Yonden Lhatoo

Yonden Lhatoo is the Chief News Editor at the Post. He had worked as a television news anchor and editor in Hong Kong for nearly two decades before joining the SCMP in 2015.
Yonden Lhatoo
Yonden Lhatoo is the Chief News Editor at the Post. He had worked as a television news anchor and editor in Hong Kong for nearly two decades before joining the SCMP in 2015.

Latest from Yonden Lhatoo

Just Saying | Giving peace a chance with Hong Kong’s Lennon Wall War

Yonden Lhatoo says a war is being fought across the city with pens for guns and Post-it notes for bullets, bringing out the best and worst, and providing a channel for the cathartic release of pent-up frustrations.

20 Jul 2019 - 10:25PM

Yonden Lhatoo says a war is being fought across the city with pens for guns and Post-it notes for bullets, bringing out the best and worst, and providing a channel for the cathartic release of pent-up frustrations.

Giving peace a chance with Hong Kong’s Lennon Wall War
Violence? What violence? It’s all peace and love on the Hong Kong protest front
If the Dalai Lama is a sexist, the #MeToo mafia has gone too far

'You have drawn and quartered a harmless old monk on the sacred altar of your wokeness,' SCMP Chief News Editor Yonden Lhatoo tells social justice warriors.

11 Jul 2019 - 7:33PM

'You have drawn and quartered a harmless old monk on the sacred altar of your wokeness,' SCMP Chief News Editor Yonden Lhatoo tells social justice warriors.

If the Dalai Lama is a sexist, the #MeToo mafia has gone too far
Just Saying | If the Dalai Lama is a sexist, the #MeToo mafia is going too far

Yonden Lhatoo is astonished by the misrepresentation in the media of the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader’s remarks about a female successor, and how he was forced to apologise for it in the face of an internet backlash.

8 Jul 2019 - 5:03PM

Yonden Lhatoo is astonished by the misrepresentation in the media of the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader’s remarks about a female successor, and how he was forced to apologise for it in the face of an internet backlash.

If the Dalai Lama is a sexist, the #MeToo mafia is going too far
Just Saying | Be water, my friend, but don’t be stupid: a radical minority among Hong Kong protesters are taking it too far

Yonden Lhatoo calls out a radical faction of extradition bill protesters who may be in the minority but are really testing the limits of tolerance

29 Jun 2019 - 11:30PM

Yonden Lhatoo calls out a radical faction of extradition bill protesters who may be in the minority but are really testing the limits of tolerance

Be water, my friend, but don’t be stupid: a radical minority among Hong Kong protesters are taking it too far
People power or mob rule? Hong Kong’s young protesters risk bloodshed by blurring the line

SCMP Chief News Editor Yonden Lhatoo sets aside his underlying sympathy for young protesters to warn them that overdoing it will end in tears for everyone

29 Jun 2019 - 5:26PM

SCMP Chief News Editor Yonden Lhatoo sets aside his underlying sympathy for young protesters to warn them that overdoing it will end in tears for everyone

People power or mob rule? Hong Kong’s young protesters risk bloodshed by blurring the line
Just Saying | There will be blood if Hong Kong protesters continue to blur the line between people power and mob rule

Yonden Lhatoo is alarmed by the 15-hour siege of police headquarters by mostly young protesters and the implications for the rule of law in a deeply divided and troubled city.

22 Jun 2019 - 10:59PM

Yonden Lhatoo is alarmed by the 15-hour siege of police headquarters by mostly young protesters and the implications for the rule of law in a deeply divided and troubled city.

There will be blood if Hong Kong protesters continue to blur the line between people power and mob rule
Hong Kong’s youth unafraid of batons or rubber bullets: that makes extradition protests scary

SCMP Chief News Editor Yonden Lhatoo sympathises with young protesters over their grievances, but warns that people power cannot be allowed to become mob rule

18 Jun 2019 - 2:08PM

SCMP Chief News Editor Yonden Lhatoo sympathises with young protesters over their grievances, but warns that people power cannot be allowed to become mob rule

Hong Kong’s youth unafraid of batons or rubber bullets: that makes extradition protests scary
Just Saying | Hong Kong’s youngsters are not afraid of batons and bullets, and that is truly frightening

Yonden Lhatoo condemns the street violence against the government’s extradition bill, but sympathises with young protesters regarding all their grievances and frustrations, and warns it could get far worse

15 Jun 2019 - 10:47PM

Yonden Lhatoo condemns the street violence against the government’s extradition bill, but sympathises with young protesters regarding all their grievances and frustrations, and warns it could get far worse

Hong Kong’s youngsters are not afraid of batons and bullets, and that is truly frightening
What does housing have to do with violence over Hong Kong’s extradition bill?

