcharan, Executive Director, Asia Centre, in his opening remark, spoke about the quality of journalism. He noted that journalism standards have dropped over the years in part due to user generated content over social media. There is also increased distrust of the mainstream media due to sensationalism and politicisation. Initiatives such as Journalism for an Equitable Asia Award can encourage the writing of fact-based articles which in turn can help improve and reinforce quality journalism. This year, the top 3 prize winners and top 10 journalists received cash awards and certificates. All ten finalists received a $US 1,000 base award, while the top three prize winners received an additional $US 1,000 (1st Prize), $US 750 (2nd Prize), and $US 500 (3rd Prize) respectively. Krixia Subingsubing and Mariejo S. Ramos from the Philippines jointly clinched the first prize. Co-authors, their article, “Lockdown-weary jeepney sector faces Dec. 31 deadline” highlights the struggle of Jeepney drivers during the COVID-19 pandemic amidst pressures to modernise their vehicles. In a two part story, the authors narrate the financial hardships Jeepney drivers face and highlight calls for the government to do more in terms of subsidies and job security. The second prize went to Pakistani journalist, Umar Bacha, for his article “Braving hostile terrains and attitudes, the women at the heart of KP’s Covid-19 battle”. In the piece, he writes that Lady Health Workers (LHW) did receive salaries regularly while still being called upon to provide health care support in the rural mountainous area during the pandemic. The article urges the government to regularise LHWs, pay them a pension and not to deploy them for non-health care activities. Vietnamese journalists, Pham Thi Thu Ngan and Pham Thi Song Mai, secured the third prize for their series of articles, “Shirts faded from pandemic and invisible labor”. These articles capture how COVID-19 affected factory jobs and employment for young people resulting in income loss and hardship. These stories also expose the underbelly of “job brokers” who cheat and scam people for money in the false hope of finding them employment. In closing, Dr. James Gomez, Regional Director of Asia Centre, congratulated the finalists and praised all journalists who highlight the issue of inequality in their work. He said that as countries turn to vaccination, the inequitable distribution of vaccines amidst its scarcity will become an issue. Dr. Gomez said the work of journalists reporting on this issue would be important in the months ahead. Asia Centre and Oxfam in Asia, will begin preparations to announce the nominations for 2021-2022 Journalism for an Equitable Asia Award. We hope to receive your nominations soon and see you at the next award ceremony! If you want to know about the previous 2019-2020 Journalism for an Equitable Asia Award, you can watch it here and read about it here.
Getting To The Other Side of the Myanmar Coup
Asia Centre’s webinar, “Law and Lawlessness: Myanmar Coup and Human Rights” on 11 March 2021 discussed the 1 February 2021 Myanmar military coup. The event attracted over 88 participants and gathered over 1,000 views during its live-streaming (watch here). The one and a half hours discussion centred on strategies of “getting to the other side” – that is, end the protracted violence. Thereafter, assuming the military gives in and is cooperative, initiate an inclusive political process to draft a new constitution. This whole process of “getting to the other side” might take 10 to 15 years, if not longer. Asia Centre’s Regional Director, Dr. James Gomez opened the event by outlining the key developments in the 39 days preceding. He said to date international sanctions were limited in their effectiveness, Asian governments were rhetoric heavy and that the Myanmar people were being left very much on their own against the military. Given this situation, Dr. Gomez said the webinar was organised to raise awareness, gather expert opinion and find ideas for “getting to the other side”. The first speaker Khin Mai Aung, a lawyer and member of the Burmese diaspora, suggested inclusiveness as an approach. Drawing from previous lessons in Myanmar’s political history, she provided examples how the minority voices contributed to solutions for Myanmar. Although, the voices of Myanmar’s ethnic minorities are not much talked about, their voices can help create a vision to move beyond the current impasse. In this regard, the NLD party can play an inclusive role by bringing together Myanmar’s minorities to build a new national vision. The second speaker was Andrew Harding, a constitutional law expert from the National University of Singapore. He discussed the need for a new constitution that does not serve the interest of the military. The previous constitution did precisely the opposite and that’s why the military junta used the