Stories about East Asia from April, 2011
China: Yang Hengjun's thoughts on his kidnapping
China Media Project has posted an English version of the blog of Sino-Australian novelist Yang Hengjun, who shared his thoughts and feelings on his disappearance from Guangzhou airport last month, widely imagined as part of the Chinese government crackdown on activists.
Korea: A Collection of North Korean Post Stamps
South Korean blogger/journalist ID: Aroma of Desert introduced [ko] a collection of rare North Korean postage stamps.
North Korea: One American Has Been Detained
North Korea confirmed that it has detained an American man. The United States is urging North Korea to release the man on humanitarian grounds. North Korean Economy Watch blog summarized the latest detention cases.
China: Netizens’ Interpretation of Indecent Sculpture
Sophie from ChinaSMACK translated Chinese netizens’ interpretation of an indecent sculpture in Guilin city.
Interview with Gaël Brassac, Global Voices Translator
Translators are the behind-the-scenes contributors who allow Global Voices readers to access our content in other languages. One of them is Gaël Brassac who lives in France, but who always had a special place in his heart for Japan and strongly believes that the nation will recover swiftly from its current predicament.
Japan: Quakebook, a book born on Twitter
Journalist and blogger Jake Adelstein presents Quakebook [en], “a compilation of art, stories, and essays to raise money for Japan earthquake survivors” which started with a single tweet. The book, officially titled 2:46: Aftershocks: Stories from the Japan Earthquake, was co-written by popular writers and artists and 100% of revenue...
Japan: A Japanese medical aid worker's diary
Anonymous translator ( @anontrans) translated into English some blog entries posted by “a Japanese nurse who was dispatched to Rikuzentakata, Iwate, Japan as a member of one of the first disaster medical assistance teams to be sent from Tokyo just several days after the earthquake and tsunami that struck the...
Malaysia: Cyber Attacks Shut Down Independent News Website
Malaysiakini, an independent news portal in Malaysia, has been inaccessible since Tuesday 12 April, 2011, after being targeted by cyber attacks. The attacks came a few days before an important state election in Sarawak.
China: Cleaning Up Shenzhen
Mary Ann O'Donnell blogs about the recent urban cleansing movement in Shenzhen, which has rid 80,000 “dangerous people” out of Shenzhen city. While most of the mainstream media praised the city government's effort, critical voices can only be found in Weibo.
Cambodia: Durian statue in Kampot
Tales from an Expat reports that the durian statue in Kampot, Cambodia is now complete in time for the Khmer New Year. Durian is a tasty fruit in Southeast Asia.
Thailand: Censorship video
Jon Russell interviews ‘Madastro’, a young Thai student who made a video about censorship in Thailand. The video has already generated more than 100,000 hits on YouTube.
Cambodia: Saving Prey Long forest
Andy Brouwer blogs about the destruction of Prey Long forest, the largest remaining lowland evergreen in Cambodia.
Fukushima: Public Criticism and a Rising Anger
Open protests against Tepco as operator and the government as monitor had been relatively muted until recently, but this has now changed. For many foreigners however, used to much bigger numbers of demonstrators in their own countries, doubts remain. Why do Japanese people seem so reluctant to criticize the company and industry responsible for this man made disaster and the government which let it all happen?
China: What Happened to Chinese Facebook Users on April 5, 2011
Shanghaiist found out from Social Bakers that on April 5, about 40% (250,000) of Chinese Facebookers disappeared.
China: Netizens’ Comments on Food Safety
China Geek translated some Chinese netizens’ comments on food safety.
South Koreans Baffled By Five Consecutive University Suicides
South Koreans are buzzing over recurring suicides which occurred in one prestigious university. The school's unique penalty tuition system which was adopted by the president of the school also went under fire for driving students to extreme stress, even to the death.
Cambodia: Songs About Facebook
In Cambodia, Facebook is not yet considered a threat by the government. Politicians led by Prime Minister Hun Sen (who has been in power since 1985) have created their own Facebook pages where they interact with Cambodian citizens and netizens. There is however, a newer interesting Facebook trend in the country: Cambodians are creating songs about Facebook.
Indonesian Netizens Support ‘Dancing Cop’
The video of a provincial cop dancing and lip-syncing to the tune of a Bollywood Indian song is now a certified internet and media hit in Indonesia. Authorities reprimanded the policeman for recording the act while on duty but netizens have expressed their support for the 'dancing cop'.
Singapore: Debate on ‘Pampered’ Soldiers
Are Singapore soldiers ready for battle? This is one of the many questions raised by netizens who are reacting to the photo of a young serviceman whose backpack is being carried by someone believed to be their family domestic helper
Indonesia: Ministry Orders Removal of Buddha Statue
Indonesia's commitment to promote religious tolerance was questioned again after the Religious Affairs Ministry ordered a large Buddhist statue in a monastery in North Sumatra to be removed after Muslim groups in the area protested against its presence.
China: Ran Yunfei’s Blogging for Political Change
A well-known and respected blogger, Ran Yunfei consistently writes about social justice and democratic reforms in China. He has been charged with 'inciting subversion of state power' on March 28 this year. His blog is nominated for the 2011 Deutsche Welle International Blog Awards' Chinese category.
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