Culture

Culture • STORY OF THE DAY • 5 days ago • 11 min read

Covid-19 In Siem Reap, locals take to two wheels to escape virus monotony

By Brian Badzmierowski • 5 days ago
As the trails of Temple Town are freed from hoards of tourists, out-of-work and exercise-starved locals are reclaiming Siem Reap's once-crowded tarmac and taking to two wheels to escape the virus monotony

Culture • STORY OF THE DAY • Jun 24, 2020 • 4 min read

Covid-19 Macaque attack: Humans try to take back Thai city from monkeys

By Stéphane Delfour and Pitcha Dangprasith/AFP • Jun 24, 2020
Residents barricaded indoors, rival gang fights and no-go zones for humans. Welcome to Lopburi, an ancient Thai city overrun by monkeys super-charged on junk food, whose population is growing out of control

Culture • STORY OF THE DAY • Jun 19, 2020 • 12 min read

Myanmar politics Q&A: The tragic character arc of Aung San Suu Kyi

By Alexi Demetriadi • Jun 19, 2020
2011 biopic The Lady depicts an Aung San Suu Kyi fighting for democracy, painting a very different picture to the one we know today. The Globe spoke with the film’s screenwriter, Rebecca Frayn, to better understand the former democracy icon's tragic character arc

Culture • Jun 16, 2020 • 4 min read
Cambodian tourism

[Photos]: Minus the tourists, ancient Angkor returns to a state of tranquility

The shutdown of world travel has hit tourist-reliant Siem Reap hard, with visitors to Angkor Wat dropping dramatically. But inside the park it's Cambodian visitors who are the beneficiaries, as they enjoy a brief moment of tranquility at this sacred cultural heritage site
By Alastair McCready

Culture • Jun 16, 2020 • 4 min read
Online activism

In Thailand, activists flood online to protest Wachalearm disappearance

With the whereabouts of missing activist Wanchalearm still unknown, protestors in Thailand are turning to social media to express their grief and start hashtags as platforms like Twitter continue to adopt an increasingly significant role in the kingdom's political discourse
By Wanpen Pajai

Culture • Jun 11, 2020 • 1 min read
History

Sepia-drenched photographs of Vietnam’s colonial past

The work of French photographer Paul Gastaldy provides a rare sepia-drenched insight into the history of Vietnam, with his collection of photos, taken over the course of a decade between 1922 and 1932, depicting daily life for people in the colony
By Saigoneer

Culture • Jun 11, 2020 • 3 min read
Tourism

Thai elephants’ mass migration to village brings new stress

As the pandemic paralysed global travel, Thailand's some 3,000 domesticated elephants working in "sanctuaries" have been unemployed since their closure in mid-March. With their incomes vanished and risk of starvation growing, more than 1,000 elephants and their mahouts have returned to their villages in the past two months
By Pitcha Dangprasith and Sophie Deviller/AFP

Culture • Jun 10, 2020 • 8 min read
Covid-19

Far from home: Foreign students reflect on Singapore during the pandemic

Thousands of foreign students choose to study in Singapore for its high-quality universities. Staying in the city-state during the pandemic, unable to leave, they offer their reflections on what recent months have taught them about life and governance in the Republic
By Zibang Xiao

Culture • Jun 09, 2020 • 13 min read
Indigenous groups

Grounding of the sea nomads: Virus allows Moken to return to the water

The nomadic lifestyle of the Moken people and their unique relationship with the environment has been encroached upon by governments and the modern world. But as the pandemic has taken hold, space has opened for these seafarers to return to the water
By Lee Ying Shan

Culture • Jun 08, 2020 • 11 min read
Food and culture

Remembering Anthony Bourdain and his love affair with Southeast Asia

The late, great chef-come-writer Anthony Bourdain travelled and worked extensively throughout Southeast Asia before his sudden passing in 2018. Two years on, the Globe reflects on his enduring legacy in the region
By Alexi Demetriadi