FASSA SAR WRITES – Did we in the West think that Virtual Reality (VR) crashed and burned months ago? it is quite the opposite in Asia. VR has taken that huge market by storm and offered consumers in the Asia-Pacific region various easy-ways to enjoy this brilliant new technology. Consumers…
TOM PLATE WRITES – Does the central government of China and the Chinese Communist Party possess the political wisdom and emotional range to handle all the many difficult challenges that catch the world’s eye precisely because of the centrality of China’s key role? Since the 1997 handover from Her Majesty’s…
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…
JAY SEO WRITES – Everyone knows that the first amendment of the US constitution guarantees American citizens the freedom of religion, but that this right is anything but universal. In too many counties, innocent people are being arrested, abused or even killed because of their faith. Rather than ending in…
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…
GUEST CONTRIBUTOR WILLIAM OVERHOLT, OF THE HARVARD ASIA CENTER, TELLS US – A deep look at the Philippines situation challenges fundamental elements of U.S. foreign policy. The seeming immense success of the recent Aquino presidency – with very high growth rates and a decisive move closer to the U.S. because of Chinese…
TOM PLATE WRITES IN THE KOREA TIMES OF SEOUL – The need for China and the United States to come together in a persistently adult geopolitical two-some has never been more urgent. Gamesmanship must be minimized. Statesmanship must be maximized. Just ask Mr. Ban Ki-moon, career diplomat. The other night…
KATRINA CROSBY WRITES – Ninety minutes — the length of a new documentary — was all it took to turn Taiwanese animal shelters and how people view them upside down – and to usher in new legislation giving animals unprecedented rights. On February 3, Taiwan enacted a law making it…
JAY SEO WRITES – In South Korea, March 1 is Independence Movement Day, a national holiday commemorating the thousands of brave revolutionaries who in 1919 dared defy Japanese military rule. Independence Movement Day is also known as Samiljeol, the meaning of which is three-part: sam means “three” while il means…
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…
RYAN URBAN WRITES – Shock and utter disgust flooded social media platforms this week, when an anonymous WeChat user posted pictures of graphic child neglect at a Singaporean daycare center. The photos ranged from bare-bottomed children covered in fecal matter to children sleeping on bare floor tiles without mats…
[three_fourth_last]KATIE TRINH WRITES – As President Trump’s term proceeds apace, so does the steady drumbeat of his Twitter output. It is to no surprise that almost any criticism directed towards President Trump will rate a response by none other than Trump himself. And that can make for a whole lot…
MARY GRACE COSTA WRITES – Asia Media International staff joined the Pacific Century Institute Feb 23 at the InterContinental Hotel in Los Angeles to honor global citizens Dr. Charles Morrison and former Secretary-General of the United Nations Ban Ki Moon. The theme of the evening was “Building Bridges Between Countries…
YI NING WONG WRITES – It wasn’t until Ip Man (2008), a Hong Kong martial arts film, that Hong Kong actor Donnie Yen gained international attention. This led to his Hollywood debut, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny (2016). He has since arguably been America’s favorite Chinese action star,…
YUNFEI SUO WRITES – The world needs to know that anti-corruption efforts are very high on the agenda of the Chinese government. The efficiency of the methods used has varied. The catalogue of China’s anti-corruption acts are primarily contained in the Anti-Unfair Competition Law and the Criminal Law. The intensity…
MARY GRACE COSTA WRITES – It’s all fun and games until you’re charged with accessory to murder. A woman allegedly involved in the assassination of Kim Jong-Nam claims that she thought she was carrying out a harmless prank rather than someone’s deadly political agenda. On February 13, local South Korean…
