As the climate crisis becomes increasingly urgent, the gender divide it creates becomes more evident. Women express greater levels of climate anxiety than their male counterparts, and - pigeon-holed into roles that take the greatest hit from the climate crisis - they are left more financially at risk. As one of the most vulnerable regions to climate change, for Southeast Asia’s women, these risks are amplified. Melinda Martinus and Beatrice Riingen from the Iseas-Yusof Ishak Institute look into how gender equality is critical to socioeconomic development and why Southeast Asia needs to step up its game to future-proof their women from climate distress.

#southeastasia #earth #analysis #climatechange #genderequality #genderinequality #women

https://southeastasiaglobe.com/southeast-asias-women-climate-concerns/

The results of a recent survey into Myanmar’s rivers and lakes were never meant to be published. But the alarming extent of spiralling threats to crucial species it revealed prompted experts at non-profit World Wide Fund for Nature to break their silence. As conflict in the country continues, its rich biodiversity is dangerously at risk. In a piece of unique, in-depth collaborative reporting, Frontier Myanmar’s Allegra Mendelson and Globe’s Anton L. Delgado team up to dive into the murky depths of Myanmar’s underwater worlds.

#myanmar #aquatic #biodiversity #environment #conservation #whatshappeninginmyanmar

https://southeastasiaglobe.com/a-dangerous-tipping-point-myanmars-aquatic-species-at-risk-as-conflict-continues/

Hidden behind the grey modernist facade typical of apartment buildings in Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City, Spot Hideout holds a trove of bright blues and yellows, denims, and bomber jackets, geared at the city’s young and fashion conscious. The shop is just part of an emerging trend of thrift stores catering to Vietnamese youths’ quest for identity, sustainability, and individuality. Brendan Ryan explores the different threads of Vietnam’s thrifting culture and the influences and issues that have inspired the country’s young consumers to drive fashion change.

#vietnam #life #fashion #culture #thrifting #youth

https://southeastasiaglobe.com/thrifting-competes-with-name-brands-for-vietnamese-youths-attention/

As investment and the pace of development in the metaverse accelerates, safety measures struggle to keep up. In this analysis, Matt Friedman, founder and CEO of the Mekong Club, a non-profit organisation that focuses on working with the private sector to address modern slavery, human trafficking and related crimes, discusses the risks of abuse and scams contained in the virtual reality domain and case studies from South East Asia’s vulnerable communities.

#power #analysis #abuse #digitalisation #metaverse #cybercrime #innovation #technology #harrassment

https://southeastasiaglobe.com/harrassment-metaverse/

The sleepy UNESCO heritage town of Laos’ Luang Prabang is gearing up to host one of the region’s most acclaimed film festivals. From 8 - 11 December, the Blue Chair Film Festival, formerly known as the Luang Prabang Film Festival, will showcase works from regional filmmakers who have overcome strict government control to share their stories on screen. Globe’s Beatrice Siviero speaks to filmmakers and those behind the festival, overcoming censorship to shine a light on their countries’ critical social issues.

#laos #southeastasia #culture #censorship #festival #film #filmmaker #bluechairfilmfestival

https://southeastasiaglobe.com/blue-chair-film-festival-a-force-for-good-in-laos/

“Placemaking” is the sense of what makes a city unique: local amenities and activities that enhance its liveability and contribute to its economic success. In Cambodia’s Siem Reap, rich cultural resources provide an important bedrock, but to truly capitalise on its placemaking, the city must increase its physical connectivity and enhance its public spaces. Future Forum’s Ses Aronsakda maps out Siem Reap’s placemaking journey and describes how a sustainable placemaking vision could enhance all ASEAN cities’ growth.

#cambodia #culture #analysis #economy #placemaking #siemreap #architecture #urbanplanning

https://southeastasiaglobe.com/placemaking-a-key-ingredient-to-make-siem-reap-more-attractive-and-liveable/

In September, more than 2,100 hours of digitised footage sharing snapshots from across Southeast Asia’s social movements was launched into the digital world. Arkib Filem Rakyat, one of the few film archives dedicated to social issues in Southeast Asia, showcases honest and important footage from the region’s grassroots activists, both past and present. Jack Brook, writing for the Globe, speaks to those behind the project and its launch and to its filmmakers about how they are overcoming government hurdles to document their countries’ stories and social struggles.

