Researchers' Activities

CIL Director Robert Beckman was invited to give a live studio interview for Channel News Asia’s newly launched “Think Tank” Segment on 12 March 2012. Prof Beckman shared his insights on the South China Sea disputes and his views on the prospects for resolution. The segment was aired live at 7:30 on 12 March 2012.

CIL Director Robert Beckman made a presentation on “Military Activities in the EEZ: Legal Issues” (download in PDF) at an international conference on “Security Environment of the Seas in East Asia: From the East and South China Seas – Power Shift and Response”. The conference was jointly organized by the Maritime Security Programme at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) and the Ocean Policy Research Foundation (OPRF) of Japan. It was held at the Marina Mandarin Hotel from 28-29 February 2012. The other two speakers in the panel on EEZ activities were Dr. Moritaka Hayashi, Professor Emeritus, Waseda University, and Dr. Jin Yongming, Associate Professor, Director of Center for Oceans Law, Law Institute, Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences.

CIL Chairman Prof Tommy Koh outlines Asia’s challenges in the 21st century at the ADB Eminent Person’s Lecture. To download his speech in PDF, click here.

The Asian Society of International Law held its 3rd NUS-AsianSIL Young Scholars Workshop 2012 – Asian Approaches to International Law on 23-24 February 2012 at NUS, Bukit Timah Campus. CIL Research Fellow Tara Davenport presented her paper “Southeast Asian Approaches to Maritime Delimitation.” CIL Director Robert Beckman and Research Fellow Youna Lyons chaired the panels on Oceans Law and the Environment respectively. Research Fellow and Executive Director of the CIL ASEAN ITL Project Dr Tan Hsien-Li, CIL  co-chaired the Workshop, along with Dean of the Faculty of Law, Simon Chesterman. More information on the Young Scholars Workshop can be found here.

CIL Chairman Prof Tommy Koh delivers a speech on “India and ASEAN: Partners for Peace, Progress and Stability” (download in PDF) at Delhi Dialogue IV, New Delhi, India.

CIL Senior Research Fellow Dr Tan Hsien-Li presented her paper, co-written with CIL Research Associate Ranyta Yusran, on “The Impact of the Rome Statute in Southeast Asia and the Way Forward” at the Conference on “Justice for All? The International Criminal Court – A Conference: A Ten Year Review” at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia.

CIL Research Associate Ranyta Yusran participated in the 2nd Meeting on Violence, Exploitation, and Migration Affecting Women and Children in ASEAN held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The Meeting was held by the Human Rights Resource Centre. Ms Yusran is appointed to be the Country Rapporteur to conduct a baseline survey on issues of violence, exploitation, and migration affecting women and children in Indonesia. The baseline survey initiative receives positive support from members of the ASEAN Commission for the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Women and Children (ACWC) and is intended to be used to assist the work of ACWC. The baseline surveys of all 10 ASEAN Member Countries are expected to be completed in April 2012 and launched in May 2012.

CIL Director Robert Beckman made a presentation to government officials in Brunei Darussalam on 26 January 2012 at the Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Institute for Defence and Strategic Studies (SHHBIDSS). Prof Beckman’s presentation was on “UNCLOS Dispute Settlement Mechanisms and the South China Sea”. His presentation was followed by a question and answer session. Prof Beckman was invited by SHHBIDSS as a Distinguished Speaker in its Southeast Asia Security Roundtable Series IV. The SHHBIDSS was established in 2007 and is within the Ministry of Defence.

CIL Patron Professor S Jayakumar delivered an address on “Conflict Resolution: The Need for a New International Paradigm” (download in PDF) at the International Conference on Global Movement of Moderates in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

A/P Michael Ewing-Chow, Head of CIL’s Trade and Investment Law & Policy Programm and WTO Chair, advised the members of the Working Meeting of the ASEAN Plus Three Emergency Rice Reserve (APTERR) on their WTO obligations with regard to the procurement and release of rice under APTERR’s Rules and Procedures. Senior officials from the ASEAN+3 countries attended the meeting in Singapore. Assoc Prof Ewing-Chow was appointed as the Legal Expert to the APTERR project by the Asian Development Bank which has been tasked to assist APTERR with legal and economic issues. CIL Research Associate, Liu Gehuan worked with Assoc Prof Ewing-Chow on the legal opinion. In his presentation, Assoc Prof Ewing-Chow addressed legal issues relating to subsidies, procurement and market pricing. The meeting successfully negotiated a significant portion of the text of the Rules and Procedures of APTERR.