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For Filipino migrant care workers in Singapore, visits home are highly anticipated and longed for, but only as long as they remain brief. Drawing on long‐term ethnographic research, this paper examines such visits as emotionally complex events that bring intense joy as migrants reunite with dispersed family members, but also reveal divergent expectations and feelings of loss and betrayal. These experiences are especially felt among migrant women given the gendered constructions of their migration journeys that demand strenuous relational work on their visits and far beyond. Visits home, nevertheless, are important moments through which migrant care workers re‐orient their priorities and aspirations as migrants and as women over time, often leading to prolongations of their 'temporary' absences. The paper further examines how migrant care workers, many of whom are on temporary work contracts in Singapore, fear and anticipate the moment when short visits ultimately become permanent returns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Social workers are expected to challenge the exclusion and oppression of marginalised populations which requires the critical interrogation of prejudicial views, discriminatory attitudes, and oppressive practices. In this regard, social work practitioners need to be vigilant of their own attitudes toward the people they serve. This is relevant to social work practice with sexual minorities. This paper presents the results of a mixed-methods study informed by a critical theoretical frame that explored Vietnamese social work practitioners' attitudes toward sexual minorities. The findings presented in this article were drawn from a survey of 292 social work practitioners based in Hanoi, Vietnam and 12 semi-structured interviews with volunteers recruited from the pool of survey participants. Findings: The findings suggest that practitioners who participated in this study held relatively positive attitudes toward people who identify as lesbian or gay. However, those who had what could be considered moderate to positive attitudes were not necessarily free from prejudicial and discriminatory views, particularly when it came to certain matters such as those relating to their own families and work with young children. Applications: The discussion of the findings illustrate the relevance of the broader social context to Vietnamese social work practitioners' attitudes toward sexual minorities. It highlights the potent influence of dominant ideologies in shaping prejudicial views and attitudes and points to the need for practice at a broader level targeting Vietnamese society and culture as a whole. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The severe economic downturn caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has forced governments worldwide to increase spending while tax revenues simultaneously collapsed. Concurrent with this, central banks in several of these countries are financing a significant percent of their direct income support through direct lending or purchases of government bonds in primary and/or secondary markets. Many oppose this for their alleged negative consequences on the economy, inflation in particular. This paper describes the actual workings of what most people (including many economists) often call monetization of government debt and its major implication, namely, that it leads to printing money and, consequently, to inflation. We show that the reality is very different: once one knows how modern central banks manage monetary policy (i.e. through a corridor interest rate targeting system), and how they coordinate their daily operations with their Treasuries, monetization does not occur as it is often described, and it is not nearly as dangerous as its critics argue (and not as useful as its supporters claim). The examples of the Philippines, Singapore, and the People's Republic of China clarify this. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Central to the welfare of survivors of human trafficking and reduction of post‐trafficking vulnerabilities are the restoration of dignity, building of resilience, and, ideally, facilitating of strategies for empowerment. While ostensibly the delivery of post‐trafficking supports propose to address these concerns, particularly in the context of return and reintegration programmes, critical scholarship on anti‐trafficking has identified a range of problems with the ability of existing interventions to achieve these outcomes. Building on these critiques, this paper examines the effects of stigma on post‐trafficking lives, particularly as they stymie the possibilities for victims to move on. Discussion in the paper centres on the ways stigma is prefigured during the process and act of leaving. The home country and the destination are considered as key sites of departure where leaving establishes bases for stigmatised returns from trafficking. Three modalities of departure are discussed in the paper: the "theatre of celebratory departure" from the home country; the financial processes in the home country that facilitate and organise migration; and the biopolitical classification of migrants/victims in the trafficking destination. The paper draws on a relational approach to framing discussion, with such an approach allowing for a view of trafficking as characterised by multiple intersections and flows, temporally and geographically. Experiences of trafficked male and female migrant labourers from the