At the Association for Asian Studies Conference, join NYSEAN and SEACAF for a roundtable that will explore the relationship between authoritarianism and threats to academic and intellectual freedom in a way that puts attacks on higher education in the United States in conversation with Southeast Asia. The Roundtable includes the following scholars: Bencharat Sae Chua of the Institute of Human Rights and Peace Studies at Mahidol University in Thailand; Herlambang Wiratraman of the Research Center of Law and Social Justice at Universitas Gadjah Mada in Indonesia; Sol Iglesias of the University of the Philippines-Diliman’s Political Science Department in the Philippines, and Rianne Subijanto of Baruch College, City University of New York. Margaret Scott, a founder of NYSEAN and a journalist with the New York Review of Books, will chair.

Join the Center for Southeast Asian Studies at the University of Michigan for a talk by Dr. Yogambigai Rajamoorthy, Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Accountancy and Management at Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR), Malaysia. This presentation offers a comparative examination of the acceptance and perception of different types of vaccination in Malaysia and Indonesia, comparing and contrasting factors shaping public attitudes toward immunization across these countries.

Thailand’s post-election government faces rising economic pressure, domestic instability, and shifting geopolitics. Join experts in politics and security for a virtual roundtable on what this moment means for Thailand and Southeast Asia. Featured speakers include Kunthida Rungruengkiat, MPP Candidate at Princeton University and former Deputy Leader of Thailand’s Future Forward Party, offering perspectives on domestic political reform and democratic movements; Dr. Fuadi Pitsuwan, Faculty of Political Science, Thammasat University; and Matt Wheeler, Senior Analyst at International Crisis Group.

Join the Weatherhead East Asian Institute at Columbia University for a talk by John Donaldson, Associate Professor of Political Science at the School of Social Sciences, Singapore Management University. Dr. Donaldson will discuss how poverty reduction can accompany slower, more sustainable growth, challenging dominant assumptions about scale, technology, and well-being. Nick Smith, Assistant Professor of Architecture and Urban Studies at Barnard College, will moderate the discussion.

Join the Southeast Asia Program (SEAP) at Cornell University for a talk by Dr. Liang Wu, a SEAP Postdoctoral Associate at Cornell University with affiliations in the Department of Science & Technology Studies and the interdepartmental consortium Cornell Oceans. Dr. Wu presents a case study of Filipino among other Southeast Asian seafarers working in the international shipping industry across the global oceans, thus expanding the conventional definition of “Maritime Southeast Asia” – the archipelagic region of Southeast Asian countries situated between Indian and Pacific Oceans.

Join the ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute for a seminar assessing what to expect from the State Security and Peace Commission’s recent polls, which are viewed widely as being orchestrated to continue the military’s political dominance in Myanmar. Speakers include: Dr. Kyaw Yin Hlaing, Visiting Senior Fellow in the Myanmar Studies Program at ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute and a visiting scholar at Cornell University, and Dr. Mary P. Callahan is an associate professor in the Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies at the University of Washington.

Join the Southeast Asia Program at Cornell University for a panel by Southeast Asian language faculty at Cornell on their experiences with, and contributions to, the Southeast Asian Language Council from 2019 to 2024. Speakers include: Yu Yu Khaing, Burmese Language Lecturer; Jolanda Mendaun Pandin, Senior Lecturer of Indonesian; Hannah Phan, Khmer Language Instructor; Thess Savella, Filipino Language Instructor and President of the Consortium for the Advancement of the Philippine Languages and Cultures; and Thúy Tranviet, Vietnamese Language Instructor.

Join the ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute for an ASEAN lecture by Ma. Theresa P. Lazaro, the Secretary of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of the Philippines and former Undersecretary for Bilateral Relations and ASEAN Affairs, who will discuss the priorities of the Philippines during its Chairmanship of ASEAN in 2026.

Join the ASEAN Studies Center at the ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute for a panel exploring how Cambodia, Laos, and Singapore have “led from the middle” to steer ASEAN through periods of uncertainty. The panel will examine what these lessons and experiences hold for future chairs, including Timor-Leste, in keeping ASEAN cohesive, credible, and responsive to emerging challenges. 

