Browse By

Tag Archives: Southeast Asia

Avigan: Shinzo Abe’s Illusory White Knight in the Pandemic

The antiviral drug Avigan was developed by the firm Fujifilm Toyama Chemical in 2014, and it was later envisioned as Japan’s leading prospect to solve the global Covid pandemic. The drug was enthusiastically promoted by former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, but this October its development was quietly terminated.

Inflexible Laws Hinder Taiwan Migrant Workers

The arrest of a 28-year-old Vietnamese migrant for working jobs unrelated to his original employment has drawn attention to the inability of migrant workers to take on part-time work and other forms of employment, even when their activities may benefit Taiwanese society.

Indonesian Migrants in Taiwan Face Growing Discrimination

Like many of her fellow Indonesians in Taiwan, Etik Nurhalimah works for a family caring for an elderly relative. During her time as a migrant worker, she has also managed to fulfil a lifelong dream: gain a degree in English literature, while also winning a literature prize and having her story made into a film along the way.

Military Coup Unfolds in Myanmar

Long-simmering fears of a military-led subversion of Myanmar’s recent steps toward democracy became reality this week as the nation’s armed forces arrested civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi and announced a one-year state of emergency that transfers power to Min Aung Hlaing, the Southeast Asian country’s top general.

US Silence on American Comfort Women

During the occupation of China, Southeast Asia, and the Pacific by the Japanese Imperial Army and Navy, many young women and girls became victims of rape and forced prostitution. New evidence proves that American young women were among the thousands of victims.

Forced Labor in the Taiwanese Fishing Fleet

Activists have long called attention to the abusive working conditions that fishermen from Southeast Asia are subjected to aboard Taiwanese-owned fishing boats. Their campaign to improve life for the migrant workers has been boosted by recent moves by the United States to classify fish from Taiwan as a product of forced labor.