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Burma's Anti-Muslim Riots: A Buddhist Dilemma

LinkAsia — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 00:23:41 GMT

In their reaction to anti-Muslim riots, Burma's monks torn between compassion and protectiveness. LinkAsia contributor Kenneth Wong tracks the public debate occurring in Burma around how monks should respond to Buddhist violence against Muslims.

Storified by LinkAsia · Wed, Apr 03 2013 17:23:41

Burma's Anti-Muslim Riots: Buddhists Disturb the Peace (LinkAsia: 3/29/13) · linktv

The more reasonable voices in Burma are finally taking a stand against the sectarian violence and destruction in the country. Last week at the Rangoon YMCA, Burmese youth gathered for an interfaith assembly dubbed "Pray for Myanmar." The young people wore t-shirts that read, "I shall not become the cause of religious, racial conflict." An estimated 200 youth attended the event, according to BBC Burmese's Lin Let Kyal Sin online radio program.

ျငိမ္းခ်မ္းစြာ အတူယွဥ္တြဲေနထုိင္ျခင္း LLKS peaceful coexistence 31032013 by LLKS Radio

လတ္တစ္ေလာျဖစ္ပ်က္တဲ့ ဘာသာေရး၊ လူမ်ိဳးေရးႏြယ္တဲ့ အဓိကရုဏ္းအေပၚ လူငယ္ေတြဘယ္လိုျမင္လဲ။ ျငိ္းခ်မ္းစြာ အတူယွဥ္တြဲေနထိုင္ဖုိ႔ လူငယ္ေတြ ဘာလုပ...

While these young Burmese work to promote interfaith cooperation, the more conservative segment of the society is calling for nationalism -- asking their countrymen to defend the Burmese race, culture, and religion. And on Facebook, under the close-up of a Burmese girl carrying a placard that read "Don't let yourself become a cause of religious, racial conflict," a commenter shot back, "Don't let yourself become a cause of Burmese racial impurity." This remark is symptomatic of the fear many Burmese have of losing Buddhist youth, particularly young women, to Islam through interfaith marriages.

In the Saffron Revolution of 2007, Burma's Buddhist monastic order, the Sangha, drew admiration from the international community with its peaceful protests against the military regime. The same Sangha is now finding its reputation tarnished by sporadic reports of saffron-robed figures participating in anti-Muslim riots.

U Pyinya Zawta is a veteran monk of the Saffron Revolution who relocated to Utica, New York, and cofounded the All Burma Monks Alliance. He raised doubts about the authenticity of reports of Sangha involvement in the riots. "We have heard accounts of figures in monk robes participating in riots, but we can't confirm if they're truly monks. There have been incidents in the past where people disguised as monks were used to incite sectarian violence," he observed. "In my view, there may be outside forces influencing the events."

About the ABMA - All Burma Monks' Alliance

We are a religious and social service provider organization staffed by and composed of Burmese Buddhist monks from the 2007 Saffron Revol...

Min Ko Naing was a prominent student leader from the 1988 uprising who voiced similar doubts. In his interview with BBC Burmese. He said, "A few political party members here and there might have participated in the riots, knowingly or unwittingly, but these are exceptions. Now, the priority is to identify the culprits pulling the strings behind the scenes." Min Ko Naing hesitated when asked directly if he suspected government-backed National Unity Party was involved, saying, "That's known only to the authorities who have made arrests and investigated the rioters."

Ko Min Ko Naing Edited by Obamamyo3

မတ္ ၂၀ မိတၳီလာက စလို႔ ႏိုင္ငံတ၀ွန္း ဟိုၿမိဳ႕၊ ဒီၿမိဳ႕ ကြက္က်ား ေပၚလိုက္ ေပ်ာက္လိုက္ ျဖစ္ေနတဲ့ အဓိကရုဏ္းေတြ၊ ဖ်က္ဆီးမႈေတြရဲ႕ ေနာက္ကြယ္မွာ ...

The riots come at a politically convenient time for Burma's government. In Letpadaung, villagers displaced by a controversial copper mine project are staging public protests. And last November the police used smoke bombs to break up a protest, leading to severe injuries among demonstrators. The government is under increasing pressure to punish those responsible for mishandling the crackdown. On the one hand are vociferous villagers with legitimate grievances; on the other hand is the mine’s stakeholder Wanbao, a subsidiary of Chinese arms manufacturer Norinco. For those who want to deflect attention from Letpadaung, the sectarian riots are a convenient distraction. The copper mine protests have lately been pushed off the front page by headlines about the Buddhist-Muslim conflict.

Whereas the Sangha issued a virtually unanimous call for nonviolent resistance during the Saffron Revolution, their approaches in the recent riots have been less consistent. In an interview with Burmese journal The Voice Weekly, Thitagu, a prominent abbot, called for peaceful coexistence among different faiths, pointing out that, "In ethnically diverse Burma, members of different religions should live together like water flowing together." But later in the same interview, he cautioned, "Just as the Buddhist host has warmly welcomed other faiths into the country, the guests should strive to get along with the host. They should not trespass on the host's goodwill and take over the home."

Thitagu · Link TV Media

Another monk, Wirathu, made some of his Buddhist brethren cringe with his anti-Muslim sermons. In his interview with Irrawaddy magazine published on March 29, he said, "They [the Muslims] patronize their own businesses; we should also do the same. If our folks do business with our own people, we wouldn't suffer insults. Even if we have disputes, they wouldn't become an issue of nationalism."

