ABSTRACT
East Asia 1 provides no fewer cases for migration and security studies than any other regions. It is diverse and vibrant. Intra-regional migration is more frequent than inter-regional. East Asia has high degrees of demographic, political, economic, sociocultural and ethnic diversity. It has the world’s biggest population (China, with 1.34 billion) and one of the smallest (Brunei, with only 399,000) (United Nations, 2011). In terms of income, it has the lowest gross national income per capita (Lao People’s Democratic Republic [Lao PDR or Laos], USD 1,130) and the highest (Japan, USD 45,180) (World Bank, 2011). In the Golden Triangle, the Balkans of Asia, there are numerous ethnic minorities, sharing the national borders between Thailand, Myanmar and Lao PDR for trade or employment. As the region as a whole provides ample evidence for the nexus between irregular migration and human security, and intra-regional migration becomes more prominent and dynamic, the set of case studies included in this book adds to a fuller understanding of people’s mobility when irregular.
