More controversy between Burma's two Hluttaw chambers. The two chambers are trying to resolve a bill regulating peaceful protests. According to The Myanmar Times, the Pyithu Hluttaw is seeking a stronger bill than the Amyotha Hluttaw. In particular, U Thein Nyunt of Thingangyun argued that protesters should be allowed to carry the national flag, and not just the flag of their organization or party.
A few things strike out at me. From a legal point of view, Thein Nyunt is using the 2008 Constitution to justify his arguments about the bill. It's fascinating to see that the constitution - so maligned just a year ago - now becomes a platform for rights debates in the Hluttaw.
Politically, the amount of influence Thein Nyunt has over this issue is surprising. He is, after all, a former NLD member and current MP from the National Democratic Force. Yet, he is not only allowed to speak out, but Speaker Thura Shwe Mann approved his objections. I certainly wouldn't have predicted this a year ago...
Critics agree that much of Southeast Asia desperately needs judicial reform and rule of law. Yet, there is remarkably little comparative scholarship on law and legal institutions in the region. In this blog, I'll follow constitutional developments in Brunei, Burma (Myanmar), Cambodia, East Timor, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam, as well as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
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