Philippines sojourning in or transiting through Singapore are drawn on to illustrate the arguments in the paper. This paper explores the potential for a relational approach to illuminate geographies of stigma in post‐trafficking lives. It draws on a case study of the Philippines to make this case. It also makes some suggestions about future anti‐trafficking policy regarding return and reintegration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Across Asia, countries have signed the UNCRPD and to a greater or lesser extent are pursuing inclusive education (IE). In this article, we present case studies from Singapore, Indonesia, Philippines, and China analyzing them for common themes around the education of students intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), and noting commonalities, challenges, and emerging issues. While the definition of IE (being the philosophy, process and practice of welcoming, valuing and supporting all learners in general education environments) and the conceptual distinction between integration and segregation are clear in the UNCRPD and subsequent comments, the terminology used in some of the countries is inconsistent with these definitions. This makes interpretation of reports from government instrumentalities difficult. In some cases, misuse of terminology allows justification of practices that are contrary to the UNCRPD. Terminology differences coupled with challenges of finding data related to the education of children with IDD, if the data exist, make a regional analysis of progress towards IE complex. In our paper, we have drawn on previous reviews and reports to discuss common issues and make suggestions for ways forward. Our findings add to the few other reviews from Asia on IE and draw attention to the continuing need for improved access to any education at all for learners with IDD. Provision of IE is caught up in dilemmas in the region about teacher preparation and professional learning, and how to provide specialist support in inclusive settings. School structure decisions including staffing provision and class sizes affect the education outcomes of students with IDD. School leadership, with the fundamental role of translating policy into practice, is critical for the development of IE and must be aligned with system and country priorities. Collaboration across the region has the potential to share best practice and continue to improve the educational opportunities for learners with IDD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines how migrant wives and left-behind husbands negotiate their gendered identities across the multi-layered spatialities of homeland and host society. Using a qualitative, multi-sited approach, we analyse the mutual constitution of labour migration and transnational marriages by focusing on the transnational negotiation of intimacy between Filipino migrant wives working in Singapore and Filipino left-behind husbands living in the Philippines. First, we examine how gendered ideologies rooted in notions of women as 'light of the home' and men as 'pillar of the home' shape and undergird the discourse and practice of Filipino marriages. But even as these gendered constructs travel beyond the homeland, restrictive gendered identities become increasingly untenable as women's labour migration brings about shifting power dynamics in transnational marriages. Second, drawing on the affective structures of shame and guilt, we argue that the regulation of the homeland's hegemonic gendered constructs are internalised and imbibed through 'symbolic violence'. At the same time, we also show that migrant wives and left-behind husbands find ways to navigate the liminal space of migration by rationalising gendered forms of transgression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Rare diseases, also referred to as orphan diseases, are characterised by their low prevalence with majority of them are chronically debilitating and life threatening. Given the low prevalence and the widely dispersed but very small patient base for each disease, there may often be a disproportion in the availability of treatments and resources to manage patients, spur research and train experts. This is especially true in Southeast Asian countries that are currently in the process of implementing or revising their universal health coverage schemes. This paper aims to examine the status of rare disease management in Southeast Asian countries. It will serve as the basis for a more active discussion on how countries in the region can address an under-recognised rare disease burden and enhance national and regional capacities.Methods: The study consists of literature reviews and key stakeholders interviews in six focus countries, including the Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Thailand and five countries as best practice, comprising of France, Canada, Australia, Taiwan, and South Korea. Rare disease management initiatives across each country were examined based on the World Health Organization's framework for action in strengthening health systems.Results: The results suggest rare disease management remains challenging across Southeast Asia, as many of the focus countries face fundamental issues from basic healthcare systems to funding. Nonetheless, there are substantial improvement opportunities, including leveraging best practices from around the world and organising a multi-stakeholder and regional approach and strategy.Conclusions: Southeast Asian countries have made significant progress in the