Wirathu Speech about Anti Muslim · mmediatube

Wirathu has harsh criticism for both Aung San Suu Kyi and Min Ko Naing. Of Suu Kyi, he said, "I’ve always supported her, but during the Rakhine crisis [the Rakhine-Rohingya sectarian conflict, November 2012], we couldn't count on her when it mattered. Why was she so silent?" Suu Kyi also drew similar criticism from the Rohingya community with her silence. Of Min Ko Naing, Wirathu said, "After helping the Rakhine refugees, he held a press conference. That's it. I didn’t see him declaring that the Rohingyas are not citizens, nor did he clearly denounce the Bengalis slaughtering Rakhine people en masse."

Despite his controversial preaching, Wirathu also participates in relief efforts for displaced victims of the riots. On March 30, when Myanmar Peace Center in Rangoon hosted a community forum to reestablish peace, Wirathu was in attendance. The Straits Times, a Southeast Asian newspaper, noted that Wirathu has "pledged to promote peace among religious communities."

Outspoken anti-Muslim monk pledges to promote peace in Myanmar

Published on Mar 31, 2013 3:27 PM BANGKOK - In an unexpected change of tone, Myanmar's notorious anti-Muslim monk, U Wirathu, has pledged...

For Burma's Sangha, Islam presents a dilemma. Universal compassion, the principle doctrine of Buddhism, urges monks to treat persecuted Muslims with dignity and extend a helping hand. But they also feel inclined to defend their spiritual practices from the perceived encroachment of another religion. The paradoxical mix of anxiety and sympathy seen in their reactions may be evidence of this internal spiritual conflict.

Seoul's Youth: Gimme Shelter!

LinkAsia — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 21:03:33 GMT

Young people in Seoul, South Korea, are having a hard time not only finding work but also finding shelter. LinkAsia's Keum Bitnoori takes a look at some of the drastic solutions that students are coming up with in a rent market gone crazy.

Storified by LinkAsia · Thu, Mar 28 2013 14:03:33

"It is almost impossible to find a livable studio in Seoul without paying a USD$10,000 deposit. Even if I could afford it, it’s still ridiculously tiny, like a room rather than an apartment." Park Hyo-ji said.

Rent-notice · Link TV Media

Rent notice in a university neighborhood

Park struggled to find housing when she first came to Seoul last year for an internship. There were very few choices available for her. For a $3,000 deposit, she could rent a basement studio. She would prefer to see the sky through the window, but she couldn’t afford it. The rent would be double what she paid for the basement studio. Even the basement takes up almost half of her monthly salary. However, she is far from being the worst off. The government recommends 150 square feet should be a person’s minimum living space, but it is estimated that 60 percent of young people live in smaller quarters.

High-demand-low-supply · Link TV Media

Supply remains low as demand skyrockets

There's a unique type of housing called Gosiwon, located around university neighborhoods. Gosiwon doesn’t require a deposit, but is so small that a person only has just enough room to lay down. Yoon is a university student who has lived in Gosiwon throughout her university years. Her space is about 96 square feet, which is just enough space for a single bed, clothes and school books.

Gosiwon-size-via-MBC · Link TV Media

Size of a Gosiwon (via MBC)

"It seems like a jail or chicken cage." Yoon said.

Her rent is USD$400 per month. But based on square footage, a Gosiwon costs more than an apartment in Tower Palace, a luxury building in the posh Gangnam district. Modest-sized housing is in short supply in Seoul. To make matters worse, the city's universities do not take the student housing shortage problem seriously.

Typical-Gosiwon-via-MBC · Link TV Media

Typical Gosiwon (via MBC)

"The university's dormitory doesn't help me at all. The cost is same as Gosiwon and it doesn't accommodate students who are not freshmen." Yoon said.

According to research by the Information Service of Higher Education in Korea, Seoul's 23 university dormitories accommodate less than 10 percent of the enrolled students. Furthermore, applicants need to have a GPA above 4.0 to get in. Students who lose out on living in the university dorms must compete to find affordable housing, and rent costs are ever-increasing.

There's a growing debate whether the government should take measures such as monthly rent caps. But for now, Korea's young people have no choice but to find cheap accommodation and move continuously.

Is South Korea to Blame for the North's Nukes?

LinkAsia — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 22:24:51 GMT

Many South Koreans blame former president Kim Dae-jung's Sunshine Policy for the North's nuclear capabilities. Se Hyen Lee of the University of California at Berkeley takes a look at the complicated legacy of South Korea's only Nobel Peace Prize winner.

Storified by LinkAsia · Tue, Mar 05 2013 14:24:51

Nytimes

On Tuesday, Feb 12th, North Korea conducted its third nuclear test, threatening global security and drawing international condemnation. The test further escalated tensions on the Korean Peninsula, as it confirmed the North's capability to produce nuclear devices. The United Nations Security Council called an emergency session on the same day, in response to the North's test.

With the aggressive behavior of North Korea becoming ever more troublesome, many are beginning to wonder about the origins of its nuclear activity. Who is responsible? How did it begin? What made it possible?

