Humanitarian Laws are universal laws of war. They focus on the protection of those who do not fight, those who have already fought, and civilians. These laws are set up to protect people and limit the suffering of individuals due to war and conflict. They were created after World War 2 along with the United Nations, a pact amongst many nations of the world that agreed to uphold the humanitarian right to life across the globe. 

I have chosen to look at Myanmar, formerly known as Burma with respect to its humanitarian laws and genocide. Myanmar, a country in Southeast Asia, has a very troubled history from “coups, military rule, and ethnic conflict”. The country has suffered from decades of repressive military rule ever since it gained independence from Great Britain in 1948. Recently Myanmar has been in the midst of a civil war and ethnic conflict between the military and people in the Rakhine State. This conflict has resulted in the killing, rape, and destruction of many individual’s lives. The Rohingya genocide is the biggest humanitarian crisis in Myanmar right now as the Rohingya Muslims are the target of the militaries’ force. It is estimated that this crisis, which began in 2016, has displaced over 200,000 people, killed over 25,000 people, and harmed many more. Many first-world countries, along with the UN have called this a humanitarian crisis that must be addressed. The military regime that controls Myanmar does not have any level of humanitarian law that is known to the outside world. It is hard to receive information about Myanmar, and the human rights crisis because the military has censored a lot of information leaving the nation. In an attempt to support the people of Myanmar, the international community has condemned the military coup, but no other action has been taken to uphold the idea of international humanitarian law.

*This conflict is very complicated and there is limited information about it. I was able to piece together a little bit of the story, but there is much we don’t know about the military regime and the Rohingya Muslims. This short documentary looks into the crisis further: Myanmar’s Rohingya Genocide – YouTube

 

 

Read more about the Rohingya Genocide:

Myanmar’s Troubled History: Coups, Military Rule, and Ethnic Conflict | Council on Foreign Relations (cfr.org)

Myanmar Rohingya violence is genocide, US says (bbc.com)

The International Efforts to Combat Myanmar’s Growing Humanitarian Crisis | U.S.-China Perception Monitor (uscnpm.org)

 

Read more on Myanmar: (under the oppressive forms of government, there are limited local news sources from Myanmar itself)

Myanmar: Intense fighting spreads to cities, as civilians seek shelter | UN News

Global New Light Of Myanmar – Myanmar Daily News, Myanmar Latest News, Myanmar News Today (gnlm.com.mm)

Human rights is always a hot topic around the world. In recent years, the discussion of human rights in Vietnam has become more prominent. Many believe that Vietnam has many human rights violations as they do not allow for basic civil liberties, as well as political rights. In this post, I will discuss in more detail the human rights issues in Vietnam.

Vietnam is currently under a one party rule by the Communist Party of Vietnam, or the CVP. The CVP enforces many restrictions that suppress what are considered basic rights. This includes restrictions on freedom of expression, association, peaceful assembly, movement and religion. The government has also set in place prohibitions on independent labor unions, human rights organizations and political parties. Additionally, recently there was a decree that restricts international nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) from operating in Vietnam. Another thing that many people take issue with is the removal of content critical of the ruling party (the CVP).

Within Vietnam, there are currently about 160 people in prison for peaceful exercsising of basic civil and political rights. Many of these people have been protestors and activists who are looking to spark change in their country. Additionally, in some cases, gatherings of people have been met with violence from authorities during peaceful marches/protests.

Vietnam also has strict restrictions on media. With the prohibition of independent or privately owned media outlets, the CVP has control over what reaches the public. The government decides what gets shared and what does not reach the public. This also comes into play with the governments strict control over radio, television and print publications. The government restricts what gets said. This is also seen in the removal of critical content on social media.

There is also pretty large restrictions on religion. Restrictions have been put in place through legislation, registration requirements, and surveillance. Religious groups must get approval from the government to gather and practice their religion. They are also required to register with the government, so that the government can keep track. While there are some government sponsored churches and other places of worship, it is difficult for people to freely practice their religion as they wish, especially with the registration and surveillance of the government.

