Internships at the RSO

Saskia is a final-year law and science student at Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane, Australia. She has recently completed an exchange semester at Assumption University in Thailand as part of her New Colombo Plan scholarship, the Australian government initiative is designed to promote international relations and diplomacy across the Indo-Pacific region.

Saskia is currently interning under the Information Sharing and Regional Responses team and will support the RSO on the conceptualisation and implementation of research projects, policy dialogues, program coordination and facilitation of information exchange for the Regional Information Liaison and Outreach Network (RILON) Initiative. Her previous research experience focused on the intersection of environmental protection and human rights, and she is excited to use this experience to support the RSO’s efforts to address people smuggling and related transnational crime.

Recommended book: Bitter Chocolate: Anatomy of an Industry by Carol Off. In her investigative expose, Off explores the evolution of the chocolate industry from the Montezuma’s Aztec court to the bustling factories of today. The book focusses on Côte d’Ivoire’s modern role in the cocoa trade and exposes how human trafficking, exploitation and corruption are a key aspect of its production during the First Ivoirian Civil War.

Email: Saskia.Logan@rso.baliprocess.net

Pyae is a final-year student in the Bachelor of Economics (International Program) at Chiang Mai University. Originally from Yangon, Myanmar. She has been studying in Thailand since 2022. She is currently interning with the Stakeholder Engagement and Events (SEE) team at the RSO. Before joining the RSO, Pyae has also had experience in research, youth engagement and community service.
Her previous roles include supporting academic research at Chiang Mai University, contributing to youth-led digital governance activities in Myanmar and volunteering as an interpreter under community health programmes. She is drawn to development work and the role communication plays in helping people engage with shared challenges. She believes that clear, inclusive storytelling can support better understanding and help different communities work together.

Recommended film: Sin Nombre (2009) — A realistic portrayal of irregular migration and the risks associated with people-smuggling routes. It offers a human-centred view of the challenges faced along the way. The film gently draws attention to the wider dynamics that shape cross-border challenges.

Email: Pyae.Aung@rso.baliprocess.net

Tharatorn is a final-year student majoring in International Relations and Global Affairs at Mahidol University International College. He is currently interning with the Border and Migration Management team at the RSO where he plays a supportive role in the preparation of events, workshops, research, and other related tasks.

Throughout his studies, Tharatorn has taken courses focused on transnational crime in the Asia-Pacific region. After studying and regularly hearing about transnational crime on the news, he is intrigued to understand how the issues are being managed and how he can be a part of the solution.

Tharatorn also studies languages and has completed a short-term exchange program in Beijing, China. His interest in linguistics and communication has inspired a strong vocation to spread relevant and helpful information to raise awareness about issues related to transnational crime in the hope of reducing the number of victims and encouraging institutions to take action.

Email: Tharatorn.Neamphan@rso.baliprocess.net

Ananya is a Master’s of Global Governance candidate at the University of Waterloo through the Balsillie School of International Affairs in Ontario, Canada. She is currently interning with the Transnational Crime and Technology team at the RSO, where she will be supporting research on how emerging technologies are shaping transnational crime specifically new criminal uses of technology in trafficking networks and cyber scam centers. Ananya will help develop policy briefs, research outputs, and monitoring tools to track regional trends. Her previous experience includes internships with the Government of Canada’s Indigenous Services in both the Child and Family Services and Emergency Management team. Ananya also has experience working on a variety of research projects focused on gender in human security policies, as well as projects focused on national and international data governance frameworks.

Recommended book: The Tech Coup: How to Save Democracy from Silicon Valley by Marietje Schaake – Schaake draws from her experiences in the European Parliament and working among Silicon Valley insiders to offer a behind-the-scenes account of how technology companies have crept into nearly every corner of our lives and our governments. Schaake takes readers beyond the headlines to high-stakes meetings with human rights defenders, business leaders, computer scientists, and politicians to show how technologies—from social media to artificial intelligence—have gone from being heralded as utopian to undermining the pillars of our democracies.

Email: Ananya.Vohra@rso.baliprocess.net

Motivated by a strong commitment to combating transnational organized crime within the Southeast Asian region, Ashwini has joined the Border and Migration Management team as an intern for a six-month term, where she will contribute to research and analytical initiatives, as well as support the development and coordination of relevant programmes and events.

