Asia Centre Podcasts

The Threat of State-sponsored Disinformation to the Integrity of Election in Thailand

This podcast episode is part of the report “State-Sponsored Online Disinformation in Thailand: Impact on Electoral Integrity in Thailand”. The report examines government-backed disinformation campaigns, known as information operations, and assesses their impact on the integrity of elections. The report identifies key actions domestic and international state actors contribute to false information campaigns. Based on the evidence of information operations in Thailand and the absence of effective legal and non-legal measures to address them, the 2023 Thai General Election is expected to experience its share of state-sponsored disinformation over social media platforms. So what happened? This episode examines these issues.

Our discussant for this episode is Akarachai Chaimaneekarakate, a Harvard Law School graduate. Akarachai is a Legal Fellow at Thai Lawyers for Human Rights (TLHR). The main focus of his work is to explore ways in which international human rights law can be used to promote and advance the protection of human rights in Thailand.

Before TLHR, Akarachai worked as a legal advocate for refugees in Bangkok. He also worked with the Office of the Co-Prosecutors at the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia, focusing on prosecuting senior military officers in Cambodia accused of crimes against humanity, war crimes, and genocide.

ข้อมูลบิดเบือนออนไลน์โดยรัฐ: ผลกระทบต่อความสุจริตและสมบูรณ์ของการเลือกตั้งในประเทศไทย

เมื่อวันที่ 28 เมษายน 2563 สองอาทิตย์ก่อนหน้าการเลือกตั้งทั่วไป สถาบันวิจัยเอเชีย เซ็นเตอร์ ได้เปิดตัวรายงานเรื่อง “ข้อมูลบิดเบือนออนไลน์โดยรัฐ: ผลกระทบต่อความสุจริตและสมบูรณ์ของการเลือกตั้งในประเทศไทย” ที่ศึกษาการเผยแพร่ข้อมูลบิดเบือนออนไลน์โดยรัฐและประเมินผลกระทบต่อความสุจริตและเที่ยงธรรมของการเลือกตั้ง ในพอดแคสตอนนี้ เอเชีย เซ็นเตอร์ได้รับเกียตริจากคุณพรเพ็ญ คงขจรเกียรติ ที่จะมาพูดคุยในประเด็นข้อมูลบิดเบือนออนไลน์โดยรัฐและผลกระทบต่อการเลือกตั้งในไทยที่พึ่งผ่านพ้นไป คุณพรเพ็ญ คงขจรเกียรติ เป็นผู้อำนวยการมูลนิธิผสานวัฒนธรรม ซึ่งเป็นองค์กรที่ทำหน้าที่เฝ้าระวังและบันทึกเรื่องราวกรณีการทรมานและการปฏิบัติอันโหดร้ายในประเทศไทย คุณพรเพ็ญเป็นหนึ่งในแนวหน้าของผู้ที่ต่อสู้ด้านสิทธิมนุษยชนในประเทศไทย นอกจากนั้นแล้วคุณพรเพ็ญยังทำหน้าที่เป็นทนายความฝ่ายโจทก์ร่วมในคดีการหายตัวไปของ บิลลี่ พอละจี รักจงเจริญ นักปกป้องสิทธิมนุษยชนชาวกะเหรี่ยงบ้านโป่งลึก-บางกลอย

On 28 April 2023, about 2 weeks before the Thai general elections, Asia Centre launched its report on Thailand. “State-Sponsored Online Disinformation: Impact on Election Integrity in Thailand” which examines four types of government-backed disinformation campaigns and assesses their impact on the integrity of elections.

Pornpen is the Executive Director of CrossCultural Foundation, an NGO that monitors and documents torture and inhumane treatments by the state in Thailand. She frontlines in fighting for human rights in the country and is currently the joint plaintiff’s attorney for the case of the disappearance of Billy Polaji, a Karen human rights defender from Ban Pong Luk-Bang Kroy.

