Tales of the Pandemic: The endless sirens of Kuala Lumpur
Readers have offered us a rare view of daily life around the region. This submission from Syahiirah Junaidi takes us inside her neighborhood on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur, where sirens blare and neighbours do their best to keep hope alive.
This story is part of the Globe’s collection of personal essays from across Southeast Asia called Tales of the Pandemic – published each Monday and covering different aspects of life during this unprecedented time in human history.
Opinion: Cambodian healthcare will be overwhelmed by outbreak
Cambodia’s medical system is overstretched and under resourced. Horn Chanvoitey, a researcher from Phnom Penh think-tank Future Forum, examines the ability of the system to handle an outbreak of the novel coronavirus.
Pushed down a rung
Covid-19 can infect without discrimination, but its effects are far from equal. In Singapore, one of Asia’s wealthiest countries, the poor are being hit disproportionately hard by the social and economic impacts of the viral pandemic.
As Thailand’s tourism plunges, elephants suffer
The global tourism industry has been cratered by Covid-19. But as millions of humans have already been hit by the economic impacts of the virus, so too have thousands of captive Thai elephants whose livelihood depends on visiting tourists.
Journalism on trial
Maria Ressa is the CEO and co-founder of independent Filipino news outlet Rappler. Her work has landed her in the crosshairs of government prosecutors before, and now she’s heading for yet another legal fight for freedom – this time for a “cyber libel” charge that speech advocates have described as unjust.
Opinion: We shouldn’t need Covid-19 to see migrant workers’ humanity
The outbreak of Covid-19 has inspired soul-searching on the conditions of Singapore’s migrant workers. But why did it take a pandemic to make citizens take notice of the city’s hard-working migrants? Contributor Yong Han Poh examines the Singaporean conscience in this op-ed.
Opinion: Indonesia’s politicisation of the virus is stopping effective response
Covid-19 is perhaps the most politicised virus in human history, and in Indonesia it’s no different. Political analyst and columnist Yohanes Sulaiman discusses how President Jokowi’s economic aspirations may have resulted in a weak response to the unfolding crisis.
