· November, 2009

Stories about East Asia from November, 2009

Singapore: Is It a City or Country?

  30 November 2009

Is Singapore a city or a country? This question seems silly since Singapore is globally recognized as an independent state. But for Singapore Law Minister K. Shanmugam, Singapore should be treated as a city. This remark triggered a debate in the blogosphere.

Thailand: Former Prime Minister Passes Away

  30 November 2009

Samak Sundaravej — former Bangkok Governor, cooking show host, and Thailand's 25th Prime Minister passed away last November 24. Read the reactions from Bangkok bloggers and twitterers.

Cambodia: End of first Khmer Rouge Tribunal deemed a relative success

  28 November 2009

Many in the international community are calling the first Khmer Rouge Tribunal trial of Kaing Kek Iev, or Duch, a relative success as the trial closed. However, there are indications that Cambodian officials may not participate in future cases making it difficult to conduct a fair trial for the four Khmer Rouge members awaiting trial

China: Law or Justice?

  28 November 2009

According to Chongqing Evening News, by November 15th 2905 suspects had been arrested during a massive crackdown on gangs in the municipality of Chongqing, a major city with 30 million population and provincial status. The campaign was unprecedented both in its scope and its depth as it brought down a large number of government officials including...

China: Dwelling Narrowness

  27 November 2009

A popular Chinese drama “Dwelling Narrowness” was “re-scheduled” without explanation recently. ESWN translated various reports and discussions about the drama. A recent development of the drama is that one of the main characters becomes the mistress of a government official in order to help repay her older sister's mortgage.

Japan: Buy Nothing Day

  27 November 2009

Started in 1992 in Canada by artist Ted Dave, the Buy Nothing Day movement [en] has spread to more than 60 countries around the world, Japan included. In line with the philosophy of the movement, next Saturday (November 28) Japanese are invited to refrain from shopping and reflect upon their...

China: Great Wall damaged by gold miners

  26 November 2009

Angry Chinese blogger blogs about the ongoing destruction of Great Wall as a result of local corporates’ private interest. In a recent case, a 100 meter long Great Wall has been damaged by gold miners in Inner Mongolia.

Could the U.S. learn something from China?

  26 November 2009

Could the world's lone but weary superpower actually learn something from China? This is a question the Time magazine posted when President Barack Obama began his first visit to China. The article said this is a time when China has ‘emerged as a dynamo of optimism, experimentation and growth’, while...

About our East Asia coverage

Oiwan Lam
Oiwan Lam is the North East Asia editor. Email her story ideas or volunteer to write.

Mong Palatino
Mong Palatino is the South East Asia editor. Email him story ideas or volunteer to write.