Unexpected Turns

In the four years since the coup d'état in Thailand, the military junta has increasingly consolidated its power. A regime of surveillance and intimidation has led to ongoing uncertainty among the population. Elections have been announced several times, but have been postponed again and again. In contrast,  the May 2018 elections in neighboring Malaysia have brought an unexpected turn. For the first time in more than 50 years, a democratic change of government has taken place. What do these developments mean for the Southeast Asian region?

Prabda Yoon and Bernice Chauly deal with the political turmoil of their times through literary works. Bernice Chauly is the director of the George Town literature festival and after several books of poetry and prose, published her first novel in 2017. Once We Were There tells of an interracial love story in Kuala Lumpur, framed by events of the Reformasi movement. Prabda Yoon is the first Thai fiction author whose English translation was published in the UK. He is a child of the Bangkok middle class and published the novel Basement Moon (so far only available in Thai language) this year. The novel describes the year 2069 with the military junta still holding power Thailand. We discuss with with Bernice Chauly and Prabda Yoon about fears and hopes for Southeast Asia.

With:

• Bernice Chauly, author, Malaysia
• Prabda Yoon, author, Thailand
• Host: Manfred Hornung, Head of Office, Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung, Southeast Asia

Languages: Translation of English/German will be available

No registration required, free entrance

Contact:
Julia Behrens, Project Officer Asia, Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung,
E-Mail, behrens@boell.de, Telephone +49(0)285 34 -361