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Dear reader,
Environmental advocates play a crucial role as the first line of defence against ecological collapse. Where strong-arm law enforcement tactics are deployed to curb resistance, however, the space for any form of meaningful activism – and to speak truth to power – is immediately restricted.
Hong Kong's sustainability sector, for example, is in a tight spot now. Like other global financial centres, it has been struggling with a talent shortage. Some say a punitive security law that gives the government sweeping powers to crush dissent has exacerbated the problem, and has especially impacted the work of civic society groups. Associate editor Robin Hicks, recently in Hong Kong, finds out from industry insiders if the picture is as grim as outsiders paint it to be.
In the Philippines, opposition to damaging industries is often met with violent crackdowns. As anti-mining protests heighten, video footage of protesting residents being dragged by the police has prompted lawyers and academics to call for prudence and accountability. There must be a right way to treat activists and protesters, they say.
It is unfortunate then, that in areas where the long arm of the law is needed to protect nature from being destroyed, it is not present. In Southeast Asia, environmental organisations have had to take a stronger stance against animal poaching. This week, we feature Talarak Foundation, a non-profit doing its part to protect five endemic species in the wake of a super typhoon. |
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Ng Wai Mun
Assistant editor |
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