Perspectives
by Lia Sciortino
Perspectives
China’s PR Problem Rears Its Head
Johanna Son
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CHIANG MAI, Dec 11 (TerraViva/IPS Asia-Pacific) - Powerful neighbour. A rising power. Old friend. Big, secretive investor. Big boy of the region.
These were some of the terms participants at a talk-show format discussion at the Mekong Media Forum used when asked to share the images of China they get from the media.
Reading Media
Johanna Son
BANGKOK -- Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia. What images might these words conjure up in the minds of international consumers of news? Perhaps war, maybe the Khmer Rouge. Or they might say, ‘Oh, it’s that those countries that had that war some time ago. . . they’re near one another, and they’re all the same’.
China: Benign Bully of the Mekong?
Johanna Son
SYDNEY, Oct 3 (IPS Asia-Pacific) – Over the last decade or so, China’s deft use of soft power has seen South-east Asian neighbours’ view of it change from a looming threat to a largely friendly, if still imposing, giant to the north.
Tourism
Row Over Preah Vihear Continues
BANGKOK - Thailand will ask Unesco to delay a decision on Cambodia's proposal to list Preah Vihear temple as a World Heritage Site, said Pongpol Adireksarn, head of Thailand's World Heritage Committee following the Central Administrative Court injunction on June 28 against the Thai government supporting Cambodia's bid.
Balancing Heritage and Development in Luang Prabang
By Sutthida Malikaew*
LUANG PRABANG, Lao PDR - Duangsavan Boupha, a native of Luang Prabang, has lived in the same house she was born in more than 60 years ago. She inherited the 72 year-old house from her grandparents. Her daily routine begins early each morning with the traditional distribution of alms to Buddhist monks, as is the custom here.
Hoi An Lives with Tourism Pains
By Sutthida Malikaew
HOI AN, Vietnam - “More people come to Hoi An, but I can sell less,” Kim Chi, owner of an art gallery in this central Vietnamese town, says in a bored tone.
Two Villages
Tan Le Shui and Feng Weiyang, Yunnan Television
A village on the banks of Lancang, China and a village in Mekong Island, Cambodia are the rich settings of this documentary.
In the Chinese village of Manchunman, the Dai people have become experts at courting tourists to buy their local crafts. A tourist company has put up a gate at the entrance of the village, turning it into a park where locals perform traditional rituals in daily shows.
Hoi An Lives with Tourism Pains
By Sutthida Malikaew
HOI AN, Vietnam - “More people come to Hoi An, but I can sell less,” Kim Chi, owner of an art gallery in this central Vietnamese town, says in a bored tone.
Hoi An Lives with Tourism Pains
By Sutthida Malikaew
HOI AN, Vietnam - “More people come to Hoi An, but I can sell less,” Kim Chi, owner of an art gallery in this central Vietnamese town, says in a bored tone.
Tourism Offers Irawaddy Dolphins Protection, and Farmers, Income
by CHHEANG SOPHENG
Mekong's Avian Flu
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What's New
Mekong ICT Camp 2010
The Mekong ICT Camp (http://mekongict.org), a biannual training workshop on information, communication, and technologies for citizen media, community health, and civil society practitioners in Mekong subregion, is accepting applications until Mar. 31, 2010. Participants are welcome from the Mekong countries, including Burma, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam.
COMING SOON: 'TALKING GENDER IN THE MEKONG MEDIA'
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BANGKOK - Do media organisations in the Mekong Region think that gender sensitivity, including giving voices to women, is part of doing better stories? How do they define it within the context of their societies and how do they report on different genders and sexuality? Do they include the use of gender-friendly language in their stylebooks and training programmes? How much is using a gender lens a news habit?