ELIZABETH SOELISTIO WRITES — Ahn Hee Jung, a 53-year-old politician and former rising star of South Korea’s Democratic, party was acquitted August 14 on charges of raping his female secretary, Kim Ji Eun. The controversial verdict sparked massive debates on the topics of justice, sexual hierarchies and the power wielded…
Full Article SOUTH KOREA & THE QUESTION OF JUSTICE: AHN HEE JUNG NOT GUILTY OF RAPE
ELIZABETH SOELISTIO WRITES FROM INDONESIA – This sprawling country, the world’s fourth most populous, is no stranger to internet censorship. However, the consequences of Indonesia’s recent censorship tactics are not only felt by the individual users but also by the community around them. First, there is the censorship of homosexuality…
Full Article INDONESIA: GOVERNMENT BLOCKAGE TO END ALL LGBT AND PORNOGRAPHY ON INTERNET TUMBLES INTO IRRATIONALITY AND OVERKILL
ELIZABETH SOELISTIO WRITES – “A Death that Cannot be Buried” is written in one of the promotional posters for this South Korean film. But, that sentence is not only a promotion, but a statement of truth when it comes to “1987: When the Day Comes.” Based on the real-life events…
Full Article SOUTH KOREA: DEMOCRACY IS BORN IN ‘1987: WHEN THE DAY COMES’
ELIZABETH SOELISTIO WRITES – The freedom of the press in Myanmar is in a questionable state. Despite talk of a transitioning democracy, it is unclear whether human rights, such as freedom of the press, will receive the reform needed to become fully democratized. Lau Hon Meng and Mok Choy Lin,…
Full Article MYANMAR: THE FUTURE OF THE FREEDOM OF PRESS
ELIZABETH SOELISTIO WRITES – To support or not to support, that is the question when it comes to U.S. President Donald Trump’s 12-day visit to Asia. Nowhere is that more true than in South Korea. As tensions between the United States and North Korea continue, many South Koreans have taken…
Full Article SOUTH KOREA: A DIVIDED NATION ON TRUMP AND NORTH KOREA
ELIZABETH SOELISTIO WRITES – Home away from home was the purpose of the 44th Los Angeles Korean Festival (LAKF). With more than 500 vendors to join this event, LAKF offered various displays of Korean culture through diverse and interactive activities. There were many performances, cultural events, and food that represented…
Full Article LOS ANGELES: THE 44TH LOS ANGELES KOREAN FESTIVAL
ELIZABETH SOELISTIO WRITES – Sure, Tinder and OKCupid are good for finding a mate. But what if you’re after mates, plural? To make up for the lack of polygamy features in most dating websites and mobile apps, Lindu Pranayama created AyoPoligami which literally translates to “Let’s do polygamy.” Since AyoPoligami…
Full Article INDONESIA: SWIPE RIGHT FOR AYOPOLIGAMI DATING APP
ELIZABETH SOELISTIO WRITES – It has been 52 years, yet the ghost of the 1965 anti-communist massacre continues to haunt Indonesia. Today, communism remains one of Indonesia’s most sensitive topics. Not only is there little effort from the government to confront its darkest part of history, but also, recent fake…
Full Article INDONESIA: FOREVER HAUNTING – THE GHOST OF 1965 ANTI-COMMUNIST MASSACRE
ELIZABETH SOELISTIO WRITES – Despite the cheerful and bright colors advertised on its billboards and posters, “A Taxi Driver” is a film that depicts the serious tale of an unsung hero who helped defend democracy by exposing a military dictatorship’s misdeeds in Gwangju, South Korea. Balancing comedy and political thrills,…
Full Article South Korea: The Tale of ‘A Taxi Driver’ and the Gwangju Massacre
ELIZABETH SOELISTIO WRITES – Along with his usual feistiness and candor, former Jakarta governor Basuki “Ahok” Purnama is revealing a new side to his personality: Graciousness. In a letter written from Mako Brimob Prison, read to the media by his tearful wife, Ahok explained why he won’t appeal his recent…
Full Article INDONESIA: LETTER FROM MAKO BRIMOB PRISON – AHOK SHINES
[et_pb_section admin_label=”section”][et_pb_row admin_label=”row”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”] ELIZABETH SOELISTIO WRITES – In early May, the former governor of Jakarta was convicted of blasphemy and sentenced to two years in prison. This came shortly after he lost re-election to a Muslim opponent in a hard-fought election campaign. To…
Full Article INDONESIA: CANDLES FOR AHOK – REST IN PEACE JUSTICE IN INDONESIA
ELIZABETH SOELISTIO WRITES – In a definitive swing of the political pendulum, South Korea has elected Moon Jae-in as president, after his predecessor was impeached. The new, liberal occupant of the presidential Blue House is a lawyer, former student activist, former soldier and the son of North Korean immigrants. Moon…
Full Article S. KOREA: NEW MOON RISING IN PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION
[et_pb_section admin_label=”section”][et_pb_row admin_label=”row”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid” custom_css_main_element=”.post-thumbnail header .single.featured-image .site-header-image {display: none;}”] ELIZABETH SOELISTIO WRITES – As the Jakarta Post notes in its write-up, it’s one thing for a photo to be kept from publication because it’s not good enough. It’s another when the photo is…
Full Article Celebrating Indonesia’s ‘Unpublished’ News Photography
ELIZABETH SOELISTIO WRITES – As one of the fastest growing internet users among its Southeast Asian neighbors, Indonesians never fail to surprise the world with their use of social media. This goes especially for the first presidential vlog of Indonesia’s President, Joko “Jokowi” Widodo. On February 4, President Jokowi, one…
Full Article INDONESIA: NEWEST VLOG STAR – PRESIDENT JOKOWI!
ELIZABETH SOELISTIO WRITES – Thousands turned out in protest last month demanding the governor of Jakarta be locked up for allegedly insulting Islam. The governor, Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, better known as Ahok, is in the middle of a tight reelection campaign that will finish in April. Voting results in the…
Full Article INDONESIA: Jakarta governor’s race heads to runoff, controversy
ELIZABETH SOELISTIO WRITES – Jonathan Head, the South East Asia Correspondent for BBC News, is under the threat of serving up to five years of jail time in Thailand after a lawyer reported him for a criminal defamation. This charges are brought to Head after he reported on two foreign…
Full Article THAILAND: BBC journalist faces defamation and cyber crime charges in Thailand