We probably, if not certainly, would have to blame Kim Jong-il, the infamous former supreme leader of North Korea. But what about North Korea's few nuclear/weapon-technology "trading partners" like Iran and Libya? They undoubtedly played a huge role in the country's weapon development as well. Perhaps the regime was motivated by its "military-first" policy that prioritizes strengthening the military power over the well-being of the civilians.

Nuke Test Aborts South Korea's 'Trustpolitik' Policy

Thuy Vu: In South Korea, the North nuclear test occurred two weeks before the inauguration of president-elect Park Guen-hye. Park had tal...

While the reasons discussed above may generally account for the origin of the North's nuclear program, many South Koreans believe otherwise. In fact, many argue that the North's nuclear program has been funded out of their own pockets. Specifically, public blame falls on the eighth President, Kim Dae-jung. Kim won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2000 for holding a summit with North Korea's then leader, Kim Jong-il, and implementing the "Sunshine Policy," which aimed to promote peace in the Korean Peninsula.

While the policy helped Kim to earn South Korea's only Nobel, it quickly became controversial among the general public. For example, the South Korean government supplied humanitarian aid worth over USD$1.92 billion to the North for nine years without addressing basic human rights concerns. Furthermore, the aid is known to have rarely reached ordinary North Koreans, instead distributed mostly to the military.

In contrast to the international community's image of Kim Dae-jung as a "Nelson Mandela of Asia", many South Koreans at home blame the Sunshine Policy as an aid program that financed both North Korea's nuclear program and the military.

Profile: Kim Dae-jung

Shortly after he took office, Kim vigorously met political leaders of Western countries in a bid to gain support for his "sunshine policy...

More resentment was recently aroused towards Kim after a statement made in 2001 surfaced. Kim Dae-jung was answering a question about the possibility of North Korea developing nuclear weapons by redirecting economic aid from the Sunshine Policy. Kim stated at the time, "North Korea has never developed a nuclear weapon and is not capable of doing so. Therefore, there is no way that South Korean aid [supplied through the Sunshine Policy] to North Korea is being misused to fund nuclear weapon development. I will take full responsibility for my words."

Kim Dae-jung speech · Link TV Media

As soon as they saw headlines about third nuclear missile test on February 12th, many people expressed anger towards Kim Dae-jung by referring specifically to the 2001 statement where he promised to take "full responsibility" if North Korea were to initiate a nuclear program.

Reaction · Link TV Media

"The former President Kim said that the North had no capability to develop nuclear at that time. At that time, many experts said that the North would perish in 10 years. However, the North wanted to develop nuclear and keep it. Then Kim Dae-jung and Noh Mu-hyun financially supported the North. The North started to develop nuclear with that money. Well, now, how can Kim take full responsibility?"

While the international community often portrays former South Korean president Lee Myung-bak as failing to make progress in promoting peace on the peninsula, it is quite striking to note that the majority of South Koreans favor his harsh and strict policy towards North Korea.

South Korean voters clearly showed support for the tough approach in last December's presidential election. Park Geun-hye was able to win partyly due to her North Korea policy. As a candidate from the same political party as President Lee Myung-bak, Park promised to continue Lee's hardline policy against North. Her opponent, Moon Jae-in, took a softer line toward North Korea. The fact that voters elected a new president from the much-maligned and incumbent New Frontier Party shows just how much they favor a hardline North Korea policy, and how much blame Kim Dae-jung still receives for the North's nuclear capabilities.

China: 'People's Search' Engine Crashes and Burns

LinkAsia — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 19:41:34 GMT

Last week, former Google China head Kai-Fu Lee responded to the failure of China's government-run Jike search engine on his Sina Weibo account. David Bandurski reports that although Lee's comments earned him a temporary ban on Weibo, they've still been a trending topic of conversation.

Storified by LinkAsia · Tue, Feb 26 2013 11:41:34

China: 'People's Search' Engine Crashes and Burns (LinkAsia: 2/22/13) · linktv

In March 2010, Google effectively exited the Chinese search engine market. This meant its 30 percent market share was up for grabs. The field was wide open for domestic competitors wanting to take on China's number one search engine, Baidu. China's government decided it too wanted a piece of the pie.

Goso.cn · Link TV Media

In May 2010, just two months after Google's exit, the Party's official mouthpiece, the People's Daily, launched Goso.cn. The "People's Search" read a stamp at the top of the site. The service was re-branded in June 2011. That's not "jike" but "jeek", inspired by the English word "geek," which according to the People's Daily invokes expertise. They apparently missed the less favorable associations in English.

Jike · Link TV Media

To run Jike, the People's Daily appointed former table tennis star Deng Yaping, a four-time Olympic champion, hoping her celebrity would help sell the service. And according to overseas Chinese media, two billion yuan in state money has been sunk into the venture so far. That's about 320 million US dollars.

Deng Yaping for Jike on CNN · Link TV Media

So, how has the "People's Search Engine" been received by the people? Well, according to recent numbers from a respected Chinese web analytics company, Jike has captured one ten-thousandth of China's search market. You heard right. That's one one-hundredth of one percent. Could it be people aren’t interested in a service that hits back a disproportionate number of results from the People’s Daily?

Caijing on Jike's market share · Link TV Media

These not so champion numbers became a hot topic after rumors broke recently on social media that the deputy editor-in-chief of the People's Daily, Ma Li, had blamed Deng, the former tennis star, for throwing away two billion yuan. There were also rumors of imminent layoffs at the company, rumors Jike was quick to deny.

