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
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
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
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...
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
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
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...
Response To The AGC’s Letter Of Warning
The Attorney General’s Chambers in Singapore says I am guilty of contempt of court. It has informed the media of its finding and sent me a letter of warning. At issue are two video clips I posted on my blog earlier this year. In the clips, former SMRT drivers Liu Xiang Ying and He Jun...
Do The Right Thing, #FreeMyInternet
Something truly remarkable happened in Singapore this week. The online community – often characterised by the establishment as a scary place filled with scary, irresponsible people – came together like it never did before. The process was calm and reasoned, the tone, always civil. Despite being thousands of miles away right now, I’ve had the...