constitution as a justification. The Tatmadaw (Myanmar military) proclaimed the situation as an emergency and grabbed power. Dr. Harding pointed out that the actions of the military junta are actually illegal and should be clearly recognised as a coup. Hence, any new constitution should aim to avoid a similar situation from arising. Saul Takahashi, Professor of Human Rights and Peace Studies, Osaka Jogakuin University, was the third speaker. He analysed how countries, that associated with Myanmar, were responding to the situation. Taking the case of Japan, which is a major development aid donor, he pointed out, was clearly deficient on the human rights side. Instead, he highlighted that Japan described the coup as an emergency and that was not helpful. From this point of view, Japan should take action and stand on the side of human rights. The fourth speaker, Katherine Southwick, Atrocity Prevention Advisor, at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum discussed the role of the international community. She said what is happening in Myanmar, resonates all over the world. Hence, the international community needs to come together and target the military junta. However, this needs to happen quickly. If the situation of violence continues unchecked in Myanmar, it will be harder for the international community to intervene. The final speaker was Raïss Tin Maung, Founder and board chair, Rohingya Human Rights Network. He said, while the Rohingyas were not able to participate in the protests on the ground due to risks, he felt that Rohingyas abroad, including those in the camps in Cox’s Bazar can support the protest through pledging solidarity. He highlighted that as long as the Rohingyas are welcome as citizens of Myanmar they will be willing to contribute towards building a new Myanmar. Asia Centre’s Executive Director, Dr. Robin Ramcharan, wrapped up the event by pulling together the ideas from the panelists and participants together on how to “get to the other side”. He particularly pointed out there are challenges about being united in the struggle and that solutions for Myanmar may take a long time due to the politics of the global order. He also said that multicultural federalism might be the way to be inclusive but whether this could be politically feasible within Myanmar remains to be seen. The webinar was co-convened by the Asia Centre and Taiwan Foundation for Democracy. It is part of a series of activities on Myanmar that includes interviews with the media (watch Dr. James Gomez on ABC Australia) , writing commentaries (read Myanmar’s troubles signal erosion of democracy in Southeast Asia) and undertaking evidence-based reports such as the “Myanmar Coup and Internet Shutdowns” If you are interested in partnering with Asia Centre on any of these activities do email us at contact@asiacentre.org
Asia Centre and Oxfam Announce 2020-21 Journalism Award Finalists
Asia Centre and Oxfam in Asia are pleased to announce the finalists for the 2020-21 Journalism For an Equitable Asia Award. As thought leaders and creators, journalists have the skills and voice to expose social issues of the challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic in Asia such as inequality, poverty and dysfunctional governance. Journalism for an Equitable Asia Award, co-hosted by Asia Centre and Oxfam in Asia aims to recognize them and encourage more journalists to write for a fairer Asia. Here are the finalists: Umar Bacha is a young journalist from Shangla, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in Pakistan. Currently associated with Dawn media group as a district reporter, previously he worked at the Express Tribune, Express news Tv and Aaj tv. Primarily, he is interested in reporting on human rights, education, tourism, and health. Read his article: “Braving hostile terrains and attitudes, the women at the heart of KP’s Covid-19 battle” here. Marwaan Macan-Markar is a Sri Lankan journalist who reported from the frontlines of the South Asian nation’s ethnic conflict for national newspapers in the 1990s. He then left for Mexico to write for an international news agency that covered the Global South. He has reported on political turmoil, human rights violations, poverty and inequality, economic change, natural disasters, and health pandemics in Latin America, Africa and Asia. He now covers Southeast Asia and South Asia for Nikkei Asia, a Tokyo-based publication. Read his article: “Thailand’s economic ‘death by a thousand cuts’ sows desperation” here. Mark Z. Saludes is a Manila-based writer and documentary photographer whose works focus mainly on social injustices, human rights, the environment, indigenous people, and the climate crisis. He is a reporter for the Catholic news site, LiCAS.news, and a contributing journalist to various international and national media entities. Human Rights Watch, a New York-based rights organization