2019 Centre News

Asia Centre aims to enhance the collaborative experience of its partners at its second Centre in Johor Bahru, Malaysia. The new Centre’s design, a multifunctional facility for seamless co-working, meetings, networking and project administration, was finalised in December 2019 following discussions with interior renovation firms and feedback from partners. Asia Centre Malaysia located at ION 2, CI Medini Complex, Johor Bahru, Malaysia, will occupy a 20’ by 60’ intermediate corner three-storey lot with a total floor area of 3209 square feet. The ground floor will spot a reception counter and waiting lounge, wall mounted desks and freestanding tables and chairs, audio-visual equipment, a fully equipped pantry and serving area and toilets. The reception counter and waiting lounge serve to welcome visitors, handle queries and direct visitors.  The mounted desks and table and chair area are for co-working, meetings and networking sessions. There is podium and backdrop space supported by audio-visual equipment where guests can speak during networking events or mingle before and after the events on the first floor. The ground floor has a fully equipped pantry with kettle, fridge and microwave where drinks and food can be prepared. The bar counter at the pantry can also serve as a refreshment station for the Centre’s staff, event participants, partners and visitors. At the back, behind hidden doors, two toilets will serve ground floor users. Walking up the stairs from the ground to the first floor guests can view posters of Asia Centre’s past events on the right wall. At the first floor staircase landing, there will be a signboard for events announcements and a mixed height storage cabinet. The signboard will display event details at the first floor and indicate the meeting room where it will take place. The mixed height cabinet will serve as a storage space for items needed for events. Next to the cabinet is a door leading to toilets located separately for guests that will attend events on the first floor. From the first floor, a sliding door opens into a lounge area with sofas and chairs that can serve as waiting or discussion area for event participants. From the lounge area on the left hand side is the Meeting Room 1 which offers seating for up to 40 people and is equipped with audio-visual equipment and overhead projector for conferences, roundtables, seminars, trainings and workshops.  On the right side of the lounge area side is Meeting Room 2 which seats up to 8 people and has a Smart TV and whiteboard can serve small team discussions, audio-video calls or break-out sessions for events at Meeting Room 1. Walking up from the first floor, Asia Centre staff will arrive at the landing of the second floor. There, before entering the office area, staff can sit at the bench and take off their shoes and leave them at the shoe cabinet. On the walls of the stairwell, Asia Centre’s past event posters and wall murals will be displayed. The second floor will serve as office space for the administration and coordination of Asia Centre’s activities and projects. Entering the office space through the glass door, on the right hand side, there will be wall-mounted workstations. Up to three people can work there with the bottom drawer for storing document and personal belongings as well as cabinet space above the desks. On the opposite side, there will be wall-to-wall storage cabinets that will have on the right side with be a mini-pantry and on the left side a printer-scanner station. In the middle will be a long rectangular whiteboard where can mark and track the Centre yearly plans. The cabinets will provide ample storage room for documents and office supplies. Next to the cabinet an area with a sofa-bed and a lounge chair to serve as a relaxing space for employees to recharge and have a casual conversation with co-workers. Across the sitting area, there will be a meeting table for up to 7 people with a wall-mounted Smart TV. This will enable office staff to take audio-video calls, meet, discuss and collaborate without the need to use Meeting Room 2 on the first floor. The outdoor patio with sofas and lounge chairs will offer another place for staff to engage in discussion or to relax.  With the interior design phase complete, Asia Centre Malaysia will next seek approvals from the municipal authorities before proceeding to the renovation stage. Construction and fit-out is expected to begin early next year and will take between 4-6 months. Asia Centre Malaysia is open to receive enquiries for collaboration. Email: contact@asiacentre.org See also Asia Centre Announces Malaysia Branch Previous Next

Dr. James Gomez, Regional Director, Asia Centre signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Mr. Wasan Paileeklee, CEO, Thai Media Fund (TMF) on 1 November 2019 to formalise both institutions’ cooperation on activities and research to promote digital and media literacy on challenges related to online disinformation such as fake news and hate speech. The signing was witnessed by Asia Centre’s Program Coordinator, Yawee Butrkrawee; Asia Centre’s Manager, Patcharee Rattanarong; TMF’s Director of Media Literacy, Weeraphong Kangwannavakul Department and International Collaboration Officer, Atthanat Khurat. The MOU signing follows engagements between the two organisations, starting from September 2018 when Dr. James Gomez delivered a keynote address on “Fake News in Southeast Asia” at a convention organised by Thai Media Fund and the Ministry of Culture of Thailand at Burapha University, Thailand. Since this first engagement in late 2018, Asia Centre has participated in several of Thai Media Fund’s activities as speaker and/or facilitator. On 18 September 2019, Asia Centre’s Dr. James Gomez spoke on the emerging Post-Truth Ecosystem in Southeast Asia at the ‘Creative Media Partnership in Thai Society: Fostering Constructive Media Ecosystem Conference’. Organized by Thai Media Fund, the event’s opening ceremony was also presided by Minister of Culture, Ittipol Khunpluem. On 10 September 2019, as part of the Centre’s external engagement, Dr. James Gomez attended the “Defending Democracy Through Media Literacy II” International Workshop on 10-11 September  in Taipei, Taiwan. Thai Media Fund CEO, Wasan Paileeklee participated in the workshop alongside with Dr. James Gomez and showcased the concerted efforts of Thai Media Fund and the Centre to combat fake news and hate speech on online platforms in Thailand. In June 2019, Dr. James Gomez also met with Taiwan’s Digital Minister Audrey Tang  during a conference in Bangkok organised by local partners including the Thai Media Fund. The conference was organised to consolidate knowledge and foster cooperation to combat fake news in Thai society. During the conference sidelines, and Dr. Gomez also discussed with Minister Tang a follow up meeting in Taipei 2020.  In July 2019, at Asia Centre’s International Conference on Fake News and Elections in Asia, Thai Media Fund became a key partner of the conference to support a region wide exchange of views to tackle fake news issues. CEO of Thai Media Fund, Wasan Paileeklee highlighted in his opening remarks at the conference the large extent to which fake news posed a challenge to Thai society and how the right balance between legal and non-legal measures is needed to address the issue of fake news without jeopardizing individuals’ basic rights. The activities with the Thai Media Fund are hence important building blocks that has led to the November 2019 MOU signing. This MOU will result in partnership with the Centre’s 5th International Conference on Hate Speech in Asia: Challenges and Solutions to be held during 8-10 July 2020, Bangkok, Thailand.  Asia Centre looks forward to working with the Thai Media Fund.

In October 2019, Dr. James Gomez, Regional Director, Asia Centre visited institutions in Washington, D.C. and New York to introduce the work of the Centre and broaden its network in the United States (US). Apart from institution-to-institution level cooperation, Dr. Gomez also invited collaborations with the Centre on its 4 year project on Freedom of Expressions in Southeast Asia (SEA). During the US visit, Dr.Gomez presented findings from its International Conference on Fake News and Elections in Asia and promoted the 2020 conference on Hate Speech in Asia: Challenges and Solutions. This trip saw Asia Centre engaging with universities, policy institutes, state department officials, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and United Nations agencies in the US. During the trip, Dr. Gomez gave 2 public talks at universities and had academic side meetings to share and extend invitations to co-convene the 2020 conference on Hate Speech in Asia: Challenges and Solutions. In Washington D.C. on 17 October 2019, Dr. Gomez spoke at George Washington University at a seminar jointly organised by the Sigur Centre for Asia Studies and the Institute for Public Diplomacy and Global Communication. He also spoke at a talk jointly organised by the Centre for Global Free Expression, School of International and Public Affairs and the Institute for the Study of Human Rights at Columbia University on 24 October 2019 in New York. At both events, he addressed the issue of “Fake News Legislation in Southeast Asia and the Impact on the Freedom of Expression”. He argued that fake news legislations run contrary to international norms on freedom of expression and are instead being used as a tool of repression by political incumbents. Dr. Gomez also had academic meetings with Executive Director of the Dangerous Speech Project, American University, Susan Benech on 17 October 2019, Professor James Robson, Harvard University’s Asia Centre on 22 October 2019 and Dr. Hawley Johnson of the Global Freedom of Expression, Columbia University on 24 October 2019 discussing possible collaboration for the Centre’s International Conference on Hate Speech in Asia: Challenges and Solutions. Dr. Gomez held closed door briefing sessions at 2 policy institutes during the trip. The first session was in Washington DC on 18 October 2019 with the Council on Foreign Relations and the second in New York on 25 October 2019 with the National Committee on American Foreign Policy. At both meetings, Dr. Gomez updated participants from academia, diplomatic missions, private foundations, various state departments and technology companies on fake news legislations’ impact on human rights in Southeast Asia. A range of NGOs also attended a briefing on the Centre’s projects and discussed possibilities for collaboration. In Washington, D.C., Dr. Gomez participated in a roundtable organised by the International Republican Institute that was attended by its staff and other INGOs representatives. During which, he briefed participants on the authoritarian practices of governments and other detractors to label INGOs’ collaborations with local NGOs as “foreign interference”. Following which, participants should be mindful of this new type of hate speech against INGOs. During the trip, Dr. Gomez met with representatives from a wide range of organisations such as the National Endowment for Democracy, Freedom House, Global Witness, International Center on Nonviolent Conflict, National Democratic Institute (NDI), PeaceTech Lab, Holocaust Museum and the American Jewish World Service to brief them on the Centre’s work.  Dr. Gomez also participated in some public events. He attended the launch of ‘Exploring New Approaches for Atrocity Prevention’ hosted at the United States Institute of Peace in Washington, D.C and later on in New York, he attended the Oslo Freedom Forum on 23 October 2019 organized by the Human Rights Foundation. During both these events, Dr. Gomez was able to network with other representatives of organisations attending the events. In line with Asia Centre’s work on hate speech and its impact on the Rohingya community in Myanmar, the trip included meetings with United Nations agencies and officials alongside organizations that advocate for an effective solution to the Rohingya refugee crisis. On 21 October 2019, Dr. Gomez met with the United Nations Office of the Special Advisor on the Prevention of Genocide to discuss collaboration on the 2020 conference on Hate Speech in Asia: Challenges and Solutions. He also attended a briefing for INGOs by Dr. Marzuki Darulsman (former Fact Finding Mission) and Khin Omar, (Progressive Voice) convened by CARE International. Dr. Gomez had separate meetings with Yanghee Lee (Special Rapporteur Myanmar), representatives of Burma Task Force and the Free Rohingya Coalition.  To discuss the Centre’s work on Freedom of Religion or Belief, Dr. Gomez met with the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom earlier on in Washington D.C., on 16 October 2019. Dr. Gomez had an opportunity to engage with the media when he was interviewed on 18 October 2019 by Men Kimseng of the Khmer Service on Voice of America. During the on camera interview, Dr. Gomez spoke on a wide range of issues including fake news in Cambodian politics and commented on Sam Rainsy’s announcement to return to Cambodia on 9 November 2019. Overall, the visits to Washington DC and New York from 14 October 2019 to 25 October 2019 enabled Asia Centre to introduce its work and initiate conversations to explore collaborations with US-based institutions. This trip furthers the Centre’s external engagement beyond Asia and broadens its network into the US.

