Stories about East Asia from May, 2013
Leaving North Korea
Concerns over insufficient protection of North Korean refugees have grown ever stronger as news came out that nine young North Korean defectors have been forced to return to North Korea...
Chinese Activist Detained After Protesting String of Child Molestation Cases
A Chinese activist was beaten up and detained by local authorities in China a few days after she demonstrated in front of a primary school whose principal allegedly sexually abused six school girls. In less than one month, the local media have exposed more than eight cases of sexual abuse of school children.
Taiwan Copyright Bill Worse Than SOPA
It said the U.S Stop Online Piracy Act demands IP blocking requests to be determined in court while the Taiwan copyrights amendement filter list will be managed by a government...
Blackout Mapping in Cambodia
A massive blackout in Cambodia has sparked online discussion about the country’s power supply situation. Citizens are demanding explanation about the recurring blackouts in recent months. Urban Voice, a crowdsourcing initiative, has mapped the blackouts in Phnom Penh City.
Chinese Motherland or Otherland?
The micro-blogger explained the meaning of otherland as: You thought it is motherland, in fact it is otherland; this country belongs to foreigners and those whose offsprings are living overseas....
Alleged South Korean Tax-Evaders Revealed
South Korea's independent investigative journalism site, NewsTapa, together with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), released its initial list containing names of South Korean corporate moguls who allegedly have founded paper companies in the...
Little PSY and his Vietnamese Heritage
After learning that Korean child actor Hwang Min-woo or Little PSY of Gangnam Style fame has been receiving hate messages for being half-Vietnamese, James Bao wrote him a letter urging...
Vietnam and Same Sex Marriage
Writing for Tuoitrenews, Valentine Vu explains why Vietnam is not yet ready for the legalization of same sex marriage: …majority of the population still holds prejudice against homosexuality being a...
Rebels in Thailand's Troubled South Make Public Debut on YouTube
In Thailand's southern borderlands where various Muslim rebel groups have led a deadly nine-year insurgency, the majority of the violence has remained anonymous, committed without any one group coming forward to claim responsibility, make demands, or put a face to the conflict. That is until one of the insurgent groups released a rare video introducing their movement.
13-year-old Girl Publicly Shamed in China
A 13-year-old girl was handcuffed and then paraded on the streets after “accidentally spilling water on a town government vehicle” in Guizhou province. Fauna from ChinaSMACK translated Chinese netizens’ reaction.
Service Sector Salaries in Hong Kong
The problem of income disparity in Hong Kong has been very notorious. “Hong Wrong” highlighted the average salaries of those who are working in the service sector to help people...
Video: Citizen Journalists Capture Hong Kong's Captive Dolphins Harming Themselves
Footage of dolphins at Hong Kong Ocean Park appearing to self-harm by slamming themselves against the pool wall, recorded by citizen news outlet inmediahk.net, has created a wave of online backlash against the marine mammal center.
Shock Over Chinese Teen's Graffiti in Egypt
Chinese netizen “Kongyou Wuyi” who took a trip to Egypt recently, posted on his Weibo a picture of a fraction of a wall at Egypt’s Luxor Temple. On the wall,...
Coffee Art Goes 3D in Japan
In Japan where green tea remains the hot beverage of choice, latte art is growing phenomenon, whether it be 3D foamy creations or a vending machine that serves cappuccino with a woman's face.
Demanding Transparency is Not a Crime
A number of citizen right advocates issued a public statement demanding the release of 10 citizens who were arrested for demanding officials to publicly disclose their personal assets. Seeing Red...
China: Constitutionalism is for Capitalists
The use of constitutionalism is but a new way to force China to adopt Western political systems.
Attacking China's “Dishonest Americans” Newspaper Series
State-controlled media outlet, the People's Daily, has recently published a series of editorials on Dishonest Americans. Like many other propaganda pieces, social media users attack its hypocrisy with questions like...
Indonesia: Gamelan DJ Musical App
Developed by Yogyakarta-based Kowplink Studio, the Gamelan DJ mobile application “mix and mash tight beats, harmonies and melodies of saron.” In addition, “by touching beats pad mix with acapella &...
‘Illegal” Libraries in Myanmar
The Irrawaddy interviews Ye Htet Oo who has launched four mobile libraries in Myanmar. To avoid censorship and acquire license during the military regime, library owners pretended to operate bookstores....
Copyright Amendment Could Bring Web Filter System to Taiwan
Many Taiwanese believe that the recent proposed copyright amendment put forward by the government is a setback for democracy. The amendment will provide legal ground for an ISP-level blocking of websites under a black list system.
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