Stories about East Asia from March, 2009
Cambodia: Evidence at the Khmer Rouge Tribunal
Former Khmer Rouge rebels doubt there will be sufficient evidence to convict the five leaders waiting to stand trial at the Khmer Rouge Tribunal. Because the events occurred 30 years ago, evidence and witnesses could be hard to come by.
Taiwan: Buddhist master creates controversy
Buddhist Master Hsing Yun created controversy at an international Buddhist conference when he claimed, “There are no Taiwanese in Taiwan and Taiwanese are all Chinese.” Taiwan blogs The View from Taiwan and Letters from Taiwan both write about how Buddhism is being used for political purposes.
Hong Kong and the Philippines: Satire or racism?
A Senate leader in the Philippines just filed a resolution condemning a Hong Kong writer Chip Tsao for his article “The War at Home” in HK Magazine (originally published on 27 of March). Now the article has been taken down in the website but the Senate Resolution also asked the...
Cambodia: Trial begins for Khmer Rouge leader
The Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia began the first public hearing of Kaing Guek Eav, known as Duch. During the Khmer Rouge regime, Duch headed the infamous Tuol Sleng prison in Phnom Penh where thousands died.
Water: One Take International Video Contest
“Is access to clean, safe water for drinking a basic human right? Why? or Why not?”. That is the question One Take is asking for you to answer in your own language, recording it on a video no more than 2 minutes long, uploading it on their site and on DotSub and having it subtitled in at least 1 other language. Just this month, world leaders met in Istambul, Turkey at the World Water Forum to have this discussion, and although they aren't sure what the result will be, it is our chance to show what we believe about this issue, and make our voices heard.
Filipino loses Facebook account for using real name
The Facebook account of Antonio Piamonte from the Philippines was removed because Facebook thinks his first and last name on his profile isn't his real name.
Indonesia: “Mini-Tsunami” hits village as dam collapses
Last Friday the Situ Gintung dike collapsed in Indonesia which killed almost a hundred people and injured 190 others. At least 300 houses were destroyed and 1,600 residents were displaced. The extent of the tragedy reminded many Indonesians about the deadly tsunami which hit the region five years ago.
China: Earth Hour
Fauna from ChinaSMACK translated netizens’ comments on Earth Hour campaign.
Japan: Tourism videos
Edo from Pink Tentacle introduces a series of official tourism videos produced by the city of Hakodate. The videos are about aliens invasion of the city.
Japan: Two-man union on strike at Kyoto University
Adamu from Mutantfrog blogs about a two-man strike at Kyoto University against the exploitation of irregular work contract.
Taiwan: Our land and the Statute of Rural Renewal
The scenery of Taiwan's countryside as simple and stunningly beautiful as depicted by the above popular lullaby will soon be vanished. Small rivers will be replaced by sewage pipes, hills will be flattened, and there will be hundreds, if not thousands, of factories and sumptuous villas rise in the middle of farmland. Of course, there will be potted plant inside the walls of these villas, but there won't be egrets or even sparrows anymore.
Taiwan: Human flesh search engine
The phenomenon of human flesh search engines began in China. Hanjie looks at two cases when they were used in Taiwan.
Thailand: New look and agenda for government-run TV channel
Everytime the government changes in Thailand, the new government comes and changes the programs and format of a public TV station. Now that a different party is ruling the country, is it time to ‘change' the shows of the TV station again?
Vietnam: Motorbike stunts
Young “street artists” are performing their dangerous motorbike stunts in the streets of Vietnam.
Vietnam: Impact of economic crisis
Lawrence summarizes news reports about the impact of the economic crisis on Vietnam.
China: Chinese Al Jazeera?
Mutant Palm is pretty sure that China can't create a Chinese Al Jazeera. Why? read this.
Indonesia: Sharia Finance
As the financial system crumbles in the developed world, some analysts in Indonesia are proposing to replace it with the Sharia Finance system.
Malaysia: Dress worth $30 million
Despite the economic crisis, a designer in Malaysia has created a dress adorned with 751 diamonds. The price tag: US$30 million. The dress is called the “Nightingale of Kuala Lumpur”
Cambodia: Demand for microfinance
The economic downturn has raised the demand for microfinance programs in Cambodia.
Global Recession Survey: Survival Tips and Business Opportunities
Everybody is trying hard to cope with the global economic crisis. Bloggers are offering survival tips to their readers. Businesses around the world are adjusting. Some are even profiting from the crisis. In this post, I will feature individuals and companies exerting their very best to overcome the recession.
Korea: Blog, Bloggers, and Etiquette.
While bloggers seem to be equally distant from each other, they are in fact not. They have their favorite blogs and bloggers, and they link their blogs to each other. They share their favorite posts from other bloggers with other websites. They leave their opinions on the posts of the...
About our East Asia coverage
