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…
Full Article PHILLIPINES: Does Right of Reply LIMIT Freedom of the Press?
INDONESIA: Police Take Aim at BBC, Al Jazeera and Reuters!
Three foreign correspondents recently filed a report against the Indonesian National Police, accusing them of acid attacks. BBC’s Alice Budisatrijo, Al Jazeera’s Bobby Gunawan, and Reuters News Agency’s Louis Benjamin suffered chemical burns while reporting on the fuel policy protests at the gates of the House of Representatives. Anato Handoyo,…
Full Article INDONESIA: Police Take Aim at BBC, Al Jazeera and Reuters!
BANGLADESH: It’s Your Job – No, It’s Your Job!
Dangerously high levels of arsenic have been detected in the water supply in Chittagong, Bangladesh’s busiest seaport city. Authorities, however, have yet to take action. The Daily Star reported on Monday April 2nd, that tube-wells in Chittagong contain contaminated water with arsenic levels that are ten times higher than safely acceptable.…
Full Article BANGLADESH: It’s Your Job – No, It’s Your Job!
PAKISTAN: Forced Conversions or Cultural Assimilation?
Of the 180 million population in Pakistan, little more than one percent are Hindus. But increasingly they are said to be fearing for their religious identity — and lives — as more and more coerced conversions have been reported. The Independent Human Rights Commission in Pakistan (HRCP) claims that the…
Full Article PAKISTAN: Forced Conversions or Cultural Assimilation?
INDIA: From Porn to Secret Cellphone Recording
There has recently been quite a bit of commotion during house sessions in India, and the Tamil Nadu Assembly has taken steps to alleviate the problem. Following recent cellular related scandals – one in which ministers in Karnataka were caught watching porn on their cellular device, and another recent incident…
Full Article INDIA: From Porn to Secret Cellphone RecordingPHILIPPINES: The Case of Environmentalist-journalist Gerry Ortega’s Murder Gets Hotter
Two separate bombs hit the Palawan province on Holy Thursday, injuring 3 people but causing no fatalities. The blasts targeted a bus station and a resort, both popular tourist destinations. The two blasts were set off 10 minutes apart and appear to be related in a complicated way to the…
Full Article PHILIPPINES: The Case of Environmentalist-journalist Gerry Ortega’s Murder Gets HotterNEW ZEALAND: Court Rules Greenpeace Ad For the Birds
According to the New Zealand Herald, one of two complaints made against a Greenpeace ad has been upheld in court. The controversial ad stated that the recent Rena Oil Spill killed as many as 20,000 birds in the surrounding area and suggested that deep sea drilling could kill 1000 times more. The court…
Full Article NEW ZEALAND: Court Rules Greenpeace Ad For the Birds
VIETNAM: Dramatically Reaching Out to Japan’s Kyodo News
Vietnam has had a tortured relationship at best with once-aggressive Japan, as it has had with the United States. But one thing both Tokyo and Washington have learned about this large, thinly vertical, well-populated and exceptionally feisty Southeast Asia country: Invading, occupying or even trying to “save Vietnam from communism”…
Full Article VIETNAM: Dramatically Reaching Out to Japan’s Kyodo NewsHONG KONG: No Next Step for ‘Next Media’
Next Media, publisher of Next Magazine and the scandal-crazy Apple Daily, was reported by Forbes on April 7th to be considering selling its operations in Taiwan for a low $500 million. The Hong Kong based company founded by Jimmy Lai, known for his blistering critiques of Beijing, has become one of the largest Chinese language media companies in…
Full Article HONG KONG: No Next Step for ‘Next Media’PAKISTAN: Zardari Meets with Indian PM for a ‘Play Date’
This past week, President Asif Ali Zardari of Pakistan flew to India to meet Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to discuss the countries’ volatile relationship. Tension has accumulated over the past half century, starting with the military three conflicts since independence from British rule in 1947 and the ever-present nuclear threat…
Full Article PAKISTAN: Zardari Meets with Indian PM for a ‘Play Date’MALAYSIA: No Ban of Homosexual Portrayals?
It’s official: There is no ban against portraying homosexual or effeminate characters on Malaysian television or radio. Following the Information Department’s Facebook post, which supposedly said they banned the screening of homosexual or effeminate characters in Malaysian media, Communications and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Rais Yatim cleared the air. Datuk…
Full Article MALAYSIA: No Ban of Homosexual Portrayals?PROGRESS REPORT: “Conversations with Ban Ki-moon”
“Conversations with Ban Ki-moon,” the fourth in the ‘Giants of Asia’ series, and the first book on the current UN Secretary General with which he has cooperated, is moving closer to publication, now scheduled for September by Marshall Cavendish International (Singapore, New York, London). Late last month, author Tom Plate…
Full Article PROGRESS REPORT: “Conversations with Ban Ki-moon”Thailand’s Jirapat Tatsanasomboon: Pop! Goes the Artist
Thailand’s Jirapat Tatsanasomboon: Pop! Goes the Artist
