Climate Disinformation in Indonesia: Priotising Development Over Indigenous Peoples’ Vulnerability

Coming Soon In Indonesia, climate disinformation is being used by state and corporate actors to justify the prioritisation of “national development” interests over Indigenous Peoples’ (IPs) vulnerabilities. This developmentalist approach relies on the deliberate undermining of Indigenous practices as “obsolete” in favour of state-led “modern” development narratives, in particular through National Strategic Projects. As a result, climate disinformation leads to IPs’ marginalisation from environmental decision-making, the undermining of their traditional knowledge systems, as well as forced displacements and criminalisation of IPs. Collectively, these factors endanger IPs’ rights, identities, livelihoods and resilience. This report advances key recommendations directed at government institutions,…

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Climate Disinformation in the Philippines: Legitimising Attacks on Indigenous Peoples

Coming Soon In the Philippines, climate disinformation is being used by state and corporate actors to legitimise attacks on Indigenous Peoples (IPs).  By labelling those in opposition, such as IPs, as “terrorists”, some of the most vulnerable in these communities are subjected to extractive and ecologically destructive mining, the building of energy and infrastructure projects in ancestral lands among others. As a result, climate disinformation creates an information environment in which state violence towards IPs, in the form of militarisation in IP land, forced evictions, harassment such as “red-tagging” and extra-judicial killings, is justified. Altogether, these threats disproportionately endanger IPs’…

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Climate Disinformation in India: Subverting Indigenous Peoples’ Rights

Coming Soon In India, both online and offline climate disinformation stands to dispossess the protected rights of Indigenous Peoples (IPs) who constitute 8.6% (104 million) of the population. False narratives in the media and social media legitimise the subversion of laws like the Forest Rights Act (FRA) intended to protect IPs, their lands and their livelihoods; and, instead, justify extractive projects in the name of national development. From one-sided positive presentation of environmental statistics and false climate solutions to strategic denialism and greenwashing, these narratives directly contribute to the criminalisation of IPs as “encroachers”, their forced eviction from ancestral lands,…

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Climate Disinformation in Malaysia: Appropriating Indigenous Peoples’ Entitlements

Coming Soon In Malaysia, climate disinformation aids the appropriation of Indigenous Peoples’ (IPs) entitlements.  Although IPs are legally classified as “Bumiputera”, this category centres Malay-Muslim dominance by conflating the broad national category of Malay-Muslim as "Indigenous" with the international human rights concept of "Indigenous Peoples" reserved for non-dominant groups. This reinforces and intensifies the appropriation of IPs’s entitlements – who make up 11% of the population and largely reside in climate-vulnerable forested areas. Climate disinformation reinforces this identity hierarchy by falsely legitimising state control over IP territories and portraying extractive development as environmentally or socially beneficial. Amplified by the rapid…

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Climate Disinformation in Thailand: Negating Indigenous Peoples’ Identity

Download Full Report In Thailand, the rapid digitalisation of media and widespread use of social media since the early 2000s have accelerated the spread of climate disinformation. This has reinforced the systemic negation of Indigenous Peoples’ (IPs) identity. Climate disinformation disproportionately affects IPs, who make up nearly 14% of the population and inhabit forested areas most vulnerable to climate change and deforestation. From one-sided reporting and greenwashing to false climate solutions and scapegoating IPs as drivers of deforestation, these narratives contribute to their exclusion from decision-making, criminalisation, forced evictions and intimidation and violence. It sets out targeted recommendations, urging the…

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Climate Disinformation in Cambodia: Undermining Indigenous Peoples’ Agency

Download Full Report In Cambodia, the rise of digital media and social media platforms since the mid-2010s has intensified a surge in climate disinformation. It affects Indigenous Peoples (IPs), who make up about 3% of the population and live in forests highly vulnerable to climate change and deforestation. From false climate solutions to greenwashing and denial of deforestation, these narratives contribute to IPs’ exclusion from meaningful climate discussions, land dispossession and the criminalisation and silencing of environmental defenders. This report explores how both online and face-to-face climate disinformation – often state-aligned – restrains IPs’ voices, discredits Indigenous knowledge and legitimises…

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Asia Centre AI Hub: Supporting CSOs’ Digital Transformation

Unlike their prominent role in leveraging social media for advocacy in the early 2000s, human rights-based civil society organisations (CSOs) are now sidelined in discussions dominated by governments and technology companies. This exclusion limits their ability to ensure that Artificial Intelligence (AI) serves public interests, especially in areas related to democracy and human rights. To close this gap, Asia Centre has established the AI Hub for CSOs.  Since 2024, Asia Centre has actively contributed to AI-related discourse across the region by engaging in collaborations with UN agencies, international NGOs and technology companies. These efforts include participating in high-level events and hosting…

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Technology-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence in Cambodia: Impact on the Civic Freedoms of Women Journalists and Human Rights Defenders

Download Full Report The increasing use of digital platforms for advocacy by women in Cambodia has been accompanied by a rise in technology-facilitated gender-based violence (TFGBV), a form of harassment perpetrated online. While all women and girls are at risk, those highly visible in the public sphere – such as women human rights defenders (WHRDs), Indigenous advocates, journalists, and civil society leaders – face heightened exposure. Despite its severity, TFGBV remains poorly documented in Cambodia. This report examines TFGBV targeting high-profile women in advocacy and argues that it is an extension of gender-based violence (GBV), sustained by patriarchal structures and…

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Shaping Justice: How Media is Transforming Crime Investigations in Thailand

Download The article “Shaping Justice: How Media is Transforming Crime Investigations in Thailand” examines how growing public distrust in Thailand’s law enforcement has led media outlets to take on a more prominent role in investigating crime and exposing corruption. As confidence in the police diminishes, the media emerges as a critical platform for whistleblowers, citizen journalists, and independent experts. Yet, while this shift promotes transparency and accountability, it also raises concerns about sensationalism, misinformation and the risk of undermining formal investigative processes.

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Social Media: A Double-Edged Sword in Thailand’s Cyber Scam Crisis

Download The article “Social Media: A Double-Edged Sword in Thailand’s Cyber Scam Crisis” examines the role of social media in cyber scams in Thailand through two high-profile cases: the iCON Group case, a pyramid-based investment and sales scam, and the case of Chinese actor Wang Xing, who was trafficked to a scam compound in Myanmar, along the Thai border. These two cases show the complex relationship between fraud operations and digital platforms, where social media facilitates exploitation to lure victims while, at the same time, being used for scrutiny and public accountability.

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