Stories about East Asia from August, 2023
China retaliates as Japan discharges treated radioactive water from Fukushima
China is the only country in the world that bans seafood from Japan over Fukushima discharge of treated radioactive wastewater.
‘Stop the dump’: Pacific communities protest Japan’s release of treated nuclear water
"If it is safe, dump it in Tokyo! If it is safe, test it in Paris! If it is safe, store it in Washington! But keep our Pacific nuclear free!"
Did the Myanmar junta build the ‘world’s biggest Buddha statue’ to whitewash its crimes?
Myanmar’s military regime unveiled a large Maravijaya Buddha statue in a massive religious ceremony, which critics describe as an attempt to distract from the junta’s brutal leadership.
China is on the precipice of its own major financial crisis
Many are worried that the bankruptcy of Evergrande will trigger a domino effect that extends that crisis from the property to the finance sector.
Cambodia: Problematic laws and restrictions on information are threatening digital rights
As internet use and digital technologies flourished in Cambodia, more people are relying on social media to access news and information and to exercise their rights to free expression.
Which African countries may join the BRICS group of nations, and why do they want to?
"Economic considerations, with BRICS countries constituting a significant portion of global GDP, offer expansive trade and investment opportunities for African economies ... [and] can attract direct foreign investment, technological advancement, and bolster export capabilities."
‘I haven't seen a tree in three years’: An Australian journalist’s prison letter from China
"I miss the sun. In my cell, sunlight shines through the window but I can stand in it for only 10 hours a year. ... Most of all, I miss my children."
A peek into Taiwan's small Jewish community: Interview with Rabbi Cody Bahir
While small, the Jewish community has been present in Taiwan for over 70 years and has now a new rabbi who shared about the community in an interview to Global Voices.
Hong Kong artist in exile in Taiwan uses protest art to resist Beijing's attacks on freedom in the region
For Hong-Kong political activists, journalists, and artists, Taiwan remains the last free Chinese-speaking society where they can operate. Global Voices interviewed Hong Kong artist Kacey Wong who moved to Taiwan in 2021.
A new platform monitoring press freedom in Southeast Asia
Seven Southeast Asian media organizations have launched pfmsea.org, a joint platform to monitor press freedom across the region.
Chinese propaganda takes over a graffiti wall on London’s Brick Lane
"Their performance captures China’s characters: When 'China' is present, it erases all the diverse colors and cultures brutally with zero respect."
What is ‘soft resistance’? Hong Kong officials vow to take a hard line against it, but provide no definition
Hong Kong officials have vowed to take a hard line against “soft resistance” but failed to define the term. HKFP tracks the term's usage and quotes views from legal scholars.
A starter guide to Chinese open source data for non-Chinese speakers
This mini guides offers practical tools for non-Chinese speaking researchers and journalists to make a professional use of official Chinese sources to map China's presence across the world.
Devastating floods in Hebei expose the site selection problem of China’s sub-capital, Xiong’an
One Weiboer put the water channeling politics in China in a nutshell: "Whether a place is submerged or not relies not on its altitude but on its political status."
Myanmar junta grants partial pardon to detained leaders amid continuing crisis and resistance
"Myanmar’s problems will not be solved by reducing the prison sentences on people who should never have been sentenced in the first place."
Hong Kong’s homegrown security law, Article 23, is back in the spotlight
An attempt to pass the city’s own security law collapsed in 2003 under the weight of mass protests. This time, public opposition is likely to be muted.
Unfreedom Monitor: Civic Media Observatory findings report
The Unfreedom Monitor is a project to analyse, document, and report on the growing phenomenon of the use of digital communications technology to advance authoritarian practices.
How the onstage stunt of British band The 1975 caused more harm than good in Malaysia
Matty Healy, the vocalist of the British band, The 1975, opened their performance in Malaysia by ranting against the country’s anti-LGBTQ+ laws in a profanity-laden speech and kissing his bandmate onstage.
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