Jurnal Asia Pacific Studies

MIGRANT WORKERS' VULNERABILITY AND MASS REPATRIATION PHENOMENONS DURING THE COVID-19 OUTBREAK: FROM GLOBAL IMPACTS TO THE INDONESIAN CASE

Bayu Mitra A. Kusuma — Sun, 25 Jun 2023 00:00:00 +0000

The COVID-19 outbreak that emerged in the People's Republic of China has changed the landscape of human life. In a short period of time, this mysterious and deadly virus spread sporadically to various parts of the world. Responding to this, many countries have imposed social restriction policies and even total lockdowns. This policy resulted in two major consequences, namely a global economic recession and an extreme increase in unemployment. In this crisis situation, one of the most affected vulnerable groups is migrant workers. The COVID-19 outbreak has caused many migrant workers to lose their jobs, forcing them to carry out mass repatriations. To analyze this phenomenon, this research uses a descriptive qualitative approach. The research results show that: First, migrant workers who represent 4.7 percent of the global workforce face loss of income due to layoffs and depletion of work permits or visas. Second, there are differences in data from BP2MI and the World Bank regarding the number of Indonesian migrant workers with data disparities reaching 4.3 million people. This becomes a big problem in times of crisis such as the COVID-19 outbreak because the government has difficulty reaching them. Third, the crisis situation due to COVID-19 has significantly changed the repatriation mechanism for Indonesian migrant workers because it has to be adjusted to the national policy for handling the COVID-19 pandemic. Thus the mass repatriation of Indonesian migrant workers due to the COVID-19 outbreak is included in the force majeure category.

Solomon Islands’ Changing Recognition of Taiwan in 2019

Eldo Herbadella Tobing — Sun, 17 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000

This paper discusses why a country shifts its diplomatic policy to another country despite having long-established diplomatic relations. Since 1983, the Solomon Islands, a country in the South Pacific, has maintained diplomatic relations with Taiwan. However, in 2019, the Solomon Islands decided to sever its diplomatic ties with Taiwan and pivot to China, even after maintaining relations for 36 years. The analysis in this study uses Gideon Rose's neo-classical realism theory to explain the change in the Solomon Islands Diplomatic Relations policy from Taiwan to China in 2019. The method used in this article is a qualitative method with case studies supported by theory and data. The results of this study show that the Solomon Islands' decision to shift its diplomatic ties from Taiwan to China in 2019 was driven by two main factors. Firstly, systemic incentives (external factors) in the form of China's influence and power in the Solomon Islands. These systemic incentives combined with the intervening variable (internal factor), namely the perception of the Solomon Islands' decision-makers regarding diplomatic relations with Taiwan and China. These two factors resulted in the Solomon Islands deciding to sever diplomatic relations with Taiwan and pivot to China.

NORTH KOREA HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS AND THE ROLE OF THE COMMISSION OF HUMAN RIGHTS INVESTIGATION IN THE DEMOCRATIC PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF KOREA (COI-DPRK)

Grace Manek — Sun, 17 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Human rights have become an international issue. Human rights are closely related to dignity as a human being so that human rights violations must be resolved with a sense of humanity. However, in the North Korean dialogue, the nuclear issue has become the focus of discussion, while North Korea has committed gross human rights violations against its people. With the establishment of COI-DPRK, it has become a movement that will facilitate discussion of North Korean human rights issues in the international community. Researchers use qualitative methods in analyzing the role of COI-DPRK in promoting North Korean human rights and collecting relevant data with document-based research techniques and internet-based research. The data collected by researchers will assist researchers in analyzing the role of COI-DPRK using cosmopolitanism theory. COI-DPRK to investigate the human rights violations that have been committed and provide the results to the UN Council. The publication of the results of the investigation carried out by COI-DPRK has helped the community support universal humanitarianism from the international community. Therefore, North Korea has received pressure from the international community to demand human rights reform in North Korea and make the agenda of human rights issues added to the dialogue related to North Korea.

United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) Efforts to Help India on Managing Urban Solid Waste Pollution Issues (2013 – 2020)

paramitaningrum, Holga Nathanael Gunung — Tue, 20 Feb 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Abstract

This research analyzes the efforts of The United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) in assisting the Indian government in addressing environmental pollution issues. India has been fighting against waste pollution for decades. Pollution in India has reached alarming levels as its massive impacts have spread to various aspects of life and the environment. The Indian government has implemented several policies related to this issue, some of which have been successful, and they will continue their efforts. Additionally, local and international organizations contribute by engaging in collaborative efforts targeting communities and the environment. One of these organizations is the United Nations Environment Programme, a United Nations body focused on environmental issues. However, sustained efforts are still needed to address this problem and achieve meaningful results. The research methodology is qualitative, and the data collection method is secondary. Data is gathered from academic journals, news sources, and relevant books from valid sources. The author utilizes the theory of Neoliberal Institutionalism to analyze this research.

Keywords: Urban Solid Waste Pollution, Waste Management System, The United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP), Neoliberal Institutionalism

THE IMPLEMENTATION OF HIGH-QUALITY DEVELOPMENT IN TOURISM INDUSTRY FOR POVERTY ALLEVIATION AND CULTURAL PRESERVATION IN TIBET

Hendy Yuniarto — Sun, 25 Jun 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Since 2013 China has implemented the TPA (Targeted Poverty Alleviation) strategy to ensure that the remaining rural poor move out of poverty by 2020. Through eight years of hard work, China achieved eliminating extreme poverty, a key goal for the new era of building socialism with Chinese characteristics. Using various data sources, this paper described the success story of poverty alleviation and cultural preservation in Tibet through a high-quality development tourism industry. In numerous developing countries, tourism is considered an effective, responsive, and cost-efficient method to reduce poverty. Chinese tourism significantly and positively affects poverty reduction, reflecting the great value of executing pro-poor tourism programs. The stories about poverty alleviation through the tourism industry from Tibetian peoples can be an inspiration for international society, especially in many developing countries.

Keywords: Poverty Alleviation in Tibet, Tourism Industry, Cultural Preservation, Inspirational Stories.