SSEAC Newsletter
September 2023 edition
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Welcome to the Sydney Southeast Asia Centre's Newsletter.
Featuring some of our current research projects, education initiatives, development programs, news and events.
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ASEAN in Focus 2023
ASEAN in Focus: Managing Political Crisis in ASEAN
As ASEAN countries met early September for the 2023 Summit in Jakarta, the situation in Myanmar and the disputed South China Sea were a high priority on the agenda. It was the second year in a row that Myanmar was not welcome to the Summit and in an exceptional move, Malaysia clarified its stance that stronger measures were needed to address the junta’s failure in implementing the five-point consensus. On the matter of the South China Sea, Vietnam, Malaysia, and the Philippines announced that they rejected the newly emerged map from China that claimed the entire South China Sea.
Prior to the summit, SSEAC held their annual ASEAN in Focus event to anticipate some of the discussions that would dominate the summit. Showcasing a superb panel with the Indonesian Ambassador to Australia and Vanuatu, his Excellency Dr. Siswo Pramono, an academic expert on regional cooperation in Southeast Asia, Dr. Avery Poole from Monash University, and the Executive Director of the Asia Society Australia in Sydney with over 15 years of experience working in Australia-Asia relations, Mr Thomas Soem.
Panel members agreed that the question of how to navigate political crisis was not a straightforward one for ASEAN. Democracy is high on ASEAN’s agenda, but so is the non-alignment principle. Moreover, as the Ambassador emphasized, democratic developments can only progress in the region if it is not imposed from the outside but instead homegrown and with due respect for culture. The five-point consensus in relation to Myanmar puts a lot of expectations on ASEAN, and for Dr. Poole it is still too early to declare it is not living up to its promise. Poole noted that to achieve progress in Myanmar it might be important that ASEAN members can take steps independently of ASEAN. The Ambassador cautioned, however, not to “slice” ASEAN apart. Progress takes time and it is important for ASEAN to maintain dialogue with a range of powers in Myanmar. Mr. Soem emphasized too that Myanmar is not an ASEAN problem per se, but an international one, and the five-point consensus is a mechanism for dialogue that should continue to be pushed in this international space.
Regarding geopolitical tension between China and the US, panel members emphasized once again the importance of the non-alignment principle for ASEAN. The Ambassador reminded the audience what brought ASEAN together in the first place; a shared history of colonization and their common goal to lift their economies out of poverty. Partnership in this context is more important than alliance. Mr. Soem noted too that if we want to sustain the growth of trade and business investments in the region, partnership is key. Australia, for instance, is showing growing engagement with the region through the special envoy and the recently launched Southeast Asia economic strategy to 2040, signalling a serious commitment that requires regional integration and ongoing democratic reforms to keep markets open and free. ASEAN is a key institution to facilitate these developments.
In sum, despite geopolitical tensions, panel members were hopeful for the future of ASEAN and were excited about the economic prospects in the region, especially in the space of digital transformation and energy transition. While serious concerns over conflict remained, there was a shared understanding that support for ASEAN was the way forward.
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Novi Djenar appointed to Expert Committee of the World Atlas of Languages
Congratulations to Associate Professor Novi Djenar, who was appointed by UNESCO to the Ad-Hoc Expert Committee of the World Atlas of Languages. Composed of 12 members, the committee’s role is to oversee management of the World Atlas of Languages dataset. Novi, who is chair of Indonesian Studies, brings a wealth of experience as a linguist, and with particular interests in youth language practices, literary stylistics, self- and other reference, and the relations between language and place.
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New book on weed management in Cambodia
In Cambodia, the increasing scarcity of rural labour is pushing farmers to find ways to manage large rice fields with meagre resources and continuously emerging crop management constraints, especially for weed control. Out-migration of rural labour has resulted in a shift from manual transplanting to direct-seeded rice, and this has changed the spectrum of weed species and made weed management more difficult. Co-edited by Professor Daniel Tan (School of Life and Environmental Sciences), Weed Management in Direct-Seeded Rice Under Cambodian Conditions (Eliva Press 2023), describes important weeds of rice in Cambodia, weed seed contamination in rice seed for sowing, weedy rice contamination in paddy and options for Integrated Weed Management (IWM). The elements of IWM include: cultural practices; stale seedbed; crop establishment methods; crop rotation; water management and chemical weed control. Read more on the publisher's website.
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Local knowledge and Bangkok's 'million-tree' makeover
PhD graduate Chieh-Ming Lai wrote about Bangkok's 'million-tree' makeover and the importance of local knowledge for the LSE Impact Blog. The article draws on Ming's PhD research, which included interviews with frontline municipal staff in the Thai capital, members of civil society groups, managerial officials, and tree experts. "Trees perform invaluable aesthetic, social, environmental, and ecological functions, but only when they grow well." Ming writes. "Urban environments can be difficult for trees’ growth. Clashes with wires and buildings; limited space for roots to extend; soil that lacks nutrients or pore space for roots to breathe – these are just a few of the common adversities facing urban trees in Bangkok." Read the full article here.
