IN THE NEWS: "'Living with Floods in a Mobile Southeast Asia': A book review"

By Andreea R. Torre [Stockholm Environment Institute Asia, 10 January 2018]

The newly published book, “Living with Floods in a Mobile Southeast Asia: A Political Ecology of Vulnerability, Migration and Environmental Change”, sets out to sensitize national and regional policy-agendas and responses to environmental disaster and climate change-related hazards – flood hazards in particular – to the complexities of human mobility in Southeast Asian contexts.

Co-edited by Carl Middleton, Rebecca Elmhirst, and Supang Chantavanich the volume uses empirical urban and rural case studies from eight different countries - Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia and Malaysia - to offer a nuanced and plural account of the causes and the multiple and intersecting environmental, social and political factors shaping everyday experiences of “living with floods” and mobility in the region.

Disaster responses and policy agendas centering mainly on relocation to physically safer places without considering patterns of mobility, livelihood strategies and security cannot be successful (Source: SEI Asia)

Buy the book: "Living with floods in a mobile Southeast Asia" (Routledge, 2017).

Read full article at: https://www.sei-international.org/gender-social-equity/blogs/3843--living-with-floods-in-a-mobile-southeast-asia-a-book-review-

IN THE NEWS: "Flashing cash, China spearheads Mekong economic integration"

By Marwaan Macan-Markar [Nikkei Asian Review, 12 January 2018]

Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang used a visit to Cambodia this week to strengthen China-led economic integration across mainland Southeast Asia. Li celebrated his embrace of multilateralism with an op-ed penned specially for a Cambodian newspaper, and basked in China's triumph with its five southerly neighbors, all of whom share the Mekong, Southeast Asia's longest river. 

"Being located downstream, the lower Mekong countries have long struggled to negotiate with China on its dam construction upstream," said Carl Middleton, director of the Center for Social Development Studies, at Chulalongkorn University, in Bangkok. "A weakness of the current Lancang Mekong Cooperation Framework's approach is that there appears to be little interest by China to develop specific written rules for trans-boundary water sharing."

Jinghong Hydropower Station in Yunnan province  (Source: AP)

China's determined push into mainland Southeast Asia lays bare the limits of existing Mekong initiatives supported by Japan, the U.S. and other Western nations, all of which focused on the five basin countries but shut out China. They pose little challenge to China, and are short on the verbal fireworks over another body of water in Southeast Asia -- the disputed South China Sea.

Read full article at: https://asia.nikkei.com/Politics-Economy/International-Relations/Flashing-cash-China-spearheads-Mekong-economic-integration?page=1

UPCOMING INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE SESSION: Communications Training [22 January 2018]

Communications training (social media and blogging) session organized prior to the “Greening Agri-food Systems, Ensuring Rural Sustainability and Promoting Healthy Socioeconomic Transformation in South-East Asia”

22 January 2017, 16:00-18:00 in Room 1213 (12th Floor) of the Chulalongkorn University School of Agricultural Resources (CUSAR), Wittayakit Bldg., Phyathai Rd., SIAM SQUARE, (same building as British Council), Pathumwan (Soi Chulalongkorn 64)

The Center for Social Development Studies at Chulalongkorn University (CSDS) and the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) are proud to announce a special communications training for researchers and academics to kick off the the upcoming Greening Agri-food Systems Conference. 

To engage audience and communicate effectively, your scientific messages need to be concise and clear. It is about making the audience understand why your research matter. It takes real skill to be an effective communicator, skills that must be developed and refined on an on-going basis. It is when scientific messages are communicated effectively across disciplines that science flourishes, and it advances uptake, collaboration and dialogue. Today, social media is one of the most common form for news and information uptake. People turn to Facebook or Twitter, rather than to the daily newspaper. Therefore, it is a great place to share your results and your thought-provoking new ideas.

However, to be part of social media is not only about communicating effectively and getting your voice heard, it is also a platform for interaction and building partnerships. Your audiences, whoever they may be, are there, for you to engage with and learn from. Storytelling is a useful and increasingly important method in which to do this, so this tool will also be a focus of the training, crafted in a way that is specific for researchers and academics.

