Women in Indonesia Dare Devi: Riding Satan’s barrel
Each night, 20-year-old stunt-rider Devi Apriliyani rides “Satan’s Barrel” as her husband and daughter look on. An already controversial act in socially conservative Indonesia, one fact complicates matters further – she is pregnant
15 hours ago • 6-minute read
Read more of our decade-long coverage of people defying cultural norms through art and performance across Southeast Asia.
13 January 2020
THIS WEEK IN SOUTHEAST ASIA
Against the grain.
This week is all about those going against the grain, as on Monday we publish our story on Vietnamese art curator Đỗ Tường Linh, who has spent years expanding people’s understanding of anti-colonial politics through art, as well as creating a Global South-led art scene in Hanoi. Tuesday sees us mark the start Cambodian opposition figure Kem Sokha’s trial for “treason and espionage” by talking with his daughter Monovithya, who shares her warm tales of her father. On Wednesday we continue our Future Forum collaboration by examining the Kingdom’s education system in the year 2040, while we wrap up with Indonesian female stunt bike rider Devi Apriani, who is overcoming conservative attitudes in the Muslim-majority nation and putting her life on the line in the name of entertainment.
Read last week’s editorial
ALSO THIS WEEK
Into the future
Read More
Power
Political reporting and analysis on the big questions facing the region.
Tensions are rising yet again in the South China Sea as both Indonesia and Malaysia face off with China in contested waters. Indonesia is stepping up armed patrols around the Natuna Islands archipelago while Malaysia has pressed a claim to the U.N. on increased nautical boundaries north of its territory in Borneo. Take a look at our coverage of the maritime dispute and its geopolitical implications for Asia as a whole.
ADVERTISEMENT
Money
Business insights and innovation, from industry to entrepreneurs.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s upcoming Jan. 17 visit to Myanmar, his first yet, seems to herald a renewed friendship between the two nations. Xi is expected to push forward ambitious Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) plans in the country, which include a special economic zone on the Indian Ocean. The BRI is a big story in Southeast Asia, so read more with our coverage below.
ADVERTISEMENT
Life
Putting people at the heart of the story.
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.
Earth
How environmental change is shaping Southeast Asia.
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.
