Singapore is, by many measures, one of the richest countries in the world with a government famous for efficient interventions in society. So why is there widespread poverty, and why does civil society have to independently organise to help those in need? PJ Thum talks to a volunteer with Wares Mutual Aid, a community-run spreadsheet which aims to connect those in need with offers of support.

Along West Java’s longest river, the Citarum, chemical pollution, siltation and agriculture waste have made the waterway one of the world’s dirtiest. Those working on its banks say efforts are being made to clean it up. But will they turn the tide?

PJ Thum reflects on GE2020, outlines three major ideologies which underpin People's Action Party (PAP) governance in Singapore, uses the Worker's Party as a case study of how an opposition party has positioned itself in relation to these ideologies, and challenges the Progress Singapore Party (and all other political parties) to articulate a coherent alternative.

Some migrants in Singapore are employed in industries that exploit both the environment and workers themselves, contributing to the climate crisis that sent many fleeing hostile weather conditions at home, as well as a labour crisis that relies on precarious work.

The trial of Parti Liyani rocked Singapore and brought down one of Singapore's most powerful businessmen. Dr Stephanie Chok, part of the team supporting Parti Liyani, gives an inside view on the case, the possible mishandling of the investigation by the police, the problems with the trial, and how this is not an isolated incident but related to broader structural issues plaguing Singapore.

On this week’s episode of Southeast Asia Dispatches, Deborah Augustin speaks to Professor Wong Chin Huat, a political scientist working on political institutions and group conflicts about the feasibility of an anti-hopping law in Malaysia and the larger systemic issues that have led to these shifting political alliances.

Former police captain Moe Yan Naing has been showered with awards for exposing a police plot to entrap two journalists who uncovered a military massacre of Rohingya. The awards have shielded him from questions about his own potential involvement in the killings.

Subhas Nair is a musician, activist, philosopher, athlete, and renaissance man. He discusses his life, his music, his philosophy, and all the positive change he wants to bring to the world with PJ Thum and Sean Francis Han

Following his four and a half hour interrogation, the seizure of his mobile phone and laptop, and the invasion of his home by the Singapore police, New Naratif Managing Director PJ Thum explains what exactly New Naratif is being accused of having done, how this is an abuse of the law, and how this is part of a long-standing campaign of harassment and intimidation by the PAP government against New Naratif.

Due to COVID-19 concerns, most schools in Cambodia were closed in March, risking long-term setbacks to students’ education. But some entrepreneurial youth took action by organising informal classes and community libraries.

New Naratif condemns the recent police report made by the Singapore Elections Department against it as a politically motivated attack on freedom of expression.

Aisyah Llewellyn speaks to Lita Anggraini and Damai Pakpahan about the Protection for Domestic Workers Bill in Indonesia (RUU PRT), a draft law for domestic workers’ protection that has been stuck in parliament for over a decade and discuss the initiatives being taken to help this vulnerable workforce.

Lune Loh, co-founder of Students for a Safer NUS, member of tFreedom, and Executive Director of TransNUS, speaks to PJ Thum and Sean Francis Han (WakeUpSG) about her activism, her life as a trans woman in Singapore (especially during National Service), and the recent kerfuffle over an educational event on bondage and rope play organised by tFreedom.

在《1963年马来西亚协议》契约下，沙巴与砂拉越是当年马来亚联合邦的平等伙伴，但自那以后，这个地位却逐被削弱。以下是恢复沙砂平等地位所意味着的必要条件，以及它为何如此重要的原因。

Ba dalam Sempekat Malaysia 1963, Sabah enggau Sarawak bela nyadi kaban kunsi begulai enggau dulu kelia dikangau Serakup Persekutuan Malaya, tang pia penemu tu nyu makin majak lenyau. Ditu meh kebuah mulai ke ia serta nama mai ia besai reti ngagai semua.

Under the Malaysia Agreement of 1963, Sabah and Sarawak were equal partners to the former Federation of Malaya, but this standing has since been eroded. Here’s what restoring it will mean, and why it's important.

Di bawah Perjanjian Malaysia 1963, Sabah dan Sarawak adalah rakan sekutu bekas Persekutuan Tanah Melayu, tetapi kedudukan ini telah terhakis. Penerangan berikut akan menjelaskan erti asal usul perjanjian ini dan kenapa ia penting dilaksanakan.

While many of Brunei’s social media influencers may have felt compelled to show their support for the Black Lives Matter movement, some Bruneians have accused them of hypocrisy for not having spoken out against deep-rooted racism in the country.

Jolovan Wham, the well known Singaporean human rights defender and activist, talks to PJ Thum about his most recent stint in jail for civil disobedience. They discuss Singapore’s arbitrary laws, his experience with jail, issues with the criminal justice system, and why he is advocating for prison reform.