Featured stories about East Asia
Stories about East Asia
26 March 2020
COVID-19 diaries from Wuhan: Looking for human connection in isolation
Global Voices will publish Ai and Guo's diaries from Wuhan in a series. The following words were written in the second week of the lockdown between January 29-Feburary 4, 2020.
23 March 2020
Classified data shows that China's official figure of zero domestic COVID-19 cases excludes asymptomatic carriers
According to classified data seen by the South China Morning Post, asymptomatic COVID-19/coronavirus carriers who tested positive have not been included in the official count of confirmed cases in China.
Thai workers speak out about their need for unions and better conditions at the workplace
"I hope that one day domestic workers will be able to stand up without feeling shameful. Honestly, when I was a housekeeper, I was not proud of my profession."
Combating ‘fake news’ in the time of COVID-19 in Myanmar
"Thousands of social media users made a group and a network to serve as watchdogs for fake news on social media."
21 March 2020
COVID-19 diaries from Wuhan: ‘…not only a city being locked down, but also our voices’
In these Wuhan diaries, the lives of ordinary people living under top-down control and surveillance, show how people are atomized and reduced into a collective.
19 March 2020
Watchdog decries threat to press freedom as China expels some US journalists
China announced it would expel American journalists working for the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post. The ban would extend to Hong Kong and Macau.
Malaysian journalist targeted by hate speech and racist attacks on Facebook
"Timely action by Facebook and other social media platforms is crucial in curbing online attacks, which commonly include trolling and doxing."
16 March 2020
Study suggests that China could have prevented 95% of its coronavirus cases
Coronavirus cases could have been reduced by 66 per cent if the measures were taken a week earlier, the study suggested, or by 86 per cent if action began two...
15 March 2020
The mother of detained blogger Le Anh Hung speaks out about prison abuse in Vietnam
The 88 Project interviewed Ms. Tran Thi Niem about her imprisoned son, blogger Le Anh Hung, who has been placed in and out of mental health facilities since his 2013...
Japan resurrects ‘Amabie’, an ancient supernatural creature, to fight COVID-19
"Was there a monster that was loved so quickly in such a short time?"
13 March 2020
‘Being an activist is just a side-effect of being an artist': An interview with Chinese-Australian cartoonist Badiucao
Badiucao made headlines in 2019 when he revealed his identity in a documentary released on the 30th anniversary of the Tiananmen Massacre. Filip Noubel caught up with the artist in...
China government spokesperson suggests on Twitter that COVID-19 may have originated in the United States
Chinese Communist Party-affiliated media have framed the incident as part of the US information war against China.
Does Singapore’s ‘top-down approach’ to handling COVID-19 deserve all the praise it's been getting?
"Singapore's coronavirus strategy cannot be just a top-down approach that does not account for the feelings of people on the ground."
10 March 2020
Churches in Greece and North Macedonia refuse to modify rituals conducive to the spread of COVID-19
The ritual known as the Holy Communion or Eucharist has Orthodox Christian worshippers drinking wine by a shared spoon, while Catholics eat thin slices of bread directly from the hand of...
9 March 2020
Campaign urging Wuhan residents to show gratitude to the Communist Party leadership in fighting COVID-19 backfires
"They don’t even have the strength to properly grieve and now somebody is telling them to learn how to say thank you. This is against humanity."
8 March 2020
How Chinese social media platforms control information on COVID-19
At the initial stage of the outbreak of COVID-19 in China, censors curbed public alerts on the threat. Later, censorship was broadened to include criticism of leaders and policies.
7 March 2020
Facebook seller wearing ‘sexy clothes’ charged with pornography in Cambodia
"Punishing women for their choice of clothing is part of the root cause of violence, rather than its cure, and must be rejected.”
6 March 2020
‘Comfort women’ documentary generates worldwide interest—and a lawsuit against its director
"My film is about how the 'comfort women' issue is discussed now, and why there are so many people who have devoted so much time and resources towards erasing it"
2 March 2020
Philippine media groups celebrate as tech companies accused of cyber attacks pledge to promote press freedom
"This is a small victory in our fight for press freedom. We call on all tech companies not to allow their infrastructure to be used by enemies of the truth."
About our East Asia coverage
Oiwan Lam is the North East Asia editor. Email her story ideas or volunteer to write.
Nevin Thompson is the Japan editor. Email him story ideas or volunteer to write.