Over the years, the CVP has promised certain protections that they have not been able to act on. They have said that they would allow freedom of religion and remove restrictions but, as we can see, there continue to barriers that prevent people from living freely. There have been many promises that have been broken or not kept with the country itself.

 

To read more:

• https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2023/country-chapters/vietnam
• https://www.hrw.org/news/2023/10/03/vietnam-rights-reforms-urgently-needed
• https://freedomhouse.org/country/vietnam/freedom-net/2023
• https://www.state.gov/2023-u-s-vietnam-human-rights-dialogue/
• https://www.voanews.com/a/vietnam-us-upgrade-partnership-activists-critique-silence-on-human-rights-/7267878.html

Cambodia is one of the most biodiverse regions in Southeast Asia. There are four main ecological regions within Cambodia including: the Annamite Range moist forests, the Cardamom Mountains moist forests, the Central Indochina dry forests and the Mekong freshwater ecoregion. Cambodia is estimated to have around 8,260 plant species, 10% of which could be endemic. It has a diverse range of animal species as well. Around 874 species of fish, over 500 species of birds, about 120 species of amphibians and reptiles, 874 fish species, and at least 123 mammal species all reside within Cambodias boarders. Seagrass and coral reef species are also plentiful. Not to mention, biodiversity is still being discovered at a rapid rate in Cambodia

Even though Cambodia contains so much biodiversity, its forests have decreased in quality and area in the last couple decades. The FOA Forest Resource assessment in 2005 stated that Cambodia has lost more than a quarter of its primary forests since 2000 and it has only gotten worse. Mangrove coverage has also decreased significantly. There are also many endangered animals under the IUCN Red list that reside in Cambodia in the “near extinct”, and “rare” categories. Near extinction includes 10 mamal species and 6 bird species. The rare category includes 27 mamal species, 45 bird species, and 5 reptile species. Rapid deforestation, growing industries, and illegal wildlife trade result in over exploitation and unsustainable uses of Cambodias land and animals. This, along with climate change are the reason for loss of so much biodiversity in Cambodia.

Why should you care? Well besides biodiversity being something generally positive, it is also integral to humanity. Cambodia’s biodiversity serves the Cambodian people. It supplies their industries, such as a thriving agricultural sector and domestic demands. Regulates climate, ecosystems, water circulation, reduces floods, provide clean air, and much more. People also rely on the biodiversity for food and shelter. Due to biodiversity and human culture being so intertwined, a threat to biodiversity is also a threat to people’s livelihoods.

To learn more please visit:

https://www.cbd.int/countries/profile/?country=kh

https://dicf.unepgrid.ch/cambodia/biodiversity

Cambodia Biodiversity: Animal and Plant Species and What Is Under Threat

Biodiversity

 

Photo: The Batak Language 

The Philippines, a country in Southeast Asia, consists of 7,641 islands and has both Filipino and English as their official language. Like many of the countries in south-east Asia and Oceania, the Philippines is affected by endangered cultures. The Batak people of the Philippines islands are slowly diminishing. Named for being the ‘people of the mountains’, the Batak tribe was forced to move from their former settlements near the coastline when settlers began to arrive in the Philippines. To this day, the Batak people live off of hunting and gathering and continue their ancient traditions despite the vast and exponential change during the past few centuries. With the diminishing resources and depleting population, the Batak people have begun to “intermarry with outside communities for survival“. (1) The tribe has experienced food scarcity and the increase of outsider populations consuming their land. These have impacted their culture and it’s starting to vanish. The Batak have been severely impacted by the outside world, from the settlers that displaced them on their island in the early colonial days to the capitalism that continues to control the greater Philippine nation. The Batak people are considered to be in poverty and hence have a hard time finding work and functioning in a capitalistic society. This means that most of the tribe struggles with malnutrition and depleting numbers in the population. The Batak people continue to follow as many traditions, like their methods of hunting and gathering as I stated above and their consistent use of their dying language. All in hopes of saving their community. According to The Ethnic Groups of the Philippines, there are many groups attempting to help re-establish the Batak language and help the Batak regain independence, but due to a lack of food supply and population, the Batak tribe is continuing to vanish.

