tier-1



STORY OF THE DAY • May 13, 2020 • 13 min read

Opinion Did China turn off the Lower Mekong? Why data matters for cooperation

By Tarek Ketelsen, Timo Räsänen, John Sawdon • May 13, 2020
Recent reports claim definitive proof that the 2019/20 Mekong drought was caused by China – they do not according to researchers at AMPERES. Will the controversial analysis further polarise stakeholders, or could the crisis shift regional cooperation into more productive spaces?

STORY OF THE DAY • May 12, 2020 • 10 min read

Sport Karen national football team playing for victory away from home

By Alexi Demetriadi • May 12, 2020
In the US state of Minnesota, the newly established Karen Football Association is aiming to provide a platform to promote the struggles of the ethnic group back in Myanmar, as well as foster a sense of community and identity for future generations in their new home

STORY OF THE DAY • May 12, 2020 • 4 min read

Social media Facebook: The cause of and solution to Myanmar’s fake news problem?

By Kiana Duncan • May 12, 2020
Long closed off to the world, free engagement with the internet for Myanmar's citizens only began in the past decade. Today, media literacy remains low and fake news abounds on social media platforms like Facebook – but there are companies working to change that

STORY OF THE DAY • May 11, 2020 • 10 min read

Tales of the Pandemic My experience as Singapore’s Covid-19 case number 862

By Reuben Lim • May 11, 2020
Unknowingly contracting and spreading Covid-19 to loved ones is a fear many among us carry. So when Singaporean citizen Reuben Lim tested positive in March with virtually no symptoms, the thought he had put his family at risk was a guilt he struggled to process

May 11, 2020 • 5 min read
Tales of the Pandemic

Poetry from Singapore’s migrant worker dorms: ‘First Draft’

The conditions for 20,000 migrant workers in Singapore's migrant worker dormitories has made headlines in the city-state in recent weeks. Bangladeshi writer Zakir Hossain Khokan offers his insight in the form of a poem on life for those inside
By Zakir Hossain Khokan • May 11, 2020

May 11, 2020 • 3 min read

The people’s game

This week we take a rare delve into the world of sport as we profile the 'national football team' of the Karen ethnic group in Myanmar. A member of CONIFA, an alternative football body whose members consist of unrecognised states and separatists movements, it showcases the ability of football, and sport generally, to provide a platform for the voiceless. We also look at how Southeast Asia's indigenous forest communities could play a role in preventing the next pandemic, as well as how Facebook is influencing the spread of 'fake news' in Myanmar during lockdown.
By Chia Chi Hsu • May 11, 2020

May 08, 2020 • 10 min read
Covid-19

As migrant mental health suffers in Singapore dorms, aid groups rally

As Singapore enters its 5th week of "circuit breaker" mode, the migrant workers quarantined in the city-state's dormitories are suffering under the psychological toll of isolation in squalid conditions and the ever-looming threat of contracting the virus
By Toh Ee Ming and Kelly Ng • May 08, 2020

May 07, 2020 • 16 min read
History

How to get away with murder in Thailand: The downing of flight CX700Z

On June 15, 1972, Cathay Pacific flight CX700Z tumbled out of the sky while flying over southern Vietnam, killing all 81 people on board. While the disaster officially remains unsolved, there was one clear suspect – Thai police officer Somchai Chaiyasut. Did he get away with mass murder?
By Andrew MacGregor Marshall • May 07, 2020

May 07, 2020 • 4 min read
Opinion

‘Duterte’s dictatorship is complete with closure of major news network’

With the closure of the Philippines largest television network ABS-CBN this week, press freedom looks at its weakest since the Marcos era. Dr Tom Smith argues that the move has merely cemented what many suspected – Rodrigo Duterte has embraced dictatorship
By Tom Smith • May 07, 2020

May 07, 2020 • 5 min read
History

On this day in 1954, victory at the Battle of Dien Bien Phu

When the Viet Minh forces captured the fortified French base at Dien Bien Phu on 07 May 1954, it was a spectacular victory. But ultimately, it would not end the fighting immediately or in the long term, with decades of war in Vietnam yet to come
By Walter Pearson • May 07, 2020

May 06, 2020 • 6 min read
Opinion

Singapore, ASEAN and non-alignment in the South China Sea: Time to choose

The South China Sea territorial dispute has pitted Southeast Asian nations against China in a heated standoff for decades. Singaporean defence analyst Andy Wong argues that the city-state should lead ASEAN in aligning with the US on the issue, warding off Beijing's growing influence
By Andy Wong • May 06, 2020

May 06, 2020 • 3 min read
Covid-19

Bangkok’s millionaires’ club enjoys lockdown luxury

While the majority of Thai citizens suffer with a lockdown that has crushed the economy, left millions unemployed and created lines for food donations, the kingdom's super-rich have not forgone luxury during the pandemic and are enjoying a VIP delivery experience
By Dene-Hern Chen / Agence France-Presse • May 06, 2020