ISEAS Library Selects
 
Monthly Journal Articles on the
Southeast Asian Region
Extracted from Internet Sources
    

 June 2017
Greetings

This issue of Monthly Articles Alert contains one article contributed by Dr Ooi Kee Beng, Senior Fellow, ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute.

This is an information alert service put together by the ISEAS Library that contains links to commentaries, blog and journal articles extracted from Internet sources covering Southeast Asia and special topics relevant to the research interest/direction/agenda of ISEAS.  

As part of the Library's ongoing efforts to make this reading experience more convenient for users, you can click on any of the links below to directly access the subject of your immediate interest.
  
 
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Cambodia
Cambodia

1
Survey on Recruitment Practices in the Garment Industry in Cambodia
 
[17-page PDF document]

Menghun Kaing
Asia Foundation
 
 

IndonesiaIndonesia

2
Indonesian Muslim women engage with feminism: The idea that Muslim women lack agency is hard to reconcile with this vibrant new network of intellectual women. They no longer accept becoming victims of male domination and they use Islamic teachings to challenge patriarchal practices. They take advantage of any available public avenue to express their need for independence, to be seen and heard. Does this make them feminists? If they look upon their faith as one source of inspiration that motivates and helps them to achieve strength and independence, then Indonesia has millions.

Dina Afrianty
Conversation
 
 



3
The Downside of Indonesia's Successful Liberal Democratisation and the Way Ahead. Notes from the Participatory Surveys and Case Studies 2000-2016
 
[contains link to 15-page PDF document]

Olle Törnquist
Journal of Current Southeast Asian Affairs, Vol 36, No 1 (2017)
 
 



4
EU-Indonesia Blue Book 2017: Development Cooperation
in 2016
 
[54-page PDF document]

European Union External Action
European Union External Action
 

 
 

MalaysiaMalaysia

5
ANOTHER UNESCO LISTING ON THE CARDS FOR PENANG? Penang is appreciated for its history, culture, architecture and street food. But did you know that the island is home to a 130-million-year-old undisturbed rainforest older than the Amazon, home to flora and fauna species yet to be discovered - all within a stone's throw from George Town, on the emerald slopes of Penang Hill?

Sri Vaitheki Ramasamy
Penang Monthly
 
 



6
THE BOTANIC GARDENS: A TALE OF GLOOM AND BLOOM: Like Penang itself, the island's famous Gardens had an exciting but turbulent history.

Louise Goss-Custard
Penang Monthly
 
 



7
THE HOUSING QUESTION: WHO IS MY NEIGHBOUR? Unlike other states in Malaysia, the Penang state government recognises that new developments can and should find ways to accommodate "peneroka", or city pioneers - often called squatters. The classic cases of Kampung Buah Pala and Kampung Tok Subuh ran counter to Engels' thesis, which I previously cited: the state government actually ensured that the villagers were accommodated in the same area with proper and affordable housing once the original slums made way for new development. All these do not happen by accident or in a vacuum.

Steven Sim Chee Keong is MP for Bukit Mertajam
Penang Monthly
 
 



8
WANDERING SOULS IN A FORBIDDEN LAND: A tribute to the late Malaysian artist Zulkifli Mohd Dahalan.

Ooi Kok Chuen
Penang Monthly
 
 


9
WHY PENANG YWCA IS SUCH A LANDMARK: The Penang Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) was formed during a time when girls suffered from fewer options, limited access to education and exploitation to tackle the problem across ethnic and religious lines. Although its role was later taken over by the Welfare Department and other women's organisations, the YWCA still retains its legacy as one of the oldest women's organisations in Penang, having served as an important platform for women for over a century.

Koay Su Lyn and Pan Yi Chieh
Penang Monthly
 
 



10
Migration Survey Report, Malaysia 2016
 
[contains link to 124-page PDF document]

Department of Statistics, Malaysia
 
 



11
Malaysia's Tax System Friend or Foe to Prosperity?Author Dan Mitchell's examines where Malaysia stands in the region when it comes to taxation policies implemented by the government and explores what policymakers should consider when setting tax policies. He provides case study examples of successful taxation reforms as well as the negative consequences of high taxation and makes recommendations for a more optimal fiscal policy for Malaysia.
 