People's Daily English on Jike rumors · Link TV Media

But the story took another turn as former Google China president Kai-Fu Lee, a respected IT expert with over 30 million followers on Sina Weibo, weighed in. In a now deleted post, he wrote: "I won't comment on the gossip going around, but how can the People's Daily use taxpayer money to build a search engine? Can a search engine succeed if you have no concept of the free flow of information? Why is the boss of a search engine company appointed by the Communist Party? If back in the day the US Democratic Party had appointed Michael Phelps, the swimming star, as CEO of Google, would it have out-competed Yahoo?"

Kai-Fu Lee Weibo · Link TV Media

Soon, Kai-Fu Lee announced on his Twitter account that he had not been able to post on his Chinese social media account for three days. Lee didn't specify why his account had been blocked -- but it was generally assumed his remarks about Jike had upset the authorities.

我在新浪腾讯都被禁言三天，大家可以来这里找我。
— Kai-Fu Lee · Sun, Feb 17 2013 03:53:48

Kai-Fu Lee's remarks about Jike might have prompted the temporary gag on his Weibo account. But related chatter, including Lee's tweet about being gagged, were shared widely on Chinese social media. In this post, a picture of Deng Yaping is included with the numbers and the conclusion: "Jike's usage is basically zero."

Weibo with Jike numbers · Link TV Media

One of the several thousand comments below read: "So, whose black money is this venture helping to launder?" Users also railed against the censoring of Lee: "Any act of assigning guilt based on what someone says not only harms the Party and the country but is unconstitutional," one wrote.

Weibo, against censorship · Link TV Media

Kai-Fu Lee said the move against his account had not changed his basic outlook on social media in China. He wrote on LinkedIn: "Regardless of any setbacks and obstacles, I am confident that China is building up a significant population of socially responsible netizens, who will make a difference to the future of China. I can't wait to return when my hiatus ends!"

The Social Media Nuke: Northeast Asia Reacts

LinkAsia — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 21:53:06 GMT

North Korea's nuclear test was the big story in Asia this week. News of the test first broke on social media, and the story was spread and propelled on China's Sina Weibo microblogging platform, as well as on Twitter in South Korea and Japan. LinkAsia rounds up social media reactions to DPRK test.

Storified by LinkAsia · Wed, Feb 20 2013 13:53:06

The Social Media Nuke: Northeast Asia Reacts (LinkAsia: 2/15/13) · linktv

Users first posted that there'd been an artificial earthquake. Northeast Asia's mainstream news networks quickly followed. For example, neighboring South Korea extended its main hour-long newscast to two hours on Tuesday. Even in China, North Korea's only real friend, there was plenty of coverage. But there's not much sign China's going to press North Korea, even though it could squeeze the North by restricting trade, investment, and foreign aid, including cheap supplies of oil.

On Weibo, China's equivalent of Twitter, North Korea's nuke test was the most widely discussed story, nearing 40 million posts:

North Korea's nuke test trends on Weibo · Link TV Media

This one was furious that the test came in the middle of Lunar New Year celebrations:

Lunar New Year NK Nuke Weibo post · Link TV Media

"In such a festive season, this goddamn idiot set off nuclear weapons as if they were firecrackers! A lunatic is always a lunatic."

And this user warned his countrymen:

DPRK Unleased Weibo · Link TV Media

"When a dog comes unleashed, the first person it bites is surely its spineless neighbor."

And this post was disappointed in "the same old-same old" response of China's government:

NK Nothing but Condemn Weibo · Link TV Media

"As always, we are so angry, and we are going to do absolutely nothing, but condemn verbally."

South Korea's people, though, seem relatively calm about the North's test. One newspaper said they were "indifferent." A defense analyst speculated that decades of living beside a belligerent North has vaccinated them against threats from Pyongyang. Perhaps that accounts for the relatively mild reactions by South Koreans on Twitter.

This post said more sanctions against the North and an arms race won't be as effective as a unified South Korea:

북한의 핵실험을 억제할 수 있는 가장 큰 힘은 대북제재도, 핵보유도 아닙니다. 바로 '일치단결'입니다. 국론이 분열되지 않고, 대한민국 보수와 진보, 좌와 우가 한목소리로 북한의 핵실험을 규탄하는 것만큼 김정은에게 무서운 것은 없습니다.
— 윤주진(자유공방 대표) · Tue, Feb 12 2013 00:47:21

"What Kim Jong-un fears the most is condemnation in one voice from conservatives and liberals, left and right."

But some on the left pointed to South Korea:

북한 핵실험 빙자해 50~60년대 식 '빨갱이 때려잡자' 선동하며 사회혼란 야기하는 자, 국익 저해하고 북한 이롭게 하는 자들입니다. 겉으론 보수, 애국, 반공 부르짖을 지 몰라도 그 결과와 효과는 북한 의도에 부응하는 것이며 북한 이롭게 합니다.
— 표창원 (Changwon Pyo) · Tue, Feb 12 2013 00:57:33

"People who instigated the harsh anti-communism of the fifties and sixties are the ones who impede the national interest and help North Korea."