commissioned Mark to document child labor in the small-scale mining industry in the northern Philippine region of Bicol, which was published in September 2015 worldwide. He is currently working on an investigative reporting that tackles the condition of human rights in the country. Read his article: “Pandemic worsens situation of young mothers in conflict areas” here. Zofeen T. Ebrahim is a Karachi-based independent journalist who has written extensively on the environment, water, energy, climate change, women’s reproductive health, child rights, minority rights, labour rights, women’s work and empowerment. She contributes regularly to Pakistan’s largest national English daily (Dawn) as well as several international media organisations (IPS, The Guardian, The Third Pole and the Thomson Reuters Foundation to name a few). She strives to find links between issues like water scarcity, depletion of natural resources, loss of biodiversity, agriculture, sea pollution, renewable energy and climate change and how these issues impact communities. Read her article: “‘Moving mountains’: How Pakistan’sinvisible’ women won workers’ rights” here. Chandrani Sinha is an independent multimedia journalist, currently based in Guwahati Assam India. She has been reporting stories from Northeast India for 9 years. Currently, she contributes to both Indian and international media organizations. She intensively works on climate change in conflict areas, the environment, and sustainable development along with other human interest stories. She also covers the eastern corridor of India along with all the North-Eastern states. She is also the editor and founder of Badalta Northeast, a website dedicated to climate change sustainable development and solution journalism from NE. Read her article: “Climate refugees stripped of citizenship in Assam” here. Edoardo Liotta is a Singapore-raised and Southeast Asia-based journalist currently with RICE Media. At RICE, and in the past with VICE, Edoardo has penned stories about underprivileged groups across the region, focusing on the LGBTQ community, ex-offenders, migrant workers and sex workers. Read his article: “For Trans Women In Singapore, Appealing To High Beauty Standards Is A Matter Of Survival” here. Krixia Subingsubing, 25, is a journalist from the Manila-based broadsheet Philippine Daily Inquirer, the largest newspaper in the Philippines. She is currently covering the Office of the Vice President as well as the human rights beat for the paper. Most of her stories involve issues on social justice, with a particular focus on inequality, state-sponsored abuse and human rights violations. Some of her works on President Duterte’s war on drugs have also been similarly recognized by award-giving bodies. Mariejo S. Ramos is a reporter of the Philippine Daily Inquirer. She, along with fellow Inquirer reporter Krixia Subingsubing, bagged the best Investigative Report Award at the 41st Catholic Mass Media Awards in 2019 for their reporting on the brutal “war on drugs” in the Philippines. As a two-time fellow of the Southeast Asian Press Alliance’s Regional Reporting program, she wrote stories about the plight of female prisoners and how state-sponsored disinformation affects democracy. She has also written about various topics on social justice such as the drug war, indigenous communities, people with mental illnesses and mental health challenges, women farmers and prisoners, and the urban poor. Read their article: “Lockdown-weary jeepney sector faces Dec. 31 deadline” here. Pham Thi Thu Ngan is a 24-year-old writer under the pen name Pham Thu Ngan. As a young collaborator of the Social and Political Board of Thanh Nien Newspaper, she finds keen interest in fighting for the commoners and the vulnerable communities so they can get more advantages of social security. She learns and practices values: humanity, equality, freedom and justice. Besides her main work, she spends a lot of time for policy advocacy and educating the youth about human rights. Her spotlight reports are “Living in Can Gio Forest”, “Cho Ro ethnic trying to keep ancient spirit”, “Eat dew, sleep in the wind”. Pham Thi Song Mai has been a collaborator of Thanh Nien Newspaper since her internship. Her area in the newspaper office is Law and Court. There was a time she thought journalists were the people who can travel everywhere, meet many people. But when she knows there are a lot of vulnerable people out there but the policymakers cannot touch, she realizes that this job is also to fight, to write, to raise
Asia Centre Connects with Human Rights in Ubon Ratchathani