[20-page PDF document]

Dan Mitchell
Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs (IDEAS) (Malaysia)
 
 



12
A critical look into the Whistleblower Protection Act 2010: Considering the importance of whistleblowers in discovering cases of fraud the low number of whistleblowers as observed through the MACC statistics suggest that whistleblowers in Malaysia remain hesitant. In order to encourage more individuals to come forward and whistleblow, there must be several changes made to Whistleblower Protection Act 2010.
 
[26-page PDF document]

Christopher Leong
Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs (IDEAS) (Malaysia)
 
 



13
Upgrading Democracy: 'Soft Laws' and The Ombudsman: Guernsey legislative counsel member and solicitor Roy Lee, makes an argument for the creation of the Office of the Ombudsman in order to protect democratic governance in Malaysia. Although soft law institutions like the Ombudsman have no power to make legally binding decisions, they are essential in ensuring that public officials remain accountable, transparent and fair in their actions and decisions.
 
[22-page PDF document]

Roy Lee
Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs (IDEAS) (Malaysia)
 
 



14
Does Democracy Have a Future? Paper presented by Dr Abdul Wahed Jalal Nori at the Third International Conference on Elections & Democracy in Malaysia, 19-20 April 2017, Kuching, Sarawak.
 
[10-page PDF document]

Dr Abdul Wahed Jalal Nori
Institute of Strategic and International Studies (ISIS) Malaysia
 
 



15
Sarawak State Elections 2016: Revisiting Federalism in Malaysia
 
[contains link to 22-page PDF document]

Mohamed Nawab Mohamed Osman,Rashaad Ali
Journal of Current Southeast Asian Affairs Vol 36, No 1 (2017)
 
 

MyanmarMyanmar

16
"ALL THE CIVILIANS SUFFER" CONFLICT, DISPLACEMENT, AND ABUSE IN NORTHERN MYANMAR : Over the last seven months, fighting has intensified between the Myanmar Army and ethnic armed groups in Kachin and northern Shan States, areas with long-running conflicts as ethnic minorities have sought greater autonomy and respect for their rights. This report documents war crimes and other human rights violations by the Myanmar Army, including extrajudicial executions, torture, forced labour, and indiscriminate shelling. Most victims are civilians from ethnic minorities in the region, continuing a legacy of abuse that has rarely led to accountability for the soldiers or commanders responsible.
 
[contains link to 51-page PDF document]

Amnesty International
 



17
A Year in Transition: Assessing Democracy in Myanmar: On 7 February 2017, the Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies (IPCS) hosted a panel discussion, titled 'A Year in Transition: Assessing Democracy in Myanmar'. It was chaired by Ambassador (Retd) Rajiv Bhatia, former Indian Ambassador to Myanmar. The panellists were: Professor Nehginpao Kipgen, Executive Director, Centre for Southeast Asian Studies, Jindal School of International Affairs; Dr Bibhu Prasad Routray, Visiting Fellow, IPCS, and Director, Mantraya; and Professor Kenneth Holland, Executive Director, Centre for International Development, Ball State University (US).
 
[16-page PDF document]

Institute of Peace & Conflict Studies (IPCS)
 
 



18
The NLD and Myanmar's Foreign Policy: Not New, But Different
 
[contains link to 32-page PDF document]

Maung Aung Myoe
Journal of Current Southeast Asian Affairs, Vol 36, No 1 (2017)
 
 

PhilippinesPhilippines

19
How Power Affects Policy Implementation: Lessons from the Philippines
 
[contains link to 25-page PDF document]

Jens Marquardt
Journal of Current Southeast Asian Affairs Vol 36, No 1 (2017)
 
 

SingaporeSingapore

20
Youth and Women Radicalisation in Singapore: Case of Syaikhah Izzah: Syaikhah Izzah Zahrah Al Ansari is believed to be the first Singaporean woman to be detained for radicalisation. It marks a troubling shift in how young people including females have been co-opted in extremist propaganda strategy. Online radicalisation will continue to be the principal purveyor of extremism in highly digitized societies with strong anti-terrorism laws like Singapore. Family-centered counter-radicalisation initiatives are needed to address youth vulnerability in radicalisation that can lead to terrorism.
 