 

If you wish to learn more about the Batak tribe:

1Uncharted Philippines | A Vanishing Tribe: The Batak People of Palawan

Who are the Batak People? | Ethnic Groups of the Philippines (ethnicgroupsphilippines.com)

Batak Tribe of Palawan: History, Culture, Arts, Customs, Beliefs and Traditions [Indigenous People | Philippines Ethnic Group] – yodisphere.com

 

Want to learn more about the Philippines?

INQUIRER.net | Philippine news for Filipinos

Latest News | Philippine News Agency (pna.gov.ph)

The Manila Times | News | Opinion | Philippines | Asia | World

Today I will be talking about the current economic state of Cambodia, as well as its globalization. Cambodia has many established global relationships with many countries including the US. Currently, Cambodia is a part of eight of the nine core human rights treaties including the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) (Cambodia Overview).

Cambodia is also part of several trade agreements including the Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) with the United States (Cambodia- United States). TIFA supports greater trade and investments between the countries. As of 2022, Cambodia is a part of 27 bilateral investment treaties (BIT). However, they do not have a BIT with the United States (Cambodia-United States).

In terms of economic development, Cambodia is one of the fast-growing economies in the world due to its average annual growth rate of 7.7 percent between 1998 and 2019 (The World). This growth rate can be attributed to garment exports and tourism increases. Reaching lower middle-income status in 2015, Cambodia is striving for upper middle-income status by 2030. During the COVID-19 pandemic, like every country, their economy struggled. However, since 2022 Cambodias economy has begun to recover, and the economic growth is projected to be around 5.2 percent in 2023 (The World).

Although it has had a fast-growing economy, Cambodia just graduated from being considered a least developed country by the United Nations. In 1991 they were added to the list and in 2021 Cambodia met the criteria to graduate this status (Least Developed). However, they are still one of the poorest countries in Asia. And economic development in the long term is still a challenge they will have to navigate due to their high-income inequality, limited Human Resources, corruption, and poor job prospects (Cambodia Economy).

Overall Cambodia is a country with many relationships with other nations. Although there has been recent economic growth, poor income equality leads to many of Cambodias citizens to be  impoverished.

“Cambodia Economy.” CountryReports, www.countryreports.org/country/Cambodia/economy.htm.

“Cambodia Overview.” OHCHR, cambodia.ohchr.org/en/rule-of-law/overview#:~:text=To%20date%2C%20Cambodia%20is%20party,Forms%20of%20Racial%20Discrimination%20(ICERD).

“Cambodia – United States Department of State.” U.S. Department of State, U.S. Department of State, 26 July 2023, www.state.gov/reports/2023-investment-climate-statements/cambodia/#:~:text=In%20July%202006%2C%20Cambodia%20signed,%2C%20Cambodia%2C%20in%20January%202019.

“Least Developed Country Category: Cambodia Profile | Department of Economic and Social Affairs.” United Nations, United Nations, www.un.org/development/desa/dpad/least-developed-country-category-cambodia.html. Accessed 7 Nov. 2023.

“The World Bank In Cambodia Overview.” World Bank, www.worldbank.org/en/country/cambodia/overview#1.

Endangered cultures refer to the assimilation and threatened extinction of indigenous cultures and languages. This has become increasingly more common in the international community, with more dominant cultures controlling a country or region and ignoring the less popular (usually indigenous) cultures that may have been in the area before. Within Vietnam, the endangered culture that I will be focusing on are the Montagnard’s.  Montagnard’s are indigenous to the highlands on mainland Southeast Asia, with ancestral lands that used to span over Cambodia, Vietnam, and Laos. While they are often collectively referred to as the Montagnard’s, they consist of upward of 30 distinct and diverse ethnic groups, including the Bunong, Jarai, Ede, Koho, Tampuen, Brou, and Kreung.

