Mong Palatino · August, 2012

Latest posts by Mong Palatino from August, 2012

Thai MP Advice for Women to Marry Foreigners Stirs Controversy

  31 August 2012

Get a German husband. Get a Swedish husband. Get a Norwegian husband…All you need is a farang husband and their government will pay you to study. This was the advice of a Thai politician to poor women in Thailand. But the controversial statement was taken out of context, according to...

Vietnam: Gay Marriage and Human Rights

  29 August 2012

The proposal should be cautiously welcomed as a progressive move which grants equality and official acceptance to members of society who have not felt the benefit of these statuses before Matthew Parsfield believes that the news that Vietnam could soon become the first Asian country to legalize same-sex marriage should...

Thailand: Petition to Stop Mae Wong Dam

  29 August 2012

Please stop this crazy dam project and help maintain valuable tiger habitat in Mae Wong National Park. The statement is from a petition urging the Thailand government to stop the Mae Wong dam project in order to protect a critical tiger habitat

Philippines: List of National Roads

  25 August 2012

The Philippine government has uploaded a spreadsheet identifying the quality of the country's national roads. It's also a mechanism for citizens to report and monitor badly paved roads

Myanmar: Mizzima Website Hacked

  25 August 2012

“We regret to inform you that Mizzima’s websites have come under DDoS attack. Mizzima has received several threats in reference to our coverage of ongoing hostilities in Rakhine State.” Mizzima, a Myanmar independent media website, issued a statement about the DDoS attacks.

Philippines: Senator Accused of Plagiarism

  25 August 2012

A Philippine senator is accused of plagiarism when he delivered a speech without mentioning that he copied several parts of the speech from a blog. The senator, instead of apologizing, has denied that he committed plagiarism. He said his office doesn't quote from blogs. His chief of staff later added that 'copying' is normal in the Senate.

Blogs Blocked in Vietnam

  21 August 2012

Aaron Joel Santos, a blogger in Vietnam, writes about the blocking of numerous blogs in the country: “A lot of blogs seem to be blocked in Vietnam at the moment. And mine is among them. Not for anything said or posted or alluded to or hinted at. Mine is simply...

Vietnam: Human Rights Lawyer Attacked

  21 August 2012

Le Quoc Quan, a human rights lawyer based in Hanoi, Vietnam, was beaten by a group of armed men. Quan believes the attackers could be plainclothes police who wanted to silence him for his activism.

Malaysia: History of Islamic Education

  17 August 2012

Azmil Tayeb gives a brief overview of the history of Islamic schools in Malaysia. The author also discussed the role of the state in providing Islamic education in the country.

Indonesian Street Art Database

  17 August 2012

The Indonesian Street Art Database is a project that documents street art and urban art culture in Indonesia. One of the themes in the past was to promote tolerance in response to religious violence in the country

Philippines: Floods Hit Metro Manila and Nearby Provinces

  7 August 2012

Strong rains caused huge floods in many parts of Metro Manila and nearby provinces in the Luzon Island of the Philippines. Manila-based Global Voices editor Mong Palatino gathers photos from social media platforms which show the extent of flooding in the country's capital

Thailand: Videos Promoting Healthy Lifestyle

  5 August 2012

A Thailand health agency has been using creative video ads to promote a healthy lifestyle among Thais. Its recent anti-smoking ad went viral online and was described by many health advocates as the most effective anti-smoking ad in the world