Commentary

Bhumibol Adulyadej - The king and I

After a whole year of mourning, it is finally time for Thai citizens to bid farewell to the revered King Bhumibol Adulyadej. The late king is regarded as an important father figure to a nation of over 68 million people. Thais of different ages have gathered near the Grand Palace in prayers as they wait faithfully by their king for the gates of heaven to open.“He was not only the father of the nation, he was a literal father to us individually.

26 October 2017
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Where is the social justice for all?

A year ago today, Jakarta’s incumbent governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, also known as Ahok, gave a speech when he made his rounds educating the citizens on their voting rights in the Thousand Islands region of North Jakarta. Ahok, the first Christian of Chinese descent to govern the nation’s capital city since Henk Ngantung in 1965, referenced a verse from the Islamic holy book, Al-Maidah 51.

27 September 2017
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Killers in Manila: The Philippine drug war

On the night of August 18, 2017 in Caloocan – the fourth most populous city in the Philippines – nineteen-year-old Carl Angelo Arnaiz appeared to have been kneeling on the ground before being mercilessly shot – four times in the chest and once in his right arm – by policemen who alleged that he returned fire whilst they were responding to a robbery call.

20 September 2017
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To Indonesia, with love

Dear Indonesia,It has been 72 years since Sukarno’s words from 56, Jalan Pegangsaan Timur reverbed throughout the then infant nation, heralding the beginning of independent Indonesia. Like many other counterparts during the decolonization period, you were surmounted with many challenges from struggles with your colonial predecessors, domestic rife and economic uncertainty.

17 August 2017
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