Myanmar’s media has historically been overburdened with an oppressive legal framework full of risk. In October 2022, Myanmar introduced the Association Registration Law (ARL) which further suppresses civic spaces. Also in October 2022, the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) demoted the country to the blacklist for failing to implement their recommendations. This ICNL partner analysis assesses these two recent developments and the potential impacts on media and civil society actors.

On January 4, 2022, the Thai Cabinet approved a revised draft non-profit organization (NPO) bill drafted by the Office of the Council of State, which replaced a prior version of the Bill approved by the Cabinet in February 2021. While containing more enabling provisions than its predecessor, the new draft NPO Bill introduces far-reaching restrictions that threaten to undermine civic space for all non-profit organizations in Thailand. These restrictions run counter to international norms regarding the freedom of association, and violate multiple aspects of international law. In this analysis, we highlight four key concerns with the current draft law.

Written by ICNL consultant Meghna Sharma, this briefer draws from data in the ICNL-ECNL COVID-19 Civic Freedoms Tracker to explore how authoritarian COVID policies in the Indo-Pacific region have affected civil society’s freedom of expression. It examines various repressive measures and highlights targeted groups. The briefer concludes that such measures have limited civic discourse and chilled free expression, to the disadvantage of democratic pluralism and effective COVID management across the region. Read the full briefer here.

In recent years, India has enacted a number of regulatory measures constricting funding for domestic non-profit organizations, the most well-known of which is the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA). The act represents a securitized approach to foreign funding that is out of step with international standards and has obstructed humanitarian and COVID relief efforts. Our resource page provides analysis, information, and key resources on FCRA.

Using data from the ICNL-ECNL COVID-19 Civic Freedom Tracker, we follow government response to COVID across Asia and the Pacific. These include legislative actions, executive orders/decrees, and other practices that have not been codified, such as policies criminalizing the spread of information about COVID. This resource outlines examples of measures being used to address COVID that impact civic freedoms and is updated on an ongoing basis. Explore government responses to the pandemic in Asia and the Pacific here.