Map of where the Central Highlands are:

From a western view, Montagnard’s are often seen as fighters, largely due to the knowledge that they sided with the US in the Vietnam war. Aside from that though, little is actually known by the general public. In fact, Montagnard’s were not only hired by the US but were hired by both  sides. Due to this the Montagnard population experienced many casualties.

The name Montagnard, originate from the French colonial period. It means “people if the mountains” and has been adopted by the US since the end of Frances colonization. However, it is important to note that while they may often be grouped under one name, each of the different villages and cultures are unique. Often times, it is hard to group them into one category due to the culmination of so many different tribes. Regardless of this though, Montagnard tribes are mainly of Malayo-Polynesian, Mon-Khmer, and Sino-Tibetan extraction.

During the French colonial period, late 1800’s to 1954, the Montagnard’s were allowed a bit of autonomy to act on their own within their tribes. However, even with this autonomy, the 28 distinct tribes became one political unit under the French. When the French were overthrown and the Southern Vietnamese government took power in 1954, the Montagnard’s autonomous political status was abolished. This was followed by the banning of teaching native languages, burning of books and documents, and the Montagnard’s being forced to take Vietnamese names. Additionally, about 1 million Vietnamese refugees resettled in the Central Highlands. Ancestral land was seized often times with no compensation.

In 1958, the Montagnard’s attempted to resist the government. This effort was crushed and the Vietnamese government even resorted to violence in some instances. Many southern Vietnamese citizens viewed Montagnard’s as “Moi” or savages. In 1960, the Northern Vietnamese communist government, included the right for highlander autonomy in its founding platform, though when they did eventually take overpower, this promise was forgotten. In fact, the government even executed some tribal leaders, while others died in prisons or “reeducation” camps. Montagnard’s were again subjected to severe restrictions, such as limits on cultural rights, education, and employment opportunities. While the treatment of Montagnard’s has mostly gone unnoticed by the West, they gained some international attention between 201 and 2004, for protesting religious repression and the confiscation of ancestral lands. This protest ended in violence and has not been heard of since.

Nowadays, many Montagnard’s live in extreme poverty. They are rarely found outside of Vietnam, if they are from Vietnamese origin. While it has become increasingly rare  to interact with Montagnard people outside of Vietnam, there are nearly 12,000 refugees, many of which live in North Carolina.

 

To read more:

• https://carolinaasiacenter.unc.edu/event/endangered-cultures/#:~:text=Endangered%20Cultures%3A%20the%20Montagnards%20of%20Cambodia%20and%20Vietnam,-February%2025%2C%202019&text=Often%20collectively%20referred%20to%20as,Tampuen%2C%20Brou%2C%20and%20Kreung.
• http://encyclopedia.uia.org/en/problem/135023
• https://www.rfa.org/english/commentaries/vietnam-montagnards-10232018155849.html
• https://www.mhro.org/montangards-history

Since the end of the Vietnam war in 1975, Vietnam has experienced a plethora of economic changes. They are considered by some to be one of the most successfully developed countries in South East Asia. The country itself has experienced an incredible amount of growth in recent years. This growth has largely been contributed to economic reforms within the country that have opened the economy to foreign investors.

Before we get too far into the economy of Vietnam, I would first like to define some words that will come up. Here are some important terms to know:

• Foreign investment: capital flows from one country to another, granting the foreign investors extensive ownership stakes in domestic companies and assets. In other words, the investment in domestic companies in a different country by a foreign entity.
• Globalization: the growth in international exchange of goods, services, and capital, and the increasing levels of integration that characterize economic activity
• Trade: the activity of buying and selling, or exchanging, goods and/or services between people or countries
• Trade Liberalization: the removal or reduction of restrictions or barriers on the free exchange of goods between nations
• Human Capital: the economic value of a worker’s experience and skills. Human capital includes assets like education, training, intelligence, skills, health, and other things employers value such as loyalty and punctuality
• Physical Capital:  tangible, human-made goods that assist in the process of creating a product or service

As mentioned before, Vietnam is seen as one of the success stories of South East Asia. It was the fastest growing economy in Asia last year (2022) with a growth of 8% due to the exponential growth of globalization and trade. This growth has been attributed to three different factors. First, the increase in policies within Vietnam that promote trade liberalization. Second, domestic reforms that have helped trade liberalization. Finally, this growth has been connected to increased public investment in human and physical capital.