The role of journalists in reporting on the scale of inequality came to the fore during the panel discussion convened on 8 November 2019 for the Thailand launch event of the Journalism for an Equitable Asia Award, organised by Asia Centre and Oxfam in Asia. The event brought together 35 participants from the media, academia and civil society to discuss the challenges of reporting on inequality. The objective of Asia Centre and Oxfam in Asia’s partnership in organising the Journalism for an Equitable Asia Award is to promote strong journalism and acknowledge the hard work of journalists who have persisted in such a role despite the travails. In the face of authoritarianism, populism and extremism in Asia, where civic freedoms are encroached on and voices against injustice are silenced, journalism’s role in promoting a healthy public discourse around human rights is vital. However, journalism faces the challenge of technological disruption. This has led to a shift in media consumption to user generated content, leading to a flood of information from numerous media sources. With shifting media and news consumption habits, strong journalism on critical issues of equality, rights and sustainability are often drowned out in favour of sensationalist, populist and politically-driven media narratives. Against this backdrop, journalism needs to be more innovative in their reporting on issues, especially that of inequality. Key points made by the experts are as follows. First, inequality in Asia is rising despite having the fastest growing economic region. In addition, the lack of attention to key issues of climate change and gender inequality in this region was observed in the welcome remarks by Nipuna Kumbalathara, Media and Communications Lead – Asia at Oxfam International. The capacity of journalists to be enablers and thought leaders in the goal of making a better world where people have equal opportunities for a better tomorrow was also reaffirmed.  Second, the development of journalism with a social conscience was noted by Dr. Robin Ramcharan of Asia Centre, who moderated the panel. He issued a timely reminder of  journalism’s role in holding governments accountable and speaking truth to power. He also implored journalists to hold good ethical practices and be good researchers for fact-based journalism.  Third, journalism should serve as a counterweight to inequality and should capture its complexities through reporting on the effects of climate change. This point was made by Dr. Jessada Salathong, a communication arts lecturer at Chulalongkorn University and a television and radio host. He argued that the current reporting on climate change only unveils the tip of the iceberg to the problem and thus called for a more critical investigation of the issue through the adoption of an intersectional lens of class and gender. With such considerations, journalism can more effectively counterbalance the disproportionate effects of climate change experienced by women and the poor — exposing more of the iceberg. Fourth, the empowering nature of journalism as a source of education and as an amplifier of the marginalised voice was further affirmed by Supinya Klangnarong, a Thai media rights advocate and former vice-chair of the Campaign for Popular Media Reform (CPMR). However, she also recognised the challenge journalists face with the digital disruption of media consumption. Moreover, declining trust in the news industry as a result of disinformation and fake news has made it tougher for journalists to effectively deliver news to the public. Fifth, the importance of robust and concrete data to tell a fuller picture of poverty was emphasised by Journalist Shaikh Ashfaque Zaman. In contextualizing the individual narratives of poverty in larger systemic structures, it shifts the onus of poverty away from these purportedly passive individuals. In search of more extensive databases, he called for collaboration with research institutes and the possibility of forming collectives. Sixth, inequality is a political choice and is not inevitable. Furthering the discussion on the issue of poverty, Max Lawson, Head of Inequality Policy at Oxfam International called for journalists to shift the spotlight from this erroneous belief by calling for an investigation into wealth, rather than the preponderant instinct to only report on the poor. Equipped with a better understanding of inequality and the possibility of change, the public can demand for more progressive policies and a more equitable world. The speakers and the audience deliberated about the need for ethical journalism moving forward and consequently, how honest reporting of poverty would look like in the age of digital disruption. Shaikh Ashfaque Zaman recognised the need to move beyond a tendency of telling individual narratives and reverting to incomplete individual depictions of poverty and social mobility and reiterated the role of data driven journalism in revealing the larger movement such stories are located within. The practice of ethical storytelling was also mentioned and its contribution to empowering the subject to narrate his or her story rather than have it be shaped on the editing floor.  In this vein, a reinvention of honest reporting is also required in the era of digital disruption. Supinya Klangnarong called for journalism to negotiate with the major media companies to effect change together. Max Lawson highlighted Oxfam’s strategy of cutting through the noise by appropriating the echo chamber and reactionary forces prevalent today. In particular, Oxfam uses ‘killer facts’, which are simple enough to evoke the readership’s emotions when reporting on poverty. To better prepare journalists, Dr. Jessada Salathong acknowledged the need for academia to recalibrate its teaching methodologies in order to deal with the new landscape, but that the same core value be imparted to students — responsibility to the public. This panel discussion is part of the launch event for the Journalism for an Equitable Asia Award co-hosted by Asia Centre and Oxfam in Asia. The award serves to acknowledge the efforts and thought leadership of journalists in shedding light on the issue of inequality and its many facets. This event is one in a series of on-site and online launch events in South and Southeast Asia: Bangladesh, Myanmar, Pakistan, Philippines, Thailand and Malaysia to create awareness of this

Asia Centre presented its research on disinformation in Southeast Asia at the Executive Committee Meeting of the Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats (CALD) in Taipei, from 18 to 23 October 2019. During the EXCOM meeting, the Centre’s Dr. Robin Ramcharan, also discussed future collaboration with CALD and its affiliated members. Created in 1993, CALD is a platform for dialogue and cooperation between liberal and democratic political parties in Asia. The Centre was invited to share its analysis on Fake News legislations in Southeast Asia, which has a considerable negative impact on democracy and elections in the region. The key point delivered is that fake news laws are contrary to international standards on freedom of expression. Fake news laws, complemented by existing laws, have led to the criminalisation of criticism of authoritarian regimes as disinformation and has led to increased Governmental control of what is true and what is fake. Dr. Ramcharan expounded these points on a panel that included the International Centre for Not-for-Profit Law (ICNL) based in Washington, D.C. Dr. Ramcharan was also invited to attend the EXCOM of CALD, chaired by Member of Parliament Bi-Khim Hsiao from Taiwan. CALD members gave strong support for a Memorandum of Cooperation between the Centre and CALD, which would see the two institutions collaborate on initiatives that advance their shared vision of a democratic, rule-of-law order across Asia.  In line with this shared vision, Dr. Ramcharan emphasized the Centre’s advocacy for human rights in the region. It was proposed that CALD partner with the Centre during its International Conference on Hate Speech in Asia, from 8-10 July 2019. The Centre gained an update on the challenges to democracy across the region as CALD Members spoke of their travails: arrests of opposition politicians in Cambodia, the heavy-handed tactics towards protesters by Hong Kong authorities, fake news about Thai politicians and the assault on the rule-of-law in the Philippines, to name a few. African, Arab and Latin American delegates spoke of similar challenges in their respective regions. The evidence-based research of the Centre and the latter’s potential to serve as a knowledge partner was appreciated by the delegates. Members of Parliament who were apprised of the work of the Centre at the meeting hailed from liberal federations in Asia, Africa, the Arab World and Latin America.  Expressions of interest for collaboration came from various MPs including from Africa, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Thailand and youth leaders from Malaysia. Asia Centre intends to take up the expressions of interest and to see if it can implement the ideas put forward by delegates.

Asia Centre has built good relations with Bangkok-based diplomatic missions by attending embassy functions, meeting with embassy officials and hosting discussions with ambassadors. These embassy engagements are part of the Centre’s efforts to seek connections to overseas partners and broaden its global network. The bulk of engagements with diplomatic missions usually occur when Asia Centre’s representatives attend independence or national day celebrations organised by the embassies. In 2019, Asia Centre received an increased number of invites to embassy functions.  On 10 Oct 2019, Dr. James Gomez and Johnny Hoang Nguyen attended the 108th National Day of the Republic of China (Taiwan) at the invitation of H.E. Dr. Tung Chen-Yuan. Participation at this function follows an earlier visit by Dr. Gomez and Asia Centre’s Taiwanese intern Wei-Wen Wang to the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office on 26 June 2019; where they discussed connecting to Taiwanese institutions. As part of the Centre’s engagement with East Asian diplomatic missions, during the Centre’s 1st Japan-ASEAN Roundtable on Business and Human Rights on 18 August 2017, the Centre also hosted Mr. Shutaro Omura — the Minister of Political Affairs from the Japanese embassy in Bangkok.  The Centre also engages with Southeast Asian diplomatic missions through Indonesia and Vietnam. On 20 August 2019, Dr. James Gomez and Dr. Robin Ramcharan attended the 74th Anniversary of Indonesia’s Independence Day as part of Asia Centre’s continued efforts to develop activities and networks in Indonesia. Earlier on 29 April 2019, the Indonesian Embassy’s Education and Cultural Attaché, Prof. Dr. Mustari M.Pd also visited the Centre together with the students and staff from Satya Wacana Christian University. Asia Centre’s Dr. Robin Ramcharan, Dr. James Gomez and Michelle D’Cruz also attended a Vietnamese National Day celebration on 15 September 2017. They met with Vietnamese ambassador H.E. Nguyen Hai Bang and also corresponded with Indonesian embassy officials and the East Timor ambassador H.E. Joaquim Amaral, thereby extending Asia Centre’s network to Southeast Asian diplomatic missions. Adding to the Centre’s engagements in Southeast Asia, 2019 has seen Asia Centre actively build networks with South Asian missions. On 31 July 2019, Dr. James Gomez and Dr. Robin Ramcharan met with Pakistani Ambassador to Thailand, H.E. Asim Iftikhar Ahmad. During the meeting, they discussed connecting with universities in Pakistan and his participation in Asia Centre’s conference on Hate Speech from 8-10 July 2020. The Centre has also twice hosted Bangladeshi Ambassador H.E. Saida Muna Tasneem, when she spoke on the Rohingya refugee crisis at the “International Conference on Youth Engagement and Human Rights” in October 2017, and on women’s power in Asia during the “Third Annual Benedict Anderson Memorial Roundtable” in January 2018. Asia Centre has also increasingly made headways in its engagement with African missions. On 8 October 2019, Dr. James Gomez, Dr. Robin Ramcharan, Teo Gin Na and Charlotte Chua attended Nigeria’s 59th Independence Anniversary celebrations. This follows the previous meeting with the Nigerian Ambassador H.E. Mr. Ahmed Nuhu Bamalli at the embassy on 25 July 2019 to discuss Asia Centre’s engagement with Nigerian universities and a possible visit to Lagos. In line with Asia Centre’s engagement with Africa, Asia Centre representatives attended the Moroccan embassy function for “Throne Day” on the 30th of July 2019. Likewise, on 27 May 2019, Dr. James Gomez and Tessa Alleblas also represented the Centre at Africa Day where African states came together to host the event. Asia Centre’s formal engagement with an African state was first made in 2017 when the Centre hosted South African Ambassador to Thailand H.E. Geoff Doidge in the October 2017 roundtable event “Bandung Revisited: Africa-Asia Relations in the 21st Century”. Since then, Asia Centre’s network with African states continues to grow.  As part of Asia Centre’s strategy of global engagement, the Centre also works with embassies in the Americas — Peru, Canada and the United States of America (USA). Asia Centre often extends the invite to the interns as well. As such, the Asia Centre team and their interns attended a Peruvian Embassy function in celebration of the “198th Anniversary of the Independence of the Republic of Peru” on 7 August 2019. During which, they engaged with their South American counterparts and discussed the possibilities of future partnerships with Peruvian organisations. On the 1st of July 2019, Canada Day, Asia Centre’s Dr. Robin Ramcharan attended the Canada-United Kingdom reception to support and promote press freedom in Thailand. During which, valuable discussions were had with Ayesha Rekhi, Canadian Chargé d’affaires a.i and other attendees, including those from the United Kingdom delegation. This follows an earlier meeting between Dr. Ramcharan and the Canadian ambassador to Thailand, H.E. Donica Pottie in November 2018. The month prior, the Canadian ambassador also participated in the Centre’s “Rice Before Rights” event. On 27 June 2019, Dr. James Gomez also attended a US embassy function in celebration of their Independence ahead of the actual commemoration on the 4th of July. US embassy officials – Thomas R. A Montgomery and Worawan Thanamongkol – then also participated in the Centre’s Fake News and Elections Conference held 2 weeks later on 10-12 July 2019, continuing the bilateral engagement. As with many of the other embassy engagements, Dr. Gomez’s engagement with the US embassy in Bangkok helped to lay the groundwork for furthering partnerships – in particular Dr. Gomez’s networking trip to Washington D.C. and New York in October 2019. Asia Centre also engages with countries from Europe — to date connecting with the Luxembourg, the European Union (EU) and Russian missions. In celebration of the National Day of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, on 21 June 2019, the Asia Centre team was invited and engaged with the many guests and ambassadors on Asia Centre’s activities in the region. The year prior, on 22 November 2018, Dr. Robin Ramcharan and Tessa Alleblas attended an EU delegation grant application briefing session aimed at supporting capacity building of civil society organisations (CSOs). Asia Centre’s Dr. James Gomez and Elise Schuster also attended earlier that year in May 2018, Europe Day.  The Centre has

