ADVOCATE by ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights

U Shwe Maung is a Rohingya rights activist and former politician, who served as a member of parliament in Myanmar’s House of Representatives from 2011 to 2016. As well as being a Board Member of APHR, he is also a founding member of the International Panel of Parliamentarians for Freedom of Religion or Belief (IPPFoRB) and serves as President of the Arakan Institute for Peace and Development.

In this episode, U Shwe Maung talks about the Five Point consensus, Myanmar’s current situation, the role of Myanmar’s MPs and Southeast Asian’s MPs.

Mu Sochua is a former member of the National Assembly of Cambodia. She served from 2008 until 2017, when the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) was dissolved. In addition to her work as vice president of the CNRP she has spent decades working as a human rights advocate, particularly for marginalized groups including migrants, workers, and women. She was minister of Womens’ Affairs from 1998 to 2004.

In this episode, Mu Sochua talks about what’s inside the Cambodia’s parliament, Cambodia’s Senate Election, the role of Cambodia’s MPs and Southeast Asian’s MPs.

Arlene Brosas is an educator, child rights activist, and politician. She is also an APHR Board Member and a member of the Gabriela Women’s Party-list. She is also one of the co-authors of the Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Expression Equality Bill. Previously, as spokesperson of the Anti-Child Pornography Alliance, along with other activists and civil society organizations, she successfully lobbied for the passage of Republic Act 9775 or the Anti-Child Pornography Law that aims to protect the rights and welfare of Children.
In this episode, Arlene Brosas talks about the current political situation in the Philippines, particularly the practice of “red-tagging”, and of course the role of MPs in this situation.

Kunthida Rungruengkiat is a Thai academic and a politician. She was previously a member of parliament and the deputy leader of the Future Forward Party. Her policy portfolio includes education reform and early childhood education improvement. After the disbandment of the Future Forward Party by the Constitutional Court, she faces a 10 years ban from contesting in any election. She is currently the director of Progressive Movement Foundation.
In this episode, Karina Tehusijarana, APHR Media Manager, and Kunthida Rungruengkiat will talk about the current political situation in Thailand and the role of Thai’s MPs and Southeast Asian’s MPs.

Mercy Chriesty Barends is an Indonesian politician who is the current chair of APHR  and is a member of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle or PDI-P. She has served as a Member of Indonesia’s House of Representatives since 2014,  where she has been very active on Climate Change issues through her work in The Alliance of Parliamentarian Call for Fossil Free Future, the Global Alliance for Green New Deal, or Air Quality Asia, as well as chairing the House’s Green Economy Caucus. She has recently been reelected to the House in February’s general elections, representing the electoral district of Maluku.

In this episode, we will talk about the democratic situation in Indonesia, APHR’s ongoing advocacy, and of course the role of parliamentarians in this situation.

Kasit Piromya is an APHR Board Member, former Thai career diplomat and former People's Alliance for Democracy ("Yellow Shirts") activist. He also served as  Foreign Minister of Thailand from 2008 to 2011.
In this episode, Karina Tehusijarana, APHR Media Manager, and Kasit Piromya will talk about the future of democracy in Thailand, what’s inside the Thai parliament, the role of Thailand’s MPs and Southeast Asian’s MPs in advancing human rights and democracy in Thailand.

Wong Chen is an APHR Board Member, Malaysian MP and lawyer. He also has served Non-executive Chairman of the Malaysia Debt Ventures Berhad (MDV) since May 2023, Chairman of the International Relations and Trade Parliamentary Select Committee from December 2019 to May 2020 and again since May 2023 as well as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Subang since May 2018.
In this episode, Karina Tehusijarana, APHR Media Manager, and Wong Chen will talk about the APHR Toolkit for Malaysian Legislative Process, what’s  inside the Malaysia parliament, the role of Malaysia’s MPs and Southeast Asian’s MPs in advancing human rights and democracy in Malaysia.

Cover photo by Choo Choy May

In the third and final episode of APHR’s latest podcast series, Restricting Diversity, Kyaw Min San, an APHR member from Myanmar, introduces us to the world of Blasphemy Laws and some of the experts who are advocating for reforms that bring clarity to laws and policies and protect the most vulnerable. 

This episode features guests from Myanmar and Indonesia with extensive backgrounds working to understand how Blasphemy Laws undermine freedom of religion and belief. Religious minorities and vulnerable groups become targets when laws fail to protect them and their rights. 

APHR welcomes the following guests: Seng, an independent consultant and board member of the South Asia Association of Freedom and Belief Network, and Dr. Zainal Abidin Bagir Abidin Bagir, who teaches at the University Gadjah Mada and is the Director of the Indonesian Consortium for Religious Studies. 

In the second episode of APHR’s latest podcast series, Restricting Diversity, Luluk Nur Hamidah, a Member of Parliament from Indonesia and an APHR member, introduces us to experts working on women’s rights and how State laws in Malaysia and the Philippines attempt to suppress their fundamental freedoms. 

They will address how their communities are impacted by child marriage, anti-abortion laws and divorce and how women are affected when governments attempt to make decisions about their bodily autonomy. 

Expertise and experience are shared by Fara Rom of the For Youth Initiative Kuala Lumpur, Rozana Isa, Executive Director of Sisters in Islam, and Cong Emmi De Jesus, a former member of the House of Representatives in the Philippines.

For the first episode in APHR’s latest podcast series called, Restricting Diversity, Isabel Maria Ximenes, a Member of Parliament from Timor Leste and APHR’s member, introduces us to activists and experts from Myanmar and Vietnam on how issues concerning freedom of religion or belief affect the daily lives of minorities, and what is being done to curb dissent. 

With the participation of Kyaw Win, founder and Executive Director of Burma Human Rights Network, a Rohingya activist, Rebecca Dang, a minority rights activist, and Dr. Thang D. Nguyen, CEO and president of Boat People SOS.