tier-1



STORY OF THE DAY • Apr 13, 2020 • 1 min read

Covid-19 ‘Medibot’ to do rounds on Malaysian virus wards

By Agence France-Presse • Apr 13, 2020
Engineers at the International Islamic University in Malaysia have created a robot to assist health workers treat patients and check temperatures, something they hope will reduce their risk of contracting Covid-19

STORY OF THE DAY • Apr 13, 2020 • 9 min read

Tales of the Pandemic The view from inside Singapore’s migrant dorms

By Md Sharif Uddin • Apr 13, 2020
In April, Singapore put several dormitories housing 20,000 migrant workers under lockdown to control the spread of Covid-19, prompting criticism about conditions. Writer and Bangladeshi migrant worker Md Sharif Uddin gives his account from inside

Apr 12, 2020 • 2 min read
Covid-19

Silent streets for water festival in Myanmar lockdown

Myanmar’s New Year festival, Thingyan, is the country’s biggest public holiday and normally a week of nation-wide celebration and water-fights. But this year the country’s commercial hub Yangon lies in lockdown and silent, its streets eerily empty with residents shut firmly indoors as coronavirus fears grow
By Agence France-Presse • Apr 12, 2020

Apr 10, 2020 • 2 min read
Editorial

Hunkering down

This week, we looked past the headlines to hear more from you, our readers, and the diverse communities we cover across Southeast Asia. Check out this week’s coverage for a glimpse into the lives of ordinary people living through extraordinary times
By Andrew Haffner • Apr 10, 2020

Apr 10, 2020 • 6 min read
Freedom of the press

Cambodian journalist’s arrest part of regional crackdown on virus coverage

This week Cambodian journalist Sovann Rithy was arrested after he posted a quote taken directly from a Prime Minister Hun Sen speech. Rights groups have warned it's part of a worrying trend across Southeast Asia, as governments tighten their grip on the press in the wake of reporting on the virus
By Miriam Deprez • Apr 10, 2020

Apr 10, 2020 • 7 min read
Covid-19

‘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 Yohanes Sulaiman explains how President Jokowi's economic aspirations, combined with opposition scheming, have resulted in a weak response to the crisis
By Yohanes Sulaiman • Apr 10, 2020

Apr 09, 2020 • 10 min read
Singapore inequality

‘We shouldn’t need Covid-19 to see migrant workers’ humanity’

As Singapore's divide between rich and poor is amplified by the Covid-19 crisis, columnist Yong Han Poh argues that it shouldn't take a pandemic to acknowledge the humanity of those who labour, unseen and unheard, to build the city-state
By Yong Han Poh • Apr 09, 2020

Apr 09, 2020 • 7 min read
Press freedom

Journalism on trial

Independent Filipino news outlet Rappler is under legal fire yet again, this time under a "cyber libel" charge. Free press advocates say this latest criminal case lodged by the government amounts to official harassment
By Samantha McCabe • Apr 09, 2020

Apr 08, 2020 • 8 min read
Covid-19

As Thailand’s tourism plunges, elephants suffer

Thailand's captive elephants are facing food shortages and an uncertain future as Covid-19 has forced camp closures throughout the country. Without tourists and income, the scramble to feed them highlights the shortcomings of the kingdom's captive elephant care system
By Carolyn Cowan • Apr 08, 2020

Apr 08, 2020 • 10 min read
Covid-19

Singapore’s working poor hit hardest by economic shutdown

As Covid-19 brings global markets to their knees, Singapore is experiencing its worst economic contraction since 2008. In the wealthy city-state, it's the low-paid urban poor who are being hit hardest
By Toh Ee Ming • Apr 08, 2020