Stories about East Asia from October, 2020
Decision to dump radioactive water from the Fukushima nuclear disaster site into the ocean sparks alarm
About 1.25 million tonnes of contaminated water is currently stored at the Fukushima Daiichi installation.
Hong Kong police to launch hotline for public to report violations of the national security law
The new development indicates that the NSL will likely not target "a small number" of individuals, as Carrie Lam once promised, but surveil Hong Kong residents on a massive scale.
Myanmar general election violence on the rise as November vote nears
Several election-related incidents of intimidation and physical attacks were reported in many townships ahead of the November 8 election.
Outrage in Hong Kong after top university appoints two mainland Chinese scholars as vice-presidents
Both men hold positions at Beijing's Tsinghua University -- and cached pages of Tsinghua's websites shows that one of them was elected to the CCP committee of his department.
Silencing the media won't stop the student-led protests in Thailand
"...while protesters rely mainly on media and other forms of communication to mobilize, these organizations have nothing to do with the students’ communication, coordination, and management of the protests."
This beatboxing Buddhist monk from Japan is making music to ‘reduce suffering’
Yogetsu Asakusa combines beatboxing beats with traditional Buddhist sutras.
More than one million voters in Myanmar disenfranchised after government cancels elections in conflict areas
"There are suspicions over whether the government is trying to reduce ethnic parties’ power."
Hong Kong teachers self-censor as authorities target classrooms
One respondent said in a survey that they have received a complaint from a student's parents simply for wearing a black mask.
From Belarus to Thailand, Hong Kong’s spirit of resistance is nurturing grassroots protests elsewhere
While Hong Kong protests have influenced organisational and protest tactics in anti-authoritarian movements abroad, the current wave of grassroots uprisings, in turn, prompts Hongkongers to develop a transnational solidarity.
Myanmar 2020 election: ‘A critical moment in the consolidation of democratic transition’
"Transparency and frequent consultation with political parties, candidates and other stakeholders are crucial to the acceptance of the results."
Failing to portray protesters as violent, Thai government lifts severe state of emergency
The government failed to portray the protesters as aggressive and violent, causing a political backfire and pressuring authorities to step back.
Fighting disinformation and fact-checking the Myanmar election
Global Voices interviewed Thet Min, fact-checker for ‘Real or not’ fact-checking news website, about their efforts to expose and stop disinformation in Myanmar ahead of the November 8 elections.
Japan's ‘least attractive’ prefecture gets a little more love in 2020
After ranking last for seven consecutive years, Ibaraki jumped up five spots on an annual survey ranking Japan's prefectures by "attractiveness."
Thailand's democracy protests reflect rising dissatisfaction over the monarchy
Criticizing the monarchy is a crime in Thailand yet protesters, especially young activists, continue to organize rallies calling for monarchy reforms.
Myanmar's election commission censors speeches of political parties in run-up to election
"This censorship seems like something the dictatorship did. They shouldn’t mess with the party’s tone. Shouldn’t there be freedom of expression?"
Undaunted by the October 16 crackdown, protestors once again take to Bangkok’s streets
"There is no more staying neutral, either you side with democracy or side with dictatorship that uses power unfairly."
K-Pop band BTS targeted by Chinese netizens over Korean War comments
BTS leader Kim Nam-joon paid tribute to the U.S. and South Korea in the 70th anniversary of the war. Chinese netizens say he should have acknowledged Chinese deaths too.
Hong Kong civil servants forced to choose between freedom of expression and their jobs
Following the enactment of the national security law, Hong Kong authorities included a "loyalty clause" in civil servants' employment contracts.
Vietnamese activist and journalist Pham Doan Trang arrested for ‘anti-state propaganda’
"I don’t need freedom just for myself, that would be too easy. I want something much greater: freedom and democracy for all of Vietnam."
New literary magazine makes contemporary Japanese fiction accessible to English readers
The literary journal's debut issue translates a plethora of Japanese literature both old and new, and facilitates discussion about the translation itself.
New evidence indicates Hong Kong police helped China arrest 12 activists fleeing for Taiwan
On August 23, the activists fled Hong Kong by speedboat for Taiwan, where would seek asylum, but were intercepted by the Chinese coast guard and are now detained in Shenzen.
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