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Kirsten Han is a freelance journalist who runs the newsletter We, The Citizens, covering Singapore from a rights-based perspective. Her work often revolves around the themes of social justice, human rights, politics, and democracy. Her bylines have appeared in publications like The Guardian, The New York Times, The Washington Post and Foreign Policy.
An impaired Singapore prisoner exemplifies how calculation and bungling compound punishment for the condemned and their families
By Kirsten Han - Feb 01, 2022
Singapore is known for its harsh approach to crime and punishment, justified on the grounds of deterrence. But the Transformative Justice Collective is looking to change this mindset, promoting alternative approaches to criminal justice in the city-state
By Kirsten Han - Jul 12, 2021
Top Read 2017: With vacancy rates for Singapore’s glamorous shopping malls at an all-time high, is the city-state losing its lustre as the region’s shopping hub?
By Kirsten Han - Feb 03, 2020
Singapore's feline therapists are providing comfort in a nation slow to grasp the need for mental healthcare
By Kirsten Han - May 28, 2018
For 30 years, the Necessary Stage has been holding a mirror to the city-state’s complex society, often drawing the government’s watchful eye
By Kirsten Han - Jun 12, 2017
By criminalising insult, Singapore’s government says it is avoiding religious discord and hurt feelings. But the protection is selective and, some say, dangerous
By Kirsten Han - May 24, 2017
Southeast Asia has been hailed as the next big market for video streaming startups, with local telcos joining forces with big name studios to deliver both Hollywood and local content to the masses. Can the US streaming sensation Netflix, which officially launched in the region in January, now compete with these more affordable local rivals?
By Kirsten Han - Oct 17, 2016
Paralympic swimmer Theresa Goh has a huge number of golds under her cap for her home country of Singapore. To date, an Olympic medal has eluded her, but the gutsy athlete has her sights firmly set on a breakthrough in Rio
By Kirsten Han - Aug 05, 2016
In many ways, Singapore's migrant workers are the backbone of life, yet many face animosity from the local populace and are abused by their employers
By Kirsten Han - Apr 27, 2016
Singaporean Poh Soo Kai spent 17 years in jail without trial under Lee Kuan Yew, costing him both his family and a career in medicine. Now, more than 50 years after Operation Coldstore, which saw 100 people with communist links detained, he exposes in his historical memoir what the ‘Father of Singapore’ did to political opponents
By Kirsten Han - Apr 04, 2016
In an age where ‘swiping right’ has entered common parlance, the matchmakers behind the region's most popular dating apps are working hard to attract users
By Kirsten Han - Feb 24, 2016
Singapore’s 50th birthday celebrations start this month, but is the government glossing over some inconvenient truths?
By Kirsten Han - Jan 16, 2015
A lack of understanding of transgender issues means that hundreds of women are presented with scant employment opportunities and often turn to sex work to make ends meet
By Kirsten Han - Dec 02, 2014
For some on Singapore’s death row, recent changes to legislation offer hope, but campaigners stress that the law is vague and will not guarantee justice
By Kirsten Han - Jan 09, 2014