management of rare disease, but there remain key areas for substantial development opportunities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: As the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) gears toward full regional integration by 2015, the cross-border mobility of workers and citizens at large is expected to further intensify in the coming years. While ASEAN member countries have already signed the Declaration on the Protection and Promotion of the Rights of Migrant Workers, the health rights of migrants still need to be addressed, especially with ongoing universal health coverage (UHC) reforms in most ASEAN countries. This paper seeks to examine the inclusion of migrants in the UHC systems of five ASEAN countries which exhibit diverse migration profiles and are currently undergoing varying stages of UHC development. Design: A scoping review of current migration trends and policies as well as ongoing UHC developments and migrant inclusion in UHC in Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand was conducted. Results: In general, all five countries, whether receiving or sending, have schemes that cover migrants to varying extents. Thailand even allows undocumented migrants to opt into its Compulsory Migrant Health Insurance scheme, while Malaysia and Singapore are still yet to consider including migrants in their government-run UHC systems. In terms of predominantly sending countries, the Philippines's social health insurance provides outbound migrants with portable insurance yet with limited benefits, while Indonesia still needs to strengthen the implementation of its compulsory migrant insurance which has a health insurance component. Overall, the five ASEAN countries continue to face implementation challenges, and will need to improve on their UHC design in order to ensure genuine inclusion of migrants, including undocumented migrants. However, such reforms will require strong political decisions from agencies outside the health sector that govern migration and labor policies. Furthermore, countries must engage in multilateral and bilateral dialogue as they redefine UHC beyond the basis of citizenship and reimagine UHC systems that transcend national borders. Conclusions: By enhancing migrant coverage, ASEAN countries can make UHC systems truly 'universal'. Migrant inclusion in UHC is a human rights imperative, and it is in ASEAN's best interest to protect the health of migrants as it pursues the path toward collective social progress and regional economic prosperity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present paper, we study cricket species which are very common in Singapore but need formal description or systematic revision. We describe one new species of the genus Lebinthus, Lebinthus luae new species from Singapore, and we redescribe the species Nisitrus vittatus (Haan, 1842). We also redescribe the species Lebinthus bitaeniatus Stål, 1877 from the Philippines for comparison with the new species from Singapore. For each species we provide complete descriptions of morphology, including both male and female genitalia and forewing venation, distribution, habitat and calling songs. A neotype series is selected for N. vittatus and deposited in RMNH, Leiden; MNHN, Paris; ZRC, Singapore and in UPLB MNH, Philippines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We cannot deny that our own language, a native language and one that is not foreign is important in having self-identity or essence. The symbol of a flag, of a marcha nacional, of a national anthem, of a national flower, of a national costume are all meaningful as signs of self-identity and independence. But these are just signs — a symbol. There is a need for making meaning for those who use the symbols. And more importantly, we value the meaning more than the symbol. The symbol is only a symbol — it's not significant if the ones using the symbols don't possess the sentiments. And the signs can be replaced; they can be renewed if needed. In this paper, the case of our neighboring countries in South-East Asia such as Indonesia and Singapore are compared for the case of the Philippines, because these two countries give us a different picture in revisiting the language as an important part of the formation of our identity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to empirically investigate the money demand function for five Southeast Asian countries, viz. Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, the Philippines, and Indonesia. Design/methodology/approach - The ARDL modeling approach is employed because of its ability to incorporate both 1(0) and 1(1) regressors. Findings - The results reveal that real M2 aggregate, real expenditure components, exchange rate, and inflation rate are cointegrated for Malaysia, the Philippines, and Singapore. The statistical significance of real income components suggests the bias of using single real income variable in money demand (M2 aggregate) specification of both short- and long-run. The CUSUM and CUSUMSQ tests show that the estimated parameters are stable for the five Southeast Asian economies, except for Indonesia which is based on short-run specification. Practical implications - These findings are important for policy makers in formulating monetary policy. Originality/value - Besides conventional determinants of money demand such as exchange rate and interest rate variables, this study considers the major components of final expenditure (GDP) - final consumption expenditures (private and government