In this workshop you will understand why social media can be meaningful, get the right tools for using and engaging audiences on social media, with specific focus on Twitter and Facebook, as well as some tips and tricks for writing blogs. We will then get the opportunity to apply what we learnt during the workshop at the following days conference "Greening Agri-food Systems, Ensuring Rural Sustainability and Promoting Healthy Socioeconomic Transformation in South-East Asia."

Please register by sending a request no later than Thursday 18th of January to: Anneli at anneli.sundin@sei-international.org and/or Bobby at rirven@gmail.com

Anneli Sundin has a transdisciplinary background in sustainability science and has worked with science communication for a few years. At SEI she is responsible for providing strategic advice and delivery of professional communication activities relevant for the outreach of specific research projects. Her special competence lies in creating spaces for stakeholder dialogue, using storytelling in science communication, social media, short videos and photography. She has a great interest in topics related to sustainable agriculture and food security.

Bobby Irven has a diverse education background, originally studying Chinese and Political Science during his undergrad, and last year completed his Master’s in International Development, conducting his research in the slums of Dhaka, Bangladesh. His passions center around seeking justice for some of society’s most marginalized populations, particularly around the topics of human rights, environmental conservation and recently, topics of climate change. He believes in the practical use of research and academia in affecting and changing policy, and in his current role, strives to spread the Center’s wide range of publications and events throughout the region, impacting those who make decisions at the highest levels.

 

UPCOMING INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE SESSION: "Water (in)security and development in Southeast Asia: Inclusions, exclusions and transformations" [23 January]

Session organized for the “Greening Agri-food Systems, Ensuring Rural Sustainability and Promoting Healthy Socioeconomic Transformation in South-East Asia”

13:30-15:00, 23 January 2017, 7th Floor, Chamchuri 10 Building, Chulalongkorn University

Summative Event (23-25 January 2018) marking the 100th Anniversary of Chulalongkorn University (CU) at various locations around CU campus, Bangkok, Thailand

Our panel considers conflicts over access to, control over and use of water and natural resources at scales ranging from the interstate to the individual. We consider the implications of deepening market integration into resource use and governance, and how it produces exclusions for some to the benefit of others. We explore the implications of large-scale developments tied to regional economic integration both in Southeast Asia, such as large-scale dams. We also focus on the extension of market relations at a more local scale, and how this entails “intimate” processes of exclusion that contrast with the more high-profile and more overtly violent exclusions.

Presenters:

• "Gender and the Mekong River: Inclusions and Exclusions" by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Kanokwan Manorom (Department of Social Science, Faculty of Liberal Arts, Ubon Ratchathani University)
• "Intimate Water Exclusion: Processes and Politics of River Enclosure by Fish Cage Aquaculture in Northeast Thailand" by Dr. Soimart Rungmanee (Puay Ungpakorn School of Development Studies, Thammasart University)
• "Rights and Rites: Community water resource governance on the Salween River in Karen State, Burma" by Saw John Bright (Karen Environmental and Social Action Network - KESAN)
• "Water insecurity in Hakha Town, Chin State, Myanmar: Structural violence and the production of water scarcity" by Asst. Prof. Dr. Carl Middleton (Center for Social Development Studies, Faculty of Political Science, Chulalongkorn University)

To register for this event, please click here. Conference details are available here. 

Co-organized by UNESCO, Chulalongkorn University (Various Faculties, Research Centers, Schools and Academic Programs); Office of the Higher Education Commission (OHEC), Ministry of Education, Thailand; Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI Asia); the Swedish International Agricultural Network Initiative (SIANI); Expert Group on Higher Education for Sustainable Agriculture (HESA) and Food Systems in Southeast Asia” housed in Chulalongkorn University, School of Agricultural Resources (CUSAR) and UNESCO Bangkok, under the auspices of the Management of Social Transformations (MOST) Programme.

