This article summarizes the findings of a policy study carried out in 2015 into the effects of campaigns by transnational non-governmental organizations (TNGOs) and direct action groups (DAGs) that are targeting Southeast Asia's palm oil industry. The study considers in particular the resulting negative social and economic implications for Malaysia as a major producer of palm oil. The findings reveal that TNGOs are determined and well financed. These groups act as political movements originating in the Global North, while pursuing a strategy to undermine and dominate the making of environmental, social, political and economic policy in Southeast Asian countries. The transnational activists and militant environmentalists are increasingly coming under fire from Asian political leaders who are beginning to recognize the harmful potential of these movements.
