Taiwan's Secret Cancer

Taiwan’s Secret Cancer

More than 1,500 former workers at a television factory in Taiwan have been diagnosed with cancer. The company admits that it dumped hazardous waste, polluting the land and poisoning groundwater. But did Radio Corporation of America recklessly expose its employees to cancer-causing chemicals? For nearly two decades, sick workers have...
Denim Blues

Denim Blues

What does it take to produce a pair of jeans? In a year-long investigation, we discover an industry tainted by labour rights violations and environmental problems.
Hong Kong: Occupy Central

Hong Kong: Occupy Central

This three-part series goes behind the scenes of what the world now knows as the Umbrella Movement. Over six intense months, we follow key protest leaders and activists as they attempt to reshape Hong Kong's political landscape.
Wukan: The Flame of Democracy

Wukan: The Flame of Democracy

Late in 2011, Wukan, a village in southern China, captured international attention when demonstrators flooded the streets, rebelling against decades of corrupt rule. Despite the hurdles, the unthinkable happened in Wukan – the village committee fell and democratic elections were announced. But, what happens after a successful uprising?
The Great North Korean Picture Show

The Great North Korean Picture Show

North Korea’s film industry is a vital tool in the regime's vast propaganda machinery. Now, for the first time ever, foreign filmmakers have been allowed into the country's only film school - an elite institution where young talents are trained to create works that will not only entertain, but help...
Camera

Camera

A surveillance expert takes radical steps to ensure he stays ahead of the game. When hired to follow the daughter of a sinisterly powerful man, he begins to fall for her, calling into question a life-long ethic of detachment and sending him on a path that could destroy his very...
Latest entries
Leaving Wukan

Leaving Wukan

We left in a hurry early in the morning, clambering as quietly as we could down the roof of an abandoned house. From where we stood, Wukan looked deceptively peaceful. Lights flickered through the windows of villagers who were still awake. A dog barked. Intermittent strains of Chinese opera floated out an open front door....
Maid in Singapore

Maid in Singapore

To get to her home in Dimpi Village, Piang Ngaih Don would have had to fly from Singapore to Yangon in Myanmar, then take another plane north to the city of Kalay, then catch a bus into the neighbouring Chin state. That last leg alone could sometimes take days to complete. Piang had told her...
"No Safe Haven" - Inside the fragile, uncertain world of Chinese asylum seekers in Thailand

“No Safe Haven” – Inside the fragile, uncertain world of Chinese asylum seekers in Thailand

You’re always looking over your shoulder. Always wondering if someone’s following you. Those people in the hotel lobby, the Chinese men with dark glasses. Why do they look so familiar? Were they also in Lumpini Park the other day? That couple on the train. Why won’t they stop staring? Oh, they’re looking at the map...
Wukan: Hope And Reality

Wukan: Hope And Reality

The boat was waterlogged and barely moved despite the fisherman’s best efforts. We wondered how long the journey would take. The man was probably not used to having passengers on board, let alone two fidgety foreigners trying hard not to look out of place. We pulled our hoodies over our heads and slumped as far...

Watch online: The Great North Korean Picture Show

Watch online via Vimeo on Demand now North Korea’s film industry is a vital tool in the regime’s vast propaganda machinery. Now, for the first time ever, foreign filmmakers have been allowed into the country’s only film school – an elite institution where young talents are trained to create works that will not only entertain,...
Muzzling the Messenger

Muzzling the Messenger

Hong Kong's press was once the most free in Asia, but many believe it is under attack from the central government. Hong Kong's press was once rated the most free in Asia. Today, it's 61st in the Reporters Without Borders World Press Freedom Index, down from 18th in 2002. Free press advocates believe Beijing is...
Papa's Boy

Papa’s Boy

I can’t stop looking at this photo of Cheong Chun Yin and his father. He’s a toddler, probably no older than two – a little monkey perched on Papa’s shoulders. Uncle Cheong is smiling as he looks up at his son. There’s a glimmer of pride in his eyes. There is so much joy. Like...

The Singapore Way

The riot took us by surprise. Footage uploaded onto the Internet show an angry crowd of what looks like foreign workers from South India, shouting and throwing things at a bus, at an ambulance, at police cars, at auxiliary police officers. Vehicles are overturned. One goes up in flames. A common refrain online that night,...

When Roginald Broke Our Rules

Roginald Santos Oloresisimo is no longer in Singapore. He boarded a plane bound for the Philippines this morning. It is unclear if he is coming back or if he still has his old job. What is obvious though is that the last few weeks must have been highly stressful for him. Roginald probably never saw...

The Singapore I Am Proud Of

Singapore’s Acting Minister for Manpower, Tan Chuan-Jin, recently called on Singaporeans who are unhappy with the country to help build a nation we can be proud of. Here are my thoughts.   There is a Singapore I am proud of. The Minister would see it too if he cared to look. It’s not hiding in...
Wukan: After The Uprising – Documenting An Experiment In Democracy

Wukan: After The Uprising – Documenting An Experiment In Democracy

What happens after an uprising? The celebrations end and the hard work of governance begins. And whether it be on a scale as vast as Egypt's, or in a Chinese fishing village, the transition is often difficult and fraught with risk. In Wukan, the same activists who fought so bravely for change must continue to...
Working Through The Haze

Working Through The Haze

Photo: Ng Yi Shu Our taxi zips down the PIE. The driver, a jolly Malay man, laughs as he gestures towards his windscreen. “This year, I tell my children, what for go Genting for holiday? We have Genting here! Very hot Genting!” It is 11am. The PSI reading is 322. I have the beginnings of...