In the Myanmar city of Taunggyi, Ferris wheels at fairgrounds are entirely driven by human power. Hundreds of young men in Myanmar make a living by climbing on the 20-metre (65ft) high Ferris wheels without any safety equipment. For 9 months a year, they are on the road and work without a day off, earning US$70 to US$100 per month.

German company Volocopter has showcased its “flying taxi” during a test flight in Singapore on October 22, 2019. 

Chinese Vice-President Wang Qishan visited Indonesia on October 18, 2019, on a four-day visit which included attending the inauguration ceremony for Indonesian President Joko Widodo’s second term in office. The two nations have agreed to build closer ties through bilateral cooperation on infrastructure construction projects.

The Philippines initiated a vaccination campaign on October 14, 2019, nearly a month after Manila declared a polio outbreak on September 19. 

The Philippines initiated a vaccination campaign on October 14, 2019, nearly a month after Manila declared a polio outbreak on September 19. 

Thailand paid tribute to the country’s late King Bhumibol Adulyadej on October 13, 2019, with a ceremony led by soldiers and government officials on the third anniversary of his death at age 88. 

Nearly a dozen wild elephants were found dead downstream from the Haew Narok Waterfall in Thailand’s Khao Yai National Park. 

Taoist devotees pierced their faces and other places on their bodies before parading through the streets of Phuket, Thailand during a vegetarian festival. 

Protesters in Indonesia set fire to a government building in the Papua region’s provincial capital as civil unrest continues. The demonstrations that started two weeks ago over alleged racial abuse of Papuans by police are calling for racial justice and an independence referendum for Papua.   

A Bangkok street sweeper, Thitirat Keowa-ram, has been bringing her dog, Mazda, to work every day for the past year. A picture of her carrying Mazda on her back while sweeping the streets went viral on the internet.

Sophie is a robot chef that can serve a bowl of piping-hot laksa in just 45 seconds. Orange Clove, the Singapore caterer that developed the robot with a local engineering company, said it wants to cut down on repetitive work so that its human chefs can interact more with their customers to better know their needs.

Several countries in Southeast Asia are shutting their doors to overseas waste. Indonesia, the Philippines and Malaysia have recently sent back tonnes of trash to Western countries. Along with Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam have also introduced legislation to prevent contaminated overseas waste from coming into their ports.

Indonesia is sending 49 shipping containers filled with trash back where they came from – developed countries including Australia, France and the United States.
Jakarta’s announcement on July 2, 2019, reflects increasing concern among southeast Asian nations, as governments in the region increasingly reject rubbish shipments from overseas.

Karmila Purba takes a lot of flack for her choice of profession. She rides a modified motorbike around the sides of a Tong Setan – or “Satan's barrel” – what Indonesians call the carnival attraction commonly known as the "Wall of Death."

Canada has failed to meet a May 15, 2019, deadline to retrieve tonnes of rubbish it dumped in the Philippines in 2013-2014. Manila says at least 72 containers of trash were falsely labelled as recyclable waste. After the deadline was missed, the Philippines recalled its ambassador and consuls from diplomatic missions in Canada.

Two journalists jailed in Myanmar for breaking the Official Secrets Act have been released, according to their employer, Reuters news agency. The reporters, Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo, were convicted in September 2018 and sentenced to seven years in jail. The case raised questions about Myanmar’s progress toward democracy and sparked an outcry from the international community.

More than 3,000 Vietnamese, most of them women and children, have been trafficked between 2012 and 2017, according to Vietnam’s Ministry of Public Security. The majority end up in China, where women are in demand due to a massive gender imbalance, and where many victims face exploitation, torture and sexual abuse.