Stories about East Asia from September, 2005
Myanmar: Burma Underground
The Thailand-based Burma Underground blog has been set up to support civil organizations in Burma (Myanmar), especially ethnic minority groups.
Hong Kong, China: Democrats in Guangdong
China Confidential reports on the visit to southern China by Hong Kong's pro-democracy politicians, and debate with provincial Party chief Zhang Dejiang on the 1989 Tiananmen massacre.
North Korea: Video of a beating
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...
China, Tibet: Unscheduled protest
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...
Hong Kong: Not the only fruit
ESWN offers an alternative and embarrasing translation of a Cantonese public service movie about oranges…oh, and free trade.
China: What the government fears
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!
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...
China: Shanghai book swap
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...
Japan: Hello Kitty lawsuit
“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...
Hong Kong: Mickey Mouse economics
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.
Singapore: Habeat mulier animam?
Singabloodypore joins what a local media report terms an ‘old debate’ about whether domestic helpers in the city-state need a day off. Via SimonWorld.
China: Rich-poor gap alert
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
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...
Hong Kong: Deconstructing Disney
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...
Taiwan: Media watch
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
SiamJai posts a 750-word essay on how to get better cooperation than most Westerners achieve with Thai colleagues in the workplace.
Vietnam: Organic vegetables
Noodlepie signs up for, and reviews, an organic vegetable delivery service run by a company called Organik Vietnam.
Indonesia: Film director-turned-blogger
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.
Philippines: Writing prompts
Clair at Blah! checks out writing prompts: a Web site which tries to get around writer's block by suggesting prompts as you type.
Myanmar: Young rocker
Bangkok-based Myanmar blogger Wai Pyo picks up a feature from a state-run newspaper about 11-year-old rocker Aung Thiha.
Japan: A tale of two giants
Gen Kanai compares restructuring plans announced separately by two giant corporations this week: Microsoft and Sony.
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