nder The Radar is a special series and newsletter offering from Diplomatic Courier bringing you compelling, under–the–radar stories from around the world over the past month. This month across Southeast Asia and Oceania: a controversial social media ban in Australia, Siamese crocodiles inch away from extinction, and the potential impact of Indonesia’s new president on an ongoing humanitarian crisis. You can sign up to receive the newsletter here.
On 28 November, Australia’s Parliament passed changes to the Online Safety Act that will ban children under the age of 16 from using social media. The law is intended to prioritize the safety of social media users and place the onus on social media platforms to protect their customers. If social media companies do not comply, they could face a fine of AU$50 million.
Many believe that by preventing minors from using social media, there will be a reduction in bullying, and children will have less exposure to content that could promote eating disorders or self–harm. While these benefits are widely acknowledged, others call into question the possible impacts of isolating teens from communicating with supportive groups or physically distant family members.
Some politicians also expressed concern with the law. They suggest that there isn’t much benefit to complete prohibition as children will likely find a way around restrictions. Instead, they recommend taking time to create guidelines and restrictions tailored to be more effective than a complete ban.
Meta also released a statement opposing the ban before the law had passed. Although the social metaverse company agrees that protecting children is essential, the statement argues that the Australian government should have taken more time, consulted experts, and conducted research before taking action.
Nearly extinct crocodile species back from brink
On 30 October 2024, Britannica updated its entry for Siamese crocodiles, marking a promising resurgence in a species that had been on the brink of extinction. Although Siamese crocodiles are still critically endangered—between 500 and 1,000 in Southeast Asia—conservationists see reason for optimism.
These now–rare crocodiles were hunted to the edge of extinction by “crocodile farmers” who captured them to breed and sell their skin to make luxury goods. A survey carried out in 2000 revealed that only a few Siamese crocodiles remained in the Cardamom Mountains. Local Indigenous communities were protecting the surviving population, but numbers of the species had already dropped too far to recover.. Instead, conservationists turned to crocodile farmers in hopes of using their knowledge of breeding crocodiles to save the population. However, conservationists couldn’t use just any crocodile from these farms as crocodile farmers often bred Siamese crocodiles with other species. Releasing hybridized crocodiles into the wild posed the risk of more aggressive crocodiles that could upset the ecological balance. Thus, conservationists had to take time to identify purebred Siamese crocodiles for their breeding program.
These painstaking efforts have proven worthwhile, with conservationists celebrating the birth of 60 wild Siamese crocodile hatchlings. Conservationists also have hope that crocodile farms are part of a declining industry—the crocodile market was hit hard by the pandemic—and take comfort in the fact that most crocodile farmers have plenty of crocodiles in their farms. Still, gill nets and habitat loss remain a risk for the reintroduction of this species.
New Indonesian president triggers human rights abuse fears
Supporters of the Free West Papua Campaign continue to condemn Indonesia’s new president, Prabowo Subianto, with recent protests occurring in London against his visit. Many Papuans fear the worst from the recently inaugurated President—a former military general accused of human rights abuse.
In 2022, the UN condemned and called for an immediate end to abuses against Indigenous Papuans that included extrajudicial murder, kidnapping of chidren, torture, and forced displacement. Yet the humanitarian crisis seems to be intensifying, with Indonesian authorities restricting access to Papua. A February 2024 video shared the torture of a Papuan man by Indonesian soldiers. Indonesia is also carrying out a massive deforestation project intended to create additional sugar plantations—the project involves seizing Indigenous land in violation of rights afforded those groups.
This was the situation before President Subianto was inaugurated in October 2024. Many fear the situation will worsen under Subianto, who has been implicated in numerous extrajudicial deaths during his time as a military general. Notably, one day after President Subianto’s inauguration, the government announced restarting a transmigration program that previously made Papuans a minority in their own land.
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Australia’s new social media ban faces strong criticism
Photo by Ron Lach via Pexels.
