Thailand, November 13–14, 2025 — The SEASREP 2025 Conference marked the 30th anniversary of the Southeast Asian Studies Regional Exchange Program (SEASREP). The conference took place at the Institute of East Asian Studies of Thammasat University, Thailand, and gathered scholars, practitioners, and long-time supporters of Southeast Asian Studies. It was not only an academic event but also a celebration of the thirty years of SEASREP’s contribution to the empowerment of scholarship in the region.
The conference opened with a keynote speech by Dr. Maria Serena Diokno, Co-Founder of SEASREP. During her speech, she looked back at how SEASREP had developed over the years since its inception to become a foundation that assists Southeast Asian scholars to study their own region. She highlighted SEASREP’s long-standing role in providing scholarships, fostering academic networks, and encouraging young researchers to pursue Southeast Asian languages as part of their scholarly training. Prof. Dr. Charnvit Kasetsiri and Prof. Dr. Taufik Abdullah, who are two other SEASREP co-founders, were invited to the conference as special guests, thus highlighting the importance of this milestone celebration.
Prof. Dr. Rini Rachmawati, S.Si., MT. and Nurina Aulia Haris, M.A., the representatives from the Center of Southeast Asian Social Studies at Universitas Gadjah Mada (CESASS UGM), took an active part in the academic discussion. They presented their research at Panel 18: Urban Transformation in Southeast Asia on 13 November with the title “Smart City in Global Perspective: Overview of Smart City Concept and Implementation in ASEAN Countries”, and Panel 19: Timor Leste in Southeast Asia on November 14 on “Indonesia-Timor Leste: Identification of Border Issues from an Indigenous People’s Perspective” respectively.
On the whole, the SEASREP 2025 Conference was an effective celebration of three decades of the development of Southeast Asian Studies and the creation of meaningful interactions between scholars who are interested in studying the dynamic past, present, and future of the region.
Reporter: Nurina Aulia Haris
Editor: Mellyana Nungki Pramitha