Land Rights and the Mega-project: Ownership Rights in the Shadow of Land Acquisition for the Jakarta-Bandung High Speed Rail Link
Dr. Alex Grainger University of Kent alex_grainger@hotmail.com Abstract This paper proposes to examine how far land rights have changed in relation to land acquisition for ‘mega-projects’ since the New Order period, which “allowed the grant of rights to uncultivated and/or non-residential untitled lands without obtaining the consent of the relevant local community and without triggering […]
A Kite Does Not Move Backwards! Methodological Observations on Critiques of Human Rights Activism in Indonesia and Southeast Asia
Werner Menski SOAS, University of London, UK wm4@soas.ac.uk Abstract The key argument of this paper is that while the plurality of inputs into any legal management of human rights issues is bound to generate many frustrations, justice cannot be simply served on a silver plate by making perfect rules. The arduous everyday task to manage […]
The Absence of Legal Recognition and Its Impact on the Living Conditions of Pakistani Asylum Seekers and Refugees Living in Bangkok
Jesper Kulvmann, D.Phil Department of Social Administration, Thammasat University dumelarajesper@hotmail.com Abstract Thailand is not a signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention. As such, it does not recognize the status of refugees. Therefore, asylum seekers are not distinguished from other immigrants, legal or illegal. Recently, an increasing number of refugees originating from non-neighbouring countries have arrived […]
Rejecting Religious Intolerance in Southeast Asia: Using the United Nations Rabat Plan of Action as a road-map for combatting rising religious hatred in Myanmar (Burma) and Indonesia
Benedict Rogers East Asia Team Leader at Christian Solidarity Worldwide benrogers@csw.org.uk Abstract Southeast Asia is one of the most ethnically and religiously diverse regions of the world, a trait that Myanmar and Indonesia epitomize. Myanmar has more than 130 ethnic groups and, although the majority population is Buddhist, has considerable Christian and Muslim communities. In […]