Soccer-Mad Japan Reacts to Match-Fixing Scandal

LinkAsia — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 18:44:33 GMT

Next to baseball, soccer is Japan's most popular sport. But last week's announcement of international match-fixing could slow the sport's rise to the top spot. LinkAsia's Yohei Murata takes look at how Japanese soccer fans reacted on social media.

Storified by LinkAsia · Tue, Feb 12 2013 10:44:33

Fans throughout Japan were shocked to learn that hundreds of games worldwide, even including some Champions League matches, were affected. They're even more shaken by the idea that match-fixing could have seeped into the country's own professional soccer league. The Japan Professional Football League, or J-League, consists of two divisions. J1 and J2 are the two premiere tables, and the league is planning on expanding to a J3 division by 2014 to make room for the growing demand for more teams.

Sskamo

My hometown of Osaka has two teams. My family and I root for Gamba Osaka (and my grandmother is probably the biggest fan out of all of us).

Soccerss

When news broke of Europol's investigation, soccer fans took to Twitter to immediately air concerns that the Japanese league might have been compromised.

サッカー八百長のことラジオでいってる。Jリーグは誤審は多いが八百長はなさそうだ…toto予想するときにいつも審判の情報がほしくなるwww
— かまくら@時間移動します · Wed, Feb 06 2013 05:23:32

"Listening to a radio news report of the soccer match-fixing investigation. It's possible that there might have been some bad calls in J-League, but rigging seems unlikely."

W杯、UCLで八百長が起きていたのが本当なら、ショックだわ。一生懸命働いて稼いだ金で、楽しみに観てるのに / 大激震！世界のサッカー680試合で八百長疑惑…アジアの組織が関与か - NAVER まとめ http://matome.naver.jp/odai/2136004225548642401
— nife- · Tue, Feb 05 2013 05:19:56

"If it's true that the results of UEFA Champions League matches were fixed, I'm shocked. Because I work very hard and earn money to go to see games in a stadium..."

サッカーの八百長だと？ふざけんなそんものあるはずがない
— クロコα:NT · Wed, Feb 06 2013 06:14:10

"Soccer match-fixing? NO WAY! That must be a lie."

欧州サッカーに八百長疑惑とか嘘やん。勘弁したって。組織やし黒い部分はあるにしても、心情としては信じたいよねスポーツだけは。
— Figaro · Wed, Feb 06 2013 06:16:12

"It must be a lie that hundreds of European soccer matches may have been fixed. No more rumors. Give us a break. Although every organization might have a seamy side, I just want to believe that at least sports are fair for everyone."

Sports are closely tied to our daily lives. We invest time, money, and emotion in watching sporting events. After news broke of match-fixing, some began to question the authenticity of the games they watch. When are teams playing for real and when are they intentionally throwing a game?

ヨーロッパサッカーの八百長問題とかあるけど、あれが全部演技だとしたらそーとー選手達の演技うますぎるだろ。
— 元樹元樹のんたん · Wed, Feb 06 2013 06:14:40

"Although there might be an issue of match-fixing on European soccer games, I can't help being surprised at the players' performances if they did all things intentionally during a game. Like talented actors!"

薬物とか八百長とかも含めてスポーツを楽しまないといけないのかな~( ; ゜Д゜)実際、クリーンなスポーツなんて少ないだろな~ サッカー＝シンガポール、八百長問題で欧州の捜査に協力 | スポーツ | Reuters http://jp.reuters.com/article/sportsNews/idJPTYE91502820130206
— ジョン · Wed, Feb 06 2013 06:19:33

"Should we enjoy watching sports, understanding there could be some scandals of drugs or match-fixing? In fact, there seem to be few sports without any problems."

The considerable impact from this matchfixing scandal might send soccer's popularity plummeting. But soccer lovers in Japan aren't giving up on the game; they just want to make sure it's fair. And international soccer organizations have a lot of work to do to win back the trust of fans not only in Japan, but the world over.

'Two Old Men's Romance' Shocks China's Social Media

LinkAsia — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 00:51:04 GMT

Two elderly gay men living in Beijing have found themselves embroiled in controversy after a high-profile coming out on Sina Weibo, China's version of Twitter. LinkAsia's Jing Gao looks at the response on social media, and the state of gay rights in China.

Storified by LinkAsia · Mon, Feb 04 2013 16:51:04

'Two Old Men's Romance' · Link TV Media

The two men, one a retired teacher and the other a rural migrant working as a water bottle deliverer, created a profile page named "Two Old Men's Romance" on Sina Weibo. They proudly and publicly displayed their affection for each other in pictures, postings and videos, many of which received thousands of comments and shares. The gray-haired couple have racked up more than 12,000 followers since their first coming-out posting on Jan 18.

新浪微博注册

Many Chinese net users were very generous in their wishes and encouragement. "Support! I am so touched after watching this! Best wishes to you! You've found a partner to go hand-in-hand with in the twilight years! Grandpas, you guys will be happy. Wish you a safe and smooth life ahead!" one net user wrote.

Homophobic comments soon flooded in, however. "I feel like throwing up. Since you guys are gay, why dress as one male and one female? It means you guys are perverts," one user wrote.

Homophobic comment 1 · Link TV Media

Another chimed in, "How disgusting! How do you expect your children to go out and face the world?"

