Stories about East Asia from September, 2012
Malaysia: New Lacewing Species Discovered with Online Help
Malaysian photographer Guek Hock Ping blogged and posted photos of a lacewing species he found in Selangor, Malaysia. Readers saw it in his blog and Flickr page and eventually scientists...
Brunei: e-Darussalam Government Portal
e-Darussalam is Brunei's official web portal which aims to facilitate government transactions and delivery of services. The website also offers the contact details of the country's major government agencies.
Thailand: Historic Cigarette Cards Now Digitized
Historically 176 sets of cards, totaling around 9000 individual cards, representing 42 tobacco companies, were made for the Thai market. Of these some 60 sets were Thai specific designs. To...
Chinese ‘Soft Power’ Expands in Africa with CCTV
Chinese state-controlled media, China Central Television (CCTV), launched its African regional bureau in Nairobi, Kenya on January 11. While its presence has diversified the media landscape in Africa, some have been rather skeptical of its journalistic independence.
North Korea's Parody of K-Pop Sensation ‘Gangnam Style’
North Korea uploaded a video entitled “I'm Yushin style!” in its government website Uriminzokkiri as a parody of South Korean pop sensation, ‘Gangnam Style‘. The parody lambasts Park Geun-hye, South Korean ruling...
Thailand’s Lese Majeste Law: ‘A Strange Legislation that Needs Reform’
Article 112 of Thailand’s criminal code is often described as the world’s harshest Lese Majeste (anti-royal insult) law. The controversial law is often invoked to censor web content and shut down websites. A contributor of Global Voices went to Bangkok and interviewed a former staff of the Committee to Investigate Lese Majeste Cases in the Royal Thai Police.
China: Good Englishman in Xian
Peter Barefoot from ChinaSMACK translated a local media's feature story of a British engineer, Tony, who founded the “Yellow River Soup Kitchen” in Xi’an in 2005 and has distributed food...
China: Trial of Former Chongqing Police Chief Wang Lijun
Samuel Wade from China Digital Times sums up local and overseas report on the two-day trial of former Chongqing police chief Wang Lijun, who seek shelter in the U.S embassy...
China: Are Overloaded Vehicles to Blame for Harbin Bridge Collapse?
On August 24, a highway bridge in China's Harbin city suddenly collapsed, leaving three dead and five injured. Yesterday the investigation report came out which stated that the collapse was caused by overloaded vehicles, but netizens are not so sure this is correct.
China: Return of Maoists in Anti-Japan Protests Brings Anxiety
Maoist protesters in China's recent anti-Japan rallies - and a street fight between a Maoist professor and an 80-year-old man - has brought back people's memories of Chinese political history.
Japan: Film Festival to Celebrate Peace Day
On Peace Day, 21 September, the UNITED FOR PEACE FILM FESTIVAL 2012 will be held in Yokohama, Japan. Students from around the globe have entered five minute videos – watch...
Japan: Should a Famous Comedian's Mum Be Allowed Social Aid?
A Japanese comedian became the subject of massive outrage in the media and online, after it was revealed his mother has claimed social benefit.
Japan: Fukushima Nuclear Cleanup Worker Dangers Revealed
A citizen media news video has revealed the dangerous conditions that cleanup workers in Japan's Fukushima nuclear power plant are finding themselves in. The plant was damaged by last year's devastating earthquake and tsunami.
China: Writer said “I am a Traitor”
Sijia Song from Tea Leaf Nation has translated a Chinese prominent writer, Li Chengpeng's latest blogpost: “Confessions of a Traitor”. The post has received more than 200,000 views and 19,000...
China, US: Anti-Japan Protesters Stop Ambassador's Vehicle
A YouTube video uploaded by Weiwei Ai shows how a group of Chinese anti-Japan demonstrators stopped United States Ambassador Gary Locke's vehicle at the back of the US embassy to protest against...
China: Cancer Villages
Shelley Jiang from Tea Leaf Nation blogs about the painful cost of development in China – the increasing number of cancer villages all over the country: Officially and unofficially, the...
Porn Star Appeals for China/Japan Friendship
Popular Japanese porn star Sola Aoi appealed for friendship between Chinese and Japanese early last week when the tension between China and Japan elevated. But her friendly gesture was not...
Philippines: ‘Anti-Cybercrime Law Threatens Media Freedom’
The Philippines has recently passed an anti-cybercrime law which aims to protect the security and rights of internet users. But journalists and bloggers fear that the new law could lead to the curtailment of internet and media freedom in the country.
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