SCMP Chief News Editor Yonden Lhatoo bemoans the hopeless state of housing and ranks it at the top of social problems that are driving the city’s frustrated youth to lash out.

17 Jun 2019 - 7:06PM

SCMP Chief News Editor Yonden Lhatoo bemoans the hopeless state of housing and ranks it at the top of social problems that are driving the city’s frustrated youth to lash out.

What does housing have to do with violence over Hong Kong’s extradition bill?
Just Saying | Hopeless in Hong Kong: why the sordid state of housing can never be fixed in Asia’s world city

Yonden Lhatoo struggles to understand how the government can officially admit that property prices are out of control, but its priority is the extradition bill and a completely unnecessary political crisis of its own making.

8 Jun 2019 - 10:31PM

Yonden Lhatoo struggles to understand how the government can officially admit that property prices are out of control, but its priority is the extradition bill and a completely unnecessary political crisis of its own making.

Hopeless in Hong Kong: why the sordid state of housing can never be fixed in Asia’s world city
Just Saying | Thank God for Donald Trump’s temperament, it’s keeping a third world war at bay

Yonden Lhatoo says we can only rely on the US president’s fickleness and sheer force of personality to head off a devastating war with Iran and a wider global catastrophe that could mean Armageddon.

1 Jun 2019 - 11:06PM

Yonden Lhatoo says we can only rely on the US president’s fickleness and sheer force of personality to head off a devastating war with Iran and a wider global catastrophe that could mean Armageddon.

Thank God for Donald Trump’s temperament, it’s keeping a third world war at bay
Everest traffic jams: What’s the point of climbing this mountain anymore?

SCMP Chief News Editor Yonden Lhatoo gives an insider’s perspective on the madness and tragedy of human traffic jams at the top of the world’s highest mountain.

30 May 2019 - 7:04PM

SCMP Chief News Editor Yonden Lhatoo gives an insider’s perspective on the madness and tragedy of human traffic jams at the top of the world’s highest mountain.

Everest traffic jams: What’s the point of climbing this mountain anymore?
Just Saying | Traffic jams in the death zone: is climbing Mount Everest even a real achievement any more?

Yonden Lhatoo is alarmed by images of human traffic jams above 8,000 metres on the world’s highest mountain and questions whether it is even worth it as climbers lose their lives because of overcrowding this season.

25 May 2019 - 10:46PM

Yonden Lhatoo is alarmed by images of human traffic jams above 8,000 metres on the world’s highest mountain and questions whether it is even worth it as climbers lose their lives because of overcrowding this season.

Traffic jams in the death zone: is climbing Mount Everest even a real achievement any more?
Game of Groans or Lame of Thrones: the final verdict

SCMP Chief News Editor Yonden Lhatoo hates Game of Thrones forever in his final review.

22 May 2019 - 11:50AM

SCMP Chief News Editor Yonden Lhatoo hates Game of Thrones forever in his final review.

Game of Groans or Lame of Thrones: the final verdict
Just Saying | Enough of vulgar and violent behaviour, it’s time to disband Hong Kong’s legislature

Yonden Lhatoo is appalled by the loss of dignity and decency in the Legislative Council, arguing that our lawmakers are so toxic and out of control, they don’t deserve to represent us any more.

21 May 2019 - 4:15PM

Yonden Lhatoo is appalled by the loss of dignity and decency in the Legislative Council, arguing that our lawmakers are so toxic and out of control, they don’t deserve to represent us any more.

Enough of vulgar and violent behaviour, it’s time to disband Hong Kong’s legislature
Should children who are out of control be banned from flying?

SCMP Chief News Editor Yonden Lhatoo takes on toddlers who terrorise the skies.

16 May 2019 - 1:14PM

SCMP Chief News Editor Yonden Lhatoo takes on toddlers who terrorise the skies.

Should children who are out of control be banned from flying?
Just Saying | Do yetis really exist? It doesn’t matter if you grew up with the legendary creatures around you

Yonden Lhatoo explores the legend of the Abominable Snowman from a very personal point of view amid the recent debate over the purported discovery of mysterious footprints by the Indian army in the remote mountains of Nepal.

11 May 2019 - 10:47PM

Yonden Lhatoo explores the legend of the Abominable Snowman from a very personal point of view amid the recent debate over the purported discovery of mysterious footprints by the Indian army in the remote mountains of Nepal.

Do yetis really exist? It doesn’t matter if you grew up with the legendary creatures around you
Just Saying | Lame of Thrones: this is how you ruin the world’s best TV show

Yonden Lhatoo succumbs to nerd rage as the most-hyped episode of the hit TV show turns out to be too dark to see anything.