Originally hailing from Singapore, Ashwini holds a Bachelor’s degree in Criminology and Criminal Justice from the University of New South Wales (Sydney) and is presently undertaking a Specialist Diploma in Security Consultancy at Temasek Polytechnic (Singapore). Her academic and professional interests are anchored in the nexus of crime, border security and regional policy, with a specific focus on the evolving dynamics of trafficking networks and the pivotal role of intergovernmental cooperation in tackling them.
In addition to her engagement with policy and research, Ashwini has developed a growing interest in the field of Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT) and has gained investigative experience through previous work in wildlife crime cases. She aspires to further explore the intersection of intelligence, technology, and governance in shaping effective responses to cross-border criminal activity.

Recommended book: Factfulness: Ten Reasons We’re Wrong about the World – And Why Things Are Better Than You Think by Hans Rosling with Ola Rosling and Anna Rosling Ronnlund - A compelling entry-level book for individuals seeking to pursue a clearer and more rational thinking in an increasingly complex world. While the book adopts a simplified optimistic approach, it offers an accessible and thought-provoking starting point for understanding global development trends through a data-driven perspective. Drawing on statistical insights, Factfulness challenges widespread misconceptions of certain global issues to encourage readers to embrace a fact-based worldview grounded in nuance and context.

Email: Ashwini.Muruganandam@rso.baliprocess.net

Lucie has recently completed the first year of her Master's in Human Rights at the Institute of Human Rights and Peace Studies (IHRP) at Mahidol University, and is currently focused on writing her thesis. Before joining IHRP, Lucie trained in User Interface and Experience Design, and held roles in various nonprofit and grassroot organisations.

Lucie is interning under the Strategic Communications and Engagement team, where she will support the creation and maintenance of content and information platforms. Her fields of interest include women and children's rights, migration and labour, trust in international human rights mechanisms, and peacebuilding through conflict transformation. Her thesis aims to explore the role of culture and agency of children in cases of trafficking and child domestic labour affecting girls in MENA.

Recommended book:  The Wretched of the Sea: Women and Borders in the Mediterranean

This book, based on research carried out on the Mediterranean coast, recounts the tales of the women who survived perilous voyages, heartbreaking rupture from their family, and the promise of opportunities. The Wretched of the Sea offers a remarkable insight into their daily lives in reception centers, waiting to be accepted into a Europe that often rejects them.

Email: Lucie.BENEVISE@rso.baliprocess.net

Atitaya is currently a fourth-year student studying International Relations and Global Affairs at Mahidol University International College, Thailand. Her fields of interest include human rights, transnational crimes and organised crimes, migration, and international politics. Atitaya has recently joined the RSO in May 2025 as an intern for 3 months, working under the Communication and Engagement team.

Recommended book : In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
The book offers a gripping narrative of the 1959 murder of the Clutter family, capturing the emotional weight of violent crime and its aftermath. The book humanizes both the victims and the perpetrators, challenging readers to reflect on the complexities of justice, morality, and empathy. It illustrates how unpredictable and far-reaching the effects of crime can be, reminding us that anyone—regardless of age, gender, or background—can become a victim.

Email: Atitaya.JORADOL@rso.baliprocess.net

Sophie Quinn is in her final year of a Bachelor of Development Studies at the University of Newcastle, Australia. As a 2024 New Colombo Plan Scholar, she recently completed a semester exchange at the University of Malaya in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, as part of the Australian Government’s initiative to strengthen regional engagement in the Asia- Pacific region.

Sophie is currently interning with the Counter People Smuggling team at the RSO, where she will assist in the preparation of research, reports, and support-related events. She has a strong interest in the protection and empowerment of women, particularly in the context of human trafficking, migration and displacement. Her previous experience includes working with a domestic violence charity in Australia, where she contributed to policy reviews and community outreach initiatives. Sophie is excited to contribute to advancing human rights by supporting regional efforts to address people smuggling and promote safe migration practices.

Recommended book - “The Road of Lost Innocence” by Somaly Mam

The memoir of Somaly Mam, a Cambodian woman, provides an insight into her traumatic childhood experience of being trafficked and forced into sexual slavery. Despite enduring unimaginable abuse, Somaly escaped against all odds and now dedicates her life to rescuing other women and children through the Somaly Mam Foundation, which supports victims of human trafficking.

