tier-1



STORY OF THE DAY • Apr 06, 2021 • 7 min read

Myanmar coup A township under siege: Residents recall assault on Sanchuang

By Eustace Jones • Apr 06, 2021
The March 8 siege of Yangon's Sanchuang township – a 12-hour ordeal in which security forces surrounded some 200 people – stands out even among the brutal months since the military’s February 1 coup. Here, the district's residents recall the terror of that night

STORY OF THE DAY • Apr 05, 2021 • 8 min read

Geopolitics How much is fish driving Chinese aggression in the South China Sea?

By Ashley Lampard • Apr 05, 2021
A massive decrease in Chinese fishing fleet activity throughout 2020 may not provide the full picture, with a recent ramping up of aggression in the South China Sea leaving many once again questioning China’s true motivations in the disputed waters

STORY OF THE DAY • Apr 05, 2021 • 4 min read

Business Facing pressure at home, Chinese tech giants expand in Singapore

By Martin Abbugao/AFP • Apr 05, 2021
Chinese tech giants like Tencent and TikTok owner ByteDance are expanding in Singapore as they face a crackdown at home and growing pressure in other key markets – but they may struggle to find talent in the city-state

Apr 04, 2021 • 7 min read
Analysis

What the UK joining the CPTPP could mean for Southeast Asia

The UK’s application to join the CPTPP trade bloc in February swept aside any vestiges of the notion that candidate countries must be possessed of ‘Asianness’ or Pacific geography. If admitted, their presence could influence major issues across Southeast Asia
By Daniel McKay • Apr 04, 2021

Apr 02, 2021 • 14 min read
Sex work

Criminals or victims? Cambodia’s sex workers suffer under legal limbo

In a country rife with anti-trafficking efforts, the Cambodian government’s failure to clearly define and distinguish between prostitution and trafficking creates loose standards for police and NGOs targeting sex workers, worsening exploitation in unsafe working conditions
By Kiana Duncan • Apr 02, 2021

Apr 02, 2021 • 4 min read
Myanmar coup

Myanmar junta slammed for child deaths in crackdown

Myanmar's junta faced fresh international criticism on April 2 over the deaths of more than 40 children and the "forced disappearance" of hundreds of people in its brutal crackdown on pro-democracy protests
By Agence France-Presse • Apr 02, 2021

Apr 01, 2021 • 8 min read
Opinion

Are some things better left unsaid? Media self-censorship in Thailand

For journalists in Thailand, more tools and opportunities are available than ever before to capture scenes that would have been unthinkable a few years ago. But Thai authorities have pushed back, threatening both subtly and not to punish the messengers, leaving reporters in a bind of self-censorship
By Mark S. Cogan • Apr 01, 2021

Apr 01, 2021 • 3 min read
Culture

[Photos] Malaysia’s weird and wonderful Tomb Sweeping Day paper items

In a Covid-themed Tomb Sweeping Day, surgical masks and hand sanitiser are just two of an array of weird and wonderful paper replicas of everyday items that will burned by Malaysia's ethnic Chinese population during this year's festivities
By Patrick Lee/AFP • Apr 01, 2021

Apr 01, 2021 • 5 min read
Myanmar coup

Myanmar ‘traitors’ hounded in online anti-coup campaign

As Myanmar descends into chaos and the military harshly cracks down on protestors, smartphone warriors in the anti-coup movement are seeking revenge online against the junta, hounding people with family ties to the military as a form of "social punishment"
By Lisa Martin/AFP • Apr 01, 2021

Mar 31, 2021 • 8 min read
Myanmar coup

In Karen State, refugees flee bombs as funds for displaced CDM run low

As the military ramps up its bloody crackdown on protests, some 2,000 have fled to Karen-controlled territory in eastern Myanmar seeking refuge. But as the ethnic group attempts to host the new arrivals, essential funds needed to support them are dwindling fast
By Ryan Anders • Mar 31, 2021

Mar 31, 2021 • 3 min read
Myanmar coup

US orders diplomats out of Myanmar as violence spirals

The United States on March 31 ordered the departure of non-essential diplomats from Myanmar, amid growing violence following the military coup to oust civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi and her National League for Democracy party
By Agence France-Presse • Mar 31, 2021