ASEAN labour migration: Implications for regional stability

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Abstract
In the post‐cold war era, transnational migratory forces and trends have greatly re‐configured the globe, making any systematic understanding difficult. This article attempts to induce some clarity in understanding the phenomena by way of relating migration forces and flows with security and stability, especially as these concepts pertain to Southeast Asia in particular and the Asia‐Pacific region in general. It argues that instabilities are likely to persist as long as states and societies in the region continue to view security and migration from a narrow (albeit, compartmentalized) perspective. Changing notions of security now compel nations to re‐think the defence threats and issues that confront them. Security is now increasingly seen from a multi‐dimensional (i.e. developmental) standpoint where labour flows and markets play an important role. At the same time, transnational labour migration causes a number of socio‐cultural, economic and political tensions that highlight the security sensitivities of both the sending and receiving countries. In the final analysis, the paper raises the argument that a common Southeast Asian (more importantly, the nations that comprise ASEAN) perspective on labour migration can eventually lead to the resolution, if not the immediate minimization, of conflicts and instabilities brought about by expatriate labour flows.

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