· November, 2012

Stories about East Asia from November, 2012

Will China's New Leadership Bring More Freedom of Press?

  30 November 2012

China Central Television (CCTV) has always been considered as government propaganda. However, the past week has seen progress in its news coverage, including that of Ren Jiayu, a young man who was sent to labor camp for Internet speech. Chinese netizens are wondering: will the new leadership bring more freedom of...

Protest Against Chinese-owned copper mine in Myanmar

  30 November 2012

China Digital Times has put together news story of the crackdown of a protest against Chinese-owned copper mine in Monywa, Myanmar. Chinese state-controlled media outlet depicts the protest as the adverse effect of Myanmar’s democratic reforms.

Movember: Campaign for Men's Health Issues

  30 November 2012

Delwin Keasberry writes about the ‘Movember Tweet Up’ event in Brunei to support the global campaign to raise awareness about men's health issues like prostate cancer, testicular cancer and depression.

Brunei: ‘Bullying Awareness’ Project

  30 November 2012

The Nina Project features a ‘Bullying Awareness’ initiative based in Brunei Darussalam to help young people cope up with bullying. Internet users in Brunei are asked to support the campaign by spreading information about the issue.

South China Sea or Austronesian Sea?

  30 November 2012

Le Minh Khai thinks that “Austronesian Sea” or “Nusantao Sea” are more appropriate names for the South China Sea referring to Austronesian peoples who navigated the territory in the past. There are maritime disputes in the area involving China and several Southeast Asian countries. The Philippine government has recently renamed...

Singapore: Bus Drivers Participate in “Illegal Strike”

  29 November 2012

About 171 Chinese bus drivers from SMRT – a major public transport provider in Singapore – went on strike to protest the salary discrepancy between Chinese and Malaysian bus drivers working for the company. A government official condemned the action as an 'illegal strike'

Spotlight on China's ‘Re-education Through Labour’

  28 November 2012

Ren Jiayu, a former village official in Chongqing, who was sentenced to re-education through labour for criticizing the government was released and put under the spotlight of state-controlled media. Many believe it is a showcase for upcoming reform in China after the 18th National Chinese Communist Party Congress.

The Lives of Hui Muslims in China

  28 November 2012

China’s Hui Muslims is second-largest ethnic minority, ChinaFile shoot a video about the lives of Hui women and what the religion means to them.

Japan's Live Streaming Platform to Host Cross Party Talks

  28 November 2012

Japan's popular live streaming platform Nico Nico Douga will host cross party talks on November 29, 2012. Niwango, the company that runs Nico Nico Douga invited the presidents of 14 different political parties. At the venue, nicofarre [ja], LED monitors which surrounds 360 degrees will show real-time comments made by online viewers.  The...

China: Top 10 horrible figures of 2012?

  28 November 2012

This week, Chinese internet users come up with their own list of the “10 Most Horrid People of 2012.” The list was shared on Sina Weibo by “Weekly Commentary” [zh]  (每周评论), but was deleted on Nov 26. China Media Project translated the deleted post.  

A Glimpse of the Human Moment of Chinese Leaders

  28 November 2012

A Chinese micro-blogger, Wang Dongdong tweeted the above image on Sina Weibo, China’s Twitter on November 23, which has been retweeted over 103,000 times. The blogger [zh] said, I really like this picture. Why doesn’t our media give us more images of leaders like this one, instead of always making them look...

China's “Great Global Thinkers” for 2012

  28 November 2012

Samuel Wade from China Digital Times introduced the six Chinese civil society leaders – Chen Guangcheng, Ai Weiwei, Yu Jianrong, Ma Jun, Wang Jisi, Kai-fu Lee – who are listed in the Foreign Policy's 2012 Great Global Thinkers.

China: Model Sentenced for Posing in a Police Uniform

  28 November 2012

A model who posted a risque photo of herself in a police uniform was sentenced to 9 months in jail and one-year probation upon court review. Beijing Cream believes that the punishment is more about her mentioning “government leaders” in her micro-blog attached to the picture: I am under great...

Why Are Government Jobs in China So Popular?

  27 November 2012

More young people sat the National Public Servant Exam this year in China than ever before. Some believe young people seek job security while others worry the private sector is getting less competitive, threatening the country's economic development and reform.

Mistresses – China's New Corruption Warriors

  27 November 2012

In the past week, two corruption cases have been exposed, not by the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the Communist Party of China (CCP), but by the mistresses or second wives of the corrupted officials.

Photos From Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant

  27 November 2012

A freelance photographer Takashi Ozaki published photos from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. The plant was the scene of a nuclear disaster following the Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami on March 11, 2011. More photos are available on fotgazet.com [ja], an online magazine by Japan Visual Journalists Association.

About our East Asia coverage

Oiwan Lam
Oiwan Lam is the North East Asia editor. Email her story ideas or volunteer to write.

Mong Palatino
Mong Palatino is the South East Asia editor. Email him story ideas or volunteer to write.