List of active autonomist movements in Asia
This is a list of currently active automomist movements in Asia. Separatism often refers to territorial autonomy.
Criteria
What is and is not considered an autonomist or secessionist movement is sometimes contentious. Entries on this list must meet three criteria:
- They are active movements with active members.
- They are seeking greater autonomy or self-determination for a geographic region (as opposed to personal autonomy).
- They are citizens/people of the conflict area and do not come from another country.
Under each region listed is one or more of the following:
- De facto state (de facto entity): for unrecognized regions with de facto autonomy. (Excluding Uncontacted peoples)
- Proposed state: proposed name for a seceding sovereign state.
- Proposed autonomous area: for movements towards greater autonomy for an area but not outright secession.
- De facto autonomous government: for governments with de facto autonomous control over a region.
- Government-in-exile: for a government based outside of the region in question, with or without control.
- Political party (or parties): for political parties involved in a political system to push for autonomy or secession.
- Militant organisation(s): for armed organisations.
- Advocacy group(s): for non-belligerent, non-politically participatory entities.
- Ethnic/ethno-religious/racial/regional/religious group(s).
Azerbaijan
Territory of the short-lived Talysh-Mughan Autonomous Republic
- People: Talysh people
- Proposed: Talysh province with regional administration within the borders of Azerbaijan[1]
- Political organisation: Talysh National Movement
- Government in exile: Talysh-Mughan Autonomous Republic[2]
- Proposed: Talysh province with regional administration within the borders of Azerbaijan[1]
- Ethnic group: Lezgins
- Proposed: Autonomy for Lezgistan
- Political organisation: Sadval movement,[3] Federal Lezgian National and Cultural Autonomy
Bangladesh
- Ethnic group: Jumma people
- Proposed: Autonomy for the Chittagong Hill Tracts[5][6]
- Political parties: Parbatya Chattagram Jana Samhati Samiti, United People's Democratic Front
Georgia
- Ethnic group: Armenians in Samtskhe–Javakheti
- Proposed: Autonomy for the region Javakhk (Javakheti) or unification with Armenia
- Political party: United Javakhk Democratic Alliance[7][8][9]
India
- State or extended autonomous area: Rabha Hasong[10][11]
- Ethnic group: Rabha people
- Militant organizations: Rabha Jatiya Aikya Manch, Rabha Vipers Army (RVA),[12] Rabha National Liberation Army,[13] Rabha Jatiya Mukti Bahini (RJMB)[14][15][16]
- Ethnic group: Indian Gorkhas
- Proposal: creation of a separate autonomous Gorkhaland state within India[17]
- Political movement: Gorkhaland movement
- Political parties: Gorkha National Liberation Front, Akhil Bharatiya Gorkha League, Gorkha Janmukti Morcha
- Ethnic group: Garo people
- Proposal: making the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council into an autonomous state of India[22][23][24]
- Political party: Garo National Council
- Ethnic group: Bundelkhandi
- Proposal: making the region of Bundelkhand into a state of India[25]
- Political party: Bundelkhand Mukti Morcha
- Ethnic group: Marathi people
- Proposal: separation of Vidarbha from the state of Maharashtra[26]
- Political party: Vidarbha Rajya Party, Vidarbha Vikas Party, Nag Vidarbha Andolan Samiti
- Ethnic group: Goans
- Proposed autonomous region: Goa[27]
- Political party: Niz Goenkar Revolution Front
- Ethnic group: Dogri people
- Proposal: separation of the Jammu region from Jammu and Kashmir as a separate state within India[28]
- Political party: Ikkjutt Jammu
- Ethnic group: Bodo people
- Ethnic group: Telugu people
- Proposed: turning Rayalaseema into a state of India
- Political party: Rayalaseema Rashtra Samithi
Bhil Pradesh[33]
- Ethnic group: Bhil people
- Proposed: creation of Bhil Pradesh as a state of India
- Ethnic group: Maithils
- Proposed: creation of a Seemanchal state in India
- Ethnic group: Kodava people
- Proposed: autonomy for Kodagu district
- Political party: Codava National Council
- Ethnic group: Bengalis
- Proposed: creation of a Barak Valley state within India
- Political party: Barak Democratic Front
Indonesia
Iraq
- Proposed autonomous area: Nineveh Plains
