THAILAND: Did I Hear That Right?
ELIZABETH NAAI WRITES – It seems as if George Orwell’s 1984 has become a reality in this technological age — anyone could be listening or doctoring conversations. Two weeks after Yuthasak Sasiprapa was appointed Deputy Defense Minister, a YouTube clip was released on July 6 of two voices: one allegedly…
Full Article THAILAND: Did I Hear That Right?SRI LANKA: Not Easy to Make a Sympathetic War Movie
STEPHANIE GARCIA WRITES – Ever since the end of its 26-year civil war in 2009, Sri Lanka has been in the hot seat, the constant target of allegations of war crimes from the UN and the international community. So it’s no surprise that the island-state is hyper-sensitive to criticism, particularly…
Full Article SRI LANKA: Not Easy to Make a Sympathetic War MovieNORTH KOREA: It’s A Very Hard Sell
RYAN LIPPERT WRITES – It seems that some foreigners are growing tired of the international community’s casting of North Korea as the outcast on the block. Hoping to change its undesirable reputation, a group called the Korean Friendship Association (KFA) has been running a YouTube channel focused on portraying the…
Full Article NORTH KOREA: It’s A Very Hard SellFIGHTING WORDS: How to Complicate an Already-Complicated Relationship
PACIFIC PERSPECTIVES FIGHTING WORDS: HOW TO COMPLICATE AN ALREADY-COMPLICATED RELATIONSHIP 12 July 2013 BY TOM PLATE LOS ANGELES – On the whole, a recent trip to China left me more hopeful than ever about the all-important U.S.-China relationship. Media officials, journalists and journalism students alike (my basic happy audience in…
Full Article FIGHTING WORDS: How to Complicate an Already-Complicated RelationshipVIETNAM: Officially Banned, Unofficially a Smash Hit
YVONNE EPPS WRITES – It’s been banned, but can you really keep it under wraps if it’s already been leaked onto the web? Earlier this summer, the National Cinema Department (NCD) instrumented a hasty campaign to ban Bui Doi Cho Lon (Life in Chinatown) directed by Vietnamese-American Charlie Nguyen, but…
Full Article VIETNAM: Officially Banned, Unofficially a Smash HitNEW ZEALAND: Threat to Net Privacy Appears
E.J. DE LARA WRITES – Imagine any phone conversation, text message or other form of communication people use daily. Now imagine a law that lets Big Brother monitor it all. Throughout June, New Zealand Prime Minister John Key pushed for a new bill that would essential do that — allowing…
Full Article NEW ZEALAND: Threat to Net Privacy AppearsJAPAN: ‘Retweets’ Herald Surge in LDP Influence
JEREMIAH FAJARDO WRITES- Political tension in Japan is high with the upcoming Upper House elections, but has the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) already won over the Twittersphere? The LDP and Japanese Communist Party (JCP) currently have the most influence from a social media standpoint, according to researcher Ryosuke Nishida of…
Full Article JAPAN: ‘Retweets’ Herald Surge in LDP InfluenceTHAILAND: Flood Prevention Contract Wiped Out of ‘Hardcore News’ Time
ELIZABETH NAAI WRITES – After the devastating floods of 2011, which killed 800 people and wreaked havoc on the economy, flood prevention has been at the forefront of Thai national security. A host of local and international firms has sought to cash in, competing for a 160 billion baht ($5…
Full Article THAILAND: Flood Prevention Contract Wiped Out of ‘Hardcore News’ TimeSINGAPORE: SAF Joins Forces to Create ‘Cyber Army’
STEPHANIE GARCIA WRITES – Gone are the days when warfare was contained on a physical battlefield. Netizens beware — cyberspace is the new frontier. On July 1, Defense Minister Ng Eng Hen announced the creation of the Cyber Defense Operations Force Hub, a collaboration between web security specialists of the…
Full Article SINGAPORE: SAF Joins Forces to Create ‘Cyber Army’SOUTH KOREA: Complaining About the Boss Gets Newspaper Staff Locked Out
RYAN LIPPERT WRITES – Bad bosses have made life miserable for employees since the dawn of time, but Chang Jae-ku is one boss who won’t tolerate complaints. Since June 15, approximately 180 correspondents have been kept from returning to their jobs at Hankook Ilbo, a South Korean newspaper. Their boss,…
Full Article SOUTH KOREA: Complaining About the Boss Gets Newspaper Staff Locked OutAsia Insight #5: Social Media and China
JAPAN: The Dangers of Distasteful Tweeting
JEREMIAH FAJARDO WRITES – Government use of social media to engage with citizens has boomed. Japan is a great example, with many bureaucrats and politicians tweeting about their views or upcoming campaigns. Disappointingly, Yasuhisa Mizuno, a 45-year-old official, managed to tweet his way out of a job. According to the…
Full Article JAPAN: The Dangers of Distasteful TweetingPHILIPPINES: Newspaper Publisher Fails to Uphold Press Freedom
LAUREN CHEN WRITES – This February, the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) recognized the late Philippine Daily Inquirer publisher Isagani Yambot Sr. and four others as “Press Freedom Heroes.” But try telling that to Inquirer cartoonist Pol Medina Jr., whose recent suspension, censorship and eventual resignation challenges…
Full Article PHILIPPINES: Newspaper Publisher Fails to Uphold Press FreedomCHINA: Tea, Biscuits, Perry Mason and Journalism
Can China and the U.S. ever get along? That was the obvious subtext of an informal discussion recently between key members of a visiting group of senion journalists from Mainland China and staffers from The New ASIA MEDIA, the popular online magazine at LMU. […]
Full Article CHINA: Tea, Biscuits, Perry Mason and JournalismTHAILAND: Social Media, the New Censorship Kryptonite?
ELIZABETH NAAI WRITES – China and the U.S. are not alone in the trenches of cyber warfare. The 4th Army Region has taken up mouses and keyboards to uphold lese majeste in an increasingly connected Thailand. Task Force 45 of the Thahan Phran — hunter soldiers — left a deluge…
Full Article THAILAND: Social Media, the New Censorship Kryptonite?ART SPOTLIGHT: Kris Soguilon Emphasizes Our Similarities with Pomp, Circumstance and a Dash of Sex
The artist’s take on his work: “A sense of fusion may emerge from a multiracial society even as each individual culture manifests its own uniqueness. Cultures may clash, but the differences also draw together in a particular way to present perspectives peculiar to the mix, as can be enjoyed in London, New York and Singapore. The spectator who steps back to look at the differences may encounter the experience of an elaborate celebration.” […]
Full Article ART SPOTLIGHT: Kris Soguilon Emphasizes Our Similarities with Pomp, Circumstance and a Dash of Sex