Stories about East Asia from October, 2013
Vietnam Bids Farewell to Legendary War Hero
The 'Red Napoleon' and great military tactician of the 20th century who led the Vietnamese army in defeating the military forces of France and the United States.
Taiwan: National Day in Protest Mood
There were three protests on the National Day against the 4th nuclear power plant, the unfair referendum law, and the untransparent process of the service trade agreement with China.
The Great Gatsby Resonates with Urban Chinese Youth
The film adaptation of F Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby has found sympathizers among Chinese young men, who share Gatsby's frustration in love and in life in modern China. TeaLeafNation has more.
Re-Imagining Lusophony and Decolonizing the Mind
The Fourth International Congress in Cultural Studies – Colonialisms, Post-colonialisms and Lusophonies has a call for paper submissions open until October 15, 2013 November 15, 2013 [deadline has been extended]: To demystify, to dehierarchize, to establish a policy of difference, to allow a multiplicity of voices, to constitute so many projects of possible modernities/rationalities...
Hong Kong: 2010 Manila Hostage Incident and Banning Maid
Tom Grundy from Hong Wrong comments on the local community call for banning Filipino domestic workers’ working visa to pressure the Philippine President Aquino III to apologize to the 2010 Manila hostage Incident's victims and their families. The incident in 2010 was obviously awful and tragic and the authorities were...
Suicide Shines Light on Harsh Reality Faced by China's Rural Teachers
Cheng Xinggui jumped into a river, killing himself on July 17, 2013 after bureacracy prevented him from receiving his due wages after two decades of teaching.
Too Many Universities in Singapore?
Limpeh noted the proliferation of higher education institutions in Singapore. Is this good or bad for Singapore? …has this expansion in choices been at the wrong end of the market? So whilst this expansion may have generation jobs for some people (which is a good thing), how many parents want...
‘World Habitat Day’ Celebration in Cambodia
More than 500 Cambodians joined a protest march during the World Habitat Day celebration in Phnom Penh to highlight forced evictions and land disputes in the country.
China's Air Pollution Monitoring Network: Too Little, Too Late?
Heavy smog descended on Beijing and the surrounding area over the recent week-long holiday, pressuring Chinese authorities to unveil a pollution monitoring system. Netizens were not satisfied.
Hong Kong Journalists Kicked Out of APEC After Questioning Philippine President
The journalists had asked President Aquino III if he would apologize to the victims and their families of the 2010 Manila hostage incident. Netizens and political groups call for a boycott.
Chinese Netizens React: What is Patriotism?
In the wake of the National Holidays, China's state media CCTV interviewed people on the streets and asked: “what is patriotism?”. You can imagine the huge gap in response between young and old (or conservative versus liberal). Offbeat China has translated some comments online and the discussion continues there, begging the question...
Singapore’s Tuition Craze
Private tuition or tutoring centers are proliferating in Singapore as parents continue to spend more money to improve the education of their children. Is this good or bad?
Underwear Bombardment on North Korea?
A Swedish underwear brand launched a ridiculous Ad campaign entitled ‘Weapons of the Mass Seduction’ that pledges to drop 450 pairs of free underwear to the country voted the most in the poll on Oct 31 by an airdrop. North Korea, so far, was placed on top by garnering over 5,500 votes and news has...
Mapping Earthquake Reconstruction in Tohoku, Japan
TPFsquare, a project by a group of volunteer professionals based in Tokyo, compiles a list of efforts to rebuild areas affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake of 2011 into single map. The project, which is available in English, seeks to aggregate various reconstruction projects in different locations so that...
Korea: Lauching High-Tech Blimps at the Border
South Korean Defense reportedly plans to launch military-purpose high-tech blimps at the disputed maritime border with North Korea next month. Tech blogger Martyn Williams explains in detail.
Sticky Rice is Bad for Babies, Lao Mothers Told
@LaotianMama reminds Lao mothers not to give sticky rice, a traditional Lao food, to hungry babies: Sticky rice for infants is the Laotian equivalent to what we know as rice cereal in Western culture. The idea is the same as well where the introduction of solid foods will fill out...
Five Issues Brunei Citizens Need to Discuss
Teah Abdullah lists 5 issues Brunei citizens need to discuss: Upholding a realistic language, incest, overindulgence, excessive number of burger joints, and overdependence on the government. She elaborates on the last issue: …our government is such a strong part in our everyday lives, but our dependency on them is problematic...
Should Brunei Punish its ‘Runaway’ Scholars?
The Brunei government is running after scholars who have failed to return home after completing their studies abroad. The issue has sparked a debate about the country's scholarship system.
Hong Kong: Viral Video Showing Kneeling Guy Slapped 14 Times by Girlfriend
As explained by Tom Grundy, a pedestrian called the police and the woman was arrested for slapping her boyfriend who was kneeling down in front of her pleading for her forgiveness for bringing another woman home.
Hong Kong: Say No to Ivory Trade and Crafts
A coalition of concerned individuals and NGOs, Hong Kong for Elephants, rallied on October 4 calling on the Hong Kong Government to destroy its entire stockpile of 25 tonnes of confiscated ivory.
One-Third of the World's Babies Don't Have Birth Certificates
No birth certificate can mean children cannot enroll in school or receive medical care. An interview with Evelina Martelli, project manager for BRAVO!, a programme pushing for birth registration.
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