ADVOCATE by ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights APHR

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. 

Ahead of the historic Philippine elections of 9 May 2022, Veronica Pedrosa interviews Etta Rosales, former Member of Parliament and Chairperson of the Commission on Human Rights of the Republic of the Philippines, and Luie Guia, former election commissioner. Also with the participation of Walden Bello, vice-presidential candidate, APHR Board Member and former congressman; Gemma Mendoza, journalist at Rappler; and Patricio 'Jojo' Abinales, professor at the University of Hawaii.

For the final episode in this series, we take a look at the rise in youth-led movements across the region, including Myanmar, Thailand and Malaysia.