Australia – Asia relations

Australia – Asia relations

Investing in the future of Asian language literacy in Australia by learning from the past

The Australian Consortium for “In-Country” Indonesian Studies (ACICIS) — the organisation I head up — is here today as the direct result of previous Australian Government policy choices and public investment in Asian language education. Australia has done Asian language education well in the past. We could do it better again in the future if …

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Joint statement: One year after the military coup in Myanmar

On 1 February 2022, people in Myanmar will mark the first anniversary of renewed military dictatorship with protest and resistance. The coup prevented an elected government from taking office. The military extralegally detained its members, and embarked on a program of state violence reminiscent of the atrocities in 2017 that led hundreds of thousands of …

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“The Santa Cruz Massacre, Thirty Years On” Symposium

Today in my city… Mothers crying …their tears water the flowers that scatter on the gravestones of Santa Cruz Cemetery Their bodies have disappeared from our side But their names are imprinted in the heart of the Timorese People Egas Alves, “Today in my city,” 31 May 1995 On 12 November 1991, Indonesian soldiers shot …

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Where is Asia in ‘Fortress Australia’?

For Australia’s neighbours in the Indo-Pacific region the AUKUS nuclear submarine deal announced late September signalled a firm pivot toward traditional Western allies. The strengthening of a narrative that positions China as a threat to Australia’s security is also bound to further alienate the inflow of Chinese students to Australian Universities. As Australia closes in …

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Vale Dr Ni Win Zaw, Head, Department of Library and Information Studies, University of Yangon

Over the past two years there have been many tragedies due to COVID-19. August 2021, very sadly, saw the passing of Dr Ni Win Zaw, Professor (Head), Department of Library and Information Studies, University of Yangon, from this dreadful virus. Myanmar has lost a great professional leader. The future of library education and preservation of …

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Former ASAA President honoured by Emperor of Japan

Former President of the ASAA, Emeritus Professor Purnendra Jain, has been awarded the highest Japanese honour open to an academic. In a ceremony held in Adelaide on Friday 26 March, Consul-General Shimada Junji awarded Professor Jain the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon in recognition of his “contribution to promoting academic …

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