Southeast Asia's Drug Wars: Control and Marginalization
Southeast Asia's performative drug policies have been criticized for marginalizing migrants and minorities, while leaving criminal networks untouched.
A notable example is the case of Mary Jane Veloso, a Filipina human trafficking victim who was sentenced to death in Indonesia in 2010 on drug trafficking charges. Despite being denied adequate legal representation, she spent nearly 15 years on death row before her eventual release.
Her story reflects a regional pattern of performative border control, where drug wars are mobilized as populist tropes.
Governments across Southeast Asia have leveraged public outrage over drug use and foreign drug smugglers to define drugs as national security threats, justifying the politicization of borders, minority targeting, and harsh sentencing. This approach is reminiscent of the Philippines' 1970s martial law.
The case highlights the precarious position of economic migrants and minorities in Southeast Asia's war on drugs.
Author's summary: Southeast Asia's drug wars target migrants.