· September, 2005

Stories about East Asia from September, 2005

North Korea: Video of a beating

  27 September 2005

Oranckay posts still photos and links to an audio clip from a video of North Korean border guards apparently beating a female defector as she attempted to return home after eight years working in China.

China, Tibet: Unscheduled protest

  27 September 2005

Angry Chinese Blogger goes into some detail about an incident during the recent visit of Chinese President Hu Jintao to New York, in which Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing was surrounded by a crowd of angry Tibetan protesters.

China: What the government fears

  27 September 2005

RebeccaMacKinnon posts a well-linked and closely argued commentary on the main fear driving the new set of Chinese government regulations to control its citizens’ Internet use: the tech-savvy smart-mob.

China: Don't boycott Yahoo!

  27 September 2005

Jeremy Goldkorn at Danwei argues that continued investment by companies like Yahoo! in China will continue to promote freedom of expression among its citizens. He accuses Yahoo!'s critics of pursuing an anti-corporate agenda that has little to do with the Chinese people.

China: Shanghai book swap

  26 September 2005

Sinosplice organized an English-language book-swap in Shanghai at the weekend. Judged a success with a 10-person turnout, the event sadly lacked a participant from Hangzhou and the chance to acquire a second-hand copy of Why Men Don't Have a Clue and Women Always Need More Shoes.

Japan: Hello Kitty lawsuit

  26 September 2005

“Still more evil from the mouthless one from Sanrio,” report both AsiaPundit and SimonWorld on an intellectual copyright lawsuit brought by Hello Kitty creators Sanrio against a group of Hong Kong drama students.

Hong Kong: Mickey Mouse economics

  26 September 2005

SimonWorld picks up an article by online financial commentator David Webb, who puts the SAR government's calculations on recent major land transactions–including that for the Disney theme park–under the microscope.

China: Rich-poor gap alert

  26 September 2005

Corporate Social Responsiblity Asia notes that the gap between rich and poor in China has got to what officials in Beijing are calling the “yellow alert” level.

China: Guangdong sweatshops

  23 September 2005

China Herald highlights Chinese media reports that the Guangdong provincial authorities have compiled a blacklist of 20 sweatshops which force workers into excessive unpaid overtime, underpay workers or use child labor.

Hong Kong: Deconstructing Disney

  23 September 2005

Walk the Talk reports on a lecture given by Asian Wall Street Journal reporter and Harvard-trained anthropologist Geoffrey Fowler in Hong Kong on how the mainland Chinese consumer is reinventing the Mouse (and coming up with a Cat).

Taiwan: Media watch

  23 September 2005

Taiwan Tiger takes a look at the different sorts of spin in mainstream media reporting, notably in mainland China and the United States.

Thailand: Working with Thais

  23 September 2005

SiamJai posts a 750-word essay on how to get better cooperation than most Westerners achieve with Thai colleagues in the workplace.

Indonesia: Film director-turned-blogger

  22 September 2005

Via Jakartass, and described by blogger-directory-compiler A. Faith Syuhud as “a young talented-ambitious-energetic film director”, Joko Anwar presents a multi-faceted blog, Lost in Punch-Drunk Adaptation of a Spotless Love.

Japan: A tale of two giants

  22 September 2005

Gen Kanai compares restructuring plans announced separately by two giant corporations this week: Microsoft and Sony.

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.