 Since 2017, Asia Centre has been actively advocating for solutions to the Rohingya refugee crisis. Drs. James Gomez and Robin Ramcharan, as Asia Centre’s resource speakers have spoken at numerous international conferences particularly in 2018. While Dr. Gomez has been the lead Asia Centre spokesperson in responding to the media on developments that emerge related to the Rohingya refugee crisis.  To take stock of the situation, one year after the 2017 mass exodus of Rohingya fleeing violence and persecution by the Myanmar Government and military, the Asia Centre convened a one day conference titled “The Rohingya Crisis: A Multidimensional Tragedy”, on 24 August 2018. Experts participating in the conference came from around the world, including Australia, Bangladesh, Ireland, Japan, Norway, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States. The participants noted, one year on, the prospects of a deepening humanitarian crisis and of achieving justice are prolonged indefinitely into the future. The analysis was that pursuit of justice for the victims and accountability for crimes perpetrated will be hard to achieve as Myanmar enjoys the protective cover of ASEAN’s non-interference principle, regional commercial interests in Myanmar and a regional geopolitical climate that does not favour the protection of human rights.   From this analysis one year on, Asia Centre has been focused on ASEAN’s intervention or lack there of in relation to the Rohingya refugee crisis. On 6 November 2018, Asia Centre’s Dr. Robin Ramcharan and Centre Associate, Dr. Kenneth Houston spoke at the Peace and Conflict Resolution Conference 2018, Bangkok, which was hosted by Tomorrow People Organization. They presented on ASEAN lack of effective engagement and solutions for the Rohingya refugees. On October 31st 2018, Dr. Gomez spoke at a well-attended talk organised by the Political Science and International Relations Programme of Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand.  In his speech, titled the “Rohingya Crisis: Is Human Rights Advocacy Working?”, Dr. Gomez touched on how ASEAN continues to provide Myanmar protective cover through the bloc’s non-interference policy while China, India and Japan prioritise wooing Myanmar for their strategic interests. He further added, “Constructive engagement” and behind the scenes conversations with Myanmar has to date proven ineffective in either preventing human rights violations and providing security and justice for Rohingyas and other minorities in the country. On 23 October, Dr. Gomez was an activist-in-residence at CARE, Massey University, New Zealand where he conducted a workshop on developing an advocacy strategy at the ASEAN level on the Rohingya refugee issue. The purpose of the workshop was to equip aspiring advocates with the ability to develop and produce a multi-country Southeast Asian project to enhance advocacy surrounding the plight of the Rohingya refugees in the region. Following the event, Dr. Gomez also interacted with Dr Murdoch Stephens of the Doing Our Bit campaign to double the quota of Rohingya refugees to New Zealand.  On 19 September 2018, Dr. Gomez delivered a keynote address at the Law Faculty, Universitas Jember in Indonesia entitled “Political Culture in Human Rights: Gender, Migrant Workers and Human Trafficking in Southeast Asia” where he once again addressed the Rohingya refugee issue and its impact on Southeast Asia. Few months earlier on 1 August 2018, Asia Centre’s Dr. Robin Ramcharan spoke at an ActionAid conference in Dhaka entitled Bangladesh’s Rohingya Refugee Crisis: Towards Sustainable Solutions. Dr. Ramcharan highlighted ASEAN’s lack of responsibility in resolving the Rohingya refugee crisis which he labelled as a multidimensional humanitarian tragedy. Asia Centre has also made media appearances advocating for a change in the Rohingya status quo in Southeast Asia. Based on research undertaken at the Centre, its representative comment on developments related to the Rohingya refugee crisis as they evolve. Asia Centre’s, Dr. Gomez was live on Al Jazeera TV on 18 July 2019 to respond to US sanctions against the Myanmar generals and the arrival of the ICC delegation to Dhaka at that time. Dr. Gomez said more effective sanctions are needed and further cooperation with the ICC will determine if there can be real accountability for the crimes against the Rohingyas. On 5 November 2018, Dr. Gomez was interviewed by Lynda Chanwai-Earle, a researcher from Asia Media Centre at the Asia New Zealand Foundation which later published the article “Key Issues: Rohingya Crisis” featuring the role of ASEAN in the refugee crisis. In another media engagement, Dr. James Gomez also spoke to ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) from Tokyo on Friday, 28 September 2018 on the Rohingya refugee issue after the Canadian parliament voted to strip Myanmar’s Aung San Suu Kyi of honorary citizenship. While the Canada vote was a step in the right direction and strong symbolic gesture, Dr. Gomez urged Australia and New Zealand to put pressure on ASEAN members to do more for the Rohingya refugees. Asia Centre’s commentary titled “ASEAN’s non-interference policy hinders Rohingya justice” was featured in The Independent Singapore on 2 September 2018. The commentary argued that ASEAN’s policy of non-interference has literally resulted in non-action allowing the Rohingya crisis to grow. It reinforced the point that ASEAN indirectly provides Myanmar regime continued cover and effectively denying the Rohingya and other affected communities the justice they truly deserve. Following a slew of activities in 2018 following the 2017 exodus, on the occasion to commemorate the 2nd on, Asia Centre’s Dr. James Gomez spoke at the International Conference on Protection of Rohingya Survivors and Accountability for Genocide, on 23 August 2019, at Sogang University, South Korea. There he presented a base-line study on hate speech in Southeast Asia and the possible repercussions for Myanmar during the upcoming general elections in 2020. Dr. Gomez made the point that hate speech increases during the run up to elections. Given Myanmar’s internet penetration is expected to rise from 39% in 2019 to about 50% towards the 2020 general elections, he cautioned that anti-Muslim/Rohingya rhetoric is also expected to rise online. Dr. Gomez and Professor Yanghee Lee (UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar) also discussed Asia Centre’s plans for its upcoming conference on Hate Speech

