This Week in Asia /

Society

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China society
Gurkha soldiers take part in 2015 Remembrance Day celebrations in London. Photo: Handout
Britain

Gurkha soldiers who dedicated their lives to Hong Kong feel betrayed by UK

Nepali military veterans are waging one last battle for years of pension payments they insist are owed for their dedicated service to the crown in Hong Kong

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Australia

Australia moves to clamp down on foreign interference at universities

The Philippines

Philippines hits pause on early release for former mayor amid public outrage

Singapore

Singapore’s nightlife boring? Unshackle us and it won’t be, operators say

To many politicians in the Lion City, club culture represents little more than crime, illicit substances, sex and overindulgence, but businesses say the nightlife sector is ripe for a renaissance, if only officials would see the light.

Mega club Zouk was in 2016 forced to relocate from its location on Jiak Kim Street because developers began building flats around it. Photo: AFP
Mega club Zouk was in 2016 forced to relocate from its location on Jiak Kim Street because developers began building flats around it. Photo: AFP
Singapore

Singapore universities stop Hong Kong exchanges on ministry advice

The Singapore education ministry’s guidance to universities to postpone trips to Hong Kong comes on the back of a government advisory for Singaporeans to defer all non-essential travel to the protest-hit city.

Vietnam

Vietnam gets a bite at the cherry as US farm exports find new market

American producers wrestling with the US-China trade war are being forced to offload meat and fruit at knockdown prices in countries such as Vietnam. Shoppers are delighted but local farmers are struggling to compete.

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The Philippines

Philippine police save Chinese man in 53rd case of casino-related abductions

Bian Xiaoguo’s father was sent a video of his son being tortured and asked for a ransom of US$42,500. The rash of kidnappings come as Chinese nationals flock to the Philippines to work in casinos or offshore gaming operators.

Bian Xiaoguo was rescued from a loan shark by the Philippine police. Photo: Philippine Police
Bian Xiaoguo was rescued from a loan shark by the Philippine police. Photo: Philippine Police
Myanmar

Ceritalah | Sleepy Mawlamyine a city on the decline, as Myanmar youths eye exit

A former bustling British port, Mawlamyine today is a far cry from its glory years in the 1800s, and young people are yearning to leave in search of jobs and money.

The Philippines

Philippine solution to traffic jams? 24-hour schools and banks

President Rodrigo Duterte is under pressure to make good on an election promise to cut congestion, but poor public transport, politics and traffic experiments that favour the rich have made the task a tall order.

Malaysia

Mahathir joins chorus of criticism against preacher’s race rhetoric

Televangelist Zakir Naik has sparked a furore in recent days with his comments about Malaysia’s Indian and Chinese communities.

Malaysia-based Indian Muslim preacher Zakir Naik. Photo: EPA
United States

How Asians are transforming San Francisco Bay Area’s food culture

The tech boom in Silicon Valley has propelled an influx of immigrants, particularly Asians, creating a unique opportunity for food entrepreneurs.

Tracy Goh (left), lasksa chef. Photo: Handout
Tracy Goh (left), lasksa chef. Photo: Handout
Singapore

How China’s 19th century crises shaped a community in Singapore

A new book sheds light on how identity crises and culture clashes between immigrant and locally born Chinese in the 19th century shaped the community in multiracial Singapore.

China economy

Grown men fuelling boom in China’s toy collectibles market

Grown men are fuelling a boom in China’s toy collectibles market, spending thousands of dollars on figurines to express their identity, boost their street cred, and indulge their inner kid

Malaysia

In Malaysia, hopes for racial unity. The reality? Growing division

The country’s multicultural identity becomes a cause for celebration every August as Malaysia gears up for its national day party, but democratisation is now pushing politicians to exploit ethnic differences for electoral gain.

A Malaysian flag is reflected on a bus window in Kuala Lumpur. Photo: Bloomberg
North Korea

Deaths of North Korean mum and child spark soul-searching in South

The story of a defector who likely starved to death with her son in Seoul has thrown a spotlight on the plight of North Koreans in the South.

For many North Korean defectors, life in the South continues to be a struggle. Photo: EPA
For many North Korean defectors, life in the South continues to be a struggle. Photo: EPA
Hong Kong protests

Hong Kong protests inspire Macau’s youth, teach their government to be wary

Youngsters from Macau are drawn to the demonstrations as their more conservative society lacks an avenue for them to express political views, while the local government is avoiding measures that could cause unrest

Singapore

Forget bitcoin, this Singapore firm is building a city with blockchain

Limestone Network’s first project is a 100-hectare development in Phnom Penh, involving homes, offices, malls and schools. It is looking to help cities in Southeast Asia overcome challenges such as pollution and traffic congestion.

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The Philippines

Watch your kids, they might be terrorists, Filipino parents told

President Rodrigo Duterte’s former police chief Ronald dela Rosa says communist groups are out to brainwash the nation’s children.

Fighters for the communist New People’s Army in the mountains of Sierra Madre in the Philippines. Photo: EPA
Fighters for the communist New People’s Army in the mountains of Sierra Madre in the Philippines. Photo: EPA
Singapore

Singapore’s foreign domestic workers turning to sport to battle the bulge

Singapore can be a good career move for foreign domestic workers, but its tasty food means bulging waistlines. In fighting the flab many maids have found a new passion: sport

Human rights

Syria’s devastating war through the eyes of a Hong Kong nurse

Walter Leung Wai-yin has been on several missions for the Red Cross, but his latest to a hospital in the Al Hol camp has left him with vivid images of young, helpless victims of the war in Syria

Chinese overseas

6 events showing campus conflicts involving Chinese students

From brawls over the Hong Kong protests to division over Tibet and Xinjiang’s Uygurs, political debate among Chinese students at Western universities has made headlines over the years. Here are six examples.

Hong Kong and mainland Chinese students clash during a pro-democracy protest at the University of Queensland in Australia. Photo: Twitter
Chinese overseas

Hong Kong protests to Uygur camps: Chinese students are scorned

Campus confrontations have erupted from Canada to New Zealand as mainland Chinese students react, sometimes violently, to public scrutiny of Beijing’s policies.

Many young Hongkongers have mixed feelings towards their mainland compatriots. Photo: Robert Ng
Many young Hongkongers have mixed feelings towards their mainland compatriots. Photo: Robert Ng
India

Opinion | An Asian future? Not if we don’t admit to some inconvenient histories

Asia’s leaders, intent on dragging their countries into developed status, kicking and screaming, are ignoring festering historical fissures that threaten any developmental gains, writes Imran Shamsunahar

Afghanistan

How cricket gave Afghanistan its hope back

Amid the spectre of suicide bombings and raging combat, Afghans are cheering on their internationally competitive cricket and futsal teams – and the promise of a career in sports is also a rare beacon of hope.

Ageing society

Asian country where old people die and no one notices for days

Longer lives, fewer marriages and more divorces suggest seniors living alone is a fixture of Asian societies that is here to stay. South Korea, where seniors can die without anyone noticing for days, offers a bleak insight into what’s in store.

An elderly man in Sham Shui Po, Hong Kong. Photo: Edmond So
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