Stories about East Asia from September, 2010
Nobel Peace Prize should go to Liu Xiaobo
Xu Youyu, philosopher and professor with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, wrote an open letter (English translation here) to call for international support for this year's Nobel Peace Prize to be awarded to Liu Xiaobo, the imprisoned author of China's Charter 08. Meanwhile, C. Custer at ChinaGeeks commented on...
Japan: Relics of a US Army-Air Force base
Ruins explorer and novelist Michael John Grist documented through pictures [en] what remains of Camp Drake, a joint US Army/Air Force base in Saitama (north of Tokyo) active until the 1970's.
South Korea:Soap Opera Fans Damaging Traditional Constructions
The Jeonju Hanok village is a treasured tourism spot where hundreds of traditional houses are preserved. A famous historical soap opera is being filmed there, and its fans have molested the village by scribbling the character's names on the wall with permanent marker pens, making people frawn at these photos...
China: Ai Weiwei's English Tweets
A group of volunteers help prominent artist-activist, Ai Weiwei, to translate his Chinese tweets into English.
Anti-censorship webmaster arrested in Thailand
The webmaster of an independent online journal in Thailand was arrested at Bangkok airport today on charges of insulting the monarchy. Local mainstream media has been quiet about the issue but twitterers are providing information and other updates which help sustain the campaign to demand the freedom of the arrested activist
China: The Most Awesome Train Door
The Youku video shows the most awesome subway train door in Beijing city.
China: Cat meat posing as mutton
Elaine Chow writes in Shanghaiist about a recent rumor that “lamb shiskabobs” sold from street food vendors or mutton dishes from restaurants might have actually been made out of kitties.
China: Girl Committed Suicide After Being Molested by Police Officers
China Hush translated a local news story about a 16-year-old girl leaped to her death from hotel after being molested in Fenghuang city of Hunan province. Among the five suspects, two policemen are involved.
East Timor: Stories on Health Care for the Poor
Bairo Pite Clinic blog shares stories about daily work on community health care “for the poorest of the poor in East Timor”.
Philippines: Official twitter account of the government
govph is the twitter account of the official gazette of the Republic of the Philippines
Vietnam: Protecting endangered animals
Kimberly Truong writes about the pledge of many restaurants in Vietnam not to offer endangered protected animals of the country in their shops.
Vietnam: ‘No Firewall’ website
Pro-democracy group Viet Tan has launched the No Firewall website which aims to “assist Vietnamese internet users learn about circumvention techniques and digital security.” The Vietnam government has been accused of intensifying its internet surveillance activities to restrict dissent in the country
Vietnam: Nutrition education
The Final Word suggests that many adults in Vietnam need to be educated about basic dietary facts since many people continue to associate obesity with good health. He also observes that many women are obsessed with formula milk instead of promoting breastfeeding.
Myanmar: Women Candidate Percentage in the Elections
According to a survey conducted by The Irrawaddy, less than 8 percent of the candidates running for the November 7 elections in Myanmar will be women.
Malaysia: Historic labor town
EngageMedia uploads a video about Batu Arang, a small town in Malaysia which was the site of numerous historic labor actions in the country.
East Timor: The Past is Present
For many East Timorese families that have lived through the violent Indonesian occupation, the past is still present. The poignant words of Fidelis Magalhães - the son of a slain pro-independence fighter - mark the eleventh anniversary of the UN run Popular Consultation which resulted in the independence of the country.
South Korea-Creative Ways to Revive Traditional Hair Styles
Today is last day of Chuseok holiday (Korean version of Thanksgiving) and in westernized Seoul, it is extremely hard to meet people in traditional customs. South Korea’s Chosun introduced several ways to modernize disappearing hair styles from the past with photos and detailed explanation.
Japan: Hiring research talent from abroad
In “No choice but need to hire from abroad?“, Sibylle Ito outlines how some Japanese companies in different sectors are taking a multinational approach to supplement research and product development power.
Taiwan: Interview with Kimbo Hu
Trista di Genova interviews indigenous musician Kimbo Hu (胡德夫). Kimbo is well known for his music and has also been a leader in the indigenous rights movement in Taiwan.
Russia: From Beijing to Kyiv, By Train
Derek Kedziora of The Kalpak is traveling by train from Beijing to Kyiv and is currently in Russia. Here's what he writes about his short stay in Irkutsk: “One of the first things I noticed is that people hold doors for each other here. […] Cars stop for you at...
China: Rights to strike
The past year has seen a growing number of Chinese laborers fighting for their rights in incidents from across the country; a recent move by Chinese workers to go on strike in Russia has raised questions on both sides of the border.