Print this page TAIPEI - Stay-home orders in the Philippines didn’t work for lower-class people who rely on short term jobs for family income. They went out in 2020 despite the pandemic and despite the rules. Eventually tens of thousands were arrested and jailed in conditions that raise their risk of getting sick.
In Thailand, citizens worried about the pandemic’s impact on their signature tourism and export industries have protested the government, even the king. Neighboring Malaysia has excluded migrants and refugees from COVID-19 relief programs.
These are just a few examples from Southeast Asia cited by international advocacy groups last year. They tell a broader story: COVID-19 outbreaks worsened human rights issues on much of the subcontinent.