Author Archives: Melissa Crouch

Persecution of Muslims in Myanmar Misunderstood by the West

The debate on asylum seekers from Myanmar in Australia is ill-informed and skewed. The Australian government and international community must realise that refugee status is first of all not about ethnicity or identity, but about a well-founded fear of persecution.Reports that a man who has been  moved by Australia to Cambodia may have been misidentified as Rohingya missesContinue reading “Persecution of Muslims in Myanmar Misunderstood by the West”

Interview on religious freedom in Indonesia

Indonesia has struggled with religious violence in the democratic era. The problem was highlighted once again in October, with an attack on a Christian community in Aceh Singkil(link is external). Following the attack, Religious Affairs Minister Lukman Hakim Saifuddin acknowledged that there were problems with current regulations on the construction of houses of worship and said thatContinue reading “Interview on religious freedom in Indonesia”

UNSW HKU Conference 2015

This coming Friday and Saturday UNSW Law and HKU Law will be holding a research symposium at UNSW Kensington Campus, Sydney. A session on ‘Comparative Constitutional Interpretation: Asia & Beyond‘ will be held on Friday morning together with Rosalind Dixon (UNSW), Melissa Crouch (UNSW), Theunis Roux (UNSW), Po-Jen Yap (HKU) and Jianlin Chen (HKU).

Recap on Myanmar’s Elections

Irecently did an interview on Myanmar’s elections with SBS (see here: Suu Kyi confident junta will accept election results). I spent most of the day of the elections in downtown Yangon and visited about 20 polling stations. The area I was staying in has a very diverse population and a large Muslim community. Polling booths opened at 6am,Continue reading “Recap on Myanmar’s Elections”

Myanmar’s Elections 2015: Forward to Democracy or Back to Militocracy?

On Monday 19th October a panel event will be hosted at UNSW. The details are below: About the event:On 8 November 2015, elections for the national parliament and regional parliaments will be held in Myanmar. While significant reform has taken place since 2011, the military still retains 25 percent of all seats in parliament. InContinue reading “Myanmar’s Elections 2015: Forward to Democracy or Back to Militocracy?”

Constitutional Change in Myanmar

Constitutional Change in Myanmar: The Role of Courts in Authoritarian Regimes Seminar date: Tuesday 6 October 2015Time: 1-2pmTo register and for more information see here. Seminar abstract: National elections are due to be held in Myanmar in November 2015. This follows in the wake of several years of significant political reforms. The transition since 2011 fromContinue reading “Constitutional Change in Myanmar”

Law, Politics and Islam in Myanmar

Upcoming seminar: October 5, 2015, 10.00 a.m. to 11.00 a.m. Where: Isaac Brown Room (ground floor bld. 55, next to busloop), Clayton Campus, Monash University, Centre of Southeast Asia Studies Abstract: In the lead up to the Myanmar elections in November 2015, one issue has stood out: the precarious position of Muslims. From the recently enacted four lawsContinue reading “Law, Politics and Islam in Myanmar”

Talk: Constitutional Reform in Authoritarian Regimes

Next week I will be speaking at the Law Faculty, University of Otago, New Zealand, on ‘Constitutional Reform in Authoritarian Regimes: Writs as Weapons in Myanmar?’ The role and function of constitutions in authoritarian regimes has always been something of an anomaly for scholars. Yet a new body of scholarship has emerged in an effort to exploreContinue reading “Talk: Constitutional Reform in Authoritarian Regimes”