Kyoto Review of Southeast Asia - Kyoto Review of Southeast Asia

Eroding Electoral Integrity: Reasons for Democratic Backsliding in Southeast Asia

In Southeast Asian countries that hold competitive elections, there has been a noticeable erosion of electoral integrity, leading to a regression in democracy since 2010. This has been evidenced by global democracy indexes.[1] In several of these countries, the traditional elites initially either choose to accept or endorse efforts to strengthen competitive multi-party democracy. Multi-party elections were accepted, in some instances, due to the pressure from the international community to promote democracy.[2] In other cases, it was driven by the internal momentum for democratic reforms and the aspirations of their populations.[3] However, when these reforms began to dissipate and threaten their political hegemony, these very elites, who initially supported multiparty elections, began [...]

Vietnam and Foreigners: Aspects and Experiences

Migration and cultural exchange have been lodestones of the civilization and society in ancient, middle-ages, and modern Vietnam. The cradle of civilization of Vietnam in the BCE days would have been located in the northern Red River Delta. Even at the nascent stage of its civilization had, as historian Corsi pointed out, the region witnessed constant cultural exchanges in three directions – between northern migrants from northern Chinese kingdoms and the locals in the Delta, between the mountain tribes to the Delta’s west and northwest and the Delta, and between the Delta and areas south of it, which was known generally as Champa. In short, migration and cultural exchanges for Vietnam has had a long history, which places Vietnam in a general history of migration of the world. At the same time, modern Vietnamese are also known to have a strong national identity and takes immense pride in being unique, and often tries to distinguish itself from the Chinese culture that had influenced it for [...]

Dr Kao Kim Hourn, ASEAN Secretary-General, on the Relevance of ASEAN

On behalf of the Center for Southeast Asian Studies (CSEAS) and as the editor of the Kyoto Review of Southeast Asia, Pavin Chachavalpongpun, professor at CSEAS, interviewed Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, ASEAN’s Secretary-General, on the topic, “Is ASEAN Still Relevant?” The interview was conducted on 19 December 2024 during which time Dr. Kao was invited to give a lecture on the said topic at CSEAS. [...]
Dr Kao Kim Hourn, ASEAN Secretary-General, on the Relevance of ASEAN

On behalf of the Center for Southeast Asian Studies (CSEAS) and as the editor of the Kyoto Review of Southeast Asia, Pavin Chachavalpongpun, professor at CSEAS, interviewed Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, ASEAN’s Secretary-General, on the topic, “Is ASEAN Still Relevant?” The interview was conducted on 19 December 2024 during which time Dr. Kao was invited to give a lecture on the said topic at CSEAS. [...]
Dr Kao Kim Hourn, ASEAN Secretary-General, on the Relevance of ASEAN

On behalf of the Center for Southeast Asian Studies (CSEAS) and as the editor of the Kyoto Review of Southeast Asia, Pavin Chachavalpongpun, professor at CSEAS, interviewed Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, ASEAN’s Secretary-General, on the topic, “Is ASEAN Still Relevant?” The interview was conducted on 19 December 2024 during which time Dr. Kao was invited to give a lecture on the said topic at CSEAS. [...]

Guest Editor’s Introduction – Decha Tangseefa, CSEAS

A border is a “contact zone” of people, culture, and capital. In an area like the Thai-Myanmar border, disease must also be included, as tuberculosis, drug-resistant malaria, and other illnesses have been prevalent since long before COVID-19 raged across the world. These transnational forces entwine and tremendously complicate the spaces in-between the two nation-states. As Burma/Myanmar has witnessed far more protracted armed conflicts than unarmed negotiations since its independence in 1948, this border region has become a space where hundreds of thousands have had to endure manifold sickness due to their marginal positionalities either as displaced peoples or voluntary migrants, many of whom become sources of unskilled or low-skilled cheap labor in Thailand. […]

Critical Counterpoints: Human-mosquito relations from the Thai-Myanmar borderlands to Singapore

Building on my previous work on environmental peacebuilding in Southeast Myanmar, my current research explores processes of “making peace” with disease-bearing mosquitos in Singapore. When I recently returned to the Thai-Myanmar borderlands for the 47th Southeast Asian Seminar, [...]

Circumventing undocumented-ness: Ethnic migrants along the Thai-Burma border pursue multiple mobilities

Having studied the migration of young Yunnanese migrants along the Thai-Burma border for several years, the 47th Southeast Asia Seminar gave me the chance to learn from other migrant communities, particularly the Karen. [...]