On 5 March 2021, Asia Centre’s Drs. James Gomez and Robin Ramcharan participated in “The Official Launch of the Regional Center for Human Rights Study and Coordination” at the Faculty of Political Science, Ubon Ratchathani University. During the event, Drs. Gomez and Ramcharan, who are also the editors, presented Asia Centre’s publication “National Human Rights Institutions in Southeast Asia: Selected Case Studies“ to the Center’s founding Director, Dr. Titipol Phakdeewanich. At the sidelines of the event, Drs. Gomez and Ramcharan met with Mrs. Prakairattana Thontiravong, Commissioner Act on behalf of the Chairperson and expressed interest of partnership with the Commission and its other regional centres in Thailand. “The Regional Center for Human Rights Study and Coordination” at the Faculty of Political Science, Ubon Ratchathani University was established as part of efforts by the National Human Rights Commission of Thailand to set up regional knowledge centres within selected universities in the country. These centres disseminate information on the practice of human rights. There was also an opportunity to establish contact with representatives from Bangkok-based diplomatic missions. These included the Canadian Ambassador, Dr. Sarah Taylor and the Embassy of Sweden’s Political Officer, Jintana Sakulborirak. Drs. Gomez and Ramcharan also delivered remarks on COVID-19’s impact on human rights during a seminar hosted by Ajarn Kotchaphop Kornphetcharat. This presentation and others in Thailand are part of Asia Centre’s collaboration with the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy. The activities at Ubon Ratchathani University mark Asia Centre’s engagement with provincial universities and regional centres of the National Human Rights Commission of Thailand.
Asia Centre & CALD: Freedom of Expression Needs Defending
With internet shutdowns, throttling of internet server speeds, geo-blocking of social media posts, persecution of social media users, attacks against journalists and media organisations and outright censorship, freedom of expression in the region is in need of defending. This was the response of the reactors and participants to the contents of the report “Defending Freedom of Expression: Fake News Laws in East and Southeast Asia” released by Asia Centre and the Council of Asia Liberal and Democrats with the support of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation on 25 February 2021. About 100 people registered for the report launch. 65 attended the online event which was live-streamed via the Facebook pages of the two convening organisations, attracting 348 viewers. In his welcome remarks, Francis Gerald “Blue” Abaya, MP, Member, Philippine House of Representatives and Secretary-General, Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats stated that the aim of the webinar and report was to provide policy ideas to legislators, political party leaders, journalists and civil society activists to protect freedom of expression. The report was presented by Dr. James Gomez, Regional Director of Asia Centre who sketched the difference in approach to freedom of expression between countries that have multiparty legislatures and independent government institutions, and countries with one dominant political force and an absence of independent national institutions. He said, many countries in the region are using existing and new laws to constrain freedom of expression. With Covid-19 temporary and emergency laws, freedom of expression has deteriorated further. Echoing Philippines MP, Francis Gerald “Blue” Abaya, Dr. Gomez suggested that the key recommendations in the report be used as a policy toolbox of ideas to empower legislators, political party leaders, academics, civil society activists and journalists to protect freedom of expression. Following the presentation, Peifen Hsieh, Deputy Director, Department of International Affairs Democratic Progressive Party, Taiwan addressed the situation in her country and how citizens received information during the COVID-19 pandemic. She explained, in order to guard against COVID-19 disinformation, the Taiwanese government used legislation as a tool to criminalise the fake news. Taiwan’s Digital Minister Audrey Tang launched the principle of “3F” Fast, Fair and Fun in order to capture the attention of citizens about the fake news. John Nery, Columnist, Philippine Daily Inquirer highlighted the laws in the Philippines that are used to attack freedom of expression. The Philippines government misuses the cyber laws by wielding it as a weapon against those who are critical of its policies. As a result, many journalists have been arrested. He pointed out that in the Philippines, it is the government that is the primary source of fake news. Although the situation has improved, social-media continues to be the platform of disinformation. Siripa Intavichein, Chairperson, CALD Youth Deputy and a Spokesperson, Democrat Party, Thailand, provided her reactions to the report. She said, Thailand has regulations that can be used to prevent fake news, but these have been abused by the officials. For example, under Thailand’s Computer Crime Act the Thai military online disinformation