ASEAN EE Industry: What Now?
Picture: Electronics factory workers in Cikarang Indonesia (© ILO/Asrian Mirza https://www.flickr.com/photos/iloasiapacific/8096440106/in/photostream/) The heart of ASEAN’s regional economic connectivity, both in intra-regional and extra-regional trade, is the electronic and electrical (EE) industry — an industry that has provided millions of jobs and holds ASEAN’s importance in the global economy for decades. The last statistics published by […]
CREATING A DRUG-FREE ASEAN: HOW FAR HAVE WE COME?
By Jonathan Evert Rayon Based on the World Drug Report in 2018, 31 million people worldwide suffered from drug use disorders resulting in millions enduring health risks such as hepatitis C and HIV. Drug trafficking is defined by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) as illicit trade which involves the cultivation, manufacture, […]
OUT OF JAKARTA: RELOCATION OF INDONESIA’S CAPITAL AND ITS IMPLICATIONS
By Truston YU Image: Merdeka Palace Changing Guard by Gunawan Kartapranata President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo recently announced plans to relocate Indonesia’s capital city to outside Java. Following Myanmar’s move from Yangon to Naypyidaw, Indonesia will be the second country in modern Southeast Asia to relocate its capital city. There are good reasons for such a […]
ASEAN, EU collaboration needed to resolve palm oil dispute
Image: Palm oil mill in Sabah, Malaysia © CEphoto, Uwe Aranas The failure to upgrade ties between the EU and ASEAN to a new strategic dialogue partnership at the 22nd ASEAN-EU Ministerial Meeting was another blemish on relations between the most institutionalized regional groupings of the developed and developing world. The outcome of the talks, however, […]
Indonesia Refugee Policy is on Right Track
January 2019 marks two years of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s 2016 presidential decree on handling foreign refugees. The Presidential Decree no. 125/2016 on the Treatment of Refugees from Overseas, signed on Dec. 31, 2016, provides legal certainty and standard procedures on coordination and effective collaboration among the mandated government agencies. Before this decree, the […]
Quo Vadis: Thailand’s Taking the Chair of ASEAN, Sailing in the Troubled Waters
After one year, Singapore has led the Association to progress in ASEAN’s three pillars, the next torch of the Association is now in Thailand’s grip. Faced with relentless fights against new threats of transnational crime, terrorism, trade wars, climate change, the new chairmanship seems to give some hopes to reach out a greater partnership, reaffirming […]
The Challenges of Indonesia’s Palm Oil Industry: An Overview
The global debate on the sustainability and legitimacy of palm oil production is one that continues to evolve and define the industry. As Indonesia and Malaysia are the two major palm oil producing nations, there is much discussion around the issues that palm oil plantations pose in the face of environmental sustainability, the local economy, […]
ASEAN on Disaster Management: Earthquake and Tsunami in Central Sulawesi, Indonesia
7,7 SR Earthquake and 1.5-meter-high tsunami hit Central Sulawesi, Indonesia on September 28th, 2018. The natural disaster caused various physical destructions, and fatalities; the death toll reached 1,948, and thousands may still be buried under the debris, not yet found. In response to the unfortunate disaster, The ASEAN Agreement on Disaster Management and Emergency Response […]
Modern Slavery: A Fight, Not Yet Won
The term slavery may sound a little bit old, but in fact, slavery still exists in this era with a new term: modern slavery. The term modern slavery is an umbrella concept, capturing various form of exploitation that affects the vulnerable workers worldwide. According to World Slavery Index, modern slavery can be defined as the […]
Panmunjom Agreement: The Role of ASEAN behind the Pacified Peninsula
Rafyoga Irsadanar A new stage of peacemaking had progressed in the Korean Peninsula as Kim Jong Un and Moon Jae-in declared that there will be no more war in the region. This great momentum of peace among the President of Republic of Korea and Chairman of the State Affairs Commission of the Democratic People’s Republic […]