Hello Globe fans,
Southeast Asia Globe began the first full week of July with articles hitting all four of our core pillars: Power, Money, Earth and Life. We covered logging and lawsuits, abortion and women’s rights, conservation and land development and public perceptions of regional government relations.
To open the lineup, Fiona Kelliher delved into the concept of SLAPP lawsuits, which corporations use in attempts to silence criticism from activists and journalists by draining their funds through the courts. Fiona highlighted a Malaysian company fighting the complaints of forest and water conservationists in Borneo through a $1 million defamation case.
Globe’s Amanda Oon interviewed Carrie Tan, a member of Singapore’s Parliament, following the announcement of the U.S. Supreme Court overturning a key abortion precedent. Tan said Singapore is “doing rather well” in the fight for women’s rights but discussed the setbacks and successes of the city-state’s journey to parity and why the patriarchy is an enemy across all genders.
Globe’s Anton L. Delgado described how developers and tycoons have focused on Cambodia’s Phnom Tamao Forest, which is protected conservation land. In spite of silence from government officials, Anton stitched together information from Facebook posts, leaked documents, sales representatives and billboard advertisements to report on the shadowy construction plans threatening the sanctuary. This collaboration with the Pulitzer Center’s Rainforest Investigation Network, was also a first for Southeast Asia Globe, offering a Khmer-language version thanks to the efforts of our talented colleagues at Focus – Ready For Tomorrow.
Contributor Muhammad Zulfikar Rakhmat explained how public sentiment in Indonesia has turned against China over political, military and economic activity in the region. A 2021 survey showed perceptions of China have worsened in 33 Indonesian provinces since 2011. The chilly reception could have an impact on relations between the two countries sharing space in the South China Sea.
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Have a lovely weekend.
