Researchers' Activities

CIL Director Professor Robert Beckman and CIL Senior Research Fellow Dr Hao Duy Phan were invited to participate in the 7th South China Sea International Conference on “Cooperation for Regional Security and Development” on 23-24 November 2015 in Vung Tau, Viet Nam. The Conference was jointly organised by the Diplomatic Academy of Viet Nam, the Viet Nam Lawyers Association and the East Sea Foundation. Professor Beckman made a presentation on “The South China Sea: Prospects for Cooperation to Manage the Disputes”. To download his presentation, please click here.

CIL Research Fellow Denise Cheong presented on “The balance between legal and administrative measures – Singapore’s implementation of international conventions on marine spill contingency planning” at the EAS Congress 2015 organised by Partnerships in Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia (PEMSEA), which was held in Danang City, Vietnam from 16-21 November 2015. To download her presentation, please click here.

CIL Senior Research Fellow Youna Lyons presented a paper on ‘Shared Resources in the South China Sea and the Management of Transboundary Environmental Risks’ at the RSIS Maritime Security Programme Workshop on Assessing the Future Maritime Environment in Asia, which was held in Singapore on 12 November 2015. To download her paper summary, please click here. To download her presentation, please click here.

CIL Senior Research Fellow Youna Lyons made a presentation on ‘Ocean Governance, Ocean Conservation and Ocean Industries’ at the Sustainable Ocean Summit organised by the World Ocean Council in Singapore from 9-11 November 2015. To download her presentation, please click here.

CIL Research Fellow Junianto James Losari was invited to speak at the Asia FDI Forum on 5-6 November 2015 in Hong Kong. James presented his paper “Searching for An Ideal Investment Protection Regime for ASEAN+ Dialogue Partners in RCEP: Where Do We Begin?” in which he discussed the baseline study and the method he used to better advise Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) negotiators in the negotiation of the RCEP’s investment chapter. The Forum was jointly organised by the Centre for Financial Regulation and the Economic Development and Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment (Columbia University) and sponsored by Oxfam Hong Kong and the Chinese University of Hong Kong (Faculty of Law). It was attended by legal scholars and practitioners, economists, officers of international organisations and NGOs in Asia Pacific. To view his presentation, click here.

CIL Senior Principal Research Fellow J. Christopher Thomas, QC delivered the keynote address on ‘The New Era of Investment Treaty-Making’ to open the 4th Asia Pacific ADR Conference in Seoul, Korea on 3 November 2015. The Conference was jointly sponsored by the Korean Ministry of Justice, UNCITRAL, the KCAB, and the ICC.

CIL Research Fellow Junianto James Losari attended the Southeast Asia Law Scholars Colloquium held by Universitas Indonesia in Jakarta, Indonesia on 22 October 2015. James presented a paper that he co-wrote with A/P Michael Ewing-Chow titled “Multiple Authorisation: The Complexity of Desentralisasi in Indonesia and the Potential Contribution of IIAs in Resolving Confusion”. James discussed the problems posed by the desentralisasi system on foreign investors in Indonesia. Subsequently, he suggested ways to alleviate the problems by utilising Indonesia’s existing IIAs to discipline the regional governments. To view his presentation, click here.

CIL Senior Principal Research Fellow J. Christopher Thomas, QC gave a ‘Careers in International Law’ talk on 21 October 2015 to students at the London-based Centre for Transnational Legal Studies.

CIL Senior Research Fellow Youna Lyons attended the 8th ABLOS Conference 2015 in Monaco – UNCLOS: Advances in Managing the Blue World. Youna presented a paper on ‘States International Rights and Obligations in the Race for Giant Clams in the South China Sea’, which was co-authored by Ms Neo Mei Lin, Research Fellow, NUS Tropical Marine Science Institute, CIL Research Fellow Denise Cheong and CIL Research Assistant Hiu Fung Wong. To download the presentation, please click here.

CIL Research Fellow Denise Cheong participated in the Nuclear Energy Experts Group (NEEG) organised by the Council for Security Cooperation in the Asia Pacific (CSCAP) and held in Singapore on 15-16 October 2015.