Japan needs to recalibrate and reevaluate its engagement with Southeast Asia (SEA) in view of China’s ascendency and the United States’ (US) uncertain engagement with the region. As Japan navigates competition from China and other rising powers, the influence of its economy will diminish. The question therefore, is how should Japan frame its foreign policy towards Southeast Asia in this new context. Policy experience, soft power project, people-to-people dimension or values based diplomacy on principles of democracy and human rights are non-economic dimensions that are likely to feature more as its foreign tools.  The debate over a non-economic approach emerged as the key discussion point at the 4th October 2019 “Japan-ASEAN Roundtable: Competing for Influence in SEA”, organised by Asia Centre and supported by the Japan Foundation. It brought five expert panelists and 40 participants together to discuss current regional dynamics and Japan’s engagement with ASEAN moving forward.  The event opened with remarks by Dr. Robin Ramcharan, Executive Director at Asia Centre, who traced the evolution of Japan-ASEAN relations: starting with the Fukuda Doctrine till current day, where Japan-ASEAN relations operate within burgeoning tensions between the US and China.  The expert panelists made the following inputs: Japan’s economic impact, outlined by Mr. Daisuke Hiratsuka from Japan External Trade Organization looked at Japan’s role in the current dynamics of SEA. In recent years, China has been increasing its presence through e-commerce firms, the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), fruit cultivation, Chinese tourism in SEA. At the same time, Mr. Hiratsuka noted that current dynamics need not necessarily decrease Japan’s presence but that Japan should look to value-add in other ways — in particular, through knowledge sharing for policy implementation.  The purportedly anomalous development of military cooperation in Japan-ASEAN relations and whether it signalled a radical realignment, shifting from the Fukuda Document of ‘heart to heart’ approach, was addressed by Dr. David M. Malitz of BALAC, Chulalongkorn University. In providing an overview leading to the present context of the Japanese-ASEAN security relations, Dr. Malitz noted complementarities between ASEAN and Japan in the area of non-traditional security. Even in traditional security matters, he noted long-standing cooperation between the two. With the tense climate of US and China playing a zero-sum game and the emergence of non-traditional security issues like cyberwarfare, taking a multi-channel comprehensive approach, including that of military diplomacy, is a necessary way forward. Japan’s soft power appeal was examined critically by Dr. Saikaew Thipakorn of the Japan-ASEAN Studies Center, Chulalongkorn University. She outlined the realm of cultural diplomacy in terms of the establishment of the Japan Foundation, the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science and the Association for Overseas Technical Scholarship. However, while successful at nurturing young minds and developing human resources, Dr. Thipakorn pointed out the limits of Japan’s soft power influence over Southeast Asia stating that it does not have any real impact in foreign policy terms.  As part of its strategy to counter the formation of rival blocs globally, Japan’s undertaking of the Free and Open Indo-Pacific strategy (FOIP) was reviewed by Dr. Sueo Sudo of Thammasat University. The quadrilateral nature of FOIP (involving the US, India and Australia) and the panoramic targeting of Asia-Pacific and Africa in theory is aimed at maintaining the global order and to combat the challenges of a rising China. In practice however, there are ambiguities surrounding FOIP like the feasibility of ASEAN’s centrality in the strategy and the absence of Africa in ASEAN’s approaches. Moving ahead, Dr. Sudo posited that Japan should look to clarify and determine what FOIP means. Besides using FOIP to counter the rise of China, Mr. Saul J. Takahashi from Osaka Jogakuin University also urged that it is imperative for Japan to better define its own political identity in order to formulate clear policies in the current geo-political context. Leveraging on a Chinese proverb by titling his presentation ‘The Fox in the Shadow of the Tiger: The Need for An Independent Identity’, Japan was metaphorically represented as the fox and US as the tiger – he expounded on the need for Japan to step out of the shadows of the US. While there have been low-level efforts to engage SEA on bilateral terms and combative rhetoric against China is slowly being retracted, Japan should work to realign its foreign policy on its own terms and to democratic and human rights values.  Adding to the need for reevaluating Japan’s SEA engagement strategy, panellist Dr. Taro Mochizuki from Graduate School of Letters, Osaka University followed with another dimension — how should Japan differentiate its influence from extra-regional actors’? Dr. Mochizuki noted that over 90% of foreign students of nearly 300,000 come from Asia, of which 65% are from China. Although there are social infrastructures in place like awarding scholarships to foreign students there is a rising trend of privately funded students studying in Japan. Dr. Mochizuki proposed that this trend supports the effectiveness of fostering more people-to-people ties into Japan’s regional strategy.    In the backdrop of increasing political uncertainty, Japan needs to reimagine its role within the Southeast Asia region and beyond. Caught between the reality of not being able to outspend China and not casting aside long-standing diplomatic ties with the US, Japan needs to lean into bolstering non-economic dimensions of engagement. Given that foreign policies’ goal is to support national interests, Japan needs to first look within to determine its own identity outside the shadows of the US. Moving forward, it should rework its soft power strategy, utilize people-to-people relations, tap into a multi-channel security approach and leverage on its democratic and human rights values to further relations with SEA. Only then will Japan be able to reinvent its engagement with Southeast Asia in the changing geopolitical context. This roundtable is the second on Japan-ASEAN relations. The first roundtable held in August 2017 focused on how the adoption of a human rights dimension to Japan-ASEAN economic and business relationship will provide greater traction for Japan in the region. Both events were organised by Asia Centre, with

On 27 September 2019, Asia Centre signed an MOU with the Faculty of Law, Thammasat University. Dean, Faculty of Law, Munin Pongsapan and Asia Centre’s Executive Director Dr. Robin Ramcharan inked the agreement to cement their co-convening of Asia Centre’s 5th International conference on Hate Speech in Asia: Challenges and Solutions 8-10 July 2020. The MOU signing, witnessed by Asia Centre’s advisor Dr. Andrew Harding, builds on the Centre’s working relationship with the Faculty of Law since the last 2 years. For instance, on 30 October 2017, the Centre hosted the Faculty of Law’s students and Professor Thitirat Thipsamritkul at the International Conference on Youth Engagement and Human Rights. In June 2019, Chen Xiangyi a business law student at the Faculty of Law undertook her internship at Asia Centre. Starting 2019, Asia Centre began to sign Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) with partners with whom it has established a working relationship. Areas of collaboration delineated in the MOUs include co-convening activities such as conferences, seminars and workshops; collaborating on research; organising study trips and facilitating internships. Having focused on consolidating its organizational structure and running a suite of activities in Bangkok, Thailand over the past 4 years, the MOUs help pivot Asia Centre externally towards the region and beyond. Collectively, the MOUs also allow Asia Centre and its partners to extend the geographical reach of their activities.  On 23 September 2019, Dr. Rafal Pankowski from Poland-based Never Again Association signed an MOU with Asia Centre’s Dr. James Gomez. In line with Never Again Association’s goals to tackle racial and ethnic prejudice, the Association will also be forming a panel at the 2020 Hate Speech Conference to expound further on these topics. This cooperation marks Asia Centre’s first MOU with a European partner. In the same month on 9 September 2019, Asia Centre signed an MOU with the University of New South Wales to specifically collaborate with its Australian Institute for Human Rights. It is expected that the MOU will lead to a panel partnership during Asia Centre’s 5th International conference on Hate Speech in Asia: Challenges and Solutions 8-10 July 2020, hosting of New Colombo Plan Scholars at Asia Centre and explore collaboration around the Dignity in Design project which looks at human rights issues in the urban environment. Earlier in the year on 12 May 2019, Asia Centre signed an MOU with another human rights institution. This time it was with Chang Fo Chuan, Centre for the Study of Human Rights, Soochow University in Taipei, Taiwan. This MOU cemented the close working relationship Asia Centre has had with Soochow University starting from 2018 when Dr. James Gomez presented at a roundtable discussion the findings from the Centre’s book “The UPR of Southeast Asia: Civil Society Perspectives” on 8 November 2018. The next year, Asia Centre’s Dr James Gomez and Yawee Butrkrawee, Programme Coordinator attended the Workshop of Advocacy for Asian Human Rights Court at Soochow University from 9-12 May 2019 during which time, the MOU was signed. Asia Centre’s Advisory Board Member Nukila Evanty furthered this collaboration with Soochow University by speaking at their Gender and Business and Human Rights Workshop on 13 July 2019 also organised by the Chang Fo Chuan, Centre for the Study of Human Rights, Soochow University . 2 months before on 5 March 2019, Asia Centre’s Dr. James Gomez and Professor Neil Semuel Rupidara, Rector, Satya Wacana Christian University (UKSW) signed an MOU in Semarang, Indonesia. The partnership was signed following the two entities’ first joint general studies panel. Entitled “Religion, Media and Politics in Southeast Asia”, the event was organised in collaboration with the Faculty of Social Science and Communications, Faculty of Theology and the Centre for the Study of Religion, Pluralism and Democracy. Following the MOU signing, Asia Centre has since hosted 2 study visits of 30 students each. The visit on 8 May 2019 focused on discussions over the use of fake news during the Indonesian presidential elections. The visit on 16 September 2019 focused on the unrest in West Papua over the Papuan Independence movement.   In line with India’s Act East policy, Asia Centre has also fostered close relations and signed MOUs with 3 institutions in Kolkata — Calcutta University, NSHM Knowledge Campus and Observer Research Foundation (ORF). The MOUs follow Asia Centre’s Dr. James Gomez’s previous visits to the region in 2018, where he laid the foundation for collaborations with these institutions. On 8 February 2019,  Asia Centre’s Dr. James Gomez and Professor Sonali Chakravarti Banerjee, Vice Chancellor, Calcutta University signed an MOU. This event was also witnessed by Kolkata’s Chief Minister, Mamata Banarjee as part of the Government of West Bengal’s push for its universities to collaborate with knowledge partners abroad. Dr. Gomez was previously a Visiting Fellow at the Department of South and Southeast Asian Studies, University of Calcutta – College Street Campus from 26 to 30 November 2018.  The second MOU was signed with Cecil Anthony, Chief Mentor, NSHM Knowledge Campus during NSHM Knowledge Campus’s International Conference on Media and Society on 8 March 2019. During which, Asia Centre’s Research and Grants Officer, Tessa Allebas spoke on trends in manufactured opinions over social media. In November 2018, Dr. Gomez had visited the media department of the NSHM Knowledge Campus and was also interviewed over 91.2 Y-FM NSHM Community Radio. Besides fostering close relations between both parties, the MOU also helps NSHM Knowledge Campus extend its reach to the Southeast Asia region. On 25 March 2019, Dr. Robin Ramcharan and ORF’s Director Dr. Nilanan Ghosh, signed an MOU during ORF’s opening ceremony of its two-day conference on the “Significance of the Bay of Bengal: India, Japan and Southeast Asia”. Specifically, the MOU pledges future collaboration on policy-oriented research that seeks to create social impact. As a follow up, Dr. Robin Ramcharan has been invited to and will be speaking at the Media Workshop, ‘Reimagining BIMSTEC’ hosted by ORF on 27-28 November 2019 in Kolkata, India. Within the South Asian region, Asia Centre was invited by the Centre

