Stories about East Asia from September, 2019
Undercover journalist exposes harsh working conditions at Amazon warehouse in Japan
A new book by a Japanese investigative reporter exposes deadly working conditions at a giant Amazon facility just outside of Tokyo.
Press freedom watchdog dismisses China’s '70 Years of Progress on Human Rights’ as ‘smokescreen’
Reporters Without Borders slams China's white paper on human rights as "a smokescreen" to mask the country's "horrendous record" with regard to human rights and press freedom.
Global rally to urge U.S. congress to vote for the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act
'This is a plea for universal human rights, for democracy and for the freedom to choose…'
Caring for Myanmar’s orphaned elephants
Myanmar's wild elephants are under serious threat from poaching, with elephants being killed at the alarming rate of one a week.
A snapshot of climate strikes across Southeast Asia
The protest actions in Southeast Asia highlighted various issues such as the impact of large-scale mining, haze pollution, and continuing dependence on fossil fuels.
Broken bones, internal bleeding: Hong Kong police used ‘reckless, indiscriminate’ tactics during protests, says Amnesty
"...police officers meted out violence prior to and during arrests, even when the individual had been restrained. The use of force was clearly excessive, violating international human rights law."
Netizen Report: Pro-government doxxing campaigns rock Hong Kong, Serbia
Doxxing is all the rage in Hong Kong and Serbia, an Indian judge delivers a win for internet rights, and Facebook debuts plans for its oversight board.
Yale-NUS college draws criticism in Singapore after canceling a class on ‘dialogue and dissent’
"If we cannot make space and listen to the person that says no, then democracy dies. It’s that fundamental."
China Central Television urges netizens to doxx Hong Kong protesters and reporters
The state-run TV helped publicise doxxing site hkleaks.ru, which targeted pro-democracy lawmakers, student activists and journalists in Hong Kong.
Popular Twitter thread highlights dozens of examples of Japan's ‘Bubble-era’ PoMo architecture
Every corner of Japan features examples of postmodern architecture.
Five years after an HIV outbreak in a Cambodian commune, villagers feel forgotten
"When the outbreak of this disease happened, there was an increase in both national and international aid for them. But later on, it seems quiet."
A day in the life of a bamboo shoot harvester in Myanmar
Meet Ko Pho La, a bamboo shoot harvester living in Kyee Bin Village in Irrawaddy Region.
Filipino community radio stations struggle to survive amid attacks and difficulties
"If the marginalized are underserved by the mass media establishment, they must be allowed to be their own voice."
Residents of Japanese region slammed by typhoon fear they are being forgotten
Much of the coverage of Typhoon Faxai has focused only on how people in Tokyo, Japan's nexus of business, government, and media, were affected.
Hong Kong protesters vandalize the city’s subway amid rumours that three protesters are ‘missing’
For over a week, Hong Kong protesters have been vandalizing the city’s subway stations amid rumours that three protesters are missing after clashes with the police.
‘Glory to Hong Kong': The anthem of a protest movement
Tens of thousands of Hongkongers are participating in flash mob performances of the new protest song “Glory to Hong Kong” in the streets and in shopping malls across the city.
Singapore prime minister sues independent news website for defamation
The prime minister is suing The Online Citizen over an article that tackled the leader’s public feud with his siblings.
Netizen Report: Two years after fleeing military attacks in Myanmar, Rohingya refugees face mobile blackout in Bangladesh
Refugees lose mobile access in Bangladesh, a Hong Kong web forum weathers a DDoS attack, and Turkey expands internet regulations.
Hong Kong Reddit-like LIHKG faces unprecedented DDoS attacks redirected from Chinese Internet companies
Massive web traffics are redirected through two Chinese companies to pro-democracy web forum LIHKG from all over the world.
Hong Kong students bring protests back to school
The anti-extradition protests are shaping a more resilient generation of student activists.
Unified under one font system as Myanmar prepares to migrate from Zawgyi to Unicode
Myanmar hopes to complete its migration from its use of Zawgyi font to the adoption of a unified system of fonts that conform to the international standard called Unicode.
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.