 

UPCOMING PUBLIC SEMINAR: "Living with Floods in a Mobile Southeast Asia” Panel and Book launch [18 December 2017]

 '“Living with Floods in a Mobile Southeast Asia" Panel Discussion and Book Launch

18 December 2017, 16:15-17:30 at the Auditorium on the 13th Floor of the Faculty of Political Science Building, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand

Please join the authors of the newly published book "Living with Floods in a Mobile Southeast Asia: A Political Ecology of Vulnerability, Migration and Environmental Change" for a panel discussion exploring the connections between flooding and migration in Southeast Asia. Four of the authors will present their case studies and policy recommendations, followed by commentary by Mr. Apichai Sunchindah and Ms. Sarah Koeltzow (Platform on Disaster Displacement). The panel aims to sensitize flood hazard policy agendas to the complexities of migration and mobility in Southeast Asia through exploring the relationship between migration, vulnerability, resilience and social justice.

The session will be moderated by book author and faculty member Asst. Prof. Dr. Naruemon Thabchumpon. Case study presenters are:

Philippines: Dr. Bernadette Resurreccion (SEI-Asia Center)
Laos: Dr. Albert Salamanca (SEI-Asia Center)
Thailand: Narumon Arunotai (CUSRI, Faculty of Political Science, Chulalongkorn University)
Cambodia: Asst. Prof Dr. Carl Middleton (CSDS, Faculty of Political Science, Chulalongkorn University) 

Please register for this event at https://tinyurl.com/ChulaEvent2017

For further information on the event or to make requests for interviews with the authors, please contact Robert Irven at csds.chulalongkorn@gmail.com

Helicopter survey of flooding in suburban Greater Bangkok, 2011 (Source: WikiCommons)

UPCOMING INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE: “Greening Agri-food Systems, Ensuring Rural Sustainability and Promoting Healthy Socioeconomic Transformation in South-East Asia” [23-25 January 2018]

“Greening Agri-food Systems, Ensuring Rural Sustainability and Promoting Healthy Socioeconomic Transformation in South-East Asia”

Summative Event (23-25 January 2018) marking the 100th Anniversary of Chulalongkorn University (CU) at various locations around CU campus, Bangkok, Thailand

Co-organized by UNESCO, Chulalongkorn University (Various Faculties, Research Centers, Schools and Academic Programs); Office of the Higher Education Commission (OHEC), Ministry of Education, Thailand; Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI Asia); the Swedish International Agricultural Network Initiative (SIANI); Expert Group on Higher Education for Sustainable Agriculture (HESA) and Food Systems in Southeast Asia” housed in Chulalongkorn University, School of Agricultural Resources (CUSAR) and UNESCO Bangkok, under the auspices of the Management of Social Transformations (MOST) Programme.

The Center for Social Development Studies at Chulalongkorn University (CSDS) is proud to announce its involvement in this multi-disciplinary research initiative, regional conference and policy dialogue contributing to the ASEAN WORK PLAN on EDUCATION (AWPE), 2016-2020.

With the increasingly interconnectedness of global agricultural systems and its related environmental challenges (agrochemical pollution; biodiversity and species loss; climate change and greenhouse gas emissions; deforestation; depleting aquifers; desertification; drinking water contamination; drought; land degradation; soil loss and infertility; and more), current practices and future trends now threaten the future of our population and planet. This conference aims to take a closer look at these challenges and discuss the important science-policy-praxis/implementation issues that have arisen that present further barriers to success in the field. As part of its 100th Anniversary programming, CU is collaborating with OHEC and UNESCO to organize this conference inviting cooperation with various academic institutions and others (government officials or agencies, research organizations, think tanks, educators, farmer groups, NGOs, regional and UN agencies), providing an open, inclusive forum as well as comprehensive programming to meet the needs of the future. The culmination of the conference will result in the publishing of the proceedings with concrete Action Recommendations for strengthening or reforming social and sustainability sciences and agri-food systems education.

In addition to discussion and presentation, the conference will use research papers or technical reports, policy dialogues and practical workshop trainings to enhance the various themes of the three days. This will further supplement the assessment of how multi-disciplinary social and sustainability sciences and education for sustainable agriculture or research can provide good scientific evidence and policy analysis to help facilitate the greening of agri-food systems.

One important sub-focus of the conference will also be to debate and think critically and strategically about the past, current status and future of Agriculture Education, Research andExtension. The conference report will summarize expert recommendations on this theme, which could be used to help design new projects and guide future government education planning investments in the ASEAN region.

