Dr Melissa Crouch and Associate Professor Lisa Toohey of UNSW Law Faculty are undertaking a Professional Legal Education Project in Commercial and Corporate law in Myanmar (2016-2017), funded by the Asian Development Bank. Melissa Crouch is the Team leader and Legal Education and Myanmar Law expert. Lisa Toohey is the Legal Education and Commercial Law expertContinue reading “Professional Legal Education in Commercial and Corporate Law in Myanmar”
Author Archives: Melissa Crouch
The Role and Function of a Constitutional Court
On 25-26 November 2016, a workshop was held with the Myanmar Constitutional Tribunal in Naypyidaw on “The Role and Function of a Constitutional Court in Comparative Perspective”. The conference was organised by the Australia Myanmar Constitutional Democracy Project, and supported by Konrad Adenauer Stiftung. The conference was attended by the nine members of the ConstitutionalContinue reading “The Role and Function of a Constitutional Court”
Building a Constitutional Culture in Myanmar
From 22 to 23 November, the Australia Myanmar Constitutional Democracy Project led by UNSW Law held a workshop on Building a Constitutional Culture in Myanmar. Over 60 participants attended including lawyers, civil society organisations, former judges, academics and students. This represented the fourth year of this program, that has now included 9 major workshops andContinue reading “Building a Constitutional Culture in Myanmar”
What do the blasphemy allegations against Ahok mean?
Indonesian police last week declared Jakarta Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, or Ahok, a suspect for blasphemy, over a speech he gave in which he quoted a verse from the Qur’an. In the wake of the police decision, Indonesia at Melbourne spoke to Dr Melissa Crouch, who has published widely on Indonesia’s Blasphemy Law(link is external) (Law No.Continue reading “What do the blasphemy allegations against Ahok mean?”
Blasphemy charges against Ahok a triumph for Islamists in Indonesia
Note: this article first appeared in the East Asia Forum One of the most high profile blasphemy allegations may soon be brought before a court in Indonesia. Thousands of Islamists turned out in Jakarta recently to demand that Basuki ‘Ahok’ Tjahaja Purnama, the Governor of Jakarta, be charged with blaspheming Islam. Some protestors displayed sinister signs, demandingContinue reading “Blasphemy charges against Ahok a triumph for Islamists in Indonesia”
Annual Review of Constitution-building
The 2015 Annual Review of Constitution-Building Processes has recently been published and is available free online from the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance. This is the third edition published by International IDEA. The contents of the 2015 edition are as follows: Introduction and overview, Sumit Bisarya 1. Constitutional protections of electoral democracy in Africa: a review of keyContinue reading “Annual Review of Constitution-building”
Reining in Emergency Powers in Myanmar
This article first appeared in the East Asia Forum, 3 November 2016 In October 2016 serious concerns were raised about the situation in Myanmar’s northern Rakhine State after reports surfaced that nine police officers had been killed in the region. But the state’s precarious situation continues to be shrouded in mystery. Speculation over the motives of the perpetrators andContinue reading “Reining in Emergency Powers in Myanmar”
Book launch: 3 Nov 2016
Indonesian Business, Law and Society scholarships
There are currently 5 scholarships of $5000 available for UNSW students who apply for the ACICIS program on Indonesian Business, Law and Society (IBLS) to commence in semester 1, 2017. The IBLS is a semester-long program hosted by the Indonesian Islamic University (UII), Yogyakarta. Taught in English, this program provides students with a comprehensive understanding of Indonesian business,Continue reading “Indonesian Business, Law and Society scholarships”
Jokowi’s Islamist challenge: curbing terrorism and religious intolerance
In Indonesia, an attempted bomb attack on a church on Sunday has again left religious minorities deeply shaken. Allegedly linked to Islamic State (Isis), the attack by a lone man may be more symptomatic of historic trends in terrorism against minorities in Indonesia. In fact, the area near Medan, a city of over two million people, has beenContinue reading “Jokowi’s Islamist challenge: curbing terrorism and religious intolerance”
Melissa Crouch 