Mong Palatino · December, 2008

Latest posts by Mong Palatino from December, 2008

Thailand: Revenge of the reds

  31 December 2008

Forget the yellow protesters who occupied Thailand’s airports last month. Today’s anti-government protests in Bangkok are organized by supporters of the ousted government. They have vowed to launch bigger street actions “to restore democracy.” Do not confuse them with the Left. They just like the color red.

Thailand: Text messages from the Prime Minister

  31 December 2008

On his first day in office, Thai PM Abhisit Vejjajiva sent SMS to his constituents. A sample of the text message: “I am your new PM. I would like to invite you to help pull our country pull of the crisis. If you are interested in receiving my messages, please...

Fiji: Dispute over local jobs

  31 December 2008

A government infrastructure project in Fiji was delayed after local residents demanded that workers in the project should come from the local community.

Rare Brunei stamp

  28 December 2008

Rozan Yunos writes about a rare 6c Brunei stamp issued during the Japanese Occupation.

Southeast Asia: Newsmakers of 2008

  26 December 2008

For Southeast Asia, 2008 was a year of terrible disasters, both natural and man-made. Rice consumption was reduced, milk products were contaminated with melamine, jobs were lost, bloggers were arrested, and homes were destroyed. But the situation is not hopeless.

Singapore Flyer, a white elephant already?

  24 December 2008

Because of the recession, fewer people are visiting the Singapore Flyer (the world’s largest observation wheel). According to Empty Vessel, “if no drastic measures are taken to restore people’s confidence in stepping into the capsules, the Flyer risks becoming Singapore’s biggest white elephant.”

Thailand: Blocked websites

  24 December 2008

The Freedom Against Censorship Thailand has just received a secret list of blocked websites leaked from Thailand’s Ministry of Information and Communication Technology. The report mentioned 1,303 websites which were censored by the government.

Vietnam: Blogging to be regulated

  24 December 2008

Vietnam has introduced some new restrictions on blogging. Blog posts which undermine national security, incite violence or crime, and disclose state secrets are banned. Internet companies are also ordered to issue reports to the government every six months.

Myanmar: Shoes, politics and colonialism

  24 December 2008

Shoes had been a symbol of politics in Myanmar. Aung Zaw of The Irrawaddy writes about a “shoe incident” involving British colonizers who didn't remove their shoes when they met the Burmese king a century ago. This became a national issue.