#malaysia #southeastasia #socialissues #film #life #humanrights #culture #politics #archive

https://southeastasiaglobe.com/activists-establish-malaysia-first-human-rights-film-archive/

As global populations increase, the demand for energy is set to skyrocket. And finite resources and climate concerns are causing governments and companies to shift away from reliance on fossil fuels towards more sustainable energy sources such as hydropower. But, as Qayyimah Al-Zelzy, a Volunteer Research Associate at the Global Awareness & Impact Alliance (GAIA) Brunei, points out, expanding sustainable energy projects can come at high costs to indigenous communities. Her analysis goes behind the urgent need to shift towards less environmentally damaging energy, to discuss the impact of this energy transition on Southeast Asia’s vulnerable populations.

#southeastasia #earth #analysis #energy #indigenous #sustainability #indigenousrights

https://southeastasiaglobe.com/sustainable-energy-projects-are-driving-out-southeast-asias-indigenous-populations/

On 25 November, press and public servants looked on as Anwar Ibrahim signed documents on his first day as Malaysia’s new Prime Minister. But while his pose exuded a calm air of authority, his success came at the end of a tightly fought election, resulting in the country’s first ever hung parliament. In this opinion piece, Stephanie Wild discusses how behind this result lies a country still torn by ethnic and societal divisions and how the recent election brought these internal tensions to the surface.

#malaysia #opinion #election #ethnic #politics #minorities #southeastasia

https://southeastasiaglobe.com/malaysian-elections-a-powder-keg-of-ethnic-tension-and-societal-cracks/

Prominent Thai pro-democracy activist Netiwit Chotiphatphaisal worked for years to build Sam Yan Press, an independent publisher dedicated to nourishing a political awakening in the Kingdom. Then, following a string of mysterious phone calls and a meeting with a private investigator, came an offer from the Chinese government that promised to shut them down and silence them for good. James Buchanan shares the story of a small publisher’s triumph as they stared down intimidation from the world’s most influential Asian superpower, and how their fight for their principles outweighed lucrative financial temptation.

#thailand #china #justice #pressfreedom #corruption #government #politics #whatshappeninginthailand

https://southeastasiaglobe.com/keep-fighting-the-thai-student-publishing-house-that-stared-down-chinese-intimidation/

As the end of 2022 approaches, Southeast Asia Globe takes time to reflect back on the events that have shaped the region still reeling from the heat of the pandemic at the start of the year. The last twelve months have seen global conflict and foundations for new partnerships and alliances. Southeast Asian nations have sworn in new governments and seen the continuation of old geopolitical tensions and human rights atrocities. The region has weathered natural disasters and the urgent call for environmental action and celebrated the conservation projects and discoveries that bring both new information and hope. We chart the major events in the region, and the Globe stories that have reported them in new depths and previously unexplored angles.

#southeastasia #review #2022roundup #life #culture #economy #environment #politics #trade

https://southeastasiaglobe.com/end-of-year-2022/

On 8 December 2013, Singapore - a nation internationally renowned for its meticulously upheld sense of social order - was hit by its worst incident of social unrest in decades. The Little India Riots saw vehicles burnt, people injured, and the city-state’s migrant workers thrust into the spotlight. Nine years on from the event, Globe’s Amanda Oon looks at the journey of Singapore’s migrant workers’ livelihoods and living conditions and how they remain vulnerable to exploitation due to precarious work conditions and profiteering employers.

#singapore #laborrights #rights #littleindia #migrantworkers #migrant #livelihood #humanrights

https://southeastasiaglobe.com/little-india-riots/

Off the shore of Bangladesh, the remote Bhasan Char has earned the ominous moniker “Prison Island.” Lured there under false promises, refugees who have fled the conflict in neighbouring Myanmar are trapped under confined conditions. Southeast Asia Globe was granted special access to the elusive island and Globe contributor Tanbirul Miraj Ripon was on the ground to share first hand insights and interviews with its refugee residents as they battle restricted access to employment opportunities, medical care and their families on the mainland.

