Stories about East Asia from June, 2014
‘People No Longer Trust the Government’ – This Open Letter Went Viral in Singapore
Singaporean novelist Catherine Lim wrote an open letter addressed to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong bemoaning the decline of public trust in the government.
Have a Corrupt Foreign Company in China? ‘You Should Leave Now’
As the Chinese government starts cracking down on corruption among foreign companies in China beginning with the pharmaceutical sector, China Law Blog advises: if you are worried about getting arrested in China for something that your company has done, you should leave. Now.
Podcast: China's Leftover Women
Sinica Podcast invites Leta Hong Fincher, author of “Leftover Women“, a book about the state of women's rights and gender equality in modern China. The podcast discusses hidden problems and obstacles that Chinese women are facing in society including domestic violence and the “leftover women” issue. It's worth noting that...
VIDEO: Why Some Students Migrate to Beat China's ‘Unfair’ University Entrance Exam
A quota system favors students from certain areas of China over others, meaning moving to the right region can boost your chances of going to a good university.
Laos Development NGOs Silent on Human Rights
Writing for The New Mandala, Randall Arnst bemoaned the silence of Laos devleopment NGOs over the disappearance of prominent NGO worker Sombath Somphone: …while UN rights bodies have repeatedly raised concerns, their sister agencies working in development have said virtually nothing. At the bi-lateral level, while diplomats have spoken up,...
What the Thai Junta Should Learn from the Burmese Junta
Aung Zaw of The Irrawaddy compares and contrasts the Thai junta and the military-backed govenrment of Myanmar: The Thai army has carried out more than a dozen coups in past decades, but always relinquished power to a civilian government after a number of years. The Burma Army staged two coups,...
Thailand's Coup Regime Tries to Woo People With Free World Cup Telecasts and Massages
Free concerts, free food, free medical check-ups, free movies, free haircut, and now free telecast of all World Cup Games. Thailand's coup regime is serious in wooing public support.
China's Dog Meat Festival – Cruelty or Culture?
Animal rights activists in China are campaigning hard to ban the consumption of dog meat, but traditionalists and dog meat lovers say that it infringes on their culture and rights.
Mass Protest in Guangzhou, China
Hundreds of Guangzhou residents gathered at Sanyuanli yesterday afternoon against the police action in confiscating some private property in a warehouse for fire prevention purpose. The protest turned into a confrontation between police and protestors, the latter turned over police cars in the process. Charles Liu from nanfang.com has the...
Sharia Law and Free Speech in Brunei
The Sharia Law has created more difficulties in enhancing free speech and media freedom in Brunei. Dissenting voices were stifled after the Sultan threatened legal action against critics.
Why Do the Taiwanese Need to Remember the Tiananmen Massacre?
Hong Kong may have taken the lead in observing the Anniversary of the Tiananmen Square Massacre, but other Chinese speaking communities, such as the people of Taiwan, also organize annual candlelight vigils in memory of the incident. In 1989, thousands of Taiwanese had rallied in support of of the student-led...
Human Rights Situation in Laos
The International Service for Human Rights has prepared a briefing paper on the human rights situation in Laos: Human rights defenders prefer to be known as ‘community workers’ and are afraid of reprisals if they are associated with regional and international human rights organisations. As Laos is scheduled to undergo...
China: Keyboard Supermen and Angry Youth 2.0
OffbeatChina wondered why bystanders in China never stop being indifferent even after so many waves of condemnation online? To seek the answer, the blogger looked into the character of keyboard supermen and angry youth 2.0.
Want to be a Government Bureaucrat in China?
Foshan, a city in Guangdong recently hired four foreigners to work for the government's foreign trade and economic cooperation bureau. Charlie Liu from Nanfang.com curated the local news story.
China: Chronology of Tiananmen Crackdown Revealed in Wikileaks’ Cables
Students in the data journalism class at Northeast Normal University searched Wikileaks for references to the 1989 demonstrations at Tiananmen Square and organized the diplomatic cables into a chronology of the protests since April 19 1989 till March 26 1990.
Thailand's Coup Protesters Are Looking to The Hunger Games for Inspiration
Protest ban? No problem for anti-coup protesters in Thailand as they adopted the 'Hunger Games' salute while some conducted 'read-in' activities in public places.
Indonesians Assert #15yearsNOTenough for Child Predators
The surge in child molestation cases in Indonesia has prompted many parents to ask the government to amend the law and hand out harsher punishment for perpetrators.
China: Ai Weiwei: The Fake Case
Another documentary about Chinese dissent artist Ai Weiwei has been released, following Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry (2012). Beijing Cream has Hilary Chassé's review on the upcoming – Ai Weiwei: The Fake Case.
Free Speech Remains Under Threat in Myanmar
Deji Olukotun observes how Myanmar's so-called transition to democracy has not yet made a lasting impact on the state of free expression in the country: …in many ways Myanmar’s relatively open society could close at a moment’s notice. Writers are able to write and to criticize the government not because...
Campaigning for Safe Sidewalks in Jakarta
Olga Amato and Divya Pridhnani explain the goals of Safe Steps, a campaign for a ‘walkable Jakarta’ in Indonesia: One of the main goals of Safe Steps is to make people understand that beside the health benefits people can derive from walking, better sidewalks can also result in a reduction...
Why Human Rights Advocates are Opposed to East Timor's Draft Media Law
Various human rights groups, journalists, and scholars have signed a letter opposing East Timor's proposed media law which was recently approved by the Parliament. One of the issues they cited is the broad powers given to the Press Council: …we are concerned that the Press Council with legal authority, funding...
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