In 2019 Asia Centre undertook a series of meetings and interactions in Bangkok, Thailand, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and Taipei, Taiwan to strengthen its relationship with Taiwanese institutions. The 2019 meetings built on Asia Centre’s initial December 2018 collaborative visit to Taipei, Taiwan. Engagement with Taiwanese institutions is expected to continue in 2020. On 18 December 2019, Asia Centre’s Dr. James Gomez and Yawee Butrkrawee met with Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) Malaysia’s Head of Mission, Anne Hung and Director, General Affairs Division, Chichia Chen. Dr. Gomez introduced Asia Centre and its plans to establish operations in Johor Bahru, Malaysia. Earlier on 5-7 December 2019, Drs. James Gomez and Robin Ramcharan presented a paper on “The ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR): Normative and Institutional Pathways towards an Enhanced Protection Role”. Thereafter from 8-11 December 2019, with Partnership Coordinator Charlotte Tseng, the Asia Centre team had a series of meetings in Taipei and lectures at National Chengchi University. From 12-14 December 2019 Dr. Gomez travelled to Kaohsiung and signed an MOU with Wenzao Ursuline University of Languages and delivered a public lecture at the National Sun Yat-Sen University. See link for details. On 18-23 October 2019, Asia Centre’s Executive Director Dr. Robin Ramcharan at the invitation of the Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats (CALD) and the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) of Taiwan participated in the 40th CALD Executive Committee Meeting in Taipei on the theme of political innovation in the era of disinformation. Dr. Robin Ramcharan presented Asia Centre‘s research on fake news legislation in Southeast Asia during the panel discussion entitled Legislating to Address Digital Disinformation at the Defending Democracy Against Disinformation: Stakeholders Analysis and Intervention meeting.  Earlier on 9-13 September, Dr. Gomez was in Taipei to attend the “Defending Democracy Through Media Literacy II” International Workshop from 10-11 September. The event was organised by The Taiwan Foundation for Democracy (TFD) andco-hosted with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT), the National Democratic Institute (NDI), the International Republican Institute (IRI), the Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association, and the Swedish Trade and Investment Council. On 12 December 2019, Dr. Gomez participated in the U.S.-Taiwan Consultations on Democratic Governance in the Indo-Pacific Region. In Bangkok, on 3 July 2019 Asia Centre welcomed staff and students from Wenzao Ursuline University of Languages who learned about the Centre’s work in the Southeast Asian region. Assistant Professor Cathy Yi-Hung Liao discussed the signing an MOU between the two institutions and welcomed Dr. Gomez to an official MOU signing during the Asia Centre visit to Kaohsiung in December 2019. On 26 June  2019, Asia Centre’s Dr. Gomez and research intern Wei-Wen Wang visited The New Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Laksi Bangkok. The discussed topics included the consolidation and continuing building relationships with Taiwanese academia, civil society, think-tanks, universities and other supporting institutions. Just a week earlier on 17 June 2019 Dr. Gomez meet with Taiwan’s Digital Minister Audrey Tang during the “International Conference on Fake News” held in Bangkok to promote digital literacy and fact-checking before sharing news stories. On 28 May 2019, Bo Tedards, Director of International Cooperation Department, Taiwan Foundation for Democracy came to Asia Centre where he responded to Asia Centre research on China’s influence in the South East Asian region. TFD is a regional partner of Asia Centre and both institutions have cooperated since the establishment of the Centre.  On 22 May 2019 Asia Centre welcomed for three months Wei-Wen Wang, the first intern from Taiwan. Wei-Wan graduated from the National Taiwan University with a B.B.A. in International Business and moved to pursue a Master’s degree in Development Practice at the University of California. At Asia Centre, Wang researched on fake news, online disinformation and hate speech in Asia. She embodied Asia Centre’s mission to connect with Taiwanese institutions. At Soochow University, Taipei -13 July, Nukila Evanty, Advisory Board Member of Asia Centre, spoke at the Gender and Business and Human Rights Workshop. This was the second in a two-part event held by the Human Rights Centre at Soochow University. The first event, Workshop of Advocacy for Asian Human Rights Court 2019, was from 9-12 May and was attended by Asia Centre’s Dr. James Gomez and Yawee Butrkrawe.  The meeting discussed the different types of human rights violations that could be brought to an Asian Human Rights Court. During this workshop, on 12 May, Asia Centre signed an official MOU with the Centre for the Study of Human Rights, Soochow University to deepen the strategic cooperation between the two organisations. Read write up here. On 11 March  2019, Dr. Gomez was in Taipei to represent Asia Centre at a two day event, “A Civil Society Dialogue on Securing Religious Freedom in the Indo-Pacific Region”. Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen presented the welcome remarks during the opening of the conference. The event was the first International Religious Freedom Roundtable outside of U.S. Capitol in Washington D.C. The above visits and interactions planned and undertaken in 2019 build on activities undertaken by Asia Centre in November 2018.  On 9 November 2018, Dr. Gomez discussed at Soochow University the use by Taiwanese CSOs of the different UN human rights mechanisms to plan submissions on issues that affect Taiwanese nationals and companies. In his presentation, “The UPR of Southeast Asia: Civil Society Perspectives”, Dr. Gomez highlighted the pollution caused by the Formosa company in Vietnam and how these concerns were raised during Vietnam’s UPR in January 2019.  At National Chengchi University (NCCU), on 6 November 2018, Dr. Gomez led a discussion on Fake News & Elections in Southeast Asia where China’s use of misinformation for the purpose of causing divisions in Taiwanese society were debated. Taiwanese scholars and officials present expressed concern that fake news from China was a “national security threat” having possible negative influence on local elections on 24 November  2018.   Asia Centre’s engagement with Taiwan is part of the Centre’s East Asian outreach covering Japan here and South Korea here which focuses on building relationships with academia, civil society, think-tanks, universities and

Asia Centre is often approached by different media outlets such as television news channels, radio stations and online news portals to either comment on current political issues or submit op-eds on human rights issues for publication. As Regional Director, Dr James Gomez is Asia Centre’s main spokesperson and takes the lead in speaking to the media, from time-to-time the Centre’s other representatives also speak to the media on their areas of expertise. Asia Centre media engagement has dealt with issues related to security concerns on the South China Sea, the Rohingya refugee crisis and political developments in Thailand and Singapore. In 2019, fake news led the way strongly building on numerous consecutive engagements on the topic.  On the South China Sea issue, on 7 August  2019, Dr. James Gomez was interviewed by journalist Du Nhat Dang from the Hanoi based Vietnamese newspaper Tuoi Tre where Dr. Gomez pointed out that ASEAN unity is increasingly subverted by China’s influence over Cambodia and Laos. Just a month earlier, on 29th July 2019, Dr James Gomez had also discussed security issues related to the South China Sea with reporter Nguyen Ngoc Phuong from Vietnam Television on the sidelines of the 52nd ASEAN Ministerial Meeting. Asia Centre also regularly comments on developments related to the Rohingya refugee crisis. On 18 July 2019, Dr. James Gomez was live on Qatar based Al Jazeera  – قناة الجزيرة to comment on the US sanctions against the Myanmar generals and their family and restricting them from entering the US, as well as the arrival of the International Criminal Court delegation in Dhaka to open an investigation into alleged crimes against the Rohingya people in Bangladesh and in the Rakhine state of Myanmar. Some 9 months earlier, on 28 September 2018 Dr. Gomez spoke from Tokyo, Japan to ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) on the Rohingya refugee issue after the Canadian parliament voted to strip Myanmar’s Aung San Suu Kyi of her honorary citizenship. Most interviews in 2019 centred around fake news. Mrs Tessa Alleblas, the Centre’s Research and Grants Officer, spoke about the rationale behind Asia Centre’s 4th International  Conference on Fake News and elections with ICE Business Times in Bangladesh. On 13 June 2019, Dr. Gomez’s op-ed titled, “Fake News”: A New Weapon against Dissidents in Southeast Asia and published by the International Centre for Nonviolent Conflict on its portal, discussed how Southeast Asian governments are labelling critical opinions not in line with the government’s stance as “fake news”. Just a week earlier, on 8 June 2019, Dr. James Gomez was interviewed by Myanmar’s DVB TVnews for a media literacy programme on what constitutes disinformation and fake news. A month before on 9 May 2019, Dr. Gomez provided the Hong Kong based South China Morning Post an insight into the reasons given by states to introduce fake news laws. On World Press Freedom Day on 3 May 2019 Dr. Gomez was interviewed by the Myanmar based Irrawaddy on legislations being introduced across Southeast Asia to combat fake news in the name of preserving social harmony. On 22 April 2019 Dr. Gomez spoke to the Malaysia’s 89.9 BFM about the fake news legislation in the region, its impact on elections and the intersection of disinformation and false election results with Lyn Mak in Malaysia. On 16 April, Dr. Gomez was quoted in online portal Global Ground Media on how some member states in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) have used the rise of online disinformation as an excuse to attack opposition parties. On 3 April, Dr. Gomez spoke to Malaysia’s 89.9 BFM on Singapore introduction of an ‘anti-fake news’ bill in Parliament and how it affects political landscape in the country. On 4 March 2019, Dr. Gomez hosted by Indonesia’s Kompas Daily to speak at a media literacy roundtable where his comments were reported on their online portal in Bahasa Indonesia, “Masyarakat Masih Senang Kabar Bohong yang Sensasional”. On 8 February 2019. Dr. Gomez spoke to the US based LA Times on how Southeast Asian government representatives are focused on using the term “fake news” to discredit critics. In 2018, on 5th December, The Shillong Times, in Meghalaya, Northeast India reported on report a panel discussion held at the Shillong Club where Dr. Gomez outlined how social media helped spread fake news and was impacting traditional media.   In early 2019, political developments in the run to the Thai elections were of interest to the media and Asia Centre representatives were contacted for responses. On 4 February 2019, Dr. Gomez  discussed with Malaysia’s 89.9 BFM the political situation in Thailand and public sentiment ahead of the elections, including the strength of the youth vote. Thailand will hold its first democratic elections on 24 March since the military took over the government in the May 2014 coup. On 11 February 2019 Dr. Gomez was interviewed on by Malaysia’s 89.9 BFM on the electoral developments in Thailand following the nomination by Thai Raksa Chart Party of Princess Ubolratana as a Prime Ministerial candidate. On 28 March 2019, the Centre’s Programme Coordinator, Yawee Butrkrawee was interviewed by Vietnam Television for his views about the post-election developments in Thailand. Singapore is also of interest to the media and Dr. Robin Ramcharan, Executive Director at Asia Centre, commented on evolving political developments in the city-state. On 13 September 2017, Dr. Ramcharan was interviewed by Agencia EFE a Spanish News Agency on his comments following the change in the constitutional role of the President of Singapore as Halimah Yacob took on the role as a member of an ethnic minority. On 16 June 2017, Dr. Ramcharan was interviewed by Australia’s ABC News regarding the family spat between Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsieng Loong and his brother Lee Hsien Yang. A day earlier, on 15 June 2017, Dr. Ramcharan spoke to Malaysia’s 89.9 BFM  regarding the younger siblings of Lee Hsien Loong who released a six page statement accusing the Prime Minister of betraying the legacy of their father, Lee Kuan Yew. Dr Ramcharan questioned