#bangladesh #myanmar #exclusive #justice #rohingyarefugees #bhasanchar #myanmarcoup #military #prisonisland

https://southeastasiaglobe.com/exclusive-inside-the-bangladesh-prison-island-housing-rohingya-refugees/

Buildings toppled and homes lay torn in Indonesia’s West Java, as a 5.6 magnitude earthquake ripped through the city of Cianjur on 21 November. The quakes, which claimed the lives of 635 residents and left thousands more injured and displaced, triggered Indonesia’s government to declare a state of emergency, with fears of further natural disasters to come. But, as volunteer response units rush victims to overcrowded hospitals, the question of whether the country’s disaster response infrastructure can weather the storm lingers over the debris. Globe’s Nisya Kunto provides first hand reporting from the aftermath of the earthquake and covers the urgent calls for improved disaster readiness, before it’s too late.

#indonesia #cianjur #climate #earthquake #naturaldisaster #infrastructure

https://southeastasiaglobe.com/cianjur-earthquake-ignites-calls-for-disaster-readiness-across-indonesia/

Thailand’s beer sector is dominated by big corporations. Tough legislation restricts market access and holds small breweries back. A push for a Progressive Liquor Bill which would tackle some of the key challenges was shut down by lawmakers in November. Writing for the Globe, Sarah Kim explores how the Kingdom’s small beer companies are pushing back against market monopolies and fighting for a more open playing field.

#thailand #economics #microbrewery #beer #law #business #whatshappeninginthailand

https://southeastasiaglobe.com/beyond-the-bottle-thai-alcohol-laws-still-harm-microbreweries/

As 2022 draws to an end, Cambodian protestors demand the release of imprisoned unionists, opposition members. Globe's Beatrice Siviero and Anton L. Delgado were on the ground to report on Cambodian activists' gathering in Phnom Penh for one last attempt of the year to free imprisoned unionists and political opposition supporters.

#cambodia #justice #politics #protest #teacher

https://southeastasiaglobe.com/as-2022-draws-to-an-end-cambodian-protestors-demand-release-of-imprisoned-unionists-opposition-members/

The three-wheeled trishaw was a common sight on the streets of 1950’s Penang, providing an integral mode of transport through the busy streets of the state’s capital George Town. Today, they are rarer but their presence lives on in the art and heritage of the city, the memories and traditions of the older residents and the efforts of the next generation attempting to rejuvenate this dwindling mode of transport.  Globe contributor Philippe Durant takes us on a visual journey through the trishaw’s unique history and its cultural and economic significance to this vibrant Malaysian island.  

#trishaws #Malaysia #penang #culture #heritage #photography

https://southeastasiaglobe.com/the-penang-trishaw-survivors-of-a-unique-tradition/

Timor-Leste is known as the “most democratic” country in Southeast Asia. But underneath this accolade lies an ominous undercurrent of violence and exploitation against the country’s most vulnerable. Globe’s Beatrice Siviero investigates the tide of child abuse still running rampant in Timor-Leste and the social engagement initiatives working to combat the dark culture and history of domestic violence and sexual aggression in the the country.

https://southeastasiaglobe.com/violence-is-everywhere-child-abuse-remains-a-primary-concern-in-timor-leste/

#timorleste #childabuse #sexualabuse

Recent reports of Chinese vessels “swarming” the West Philippine Sea have reignited longstanding geopolitical tensions in the South China Sea. Inflation and a fuel crisis triggered by the war in Ukraine have intensified the importance and urgency of oil and gas exploration in the area: and Philippines’ President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. 's determination to “fight” for what he believes rightfully belongs to him and his nation. In this analysis, Cherry Hitkari discusses how the South China Sea remains a balancing act for the Philippines and why diplomatic negotiation and engagement through ASEAN is the best way forward for the Philippines.

https://southeastasiaglobe.com/south-china-sea-dispute-remains-a-balancing-act-for-marcos-jr/

#southchinasea #philippines #china #geopolitics

There used to be a healthy abundance of turtles in Vietnam’s Ninh Binh Province. The country has 25 native species of freshwater turtles and tortoises, but their numbers are dwindling as the taste for exotic pets grows and adapts to the digital age. Writing for the Globe, Govi Snell looks into the conservation challenges that hinder efforts to save some of the country’s most vulnerable turtle species as trafficking and underground sales move online.

https://southeastasiaglobe.com/vietnams-critically-endangered-turtles-trafficked-on-facebook-youtube/

#Vietnam #wildlife #wildlifetrade #turtles #conservation