Synopsis

The global migration crisis is posing serious threats to national security with asylums seekers and refugees fleeing to transition and destination countries in Asia. The number of undocumented migrants across Asia is growing exponentially and governments are struggling to control these complex flows of people. How can “sending” and “receiving” countries in Asia manage migration to benefit the region rather than threaten it?

About the Speakers

Anna Olsen is the Technical Specialist with the Tripartite Action to Enhance the Contribution of Labour Migration to Growth and Development in ASEAN (TRIANGLE II) project. In this role, she works on legal and policy development, assisting with capacity building activities, providing support in drafting of legislation to protect migrants and managing activities for providing direct support to migrant workers in Cambodia, Lao PDR, Vietnam, Myanmar, Thailand and Malaysia. Prior to this role, Anna worked more broadly on issues of human trafficking, labour migration, child protection and women’s rights in South East Asia. She was based in Cambodia for over five years, working with the Ministry of Women’s Affairs as a technical assistant to the Minister, The Asia Foundation as the Prosecution Project Officer for the Counter-Trafficking in Persons Project and with UNICEF and ILO as a consultant on child protection and legislative analysis. Anna holds a double degree in Arts and Laws (with Honours) from the University of Melbourne and a LLM in Legal Practice from the Australian National University.

Ezekiel Simperingham is the IFRC Regional Advisor for Migration, based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Ezekiel provides advice and technical support on migration to 38 Red Cross / Red Crescent National Societies across the Asia Pacific Region. The migration work of the IFRC focuses on ensuring that the humanitarian needs of all migrants are met, including the needs of refugees, labour migrants, persons who have been trafficked and climate displaced persons. Ezekiel supports the IFRC to meet the needs of migrants through humanitarian assistance, protection, advocacy, integration and re-integration actions and programmes.

Michael Pulch headed the Russia Division in the European External Action Service (EEAS) in Brussels, where he coordinated EU policies on Russia and chaired the EU Interservice Group on Russia before his arrival in Singapore in September 2013. Prior to that from 2006 to 2011 he was posted to Beijing as Deputy Chief of Mission of the EU Delegation to China, in charge of EU policies on China and relations with Mongolia. Dr Pulch entered the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1986, serving in the United Nations Directorate, before he was attached to the German embassy in Seoul as political officer. During his posting to Washington as deputy head of the Economic Section he covered economic aspects of security policy. In 1995 Dr Pulch joined the US Division of the European Commission in Brussels focussing on US foreign and security policy. From 1999 to 2003, he was posted to the EU Delegation in Tokyo, where he headed the Trade and Commerce Section that defines EU trade policy objectives for Japan. As deputy head of the European Commission’s East Asia Division in Brussels until 2006 he worked on political and economic aspects of EU relations with countries in the Far East/Australasia region. He also co-authored the EU’s first East Asia Policy Guidelines. Dr Pulch holds degrees in law and political sciences from the universities of Bonn, Paris and Cambridge. He received honorary citizenships of the State of Tennessee and the City of Little Rock, Arkansas. He speaks English, German, French and Dutch. He is married with two children.

Moe Thuzar is also an ISEAS Fellow, and coordinator of the Myanmar Studies Programme, which she earlier coordinated from July 2012 to October 2013. Before Moe joined the Centre in May 2008, she headed the ASEAN Secretariat’s Human Development Unit, which coordinated ASEAN cooperation in labour, youth, social welfare, education, women’s affairs, poverty reduction and rural development, health, and civil service matters. At ISEAS, Moe has co-authored with Pavin Chachavalpongpun, Myanmar: Life After Nargis (ISEAS, 2009), and has co-edited with Yap Kioe Sheng, “Urbanisation in Southeast Asia: Issues and Impacts” (ISEAS, 2012). She has contributed to several compendia/volumes on ASEAN, and on Myanmar. Moe is also a resident analyst for Channel News Asia’s Think Tank programme. Her research interests cover Myanmar’s reforms, urbanisation and environmental cooperation in ASEAN, ASEAN integration issues, and ASEAN’s dialogue relations. Moe was a Temasek scholar for the Master in Public Policy Programme at the National University of Singapore.