December — The Shape of Asean to Come
Hello friends!
I feel like I have been absolutely flat-out this fortnight which means two things. Firstly, I have a lot of my own links to share and secondly, this might just turn into a bit of ‘this is what really stood out for me’-type email while next week will be a nice old annual wrap-up and the year ahead.
From me this fortnight: I took on how Malaysia’s millennials are feeling ahead of GE14. I’ve been fascinated by this for a few months now after a few stories about millennials disengaging from politics. I follow enough crazy smart young Malaysian women on Twitter to know this wasn’t the full story and I’m really happy with how it all came together for OZY.
Eureka Street let me have a go at the White Paper analysis everyone got in on this month. I’m happy with this one, I feel like sometimes I’ve overly cynical towards the Australian establishment for reasons I will happily rant about at the pub but I think I was quite nicely balanced with this one!
And finally! I’m really excited to be joining the Diplomat for a weekly column on Asean. I started this week with a look at the 212 reunion rally last weekend here in Jakarta. With so much on the cards for next year, I can’t wait to do more!
Okay that’s it for now. If you’ve got a friend who would be interested in this, please feel free to forward or get them to sign up here.
Cheers,
Eluding Censors, a Magazine Covers Southeast Asia’s Literary Scene — New York Times
This one is whipping around Twitter right now, but make sure you don’t miss it! I go all the way to Manuka (niche little Canberra reference) to pick it up when I’m in town because it’s so good!
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The Sun Writers Club: Meet the maids reporting Hong Kong’s hidden stories — Coconuts Hong Kong
This is so cool! The Filipino and Indonesian OFW/migrant worker communities of Hong Kong is one of my most favourite things to read about, there’s so much involved there. This side of the story is totally new to me and I’m so happy to learn about it. The Sun is a 22-year-old twice a month newspaper written by maids living and working in Hong Kong. Must read!!
MILF disengages child soldiers from its ranks: UN — ABS-CBN
Moro Islamic Liberation Front is officially off the list of organisations which use child soldiers following the end of a plan launched between the MILF and UN in 2009.
What Happens When the Government Uses Facebook as a Weapon? — Bloomberg
This is a ripper read from Bloomberg, I love it. It explores the rise of Rappler alongside the centrality of Facebook to the success of Duterte. Honest to God, I would love to have been in the room when Facebook sent trainers to teach Duterte how to use the platform during the 2016 campaign.
Philippines orders probe into vaccine, Sanofi says no deaths reported — Reuters
A recalled dengue vaccine, which was given to 730,000 kids, has led to a public health scandal in the Philippines. Reuters reports the vaccine has also been introduced in Indonesia, Thailand and Singapore (as well as countries in the Americas) so it’s sadly possible this will be one to watch.
AFP, PNP recommend extension of martial law in Mindanao — CNN Philippines
Well everyone kinda saw this coming, but the full year was a bit of a surprise. Next year is going to be all New People’s Army and law enforcement isn’t playing around.
I don’t even know how to explain the gravity of this piece, so let’s let Rappler do it themselves: ‘For three months in 2017, the local leaders of Payatas Village, Quezon City, in conjunction with the police, conducted a drug-clearing campaign under the guise of a harmless census. Authorities demanded the profiling and drug testing of specific residents. The results decided guilt or innocence. Households that refused to cooperate were marked red.’
The Philippines has actually been huge this fortnight, but I think it will be far easier to pull those stories out and stick them on Medium and provide a link next week instead 😰
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Fake news on Facebook fans the flames of hate against the Rohingya in Burma — Washington Post
Speaking of Facebook, the platform’s influence on spreading hateful propaganda and fake news aimed at the Rohingya population is always a fascinating read.
How peace for the Rohingya can begin with recognising Rakhine State’s past grievances — SEA Globe
Sean Gleeson for the SEA Globe places the current Rohingya crisis in a much wider context of other political and social issues within Myanmar. This is a great read and also worth bookmarking for a quick reference point.
Reuters takes a deep look at life in the camps in Bangladesh for the thousands and thousands of Rohingya who have fled there since August. It’s truly a work of great and innovative journalism on such a difficult and horrifying subject
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How Najib Plans to Boost His Malaysia Election Chances — Bloomberg
It’s been a big week for Malaysian politics, but much of the analysis will take a hot minute to come out. This is a great one while we wait though: this is what we have to know before a GE14 date is announced.
Jeff Sessions calls Malaysia’s 1MDB scandal ‘kleptocracy at its worst’ — Reuters
This is probably one of those things that history will have to laugh at the hypocrisy of.
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Let them eat kue.
Thai court jails man for 27 years over Bangkok hospital bomb — Reuters
This story pretty much does what it says on the tin, but it’s important to remember this attack is one of a few used to justify delaying elections.
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Australia urged to introduce sanctions against Cambodia’s Hun Sen government — ABC Radio
Is Australia about to follow suit with other Western countries in sanctions?
US tight-lipped on identities of Cambodians it will deny visas after opposition crackdown — Reuters
Maybe! But we’re not quite as far along as the US.
Cambodia’s first ice skating team chases Winter Olympic dream — BBC
I love this.
I say this almost weekly but Cambodia is going to run this project next year, so let’s go easy for December.
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Wow!
The crisis manager handling Bali’s Mt Agung eruption one tweet at a time — Sydney Morning Herald
Is Agung going to blow or not? Who knows, but I’m so scared of volcanoes. Dr Sutopo Purwo Nugroho gives me faith though!
The Dating App for Would-Be Polygamists: Controversial Even in Muslim Indonesia — the Daily Beast
I love this story.
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Vietnam tries to whip Communist Party into shape with tough new anti-dissent rule — Vn Express
Next year is going to be a big one out of Vietnam.
Vietnam police arrest ex-politburo member over misconduct — Reuters
A real big one.
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Sombath Somphone’s Wife Calls Again on Laos to Explain His Disappearance — Radio Free Asia
It’s December in Laos, which can only mean one thing. A sad reminder that the disappearance of Sombath Somphone is yet to be resolved.
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Jose Ramos-Horta: East Timor will survive as oil ends — Al Jazeera
Former PM/president Jose Ramos-Horta is not too worried about the end of oil in Timor Leste, but for how long?
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Brunei’s bid to be ‘Islamic Singapore’ is failing — Asean Today
We’ll see!
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Ooh I love this one. This one takes a look at human rights activists working under Singapore’s tight laws and features one of this newsletter’s most favourite writer, Kirsten Han, on the other side of the story!