 

Ann has extensive experience working with marginalised communities within the fields of disability studies, inclusion, and Indigenous education. Professionally trained as a special needs practitioner, Ann is deeply passionate about social justice research that amplifies the voices and lived experiences of minoritised groups, including individuals with profound disabilities, displaced persons, and ethnic communities.

During her internship at the RSO, she supported the organisation’s efforts to address Irregular Migration and Regional Priorities, focusing on areas such as irregular migration research and inclusive civil registration systems, among others.

Recommendation book: Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl – This timeless book, chronicling Frankl’s  experience in a Nazi concentration camp during the Holocaust, explores the human condition through suffering, desperation, and the remarkable capacity for hope and strength. Quoting one of the most famous lines from the book: “Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.” Several decades later, Frankl’s reflections continue to inspire on how people can find meaning and purpose even in the most unlikely places and moments.

Email: ann.dela.torre@rso.baliprocess.net

Xin Yi is from Taiwan and has recently finished her master's studies in International and Security Politics at the European School of Political and Social Science (ESPOL) in Lille, France. She joined the RSO as an intern under both the Border and Migration Management team and the Transnational Crime and Technology team for six months in the beginning of January 2025 and has since transitioned to Associate Program Officer in the Transnational Crime and Technology team. Her field of interest is human rights, refugees and asylum seekers, and global migration issues, particularly the migration dynamics in the Southeast Asia, which led to her interest in interning at the RSO. Before she started her internship here, she interned at a policy-focused think tank in Taiwan and a Japanese humanitarian NGO.

Recommended Book: Legitimising Rejection: International Refugee Law in Southeast Asia, Sara E. Davies

This book discusses the relationship of the international refugee law and the Southeast Asian countries from a different perspective. Given the fact that most of the Southeast Asian countries are not party to the international refugee law, there are a lot of existing literature trying to explain this phenomenon. Sara E. Davies's book points out the importance of looking at how states relate to law and how law shapes behavior by enabling and constraining certain types of action.

Email: xin.yi.huang@rso.baliprocess.net

Jasmine is in her fourth year of a Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of International Relations and Politics at the University of Canberra in Australia. She has recently completed a trimester of study at Mahidol University in Thailand as part of her New Colombo Plan scholarship program, which is an Australian Government initiative that supports undergraduate students to live, study and intern in the Indo-Pacific region. She interned under the Transnational Crime and Technology team for 6 months and supported the team with the planning and completion of events, research, and other activities during this time.

Her fields of interest are international human and child rights law as well as international environmental law and she wishes to work in these areas once completing her studies. She is particularly interested in learning about how policy can be developed and used to advocate for women and children from marginalised communities who are some of the most vulnerable demographics for human trafficking. Gaining a better understanding of how international diplomacy, stakeholder negotiations and international law are applied in the context of transnational crime and technology are some of the things she looked forward to whilst interning with the RSO.

Recommended Book: Blood and Earth: Modern Slavery, Ecocide, and the Secret to Saving the World, Kevin Bales

The book explores the link between modern-day slavery and environmental destruction, revealing how the exploitation of people in lawless regions also devastates the planet. Through his research, Bales shows how global supply chains, from cellphones to shrimp, are connected to both human trafficking and environmental harm.

Will finished his studies at Mahidol University International College in International Relations and Global Affairs and the RSO as an intern under the Communications and Engagement team. Will has acquired a multitude of work experience from education and private sectors, he now hopes to apply the knowledge he has gained into the non-profit and the governmental sphere. He took interest in human rights and humanitarianism over the course of his studies and is very excited to have joined the RSO.

Following his internship, Will remained on the Communications and Engagement team as an Associate Programme Officer.

Recommended books: Neil Gaiman’s Anansi’s Boys and Mark Manson’s The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F**k.

Anansi’s Boys stimulates the imagination of the mind. While Mark Manson’s book allows the reader to understand the world through a realistic lens.

Praethong is currently in her fourth year, majoring in International Relations and Global Affairs at Mahidol University International College, Thailand. Praethong joined the RSO as an intern under the Irregular Migration and Regional Priorities team in mid-September 2024. She supports the team in research, events, and other activities. Her fields of interest include transnational crimes, human rights, climate change, and international politics.

