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 […]
On 22 June 2018, Asia Centre will celebrate its third anniversary, dubbed Nite for Rights. We warmly invite you to join our event to celebrate advocacy and activism in the region! Program: 1. Book Launch: Asia Centre's new publication The Universal Periodic Review of Southeast Asia: Civil Society Perspectives 2. Malaysia Election roundtable 3. Announcement […]
With increasing attention to business and human rights, this conference takes a critical look at the standards and practices on business and human rights in Asia. In particular it seeks to examine if this current interest in business and human rights conveniently ignores the civil and political violations by the State and its responsibility to […]
The Rohingya Crisis sparked by the 25 August 2017 attacks on Government forces by Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) in Rakhine State, Myanmar, triggered one of the worst humanitarian crises in contemporary history – “a textbook case of ethnic cleansing”. In a matter of a few months over 750,000 Rohingya people, mostly women and children, […]
Dr. James Gomez will be speaking at Waseda University （早稲田大学) - Graduate School of Asia Pacific Studies（GSAPS） about "Fake News and Elections in Southeast Asia" on Tuesday, 2 October at 2.45 p.m. Join us in the Fake News and Elections in Asia conference, 10-12 July 2019 in Bangkok. Click http://bit.ly/2NHYlky to submit your abstract now! Deadline is 31 December. […]
Dr. James Gomez will be presenting "Fake News and Social Media: Freedom of Expression in Southeast Asia" at Macquarie University, 2 pm, Thursday, 18 October. To RSVP, http://bit.ly/2IM5N8p. Abstract Since 2017, individual governments in Southeast Asia have established task forces, convened select committee hearings and have proposed or passed legislation to combat “fake news”. In May […]
Asia Centre’s International Faculty Club (IFC) will convene on United Nations (UN) Day 2018. While celebrating the UN and its many achievements in the area of human rights, the IFC will also hold an informal intellectual exchange on the challenges of defending and advancing human rights in the current geopolitical environment in Asia. In today’s […]
Dr. James Gomez will be speaking at the research seminar co-hosted by Asia Centre with Victoria University of Wellington's Political Science and International Relations Programme on "Rohingya Crisis: Is Human Rights Advocacy Working?" at 1-2 pm on 31 October at VUW Kelburn Campus. For inquiries, contact@asiacentre.org Abstract In spite of the United Nations (UN) Fact Finding […]
On the occasion to mark the Phnom Penh launch of Asia Centre’s The Universal Periodic Review in Southeast Asia: Civil Society Perspectives, an expert panel will discuss the challenges and opportunities for Cambodia to improve human rights through UN mechanisms. Cambodia’s next human rights assessment at the UN Human Rights Council is on 30/01/2019. This […]
Asia Centre's Dr. James Gomez will be speaking about Fake News & Elections in Southeast Asia" at College of Communication, National Chengchi University in Taipei on Tuesday, 6 November, at 12.30 pm. Learn more at our event page: http://bit.ly/2JlJYgc. Abstract Since 2017, individual governments in Southeast Asia have established task forces, convened select committee hearings and have proposed or […]
On Thursday, 8 November, at 1.30 pm, Dr. James Gomez will be speaking about the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) at the seminar on The UPR of Southeast Asia: Civil Society Perspectives, hosted by Department of Political Science, Soochow University in Taipei. See our event page for more information, http://bit.ly/2Q2xg8J Abstract Southeast Asian civil society has engaged with the Universal […]
Abstract Since 2017, individual governments in Southeast Asia have established task forces, convened select committee hearings and have proposed or passed legislation to combat “fake news”. In May 2018 ASEAN ministers responsible for information agreed in a joint statement to collaborate and exchange best practices to combat fake news and mitigate its effects. This development […]
Abstract In an environment where development aid and grant based funding models are changing, social initiatives are struggling to seek out resources to sustain their work. Presently, competition for resources is fierce and donors increasingly only fund select activities-based projects without support for staff and infrastructure costs. Given this funding climate, alternative options open to […]
Asia Centre will hold its 4th Ben Anderson Memorial Roundtable on nationalism in China and its impact on Southeast Asia. The roundtable will assess trends in democracy and human rights protection in Southeast Asia in light of China’s rise. Since China and ASEAN entered into a formal dialogue relationship at the ASEAN Summit in […]
Asia Centre's next International Faculty Club meeting examines some of the key challenges of disinformation in Southeast Asia and how it shapes our understanding of the region and beyond. In Southeast Asia there are more than 370 million Internet users. Internet penetration in the region is listed as 58% and social media penetration at 55% […]
