Ang Lee Plays a Good Guy

Celebrated director Ang Lee, known for films like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Brokeback Mountian, is doing his part to support grassroots filmmakers in his home nation of Taiwan. According to the Taipei Times, Lee wants to help would-be directors make it big:

“I am happy to receive the award, but I cannot pocket the money because I am one of those few lucky filmmakers who can really rely on this business to make a living. I shall use the money to help more of my kind get a break,” Lee said.

Lee has broken into Hollywood in a big way, but other art house filmmakers, like Hou Hsiao-hsien, Edward Yang, and Tsai Ming-liang, have not had much success outside the festival circuit. As Ang Lee knows from earlier in his career, artsy films don’t necessarily pay the bills.

If You Can’t Beat Them, Laugh at Them

Sure, some people are cheering Myanmar’s recent demonstrations. What few people know is that there have been individuals who have been fighting the current regime for a long time. Their weapon: laughter.Perhaps that is a bit clique, but it is the truth. Government troops arrested a comedian known as Zargana (real name Maung Thura) two days ago. However, that was not his first run-in with The Man. He has spent several years behind bars, first for helping pro-democracy demonstrators during 1988, then for helping his mother campaign for public office in 1990. Still, his brand of humor and political performance art was not silenced. Here is an example:

(D)uring the government-sponsored “Visit Myanmar Year 1996”, he wore dirty clothes and stood holding traditional Burmese Hpa, or baskets in front of a propaganda billboard. Then he raised a banner which said “Burmese Hpa have to be made famous all over the world.” Hpa in Burmese means prostitute.

This mix of politics and humor is not unprecedented in Myanmar, despite the government’s violent responses to dissent. Most comedians have been banned from performing in public. The recent demonstrations will probably only prolong their absence from the limelight.In a 2006 article published in the Washington Post, Zargana spoke about comedy being something bigger than himself:

Even faced with a performance ban, Zargana seems resolute and brash. He speaks of a “whispering campaign” and insists under-the-table humor will persist in Myanmar’s taxicabs, teashops and dining rooms.”Burmese people love to laugh,” he said. “But if I can’t speak, jokes will still spread. The people will make them up themselves.”

Malaysia Rocks On

For the most part, Malaysia has been a peaceful state. Their focus seems to be squarely on the future and their economy good. However, the undercurrents of corruption annd authoritarianism have long been felt. Recently, the media has jumped on the country’s judicial branch. A video surfaced in which a lawyer is seen arranging the appointment of a judge. There have been accusations about the corruption of judges since the 1970s. As Lawyers, journalists, and lay people protest (and say, “I told you so”) some are refuting the videos authenticity. The media seem to be paying special attention to the scandal, especially since it comes of the heels of a The Manila Declaration, which accuses Malaysia, among other countries, of unfair governing.

Meanwhile, Artists and musicians are chiming in.

Mixing art and politics is when things get really interesting.”Sensors” – Banned Books and Other Monsters is exhibiting at The Annexe, Central Market. Artist Sharon Chin addresses the issue of banned books in Malaysia.

Besides art, KL is one of the better places in Asia to have a good time. The Laundry Bar and Groove Junction are places where the HiSo mix and dance. Stadium Negara hosts national, regional, and international acts.

Despite turbulence in the judiciary and accusations of graft, Malaysia will, surely, rock on.

Internet Revolution in Myanmar

Videos of the current protests in Myanmar are popping up on YouTube and other video sharing sites. The government has done their best to block the internet, and silence journalists, but, obviously, they have not been entirely effective. The Bangkok Post reports that a Japanese journalist was killed by Burmese police. The information and images flowing out from Myanmar has not stopped, however.

Shawn Crispin, a correspondent for the Asia Times, wrote a recent piece on the proliferation of internet cafes in major Burmese cities like Yangon (Rangoon). According to that report there is an

“explosion of usage at public Internet cafes, particularly in Yangon, where a growing number are situated in nondescript, hard-to-find locales. All of the cafes visited in recent months by this correspondent were equipped with foreign-hosted proxy sites or servers, which with the help of the cafe attendant allowed customers to bypass government firewalls and connect freely to the World Wide Web – including access to otherwise blocked critical news sources.”

All this adds up to the fact that what happens in the coming days in Myanmar will not be as secret as the government would like. However, short of cutting all the electricity for the entire country, going door-to-door confiscating computers, or cutting phone lines, there is little that they can do to stem the flow of information. Along with BBC coverage, the web site Irrawady seems to have a strong network of sources within Myanmar itself. The site is run by Burmese refugees in Thailand. Whatever happens, the world will know about it. The question is, will all this information help the cause of the Burmese people. The military government seems to have no need for popular approval from its own people or from the international community. Like the Reuters man in the following video says, “There will be bloodshed before there is any outside influence.”

Times are Changing: Stocks in Cambodia

That’s right. Cambodia’s plans for opening its own stock exchange are moving ahead rapidly. Even those primed to invest in the new market were surprised by the announcement of a late 2009 openning. The Phnom Penh Post reports.

Some enthusiastic CEOs quietly harboring dreams of expansion for their firms said this week the late-2009 stock market launch is coming sooner than expected. But the lure of new capital for cash-poor Cambodian businesses is just what the economy needs, they said. And they’ll be ready.

