Author: Asia Media Staff
NORTH BY NORTHJEST: Satirizing a Brutal Regime
CHINA: A Whole Lot of Shaking Going on
No wonder China appears to be undergoing so many changes all at once. Technology ventures of all sorts are bursting out everywhere. Consider entrepreneur Joseph Chen, who would very much like to come China’s version of Mark Zuckerberg: He is is the founder of Renren.com, a social networking site that…
BANGLADESH: TV Station Charged With Prime-Time Crime!
Boishakhi Television, a private news channel from Bangladesh, was allegedly caught laundering money in “broad daylight”. On Wednesday, April 18th, the Weekly Blitz, a weekly tabloid from Bangladesh, reported that the private television station was involved in smuggling millions of dollars every year. According to its reporting, the Weekly Blitz…
SINGAPORE: A Huge Over-Reaction to ‘Child Kidnappings’?
SINGAPORE: Sales for child-locator devices continues to increase after rumors of kidnappings sent through text messages and social media Singapore’s newest child-fashion statement has sent personal tracking device sales through the roof. Personal GPS retailers have seen a substantial increase in sales after rumors of several kidnappings spread through text…
HONG KONG: A Small City That the Police Look to Make Smaller
Hong Kong- IFJ has criticized Hong Kong’s tactics as a crime against freedom of press The Hong Kong government has been aggressively encouraged to end limitations of press freedom by the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ). According to a recent press release of the IFJ, Andy Tsang, Commissioner of Police…
PHILIPPINES: Tit-for-Tat Cyber Attacks With China
Several Chinese websites were defaced by Filipino hackers calling themselves “Anonymous #OccupyPhilippines”. This techno-assault seems to be in retaliation for the recent cyber-attack against the University of the Philippines website, the top state university in the country. One defaced site, the China University Media Union homepage, was replaced with an…
MYANMAR: Caution Signs on the Road to Burma
The country of Burma (but these days Myanmar, in the official UN nomenclature) is suddenly receiving a lot of positive press, and rightly so. The military junta has released a record number of political prisoners in recent months, opened dialogue between the government and ethnic minorities, and even held some…
SINGAPORE: Busted for Minor Activity
It’s all fun and games until somebody gets caught, and has to serve a seven year jail sentence. This is the possible punishment facing an estimated 30 men under investigation for engaging in “compensated” sexual relations with a minor. In February, at least 80 men were originally believed to be involved in the online…
INDONESIA: MURDEROUS LANDING IN PAPUA
Leiron Kogoya, journalist, 35, was gunned down on a plane as it landed at Mulia Airport in the independent state of Papua. Kogoya wrote for newspapers Pasific Post and Papua Pos Nabire. At least five gunmen opened fire at 8 a.m in Mulia, injuring passengers as well as pilots, who then lost control of the plane as…
INDIA: Cartoon Version of Free Speech?
How dangerous can a cartoon be? This seems to be the question many are asking themselves after Professor Ambikesh Mohapatra from the Jadavpur University was arrested for posting a political cartoon. The cartoon is a spoof in which Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Railway Minister Mukul Roy are featured talking about how…
SOUTH KOREA: Whiffs of the Old Authoritarianism?
An unfolding political surveillance scandal is rocking South Korea. And it is beginning to raise doubts about whether South Korea’s democracy is all that vigorous. A few years ago, the government was exposed for conducting illegal surveillance of a businessman critical of President Lee Myung-bak. But that was nothing compared…
THE ARTIST KNOWN AS ASASAX: IN LIVING LIGHT AND COLOR
THE ARTIST KNOWN AS ASASAX: IN LIVING LIGHT AND COLOR
THE ARTIST KNOWN AS ASASAX: IN LIVING LIGHT AND COLOR
PHILLIPINES: Does Right of Reply LIMIT Freedom of the Press?
As the proposed ‘Freedom of Information’ (FOI) law is pending before the Philippine Congress, its hotly contested provision – the “Right of Reply” – is being openly opposed by GMA Network Inc., one the largest media networks in the country. GMA argued in a letter to the chairman of the…