Homophobic comment 2 · Link TV Media

Many, including self-proclaimed gay-friendly people, said they were simply put off by the high-profile and lovey-dovey nature of all their messages and visuals. One said, "Heterosexuality and homosexuality are both right. But you two are at such an age. You can't think about yourselves alone. Think about the grannies that you spent half a life with. Keep your love low-key." Another asked, "Have you thought about your son's feelings and how stressed he is when you publicize it everywhere? Love is okay, but don’t harm anyone."

Their ceremonial wedding on January 30 was streamed online. According to the couple, the former teacher's estranged son crashed the wedding, chased their guests away, and cut off the live stream. "It made us so humiliated, so painful. Why can a stranger wish us well and my own son cannot?"

Wedding photo · Link TV Media

In one posting, the couple blasted their attackers on the web: "What is wrong with us two old men falling in love? We are so much better than you straight guys who always divorce, find prostitutes and keep mistresses! What gives you the right to toss filthy words at us! We've just had some sparkles of love between us. Love at this age is not easy-won!"

In another video clip, the lovebirds sit side by side, caress each other's faces and kiss from time to time while singing "The Moon Says About My Heart", a well-known Chinese love song by the late Taiwanese singer Teresa Teng, "Please give us your best wishes. There is no use objecting even if you do," reads the caption on the video.

两个老头相爱！死也要在一起！准备月底结婚_在线视频观看_土豆网视频撑同志反歧视两个老头同性恋社会生活

我们的新浪微博 @两个老头的爱情请来祝福我们吧！我是一个普通的退休教师，他是一个农村来到城市打工的送水工人，我们相识相恋于这座城市，学历出身工作性别都不会影响到我们的爱情！我们决心相依相伴永不分离我们的亲人反对我们朋友反对我们反对也白反对就算是自杀我...

In China, where homosexuality was considered a form of mental illness by the Ministry of Health until 2001, coming out can be a risky thing to do. It can mean social stigma or a severing of family ties. According to a study of 1,502 residents in Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou, the three largest Chinese cities, over 54 percent of respondents considered homosexuality abnormal. Only 31 percent said they "feel okay" about it.

Shangdu

That sentiment is why 90 percent of homosexuals in China don't open up, and 80 percent of them who actually do only come out to friends, as a study by South China Normal University of 293 gay college students shows. Seventy-three percent of them believe family is their major source of stress.

It is estimated that there are nearly 30 million homosexual men and women in China. Sixteen million women are desperately stuck in fake marriages to gay men who are still in closet due to family pressures to conform. But at least two men have bucked the trend and professed their love publicly, using social media in hopes of pushing the country towards being more accepting.

Mistress' Viral Love Diary Ends Career of Chinese Official

LinkAsia — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 22:48:05 GMT

Five weeks after a lengthy chronicle of his sexual encounters with a woman went viral online, senior propaganda official Yi Junqing was fired for "improper lifestyle." LinkAsia's Jing Gao unravels this unsavory saga.

Storified by LinkAsia · Mon, Jan 28 2013 14:48:31

A terse news dispatch from the state-run Xinhua News Agency on January 17 confirmed Yi's removal. Although no further explanation was provided, the move to discipline him is widely seen as official confirmation of rumors that Yi Junqing had been a master of the pay-to-play and sleep-to-play schemes.

Mr. Yi, 54, helmed China's Central Compilation and Translation Bureau, an official think tank that carries out translation and research for policymakers. Although Yi remained out of the spotlight for most of his career, his rank in the Chinese bureaucratic hierarchy is the same as a vice minister's.

This past December, a woman posted a 120,000-word diary that documented in excruciating detail her 17 sexual encounters with Yi Junqing, including dates and the names of hotels. A dozen others working at the Compilation and Translation Bureau were mentioned in the diary. It immediately grabbed the attention of curious net users and was circulated widely.

Screen grab of the diary · Link TV Media

"A bottle of sake, we each emptied half. My face flushed terribly, but my mind was sober. I leaned on the side of the bed, as he walked to the bathroom. Having the last 'lesson,' this time, I undressed until only two little undergarments were on me. When he came back to the bedroom, I was already lying under the duvet, blushing. Naturally, two became one," she wrote.

In a nutshell, the author, Chang Yan, a postdoctorate researcher at the Bureau, claimed that she wanted to relocate to Beijing and secure a hukou, or a permanent residence permit. Only after slipping over 50,000 yuan (USD$8,064) into Yi's pocket did she get a chance to sleep with him. When Chang, already emotionally attracted to Yi, found out that Yi had other mistresses and would never keep his promise of a hukou, she demanded he give her one million yuan (USD$161,000) as hush money. Though Yi gave her the money, Chang aired the dirty laundry anyway the two fell out.

A few days later, as the internet was buzzing about the kiss-and-tell story, Ms. Chang took down the diary and issued a written apology on the web, stating that it is "a mere fictional work" that she wrote "under severe depression due to huge stress from scientific research."

女博士常艳致大众及师友的道歉信，真诚解释事情原委（人肉博客） | 默认分类 | 随笔 | 喝我这七星茶，分文不收听他摆龙门阵，再饮三盅 | 立方网

中央编译局常艳道歉教育各位老师、同学、朋友：提笔问安！请允许我就前几日发至您邮箱中的"小说"一事道歉。"一朝忽觉京梦醒，半世浮沉雨打萍"系我在业余时间虚构出来的小说，文中也提及我一直以来有看小说甚至写作的冲动。由于...