Speakers include: Ambassador Pou Sothirak, Distinguished Senior Advisor to the Cambodian Center for Regional Studies (CCRS); H.E. Sisangkhom Sisaketh, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the Lao PDR to ASEAN; Dr. Joel Ng, Senior Fellow and Head of the Centre for Multilateralism Studies at Nanyang Technological University; and Dr. Anoulak Kittikhoun, Visiting Senior Fellow at the ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute and at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy.

Join the Southeast Asia Coalition for Academic Freedom (SEACAF) for its orientation and general assembly. This is a key opportunity for members to shape priorities, engage in meaningful discussions, and contribute to the next phase of SEACAF’s work in 2026.

Join the UCLA Center for Southeast Asian Studies and the UCLA Center for Chinese Studies for a talk by Danny Wong Tze Ken, Professor of History and Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at Universiti Malaya, who will discuss the experiences of Chinese diasporas in Southeast Asia as well as their relations with China.

Join the ASEAN Studies Center and Philippine Studies Program at the ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute for a seminar examining the priorities, constraints, and opportunities of the Philippines’ 2026 Chairmanship of ASEAN. Speakers include: M.C. Abad Jr., a Trustee of ASEAN Society Philippines and the first Director of the ASEAN Regional Forum from 1997 – 2007; Marilyn J. Alarilla, former Philippine Ambassador to Turkey (2011-2013) and Laos (2009 to 2011); and Professor Mely Caballero-Anthony, President’s Chair in International Relations and Security Studies at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Nanyang Technological University.

Join the ISEAS Myanmar Studies Program for insights from researchers and observers examining the complex conflict dynamics affecting stakeholders and electors, the known knowns and the uncertainties in the economic landscape, and the mechanics and implications of the State Peace and Security Commission’s election exercise.

Join the Center for Remembering & Sharing for a concert that explores the theme of immigration, growing out of their own rich multi-ethnic family and musical histories, from Africa, Japan, Timor, Taiwan, Haiti, and beyond. Curated by Jen Shyu, the concert features Jen Shyu herself (vocals, Taiwanese moon flute, Japanese biwa, Korean gayageum), Sumi Tonooka (piano), and Val Jeanty (SoundChemist).

Join the EFA Robert Blackburn Printmaking Workshop for a workshop on making prints, using letterpress and risograph technologies, to collectively produce a zine or short monograph. This workshop includes a brief introduction by Rianne Subijanto, Associate Professor of Communication Studies at Baruch College-CUNY, and Meghan Forbes, author of Technologies for the Revolution: The Czech Avant-Garde in Print. This event will highlight histories of print culture from Indonesia to Czechoslovakia a century ago, in which the working class and avant-garde artists utilized printed matter and modern channels of communication to push for an anti-capitalist, anti-colonial future.

Join the Stimson Center for a talk by Aye Lei Tun, PhD Candidate in Political Science at McMaster University. As an expert on Myanmar’s pro-democracy civil society organizations (CSOs), Aye Lei Tun will delve into the complexities of how CSOs are strategizing for survival amid pressures by the ruling junta, with new research tracking the latest developments in Myanmar’s civil society.

Join the ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute for a talk by Dr. Kaewkamol (Karen) Pitakdumrongkit, the Interim Secretary General and incoming Executive Director of the Pacific Economic Cooperation Council’s (PECC) International Secretariat. Dr. Pitakdumrongkit will examine the key findings of the PECC State of the Region Report 2025-2026, which gathered data from over 500 leaders across 24 economies on their outlook for the region from 2026 to 2027.

Join the ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute for a seminar on the Southeast Asia Climate Outlook Survey, a region-wide annual survey to understand the climate awareness and perceptions of Southeast Asian citizens towards climate action. Presenters include Melinda Martinus, Lead Researcher at ISEAS, and Dr. Samuel Chng, Research Assistant Professor at the Lee Kuan Yew Centre for Innovative Cities, Singapore University of Technology and Design.

Join the Southeast Asia Program at Cornell for a talk by Marlie Lukach, PhD student in Plant Breeding and Genetics, who will discuss the historical significance of bottle gourd lagenaria siceraria in Southeast Asia.

