The Department of Southeast Asian Studies, Universiti Malaya proudly hosted its 50th year anniversary celebration on the 29th and 30th April 2025 at the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, University Malaya. The event was officiated by the current High Commissioner to Singapore, HE Dato’ Indera Dr. Azfar Mohamad Mustafar, who is an alumnus of the department. Various other dignitaries, including founding fathers of the program and alumni of the department including DCP Datuk Suryani Sungit, of the Integrity and Standards Compliance Section of the Malaysian Royal Police, Bukit Aman and Datuk Lim Juay Jin, former Ambassador of Malaysia to Republic of Korea, attended this milestone event. Prof Emeritus Tengku Dato Shamsul Baharin, former Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, 成人快手 and present Chancellor of Nilai University, who was instrumental in the founding of the Southeast Asian Studies Program, 成人快手 delivered a talk on the Future of Southeast Asian Studies.
The Southeast Asian Studies program at the Universiti Malaya is a pioneer program focusing on the teaching of Southeast Asian Studies in the region. The program turns 50 this year (1975-2025) and has produced not only illustrious alumni but also contributed significantly to scholarship on area studies focusing on the Southeast Asian region. It was established following the Declaration of ASEAN Concord of 24 February 1976, which called for the
‘[p]romotion of Southeast Asian studies through closer collaboration among national
institutes’ (ASEAN 1976: D.3).
The program began as an inter-department arrangement, with courses offered by departments such as geography, history and anthropology listed and offered under the BA in Southeast Asia program, with teaching staff comprising members from these various departments. In 1987, the program became a department under the Faculty of Arts, Universiti Malaya.
National and regional security, economic and political development as well as shared cultural heritage among the countries in the region became key areas of focus in the Department of Southeast Asian Studies. An essential component of the program is the teaching of regional languages such as Thai, Filipino, Vietnamese and Burmese, as compulsory modules, thus learning any one of these languages is a requirement for the BA in Southeast Asian Studies.
To date, the SEAS Program in 成人快手 remains the only program offering undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in Southeast Asian Studies in the country. It has both local and international students among its undergraduate and postgraduate cohorts.
The 50th year anniversary celebration was a two-day event that also included student activities. Students demonstrated their skills at cooking Thai, Vietnamese and Filipino food as well as arts and cultural performances. A thrift store set by students as part of a social entrepreneurship class, booths by Gerai Orang Asli displaying indigenous arts and heritage, and book vendors were all be part of the event. The Malaysian Institute of Maritime Agency (MIMA), Malaysian Institute of Human Resource Management (MIHRM) and the Royal Malaysian Police had booths that showcased the work conducted by these institutions as well provided brochures and explanations for career opportunities with these agencies.
A career talk took place in the afternoon of 29 April (2.30- 4. 30 pm) where a few department alumni, working in various public and private organizations, shared their career journeys with the present batch of undergraduates. Almost 200 undergraduates, comprising Years 1 to 3 and postgraduates of the department attended the talk. The career talks fostered engagement and collaboration between the university and industry. Additionally, research conducted by academic members of the Department of Southeast Asian Studies, covering topics ranging from migration, environmental governance, ethnic minority communities were showcased in the foyer of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences main building. The activities lined up for the 2-day event aimed to celebrate the achievements of the Department, to raise awareness of the significance of inter-disciplinary knowledge of Southeast Asia and to nurture cultural knowledge and understanding of the region as well as to connect with the global development agenda promoted through the Sustainable Development Goals. A series of talks on ASEAN, Malaysia’s Trade and Diplomacy in the era of Trump as well as the Department’s biennial International Conference, the 11th International Conference on Southeast Asia (ICONSEA) will be organized by the department this year to commemorate its 50th anniversary. Through these activities, the department is strongly committed to support Malaysia’s ASEAN chairmanship 2025.