The Mae La “Temporary Shelter Area” as migration infrastructure & (im)mobility of people on the move

The Mae La “temporary shelter area” is the largest of nine such sites located along the Thailand-Myanmar border. It is situated in Tha Song Yang District, approximately 60 kilometers from the cross-border trading hub of Mae Sot District and less than 10 kilometers from Myanmar. [...]

The crime of caring

What does it mean when your own country does not care about you? Among others, this question swirls in my mind when I recall the places that we visited during the 47th Southeast Asia Seminar. Roaming the vicinity of the new Kawthoolei Karen Baptist Bible School and College just across the stream from the Mae La “temporary shelter area,” I was intrigued by the rustic cadence of the place. En route to the school, [...]

Experiences in temporary host countries and their impact on integrating resettled refugees

As South Korea marks the 10th anniversary of its pilot resettlement program, research findings on the experiences of resettled refugees are emerging. The 47th Southeast Asia Seminar offered a timely opportunity to further my own [...]

Intersections of health, border, and marginality: Field research enriches understanding of Japanese engagement with post-coup Myanmar

My academic career is marked by a prolonged focus on Japanese diplomacy and Asian politics. Currently, my research concentrates on Japan’s role in the health and social welfare of refugees and minorities. The consequences of [...]

(Health) care and family (planning) of undocumented people along state borders

The 47th Southeast Asia Seminar offered an excellent opportunity to expand my focus from displaced Rohingya refugee families in South and Southeast Asia borderlands to gain a deeper understanding of different displaced groups in the Thai-Myanmar borderlands. Instead of focusing on Rohingya as refugees, [...]

Enriching the land discourse from the Thai-Myanmar Border

Throughout the 47th Southeast Asia Seminar, participants examined a diverse range of topics from health to border dynamics and marginalization. Amidst the rich discussions, one theme particularly captured my attention: how people residing in borderlands perceive land. [...]

International relations research and borderland as inhabited space

Researchers and practitioners from multiple disciplines gathered to learn about and discuss the situation in the Thai-Myanmar border region during the 47th Southeast Asia Seminar. Field trips to several locations in Tak Province, Thailand generated ideas about what research can be further pursued by positivist International Relations (IR) studies that address security [...]

Navigating the Complexities: Challenges and Prospects of Collaborative Governance in Thai Local Administration

by Grichawat Lowatcharin in Issue 40

Thailand’s public sector reform in the 1990s aims to delegate authority and resources to local administrative organizations (LAOs) as key entities to provide public services and enhance the quality of life of the citizens at the locality (Unger & Mahakanjana, 2016; Wongpreedee & Mahakanjana, 2017). Despite such an effort, LAOs continue to encounter significant challenges [...]

Limited language assistance for migrant workers in the Thai monolingual society

by Narongdej Phanthaphoommee in Issue 39

More than twenty years have passed since workers from Myanmar, Laos, and Cambodia began migrating to Thailand under different bilateral agreements, and presently, they make up one of the largest groups of workers in the country. Their arrival in Thai territory has been undoubtedly crucial to driving the country’s economy forward. However, because Thai and Myanmar (including Mon, Karenni and Tavoyan) are not similar in terms of language family, workers from Myanmar are less likely to understand Thai than those from Laos or even [...]

Review– “Asian Workers Stories”

Title: Asian Workers Stories Author: ZHANG, Luka Lei (ed.) Publisher: Brooklyn, NY: Hard Ball Press, 2024 Working [...]
Review– “Rights Refused: Grassroots Activism & State Violence in Myanmar”

Title: Rights Refused: Grassroots Activism & State Violence in Myanmar Author: Elliott Prasse-Freeman Publisher: Stanford University Press, [...]
Review– “The United States, Southeast Asia, and Historical Memory”

Title: The United States, Southeast Asia, and Historical Memory Editors: Mark Pavlick, Caroline Luft Publisher: Haymarket Books, [...]
Review– “In the Year of the Rabbit: A Novel”

Title: In the Year of the Rabbit: A Novel Author: Terence Harkin Publisher: Silkworm Books, 2021 The Vietnam War [...]
Review– “Change and Identity in the Music Cultures of Lombok, Indonesia”

Title: Change and Identity in the Music Cultures of Lombok, Indonesia Author: David D. Harnish Publisher: Brill, [...]