Mong Palatino · January, 2014

Latest posts by Mong Palatino from January, 2014

Teaching Art During Vietnam War

  27 January 2014

The British Library blog features several art works made during the Vietnam War era. It also quotes Nguyễn Toan Thi, a guerilla artist during the war: Art classes were held outside in the forest until our schools were bombed: classes were then held underground. Art teachers and students shared the...

Pig Photos Censored in Malaysia

  26 January 2014

Photos of pigs were blackened out by a printing company in the Malaysian edition of the New York Times. The 'pig censorship' shocked many people in the Muslim-majority nation

Indonesia Apology Urged Over Massacre of a Million Citizens in 1965

  26 January 2014

Human rights groups Tapol and East Timor and Indonesia Action Network have launched a campaign called ‘Say Sorry for '65’ addressed to the Indonesian government in relation to the reported killing of a million citizens during the anti-communist campaign of the government in the 1960s: In 1965/66, up to a...

East Timor's Rising Budget for ‘Public Transfers’

  26 January 2014

The La’o Hamutuk NGO is concerned that the East Timor government is alloting more funds for so-called ‘public transfers’ which lacks transparent mechanisms: In recent years, Timor-Leste has spent about 20% of its state budget on “Public Transfers” – payments of money to individuals or institutions which are not controlled...

Saving Elephants in Laos

  25 January 2014

There are only several hundred elephants in Laos today, a country which was once known as the 'land of the million elephants'. Animal welfare groups vow to save the elephants

How the Vietnamese are Using Facebook Pages

  22 January 2014

Despite being regularly blocked by the government, Facebook continues to grow in terms of users in Vietnam. Patrick Sharbaugh of Vietmeme explains how Vietnamese are maximizing Facebook pages: …they don’t use it only for posting personal information, but often for creating temporary civil society communities and advocating for pet causes....

Cambodia Garment Workers Demand $160 Monthly Minimum Wage

  22 January 2014

The poster illustrates the $160 monthly minimum wage demand of Cambodia garment workers.The current standard is $80 but the government is only willing to grant a $15 increase. A nationwide strike was launched by workers last December but this was violently dispersed by the police early this month.

Philippine Petition Against Dog Meat Restaurants

  17 January 2014

An online petition is circulating to pressure the mayor of Baguio City to close down dog meat restaurants in the city. Baguio is a famous tourist destination located north of the Philippines: I was recently made aware that there are at least ten dog meat restaurants operating in open violation...

A Papuan Woman's Love Letter to an Indonesian Soldier

  16 January 2014

EngageMedia has uploaded a video about a Papuan woman's love letter to an Indonesian soldier who was once stationed in the border patrol unit in a village near Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. The video also highlighted the sexual assaults allegedly committed by some Indonesian soldiers in the border. The...

Day 3 of ‘Bangkok Shutdown’ Campaign

  16 January 2014

Stickman Bangkok posted photos and crowd updates of day 3 of the ‘Bangkok Shutdown’ campaign. Forget what I said about dwindling numbers. Wednesday night saw at least as many supporters out as Monday. These are the sorts of scenes you can expect in downtown Bangkok if you are out and...

PHOTOS: Brutal Crackdown of Cambodia Labor Strike

  11 January 2014

The Licadho human rights group has uploaded a set of photos showing the brutal crackdown of a strike conducted by garment workers in Cambodia. The workers have been demanding an increase in their monthly minimum wage which is currently pegged at 80-100 US dollars.

History of the Translation of the Bible into Malay Language

  11 January 2014

Robert Hunt's paper on the history of the translation of the bible into Malay could provide more background into the current controversy in Malaysia where hundreds of bibles were recently confiscated for containing the word ‘Allah’ to refer to God. Non-Muslims are prohibited by law in Malaysia to use ‘Allah’...