Welcome to Foreign Policy‘s Southeast Asia Brief.
Highlights this week: Myanmar the president is released from prisonJapanese military exercises in the PhilippinesMalaysia arrests critics and bans booksand sexual harassment scandal appears in an Indonesian university.
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Myanmar has released the imprisoned president
On April 17, the junta of Myanmar free the country’s democratically elected president, U Win Myint, who was imprisoned following the 2021 revolution. 27 years sentence that of Aung San Suu Kyi, the main opposition leader, was also cut by a sixth.
The announcement came as part of a broader forgiveness for 4,335 prisoners. This follows two other public amnesties that in total freed about 15,000 people – not all political prisoners – in the past six months. The army has arrested more than 30,000 people on political charges since the revolution.
The release, it seems, comes with conditions. Win Myint was is reported he was told that if he reoffended he would be jailed again, serving his previous sentence plus the new sentence.
“Don’t forget that the military is still committing war crimes and crimes against humanity,” he said Support Association for Political Prisoners. “This pardon is an attempt to cover up the crime.”
Myanmar analysts saw the move as part of a larger push by the junta to legitimize itself. Forgiveness follows elections managed by the platform earlier this yearthe official end of the military administration and chief Gen. Min Aung Hlaing taking office as presidentand various influential groups in Myanmar to congratulate Min Aung Hlaing about this, seems under pressure from China.
“This is very much in line with the ‘transition’ managed by the action in general,” Angshuman Choudhury, a researcher focusing on Myanmar, told. Foreign Policy. “Win Myint doesn’t have the kind of mass appeal that Aung San Suu Kyi does, so releasing her works to keep international partners safe without jeopardizing the junta at home.”
If the goal is to restore legitimacy, it may be working, with Thailand pushing the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to recognize Myanmar’s military government.
“Thailand sees this development as a positive step by the Myanmar Government that is in line with ASEAN’s aspirations, and hopes that it will bring a positive momentum to dialogue and national reconciliation in Myanmar,” said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at the meeting. statement.
The Thais did not mention Aung San Suu Kyi. Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow previously he said it would be “difficult” to return to Myanmar without his release. However, he is reported is planned to make his second official visit to Myanmar this week.
ASEAN’s 2026 chair, the Philippines, took a more cautious approach.
In a statementThe State Department said it “welcomes the full pardon and release” of Win Myint and called it a “constructive step.”
At the same time, it reiterated the “great importance” of the release of Aung San Suu Kyi and other political prisoners as well.
Rumors are now rife that Aung San Suu Kyi may be released from prison and placed under house arrest.
Security around the house where he was previously held for 15 years has suddenly been tightened, according to to Channel News Asia reporter Leong Wai Kit.
Japanese soldiers in the Philippines. The Japanese military has returned to the Philippines for the first time since World War II.
The shoulder military exercises began on April 20 with more than 17,000 soldiers from seven countries. Over 19 days they will participate in war games and live fire exercises led by the United States and the Philippines.
Japan will participate for the first time. His force has 1,400 personnel. Its cherry on top is using a Type 88 cruise missile to sink a target ship. Japan has continued to build its complex power and security relationship in the region – driven by a rising China, North Korea’s nuclear program, and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. It is now an important security partner and supplier of equipment to a number of Southeast Asian countries, particularly the Philippines. On April 21, Japan he announced had amended its laws on the transfer of defense equipment to allow arms exports.
Other countries that participated in the Balikatan exercise include Australia, Canada, France, and New Zealand.
A US military spokesman told the media that the exercise was not affected by the Iran war. They called it one of the biggest cuts in years, though they declined to give specific numbers for American workers.
Banning books in Malaysia. The Malaysian government is under increasing scrutiny, banning books and arresting critics.
This year, already prohibited book publishing 27. (Hat tip to Hadi Azmi wa Door Times recognizing this.) In 2025, it blocked the publication of 24 books. This compares to eight in 2024 and five in 2023.
Banned books this year make for a unique selection. The list includes Islamic guidelines on sex, LGBT love, and a re-presentation of the memory of a famous communist insurgent. Some works affected by bans in previous years—such as a graphic novel about childhood—have succeeded overturn ban them in court.
At the same time, April 14, it was information that Emeela Mat Sam, 38, aka Jorjet Myla, was allegedly arrested, remanded for three days, and investigated under the Sedition Act.
His alleged offense was posting TikTok videos critical of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim. It is unclear if he will be charged. Progress it sparked criticism from the opposition and from within Anwar’s own coalition.
Public transport chaos in the Philippines. Philippine public transport workers he hit April 15 to 17 on high fuel prices. The shipping workers had already struck late Marchand the third wave of industrial action is underway. This industry has a long history of being organized protestas shown in a previous newsletter that predicted political turmoil associated with rising oil prices.
The key requirements of the protestors is for the government to reduce the price of diesel, as well as cut the fuel tax. The Philippines has seen faster and higher oil prices increases in the world. The country is very big dependent on imports, often from the Middle East, so the discomfort hit home quickly. And unlike many other countries in the region, it does not regulate or subsidize the price of oil.
The government has started welfare packages to try to help workers in affected industries. And, on April 15, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. he urged quick activation of the ASEAN Petroleum Security Agreement of 1986, which envisages ASEAN countries sharing oil among themselves to cover shortfalls.
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25,000. Bad number of Vietnamese students currently studying China and United States each other. This means each country respectively math for about 10 percent of Vietnamese students abroad.
The number of Vietnamese students in China has increased rapidly in recent years, reaching more than twice the number of 2020. Changes have come as Chinese universities have started to dominate international university rankings.
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China’s imports of semiconductor equipment from Southeast Asia have increased, even as imports from the United States have fallen. Cheng Ting-Fang and Lauly Li dig into the numbers in it Nikkei Asia.
BINI has become the first ever Filipino act to perform at Coachella this year. Sam Beltran inside South China Morning Post ponders whether the Pinoy music scene will go global SCMP.
In Focus: Indonesia’s university sex scandal
On April 15, the University of Indonesia (UI), one of the top universities in the country, suspension and put 16 law students under investigation for alleged sexual harassment.
At the heart of the scandal was a group chat where members made sexually explicit comments about female students and lecturers. Screenshots of the purported chat were leaked to X, where they sparked outrage. Later the video showed the suspect apologize publicly to other students and then enter the stage.
The scandal has sparked something of a #MeToo moment in Indonesia. Many other women have posted online about their experiences of being the subject of sexual and degrading gossip in academic and professional contexts.
Of sex harassment on college campuses has been a hot topic for some time now. A 2020 government survey found that 77 percent of lecturers said sexual harassment had occurred on their campus, and 63 percent did not report it due to social stigma.
In a statementThe UI Faculty of Law said the review was ongoing. The statement also urged people to exercise restraint and avoid spreading unverified information. Jakarta police department as well he said collects information about the case.
