Destructive durians, passports for sale, Korea’s ‘natural extinction’ – here are 10 great reads for Lunar New Year
- Want to know about the black sugar you probably ate over the festive period? Are you keeping an eye on elections in Thailand, Indonesia, or the Philippines? Or wondering where the US is taking on China next? Read on …
Whether you’re gathering with relatives, feasting on Lunar New Year delicacies or plain taking a break during this festive season, here are 10 of our most popular This Week In Asia features to enjoy or revisit over the new few days.
While Muslim-born atheists face prison and re-education in Malaysia, in Indonesia non-believers risk being charged with blasphemy – and despite growing calls for compassion, discrimination and violence towards apostates remain common in both countries.
It’s the dreaded question singles in South Korea find themselves fielding from relatives, friends, colleagues and even strangers on a regular basis: “When are you getting married?”. But as the population ages, the only thing being given birth to are fears of “natural extinction”.
Rising demand – especially from Chinese consumers – for the “king of fruit” is driving up prices across Southeast Asia. But it has come at a cost to the environment and indigenous peoples in Malaysia, with ancestral forests being cleared out to make way for vast durian orchards.
