ARTICLES

2 Feb 2023

Digital Labour Platforms Must Provide Philippine Gig Workers a Fair Deal

Cheryll Ruth R. Soriano

The Philippines faces significant labour protection challenges amid a growing gig economy. It needs to outgrow consumer-focused regulations and address business risks being pushed down to at-risk workers.

5 Oct 2022

Electric Vehicles in Malaysia: Moving Uphill from Niche to Mass Market

Tham Siew Yean

Malaysia has a long way to go before demand for electric vehicles will rise high enough to reduce carbon emissions, mainly because there is no concerted effort to build the charging infrastructure to support this switch.

Malaysia Renewable Energy Sustainable Development Technology

9 Sep 2022

Vietnam Tightens the Screws on Big Tech

Dien Nguyen An Luong

Vietnam’s Decree 53 appears to be focused less on making Big Tech firms set up offices and data centres in Vietnam. Instead, it appears to be more focused on instilling fear in such companies and Internet users.

Censorship Technology Vietnam

27 Jul 2022

Frugal Innovations: New Delhi’s Soft Power Potential in ASEAN

Melinda Martinus|Laura Lee

India has the opportunity to boost its soft power in ASEAN, including by promoting and sharing its lauded ‘frugal innovations’ to help low-income Southeast Asians to improve their lives.

ASEAN-India Relations Diplomacy Technology

26 Jul 2022

Digital Transformation under Indonesia’s G20 Presidency: What can it Deliver?

Lili Yan Ing|Titik Anas|Maria Monica Wihardja

Indonesia’s G20 presidency has committed to take action in the three priority areas of digital transformation, global health infrastructure and energy transition. But the war in Ukraine threatens to overshadow the agenda. The G20 may have to be satisfied with lowest common denominator agreements, though Indonesia clearly aspires for more.

Digitalisation G20 Indonesia Technology

17 Jun 2022

The Metaverse and the Importance of Personal Data Protection in Southeast Asia

Albert Jehoshua Rapha

Before Southeast Asia embraces wholesale the advent of the 'Metaverse', it is a matter of urgency for the authorities to address the current shortfalls in the protection of their citizens' personal data.

Data Security Digitalisation Technology

24 Feb 2022

Digital Surveillance in Thailand: When Pegasus Takes Flight

Janjira Sombatpoonsiri

The Thai regime is reportedly using spyware to extract personal information from the mobile devices of political dissidents. The use of digital intrusion and repression reinforces Thailand’s autocracy in the face of challenges from the political opposition.

Cyber Security Technology Thailand

15 Feb 2022

Harnessing RCEP to Harvest ASEAN’s Unicorns

Tham Siew Yean

Can regional free trade agreements facilitate further development of start-ups and unicorns in ASEAN? The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Agreement does just that by providing an expanded regional market, bolstering protection of intellectual property and enhancing rules in services and e-commerce.

Asean Trade RCEP Technology

17 Dec 2021

Fighting Big Fat Lies Online: Caveat Emptor

Lee Sue-Ann

In the online battlefield, companies, politicians and media outlets are trying to shape how we think. For media consumers and journalists alike, the keys to a strong defence lie in media literacy and discernment.

Indonesia Malaysia Misinformation Philippine Social Media Technology

10 Dec 2021

The Kunming-Vientiane Railway: A Post-pandemic ‘Deus ex machina’ for the Lao Economy?

Nick J. Freeman

The Lao government has committed considerable sums of money and political capital to make the Kunming-Vientiane railway happen. It now needs to secure a return on that investment.

China Economic Development Laos Laos Economy Technology