Stories about East Asia from September, 2017
Despite Censorship, a Former Chinese Soldier Brags of His War Crimes Online
On WeChat, Zhang boasted of killing a woman and raping her teenage daughter in the Sino-Vietnamese War.
Speaking of Independence Is Getting Harder for Hong Kongers
"The universities can say they don’t support Hong Kong independence, but students and teachers should have the freedom of speech to discuss Hong Kong independence."
Netizen Report: Online Supporters of Myanmar's Rohingya Face Censorship, Legal Threats
Salvadoran journalists face violent threats on social media, Japanese activists stomp on hateful tweets and Chile doubles down on data retention.
Taiwanese Activist Was Forced to Confess on Camera to ‘Smearing the Chinese Government,’ Allies Say
"...if you see Lee Mingche confess against his will in court....please forgive him. This is just another drama staged by the Chinese government."
Journalist Faces Defamation Probe for Comparing Indonesia’s Treatment of West Papua with Myanmar's Rohingya
Dandhy posted his comments on Facebook following a rally condemning the Myanmar government for its treatment of Rohingya refugees.
China Makes Chat Group Administrators — i.e. Regular Users — Criminally Liable for Unlawful Messages
Chat group administrators are becoming a key human resource in China's internet control infrastructure.
At Twitter's Tokyo Office, Protesters Stomp on Hateful Tweets
Demonstrators gathered outside Twitter Japan's Tokyo headquarters to demand that the company do more to rein in harassment and hate speech.
#PotongSteam: Malaysian Gamers Blast Blocking of Website Over ‘Fight of Gods’ Video Game
"First they come for (political posts), but I am not political. Then they come for the gamers..."
Violence in Northwest Myanmar Sparks an Information War Online with Anti-Rohingya Hate Speech and Fake Photos
Malicious propaganda, hate speech, and false photos are making it difficult to verify information coming from the conflict in northwest Myanmar.
Cambodia Daily Closes Down After Government Threatened It with Hefty Tax Bill
"Cambodia lost a significant aspect of its media diversity. It lost a training ground for a generation of Khmer journalists. It lost a beacon of free speech."
On WhatsApp, Fake News is Nearly Impossible to Moderate. Is That a Bad Thing?
People are keen to tackle fake news on Facebook. But picture becomes more complex when news and information spread through WhatsApp.
In Quest for ‘Ideological Security’, China Pushes to Extend Communist Party Influence Inside Tech Firms
Until recently, companies had no obligation to participate in Communist Party activities. But now informal political pressure to do so is getting stronger and stronger.
Macau Journalists Told to Write More Positive Stories in Wake of Deadly Typhoon
"...we only saw the government busy clearing the noise, using ridiculous reasons to refuse entry to outside journalists; and [compelling] multiple local outlets to conduct self-censorship..."