To register for this event, please click here.

For more information on the proposed program and full call for papers, please visit http://bangkok.unesco.org/content/2nd-revised-call-papers-and-panel-proposals-greening-agri-food-systems-ensuring-rural.

Please visit the website regularly for updates, but If you have specific questions about Conference administration, registration and logistics please contact or write directly to:

Conference Secretariat
Chulalongkorn University Social Research Institute (CUSRI) | Bangkok, Thailand
Email:  chulagrifood2018@gmail.com

For questions regarding submitted abstracts, panel proposals and the academic or technical programs please email: socialsciencesAsean@gmail.com

UPCOMING PUBLIC SEMINAR: "'The Outsiders Role' for Peace in the South" [6-7 December]

 "'The Outsiders Role' for Peace in the South"

6-7 December 2017 at the Alumni Meeting Room (Floor 12), Faculty of Political Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand

Workshop in collaboration with the Institute of Human Rights and Peace Studies, Mahidol University

*Please note: The meeting will be conducted in Thai but English translation will be provided.

For a full translation of the event details in Thai, please download document here.

The seminar on “The Outsiders’ Role for Peace in the South” will be focusing on Peace and Security issues in the southern border provinces of Thailand. This seminar is a collaborative effort between Center for Social Development Studies (CSDS), Faculty of Political Science, Chulalongkorn University and Institute of Human Rights and Peace Studies, Mahidol University. It will explore the roles of outsiders such as academic, civil society, media and policy makers who are not living in the area on their contribution towards peace in the Southern border provinces of Thailand.

Activity Description

This seminar is a national-level activity to provide a platform knowledge exchanges among key stakeholders (academics, scholars, researchers- emerging and seasoned, students, governments, civil society and media) on the role of outsiders and peace processes and the issue of conflict in the Deep South of Thailand. These seminars are to present findings on national level issues, in Thai language, with an aim to reach out to relevant stakeholders.

The seminar divides into two parts. First part is Public Forum: Academics-Practitioners Exchange. This session will be conducted on the first day of seminar where scholars and practitioners who are involved in peacebuilding and peace process in Southern Thailand and other conflicts in the region exchange their lessons-learned and their research findings. This forum aims to generate analysis and discussion on roles and involvement of outsiders and people in wider public on peace process and peacebuilding in Deep South of Thailand through reflecting lessons from regions and in-country. It also includes presentation of studies on minority-majority coexistence or ongoing trends of Islamophobia as one of concerns that outsiders could be involved.

Second part is Multi-stakeholders Platform. This platform will bring together scholars and practitioners who are actively involved in Deep South conflict to discuss on networking and future collaboration for effective peacebuilding process. This session will build upon insights and ideas from the academics-practitioners session on the first day as resource to draw on practical steps.    

Schedule

Two- day national seminar on Outsiders’ Role for Peace in the South; tentative date is December 6-7, 2017 at Chulalongkorn University. The first day is allocated for academic sessions on “Outsiders’ Role in Peace Process in the South” and the second day will be multi-stakeholders dialogue on the issue in order to explore collaboration and recommendations of people from different sectors. Tentative schedule is below:

UPCOMING WORKSHOP: "2017 Winter School for Young Human Rights Defenders" [10-13 December]

 "Winter School for Young Human Rights Defenders"

10-13 December 2017 at the Faculty of Political Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand

Call for Thai participants

Workshop convened by the Center for Social Development Studies, Faculty of Political Science and The May 18 Memorial Foundation (518기념재단) (Gwangju, South Korea)

Join us in our training program for young human rights defenders, especially for those who are keen to be part of the fruitful networking and mature dialogue between the activism field and that of academe of human rights!

This Winter School will be a rare chance for human rights students and young activists to carefully listen to the witnessing voices over the light and darkness of human rights issues from neighbor countries, energetically to unite the strength and wisdom to help the risks/challenges faced by HR defender friends, and to get to know each other not only as young HR comrades but also as friends who care about other human being.