[3-page PDF document]

Remy Mahzam
S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS)
 
 

ThailandThailand

21
Rethinking Approaches to the Study of Thai Foreign Policy Behaviours: Thailand has been generally praised for its successes in astute diplomacy. The conduct of Thai foreign affairs is commonly characterised as 'bending with the wind policy', 'bamboo diplomacy', or 'flexible approach to foreign policy'. According to Pavin Chachavalpongpun, pragmatism and flexibility are the core principles of Thai foreign policy whereas 'opportunism, alliance, and bandwagoning' are the key techniques to understanding the behaviours of Thailand in the international arena. The author stress the importance of International Relations (IR) students who wish to reinterpret the case of Thailand to explore a wide range of IR theoretical tools to shed light on the study of Thai foreign policy behaviours from a different view.

Peera Charoenvattananukul
Kyoto Review of Southeast Asia
 
 

TimorTimor-Leste (East Timor)

22
2016 Tatoli! Public Opinion Poll: In Timor-Leste, the Foundation has successfully partnered with the Australian Government to implement a series of public opinion polls since 2013. Through this, the fifth and final Tatoli! Public Opinion Poll under the Foundation's Australian Government-funded Support for Good Governance program, we hope to equip policy makers in the incoming 7th Constitutional Government, as well as those engaged in specific service sectors, with a clear understanding of people's perceptions toward government, services, and their own priorities.
 
[contains links to 6 PDF documents of infographics]

Asia Foundation
 
 

VietnamVietnam

23
No Country for Human Rights Activists: Assaults on Bloggers and Democracy Campaigners in Vietnam: This report attempts to fill in the gap, documenting 36 recent cases in which human rights activists were beaten by "thugs" in Vietnam. All the accounts are based on online sources, including eyewitness accounts of assaults posted on Vietnamese-language blogs and social media, often with photographic evidence, as well as on foreign media accounts, cross-checked against other independent accounts of the same incidents wherever possible.
 
[74-page PDF document]

Human Rights Watch
 
 



24
Opinion: Vietnam's Social Media Shaping New Environmentalism: In two decades, Vietnam's rapid industrialization has reduced poverty and helped raise the country's per-capita income to over $3,600. However, this rapid build at-all-costs industrialization occurs generally at the expense of the environment. Due to Vietnam's environmental enforcement weakness, a litany of damages to the land and water continues to mount. It is largely through social media that are bringing people together to protest ecological damage to Vietnam's landscape and seacoast. This era of social media contributes has proven effective in bringing together crowds of local citizens to protest a given environmental issue.

James Borton
Geopolitical Monitor
 
 



25
Viet Nam's Automotive Supplier Industry: Development Prospects under Conditions for Free Trade and Global Production Networks: Despite foreign direct investment occurring in the 1990s, automobile production in Viet Nam has not progressed beyond assembly. Due to forthcoming trade liberalisation in ASEAN, these assembly operations are endangered from closure as car-makers consider shifting to imports from more developed automobile manufacturing countries in the region. This paper analyses the current state of the automotive industry in Viet Nam and seeks to formulate policy recommendations based on the findings.
 
[59-page PDF document]

Martin Schröder
Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA)
 
 



26
Territorial Disputes and Nationalism: A Comparative Case Study of China and Vietnam
 
[contains link to 38-page PDF document]

Hannah Cotillon
Journal of Current Southeast Asian Affairs, Vol 36, No 1 (2017)
 
 

ASEANASEAN/Southeast Asia

27
A Political Economy Analysis Of The Southeast Asian Haze and Some Solutions: This paper studies the political economy of the Southeast Asian haze and discusses the obstacles that, unless overcome, could prevent a permanent and effective solution to this transboundary pollution problem, which originates in Indonesia. Following a cost-benefit analysis of the problem, the paper takes note of the weaknesses in Indonesia's governance structure, which make it difficult to enforce national policies aimed at curbing the haze problem. It also puts forward a number of suggestions for strengthening the current policy regime for tackling the problem.
 
[20-page PDF document]

Parkash Chander
S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS)
 
 



28
AMF and EAMF: An Uncertain Future?The ASEAN Maritime Forum and Expanded ASEAN Maritime Forum have been hailed as apt back-to-back venues for regional cooperation on maritime issues. Their future, however, is now uncertain.
 