Right now, it seems that the exchange will be building on the country’s successful oil, construction, and lending industries. The big players will probably earn some initial success and perhaps inspire other corporations to go public.

The exchange is actually a joint venture with The Korean Exchange. Cambodia holds a 51% share.

The main opposition to the stock exchange came from Party leader Sam Rainsy who said he was concerned that a lack of transparency and an overall high level of corruption in Cambodia would lead to a corrupt stock market.

Mr. Rainsy has a point. However, how can you argue with such a major move forward.

Violence in Myanmar

The threat of violence has been looming over Myanmar for about a week now. Once it was clear that the protests against the current regime were more than a blip on the radar, the army moved into position to quell the violence. Reports coming out of the country indicate that the police and army are using force to stop the protests. It does not, however, appear that there is a large loss of life. Reports from the Bangkok Post, The BBC, and independant burmese news agency Irrawady state that, for the most part, police used tear gas and batons to disburse the crowds. Shots were fired, but few people have been reported killed.

From the Bangkok Post:

At least 30 monks and 50 civilians were beaten and then taken away in military vehicles to an unknown destination.

The BBC reported that the UN is set to meet on the situation:

Meanwhile, the UN Security Council has called emergency talks for 1900GMT.

From Irrawady:

Rangoon, Downtown; Mid-afternoon—Two monks and one nun were reportedly shot by military forces near Sule Pagoda on Wednesday afternoon, according to a witness. Another source told The Irrawaddy earlier that one of the injured died, but the report can not be confirmed.

It appears that things will get worse before they get better. Nearly 3,000 people died in 1988 during a similar series of pro-democracy demonstrations.

China’s Only Children

China’s one child policy has long been controversial. On one side, the country’s current economy and infrastructure could not sustain much more than the current population of one billion. Cities are already overcrowded with people migrating from rural areas. On the other hand, human rights watchers pint out to the serve infringement on freedom and the fact that some women were forced into abortions and sterilization if they conceive more than one child.

Despite the one-child policy, China’s population is expected to grow to nearly 1.5 billion in the next 25 years.

Some officials in China have cited the healthy economy as reason to allow people to have two children. According to the BBC, government ministers shot down that idea, saying, there was not the “slightest doubt” about the need to continue with the (one child) policy.

Is the one-child policy a holdover from China’s more authoritarian past or is it a harsh-but-necessary step to ensure China’s future stability?

In Praise of the Public Toilet

In a rather bizarre, rather earthy column recently published in the China Daily, journalist Zou Hanru sings the praises of lavatories, namely Hong Kong’s public restrooms.

Here is an excerpt of the glowing report:

The first and foremost requirement for a well-managed toilet is, of course, its hygiene standard. Poorly managed ones greet users with a stench that could be smelled far away, but in Hong Kong that odor does not exist even inside the restroom. Facilities may not be sparkling but are reasonably clean. It is made possible by thorough cleansing on a daily, sometimes hourly basis, which is complemented by an effective ventilation system that helps dry up the floor and dissipate the smell as well as any airborne virus.

While you might not be running to book your ticket to Hong Kong, you have to admit that the city does have a reasonable grasp on the whole restroom thing. Unlike some other cities, you don’t have to pay to use the toilet in H.K., and your rarely have to resort to a quick slash against an alley wall.

Yes, in a sense, Zou is right. A city’s public restrooms are a reflection of the city itself; though such glowing praise of restrooms is a bit over the top.

Manga’s Upstart Challenger

While Japan holds a virtual monopoly on East Asian cartoons and animation in the West, China has its own cartoon industry.  Manhua grew out of satirical newspaper cartoons and small, illustrated books mainly used as propaganda during the turbulent parts of the early 20th century.

Manhua immigrated to Hong Kong and Taiwan ahead of the communist take-over of the mainland and became more of a pop culture phenomenon morphing into an industry that put out commercial publications featuring kung fu and fantastical adventure stories.

Unlike its Japanese counterpart, the pages of a Manhua book are in full color and feature lifelike characters.  Japanese comics as well as western animation have heavily influenced modern Manhua.

Cartoons from the mainland are re-emerging as well.  With the unprecedented growth of China’s economy, it seems likely that Chinese cartoons might someday challenge the dominance of Japanese manga and anime in The West.

Will The Manila Declaration Be Heard?

Activists in Manila have released a surprisingly unified and strong statement about the atmosphere of authoritarianism in East Asia. Pointing to some specific cases, as well as general situations, the group, which calls itself the Asean Human Rights Mechanism, has some well-known supporters. Former Malaysian PM Anwar Ibrahim calls the record of government abuses in East Asia “dismal and damning.”

The statement, known as the Manila Declaration, points the finger at authoritarian states like Myanmar, but also notes the lack of freedoms in more stable countries like Thailand, Singapore, and The Philippines.

Despite the strong and condemning rhetoric, the Manila Declaration supports peaceful solutions:

Efforts must be undertaken to resolve conflicts through peaceful means, and to ensure that marginalized and disenfranchised groups participate in civil affairs using their rights to speak, associate and assemble.

Whether the Asean Human Rights Mechanism and The Manila Declaration have any real effect remains to be seen. Former closed states like China and Vietnam have proved willing to trade some of their tight control for wealth. But with more trade comes more scrutiny. The more the international community watches a country, the more chances activists like those in Manila will be heard.