Red-Tagging and Foreign Interference in the Philippines

In the Philippines context, red-tagging refers to individuals and organisations that are black-listed because they do not fully support the views or actions of the government. Red-tagging consequences may include vilification, surveillance, harassment, unlawful arrests, enforced disappearance, and even killings. Often, the red-tagging rhetoric incorporates the idea of foreign interference and civil society organisations are accused of subverting Filipino society for the benefit of foreign agents. This way, the Philippines government uses national security as the argument to red-tag members of CSOs, journalists, and activists. In this podcast episode, Jonathan De Santos discusses how the Philippines government incorporates the rhetoric of foreign interference to red-tag CSOs.

Jonathan De Santos is the chairperson of the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines.

This podcast episode is part of the Foreign Interference Laws in Southeast Asia series, in partnership with the Japan NGO Centre for International Cooperation. To learn more about foreign interference laws, read Foreign Interference Laws in Southeast Asia: Deepening the Shrinkage of Civic Space.

FICA, One Year On: Impacts and Developments

In 2021, Singapore enacted the Foreign Interference (Countermeasures) Act, known as FICA. On paper, it aims to protect Singaporean politics from foreign interference with two sets of provisions. The first provision targets information campaigns. This provision empowers the government to shut down organisations deemed to communicate “on behalf of a foreign principal” with the aim of manipulating Singapore’s domestic political discourse. The second provision concerns measures to counter local proxies or politically significant persons (known as PSPs). Under this provision, personalities suspected of being foreign agents can be monitored. The bill has raised several concerns, primarily due to its vague and broad definition of what constitutes foreign interference, which may be used to suffocate the country’s civic space and curb critical political engagement. In this podcast episode, Jolovan Wham discusses the impacts and developments of FICA after its introduction in 2021.

Jolovan Wham is a social worker and activist who works on issues concerning migrant workers, the death penalty, and civil and political rights

Thai Law on NGOs: Will It Materialise?

In February 2021, the Thai Cabinet approved in principle the draft Act on the Operation of Not-for-profit Organisations. This law would enable Thai officials to unilaterally order the temporary or permanent closure of non-profit organisations that, through their actions, adversely affect Thailand’s relations with countries. The international community has condemned the draft law since it would systematically violate fundamental rights like freedom of association and freedom of expression of non-profit organisations. Additionally, its provisions would restrict the collaboration between local and foreign CSOs. After resistance and pushback from both domestic and international stakeholders, the draft law was temporarily put on hold. In this podcast episode, Kunthika Nutcharut talks to Asia Centre about what drove the momentum of this draft law and forecasts its future after the 2023 general election.

Kunthika Nutcharut has been a lawyer since 2015. She moved back from abroad and chose to become a lawyer who helps young Thai political activists with cases related to freedom of expression. She is best known for her role as a criminal defense attorney, where she represents many of the leading political cases in Thailand at the moment.

The Law on Organisation Registration: its impact on Myanmar CSOs

In 2022, the Myanmar Junta enacted the new Law on Organisation Registration, repealing the previous Registration of Organisation Law 2014. This law regulates the registration of NGOs and INGOs. It affects, primarily, the latter. With the new law, at least 40% of the executive membership of an INGO must be made up of Myanmar citizens. Furthermore, it also expands the requirements an INGO must meet in order to operate in the country, such as obtaining approval of the relevant authorities regarding its intended programmes and activities. Observers believe that the law is part of the Junta’s attempt to restrict CSOs’ advocacy on human rights and reimplement the “4 cuts strategy” to undermine ethnic militias by cutting their access to food, funds, information and recruits. In this podcast episode, [name] talks to Asia Centre about the impact that the Law on Organisation Registration has for Myanmar CSOs’ advocacy on human rights.

Thyn Zar Oo is a Resident Scholar at The Public Law Center (TPLC) at the Tulane University School of Law. Oo is the Co-Founder and Program Director of the Public Legal Aid Network (The PLAN) in Myanmar (Burma). With background in Industrial and Labor Relations, Project Administrations, Access to Justice and Rule of Law, Oo had more than twenty five years of private and public sector legal experience in Myanmar and Asia-Pacific.