Another interesting thing about Vietnam is the role that trade has played in its economy. In Vietnam, trade has accounted for about 190% of Vietnam’s GDP (gross domestic product) as opposed to 70% in 2007. This economic growth has also impacted living conditions within Vietnam. As there has been an increase in jobs in recent year, poverty in Vietnam has dropped from 16.8% in 2010, to 5% in 2020. Finally, one part of Vietnam’s trade that has helped its growth has been the focus on exports. Vietnam itself has also joined/become a member of multiple trade agreements over the years. It has joined:

• 150^th member of WTO
• Has a BTA (Bilateral Trade Agreement) with US
• Part of ASEAN (Association of South East Asian Nations)
  • Also part of AFTA (ASEAN Free Trade Area)
• Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific (CPTPP)
• Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF)

 

To read more:

Globalization and Trade In Vietnam: A Success Story

https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2018/10/vietnam-is-the-most-globalized-populous-country-in-modern-history/

https://www.wider.unu.edu/sites/default/files/wp2011-020.pdf

https://www.trade.gov/country-commercial-guides/vietnam-trade-agreements

 

For definitions:

https://www.investopedia.com/terms/f/foreign-investment.asp

https://guides.loc.gov/globalization/definition

https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/trade

https://www.investopedia.com/terms/t/trade-liberalization.asp#:~:text=What%20Is%20Trade%20Liberalization%3F,as%20licensing%20rules%20and%20quotas

https://www.investopedia.com/terms/h/humancapital.asp

https://www.investopedia.com/terms/p/physical-capital.asp

Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is a country located in south-east Asia. It has four official languages English, Tamil, Malay, and Chinese. Singapore fought for independence in 1965 from Malaysia. Prior to Maylasia’s control, both Britain and Japan colonized and took control of Singapore. As of now, Singapore is controlled by a parliament under the Constitution of Singapore.

The economic globalization of Singapore started during the early 1900s with World War 1 and World War 2. Early on Singapore was a commercial and economic hub for both greater Southeast Asia and the British Empire. Singapore was under Japanese occupation from 1942 to 1945 where it was a war zone during the second world war. After 1945 Singapore was returned to the British Empire and stayed under its control until 1963. When Singapore gained independence from Britain there were economic losses. Without the British Empire, Singapore wasn’t used as an economic hub any longer. In an effort to reinstate itself as an economic power, it joined forces with Maylasia in 1963. However, in 1965 it left and began to build economic stability as its own republic.

The history of Singapore is very complicated between colonizers and great political forces demanding power over the land. The economic globalization set Singapore up to become the economic power it is today. After it gained independence it quickly rose to power with now one of the fastest-earning GDPs the International Bank has seen. Leading the path of technological advancements in transportation and infrastructure, many claim that Singapore is an economic success.

Recent News of Singapore’s Economic Standing

The Edge Singapore, a local news outlet, informs the world that Singapore is on the up even with the international economic crisis that has begun post-pandemic. Even though it’s become increasingly more expensive to live and function in Singapore, the nation is leading the way out of the global economic crisis by being optimistic about its future.

XOXO, V

 

Sources

Singapore: The Reasons Behind Its Economic Success (ehl.edu)

Singapore’s Economy – Most Open Economy in the World (3ecpa.com.sg)

Singapore Overview: Development news, research, data | World Bank

Singapore gives economic optimists some succour (theedgesingapore.com)

 

What to learn more about Singapore? Here are a few local news sources

The Straits Times – Breaking News, Lifestyle & Multimedia News

联合早报 | 联合早报 (zaobao.com.sg)

Latest news in Singapore and around the world – TODAY (todayonline.com)

The Edge Singapore | Investment strategies for you

– Meredith Triplett