[3-page PDF document]

Shafiah Fifi Muhibat
S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS)
 
 



29
The Asian Bond Markets Initiative: Policy maker achievements and challenges: This paper describes achievements under the Asian Bond Markets Initiative and the direction of ASEAN+3 over the medium-term. This paper also provides recommendations for addressing new sources of market volatility and other challenges within and outside the framework of the Asian Bond Markets Initiative.
 
[38-page PDF document]

Asian Development Bank
 
 



30
The Maute Group: New Vanguard of IS in Southeast Asia?Skirmishes in the southern Philippine city of Marawi highlight the emergence of the Maute Group (MG) as a potential new magnet for other IS-inspired militants in Mindanao. Manila must act swiftly to contain and defeat IS-inspired militants in central Mindanao lest a protracted conflict increases Mindanao's attractiveness as a hub for foreign terrorist fighters.
 
[3-page PDF document]

Joseph Franco
S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS)
 
 



31
ASEAN MATTERS FOR AMERICA/AMERICA MATTERS FOR ASEAN: Published during the 50th anniversary of ASEAN and the 40th anniversary of US-ASEAN dialouge partnership, this publication covers US relations with the 10 countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and is a collaboration between the East-West Center, the US-ASEAN Business Council and the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Insitute in Singapore.
 
[25-page PDF document]

Asia Matters for America (East West Centre)
 
 



32
Book Review: Heading East: Security, Trade and Environment between India and Southeast Asia: Heading East, Security, Trade and Environment between India and Southeast Asia, co-edited by Sumit Ganguly and Karen Stoll Farrell, consisting of 11 chapters and one introductory note by the editors, broadly deals with India's Look East/Act East Policy (LEP/AEP). More specifically, the book assesses the origin of this policy, its evolution and several aspects of India's trade arrangements (both bilateral and regional or multilateral), connectivity, security dynamics and river water sharing concerns, particularly related to North-East India and its immediate neighbours Myanmar and Bangladesh.
 
[4-page PDF document]
 
[The title "Heading East: Security, Trade and Environment between India and Southeast Asia" is available in ISEAS Library]

Sampa Kundu
Journal Of Defence Studies, Volume 11 Issue 2
 
 



33
Political Assassinations in Southeast Asia: This special issue was developed based out of a panel on the same topic at the international seminar "Networking Southeast Asia, Korea, and Japan, Facing Urgent and Fundamental Issues," organized by the Center for Southeast Asian Studies (CSEAS), Kyoto University on March 19-20, 2016. The panel focused on a number of questions related to changes in the region and how they relate to political violence.

Jafar Suryomenggolo
Kyoto Review of Southeast Asia
 
 

AsiaAsia Pacific

34
Eurasian Integration "a la Chinese": Deciphering Beijing's Vision for the Region as a "Community of Common Destiny": Beijing's vision of a 21st century version of the ancient Silk Roads was revealed during two speeches by Xi Jinping, one in Astana and the second in Jakarta, at the end of 2013. Kazakhstan and Indonesia were not chosen by mere chance, just one month apart as the official sites for the launch of the Chinese continental "belt" and maritime "road" ideas; rather they were selected as symbols of China's renewed outreach to both its continental and maritime neighbors.

Nadège Rolland
ASAN Institute for Policy Studies
 
 



35
HUMANITARIAN TECHNOLOGY SURVEY: This is the first Humanitarian Technology Survey, which draws on the discussions and presentations at the 1-day workshop on "Assessing The Technological Turn in Humanitarian Action." The workshop took place on the 15th of February 2017 at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. It was organized by the Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) Programme at Centre for Non-Traditional Security Studies (NTS Centre) in RSIS. The workshop brought together 30 practitioners, experts and researchers in the field of humanitarian affairs. With nine speakers from different countries, the workshop aimed to create a better understanding about past, current and future initiatives and ways in which technology was deployed in humanitarian settings with a focus on the Asia-Pacific region. The workshop was split into three sessions on (1) global developments in humanitarian technology; (2) humanitarian technology in the Asia-Pacific; and (3) the future directions in humanitarian technology.
 
[40-page PDF document]

S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS)

 
 



36
Countering Violent Extremism in Asia: The Role of Development Assistance: Countering violent extremism (CVE) is attracting more attention from donors, governments, and civil society in Asia. Yet funding remains limited because there is little evidence of what works. This report shows how development assistance and CVE intersect in Asia, in a step towards filling this evidence gap. It draws together desk-based research by The Asia Foundation with discussions from a workshop convening donors, Asian government representatives, civil society, and researchers in October 2016.
 
