Stories about East Asia from September, 2017
#PotongSteam: Malaysian Gamers Blast Blocking of Website Over ‘Fight of Gods’ Video Game
"First they come for (political posts), but I am not political. Then they come for the gamers..."
Muslims in the Former Soviet Union Rally Behind Myanmar's Besieged Rohingya
"They are experiencing what we cannot even imagine! #Rohingyawearewithyou"
As Myanmar Violence Spikes, Why Is India Threatening to Deport 40,000 Rohingya Muslims?
"Surely Modi's government must know of the terrible suffering these Rohingya have fled from."
Chinese Are Questioning the Government's Response to Pyongyang's Nuclear Tests
"Maintaining [social] stability is more important than human life?"
Cambodia Daily Closes Down After Government Threatened It with Hefty Tax Bill
"Cambodia lost a significant aspect of its media diversity. It lost a training ground for a generation of Khmer journalists. It lost a beacon of free speech."
On WhatsApp, Fake News Is Nearly Impossible to Moderate. Is That a Bad Thing?
People are keen to tackle fake news on Facebook. But picture becomes more complex when news and information spread through WhatsApp.
In Quest for ‘Ideological Security’, China Pushes to Extend Communist Party Influence Inside Tech Firms
Until recently, companies had no obligation to participate in Communist Party activities. But now informal political pressure to do so is getting stronger and stronger.
Scenes From the Bangladesh-Myanmar Border, Where Rohingya Refugees Are Seeking Refuge From Violence
"...at least few more hours of walk[ing] before they can rest and maybe one kind villager will show up and offer them some food and some water."
Ishinomaki's Reborn Arts Festival: Art Therapy for a Tsunami-Scarred City's Soul
The city of Ishinomaki had recovered physically from the 2011 earthquake and tsunami, but still lacked its former vitality. Enter the Reborn Art Festival.
Offbeat ‘Objets d'Art’ Are Rather Commonplace in Japan
"When walking around town, especially in parks and playgrounds, you often see strange 'objets d'art'. Wondering who and what are they for... I am still not sure of the answer."
#GoHazeFree Campaign Encourages Singapore Restaurants to Use Sustainable Palm Oil
"Palm oil producers will be more motivated if more people demand haze-free palm oil."
The Complicated Morality of a Mixed Martial Arts Fight Club for Impoverished Chinese Boys
"Letting the kids be trained to participate in underground combat and to entertain the gamblers, this is the right path? My god!"
Macau Journalists Told to Write More Positive Stories in Wake of Deadly Typhoon
"...we only saw the government busy clearing the noise, using ridiculous reasons to refuse entry to outside journalists; and [compelling] multiple local outlets to conduct self-censorship..."
About our East Asia coverage
Oiwan Lam is the North East Asia editor. Email her story ideas or volunteer to write.
Nevin Thompson is the Japan editor. Email him story ideas or volunteer to write.