Program includes:

• Special Roundatable dedicated to Jatupat Boonpattaraksa (Pai Dao Din), the Laureate of 2017 Gwangju Prize for Human Rights, facilitated by Asst.Prof. Dr. Pitch Pongsawat

• ”From Gwangju to Bangkok: Lessons Learned from Democratic Movements” by Dr.Kanokrat Lertchoosakul

• ”The Role of Human Rights Organizations in Perpetuating a Culture of Impunity in Thailand” by Assoc.Prof. Dr.Puangthong Pawakapan

• ”Art as a Form of Resistance” by Asst.Prof. Dr.Pandit Chanrochanakit

• Four lectures on Human Rights Situations in South Korea, Malaysia, Nepal and Bangaladesh

• Peer discussion on Human Rights issues with participants from other Asian countries

• Field Visit to Human Rights Defenders w/ Reflection on Judicial System on Political Prisoners in Thailand by Sirikarn Charoensri, The Lawyers for Lawyers Award 2017 Laureate

Interested participants should write a one-page essay reflecting your thoughts and/or experience in human rights issues. Submit the essay to napath_23592@hotmail.com before November 30. 2017.

UPCOMING PUBLIC SEMINAR: "Job Security and Human Skills in the Age of Automation" [15 November]

 "Job Security and Human Skills in the Age of Automation"

Wednesday, 15 November 2017, from 8.00 am. – 1.00 pm. at the Alumni Conference Room, 12th floor, Political Science Building 3, Faculty of Political Science, Chulalongkorn University

Session convened by the Center for Social Development Studies, Master of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy in International Development Studies (MAIDS-GRID), Chulalongkorn University, Samsung Smart Learning Center

The rise of robotics and automation is becoming evident in Asia.  According to the International Federation of Robotics, by 2019, more than 1.4 million new industrial robots will be installed in factories around the world, with China being the strongest growing market for the robotics industry.

A recent study by International Labor Organization suggests that over 70% of salaried workers in 5 key sectors in ASEAN countries are at risk of being displaced by automation.  The study also points out the need to upgrade STEM (Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) skills among workers in general.  Cloud technology and big data analytics, Internet of Things, and digital marketing are also highlighted to have transformative impacts on jobs in ASEAN.

The roundtable discussion will focus on the above issues and the task universities have in preparing young students to cope with the future.  Given the scope of Thailand’s policies on the economy, education and development, the question then arises: what actions could be taken at the state, university and individual levels to make students ready to cope with the automation age.

The Center for Social Development Studies (CSDS), Faculty of Political Science, Chulalongkorn University, in collaboration with The Master of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy in International Development Studies (MAIDS-GRID), Chulalongkorn University, Samsung Smart Learning Center, and collaborative parties would like to cordially invite you to join  the seminar on “Job Security and Human Skills in the Age of Automation”.  The event will be held on Wednesday, 15 November 2017, from 8.00 am. – 1.00 pm. at the Alumni Conference Room, 12th floor, Political Science Building 3, Faculty of Political Science, Chulalongkorn University.  The program details are as follows*:

08.30 – 09.00 Registration

09.00 – 09.10 Welcome Remarks by Kasira Cheeppensook, PhD, Deputy Director, Center for Social Development Studies (CSDS), Faculty of Political Science, Chulalongkorn University

09.10 – 09.20 Objective Remarks by Ms. Sukajit Srisukon, Project Consultant, Samsung Smart Learning Center

09.20 – 09.30 Opening Remarks by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ake Tangsupvattana, Dean, Faculty of Political Science, Chulalongkorn University

09.30 – 09.50 Mr. Phu Huynh, ILO Employment Specialist and Co-author of “ASEAN in Transformation: How Technology is Changing Jobs and Enterprises”

09.50 – 10.00 Coffee Break

10.00 – 12.00 Roundtable Discussion on “Job Security and Human Skills in the Age of Automation”

– Discussants Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nualnoi Treerat, Director, Institute of Asian Studies, Chulalongkorn University

– Assoc. Prof. Lae Dilokvidhyarat, Distinguished Professor, Faculty of Economics, Chulalongkorn University

– Supot Tiarawut, PhD, Director, Industrial Liaison Program, Faculty of Engineering, Chulalongkorn University