Asia Centre co-hosted The ASEAN Community Leadership & Partnership Forum on 23th till 24th of June 2019 at Park Hyatt Bangkok. The event was held in conjunction with the 34th ASEAN Summit in Bangkok and was convened by Kingsley Strategic Institute together with other co-hosts Nation Building Institute, Thailand, the Federation of Thai Industries, the ASEAN Studies Centre and the Asia Centre. As co-host Asia Centre was responsible for inviting 50 participants from civil society, NGOs and academia which broadened the nature of interventions and networking opportunities during the event. Among those who attended included international organisation representatives from Amnesty International, Friedrich Naumann Foundation, Kenan Foundation, Oxfam Thailand, Plan International, The Japan Foundation, UNEP and representatives from academic institutions included Institute of Human Rights and Peace Studies, Mahidol University, Srinakharinwirot University, Thammasat University, Webster University and Journal of Urban Culture Research, Chulalongkorn University. At the ASEAN Community Leadership & Partnership Forum, Asia Centre made two key interventions. First, Asia Centre’s Dr. James Gomez read the citation for the ASEAN Entrepreneur of the Year Award for Goh Peng Ooi, Group Executive Chairman, Silverlake who is listed as Malaysia’s top 40 richest person. Second, Dr. Gomez chaired the panel “Youth Forum: ASEAN’s Next Generation – Shaping the Future: Reimagining ASEAN, Fueling Innovation”. The panelists collectively made the point made that an all rounded education in English that includes mentorship and industry experience is what will seamlessly move young people into the workforce. Asia Centre’s Dr. Robin Ramcharan also actively intervened from the floor asking thought provoking questions during the Q&A session which shaped the debate around the key issues that panels raised at the Forum. Apart from the interventions, in the run up to the meeting, Asia Centre served as a coordinator and liaised with hotel staff to ensure a smooth and problem free conference. In addition, the Asia Centre team also assisted in managing the event providing pre-event support, manning the registration desk, taking notes and writing summaries of the panel, photo documentation and  other organisational needs.  At the Forum, leaders from Government, Business, Academia, Think Tanks and Civil Society came to discuss the future challenges facing ASEAN in the new global era. The Forum’s theme, “Building Partnerships for a Sustainable and Inclusive ASEAN” attracted the next generation of ASEAN leaders, as well as women and young entrepreneurs. If you need Asia Centre’s help to identify speakers, coordinate participants or convene an event, do email us at contact@asiacentre.org

Asia Centre convened its 4th International Conference on Fake News and Elections in Asia which started from the evening of 10 July and went on for another 2 full days on 11 and 12 July 2019. It was the Centre’s largest to date with 12 partners, 13 panels, 46 presentations and a total of over 80 participants who discussed various issues related to fake news (See Conference Proceedings). The conference’s program can be found here. Watch the conference’s video here. Asia Centre’s 12 partners were the Faculty of Communication Arts, Chulalongkorn University, The Thai Media Fund, School of Media, Languages and Cultures, University of Nottingham, Malaysia, NSHM Knowledge Campus-Kolkata, Media Studies and Journalism Department, University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh, The Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats (CALD), International Center for Not-for-Profit Law, Law Faculty, University of Jember, International Republican Institute, HIVOS, The Friedrich Naumann Foundation and The Taiwan Foundation for Democracy (TFD). The Conference kicked off on the evening of 10 July 2019  at the Sukosol Hotel, Bangkok with Asia Centre’s Research and Grants Officer, Ms Tessa Alleblas welcoming the delegates and partners. Next the Centre’s Executive Director, Dr. Robin Ramcharan and Miklos Romandy, Regional Program Manager from Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom Southeast & East Asia made their opening remarks. Both Asia Centre and Friedrich Naumann Foundation acknowledged the benefits of working together on issues related to fake news. Day one The opening panel was convened by conference partner Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats whose speakers focused on how political parties and political leaders observe and respond to the spread of disinformation in the digital age. The importance of fake news legislation, media literacy and cyber accountability were also recognised by the panelists. Day Two The next two days, 11 and 12 July 2019 were held at Faculty of Communication Arts, Chulalongkorn University. Day 2 of the conference started with welcome remarks by Prof. Parichart Sthapitanonda (See Speech) , Dean of the Faculty of Communication Arts, Chulalongkorn University followed by Mr. Wasan Paileeklee (See Speech), CEO of กองทุนพัฒนาสื่อปลอดภัยและสร้างสรรค์ (Thai Media Fund) and Dr. James Gomez (See Speech), Regional Director of Asia Centre. The  three welcome remarks focused on a partnership approach to tackling fake news issues in the region and the benefits of working together. Day three The third day’s panels surrounded disinformation from the perspective of parliamentarians of politicians; disinformation in other regions outside of Asia; fake news and elections in India; and country specific analyses of fake news and elections in Southeast Asia.  In the second and third day a total of thirteen panels discussed historical backgrounds of ethnic, political and religious violence, as well as the current phenomena of digital disinformation in Australia, Bangladesh,Cambodia, Estonia, India, Myanmar, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Thailand, United Kingdom and the United States of America. The main discussion point at the conference was whether legislative measures are effective against fake news and if  governments would use it instead against its political critics. Preference was for non-legal measures such as media literacy and fact checking. Although fact-checking measures were deemed to not as effective as media literacy. The key concern whether any of the measures will affect freedom of expression. After 13 panels and 46 presentations, Asia Centre ran a final session on Post-Conference Publications. For conference proceedings, Ms. Tessa Alleblas explained the review process and the schedule. For the Book Project Dr. Robin Ramcharan and Palgrave Macmillan’s Vishal Daryanomel outlined the protocols and timeline. Wrapping up – Maintaining freedom of expression To wrap up the conference Asia Centre held a partnership dinner at the Sukosol Hotel, Bangkok where Regional Director, Dr. James Gomez briefed partners of next year’s annual conference “Hate Speech in Asia: Challenges and Solutions” to be held from 8-10 July, 2020. The conference is part of the centre’s ongoing 4 year project entitled “Freedom of Expression in Asia.” The Conference on Fake News and Elections was the first in the series, the conference on Hate Speech in Asia, 7-9 October 2020, will be the second conference, while the third will focus on COVID-19 and Democracy in Asia: Civic Space and Freedom of Expression, 14-16 July 2021. The project will culminate with a final conference entitled Freedom of Expression in Asia, 13-15 July 2022. In terms of publicity, Asia Centre’s 4th International Conference on Fake News and Elections in Asia did get some mention in various media outlets both in Thailand and the region. Before the conference it received a mention in ICE Business Times, during the conference a couple of conference speakers were featured on Khaosod English, and after the conference on Thai Media Fund. The conference inspired Asia Centre’s publication Fake News and Elections in Southeast Asia. It assesses the impact of fake news on electoral outcomes in Southeast Asia from the years 2018-2020. The aim is to provide an understanding of the evolving issues related to fake news and elections and to review its implications for democracy in Asia.

To strengthen relationships with South Korean academia, civil society and other supporting institutions and as part of Asia Centre’s efforts to engage with the Korean government’s Southern policy, in 2019 from 2-9 June, Dr. James Gomez visited Seoul, South Korea to attend two conferences and several partnership meetings. From June 3th to 5th Dr. Gomez was a discussant at the conference entitled Democracy, National Identity and Foreign Policy dialogue on 3th of June, where he was part of a panel that reviewed developments in Indonesia, Malaysia and Myanmar. From 4th to 5th June Dr. Gomez participated in a second conference entitled the Value Diplomacy Dialogue where he discussed Value Hedging in the Southeast Asian context. Organised by Columbia University and the National Endowment for Democracy, both the events were led at the ASAN Institute of Policy Studies in Seoul. From 6 to 8 June, Dr. Gomez met with Secretary-General Kweon Ohkun of The Korean Press Arbitration Commission (PAC) to discuss how the Commission addressed issues of fake news. After the meeting, PAC agreed to send 6 participants to Asia Centre’s Int. Conference on Fake News and Elections in Asia from 10-12 July in 2019. Dr. Gomez also visited the Korean Democracy Memorial Hall to understand the democratic history of South Korea. Thereafter he met with officials of the Democracy Foundation to discuss possible collaborations. The visit in June 2019 builds on a series of earlier engagements in the past three years that involved Asia Centre’s participation in activities in South Korea as well as visits from Koreans to the Asia Centre in Thailand. Formal engagement began when Dr. Jonathan Woodier joined the Centre’s Advisory Board in December 2016. A professor then at Sol International School of Media and Communications Arts at Woosong University, South Korea. Soon after on 17 January 2017, students from Korea University, accompanied by their professor Dr. Park Bun Soon, visited the Centre. During their visit, Asia Centre’s Dr. Robin Ramcharan discussed ASEAN integration challenges and developments related to the regional human rights mechanisms. Engagement with South Korean institutions picked up in 2018, when Dr. Jonathan Woodier and Dr. Andreas Zingerle presented a paper on the topic of Smart Cities and Human Rights in East Asia at Asia Centre’s International Conference on Business & Human Rights on 12-13 July that year in Bangkok, Thailand. In the same year, Dr. James Gomez, Chair, Board of Directors at Asia Centre won a Research Fellowship from  Korea Democracy Foundation (KDF) to undertake research on “fake news”. He presented his findings on “Fake News and Electoral Democracy in Asia: at the Asia Democracy Conference in August 2018 in Sri Lanka. Later in 2018, Dr. Robin Ramcharan, Executive Director, represented Asia Centre at a panel discussion on “Peacebuilding and Sustaining Peace” at the 8th World Human Rights Cities Forum – 세계인권도시포럼, 18-21 October 2018, in Gwangju, Republic of Korea. Since 2016, as part of Asia Centre’s regional outreach, the Centre has been engaged with South Korean universities, think-tanks and civil society organisations. Asia Centre plans to continue its people-to-people engagement with South Korea moving forward.

Disinformation contributes to an acceleration of human rights abuses in situations. Discussing the case of Rwanda, former US Ambassador to Rwanda, Margaret McMillion argued that lack of trust in transparent information contributed to genocide in that country in 1994. During the crisis many journalists were exiled in order to maintain the government narrative about the situation in Rwanda. The former US Ambassador to Rwanda made these remarks during her keynote address at  Asia Centre’s 4th Anniversary on the 19 June 2019. In a 45 minute address, she outlined human rights abuses during the Rwanda genocide and the reconsiliation process that followed afterwards. She added that the free flow of information is still lacking in Rwanda today despite its progress to relative peace. Following the keynote address, two other speakers took to the floor. Tanathorn Tananont, Attorney at Human Rights Lawyers Association, spoke about Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation or SLAPP. He pointed out that the majority of such cases in Thailand are related to political issues. He further said that defense against such lawsuits is prohibitively expensive which works in favor of prosecutors. Hence, SLAPP is being used as an intimidation tactic by governments as well as the police department to further they own goals. Zhongzuan Wu, researcher at Asia Centre, said that China places strong emphasis on economic, security and political goals rather than human rights. Hence when confronted, China becomes defensive and maintains a strong non-interference stance in domestic policy from the international community. He argued that human rights regime and conflict resolution mechanisms challenged by China’s non-participation need strengthening. Dubbed “Nite for Rights”, the evening’s discussion centred around the theme Disinformation and Human Rights Abuses in Conflict Situations. The presentations were followed by networking and informal discussions in which participants exchanged views on rights issues across the region. Some 40 people from various backgrounds including academics, students, civil society representatives and media representatives attended the event. The activity was promoted and marketed by 6 international students from Stenden Thailand and supported by Nabah, Kingsmen Hospitality and Taiwan Foundation for Democracy. Asia Centre welcomes queries on collaboration, please email contact@asiacentre.org

Dr. James Gomez, Chair, Board of Directors, Asia Centre and Professor Jau-hwa Chen, Director, Chang Fo Chuan, Centre for the Study of Human Rights, Soochow University, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on 12 May 2019, in Taipei, Taiwan.   The MOU signing stems from Asia Centre’s participation in previous activities at Soochow University. For instance in November 2018, Dr. Gomez presented at a roundtable discussion the findings from the Centre’s book “The UPR of Southeast Asia: Civil Society Perspectives”. In March 2019, Dr. Gomez visited the Chang Fo Chuan, Centre for the Study of Human Rights at Soochow University to discuss Asia Centre’s participation in two meetings entitled, “Workshop on Advocacy of Asian Human Rights Court”. These workshops planned for May and July 2019 in Taiwan aim to explore the establishment of a Asian Human Rights Court or mechanism to seek redress for human rights violations. During this visit an initial discussion was also held to sign an MOU between the two Centres to facilitate further cooperation. The partnership was signed following the successful completion of the first Workshop of Advocacy for Asian Human Rights Court from 9-12 May 2019 in which Dr. James Gomez and Yawee Butrkrawee from Asia Centre participated. The second Workshop of Advocacy for Asian Human Rights Court will take place from  11 to 14 July 2019 and will focus on business and human rights, especially women’s rights, in the context of APEC. The 5 year MOU between the two Centres will cover collaborations in research, events, trainings and internships. The MOU signing forms part of Asia Centre’s strategy to engage externally and build more partnerships globally.

