Shu Fang

Shu Fang

August 23, 2026

Southeast Asian countries, National minority, legislative system.

Southeast Asian countries tend to have social structures marked by multiple ethnic groups and religions, and this has led to considerable institutional diversity in how they legally address ethnic issues, with noticeable differences from one type to another. This paper takes the constitutions and relevant laws of major Southeast Asian countries as its subject, offering a systematic look at legal norms in areas such as ethnic diversity, the relationship between religion and politics, ethnic equality and solidarity, and regional ethnic autonomy. On that basis, the existing laws related to ethnic affairs are sorted and organized. Through a detailed examination and comparative analysis, the paper aims to shed light on the overall structural features and normative logic of the ethnic legal systems in Southeast Asia, while also providing some reference points for understanding the rule-of-law model of ethnic governance in the region.

© 2026, the Authors. Published by ISCCAC

This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY-NC license