Coronavirus The virus and the vitriol
As coronavirus spreads and worsens across the globe, fear has come along with it, fuelling anti-Chinese sentiment. In Southeast Asia, this discrimination might have deeper economic and political underpinnings
3 days ago • 11-minute read
10 February 2020
THIS WEEK IN SOUTHEAST ASIA
Second chances.
This week is all about harsh judgments, starting anew and ultimately second chances. On Monday, we look ahead to the EU’s crucial EBA decision that is set to shape Cambodia’s political and economic scene for years to come, while on Tuesday we return to a Top Read from 2017 which looks at one of the Philippines most progressive jails. On Wednesday, photographer Tim Russell guides us through Bangkok’s soon-closing iconic Hualamphong Station through striking imagery, while on Thursday we head to Phnom Penh’s Boeung Trabek slum, which could offer a model for just urban development in Cambodia’s rapidly growing capital. We round of the week by touching upon the world’s hot-button topic right now, Coronavirus. While fears about the virus’ spread grow, so too does anti-Chinese sentiment. Read last week’s editorial
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Cambodia has once again ranked the lowest in Southeast Asia on Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index.
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In the wake of the U.S. killing of Iranian general Qassem Soleimani in Iraq, Phillippine President Rodrigo Duterte has alerted his military to a potential rescue of Filipino workers in both west Asian countries. Though more than 1 million Filipino workers reside in the Persian Gulf states, the island nation counts thousands of its citizens in the conflict area. We’re taking a look at the ties in both work and conflict between the Middle East and Southeast Asia.
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Southeast Asians are turning against single-use plastic bags. In line with a new regulation signed by the Jakarta governor in late-2019, Indonesia’s sprawling capital city will ban the bag by the middle of this year. Thailand has also done the same, with that country’s ministry of environment reporting that Thais already cut back 2 billion bags last year. Check out our coverage of the fight against plastics pollution to learn more about what’s being done for a cleaner tomorrow.
