Stories about East Asia from October, 2008
Hong Kong: Banana Politics
The Chief Executive Donald Tsang's policy speech last week didn't give people any surprise. The hottest subject is about Legislator Raymond Wong Yuk-man, Chair of the League of Social Democrats, throwing a banana at Tsang in the Legislative Council during the Q & A session. It marks the beginning of...
Taiwan: Protests against ARATS Vice-Chairman
Zhang Mingqing, vice chairman of China's Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait (ARATS), encountered protests as he visited Tainan for an academic conference. Michael Turton analyses media coverage of the protests. Fili also looks at what happened.
China: Microsoft vs. netizens
A hard battle is looming. Microsoft vs. millions of piracy users, international corporation vs. developing state, who will win the final victory?
Indonesia: Medical tourism
Indonesia is building world-class health facilities. It seems to be targeting the dollar-earning medical tourism industry.
Myanmar: Crop failure in cyclone-hit areas
Rule of Lords warns of food shortage in Myanmar, especially in the cyclone-hit areas. Crop failures were reported in fields inundated with salt water.
Thai and Taiwanese protesters
Christian Schafferer compares the tactics, practices and ideologies of Thai and Taiwanese protesters. Check also the interesting pictures inside the protest camps in Bangkok.
Myanmar: Socio-economic history documents
Myat Thura links to a website which features ancient documents about Myanmar’s socio-economic history.
Myanmar: Bomb blasts in North Yangon
Two bomb blasts rocked North Yangon, Myanmar over the weekend. The Sunday blast claimed the life of a man who made a home-made bomb.
Parts of Vietnam still flooded
Heavy rains during the past few days brought flooding in central Vietnam. Check out these pictures.
Japan: Subsidy for companies hiring longtime freeters
A thread on bulletin board 2-Channel responds to news that the Japanese government plans to offer subsidies to companies who hire long-time freeters (people who lack full time employment or are unemployed) as full-time regular employees. Subsidies of 500,000 yen will be paid to large companies, and subsidies of 1...
China: Child Labor
Joe from ChinaSMACK blogs about Child labour in Wuhan and the netizens discussion about the issue.
Hong Kong: Lehman Minibonds
David Webb blogs about the lesson that Hong Kong people can learn from the Lehman mini-bonds scandal.
Somalia: Piracy not something to be celebrated
Open sea piracy is discussed by different video bloggers who speak on the recent Somalian piracy incidents, and a behind the scenes look at how governments are protecting World Food Program cargo at sea.
Thailand/Cambodia: Conflict over Preah Vihear Temple (Part II)
Who owns the historic Preah Vihear Temple – Cambodia or Thailand? Both countries are asserting ownership rights over the temple which led to a border clash last week. Several soldiers were killed and wounded during the fighting. Both countries have since then agreed to talk. But the problem is far...
Japan: Why are American researchers so productive?
Japanese researcher id:kaz_ataka at Being between Neuroscience and Marketing describes his surprise at the productivity of science researchers in the U.S., those at the blogger's lab in the U.S. producing 5-6 papers per year. Unlike Japanese researchers, who kaz_ataka explains stay up until the early hours in the morning working...
China: City Mayor Responds To Internet Rumor
ESWN translates a comment article on the different attitudes of government officials to Internet rumor; the Changzhou city mayor won public praise with his public responds online on a rumor against him.
China: Photographs and scanned ID cards at Internet Bar
The Beijing government has implemented new regulations requiring all first-time visitors to any of the city’s more than 1,500 internet bars to have their pictures taken and their ID cards scanned on site. – More from David Bandurski, China Media Project.
Singapore: Discussion about “User Generated Content”
During a pre-event dinner for the Singapore Digital Media Festival 2008, participants held a discussion about “user generated content.”
Indonesia: Becak vehicle
Tempus Fugit blogs about Becak, which is a “very nice and common transportation in Indonesia.”
Japan: Media Bias in Potato Field Eviction?
Images appearing on Japanese TV of government forces evicting crying nursery school children from potato fields in Osaka, part of plans to extend a highway (the Second Keihan Highway) between Kyoto and Osaka, has sparked many on the Japanese net to respond with accusations of media bias.
Japan: Reaction to Asahi article on supermarket inspection
An article in the Asahi Shimbun [ja] about a visit by Japanese prime minister Taro Aso to a Shinjuku supermarket has been taken up on 2-Channel [ja]. Aso reportedly visited the supermarket to inspect rising food prices, and then proceeded to have dinner at the (very luxurious) Imperial Hotel. As...
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