Michael C Montesano

Aug 17, 2024 | eastasiaforum.org | Shafi Mostofa |Benny Subianto |Pieter E. Stek |Michael C Montesano |Shafi Md Mostofa

Bangladesh’s longest-serving prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, resigned and  amid a powerful student movement that gripped the nation in mid-2024. While Hasina initially rose to power through democratic elections in January 2009, her rule quickly morphed into an authoritarian regime marked by manipulation, suppression and human rights abuses. Hasina’s government held three elections during her tenure, each mired in allegations of rigging and manipulation.

Aug 13, 2024 | eastasiaforum.org | Michael C Montesano |Fangli Hu |Jun Wen |Alison McCook

On 7 August 2024, Thailand’s Constitutional Court dissolved the reformist Move Forward Party. The court grounded its decision in the much-contested legal argument that the party’s 2023 campaign pledge to amend the law of lese majeste (offence to majesty) constituted an attempt to topple the Thai monarchy. The case against Move Forward hinges, however, on a more fundamental issue — whether Thailand’s interests and its future will be well-served by liberal democracy.