Latest posts by Mong Palatino from April, 2011
Vietnam: Facebook partners with local telecom giant
James Bao cites a report from PC World Vietnam about the partnership of Facebook and FPT, a telecom giant in Vietnam. Facebook is regularly blocked in Vietnam and FPT is often blamed for making the popular social network site inaccessible in the country.
Popularizing Vietnamese films
Jennie Le, writing for Vietnam Talking Points, explains why Vietnamese films are not getting much attention in the Western world.
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.
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.
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
Laos: Vientiane Vision 2030
Sao Darly links to a youtube video about the urban development masterplan for Vientiane, capital of Laos.
Singapore: Political website to shut down
The editorial team of The Temasek Review, a political website in Singapore, has confirmed that the website will soon be closed due to financial difficulties.
Singapore: Understudy MPs
Chua Chin Leng blogs about the training of understudy Members of Parliament in Singapore where rookie leaders are ‘understudying’ the job of senior politicians.
Singapore: Open letter to Opposition parties
Blogger Live.Life from Singapore writes an open letter to Opposition parties which will participate in this year's elections: “To win our hearts you have to offer concrete programs and ways to better Singaporeans’ lives.”
Singapore: Did Senior Minister ridicule farmers?
Cheong Wing Lee reacts to the report about the alleged comment of Singapore Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong about farmers in poor countries having no understanding about quality of life.
Southeast Asia: Why ‘exits’ are important for start-ups?
Bernard Leong explains why ‘exits’ are important for start-ups in Southeast Asia. He cites the small number of exits in the region as a reason why venture capitalists are not investing in Southeast Asia.
Map of People on Twitter in Thailand
Richard Barrow has created a map of twitter users living in Thailand which can be used to get live updates and pictures that might also be useful during natural disasters in Thailand.
Malaysia: Enough with the political sex scandals
Juana Jaafar criticizes the excessive attention being given to the political sex scandals in Malaysia.
Yale to set up campus in Singapore
Yale University, in cooperation with the National University of Singapore, will set-up the Yale-NUS College which will be Singapore's first liberal arts college. Bloggers debate whether the project will succeed and if it's wise for a local university to gain prestige by partnering with Yale instead of developing its own brand
Southeast Asia: Media Says Sorry Over ‘Insensitive’ Japan Posts
Singapore’s MediaCorp, Thailand’s The Nation, and Malaysia’s Berita Harian – all belonging to mainstream media in their respective countries – were forced to apologize to the public for publishing ‘insensitive’ articles about the Japan earthquake/tsunami disaster. Bloggers react
East Timor: Parliament to use Portuguese language
The East Timor Parliament announced that it will use the Portuguese language in plenary sessions at least once a month. A blogger reacts: “It would be like the Australian or United States or English legislatures publishing new laws in Japanese.”
Thailand: Songkran Festival website
The Thailand government has set up a website in preparation for the Songkran Festival 2011, a traditional New Year holiday in Thailand.