sectors), expenditures on investment goods, and exports as scale variables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: in recent years, many Asian countries have witnessed an intensification in populist discourses identifying the death penalty as a central tool of drug control, with public opinion surveys referred to as invaluable evidence of public support for the death penalty. This paper will address the claim that the public supports capital punishment, and the role of surveys in shaping this discourse.Methods: review of thirty-nine public opinion surveys on the death penalty carried out in five Asian countries which retain the death penalty for drugs or are considering re-introducing it. The review was conducted by analysing and comparing design, methodology, findings, and the relationship between these elements.Results: all but two surveys recorded a majoritarian support for the death penalty, driven by beliefs in (a) deterrent effect of the death penalty, and (b) perfect justice - both disproven. Complex surveys found a low intensity of support, and a limited interest and knowledge by the public in capital punishment. Support for capital punishment is lower for drug offences specifically, and it decreases significantly when expressed with reference to real-life cases. Limited data suggest that the public in the focus countries has reservations on the effectiveness of the death penalty to reduce drug offences, and prefers a discretionary system of punishment. The analysis also revealed correlations between the framing of survey questions and their findings.Conclusion: Public opinion surveys conducted in China, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand suggest that the public knows little and has little interest in the death penalty. Although majoritarian, its support is based on a faulty understanding of key facts related to capital punishment, and an increase in knowledge is correlated to a decrease in support. More rigorous polling exercises demonstrate that public support for capital punishment - both in general and for drug offences specifically - is instinctive, abstract, elastic, and contextual. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of advanced producer services is critical to manufacturing firms in industrialising economies, but most research on such services has been situated in wealthy post-industrial economies. We examine the use of one class of advanced producer services -- those provided by the air cargo industry -- by manufacturers in Southeast Asia. The air cargo industry has grown rapidly in this region and plays an increasingly important intra- and interregional integrative role. We are interested specifically in the demand for knowledge-intensive advanced air cargo services, which include for instance time-definite express services, by electronics manufacturers in Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines. Employing several analytical approaches, we find that demand for advanced air cargo services is related to the degree to which a firm's operations are knowledge-intensive, its size, and the scope of its internationalisation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) gears toward full regional integration by 2015, the cross-border mobility of workers and citizens at large is expected to further intensify in the coming years. While ASEAN member countries have already signed the Declaration on the Protection and Promotion of the Rights of Migrant Workers, the health rights of migrants still need to be addressed, especially with ongoing universal health coverage (UHC) reforms in most ASEAN countries. This paper seeks to examine the inclusion of migrants in the UHC systems of five ASEAN countries which exhibit diverse migration profiles and are currently undergoing varying stages of UHC development. A scoping review of current migration trends and policies as well as ongoing UHC developments and migrant inclusion in UHC in Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand was conducted. In general, all five countries, whether receiving or sending, have schemes that cover migrants to varying extents. Thailand even allows undocumented migrants to opt into its Compulsory Migrant Health Insurance scheme, while Malaysia and Singapore are still yet to consider including migrants in their government-run UHC systems. In terms of predominantly sending countries, the Philippines's social health insurance provides outbound migrants with portable insurance yet with limited benefits, while Indonesia still needs to strengthen the implementation of its compulsory migrant insurance which has a health insurance component. Overall, the five ASEAN countries continue to face implementation challenges, and will need to improve on their UHC design in order to ensure genuine inclusion of migrants, including undocumented migrants. However, such reforms will require strong political decisions from agencies outside the health sector that govern migration and labor policies. Furthermore, countries must engage in multilateral and bilateral dialogue as they redefine UHC beyond the basis of citizenship and reimagine UHC systems that transcend national borders. By enhancing migrant coverage, ASEAN countries can make UHC systems truly 'universal'. Migrant inclusion in UHC is a human rights imperative, and it is in ASEAN's best interest to protect the health of migrants as it pursues the path toward collective social progress and regional economic prosperity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]