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Fieldwork on marine farms in Vietnam
Dr Francisca Samsing and Dr Carola Venturini headed to Vietnam in June, as part of a research project that is investigating disease outbreaks in barramundi. The researchers conducted fieldwork at marine farms in Quảng Ninh province of northeast Vietnam and gave a talk at Ha Long University on opportunistic infections in aquaculture and potential novel therapies. Their presentation was covered by a local news outlet -- see here (Vietnamese language). The research is part of a project, funded by SSEAC and the Sydney Vietnam Academic Network, aiming to generate a comprehensive genome database of Australian and Vietnamese isolates of Vibrio harveyi associated with disease outbreaks in barramundi.
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Recent highlights
—workshops, webinars, events & more
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PhilS4 | The Partisan Trap: In-group Bias and Tolerance for Democratic Backsliding
In this PhilS4 webinar, PhD candidate Bermond Scoggins looked at partisan loyalty and voters' tolerance for democratic backsliding in the Philippines. Many countries that transitioned or returned to democracy in the post-Cold War period have elected executives who have then successfully eroded institutional checks and balances on their power. Why do voters in new democracies sometimes appear unwilling or unable to punish democratic backsliding? Using meta-analytic methods and a candidate choice experiment in a backsliding democracy, the Philippines, Bermond showed how strong partisan loyalty best explains voter passivity during periods of backsliding despite voters disliking illiberal and undemocratic positions.
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Making sense of Thailand's 2023 election
Thailand's general election was held on May 14, the country's second national poll since a military coup in 2014. Ultimately, the result was decisive: the progressive Move Forward party won the largest share of votes, followed by the Pheu Thai party, backed by former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who lives in exile. The military-backed conservative parties performed poorly. But while the results were clear, in the following weeks, negotiations and intrigue continued to build over the makeup of Thailand’s next government.
To make sense of the results, and shed some light on what may happen next, SSEAC helped convene a panel of experts for an in-person event, held on campus in June. Moderated by Michael Ruffles of The Sydney Morning Herald, the roundtable featured the University of Sydney’s Aim Sinpeng, alongside Pavin Chachavalpongpun (Kyoto University), Greg Raymond (Australian National University), and Kanyanatt Kalfagiannis, co-founder of the Australian Alliance for Thai Democracy. It was fantastic to see so many interested and attentive audience members, including many from the Thai community living in Sydney and beyond.
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TS4 | Paradigm Conflict: Village Health Volunteers and Public Health in Thailand
In recent years, Thailand’s Village Health Volunteers (VHVs) have risen to prominence due to their critical role and success in helping to curb the spread of the Covid-19 virus across the country. This success is commonly attributed to an assumed Thai volunteer spirit (closely associated with Buddhist morality) and the development of a primary health care system based on decentralization of health care, community participation and empowerment. However, in this TS4 webinar, Dr Anjalee Cohen (University of Sydney) argued that the management of diseases in Thai village communities is primarily based on a biomedical model that uses VHVs as agents of surveillance by a top-down health bureaucracy. Anjalee examined the way in which the Thai medical bureaucracy have maximized the implementation of state policies and minimized deliberation and agency of VHVs, thus undermining the core primary health care principles upon which the VHV program was originally built.
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Sydney Peace Foundation event
Aung Myo Min, the Minister for Human Rights in Myanmar's National Unity Government, received the Sydney Peace Foundation's Gold Medal for Human Rights at an event on campus in early June. Chaired by SSEAC executive committee member Dr Susan Banki, the event included a moving keynote address by Aung Myo Min, followed by a Q&A. The minister spoke about the repressive environment in Myanmar under military rule, the role of his ministry, and opening new avenues for international support. You can read an article by Susan, ahead of the event, on the ABC's Religion and Ethics here.
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'Make a Real Difference' initiative
Postgraduate students in the University of Sydney Business School put their creative, analytical and problem-solving skills to the test in June as part of the ‘Make a Real Difference’ initiative. Run by the Business School and supported by SSEAC, the initiative tasks students with devising innovative solutions to real-world challenges in Southeast Asia. The 10 leading proposals in 2023 were presented by students to a panel of academics, business and industry leaders, including from L’Oréal, NEC, Ramsey Health Care, Nestle, KPMG, Maven Data, and SSEAC. Students presented for 15 minutes, followed by a Q&A session with the panel that explored their plans in more detail. The winning proposal, as judged by the panel, advanced the idea of an app-based platform for on-demand waste collection in Vietnam’s capital Hanoi, combined with the engagement and empowerment of informal waste collectors. Read more here.
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What's coming up?
—events and opportunities
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Film Screening: Autobiography
A young man torn between loyalty and justice confronts the truth of his father figure in a way that that may destroy them both.
Autobiography is an important film about the effects of dictatorship on Indonesia and people, the desire to conform, and what it means to be loyal.