- Ethnic group: Assyrians, Christians in Iraq, Mandaeans
- Proposed state: Assyria
- Political parties: Assyrian Democratic Movement, Assyrian Universal Alliance (member of the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization), Assyria Liberation Party
- Militant organisation: Nineveh Plain Protection Units
- Advocacy groups: Assyrian General Conference, Assyria Council of Europe
- Ethnic group: Assyrians, Christians in Iraq, Mandaeans
- Proposed autonomous area: Al-Rafidain Autonomous Region
Proposed state: Basra[38][39][40]
- Current de jure and de facto autonomous region: Basra Governorate
- Ethnic group: Iraqi Turkmen
- Proposed autonomous region or state: Turkmeneli[42][43][44]
- Political party: Iraqi Turkmen Front (member of the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization)[45]
- Ethnic group: Yazidis
- Proposal: autonomy for the Sinjar region, including the Sinjar Mountains
- Political parties: Yazidi Movement for Reform and Progress, Sinjar Alliance[46][47]
- Proposed: elevating in the Al-Zubair District into a province
Japan
- Ethnic group: Japanese people
- Proposed: autonomy for Kansai region
- Political party: Union of Kansai Governments
- Ethnic group: Japanese people
- Proposed: creation of a Kyushu Prefecture
Kazakhstan
- Ethnic group: Koryo-saram
- Proposed: autonomy for the Koryo-saram
Nepal
- Ethnic group: Tharu people
- Proposed: autonomy for Tharuhat
- Ethnic group: Newar people
- Proposed: creation of an autonomous Newar autonomous region
- Political party: Newa Rastriya Mukti Morcha
Pakistan
- Proposed: Southern Punjab be separated into a separate province called Saraikistan in the Saraiki-speaking areas
- Ethnic group: Saraikis
- Political party: Saraikistan Qaumi Council, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz), and Pakistan People's Party
- Ethnic group: Hazarewals
- Proposed: establishment of a separate Hazara province in Pakistan
- Advocacy group: Hazara province movement
- Ethnic group: Kalash people
- Proposed: a separate province for the Kalasha Valleys
- Ethnic group: Saraikis
- Proposed: creation of a Bahawalpur province within Pakistan
Philippines
Cordillera Administrative Region
- Ethnic group: Igorot
- Proposed autonomous area: Cordillera Autonomous Region[60] or Autonomous Region of the Cordillera[61][62]
- Advocacy groups: Autonomy in the Administrative Cordillera Movement,[63] Cordillera People's Liberation Army,[64][65] Cordillera Bodong Administration[66]
Syria
De facto autonomous region:
Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (Rojava)
- Larger ethnic groups: Kurds, Arabs, Assyrians
- Smaller ethnic groups: Armenians, Turkmen, Yazidis, Circassians, Christians
- Political organisation: Syrian Democratic Council
- Militant organisation: Syrian Democratic Forces
Autonomist movements:
- Ethnic group: Druze
- Proposed Autonomous Region: Jabal Druze State (Suwayda Governorate) or unification with Israel[68][69] (Quneitra Governorate)
- Political organisation: Supreme Legal Committee in Suwayda
- Militant organisation: National Guard
- Ethnic group: Assyrians, Christians in Syria[70]
- Proposed state: Assyria
- Political parties: Syriac Union Party, Assyrian Democratic Organization
- Militant organisations: Syriac Military Council, Sutoro
- Advocacy groups: Assyria Council of Europe,
Latakia Governorate and Tartus Governorate[71]
- Ethnic group: Alawites
Taiwan
- Ethnic group: Native Taiwanese
- Proposed: autonomy for the indigenous peoples of Taiwan[72]
- Political party: Taiwan First Nations Party[73]
Thailand
- Ethnic group: Isan people
- Proposed: autonomy for Isan
- Advocacy group: New Isan Movement
- Ethnic group: Northern Thai people
- Proposed: autonomy for Northern Thailand/Lan Na
Vietnam
Mekong Delta and South East Vietnam
- Ethnic group: Khmer Krom[77][78]
- Proposed: Autonomy for the Khmer Krom or unification with Cambodia
- Political party: Khmers Kampuchea-Krom Federation
Yemen
- Proposed autonomous area: Hadhramaut Region[79][80]
- De facto autonomous government: Hadramout National Council
- Political parties: Hadhramaut Tribal Alliance, Hadhrami League,
- Militant organisation(s): Hadhrami Elite Forces
- regional groups: Hadharem, Mehri and Socotran
- Proposed: autonomy for Tihamah
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