PUBLICATIONS:"Territorialization-from-below: Community-rooted strategies towards public authority in Kamoethway, Myanmar".

Publication Date: 16 June 2026

Authors: Naw Pe The Law

For further details on the article, visit the journal at

https://journals.librarypublishing.arizona.edu/jpe/article/id/8618/

Abstract

This article analyses territorialization 'from-above' and 'from-below' in Kamoethway, Tanintharyi Region in relation to the public authorities of the Karen National Union (KNU) and changing Myanmar governments. Fieldwork in Karen villages of the Kamoethway area details how community-based organizations and community leaders organized a social movement, documented situated knowledge, and claimed rights to govern territory locally including resources and land, which we term 'territorialization-from-below'. We analyze how strategies of resistance, consent and co-option empowered Kamoethway communities after the 2012 ceasefire. However, following the 2021 coup, while KNU's public authority expanded, community-based activism reduced due to the ongoing conflict, KNU security policies, and restrictions on civil freedoms.

PUBLICATIONS: “A Critical Sister: Public Authority and the Role and Position of the Karen Women’s Organisation, Myanmar”.

Publication Date: 11 February 2026

Authors: Naw Pe The Law

For further details on the article, visit the journal at

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/08912432251415175

Abstract

The role of women’s organizations in producing public authority, and, conversely, the role of public authority in (re)producing gender norms, is often overlooked. Drawing on the case of the Karen Women’s Organisation (KWO) serving the Karen National Union (KNU) and the Karen people in Myanmar, we aim to understand how the gendered work of women’s organizations and women are included and excluded, as well as recognized and invisibilized, in the performance of public authority. We demonstrate that KWO acts as a critical sister, playing a vital role in co-producing KNU’s legitimacy through public service provision and revolutionary support, while simultaneously walking a fine line by criticizing the dominant patriarchal norms. At the same time, reflecting wider societal gender power structures, KWO’s work is often invisibilized in a male-dominated organization, and women remain excluded from key areas of public authority, including high-level decision-making and land and forest governance. We argue that these exclusions and invisibilizations reproduce masculine domination in the exercise of public authority and affect gender inequality in Karen society. Such findings underscore the importance of acknowledging the significant contributions of women’s organizations in producing public authority to challenge patriarchal norms and to more firmly center gender within future research on public authority.

PUBLICATIONS: "Navigating the Ethical Maze: State Sovereignty, Human Rights, and the Complexities of Immigration Policy in a Globalized World".

Publication Date: 25 December 2025

Authors: Andrew Wai Phyo Kyaw

For further details on the article, visit the journal at

https://so05.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/polscicmujournal/article/view/277624

Abstract

This article examines the intricate ethical and political implications of immigration policies, underscoring the tension between state sovereignty and individuals' rights to mobility. It suggests that immigration policies strike a balance between national interests, human rights, and global economic conditions in a progressively interconnected world. The aim is to evaluate various viewpoints on immigration control, ranging from restrictive measures that prioritize national security and cultural integrity to more liberal policies that adhere to humanitarian ideals. Key insights reveal the paradox of globalization, where goods and information circulate freely while human movement faces restrictions; the clash between realist and idealist immigration policy approaches; the repercussions of events like 9/11 on the tightening of migration laws; and the ethical dilemmas in balancing state sovereignty with humanitarian responsibilities. The article concludes that immigration policies are shaped by a complex interplay of factors, including national identity, economic imperatives, security concerns, and ethical considerations. It highlights the ongoing challenge of balancing states' legitimate interests with the rights of immigrants.

PUBLICATIONS: "From Securitization to Weaponization The NGO Draft Act and the Criminalization of Non-state-led Development in Thailand".

Publication Date: 29 December 2025

Authors: Praween Van Rysselberge

For further details on the article, visit the journal at

https://so01.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/pegbuu/article/view/281931

Abstract

This article examines Thailand’s NGO Draft Act as part of a broader shift toward securitized governance and symbolic control of civil society. While framed as a regulatory reform, the Draft Act reinforces a legal environment where independent organizations face increased surveillance, compliance burdens, and discursive suspicion. Drawing on documentary research and critical discourse analysis, the article explores how terms like “public order”, “morality” and “foreign influence” function to recast NGOs as threats rather than development partners. Building on Laungaramsri’s critique of moral regulation and Bourdieu’s concept of symbolic power, the article argues that the Draft Act does not simply constrain civil society, it redefines its legitimacy through ideological alignment and procedural filtering. Rather than banning organizations outright, the law institutionalizes cautious self-regulation, narrowing civic space under the appearance of legal neutrality. By bridging securitization theory, autocratic legalism and symbolic power, the article shows how legal reforms can be deployed to criminalize dissent while preserving a façade of democratic order.

