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Special economic zone (SEZ) development in the Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS) has been expanding in recent years. Designed to capture foreign investment and accelerate regional economic integration, three SEZs are being established in Myanmar, along with roughly 30 in Cambodia, 10 in Thailand, and over 30 in other GMS countries. The garment industry, a prominent labour-intensive industry within the sub-region, is operating in these spaces. SEZs, offering investment privileges, quality infrastructure, and weakened labour protections, are attractive locations for garment…

The keris or kris is a dagger famous for its wavy blade, although some do have straight blades. Keris can be found in those parts of Southeast Asia infused with Malay culture (southern Thailand, southern Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia), but are most often associated with Indonesia and particularly Java and Bali. There they are embedded in complex socio-cultural realities as expressed in rituals, sacred ceremonies, performing arts, martial arts, epics and magic among others. This rich tradition will…

A number of forces – including transnational land acquisitions, domestic investors, migrants, conservation efforts, and government policies – have come together in recent years to put commercial pressure on land across the world and encourage its commodification. This has accelerated processes of agrarian transition, affecting rural livelihoods, impacting food security and social relations. In South East Asia, as elsewhere, the commercialization of land and agriculture have also been accompanied by significant impacts on the rights to food and land. Some…