In the mist-covered Cameron Highlands of Malaysia, vegetable and fruit farmers are struggling to package and transport their produce as they face a logistical nightmare caused by a nationwide coronavirus lockdown.In the Philippines, farmers’ rights activists are worrying more than ever about malnutrition among smallholders who – also faced with movement restrictions – are turning to subsisting on their own crops as money needed to buy vegetables and meat dries up.In Singapore – one of the world…
North Korea insists it has no coronavirus cases, thanks to shutting borders, containment
North Korea remains totally free of the coronavirus, a senior health official in Pyongyang has insisted, despite mounting scepticism overseas as known cases of infection topped 1 million worldwide.The already isolated, nuclear-armed North quickly shut down its borders after the virus was first detected in neighbouring China, and imposed strict containment measures.Pak Myong Su, director of the anti-epidemic department of the North’s Central Emergency Anti-epidemic Headquarters, insisted that…
How Southeast Asia’s Chinese diaspora could play a leading role in defusing Sino-US rivalry
The row over The Wall Street Journal’s “Sick Man of Asia” headline was the latest in what Beijing has bemoaned as the West’s sustained smearing of China’s character. But the long Chinese history of indifference towards the outside world is partly to blame for these mischaracterisations. With the exception of Admiral Zheng He’s short-lived maritime expeditions during the Ming dynasty, imperial China rarely ventured beyond its borders. The Middle Kingdom, however, was not devoid of foreign…
Coronavirus: in India, after violence police try humour to enforce lockdown
One minute they’re dancing in the street in comical coronavirus helmets, the next they’re seen beating people for flouting a nationwide lockdown – Indian police have played “good cop, bad cop” in a bid to halt the spread of coronavirus.The streets of India’s cities have been largely deserted for more than a week of the government’s 21-day lockdown – no mean feat in a country of 1.3 billion people famed for their flexible attitude towards authority.Police admit it has been hard work to keep…
Animals in Thailand’s private parks at risk of hunger as coronavirus pandemic keeps tourists away
Every year during Thailand’s Songkran festival, about 75 elephants at Ayutthaya Elephant Palace and Royal Kraal entertain visitors by scooping up water with their trunks and splashing it on the crowds as part of the water fight the celebration is known for. The camp also draws tourists all year round for its elephant rides around the ruins of the old city of Ayutthaya.But this year, the elephants will be foraging for food in fields near the Unesco World Heritage Site as the Thai New Year…
Singapore house prices fall, central bank offers homeowners mortgage relief
House prices in Singapore fell this year as the coronavirus outbreak sent the economy into its steepest contraction in a decade.Property values declined 1.2 per cent in the three months ended March 31, according to a preliminary estimate from the Urban Redevelopment Authority released on Wednesday. That compares to a 0.5 per cent gain in the fourth quarter.Singapore’s new social distancing laws send needed signal, experts sayWith the city state limiting gatherings to a maximum 10 people, the…
Coronavirus: Indonesia’s migrant workers urged not to return home as Widodo declares state of emergency
Migrant workers from West Java, Indonesia’s most populous province, have been urged not to return home from overseas or elsewhere in the country to help curb the spread of the coronavirus after more than 100,000 residents streamed back in the past few weeks.“Mudik [the act of returning to hometowns or villages] is going to worsen our situation. Please stay where you are for the time being,” said Ridwan Kamil, the governor of West Java, which is home to some 50 million people.His comments came…
Samsung says chip factory worker tests positive for virus, output not affected
Samsung Electronics said on Tuesday that one of its chip factory workers in South Korea had tested positive for coronavirus, but its output has not been affected.This is the first time a Samsung chip factory employee has tested positive for the virus, although several confirmed cases at the tech giant’s smartphone factory in South Korea’s southeastern city of Gumi resulted in a temporary suspension.Chip factories have been largely unaffected by the pandemic which started in China, although…
Coronavirus: Indonesia’s Widodo plans stricter social distancing rules as thousands flee Jakarta
Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo on Monday said he planned to implement stricter rules on mobility and social distancing, as thousands of people stream back to the country’s provinces from Jakarta, the epicentre of the country’s coronavirus outbreak. “I’m [now] ordering large-scale social limits, physical distancing needs to be done more sternly, more disciplined, and effectively,” Widodo told a cabinet meeting, stressing that only the central government could decide on regional quarantines.
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Coronavirus: for crazy rich Asians, private islands offer the ultimate quarantine (and they’re cheaper than you think)
While the coronavirus outbreak has left many people self-quarantining in flats of just a few hundred square feet, super-rich Asians have a more appealing option for refuge: their own private island. Sales agents say they have been flooded with enquiries from Asia’s wealthiest seeking an investment that can serve as both a bolt-hole from the raging pandemic and a long-term investment. What is more, while some of these private idylls sell for up to US$100 million, some go for as little as US$55…