Culture

Culture • STORY OF THE DAY • Apr 27, 2020 • 10 min read

Tales of the Pandemic Reflecting on society as Singapore embraces “circuit breaker” mode

By Gabrielle See • Apr 27, 2020
Last week Singapore announced it was extending "circuit breaker" measures, severely restricting movement to stem the spread of Covid-19. Resident Gabrielle See describes how these measures, and the pandemic, have highlighted divisions in her family home, as well as Singaporean society more widely

Culture • STORY OF THE DAY • Apr 27, 2020 • 7 min read

Tales of the Pandemic Hunkering down in tourist-free Siem Reap

By Jonathan Evans • Apr 27, 2020
Cambodia's Siem Reap thrives and survives on its tourist industry, with millions flocking to the ancient Angkor Wat temple each year. But as Covid-19 halts global travel, writer Jonathan Evans describes life minus the tourists in this once-again sleepy little town

Culture • STORY OF THE DAY • Apr 21, 2020 • 4 min read

Social media Twitter war with China results in ‘Milk Tea Alliance’

By Patrick Flannery • Apr 21, 2020
A war between Thai and Chinese Twitter users broke out this month, resulting Taiwanese and Hong Kong users declaring a 'Milk Tea Alliance' in solidarity with Thailand. The seemingly innocuous spat may highlight growing frustrations with China's regional influence

Culture • STORY OF THE DAY • Apr 20, 2020 • 7 min read

Tales of the Pandemic The quiet before Ramadan in Yogyakarta

By Harriet Crisp • Apr 20, 2020
Each year, Ramadan witnesses one of the world's great migrations of people as worshippers return home for the Islamic holy month. In Yogyakarta, Indonesia an unease about what people may bring with them is overshadowing this year's celebrations

Culture • Apr 20, 2020 • 6 min read
Tales of the Pandemic

Stuck in Phnom Penh, a final goodbye is taken away

With the Covid-19 death toll reaching into the hundreds-of-thousands, the people behind the figures become easily obscured. Here, the Globe's editor Alastair McCready talks about losing his father this month, unable to speak to or visit him in the south London isolation ward where he passed
By Alastair McCready • Apr 20, 2020

Culture • Apr 16, 2020 • 6 min read
Khmer New Year

Stop the fireworks: Virus puts Khmer New Year on hold around the globe

Khmer New Year is normally a time for celebration and community, but for Cambodians across the globe this year has been scuppered by the global pandemic. To get around this, some groups are moving celebrations online
By Alexi Demetriadi • Apr 16, 2020

Culture • Apr 15, 2020 • 2 min read
Thai economy

Gold glitters as cash-strapped Thais sell jewellery

Hundreds of Bangkok residents rushed to goldsmith shops in Chinatown in order to sell their jewellery, as gold reached its highest levels since 2012 this week due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic pushes prices skywards
By Agence France-Presse • Apr 15, 2020

Culture • Apr 12, 2020 • 2 min read
Covid-19

Silent streets for water festival in Myanmar lockdown

Myanmar’s New Year festival, Thingyan, is the country’s biggest public holiday and normally a week of nation-wide celebration and water-fights. But this year the country’s commercial hub Yangon lies in lockdown and silent, its streets eerily empty with residents shut firmly indoors as coronavirus fears grow
By Agence France-Presse • Apr 12, 2020

Culture • Apr 08, 2020 • 8 min read
Covid-19

As Thailand’s tourism plunges, elephants suffer

Thailand's captive elephants are facing food shortages and an uncertain future as Covid-19 has forced camp closures throughout the country. Without tourists and income, the scramble to feed them highlights the shortcomings of the kingdom's captive elephant care system
By Carolyn Cowan • Apr 08, 2020

Culture • Apr 07, 2020 • 2 min read
Covid-19

Overcrowded Thai dog shelter blames coronavirus for drop in donations

Donations of food and money have dramatically decreased at Auntie Ju's controversial shelter for stray dogs in Bangkok since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, leaving the some 1,500 dogs being housed there with little to survive on
By Agence France-Presse • Apr 07, 2020

Culture • Apr 06, 2020 • 9 min read
Tales of the Pandemic

The endless sirens of Kuala Lumpur

On the outskirts of Malaysia's capital Kuala Lumpur, Syahiirah Junaidi is closed off from much of the outside world. One of the few real-life connections she has left is the sound of sirens, reminding her just how many people are falling ill
By Syahiirah Junaidi • Apr 06, 2020

Culture • Apr 04, 2020 • 6 min read
Demining in Cambodia

Every dog has its day

April 4 marks the International Day for Mine Awareness. Around the world, there are four-legged bomb detectors who quietly risk their lives each day, gaining little fan fair. But in Cambodia, these unsung canine heroes have been given a home in which to enjoy their well-earned retirement
By Miriam Deprez • Apr 04, 2020