campaign is illegal. However, judges and officials can decide whether to use the law or not to prosecute. As a result, the law appears biased towards those who have power. She argued that as a principle if someone has committed a crime they must be judged equally by the law. Presently this does not seem to be the case in Thailand. Moritz Kleine-Brockhoff, Regional Director, Southeast and East Asia Office Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom rounded up the event. In his address, he noted the topic of freedom of expression has become an important topic of discussion in the last few years because of the threat it faces. He said, while propaganda is recognised as part of an authoritarian regime’s tool, what has changed is lying and fake news has become so mainstream in politics that it impacts freedom of expression and democracy. This event, moderated by Dr. Robin Ramcharan, Executive Director of Asia Centre, is part of the ongoing collaboration between the Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats and Asia Centre to work on issues related to freedom of expression. The report “Defending Freedom of Expression: Fake News Laws in East and Southeast Asia” can be downloaded from here, and the event’s livestream recording can be accessed here. This report is a collaboration between Asia Centre and the Council of Asia Liberal and Democrats
5th Benedict Anderson Memorial Roundtable: COVID-19 and Vaccine Nationalism
Rich countries have placed orders, received consignments and have begun inoculating their citizens, however, the reality of needing to inoculate foreign residents in their midst makes vaccination nationalism irrelevant. This was the general view emerging from Asia Centre’s webinar on 20 January 2021 entitled “COVID-19 and Vaccine Nationalism”. Asia Centre, in partnership with the Thai Media Fund and Taiwan Foundation for Democracy, convened its 5th Benedict Anderson Memorial Roundtable in remembrance of the late professor’s work on nationalism. The event was attended by 64 online participants with 798 Facebook Live views during the session. The session brought together academics, activists and health experts from all over the world to discuss the topic of vaccine nationalism. The opening remarks were given by Asia Centre’s Executive Director, Dr. Robin Ramcharan who outlined the key themes related to vaccine nationalism. He pointed out that vaccine nationalism primarily stemmed from competition to be the first to develop the vaccine and national pride in doing so. However, he asked the speakers and audience what is the reality on the ground? The first speaker was Asst. Prof. Wisit Tangkeangsirisin, Head of the Bureau of National Vaccine Capacity Development, from the National Vaccine Institute in Thailand. He provided an overview of the blueprint for COVID-19 vaccine access for Thailand. According to the national strategy he presented, there are three ways: 1) domestic R&D for vaccines; 2) technology transfer from AstraZeneca pharmaceutical firm and; 3) vaccine advance purchase agreement. He updated the audience on the progress of Thai’s vaccine development, noting that the mRNA vaccine from the Chula Vaccine Research Center is at the first clinical trial phase. The second speaker, Dr. David Moore, from Portland State University explained that nationalism is a product of the movement of people and commodities and provided insights into the rise of nationalism in the United States of America under Donald Trump’s presidency. Dr. Moore’s view was that more people are holding to ideas of national identity amidst fear of losing it to the impact of globalisation. Dechun Zhang, a PhD candidate at Leiden University was the third speaker. He presented on the development of COVID-19 vaccine in China. He listed the top three state-connected companies and their progress in the global vaccine race. He pointed out the Chinese characteristics of secrecy and non-disclosure in the way in which the vaccine was developed and distributed. This, he said, was the reason behind the growing but unspoken distrust among the Chinese population about the domestic vaccines. The final speaker was Alexandra Demitrianova, an activist from Slovakia and an Asia Centre’s Associate. She approached the topic from an European Union perspective highlighting the inequality between nations and the rising sense of nationalism within the members of the union. She said financial and political power member countries in the EU varied, and as a result, the smaller and weaker members benefit from an umbrella EU approach in acquiring vaccines for the whole block. Asia Centre’s Regional Director, Dr. James Gomez, responded to the speakers. He said, vaccine nationalism is intellectually and practically problematic because at the end of the day countries cannot limit themselves to vaccinate only their citizens. From a public health perspective, countries