[35-page PDF document]

Asia Foundation
 
 

SCSEast/South China Sea

37
Marine Environmental Governance in the South China Sea: By meeting the UN's Sustainable Development Goal 14 on Life Below Water, parties in the South China Sea can enhance transboundary partnerships for a more sustainable approach to marine environmental governance.
 
[3-page PDF document]

Rini Astuti
S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS)
 
 

SpecialChild Alert Report

38
A child is a child: Protecting children on the move from violence, abuse and exploitation
 
[60-page PDF document]

UNICEF
 
 

Climate Change

39
Trump's Paris Retreat is Beijing's Opportunity: US withdrawal from global climate change leadership may be too good an opportunity to let pass. And there could be no better way for Beijing to demonstrate its claimed commitment to a peaceful and prosperous world than by directing the billions of dollars promised under the One Belt, One Road Initiative into low-carbon energy systems in developing countries. Developed countries too may find the lure of Chinese lucre too strong to resist and end up with energy infrastructures stamped 'Made in China'.

Clive Hamilton
Conversation
 
 



40
Indian and Chinese Energy Policies: Addressing Energy Needs and Climate Change: As rising powers, India and China have, for the past three decades, sought the right mix for their energy baskets in their respective models of development. This dilemma has resulted in intense debate about the appropriate energy policies to be adopted, programmes to be followed, and mechanism to be implemented - a theme constantly and competently explored by the paper presenters in this seminar.
 
[40-page PDF document]

Institute of Peace & Conflict Studies (IPCS)
 

 
 

Ecotourism

41
Editorial: ECOTOURISM - CONDUIT TO A NEW CONSCIOUSNESS? We are really dealing with modern economics here, with capitalism's essence. Growth, progress, advancement and development - all these encourage and condone change, connoting improvement and opportunity. The more we advance, the faster the changes we wrought on the planet. We consider this basically good. In any case, we can't seem to stop it. But perhaps we can steer things in a corrective direction, in a more holistically fruitful way.

Ooi Kee Beng
Penang Monthly
 
 
 
 

Global Economy

42
Global Economic Prospects: A Fragile Recovery
 
[138-page PDF document]

World Bank
 
 
 
 



43
The 2017 Global Retail Development Index

A T Kearney
 
 

Islamic Economy

44
STATE OF THE GLOBAL ISLAMIC ECONOMY REPORT 2016/17
 
[220-page PDF document]

The Centre for Excellence in Islamic Finance
 

 
 

Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP)/Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP)

45
Digital Trade Facilitation: Paperless Trade in Regional Trade Agreements
We examine the extent to which measures aimed at dematerializing trade data and documents and enabling their electronic exchange, commonly referred to as paperless trade measures, are included in regional trade agreements (RTAs), including in the Trans-Pacific Partnership and ASEAN agreements.
 
[42-page PDF document]

Yann Duval and Kong Mengjing
Asian Development Bank Institute
 

 
 



46
The Impact of the TPP on Trade Between Member Countries: A Text-As-Data Approach: With World Trade Organization negotiations in deadlock, countries are increasingly turning to preferential trade agreements to integrate their economies into the global trading system. We propose a new method to predict the impact of preferential trade agreements (PTAs) on trade and welfare, taking the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement as a case study.
[24-page PDF document]

Wolfgang Alschner, Julia Seiermann, and Dmitriy Skougarevskiy
Asian Development Bank Institute
 
 



47
Trans-Pacific Partnership Rules for Digital Trade in Asia: The first trade agreement to consider the importance of digital trade, the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), introduced several new rules that deal with these critical issues. Why did seven Asia-Pacific countries (Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore and Viet Nam) in the TPP with different domestic policies in place to address digital trade and e-commerce agree to follow a similar set of policies for the sector?
 
[28-page PDF document]

Deborah Elms and Minh Hue Nguyen
Asian Development Bank Institute
 
 

World Development Indicators 2017

48
World Development Indicators 2017
 
[contains link to 146-page PDF document]

World Bank
 
 
 

World Development Report 2017

49
World Development Report 2017: Governance and the Law
 
[contains link to 307-page PDF document]

World Bank
 

 
 

 

 

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