Overview Fake News has established itself as an industry that plagues the internet and news media, and has transitioned from a mere limited social nuisance to a broader threat to social harmony and peaceful political transitions. This round table will discuss efforts to combat fake news, disinformation and misinformation by media, government and technology companies […]
On 19 June 2019, Asia Centre will celebrate its 4th anniversary. Dubbed “Nite for Rights” to mark human rights advocacy and activism in the region, the evening will see the Centre host a range of discussion on human rights issues impacting the region as well as strategies for effective engagement. We invite activists, members of […]
The ASEAN Community Leadership & Partners Forum will bring together Leaders from Government, Business, Academia, Think Tanks and Civil Society to discuss the future challenges facing ASEAN in the new global era. The Forum with the theme, “Building Partnerships for a Sustainable and Inclusive ASEAN”” will also bring together next generation leaders of ASEAN, as […]
Overview Stakeholders in Southeast Asia are increasingly expressing their concerns over the rise of information manipulation to influence public views and behavior, mislead, incite hatred and fear and even revise factual historical accounts. Behavioral manipulation has occurred at the grassroots level as charismatic leaders and groups take to social media to spread hate speech and […]
Abstract Southeast Asia is undergoing rapid transformation with increased competition for influence from extra-regional actors such as China and the United States. In this regard, what has been the impact on Japan and its engagement with ASEAN to date? Meanwhile, the escalating Sino-US competition based on geopolitical interests and values, provides Japan a unique opportunity […]
The COVID-19 pandemic has fueled a rise in hate speech both online and offline. Origins of the virus, its spread and breach of containment measures are cast based on ethnicity, nationality and their immigration status. In this webinar, Asia Centre presents its initial investigations into hate speech in Southeast Asia. During the webinar, invited speakers […]
The COVID-19 pandemic has fueled hate speech against vulnerable communities, who are the most affected. In almost every country indigenous communities, migrant workers, undocumented immigrants, refugees and the urban poor have been disproportionately impacted by the virus. Following a brief presentation of Asia Centre's findings on this topic, invited speakers and participants will deliberate on […]
Hate speech, often disseminated online, has surged following the COVID-19 pandemic. Asia Centre in its inaugural baseline study, Hate Speech in Southeast Asia, explains the background and the issues that lead to discrimination, violence and communal strife in the region. It examines the legal framework, in particular a slew of "harmony" bills aimed at securing […]
Journalism for an Equitable Asia Award Asia and Pacific showed the biggest billionaire wealth and growth in the world last year, now with 906 billionaires owning nearly 3 trillion dollars in wealth. In contrast, 1.2 billion Asians are struggling to make ends meet. Women and girls and other groups without a strong voice suffer the […]
Overview Across Asia hate speech based on fake news has led to an increase of violent incidents as disinformation divides communities during periods of political and communal tensions. With rising internet penetration and use of mobile devices, abusive and threatening remarks both in speech and writing are going viral over social media. Often such content […]
Overview Whereas one can trace India’s relations with Southeast Asia (SEA) through history, their interaction has reached unprecedented levels as India moved from its “Look East” policy of the early 1990s, to “Act East” under Prime Minister Narendra Modi. ‘Act East, adopted in 2014, represents a realignment of India’s foreign policy, which seeks to build […]
Since February 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has created an “Infodemic” which has created a challenge for countries trying to tackle issues of disinformation, misinformation and too much information. A spike in COVID-19 related “fake news” is placing communities in very vulnerable positions resulting in risk to public health. In Thailand one challenge wrought by the […]
As ASEAN and Japan are economically, socially and politically inter-connected, this webinar will examine the shared implications of the COVID-19 pandemic for Japan and Southeast Asia. In particular, it will examine the challenges brought about the COVID-19 pandemic and explore the possible joint solutions to address the issue. Key Questions: What have been the impact […]
Theme: Inequality crisis and the pandemic Asia, just like the rest of the world, is grappling with COVID-19. Despite tremendous economic growth and advances in healthcare, technology, and elsewhere during the preceding decades, we are struggling to overcome the pandemic and the resultant economic and social fallouts. As of now, there’s no end in sight […]
Earlier this year, Asia Centre and Oxfam in Asia, announced the finalists for the Journalism for an Equitable Asia Award Ceremony. Due to the persisting pandemic, we will hold an online awarding event instead. We, at the Asia Centre and Oxfam in Asia, welcome journalists, media scholars and students, those actively working for an equal […]