Gaffar Muaqaffi

Jul 30, 2024 | eastasiaforum.org | Michael H. Picard |Alison McCook |Albert Jehoshua Rapha |Gaffar Muaqaffi

On 13 June 2024, Indonesian police displayed weapons and ammunition seized from an alleged trafficking network in North Maluku. The suspects apparently sold over 100 endangered lories, cockatoos and parrots in the Philippines and used the profits to buy M16s and a shotgun. Police interdicted them as they returned to Indonesia and seized more weapons during follow-up investigations.

Jul 18, 2024 | eastasiaforum.org | Ashima Goyal |Sumit Ganguly |Gaffar Muaqaffi

India’s policy direction of ‘aatmanirbhar’ (self-reliance) has created doubts about its commitment to openness. Interpretations tend to be dominated by the literal translation of the word, which has connotations of reversing liberalisation and closing down the economy. But the central policy aim is self-confidence, not self-sufficiency, which will require more, not less, openness.

Jul 16, 2024 | eastasiaforum.org | Paul Chambers |David McNeill |Gaffar Muaqaffi

While conscription has never been popular among young Thai men, opposition to mandatory military service has skyrocketed, particularly after the 2023 electoral success of the Move Forward Party, which has made the abolition of conscription a central issue. The growing resistance, led by Thailand’s largest political party, reflects a broader societal shift against the military’s entrenched role in the country.