– Mr. Varit Charunyanonda, Senior Manager, Brand Communication, Thai Samsung Electronics Company Limited

– Moderated by Assist. Prof. Jakkrit Sangkamanee, PhD, Center for Social Development Studies (CSDS), Faculty of Political Science, Chulalongkorn University

12.00 – 12.25 Q & A

12.25 – 12.30 Closing Remarks by Assist. Prof. Dr. Naruemon Thabchumpon, Director, MA & PhD Programs in International Development Studies, Faculty of Political Science, Chulalongkorn University (MAIDS-GRID)

12.30 – 13.00 Lunch

* Simultaneous translation will be provided.

To register visit http://bit.ly/2gy5MrS

For more information, please contact tel: 0-2218-7313 or email: maidschula@gmail.com

IN THE NEWS: "One By One Big Hydropower Dams Disrupt Mekong River’s Free Flow"

By Keith Schneider [Circle of Blue, 2 August 2017]

In unfolding global energy revolution, expensive and ecologically risky dams may not be right choice to generate more electricity...

“The energy revolution is evolving around the world,” said Carl Middleton, an assistant professor of political science at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, and a scholar on Mekong River development. “This region is resisting the shift, though, because of the economics of building big new projects. But it seems inevitable that the shift will happen here. It raises questions about continuing to build so many big dams.”...

Read more at: http://www.circleofblue.org/2017/world/one-one-big-hydropower-dams-disrupt-mekong-rivers-free-flow/

IN THE NEWS: "Salween Local Research Exhibition at Thai Studies Conference"

By Panglong Video [Shan Herald Agency, 18 July 2017]

Video about the Salween local research exhibition at the Thai Studies conference in Chiang Mai, Thailand from 15 to 18 July 2017. 

See the video at: https://www.facebook.com/PangLongOnlineVideo/videos/1180336375403816/

UPCOMING INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE SESSION: "Thailand’s Overseas Investment in Southeast Asia and Transnational (In)Justice" [16 July 2017]

Session organized at the 13th International Conference on Thai Studies
"Globalized Thailand?" Connectivity, Conflict, and Conundrums of Thai Studies 

15:15-16:45, 16th July 2017, Chiang Mai International Exhibition and Convention Center

Session convened by the Center for Social Development Studies, Faculty of Political Science, Chulalongkorn University

Thailand’s companies have become major investors in neighboring countries, including in agribusiness, hydropower, mining and various forms of industry. Thailand’s companies are backed by government policy, and typically financed by Thai commercial banks as well as, sometimes, Thailand’s Export Import Bank (Thai Exim). Thailand’s regional investment has furthermore been facilitated by various regional economic integration programs, including the Asian Development Bank’s Greater Mekong Subregion Program and more recently the ASEAN Economic Community. As one of the major economies of mainland Southeast Asia, Thailand has sought to positioned itself as central to economic regionalization. Given that Thailand itself is embedded within a wider global network of production, its companies’ investment in neighboring countries’ resource extraction and commodity production can also tied to a wider global political economy.

Whilst it seems that investment, commodities, goods and natural resources flow readily across borders, the same cannot be said of access to justice. In this panel, empirical case studies will be presented of Thailand’s cross-border investments that have in the process resulted in environmental and social harms, and in some cases violated human rights. The panel explores the various processes and arenas that have emerged as communities and civil society have sought redress and access to justice. These arenas have included in the national courts of the project host country, but also through various formal and informal cross-border processes that link to Thailand, including via Thailand’s National Human Rights Commission (TNHRC), and in one example a case ruled upon by Thailand’s administrative court. Meanwhile, a report of the TNHRC on the Dawei Special Economic Zone in Myanmar led to a Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs recommendation in March 2016 that the government should set up a mechanism for the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights for Thai companies investing overseas. Thus, a wider array of international norms is also brought into play, reflecting the legal pluralism that nowadays governs cross-border investments. This also brings into focus a question of the extra-territorial obligations of Thailand with regard to the investment of Thai companies.