would have to also inoculate foreign residents within their jurisdiction to protect the whole resident population. Politically, and in terms of public relations, to deny foreign residents the vaccine would be a political and PR disaster. The key questions would be who will pay for this and what happens if poorer countries cannot afford it. This then opened the debate among the speakers and audience on how to make the vaccine equally available to all nations, especially the poorer ones. The main takeaway was vaccine nationalism cannot hold up, because this issue is global. Most countries have a significant dependency on economic cooperation with others in various forms including geopolitical alliance, movement of goods and the movement of people. This event is the 5th Benedict Anderson Memorial Round Table convened by Asia Centre. To date Asia Centre has convened the following memorial roundtables: 1st Benedict Anderson Memorial Roundtable: “Debating Imagined Communities” (2016) 2nd Benedict Anderson Memorial Roundtable: “Nationalism, Citizenship and Statelessness” (2017) 3rd Benedict Anderson Memorial Roundtable: “Gender and Nationalism in Asia” (2018) 4th Benedict Anderson Memorial Roundtable: “Chinese Nationalism and Its Impact on Southeast Asia” (2019) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d2a6v4mc2hI&t=191s
Civil Society Empowerment must be at the Centre of COVID-19 Recovery Efforts
On 9 December 2020, Asia Centre released its baseline study “COVID-19 and Democracy in Southeast Asia: Building Resilience, Fighting Authoritarianism”. This report examines the state of democracy and human rights in the region, from 1 January 2020 to 30 November 2020, and the accelerated regression thereof due to COVID-19. The report was presented by Dr. James Gomez, Regional Director of Asia Centre. Following the unveiling, key themes of the report were discussed by Dr. Rebecca (Bec) Strating, Executive Director, La Trobe Asia, La Trobe University; Dr. Kristina Kironska, Researcher, Palacky University of Olomouc; Celito Arlegue, Executive Director, Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats (CALD); and Patricia Galdamez, Permanent Secretariat, Community of Democracies. Dr. Robin Ramcharan, Executive Director of Asia Centre, moderated the event. The report’s key finding notes that COVID-19 has accelerated the regressionof democracy in Southeast Asia, which has over two decades and several crises been a focus of government attacks. Government responses to crises, in line with regression over two decades, have built on one another. Building on the findings of the report, Dr. Gomez added that there is a real risk of governments expanding these temporary laws to be long-term laws and practices that will further shrink civic space. Dr. Rebecca (Bec) Strating, assessed the report’s findings under the lenses of international relations, by noting the geopolitical impact of flailing US power in the region as China’s autocratic reach expands. Dr. Kristina Kironska, expanded on the reports’ electoral democracy findings by noting how the pandemic’s emergency laws have expanded the authority and reach of “those in power”, especially in Myanmar during the country’s general elections in November. Celito Arlegue, noted that despite the far reaching presence of authoritarianism in the region, democratic practices to contain a crisis can not be argued as ineffective; and later expanded on the necessity of democracy activists and defenders to be creative and innovative. Patricia Galdamez, provided an overview of the impacts that COVID-19 has had on democracy and human rights – globally; emphasising that public access to the internet, and the protection of Freedom of Association, must be guaranteed. Following the contribution of discussants, Dr. Robin Ramcharan led the Q&A session where participants could send pressing questions to speakers. After this session, Dr. Ramcharan made his closing remarks and emphasised the importance of a strong civil society, working alongside governments, in post-COVID-19 recovery efforts. The report’s main recommendation is to shore up civil society by increasing their involvement internationally, giving them a voice at muli-lateral discussions and to ensure they are adequately resourced and supported so they can continue to occupy and operate in the civic space. COVID-19 and Democracy in Southeast Asia: Building Resilience, Fighting Authoritarianism was released to mark the United Nations’ International Human Right Day, 10 December 2020, with its theme of ensuring human rights are central to COVID-19 recovery efforts. Watch the report launch here, and download the report here. Read thematic opinion pieces based on the report’s findings in The Bangkok Post, Jakarta Post and Australian Outlook. *This report is a collaboration between Asia Centre and Empowering Fundamental Freedom Defenders in Southeast and East Asia.