When: Tuesday, 26 September 2023,
5:30 PM – 7.30 PM
Where: Merewether Building (H04), Merewether Lecture Theatre 131
Note: Entry is free, however registration is essential. Numbers are limited.
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Demystifying Spatial Data Workshop
How can we put spatial data to work in our anthropological, geographical, political, medical, artistic, and ecological investigations of Southeast Asia? Join us to learn from Dr. Sabin Zahirovic (School of Geosciences) how visualizing your data—or understanding spatial data visualization—is simpler than you think.
When: Tuesday, 5 October 2023
Time: 12 noon – 1.30 pm (Sydney time)
Where: On Zoom only
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Roundtable – Human Rights, Sustainability, and the Regional Challenge
This roundtable with Professor David Cohen (Stanford University) explores how the intersection of human rights, security, economic development, and sustainability intersect in ASEAN. These intersections are evident in many issues troubling Southeast Asia today: the environmental and food security crisis on the Lower Mekong Subregion, the impact of rising seas and environmental degradation, tensions around the South China Sea, and continuing conflict on migration, labour exploitation, and human trafficking. Great power rivalry between the U.S. and China are complicating regional organisations such as ASEAN to adequately address these critical concerns.
When: Monday, 23 October 2023
Time: 12 noon – 1.30 pm (Sydney time)
Where: R.D. Watt Building (A04), room 200, Sydney University
Register: here.
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Indonesia Council Open Conference 2023
Indonesia 25 Years On.
The Sydney Southeast Asia Centre at the University of Sydney and Humanitarian and Development Studies at Western Sydney University are proud to host the 2023 Indonesia Council Open Conference. This conference brings together academics and postgraduate researchers from across disciplines with an interest in Indonesia, and is open to scholars, students and community members interested in engaging with cutting-edge research.
In 2023, we mark a quarter-century of Indonesia’s abrupt rejection of authoritarianism following the resignation of Suharto in May 1998 after millions took to the streets in protest against the economic and social chaos that accompanied the Asian financial crisis of the previous year. But what does Indonesia look like now? We invite abstract submissions from any disciplines for individual papers, panels and roundtable discussions that reflect on one or more of the myriad facets of life in today’s Indonesia, how Indonesia got there, and where it might go next.
The Indonesia Council Open Conference 2023 will also include a half-day postgraduate workshop on Monday 25 September 2023 (morning only). The workshop is open to all postgraduate members of the Indonesia Council. NOTE: Applications closed on 15 February 2023.
When: 26–27 September 2023 (registrations open)
Where: Online via Zoom and in person at the University of Sydney, Camperdown campus
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6th Conference on Human Rights
The 6th Conference on Human Rights provides a platform for academics, human rights activists and practitioners to explore current human rights issues in Southeast Asia and beyond. This year, the conference theme is: Indigeneity and Human Rights in Asia and the Pacific Towards a Just Society: Challenges and Opportunities? SSEAC is co-hosting the conference along with a number of partners, including the University of Gadjah Mada in Yogyakarta.
When: 25 & 26 October, 2023
Where: Online via Zoom and in person at the University of Gadjah Mada, Yogyakarta, Indonesia
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Grant Opportunity
Funded by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the Australia-Indonesia Institute Annual Grants Rounds supports continuity in people-to-people and institutional engagement between Australia and Indonesia across sectors for broad access and impact opportunities.
Details and eligibility here.
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 | Inequality as a Leading Cross-Cutting Development Issue
Inequality has always been key to understanding Indonesia’s development. But this is a multidimensional issue, and one that has manifested in vastly different ways in Indonesia over the years: from low and stable inequality, to the aspiration to inequality, to the relationship between inequality and collective violence. The way we understand inequality is contingent on what objects (of inequality) we are looking at, how it is conceptualised, and how it is measured.
| |  Why Consumers Choose Private Over Public Health Services in VietnamDemographic changes, rise in disposable income, and steady economic growth has led to a growing demand for healthcare services in Vietnam. But the public healthcare system struggles to meet the diverse healthcare needs of the Vietnamese population. Within this context, the private sector in Vietnam fills an important gap left by the public sector. Listen here.
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In the media...
- Aim Sinpeng was quoted by Al Jazeera in an article about Meta considering suspending Cambodian leader Hun Sen from Facebook and Instagram.
- Adrian Vickers spoke to SBS News about new guidelines introduced for tourists visiting Bali.
- Sophie Chao was featured on Radio National's Soul Search program, speaking about the 'more than human world'.
- Novi Djenar was quoted by SBS Indonesian for an article about Indonesian language learning in Australia.
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Join the conversation!
SSEAC is connecting with thousands of individuals and organisations engaging in Southeast Asia every month on social media. Join the conversation to share your work, hear about our latest events and seminars, and be the first to know about grants, research, and opportunities in Southeast Asia.
If you have a recently published article, book review, or interview that you'd like to share with a Southeast Asia-focused community, let us know! Email sseac@sydney.edu.au with the details, or tag us in your tweet @seacsydney.
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