Recommended Book: Transnational Crime and the 21st Century: Criminal Enterprise, Corruption, and Opportunity, Jay Albanese

The book offers a broad overview of the nature of transnational crime, methods of transnational criminal networks operating in various forms such as human trafficking, drug smuggling, counterfeiting, and cybercrime, and how globalization has created new opportunities for criminal organizations. It also discusses the efforts of international
institutions to combat these crimes and the challenges in doing so.

Email: Praethong.napanaruemit@rso.baliprocess.net

Sarawut majored in International Relations and Global Affairs at Mahidol University International College, Thailand. He joined the RSO as an intern under the Communications and Engagement team in late April 2024.

Sarawut supported the RSO Communications & Engagement team in making summaries of RSO activities, sending invitations, and updating news and trends around trafficking in persons, people smuggling, and related transnational crimes. His fields of interest include human rights, migration, politics, and International Relations.

Following his internship, Sarawut joined the Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning team as an associate programme officer.

Recommended book: Human Trafficking in Thailand: Current Issues, Trends, and the Role of the Thai Government.

This book addresses the reality of human trafficking in Thailand, dissecting studies, presenting facts, and dismissing stereotypes. It focuses on the areas of fishing, agriculture, domestic work, sex work, and the trafficking of children, weaving individual narratives and official studies into the wider history of Thailand’s changing economy and labor situation. It also details how the Thai government has addressed the issue, reflects on the roots of human exploitation, and suggests a way forward. 

Email: sarawut.pongsuwan@rso.baliprocess.net 

 

Sophie is in her fourth year of a Bachelor of Laws (Honours) and Bachelor of Government & International Relations at Griffith University in Brisbane, Australia. She is currently living in Bangkok under the New Colombo Plan Scholarship—an Australian Government initiative which supports undergraduate students to live, study and intern in the Indo-Pacific region.

Sophie joined the RSO as an intern under the Transnational Crime and Technology team in August 2024, supporting the planning and completion of the team’s events, research, and other activities. Her fields of interests include international human and child rights law, modern slavery, trafficking in persons, and international politics. She hopes to work as an international lawyer to advocate for the rights of people who are silenced and oppressed.

Recommended Book: No Friend But the Mountains, Behrouz Boochani

Kurdish-Iranian journalist and refugee, Behrouz Boochani, wrote this poignant book on a mobile phone while being held in detention on Manus Island, smuggling the story out of his detention via WhatsApp. It tells the story of Boochani’s asylum journey—from persecution in Iran, to years of detention on Manus Island.

This life-changing book reminds us that when we talk about refugees, asylum seekers, and challenges faced by countries in regulating migration and people smuggling, we are talking about people. Humans. In the face of these challenges, it is easy to get caught up in politics, logistics and practicalities. This book strips all of that away and exposes the raw emotions and experiences of detainees. The vivid poetry and prose makes the reader experience these emotions as if it were their own—a stark reminder of our common humanity in an age of heightened division.

 Email: Sophie.nakamura@rso.baliprocess.net 

Sopheakneat joined the RSO as an intern under the Communications and Engagement team in February 2024. Sopheakneat support3e the organization of meetings, roundtables, and other events led by the RSO. He also assist3e the RSO team in tracking the latest developments and trends regarding the issues of trafficking in persons, people smuggling, and related transnational crimes.

Currently, Sopheakneat graduated with a degree in Social Policy and Development at Thammasat University, Thailand. His fields of interest include welfare development, migration, digital governance, and human rights.

Recommended book: Governing Asia; Reflection on a Research Journey. The core theme of this book is governance in Asia and what its governments and peoples are doing for the public good. As Asia rises, its policymakers and citizens, and indeed the rest of the world, are increasingly asking how this dynamic region is making public policy, what we can learn from, and how Asia can do better.

Meg Fitzgerald interned with the RSO Transnational Crime and Technology Programme from July 2023 to April 2024 supported by her 2022 New Colombo Plan Scholarship, an Australian Government initiative that supports scholars for 19 months to study, intern, and learn a language in the Indo-Pacific.

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