But almost all net users were convinced that it is an unflattering and faithful account of the facts, and that Chang must have been come under pressure to retract it. They also believed Yi's case proves a rule, rather than an exception, in China's filthy officialdom. "Can the eggs remain intact when the nest is totally ruined? Can there be any white cloth inside a dye vat?" One Weibo user asked.

Since last year, social media has proven an effective platform for journalists, vindictive mistresses, and even snarky ordinary citizens to expose officials' scandals and corruption.

One local official in the southwestern city of Chongqing was sacked in ignominy after a video of him having sex with a teen was leaked by a citizen journalist online. An official in Shaanxi province who was seen smiling at a fatal accident scene was subject to online public scrutiny and accused of owning too many luxury watches. The exposure eventually cost him his career.

纪许光的微博新浪微博-随时随地分享身边的新鲜事儿

Chinese safety official sacked for smiling at scene of bus crash where 36 died

Smiling at the scene of a fatal bus crash in which 36 people died has led to a safety official losing his job. After photos emerged on th...

Xi Jinping, the Communist Party's new leader, has been waging a war on corruption since taking charge in November. "There are many pressing problems within the Party that need to be resolved urgently, especially the graft and corruption cases that occurred to some of the Party members and cadres, being out of touch from the general public, bureaucracy and undue emphasis on formalities - they must be resolved with great efforts," he said in his debut speech. So far, a number of senior government officials have been removed or prosecuted.

However, it remains unclear how clean the new broom will sweep. As one Weibo user put it, "Unless there is supervision and an effective system of checks and balances, today one Yi fell down, tomorrow, a thousand more Yi's will rise up."

A thousand more Yi's · Link TV Media

'Tech Cheating' Overwhelms China's Online Train Ticket System

LinkAsia — Wed, 23 Jan 2013 19:03:44 GMT

As China's Spring Festival travel season, also known as the largest annual human migration in the world, approaches, the taxing battle for a train ticket home starts. LinkAsia's Jing Gao takes a look at how some tech-savvy travelers are throwing a wrench in the railway's inefficient system.

Storified by LinkAsia · Wed, Jan 23 2013 11:03:44

This New Year has brought a fresh problem to the never ending drama of the Spring Festival travel rush: tech-savvy Chinese ticket buyers have been using plug-ins, add-ons, and other software applications that have caused a surge in traffic, overwhelming the Railway Ministry's official ticket-booking website, 12306.cn.

Reuters/China Daily · Facebook

The plug-ins, provided by a number of Chinese software companies such as Kingsoft, 360, and Sogou, can be installed onto web browsers to create a fully automated process that combines refreshing the page and placing the order and replaces the manual process. Since the travel season started, the website has been seeing as many as 1.5 billion hits per day, many of which were due to these apps.

360 ad · Link TV Media

"Use 360 browser to snatch train tickets. Has successfully helped three million people buy train tickets."

Some argue that the unfair advantage given to plug-in users makes them effectively "queue-jumpers" in the digital world.

Weibo post on line-cutting · Link TV Media

"I think using ticket-snatching software is cheating. No matter how crappy the railways website is, there shouldn’t be foul play like this," one wrote on Weibo, the Chinese twitter. "Cutting the line with technologies is still cutting the line. What are you guys thinking?" another chimed in.

In response, the Ministry of Railways first tried to talk the domestic software companies out of providing such apps. On January 18, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the real boss of China's web giants, even stepped in and ordered them to put an end to the situation.

But the diktats were scoffed at by both news media and ordinary Chinese. In a commentary published Sunday, state-run Xinhua News Agency criticizes the Railways Ministry for having spent 300 million yuan (USD$48.2 million) on a website that cannot even withstand the impact of a small plug-in. "Instead of debugging, it is busy with talks and orders," it says. "Don't blame others for being too smart just because you are too stupid."

In an online survey launched by 360, a Chinese web browser company, 59 percent of the 4,300 plus respondents voted that there should be a ticket-buying plug-in, as it proves a useful tool, and another 45.5 percent said it is a means to an end, and that no one would want to use the plug-in if buying a ticket were easy.

360 Survey · Link TV Media

Previously, Chinese who need to travel home for family reunion during the Chinese New Year had no choice but to brave all elements and stand in endless lines in front of ticket booths, but since the Ministry of Railways rolled out 12306.cn in January 2012, the jostle has partly moved online. It kept breaking down during last year's Spring Festival rush, causing many to get an error message after shelling out money.

Error message · Link TV Media

There are also worries that unless train tickets are properly allocated, the digital divide between the haves and have-nots makes it extremely hard for over 200 million rural migrants, who have very limited or no access to the Internet and much less advanced technologies, to secure a ticket.

In the southern city of Foshan, many rural migrants either don't know how to purchase tickets online or are too busy working during the day to wait in front of the computer. A young married couple decided to charge migrants 10 yuan (USD$1.6) to buy tickets on the website for them. The police arrested the couple for scalping and are keeping them in custody until after the Chinese New Year.

The action was met with biting criticism from Chinese net users, who share the frustration of ticket-buying and see nothing wrong with making so little for doing so much.