5 May 2019 - 1:33PM

Yonden Lhatoo succumbs to nerd rage as the most-hyped episode of the hit TV show turns out to be too dark to see anything.

Lame of Thrones: this is how you ruin the world’s best TV show
Lame of Thrones: this is how you ruin the world’s best TV show

WARNING: Spoilers included. 

2 May 2019 - 7:36PM

WARNING: Spoilers included. 

Lame of Thrones: this is how you ruin the world’s best TV show
Hong Kong politics has become so toxic, even a brain tumour raises suspicion rather than sympathy
If pigs are not meant to be eaten, why are they made of bacon?

Yonden Lhatoo’s ode to pork in response to the controversy in Hong Kong over roast pig-cutting ceremonies.

30 Apr 2019 - 10:45AM

Yonden Lhatoo’s ode to pork in response to the controversy in Hong Kong over roast pig-cutting ceremonies.

If pigs are not meant to be eaten, why are they made of bacon?
Just Saying | Game of Thrones is making America great again; now if only Trump would stay out of it

Yonden Lhatoo hails HBO’s hit television show as a shining testament to American talent, but wishes President Donald Trump would not ruin the enjoyment with his clumsy attempts to appropriate it for political gain.

20 Apr 2019 - 10:25PM

Yonden Lhatoo hails HBO’s hit television show as a shining testament to American talent, but wishes President Donald Trump would not ruin the enjoyment with his clumsy attempts to appropriate it for political gain.

Game of Thrones is making America great again; now if only Trump would stay out of it
If pigs are not meant to be eaten, why are they made of bacon?
The madness of King Donald: Is Trump really losing it?

SCMP Chief News Editor Yonden Lhatoo looks at how US President Donald Trump seems on track for a second term in office despite fresh public concern about his struggles with facts and basic vocabulary.

11 Apr 2019 - 3:28PM

SCMP Chief News Editor Yonden Lhatoo looks at how US President Donald Trump seems on track for a second term in office despite fresh public concern about his struggles with facts and basic vocabulary.

The madness of King Donald: Is Trump really losing it?
Just Saying | The madness of King Donald: is Trump really losing his mind?

Yonden Lhatoo writes that the US president’s recent struggles with basic vocabulary and facts have triggered fresh public concerns about his mental health and fitness for office, but he’s still on track for a second term.

6 Apr 2019 - 10:30PM

Yonden Lhatoo writes that the US president’s recent struggles with basic vocabulary and facts have triggered fresh public concerns about his mental health and fitness for office, but he’s still on track for a second term.

The madness of King Donald: is Trump really losing his mind?
Can we build robots to beat loneliness and be our friends?

Meet Qoobo and Bocco, two Japanese robots designed for companionship and human interaction. Yonden Lhatoo weighs in on whether they stand the test of friendship.

9 Apr 2019 - 10:31AM

Meet Qoobo and Bocco, two Japanese robots designed for companionship and human interaction. Yonden Lhatoo weighs in on whether they stand the test of friendship.

Can we build robots to beat loneliness and be our friends?
Man to man: South Korea’s toxic masculinity explained

Chief News Editor Yonden Lhatoo explains why the next big export for tech-savvy South Korea may be the dirty business of “molka” or secret camera porn, rather than more squeaky clean K-pop idols.

4 Apr 2019 - 5:30PM

Chief News Editor Yonden Lhatoo explains why the next big export for tech-savvy South Korea may be the dirty business of “molka” or secret camera porn, rather than more squeaky clean K-pop idols.

Man to man: South Korea’s toxic masculinity explained
Just Saying | China and the Dalai Lama play endgame for Tibet, and it’s going to be an unholy mess

Yonden Lhatoo says a hardline policy shift from Beijing and the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader’s latest stance on reincarnation have set the stage for an unholy clash over finding his successor.

30 Mar 2019 - 11:20PM

Yonden Lhatoo says a hardline policy shift from Beijing and the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader’s latest stance on reincarnation have set the stage for an unholy clash over finding his successor.

China and the Dalai Lama play endgame for Tibet, and it’s going to be an unholy mess
Just Saying | After K-pop, could spycam porn be the next great Korean cultural export?

Yonden Lhatoo asks where South Korea is going and what it means for the rest of the world as the country is plagued by one hidden-camera sex scandal after another.

23 Mar 2019 - 11:34PM

Yonden Lhatoo asks where South Korea is going and what it means for the rest of the world as the country is plagued by one hidden-camera sex scandal after another.

After K-pop, could spycam porn be the next great Korean cultural export?