On Monday 29 April 2019, Asia Centre hosted Indonesian Embassy’s Education and Cultural Attaché Prof. Dr. Mustari M.Pd. and a group of International Relations students from Satya Wacana Christian University, Indonesia as part of the Centre’s engagement with Indonesia. The visit started with an introduction about the work of Asia Centre by Yawee Butrkrawee (Programme Coordinator), followed by a presentation on the Centre’s three year project on Fake News and Freedom of Expression in Southeast Asia, provided by Tessa Alleblas (Research & Grants Officer).   Lively discussions with the students ensued and focused on how exactly fake news is defined, global media and communication trends and the way fake news has affected important matters in Indonesia. The students voiced their opinions on what exactly fake news was and how it manifested on various incidents in Indonesia such as the run-up period to the general election, during natural disasters as well as the accident when the Lion Air Flight 601 crashed into the Java Sea. Yawee Butrkrawee also shared his observation on Thai politics and the recently held elections, drawing a similar comparison on how fake news and disinformation affected democractic institutions and practices. The students enthusiastically exchanged ideas on how fake news has influenced critical juncture and public individuals during the gubernatorial elections in Jakarta in 2017, which was plagued by fake news. The latter half of the discussion focused on how we can combat fake news and the students provided some interesting approaches where they suggested that the government should be the one providing factual information and that citizens themselves also have a responsibility in the sense that they need to critically analyse the data that is provided to them before considering any of it to be true. Furthermore, technology companies should be involved and help suspend or block any suspicious, fake accounts spreading malicious and misleading information through social media platforms. The visit was a comprehensive exchange of ideas where everyone shared a piece of their thoughts and viewpoints. Asia Centre and Satya Wacana Christian University signed an MOU on 5 March 2019. Asia Centre looks forward to continued interactions and future collaboration with Satya Wacana Christian University. Asia Centre hosts student groups on a regular basis and welcome such exchanges, and looks forward to further exchanges with students and academics in Indonesia and beyond.  

Media literacy could be the new stratagem for Malaysia instead of the Fake News Bill, however the role of governments in such programmes needs to be carefully evaluated.   On Tuesday 16 April Asia Centre, University of Nottingham and Gerakbudaya Bookshop jointly organized the seminar entitled the Fake News Industry: Developments in SEA & Malaysia. Participants examined the various non-legal measures put in place to tackle issues surrounding fake news affecting Malaysia and the wider region. Apart from fact-checking, the suggestion that gained most traction was media literacy programmes.   Some of the ideas concerned going beyond media literacy for university students to training both young children in schools as well as their educators to help discern authentic news from fake ones. Participants suggested that media literacy trainers could be from different disciplines such as academics, teachers, NGOs specialists, journalists as well as parents. The panelists were Dr James Gomez, Chair, Board of Directors of Asia Centre; Jahabar Sadiq, Editor of Malaysian Insight; Dr Craig J Selby, Managing Director of public relations firm, Orchan Consulting;  and Darshini Kandasamy, an Editor at Malaysiakini. The roundtable was moderated by Professor Zaharom Nain of University of Nottingham, Malaysia. Dr James Gomez started the discussion with a regional overview of fake news legislation with some recent highlights from Singapore. He commented how governments try to manage the eroding trust of the people and how media literacy can be fake news put out by governments.   Jahabar Sadiq spoke from a media owner’s perspective and gave colorful anecdotes of his experience with fake news. He pointed out that nowadays media is preoccupied with calling out what news is fake rather than publishing news. The media is therefore also in some ways indirectly involved in promoting media literacy. Darshini Kandasamy addressed the media’s own role in dealing with fake news and disinformation. She said many people are not media literate and that’s why people forward messages even if they don’t know whether it is true or not. She noted that there is a lack of media literacy among the older generations. Craig J Selby spoke about the fake news industry from the public relations and trust communications angle. He mentioned that increasingly corporate brands are being affected by fake news and this can jeopardize brand value. Craig ended with the note that laws need to be revised in such a way that people are educated to combat fake news and know what is authentic before making statements or videos “viral” Professor Zaharom Nain, who moderated the discussion, welcomed the panel’s strong arguments and suggestions in favor of media literacy. Media literacy programmes can help people spot fake news. However, he pointed out that limited resources, lack of sustainability of media literacy programmes, and the mere fact that governments play a role in leading media literacy programmes are issues that have to be considered. At the end of the day such literacy programmes need to achieve the real goal of combating fake news, a lot of which are also spread by governments. The Seminar, which attracted over 60 participants, is part of Asia Centre’s ongoing 3 year project on fake news. The occasion was an opportunity for Asia Centre to engage with a Malaysian audience and deepen its existing relationship with local partners Gerakbuday and University of Nottingham. During his visit to Malaysia, Dr. James Gomez had the opportunity to discuss fake news legislation in the region and its impact on elections with presenter Lyn Mak on the programme Pressing Matters, 89.9 BFM, The Business Station, Malaysia. https://www.bfm.my/…/pr…/pm-james-gomez-director-asia-centre Those interested in Asia Centre’s Int. Conference on Fake News and Elections in Asia can sign up at https://goo.gl/forms/Pef1TKvG1OYJIjxl2 or email research@asiacentre.org

On 21 March 2019, Asia Centre and Stenden Thailand co-hosted the fifth International Faculty Club which focused on Southeast Asia in the Age of Disinformation. In Southeast Asia, there are more than 400 million Internet users. Since January 2019, internet penetration is 63% and social media penetration is 61%. These numbers show that people increasingly consume media on digital media and social media platforms, instead of traditional media. As content creation on social media is immediate and not subject to regulations, it can easily be used to spread fake news and disinformation. The IFC gave insight into how disinformation is incorporated in mainstream and social media platforms. Speakers from different disciplines presented on a variety of emerging issues and research areas. Oliver Thompson, the Centre’s research intern from Griffith University, Australia gave a brief overview about “The New Colombo Plan Scholarship” which gives Australian students the opportunity to undertake studies and internships in the Asia-Pacific. Maika Brouwer, Gaby von Picartz and Marit van Eeden from Stenden University presented on the nature and evolution of disinformation. They noted that disinformation is nothing new and continues to mislead the audience. The lower the press freedom in a region, the greater the chances of disinformation being spread. Disinformation is not something that can be solved but only limited. The best weapon against disinformation is knowledge and education. The inoculation theory helps people achieve resistance to persuasion. Chris Oestereich, a faculty member at Thammasat University’s School of Global Studies, shared some of the findings from his research regarding disinformation around the Brexit campaign, while also discussing legal and societal challenges those events uncovered. He provided a brief yet crisp history about how David Cameron called the EU referendum in the year 2016 and then resigned when the results came in and a list of the problems around Brexit disinformation. Chris is adamant that Facebook should take responsibility for all of its wrong-doings. He stated that with social media, we have built space to a new type of information war for which our governments are unprepared for. Yawee Butrkrawee, Asia Centre’s Programme Coordinator, spoke about disinformation in regard to Thai politics and the much anticipated elections. Yawee put forward his opinions on how disinformation could cause great political turmoil. Disinformation in politics is aimed at inflencing the minds of the voters causing them to change their votes. The low cost of circulating disinformation in social media has magnified this issue. Michael Picard, an independent researcher specialising in armed violence and arms control issues, provided a captivating talk about his research on firearms in South East Asia. He said that the Southeast Asian nations are among the largest procurers of small firearms with Thailand being the most thoroughly armed with almost 10 million guns in civilian hands. Thailand has a history of armed violence tied to political upheavals. Disinformation is deviling governments causing political unrest, generating violence. The Q&A session that followed the presentations deliberated on disinformation and its root causes. Broadly, the consensus was there really isn’t a solution to resolve disinformation but the situation isn’t completely hopeless. ‘Media Literacy” was seen as a crucial skill in the digital age. The influence of media should never be underestimated, hence it is important that the citizens of Southeast Asia and around the world should start climbing the ladder of media literacy. The IFC attracted over 40  participants from various disciplines. Asia Centre will continue to engage with the community through the IFC in 2019 and seek new, innovative research and projects being undertaken in Bangkok, the region and also globally. Upcoming events of the centre in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia are The Fake News Industry: Developments in SEA & Malaysia on 16 April 2019 and in Bangkok, Thailand Asia Centre’s fourth anniversary “Nite for Rights” on 19 June 2019. The Centre will also hold the International Conference on Fake News and Elections in Asia. To submit abstracts email: contact@asiacentre.org. For more information visit  Asia Centre’s website. Previous Next

Dr. James Gomez, Chair, Board of Directors, Asia Centre and Cecil Anthony, Chief Mentor, NSHM Knowledge Campus signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on 8 March 2019 in Kolkata, India to further cooperation between the two institutions. The signing took place during NSHM Knowledge Campus’s International Conference on Media and Society on 8 and 9 March 2019. During the Inauguration Session of the event, Dr Gomez said that the MOU can help NHSM Knowledge Campus extend its reach to Southeast Asia. At the International Conference, Asia Centre was the official partner for the Technical Session “Media & Human Rights” on 9 March 2019. During the Technical Session, Ms. Tessa Alleblas, the Centre’s Research and Grants Officer highlighted the legal trends to combat fake news and its impact on freedom of expression in Southeast Asia. The MOU marks the second that Asia Centre has signed with an institution in Kolkata, India, the previous being with Calcutta University. There are plans to sign a third MOU with the Kolkata Chapter of the Observer Research Foundation later in March 2019. The MOU signings with institutions in Kolkata are part of the Centre’s strategy to engage at the people-to-people level with India’s Act East Policy towards Southeast Asia.

