Asia Sentinel

1 week ago | asiasentinel.com | Ainur Rohmah

By: Ainur RohmahA viral video that circulated widely earlier this year has ignited public outrage and forced authorities into action over a surge of extortion cases by members of seemingly upright civil society organizations. The footage, recorded secretly, captured individuals claiming to be representatives of the Cilegon branch of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) demanding Rp5 trillion (US$308.3 million) in non-tendered project allocations from a Chinese contractor.

2 weeks ago | asiasentinel.com | Majid Maqbool

By: Majid Maqbool A recently released report jointly authored by the National Law University (NLU) in Delhi, TrialWatch, an initiative of Clooney Foundation for Justice, and Columbia Law School’s Human Rights Institute, paints a grim picture of press freedom in India, with officials using criminal cases as tools to intimidate journalists across multiple … Keep reading with a 7-day free trial Subscribe to Asia Sentinel to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post...

3 weeks ago | asiasentinel.com | Xiaochen Su

By: Xiaochen SuChinese graduate students pose at ColumbiaAs a college admissions consultant helping high school students across the world increase their chances of gaining acceptance into top US universities, I have a front-row seat in witnessing the changing perception of America and its educational system under the Trump administration. It is a rapidl…

1 month ago | asiasentinel.com | Jens Kastner

By: Jens KastnerWhile the Chinese military has since 2022 frequently simulated blockades, joint precision strikes and cyber warfare against Taiwan, the mainland government has also been preparing recruitment of Taiwan’s hundreds of thousands of gangsters by compiling a "Taiwan Armed Gang Distribution Map", according to a series of investigative reports produced by Taiwan’s Chinese-language Mirror Weekly and first reported on in English by the China in Arms substack blog.

1 month ago | asiasentinel.com | Jens Kastner

By: Jens KastnerAmid deep concerns in the west, particularly in the United States vis-à-vis a long-threatened invasion of Taiwan, military planners in Taipei appear remarkably blasé. The island’s military spending inched up by a meager 1.8 percent year-on-year in 2024, far outpaced by the rest of East Asia’s average 7.8 percent – China at 7 percent, Jap…Keep reading with a 7-day free trialSubscribe to Asia Sentinel to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.