December 4, 2024
Diplomatic Courier staff writer Stephanie Gull brings you three under–the–radar stories from Southeast Asia and Oceania last month: Australia’s social media ban for minors, hope for the endangered Siamese crocodile, and fears about Indonesia’s new president.
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nder The Radar is a special series and newsletter offering from Diplomatic Courier bringing you compelling, under–the–radar stories from around the world over the past month. This month across Southeast Asia and Oceania: a controversial social media ban in Australia, Siamese crocodiles inch away from extinction, and the potential impact of Indonesia’s new president on an ongoing humanitarian crisis. You can sign up to receive the newsletter here.
On 28 November, Australia’s Parliament passed changes to the Online Safety Act that will ban children under the age of 16 from using social media. The law is intended to prioritize the safety of social media users and place the onus on social media platforms to protect their customers. If social media companies do not comply, they could face a fine of AU$50 million.
Many believe that by preventing minors from using social media, there will be a reduction in bullying, and children will have less exposure to content that could promote eating disorders or self–harm. While these benefits are widely acknowledged, others call into question the possible impacts of isolating teens from communicating with supportive groups or physically distant family members.
Some politicians also expressed concern with the law. They suggest that there isn’t much benefit to complete prohibition as children will likely find a way around restrictions. Instead, they recommend taking time to create guidelines and restrictions tailored to be more effective than a complete ban.
Meta also released a statement opposing the ban before the law had passed. Although the social metaverse company agrees that protecting children is essential, the statement argues that the Australian government should have taken more time, consulted experts, and conducted research before taking action.
Nearly extinct crocodile species back from brink
On 30 October 2024, Britannica updated its entry for Siamese crocodiles, marking a promising resurgence in a species that had been on the brink of extinction. Although Siamese crocodiles are still critically endangered—between 500 and 1,000 in Southeast Asia—conservationists see reason for optimism.
These now–rare crocodiles were hunted to the edge of extinction by “crocodile farmers” who captured them to breed and sell their skin to make luxury goods. A survey carried out in 2000 revealed that only a few Siamese crocodiles remained in the Cardamom Mountains. Local Indigenous communities were protecting the surviving population, but numbers of the species had already dropped too far to recover.. Instead, conservationists turned to crocodile farmers in hopes of using their knowledge of breeding crocodiles to save the population. However, conservationists couldn’t use just any crocodile from these farms as crocodile farmers often bred Siamese crocodiles with other species. Releasing hybridized crocodiles into the wild posed the risk of more aggressive crocodiles that could upset the ecological balance. Thus, conservationists had to take time to identify purebred Siamese crocodiles for their breeding program.
These painstaking efforts have proven worthwhile, with conservationists celebrating the birth of 60 wild Siamese crocodile hatchlings. Conservationists also have hope that crocodile farms are part of a declining industry—the crocodile market was hit hard by the pandemic—and take comfort in the fact that most crocodile farmers have plenty of crocodiles in their farms. Still, gill nets and habitat loss remain a risk for the reintroduction of this species.
New Indonesian president triggers human rights abuse fears
Supporters of the Free West Papua Campaign continue to condemn Indonesia’s new president, Prabowo Subianto, with recent protests occurring in London against his visit. Many Papuans fear the worst from the recently inaugurated President—a former military general accused of human rights abuse.
In 2022, the UN condemned and called for an immediate end to abuses against Indigenous Papuans that included extrajudicial murder, kidnapping of chidren, torture, and forced displacement. Yet the humanitarian crisis seems to be intensifying, with Indonesian authorities restricting access to Papua. A February 2024 video shared the torture of a Papuan man by Indonesian soldiers. Indonesia is also carrying out a massive deforestation project intended to create additional sugar plantations—the project involves seizing Indigenous land in violation of rights afforded those groups.
This was the situation before President Subianto was inaugurated in October 2024. Many fear the situation will worsen under Subianto, who has been implicated in numerous extrajudicial deaths during his time as a military general. Notably, one day after President Subianto’s inauguration, the government announced restarting a transmigration program that previously made Papuans a minority in their own land.
