American television has managed to extend its normal offensive material from domestic viewers to Thailand’s very own Ministry of Culture. In a recent Saturday Night Live sketch poking fun at the learn-the-language product Rosetta Stone, sordid gentlemen were depicted as trying to learn Thai in order to solicit prostitutes. Thai…
Author: Asia Media Staff
New Zealand: Government Tries to Blow Smoke from Tobacco Dangers
Known for its green and environmentally friendly efforts, the New Zealand government is at it again, trying to enact policies that are not only “good” for the environment, but also good for the people. First Target: Tobacco companies. Influenced by the Australian government’s recent introduction of “plain cigarette packaging,” the…
JAPAN: Is This the Best PM Abe Can Do?
In the wake of North Korea’s nuclear test, national security issues have become an even greater priority for Japan’s Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe, who is in the early stages of his second run as Prime Minister. However, his responses to the DPRK are already under fire, especially from liberal circles,…
INDONESIA: Fair to Call Them the ‘Dirty Dozen’?
Indonesia’s media will be busy this year covering the approaching 2014 presidential elections, as well as several local elections that will take place before then. However, the media’s role in these elections is now under scrutiny, both from Indonesian citizens and free press supporters worldwide. With the removal of the…
PHILIPPINES: Media-Phobic Commission on Elections—Feigned Fairness?
The public should be cautious of the Commission on Election’s (Comelec) ability to meet its expectations to conduct clean polls in the May 2013 Elections. So far, the Comelec’s integrity has been in question. According to Comelec Resolution 9615, the poll body has imposed aggregate and not per station airtime…
BANGLADESH: Persistent Outrage Over Crusading Blogger’s Death
Bangladesh news coverage this month has been dominated by demonstrations in Dakha demanding stiffer sentences for war criminals from the country’s 1971 Liberation War. Now, hundreds of thousands of Bangladeshis have been gathering as they also seek justice for the killing of Ahmed Rajib Haider, a blogger who helped organize…
Pakistan: No room for argument in “The News”
Recently the Pakistan Army condemned what they called the “inhuman and brutal killing” of a soldier by Indian troops near the “Line of Control” in the Kashmir border. According to the Pakistani military, the soldier inadvertently crossed the LoC, and was killed after being questioned by Indian soldiers. As unfortunate…
CHINA: Who’s Hertz, Who’s Avis?
Despite recent media reports that China had surpassed the US when it comes to trade, the recent reports from the Chinese Ministry of Commerce announced that this is not, in fact, the case. The two largest economies in the world, China and the United States have always been neck and…
TAIWAN: Activism and Organizing Through Social Media
Two issues ago, Asia Media covered the media monopoly in Taiwan. To combat this monopolization, many college students, activists, and opposition politicians are taking action to create an anti-media monopolization campaign through the usage of social media. This on-going protest campaign started in July of last year. With the acquisition…
MALAYSIA: Government Tell Aussie to Butt Out
Australia has every right to question Malaysia’s actions. Nick Xenophon, an independent senator from Australia, was recently deported from Malaysia after traveling to Kuala Lumpur on an unofficial parliamentary “fact-finding” journey to analyze the ‘free and fair elections’ in Malaysia. Malaysia says otherwise. According to the Malaysian government, Xenophon was…
INDIA: Cybercrime Response is Crucial to Cameron’s Agenda
British Prime Minister David Cameron’s recent three-day visit to Mumbai and New Delhi- the first visit from an English premier in 20 years — is ripping across Asian subcontinent. Accompanied by the largest entourage of British business officials ever to travel overseas with a prime minister, Cameron had a myriad…
NORTH KOREA: International Drama Queen.
North Korea has been, and is increasingly becoming, a topic of heightened concern within the international community. In December, their government tested long-range rockets, violating international law. Although the North Korean government claims that the rockets were carrying satellites for their space program, the U.N. increased sanctions against North Korea…
PHILIPPINES: Violation of Press Freedom? You decide.
Bobby Nalzaro, columnist of the Sun.Star, the first Filipino community newspaper to go online, has recently returned from his “sabbatical”. Approximately a month ago, the Sun Star board of directors suspended Nalzaro and discontinued his 15-year-old column because he wrote critically about the suspended governor of the Philippine province of…
PAKISTAN: The Debate Drones On
Debates concerning the use of drones in Pakistan, and other countries, by the CIA are not new. Recently US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, in an AFP interview, was forced to defend the policy and practice; “The whole purpose of our operations were aimed at those who attacked this country and…
CHINA: Better Brace Yourself!
Fake it til’ you make it. Teens in Asia are taking that concept literally as they apply fake braces on their teeth as a fashion trend. This curious fad first started in Southeast Asia, and it is now taking Asia by storm, making its way into many Chinese teenagers’ mouth.…
INDONESIA: Overcoming the Media Conglomerate Wall
Since the 1998 Asian financial and political crisis, the media industry in Indonesia has been opened up fully, and is now freer from government control than ever. The media inarguably plays a crucial role in Indonesian democracy by educating its citizens and informing them of government activity. However, Indonesia’s media…