Zhang Quanling, a television journalist with 6.1 million Sina Weibo followers, wrote:

Zhang Quanling Weibo comment · Link TV Media

"I am helping my aunt buy a train ticket. The phone service and 12306 website are driving me crazy. Busy line; no ticket; busy line...Downloaded software; registered; page not found; no ticket; transaction failed...When the married couple in Foshan who charged 10 yuan for booking tickets for rural migrants are released from the detention center, I have got to ask them how to successfully book tickets online. I'll pay you 10 bucks as tutorial fee. Then they can't possibly call you scalpers, can they?"

South Korean TV Networks Shun Politically Active Actress

LinkAsia — Tue, 15 Jan 2013 23:57:13 GMT

One of South Korea's most outspoken actresses has claimed that two networks cancelled her TV appearances after a candidate she openly supported lost in the recent presidential elections. LinkAsia contributor Yoo Eun Lee of Global Voices Online takes a look at what exactly went down.

Storified by LinkAsia · Tue, Jan 15 2013 16:00:11

[This post was originally published on Global Voices Online, January 14, 2013]

Kim Yeo-jin, an actress well-known for her progressive views and active political participation (@yohjini) disclosed [ko] via Twitter on January 3, 2013 that two TV networks who had booked her for their shows suddenly cancelled her TV appearances due to her political orientation. She regularly participates in protests and recently endorsed Moon Jae-in, the left-leaning candidate who lost the election.

각 방송사 윗분들, 문재인캠프에 연관있었던 사람들 출연금지 방침같은 건 좀 제대로 공유를 하시던가요. 작가나 피디는 섭외를 하고 하겠다고 대답하고 나서 다시 "죄송합니다 안된대요" 이런 말 듣게 해야 겠습니까? 구질구질하게..
— 김여진 · Thu, Jan 03 2013 19:34:02

All the heads of the broadcasting stations. You better share with your people the internal rules regarding preventing Moon's campaign supporters from appearing on TV. A producer and writer of the show already booked me, but they contacted me later to say "I am sorry. This can't be done."

The tweet has since been re-tweeted 1500 times, igniting strong public criticisms toward broadcasting stations. To many observers, the incident once again confirms the open secret that internal guidelines at TV stations exist to screen out political minorities or critics of powerful politicians.

With some raising doubts that her denied TV appearance may have been just coincidental, Kim clarified [ko]:

@kevin45679 굳이 그렇게 꼭 집어 말씀하시던데요. 그 전에도 여러번 당했던일이지만 꼭 집어 그렇게 듣는 건 처음이었어요. "문재인캠프 연관된분이라 안괸다고 하네요. 죄송합니다."라고 들었습니다.
— 김여진 · Fri, Jan 04 2013 08:24:57

They made it very clear. I've had that treatment several times before but it was the first time they specified the reason. I was told, "since you are connected to Moon's campaign, you cannot (be on the show). I am sorry."

Kim added bitterly [ko], "I expected this to happen."

@muche00 뭐 예상은 했던 일이예요. 좀 짜증나는 정도..
— 김여진 · Thu, Jan 03 2013 19:40:51

씽크카페컨퍼런스대화_9085 · ThinkCafe

IMAGE: Kim Yeo-jin at the ThinkCafe Conference, Image uploaded by Flickr user ThinkCafe (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)

Net users' anger has followed. @shsh7600 furiously commented [ko]:

배우 김여진이 문재인후보를 지지했다는 이유로 방송 3사로 부터 출연 거부를 당했다는 소식이 있다. 이것이 사실이라면 엄연한 인권탄압이며 일종의 정치보복이다. 특히 이런 야만적인 짓은 국민적 저항은 물론 훗날 반드시 그 댓가를 치러야 할것음을 알아야한다
— 쟝고 · Fri, Jan 04 2013 19:32:04

If it is true, it is a clear violation of human rights and sort of a political retaliation. This kind of barbaric act should meet with public opposition and (those who executed this) will have to pay for the consequences.

A Daum user ID: MichaelPeach lamented [ko]:

문재인 지지했던 김여진 방송취소, 형평에 맞지 않는다 - Daum 아고라

어제는 배우 김여진씨의 트위터글이 화제가 되었습니다. 김여진씨는 지난 해 대선에서 문재인 후보를 공개적으로 지지하고 나섰던 소셜테이너로 유명한 분입니다. 그런데 대선 이후 방송국으로부터 출연 취소 통보를 받고서 자신의 심정을 트위터에 옮긴 것입니...

The nation's broadcasting stations don't have any capability, any rights, any power to heal themselves from political impartiality. When I heard news about Kim Yeo-jin's cancelled TV appearances, it reminded me of some entertainers' sudden drop-out of TV programs, right after the current administration started. We have started seeing a political division from that point on. Actors criticizing the government, TV broadcasters rightfully saying what they believe in - they were all forced to leave the TV after being vindicated as "pro-North Korean, leftist commies."

Opponents to this point of view, such as @pyein2 argue [ko] that the cancelled TV appearance may simply have been the result of Kim's failure to generate hit movies, and her attempts to build a reputation through political activities rather than acting.

은지원은 이미 젝스키스 당시 최고 아이들로 뜨고, 나중에야 박근헤 5촌 관계로 알려진 데 반해, 김여진은 '처녀들의 저녁식사' 이후, 뭐하는지도 모르다, 한진중 파업에서 설치면서, "저런 배우가 있었나"고 알려진 거죠.
— 변희재(친노포털 daum 퇴출) · Mon, Jan 07 2013 08:20:10