· October, 2011

Stories about East Asia from October, 2011

China: Open letter to Relativity Media

  31 October 2011

C Custer wrote an open letter to Relativity Media, a Hollywood Film Producer, criticizing its plan to cooperate with the Linyi government to shoot a movie there. Linyi government has illegally detained Blind activist Chen Guangchen from leaving his house and stopped others from visiting him since his release in...

China: Questions Following Mekong River Massacre

  30 October 2011

Thirteen Chinese sailors were killed earlier this month in an attack on two cargo ships. Nine Thai soldiers have claimed responsibility, which the Thai government says is theirs alone, but contradicting points in the case have left many with lingering doubts.

Thailand: Floods and Social Media

  30 October 2011

Many parts of Thailand are still flooded as the country continues to face the worst flooding disaster in the past half century. But some bloggers believe the flooding disaster has been exaggerated by the media - social media in particular.

Japan’s IT Exodus: A Personal Perspective (Part 1)

  30 October 2011

37-year-old software architect Ryo Asai writes at his blog “Becoming a Master Programmer” about his reasons for leaving his previous job, a Japanese system integration company, to work at Amazon Japan. In explaining his reasons for the move, Asai provides a unique perspective on the underlying roots of Japan's failure to keep up in the new digital economy.

East Timor: Investing in Creativity and Culture

  28 October 2011

Barcelona artist David Palazón ended up in East Timor as a break from his career. Now he is coordinating a project to research Timorese culture in hopes of creating a school for the creative industries, to stimulate jobs in the non-oil economy, small businesses, and tourism.

Taiwan, Taipei: Occupiers’ last front torn down

  28 October 2011

Green Party member Wang Zhong-ming posts his picture on facebook of he sitting in a damaged tent torn down by the police near Taipei 101, the counterpart symbol of WallStreet in Taiwan. On the other hand, open data advocate Schee Zhu-han analyzed the flaws[zht] of the online strategies in different phases of the...

Taiwan: The Story of Chiou Ho-shun

  28 October 2011

Chiou Ho-shun, a death row inmate in Taiwan, may be executed at any time. He said in the mini-documentary, “I hope you can save me, but if it’s too late, please scatter my ashes in the Longfeng harbour, and buy a meatball, come and see me.” In the documentary, you...

South Korea: Warning to Twitter Influencers Fails to Discourage Voters

  27 October 2011

South Korean capital, Seoul, elected a new mayor on October 26. The mayoral race was a fierce battle between an elitist female candidate from the ruling party and an outsider from democratic party. Despite warnings from the authorities, influential Twitter users continued to encourage people to vote throughout.

Overview of Occupy Southeast Asia

  27 October 2011

‘Occupy’ protests are also spreading in Southeast Asia. Inspired by the global ‘Occupy’ movement, assemblies were organized this month in Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, and Singapore. Here is an overview of the 'Occupy' actions in the region and their online impact.

Thailand: Government Censored Thaiflood Website?

  26 October 2011

The Committee to Protect Journalists has issued a statement expressing concern about the reported attempt of the Thailand government to censor the citizen-journalist website Thaiflood which has been provising useful updates about the flooding disaster in the country.

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.