This panel will critically evaluate Thailand’s investment role in the region through the lens of transnational social and environmental justice. Through empirical case studies on agribusiness, hydropower and special economic zones, the political economy of these investments will be explored in order to understand the production of injustice and human rights violations.  The papers will ask: what are the roles, opportunities and challenges for public interest law, national/ regional human rights institutions, other transnational soft law mechanisms, and civil society to protect and promote human rights on Thailand’s investments?

• Paper 1:  Accountability Beyond the State: Extra territorial obligations in the case of the Koh Kong Sugar Industry Concession, Cambodia by Michelle D’cruz
• Paper 2: Redressing transboundary environmental injustice at the Dawei Special Economic Zone and Roadlink Project by Naruemon Thabchumpon
• Paper 3: Arenas of Water Justice on Transboundary Rivers: Human Rights and Hydropower Dams on the Salween and Mekong Rivers by Carl Middleton

Discussant: Walden Bello.

Chair: Daniel King

Abstracts can be downloaded here (see page 7; session 53). Conference details are available here.

UPCOMING PUBLIC SEMINAR: "Water scarcity and disaster recovery in Hakha Town, Chin State, Myanmar: Technical problem or governance challenge?" [5 July 2017]

14:00-16:00, Alumni Meeting Room, 12th Floor, Faculty of Political Science, Chulalongkorn University

Co-organized by the Center for Social Development Studies (CSDS) and the Master of Arts in International Development Studies of the Faculty of Political Science Chulalongkorn University.

This event will be broadcast on Facebook live: www.facebook.com/CSDSChula/

Introduction

Hakha town is the capital of Chin State, Myanmar, located in the mountainous Northwest of the country. Chin State is one of the poorest states in Myanmar, including in terms of economy, basic infrastructure, and access to health care and education. This reflects a lack of long-term investment in basic services, as well as being the product of Myanmar’s long-standing conflict.

In recent years, the town’s population has faced growing water insecurity. This has created great hardships for the local population, especially in the dry season. For those who cannot access water from private springs, or afford to buy water, they must queue sometimes for hours to collect relatively small amounts of water. This situation has caused discontent towards the Municipal, State and Union level government, and has also on occasion caused conflict amongst the local population themselves.

Compounding the difficulties faced by Hakha’s population, in June 2015, Hakha town suffered a major landslide. As a result, over 4000 people living in at-risk places were moved, many permanently to a new settlement. In the settlement, the government has provided land or houses, yet basic services including water and schools were lagging behind. In the longer-term, the resettled people, who are mostly farmers, are uncertain about how they can make a living without access to farming land, and a perceived limited support from the government.

Research presented at the seminar will show how water insecurity is the product of physical, social and political processes that are inter-related, including: rising water demand due to a growing population without systematic town planning; deforestation of the surrounding watershed which has reduced water supply; and underinvestment in water supply infrastructure. The seminar will explore the underlying causes of these dynamics, as a basis for deliberating approaches to ensure equitable and reliable water access for all of Hakha’s residents.

Seminar speakers

• “Water insecurity in Hakha Town, Chin State, Myanmar” by Asst. Prof. Dr. Carl Middleton (Director of CSDS) and Orapan Pratomlek (CSDS project coordinator)
• “Prospects for improved water security: Municipal water, watershed protection, and urban planning” Van Bawi Lian (CSDS researcher)
• “Lessons learned from landslide disaster recovery in Hakha town, and how to strengthen resilience” by Hlawn Tin Cuai (Master Student of Architecture (IMARCH), Faculty of Architecture, Chulalongkorn University; and ex- Operation Manager of Hakha Rescue Committee, September 2015 to February 2016)
• Discussant: Pastor Lai Cung (Hakhathar Baptist Church)
• Chair: Asst. Prof. Dr. Naruemon Thabchumpon (Director of MAIDS Program, Faculty of Political Science, Chulalongkorn University)
• Opening remarks: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ake Tangsupvattana, Dean of Faculty of Political Science, Chulalongkorn University (t.b.c.)

For further details on CSDS’s research on Water governance and access to water in Hakha Town, Chin State, Myanmar, visit here: http://www.csds-chula.org/water-security-in-hakha/

This research is supported by Chula UniSearch under the Human Security Cluster.