Rhetoric of Foreign Interference in Cambodia’s 2023 General Election

The Royal Government of Cambodia has regularly used rhetoric of foreign interference to accuse members of civil society organisations and opposition political parties of collaborating with international actors to corrupt Cambodian society. For example, in 2017, Kem Sokha, former leader of the opposition party CNRP – which was dissolved by the Supreme Court in the same year – was arrested for treason, and accused of colluding with the United States to topple the Cambodian government. The ruling party has implemented several measures such as amending the constitution to ban Cambodians holding dual nationalities from holding high-ranking political positions, citing the need to strengthen national loyalty and restrict foreign interference.

Against this backdrop, will the foreign interference bogeyman continue to be a central campaign rhetoric by the ruling party CPP in the upcoming general elections in July 2023? In this podcast episode, Chhengpor Aun talks to Asia Centre about foreign interference, elections, and politics in Cambodia.

Chhengpor Aun is a graduate student at the Hertie School in Berlin, studying international relations and security. Until 2022, he was the deputy bureau chief for the Voice of America in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. A journalist for eight years, he covered Cambodian and Southeast Asian politics, China-U.S. competitions in the Indo-Pacific, and human rights.

Episode 6: What has changed in the Malaysian media landscape since the 2018 General Election?

Andrew Ong is the editor at Malaysiakini, the most read news website in Malaysia. He works on legislation, policy and environment. In his spare time, he explores data and makes automation tools for his colleagues.

This podcast episode was recorded on 18 October 2022 as part of the “Media Freedom in Southeast Asia” series hosted by Asia Centre in collaboration with the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Southeast and East Asia.

Episode 5: What are the current challenges that the media are facing in Thailand?

Noppatjak Attanon is an Editor-in-Chief for workpointTODAY, a Thailand-based online news publisher with over 10 million followers. He is currently leading a team of more than 20 journalists, covering issues on politics, economics, business, world affairs and human rights. He has also worked with BBC Thai in London.

Episode 4: Quality Journalism: What are the key challenges that the media are facing in Cambodia?

Sao Phal Niseiy is an Editor-in-Chief of Cambodianess and a Deputy Chief Editor at Thmey Thmey, Phnom Penh-based media. He primarily covers foreign affairs and climate-related issues.

This podcast episode was recorded on 7 October 2022 as part of the “Media Freedom in Southeast Asia” series hosted by Asia Centre in collaboration with the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Southeast and East Asia.

Episode 3: How has the shift in the media ecosystem affected media freedom in the Philippines?

Marites Vitug is an Author and Editor-at-large at Rappler with over 40 years of experience in journalism. She has published a number of books on justice and political affairs in the Philippines. Marites is currently working on her book project on former President Rodrigo Duterte’s 6 year administration and the Philippines-China relations.

This podcast episode was recorded on 29 September 2022 as part of the “Media Freedom in Southeast Asia” series hosted by Asia Centre in collaboration with the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Southeast and East Asia.

Episode 2: POFMA and FICA: How are these two laws impacting independent media outlets in Singapore?

Singapore’s parliament has passed the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (POFMA) and the Foreign Interference Countermeasures Act (FICA). How are these two laws impacting independent media outlets in Singapore? Hear from an Independent Journalist and Social Activist, Kirsten Han.

Kirsten Han is an Independent Journalist and Social Activist. She is also a member of the Transformative Justice Collective and currently runs We, The Citizens, a newsletter which covers issues in Singapore from a rights-based perspective. Subscribe to We, The Citizens.

This podcast episode was recorded on 28 September 2022 as part of the “Media Freedom in Southeast Asia” series hosted by Asia Centre in collaboration with the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Southeast and East Asia.

Episode 1: Legal and non-legal measures: Are these approaches effective to tackle disinformation in Indonesia?

Indonesia’s media landscape is growing and is becoming chaotic with a wide range of actors involved. What are the key issues surrounding disinformation in Indonesia? What are legal and non-legal approaches taken by the Indonesian government to counter this uncontrollable information flow?

Hear from an Indonesian journalist with nearly 40 years of experience, Endy Bayuni, a former Chief Editor of The Jakarta Post and a co-founder and Executive Director of the International Association of Religion Journalists with nearly 4 decades of experience in reporting. In 2020, he became a member of Facebook’s Oversight Board.

This podcast episode was recorded on 26 September 2022 as part of the “Media Freedom in Southeast Asia” series hosted by Asia Centre in collaboration with the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Southeast and East Asia.