Join the Council on Southeast Asia Studies at Yale for a talk by Quan Tue Tran, Senior Lecturer in Ethnicity, Race, and Migration at Yale University. Professor Tran’s lecture explores contemporary Vietnamese and Angolan connections through the lens of Quang Linh Vlogs, created by a young Vietnamese migrant who worked and lived in Angola.

Join the Regional Economic Studies Program at ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute for a talk by Dr. Deasy Pane, a Wang Gungwu Visiting Fellow at ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute, an Economist at Indonesia’s National Development Planning Agency (BAPPENAS), and a Senior Fellow at the Center for Indonesian Policy Studies (CIPS). Dr. Pane examines how Indonesia’s economy has been shaped by its deepening trade relationship with China, particularly following the implementation of the ASEAN–China Free Trade Agreement (ACFTA).

Join the ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute for a seminar exploring the evolution of Thailand’s middle-power aspiration, its recurring retreat into small-power conduct, and how this oscillation is shaped by domestic political instability, bureaucratic inertia, and strategic uncertainty. This panel features speakers from Thammasat University’s Faculty of Political Science, including: Dr. Jittipat Poonkham, Associate Dean for Academic and International Affairs, Director of International Studies Program, and Associate Professor of International Relations; Dr. Fuadi Pitsuwan, lecturer in International Relations; and Dr. Pongkwan Sawasdipakdi, lecturer in International Relations and Assistant Dean for Graduate Studies.

Join the Asia Society Policy Institute (ASPI) for a panel on the future of China-ASEAN relations. Speakers include Gita Wirjawan, former Minister of Trade, Indonesia (2011-2014); Bert Hofman, Professor, National University of Singapore and Honorary Senior Fellow on Chinese Economy, ASPI’s Center for China Analysis (CCA); and Brian Wong, Assistant Professor in Philosophy, University of Hong Kong and Honorary Fellow, CCA. The discussion will be moderated by Kevin Zongzhe Li, Affiliated Researcher, CCA.

Join NYSEAN and the Southeast Asia Coalition for Academic Freedom (SEACAF) for a conference examining attacks on intellectual and academic freedom in Southeast Asia and the United States. Scholars, journalists, and activists will gather to look at how universities and intellectuals often become the first target of rising authoritarianism, the costs and benefits of collective action, and the strategies for resistance. The conversation will address the impact of funding cuts, strengthened immigration enforcement, and assaults on higher education in the United States as well as the lessons learned from crackdowns in Southeast Asia, South Asia, and Turkey.

Join the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute for a talk on how Trump’s tariffs have impacted Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam with Dr. Milan Thomas, Country Economist at the Cambodia Resident Mission of the Asian Development Bank (ADB); Soulinthone Leuangkhamsing, Principal Economics Officer at the Lao PDR Resident Mission of ADB, and Dr. Dao Ngoc Tien, Vice President of Vietnam’s Foreign Trade University. They will discuss how the tariffs might impact these countries  in the short and long run, and how these negative impacts could be mitigated.

Join the Center for Southeast Asian Studies at University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa for a panel on Southeast Asia’s responses to the economic, political, and social impacts of U.S. tariff policies. Speakers include Dr. Jayant Menon, Senior Fellow at ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute; Herawati, Researcher in the ASEAN Studies Program at The Habibie Center, and Dr. Tong Bui, Distinguished Chair in the Department of Information Technology Management at UH-Mānoa. Dr. Micah Fisher will moderate the discussion.

Join the Thailand Studies Program at ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute for a talk by Dr. Puangthong R. Pawakapan, Professor of International Relations at Chulalongkorn University, and Supalak Ganjanakhundee, advisor to the Military Affairs Committee of Thailand’s House of Representatives. They will discuss potential solutions for addressing the Thailand-Cambodia conflict.

Join the Center for Southeast Asian Studies at the University of Michigan for a panel that explores Asia’s role in building today’s high technology and the impact of Asian tech on contemporary Asian American communities. Panelists include Christopher Fan, Associate Professor of English at UC Irvine; Janice Lobo Sapigao, Filipina American poet, writer, and independent scholar; and Tony Shyu, an award-winning filmmaker, founder of Neu Wave AI Films, and CEO of Himalaya Entertainment.