Stories about East Asia from December, 2012
Thailand: Why Pitak Siam Protest Failed
The anti-government group Pitak Siam (Protect Thailand) vowed to mobilize one million people in the streets of Bangkok last November 24 but managed to gather only 20,000. Bloggers, journalists and academics have written about the failure of Pitak Siam and the political impact of the protest.
China's ‘Luxury Disease’ Extends to Lavish Government Buildings
Lavish government buildings is nothing new in China, however, nothing can be compared to the new government building in Jinan, capital of East China's Shandong Province. According to media reports , the "Long Ao building", cost 4 billion RMB (US$640 million), and is the second largest individual structure in the world, second only to the Pentagon in size.
Reflections on Teaching in Portuguese in East Timor
Valdir Lamim-Guedes, a Brazilian biologist, who blogs at Na Raiz [pt], shared an article he published together with Carlos Junior Gontijo-Rosa on the Global Education Magazine about their experience as visiting professors at the National University of Timor-Leste in 2012, focusing on the challenges of teaching in Portuguese. Despite being one...
Chinese-American Children Left Behind in China
Left-behind children is a term to describe a special group of children who are left in rural areas while their parents work as migrant workers in big cities in China. However, in Fujian province in Southern China, there are about 10,000 left-behind foreign children whose parents are illegal immigrants to other...
Japan's Indigenous Ainu Head to New Zealand
Ainu, the indigenous people of Northern Japan seek cultural exchange with Māori, the indigenous people of New Zealand.
Analysis on Water and Enviromental Bloggers in China
China has serious water shortage problems due to the population and landscape. How many Chinese are talking about this issue on the internet? Check out this interesting analysis on water and environmental bloggers on Twitter and Weibo (China's Twitter) by ChinaWaterRisk.
Xinhua Is On Twitter
Anthony Tao from Beijing Cream blogs about Chinese netizens’ reaction of the Chinese government official news outlets, Xinhua, being active on Twitter, an social media platform which is blocked in China. As the blogger pointed out: it does seem slightly ironic for a government agency to be using Twitter when...
Rare Protest in Beijing Against Express Train Catches China by Surprise
A protest against the Shenyang-Beijing Express Train Route in downtown Beijing on December 9, 2012 has caught many Chinese netizens by surprise. Some believe that it is a sign for further political reform, while some are holding their breathe and crossing their fingers.
China's Weibo Guru Kai-fu Lee Talks About Higher Education Issues
Prominent figure in Chinese internet sector Kai-Fu Lee pointed out the problems in China's higher education. He tweeted on Dec 10[zh], translation here: China doesn't need so many universities. In order to meet the high expectations of parents, schools have expanded the enrollment. Many private universities have developed too fast...
China: Fake RMB Donations Triggers Online Debate
On December 8, foreign consulates in Guangzhou, Southern China held a Christmas charity bazaar to raise funds for disabled children. The event raised 330,000 RMB (about US$53,000), but the Belgian consulate found out that 5,000 RMB turned out to be fake currency. The news led to a heated discussion online. TeaLeafNation...
Lao Startup Wins ASEAN Award
Lao IT Dev, a startup based in Laos, has won the 1st Asean ICT Award in the Digital Content category. It publishes the e-corner magazine which is the major source of IT-related news in Laos.
Deadly Storm in the Philippines: “Everything was flying. It was surreal.”
Father Joel Tabora summarizes the extent of damage left by Typhoon Pablo in Southern Philippines: "Entering the Municipality of Compostela was like entering a warzone, its hectares and hectares of banana and fruit trees flattened. People there have no food. No potable water. No signal. Electricity is expected to return after at least two months."
Japan's First Live Streamed Political Debate
On November 29, 2012, Nico Nico Douga hosted Japan's first live-streamed political debate. Presidents from ten different parties joined the debate, which faced its own unique challenges.
Standing Up for Stalking Victims in Japan
Forty-nine different groups that campaign to end violence against women came together and made a joint statement on November 19, 2012 calling for concrete measures to support stalking victims and prevent homicide by stalkers in Japan. The statement was made after an incident on November 6 in Zushi, Kanagawa Prefecture, where a woman was stabbed and killed by her stalker ex-boyfriend. The victim had asked the police for help four times, but was turned down each time due to lack of legally permissible evidence.
China's Disempowered Urban Planners Build Support Through Weibo
China is experiencing major urban expansion, but urban planners have little freedom to do their work, as the government and developers are the main decision makers. Urban planners have now found a new way to make their voices heard: they use Weibo (China's twitter) to communicate with the public and criticize improper planning strategies forced upon them by the government.
Vietnam: Hùng Kings Ritual Recognized by UNESCO
Le Minh Khai discusses some issues surrounding the decision of UNESCO to recognize the worship of the Hùng Kings in the Phu Tho province of Vietnam on its “List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.”
Human Rights Issues in Singapore
We call on the government to recognize, respect and fulfil social and cultural rights of all Singaporeans and to review its developmental mindset that overvalues economic growth to the detriment of our society's identity and disappearing heritage. Think Centre identifies several human rights issues in Singapore.
Tibet Scholars Appeal to China's President Xi Jinping
A group of international Tibetan studies scholars launched a petition addressed to China's Xi Jinping, asking the new leader to adjust its language, culture and religion policy in the Tibetan region: As specialists in the areas of Tibetan language, culture and religion, we would like to share with you, through this...
Tropical Storm Pablo Leaves Trail of Devastation in Southern Philippines
Tropical storm Pablo (international name: Bopha) left a trail of destruction in various parts of the southern Philippine islands of Mindanao, Leyte, Cebu, and Negros after entering the country last December 4. Pablo is the strongest typhoon to ever hit Mindanao
Photos from 1962 of Mainland Refugees Fleeing Famine to Hong Kong
Hong Wrong.com posted some historical photos collected by Life Magazine, showing mainland Chinese refugees fleeing from the famine to Hong Kong in 1962 as a result of the Great Leap Forward in mainland China.
The Struggle of 15-Year-Old Hukou Protester in China
C. Custer from China Geeks told the story of a 15-year-old girl activist, Zhan Haite, who struggles against the unjust household registration system in China. Zhan may be an interesting example of what I might term the “dissidentification” of Chinese protesters. I have noticed and mentioned before how people frustrated...