-
Sort Memos by geography
Archives
Tags
anthropology ASEAN Asian Studies Asia Pacific War Business Chinese Communist Party corruption democracy development earthquake economics education education policy election environmentalism G20 Geography history human rights immigration immigration policy international organizations international relations Islam labour law literature media migrants migration military mining natural resources political science protests public intellectuals red shirts religion rivers security sociology Thailand conflict trade water Xinhai Revolution
Tag Archives: internet
Nepal Communications Shutdown: A Factor in Monarchy’s Demise?
Communication in the mountainous country of Nepal has always been difficult, until the advent of the mobile phones. Of the country’s 28.5 million residents, 46% used mobile phones in 2011, a 61% increase from the year before. So what would happen if the government decided to shut down phone service? Continue reading
Posted in Nepal
Tagged communication, economy, insurgents, internet, Mao, telecommunication
Leave a comment
Island Connect in the Tuamotus: Satellite, Solar Power and Civil Society
Despite their isolation, technological developments allow residents of Katiu, a tiny coral atoll in the Tuamotu Archipelago of French Polynesia, to engage as global citizens. The atoll is only 10 square km, 27 km long and 12.5 km wide. Its 286 residents subsist on fishing, copra harvesting and pearl farming. There is no tourism trade, and anything beyond coconut palms, breadfruit, taro, fish, seafood and some fruit must be imported on infrequent cargo ships. Until recently, the atoll was inaccessible except by boat, and islanders had limited communications with the outside world. Continue reading
Posted in Pacific Islands
Tagged Archipelago, Connect, French Polynesia, global society, internet, islands, Katiu, satellite, solar power, Tuamotu
Leave a comment
Thailand Increases Controls on Cyberspace Through Use of Archaic Laws
Memo #193 – Laws meant to protect the monarchy from “defamation” are increasingly being used to suppress free speech and discussion of politics in Thailand, particularly on the Internet. In the last six years, there has been a surge in prosecution of these “lèse-majesté” cases – some estimated as high as 1,500 per cent. Continue reading
Comparing Chinese and Indian Media Industries (Video Interview with Hugh Stephens) (Part 1/2)
Memo #136 – Hugh Stephens, Executive-in-Residence at the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada, has over 35 years of government and business experience in the Asia region. In this interview, he compares the Chinese and Indian media industries. Continue reading
Posted in China, India
Tagged communication, internet, mass media, media, media coverage, trade
Comments Off
Literature in 21st Century China – Harvard Professor David Der-wei Wang (Video Interview)
Memo #70 – What is the status of literature in 21st century China? Harvard professor David Der-wei Wang analyzes this question in a brief video interview. He discusses the impact of the internet, which has become an important medium for the dissemination of politically sensitive works. He mentions that there has been a resurgence of genres such as science fantasy to a prominence not seen since the late Qing dynasty. He talks about the new concept of “Sinophone literature,” which redefines “Chinese literature” as a field determined by language rather than purely by geography. He further touches on important new works, such as Hu Fayun’s novel, “Ruyan@SARS.com,” which was first serialized on the Internet but banned upon its print publication. Continue reading