PUBLICATIONS: "Localization of Microfinance Institutions in Yunnan Province, China".

Publication Date: 11 November 2025

Authors: Ren Wanxuan

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https://so04.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/NDJ/article/view/274019

Abstract

China’s accelerated economic advancement since 2010 has highlighted the inequalities present in urban and rural development. This investigation delves into the localization and effects of microfinance institutions (MFIs) within the rural context of Yunnan Province, specifically concentrating on the Lijiang Institute of Health and Environment (LIHE). Notwithstanding government subsidies, conventional financial institutions encounter significant challenges in catering to the impoverished demographics of this area. The "Village Bank" initiative spearheaded by LIHE, a microfinance program, has received substantial endorsement from both local governmental entities and community members, effectively fostering local development and environmental sustainability for more than a decade. This paper examines the factors contributing to LIHE’s acceptance among local populations and its role in facilitating local development. It presents a comprehensive overview of microfinance, introduces the “Village Bank” framework, and evaluates the economic, environmental, and socio-political ramifications of LIHE’s initiatives. Additionally, the paper addresses the obstacles encountered by LIHE, encompassing issues of financial sustainability, collaboration with governmental bodies, and local participation. The findings suggest that LIHE’s emphasis on self-organization, local participation, and selective localization of successful microfinance models are key to its success in Yunnan.

PUBLICATIONS: "Navigating Liminal Legality: Vulnerabilities of Urban Refugees and Asylum Seekers in Thailand".

Publication Date:June 2025

Authors: Andrew Wai Phyo Kyaw

For further details on the article, visit the journal at

https://jcsh.rsu.ac.th/volume/12/number/1/article/251

Abstract

This article examines the vulnerabilities of Thailand's urban refugees and asylum seekers under existing laws and legal mechanisms. Despite hosting approximately 5,500 urban refugees and asylum seekers from over 40 countries, Thailand is not a signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention and its 1967 protocol. The country's response to people seeking refuge is primarily governed by domestic laws, leaving urban refugees and asylum seekers vulnerable to arrest, detention, and limited access to basic services. The recently established National Screening Mechanism (NSM) in 2019 aims to differentiate between migrant workers and asylum seekers, who are granted 'Protected Person' status. However, this study reveals that the existing framework falls short in key critical areas, potentially exacerbating the vulnerabilities of those it intends to safeguard. Through qualitative research methods, including in-depth interviews with 20 urban refugees and asylum seekers in Bangkok, this article explores their experiences and interactions with Thai law enforcement, immigration procedures, and daily survival strategies. The findings highlight interconnected vulnerabilities, including legal barriers to employment, subjection to exploitation, racial profiling, and procedural challenges to accessing justice. Drawing on the notion of "liminal legality" suggested by Cecilia Menjiver to understand the precarious existence of urban refugees and asylum seekers in Thailand, this article illustrates how urban refugees and asylum seekers live in a paradoxical area where they are both legally invisible and physically present, which leaves them vulnerable and in a condition of constant uncertainty. It concludes that Thailand's approach to refugee protection must be revisited holistically and address legal, policy, and practical issues to create a more effective, humane, and rights-based protection system aligned with international standards.

PUBLICATIONS:"Multispecies relations on the green frontier: Care/care dynamics and Dayak Iban–orangutan coexistence in West Kalimantan.”

Publication Date: 05 Aug 2026

Authors: Hanna Nur Afifah Yogar

For further details on the article, visit the journal at

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/1683478X.2026.2706969

Abstract

This thesis examines shifting human–nonhuman coexistence amid global conservation mandates and agrarian capitalism in West Kalimantan, Indonesia. Drawing on multispecies ethnography within two Dayak Iban communities bordering Betung Kerihun and Danau Sentarum National Parks, it investigates how the contemporary green frontier alters historical relationships with the Mayas (orangutan). Fortress conservation and palm oil capitalism operate as mutually reinforcing mechanisms of state-sanctioned territorialization, executing a slow violence that unmakes indigenous, multispecies lifeworlds. Conceptually, the study introduces a Care/care dualism to unpack frontier governance. It contrasts techno-managerial, state-enforced “Care” with vernacular, relational “care”—the ancestral kinships and spiritual taboos sustaining multispecies coexistence. This framework exposes how top-down regimes dismantle local practices, reducing the Mayas from an ancestral relative into an administrative metric. Fundamentally, this thesis demonstrates that development outcomes are inherently multispecies phenomena. Rejecting techno-managerial fixes, it argues that genuine socio-ecological repair requires a longue durée perspective that recognizes cumulative historical disruptions. Ultimately, it positions relationality as the foundation for recovery, advocating for a commitment that honors lived, historical entanglements and actively restores multispecies agency to rebuild the frontier’s fractured kinships.