The House of Representatives of The Republic of Indonesia (DPR) passed the Job Creation Bill (UU Cipta Kerja) on October 5, 2020. Controversy arises because some of these articles raise concerns on how the law impacts labor rights, indigenous land rights, and reduced environmental protection. A series of protests have Read more…
The Covid-19 pandemic has opened another layer of inequality between Singaporeans and migrant workers in the country. Foreign laborers have contributed to almost 95 percent of the total infections in Singapore, in which clusters of new infection sprung from dormitories that house more than 300,000 migrants. The plight of foreign Read more…
As an emerging country in South East Asia, Timor-Leste has been facing a serious challenge of limited job opportunities for a rapidly growing population. Among the working-age population, only 31 percent are currently engaged in work. On the other hand, half of the population is between the age of 15-24 Read more…
Amid the pandemic and the current historic floods in Middle Vietnam, many non-profit and non-governmental organizations emerged and actively contributed to restrict and ease the damage of those disasters. However, there are still many obstacles for NGOs to work in Vietnam such as the legal framework and the awareness of Read more…
Myanmar has a history of being one of the first Asian countries to grant women the right to vote. The country also has prominent women political figures such as State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. However, a number of regulations and social restrictions still limit the role of women Read more…
The mental health problem in Brunei Darussalam is an issue that cannot be taken lightly. According to the latest statement from the Ministry of Health of Brunei, approximately 7000 individuals or around 1.5 percent of the country’s population are currently diagnosed with mental illness, with depression being one of the Read more…
The global pandemic Covid-19 has shifted many aspects of our life. One of the unprecedented changes is the speeding up of the fourth Individual Revolution because the pandemic forces us to rely more on digital infrastructure and technology. Such a case is no exception in Cambodia which undergoes a rapid Read more…
Thailand sex workers are the forgotten victims of the Covid-19 pandemic. Since March this year, the government has forcefully shut the nightlight entertainment venues down to prevent the spread of the virus – leaving the estimated 200,000 – 300,000 sex workers without earnings. Because selling sex services are illegal in Read more…
The Covid-19 pandemic poses a significant challenge for the education system in Cambodia, a country where internet penetration stood at only 58 percent as of January this year. The effectiveness of distance learning as the common teaching practice amid pandemic is undone by the inequality of internet access between urban Read more…
Vietnamese have found spaces for free expression tightened even further by the enactment of a draconian cybersecurity law at the start of this year. The law has given Vietnam government additional authority to surveil its own citizens, to censor contents on the internet, and to suspend online newspapers. Social media, Read more…