Society

What Happened: On August 5, in the aftermath of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s resignation, Bangladesh broke out in joyful celebrations. But the outpouring of emotion quickly turned dark, with widespread attacks on those seen as the sword-arm of Hasina during her 15-year rule: the Bangladesh police force. Facing mass violence and a power vacuum, Bangladesh’s police declared a strike. Anarchy followed, as opportunists turned to armed robbery, looting, and arson. As the interim government seeks to restore order, rebuilding trust in the police force will be a crucial challenge.

Our Focus: The Bangladesh police force has long been seen as a tool in the hands of Hasina’s government. For over a decade, they have used force to quell dissent and protests against Hasina. However, the police adopted particularly brutal tactics against this summer’s student movement. Over 400 people, mainly students, were killed in the crackdown, and over 11,000 were detained. Outage over the excessive use of force was the spark that lit the nation aflame. “The police force is packed with Hasina’s political partisans who did everything to uphold her fascist regime,” Mahmud Ul Haque, a student activist from University of Dhaka, told The Diplomat. After Hasina resigned, public anger turned against the police, who were seen as her proxies. Some 450 police stations across the country were attacked by mobs; over 40 police officers were killed. In response, the police went on strike, and Bangladesh descended into chaos.

What Comes Next: Bangladesh’s interim government has made restoring order its top priority – and that includes rehabilitating the police force. It ordered an end to the strike, while also pleading with the people not to assault police officers or stations. “Whether it is the occurrence of robberies or the fear of them, please try to understand the need for the police,” the acting home minister told the public. The government has reassigned or suspended many of the officers who were in charge during the height of the protest movement while investigations begin into the killings of protesters. But more will need to be done. As one police official put it, “The current state of the police is a result of political exploitation and arbitrary orders from senior officials. We need leadership that commands us with the people’s welfare in mind, not one that pits us against the public for political gain.”

INTERVIEW

Alexander Vuving, a professor at the Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies in Honolulu, on Nguyen Phu Trong’s impact on Vietnam’s politics and society: “The centralization of policy-making, the reliance on the security and police forces, and the purge of liberal thoughts have enormously changed Vietnam’s political system. As a result, Trong left behind a party-state that governs mostly by control and coercion rather than consensus and legitimacy.”

Northeast Asia

On August 20, Japan and India held a meeting of their foreign and defense ministers – a so-called 2+2 meeting – meant to further cement their cooperation amid shared concerns over China’s rise. What should have been a celebratory diplomatic event, however, faced new headwinds: Japan’s Prime Minister Kishida Fumio, who has been a key proponent of Tokyo’s more active foreign policy, announced last week that he will not stand for re-election as party leader, and thus prime minister, in September.

South Asia

Since the beginning of this week, Pakistan’s internet has been unusually slow – operating at speeds 40 percent to 80 percent slower than the previous week. The issue has been particularly acute for WhatsApp, a ubiquitous social media messaging app, with Pakistani users reporting even sending simple text messages is impossible. Many Pakistanis suspect the slowdown is a side-effect of censorship efforts as an economic crisis heats up criticism of the government. Pakistan’s government has denied any involvement.

Southeast Asia

Paetongtarn Shinawatra, the daughter of divisive former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, was this week sworn into office as Thailand’s prime minister. The 37-year-old has become the country’s youngest-ever leader, and the third member of the Shinawatra clan to serve as prime minister, after her father Thaksin and aunt Yingluck, both of whom were removed in coups d’etat. Paetongtarn’s elevation came after her predecessor Srettha Thavisin was kicked out of office by the Constitutional Court for a minor ethical violation – the latest in a long line of judicial interventions in the country’s politics. Thailand’s new leader has vowed to “serve everyone equally and wholeheartedly,” but will face considerable challenges in stepping out of her father’s long shadow.

Central Asia

South Korea is getting in on the rail game in Central Asia. Although various leaders in Seoul have long had grand ambitions of a rail link – an Iron Silk Road – from South Korea across all of Eurasia for years, the present relationship with North Korea marks that as an impossibility. Nevertheless, South Korea is working with Tajikistan on developing the Jaloliddini Balkhi-Jayhun-Nizhny Panj Railway project which would help Dushanbe diversify its trade routes. The project is only that the feasibility study stage, but illustrates South Korea’s growing engagements in Central Asia.

China’s low level of consumption is tied up with persistently low household disposable income, which is well below the norm of 50% of GDP.

Society

Uriminjokkiri, Korean for “by our people amongst ourselves,” was a much-used slogan in North Korea implying that unification should be achieved by Koreans working together without foreign interference. The once-prevalent saying has been scrapped after Kim Jong Un rubbished the idea of unification.