Stories about East Asia from May, 2008
Plastic bag plan takes effect in China
Starting June 1, the Chinese government's country-wide plan to make shoppers pay small fees for plastic bags, and to forbid the production of ultra-thin bags will take effect. The move should save China 37 million barrels of oil a year. NGOs have been into the act earlier, pushing for relief...
China: Sharon Stone on Earthquake
Lam Kay pointed out that the mainstream media had mistranslated[zh] Sharon Stone's comment on Sichuan earthquake and caused a lot of misunderstandings in the Chinese world.
Hong Kong: Two Songs on Sichuan Earthquake
Florence posted two music videos written for Sichuan earthquake victims [zh].
China: Donation Pressure on Multinational Companies
ESWN translated a report from Southern Weekend about the public pressure on multinational companies regarding earthquake donations.
China: 4-years Old Earthquake Pictures
Fang Li from mindmeters posted three pictures drawn by 4-years old children who survived from the Sichuan earthquake.
China: Open Letter to Plainclothes Police
Zeng Jingyan wrote an open letter to plainclothes police demanding them not to harass her neighbors and her kids [zh].
China: Earthquake Propaganda
Lao Sun from my1510 criticized the post-earthquake propaganda in creating a savior image of the Chinese Communist Party [zh].
Cambodia: Freedom of Flying
Educated in France to be an engineer, Santel Phin spent two years in Paris, one of the most romantic cities in the world. In Cambodia, the 31 year-old Santel presently works at Phnom Penh International Airport for he likes terminal and pace of busy people. Born in Kratie, the first...
Japan: Tokyo in 1935
Blogger mojix links to a film [ja] posted at YouTube showing Tokyo in the year 1935.
Mozambique: The rice and our independende
Elísio Macamo [pt] reacts to the Japanese pledge to help Africa double rice production within 10 years, during the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) held in Yokohama. “After 10 years the rice production in Africa is twice as much. Will the population remain the same? Will our tastes...
Myanmar: Inadequate aid
Penguin Blog uploads an article by American journalist Emma Larkin who has a first-hand account of the cyclone disaster in Myanmar. Larkin notes the small aid reaching the Burmese: ” It is like throwing sesame seeds into the mouth of an elephant.”
Thailand: Websites closed for “talking” about monarchy
Absolutely Thailand writes that the Asian Human Rights Commission has received information that two websites were illegally blocked while 29 sites face closure in Thailand for allowing an open-forum discussion about the Thai monarchy.
Singapore blogger dares Lee Kuan Yew to sue him
Blogger Gopalan Nair dares Singapore leader Lee Kuan Yew to sue him. IZ Reloaded thinks it could be “the most daring or foolish act ever in the history of the blogosphere.”
Bomb blast in southern Philippines
Aspiring citizen journalist All about the filth went immediately to the scene of a bomb blast outside a military base in southern Philippines
Urbanisation in Southeast Asia
Scholar and blogger Alvin Lim tackles the phenomenon of “urbanisation without industrialisation” in Southeast Asia.
Connecting Cambodian bloggers
Clogger Corner attracts Cambodia bloggers, or preferably known as Cloggers.
Japan: Grumpy Jiisan on Nico Nico Douga
The latest hit at Nico Nico Douga, Japan's popular video sharing service, is a retired man from Arizona calling himself “Grumpy Jiisan” [Grumpy Old Man], who shoots videos in which he comments on his favorite Japanese anime. Subtitled versions of Grumpy Jiisan's videos at Nico Nico Douga are so popular that they have drawn thousands of comments.
China: After the quake, hoping for aid
From inside and outside China, concerned citizens are helping, and putting their hands out to help the victims of the devastating 7.9 in the Richter scale earthquake that leveled out industrial cities, transforming them into refugee camps where people are living under plastic bags, trying to find out their relatives and remake their lives. Four different videos bring us perspectives on how people are dealing with their losses all around the world, and how reaching out to help others could help help ease the pain.
East Timor: New blog about economics of development
“A blog about economics of development, in particular about the East Timor economy, and about what can then be helpful to economic development of this country”, A.M. de Almeida Serra [pt] introduces a new blog about East Timor.
Hong Kong: School Girl Punished for Mean Earthquake Comment
A school girl wrote down her lack of feelings on the Sichuan earthquake in her blog. Netizens found out her identity and she was force to make public apology. Her school also decided give her a demerit. The incident is recorded at evchk [zh]. Yeung Sir (a teacher) wrote at...
China: Earthquake Cursing Video
A video with a woman (from Liaoning) cursing Earthquake victims in Sichuan has been circulated widely in China. More Videos curse back.
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.