Dr. James Gomez, Chair, Board of Directors, ASIA Centre and Professor Neil Semuel Rupidara, Rector, Satya Wacana Christian University signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on 5 March 2019 in Semarang, Indonesia. The MOU outlined the area of collaborations that covered research, joint events, trainings and internship. The partnership was signed following the two entities’ first joint general studies panel. Entitled “Religion, Media and Politics in Southeast Asia”, the event was organised in collaboration with the Faculty of Social Science and Communications, Faculty of Theology and the Centre for the Study of Religion, Pluralism and Democracy. Attended by 100 students and staff, the panel discussed religion and politics in practice in Indonesia and the role of social media in propagating fake news and hate speech for voter mobilization in the run up to the 17th April 2019 presidential election. As a follow up to the MOU and the first joint activity, Satya Wacana Christian University will organise a student study tour to Asia Centre on 29 April 2019.

Dr. James Gomez, Chair, Board of Directors, Asia Centre and Professor Sonali Chakravarti Banerjee, Vice Chancellor, Calcutta University’s signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on 8 February 2019 in Kolkata, India. The MOU signing was part of the Government of West Bengal’s push for its universities to collaborate with knowledge partners abroad.  The event was witnessed by Kolkata’s Chief Minister, Mamata Banarjee during the 5th Bengal Global Business Summit that took place on 7-8 February 2019. For Asia Centre, the MOU signings form part of the Centre’s strategy to engage externally and build more partnerships globally. Asia Centre will be undertaking more partnerships in the near future. In March 2019, the Centre will take forward its discussions with NSHM Knowledge Campus (Kolkata) to sign an MOU which focuses on collaborations related to issues concerning Southeast Asia. The MOU signing will take place on 8 March 2019 during a two-day International seminar (Y-Factor 2019) titled “Media and Society” on March 8, 9 at Lake Club, Kolkata.

China’s rise and its increasing assertive efforts to re-shape the world order have far-reaching consequences, in particular in Southeast Asia. In the age of information and disinformation, China’s ambitions as a global power must be appreciated critically, inclusive of the fact that Southeast Asia and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) are means to an end – removing China’s sense of being ‘encircled’ by its global competitors, namely the United States and its allies. To dissect China’s foreign policy and its impact on the region, Asia Centre held its 4th Benedict Anderson Memorial Roundtable entitled “Chinese Nationalism and Its Impact on Southeast Asia” on 18 January 2019. Three experts were invited to present their perspectives on the topic, and analyzed the meaning of Chinese nationalism together with an audience of around 40 people. The Roundtable was moderated by Ms. Tessa Alleblas, Research & Grants Officer at Asia Centre. Dr. Robin Ramcharan, Executive Director at Asia Centre, framed the discussion with reflections on the concept of nationalism, calling attention to fact and fiction surrounding Chinese nationalism in this age of information and disinformation. He linked this with China’s growth and rise as a global power and questioned how much of it is actually real or fake news, in terms of what we hear from China and what we hear about China. Dr. Arm Tungnirun, faculty member at Faculty of Law, Chulalongkorn University, provided some observations on contemporary Chinese nationalism, which, like all nationalist movements, is imbued with a healthy dose of mythology.  He argued that China’s nationalism is unique and distinct, and a constructed narrative. Dr. Arm Tungnirun highlighted four characteristics of Chinese nationalism: (1) China is moving towards greater technical sophistication and advancement for greater power in the global arena (“techno nationalism”), (2) Chinese nationalism is a tool used by the Communist Party to justify having a strong ruler leading the country (“Communist Party nationalism”), (3) Chinese nationalism with interventionist features shows China’s global ambition, and (4) Chinese nationalism and civilization is unique and distinct, and anti-Western. Dr. Arm Tungnirun Dr. Harish Mehta Dr. Harish Mehta, Editor-in-Chief, The Calcutta Journal of Global Affairs, discussed via Skype his research on the history of socialism with Chinese characteristics and the Chinese dream. He argued that Xi Jinping’s vision is of a China with global leadership ambitions, that will lead the world and will not play second fiddle. He noted that Chinese and many western scholars see the Communist party as the end of the imperial era. The Chinese believe that the Communist Party was successful because where there were villages in the past, now there are towns, and that there has been considerable decentralization of power at the local level. Dr. Balazs Szanto, Lecturer in International Relations at Webster University, drawing on research about contemporary  Chinese nationalism and PRC’s Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands claims, argued that nationalism in modern China, was generated in order to increase the legitimacy of the Communist Party.  China’s foreign policy advances China’s nationalist narrative that seeks to justify its territorial pursuits in the region. Dr Balazs also argued that Xi Jinping is over-reliant on nationalism as a means to boost the legitimacy of his government. Dr. Balazs Szanto The ensuing panel discussion reflected on the origins of Chinese nationalism and the Chinese dream, the relevance of Marxism in discussions about nationalism, why countries in Southeast Asia cannot turn to the U.S. when addressing China’s assertive policy in the region, how China’s policies affect the Chinese diaspora in the region, Xi Jinping’s foreign policy “Belt and Road” (BRI) initiative. It was suggested that the BRI initiative is a useful overarching vision but devoid of real content and strategy. Southeast Asian countries must be cautious in light of the experiences of African countries experiencing the ‘Chinese debt trap’. Recent surveys on perceptions of China in Southeast Asia, as confirmed by the current Chinese Ambassador to Indonesia, revealed a serious trust deficit. Asia Centre will continue to follow China and other emerging powers closely. Asia Centre hosts the annual Benedict Anderson Memorial Roundtable to honour the significance of the late professor’s contribution to studies of nationalism and South-East Asia, and to continue the debate around nationalism in its contemporary contexts. The inaugural Roundtable was held on 30 January 2016, with the theme Debating Imagined Communities: A Tribute To Benedict Anderson. The second Roundtable, held on 18 January 2017, centred on the topic Nationalism, Citizenship and Statelessness: Current Issues and Developments in Asia. The third Roundtable entitled Gender and Nationalism in Asia: from Scholarship to Leadership was held on 19 January 2018. In you are interested in issues of nationalism or the work of Benedict Anderson, Asia Centre is inviting expressions of interest to co-host the next Benedict Anderson nationalism event. Please email: contact@asiacentre.org

As states seek to address climate change resilience following the Paris Agreement by committing to ‘foster climate resilience and low greenhouse gas emissions development’, they appear to be willing in so far as such measures do threaten food production” (SDG Indicator 13.2.1). An analysis of the palm oil industry in Indonesia exposes a potential rights conundrum amidst the seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Asia Centre’s Dr. Robin Ramcharan dissected this apparent conundrum in relation to the Palm Oil industry in Indonesia in a lecture to the Leuven Center for Global Governance in Belgium on 20 December 2018. The palm oil production, which is dominated by Indonesia, followed by Malaysia, is one of the largest contributors to greenhouse gas emissions and deforestation. It is traded globally and brought in $18 billion to the Indonesian economy in 2017. At the same time it contributes to the livelihood of millions of small-hold farmer households in Indonesia and Malaysia and is healthier than other vegetable oils. This healthier vegetable oil is consumed by hundreds of millions in China, India and Pakistan and around the world as palm oil is used in many food products that we consume. The goal of a healthy environment (captured across Goals 6, 13, 14) is seemingly pitted against the right to food and food security (captured in Goals 2 and 3), which includes right to healthy and nutritious food. The SDGs seek outcomes that will advance human rights, though the goals are not framed in clear human rights terms, which is indicative of the discomfort that many states have with international human rights norms at the present time. The protection of the “environment” per se, or a “right to a healthy environment” is not articulated in international environmental law (IEL) or the SDGs, though they point to it. The international human rights regime perhaps considers the environment more amply, by recognizing the linkages between the environment and the realization of a range of human rights: life, health, food, water and housing. General Comments 14 and 15 of the Human Rights Committee have commented on Articles11 and 12 of the ICESCR, indicating that it includes access to sufficient, safe and affordable water for domestic and sanitation, the prevention and education of exposure to harmful substances including radiation and chemicals, or other detrimental environmental conditions  that directly or indirectly impact upon human health. In 2009, the UN Human Rights Council resolution 10/4 noted that “…climate change-related impacts have a range of implications, both direct and indirect, for the effective enjoyment of human rights including, inter alia,…the right to adequate food,…and human rights obligations related to access to safe drinking water and sanitation, and recalling that in no case may a people be deprived of its own means of subsistence.” This includes food security, a pre-condition for the right to food. It exists, according to the Food and Agriculture Organisation, “when all peoples, at all times, have physical, social and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life.” The Universal Declaration of Human Rights proclaims in Article 25 that “Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food…” ICESCR Article 11 recognises the same. Procedurally, it recognises the duty of states to “improve methods of production, conservation and food distribute” and to “[take] into account the problems of both food-importing and food-exporting countries, to ensure an equitable distribution of world food supplies in relation to need.” General Comment 12 (1999) of the CESCR recognized “the right to adequate…is also inseparable from social justice, requiring the adoption of appropriate economic, environmental and social policies, at both the national and international levels, oriented to eradication of poverty and the fulfillment of all human rights for all.” It required States to adopt national strategies “to ensure food and nutrition security for all.” Indonesia’s palm oil industry faces this dilemma: ensuring adequate supplies of nutritious food for its peoples while addressing urgency of climate change effects. It is experimenting with measures such as moratoria on new palm oil plantations though this will not be enough. Moratoria decreed by the President have little impact on pre-existing permits and local administrations are not bound by these Presidential decrees. The EU and Norway both seek to assist Indonesia. Both seek to tackle climate change resolutely through the EU’s emphasis on renewable energy and, in Norway‘s case, by helping Indonesia offset costs of reduced deforestation. At the same time, the  EU is also a major buyer of palm oil from Indonesia, precisely for use in biofuel. Fortunately, oil palm requires less land, has higher yields, has a quick turn-around and requires lesspesticides. Palm oil cultivation is here to stay and its impact on the environment will continue, hopefully at a reduced pace. All measures to tackle the impacts on the climate must be balanced against the livelihoods and food security of millions in Indonesia and abroad.   Asia Centre will continue its exploration of human rights aspects of the SDGS and human rights and looks forward to future collaboration with the Leuven Centre for Global Governance.