Stories about East Asia from November, 2019
Pope Francis visit highlights Nagasaki's long Catholic history
The first papal visit to Japan in nearly four decades highlighted the country's historical Christian heritage, identified major challenges faced by the rest of the world.
China's new media world order: Interview with Cédric Alviani from Reporters Without Borders East Asia
Beijing trains foreign journalists in “language elements” to get them to “speak the same language” as Chinese outlets.
Melanesian journalists decry growing threats against media freedom
"Melanesian governments cannot pay lip service to international conventions and commitments to democratic freedoms and in the same breath issue orders to clamp down on journalists' right to expression."
Testing the limits of LGBT acceptance in Taiwan: Interview with filmmaker Ming Lang Chen
"The Teacher is about human communication, it shows a wide range of delicate emotions, I wouldn't say it is just a gay movie."
An interview with ‘Siamese Intellectual’ Sulak Sivaraksa on the future of Thailand's democracy and monarchy
"The monarchy must introduce some transparency into its workings if it wants to remain. It must be open to criticism."
Will the upcoming Taiwanese presidential election bring an end to the death penalty?
Taiwan has ratified the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights that calls for the abolition of capital punishment, yet it has applied death penalty in 34 cases since.
Victory for transgender students at Thailand's Chulalongkorn University
Prior to this development, Chulalongkorn University had no official protocol for transgender students wishing to dress according to their gender identity.
130 civil society groups call on Myanmar military to drop charges against civilians
"The military are the government’s staff. If they are doing wrong, citizens have a right to point it out. Citizens have a right to speak out,”
Tashkent theatre offers window into Japanese internment after World War II
Of all the Japanese interned for forced labour by the Soviet Union after the end of the war, about 25,000 were taken to Uzbekistan.
Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong responds to Thai Army Chief
Joshua Wong gives updates on the Hong Kong protest and addresses allegations by Gen Apirat Kongsompong, Thai Royal Army Chief.