Life

Putting people at the heart of the story.

Life • STORY OF THE DAY • Sep 23, 2020 • 4 min read

Covid-19 Pandemic panners: Indonesians hunt for gold in desperate times

By Helena Kobagau and Haeril Halim/AFP • Sep 23, 2020
Illegal mining has soared across Indonesia's restive Papua region in the midst of the global health crisis, despite hazards including the risk of arrest and health damage from toxic mercury used at many makeshift mining sites

Life • STORY OF THE DAY • Sep 23, 2020 • 6 min read

Opinion As Cambodia cracks down, youth must increase their social media activism

By Kimkong Heng • Sep 23, 2020
While youth-led protests grow in neighbouring Thailand, a spate of arrests of Cambodian activists in recent months has been met with a muted response. Researcher Kimkong Heng believes it's high-time that the Kingdom's youth reengaged through social media

Life • STORY OF THE DAY • Sep 17, 2020 • 3 min read

History [Photos] The cyclos, street food and shophouses of 1950s Phnom Penh

By Alastair McCready • Sep 17, 2020
This collection of archive images depicts Phnom Penh in April 1953, offering an insight into Cambodia on the brink of independence, a country yet to be touched by the heady development of the 60s or the tragedy of the 70s

Life • Sep 16, 2020 • 7 min read
Human rights

Pinoy Lives Matter: Duterte’s drug war rages on through pandemic

Rodrigo Duterte's drug war has claimed the lives of thousands in the four years he's been in power in the Philippines. Despite strict stay-at-home measures in place during much of the pandemic, with millions under lockdown, the rate of killing has only increased
By Niko Vorobyov • Sep 16, 2020

Life • Sep 15, 2020 • 2 min read
Religion

Dungeons and dragons: Thai temples put quirky spin on Buddhism

A dragon encircles a tower, wretched souls face torture, superheroes scale a mosaic wall – these may seem like scenes from a half-remembered dream, but are in fact famed temples in Thailand
By Agence France-Presse • Sep 15, 2020

Life • Sep 14, 2020 • 6 min read
Ethnic minorities

In Thailand, Akha tribe straddle identity and integration

An ethnic minority group in Thailand, the Akha hill tribe is navigating an ongoing dilemma between remembering their cultural roots, and integrating into Thai society with all the benefits and costs that accompany life in the modern world
By Tara Abhasakun • Sep 14, 2020

Life • Sep 11, 2020 • 2 min read
Domestic workers

Singapore airport chairman quits amid fury over maid case

Liew Mun Leong, the chairman of Singapore's airport operator, stepped aside late on September 10 after he faced a public backlash when a judge cleared an Indonesian maid accused of stealing from his family. The case has raised questions about the treatment of domestic workers in the city-state
By Agence France-Presse • Sep 11, 2020

Life • Sep 10, 2020 • 1 min read
Covid-19

Jakarta to reimpose partial lockdown as virus cases surge

Indonesia on September 9 reported at least 203,342 confirmed cases and over 8,336 deaths due to the coronavirus, with Jakarta set to reimpose lockdown. With some of the world’s lowest testing rates, the true scale is widely believed to be much greater.
By Agence France-Presse • Sep 10, 2020

Life • Sep 04, 2020 • 2 min read
History

[Photos] 15 shots of sleek, clean and stylish 1960s Manila

Today, Manila is a sprawling metropolis largely dominated by anonymous high-rise condominium blocks, shopping malls and traffic-clogged highways. But back in the 1960s, more evident was a clean, sleek and modernising city displaying an abundance of character
By Alastair McCready • Sep 04, 2020

Life • Sep 03, 2020 • 5 min read
Women's rights

The Buddhist nun challenging misogyny in Myanmar

In a society that urges every woman to "regard her son as her master and her husband as her god", Buddhist nun Ketumala is an outlier. The 40-year-old walked away from traditional expectations of marriage and children as a teen, and has instead spent more than two decades as an advocate for the importance of women in religion
By Agence France-Presse • Sep 03, 2020

Life • Sep 03, 2020 • 7 min read
History

How colonial prisons gave life to a communist revolution in Vietnam

As a look back in history for the 75th anniversary of Vietnamese independence, the Globe reflects on how prisons became a symbol for colonial oppression, a breeding ground for communism, and ultimately gave life to the 1945 August Revolution
By Ashley Lampard • Sep 03, 2020