Showing 1 - 10 of 49
Green rush
Asia focus, Erich Parpart, Published on 20/01/2020
» Attitudes toward marijuana are starting to change in Southeast Asia. In some countries there is increasing social acceptance, growing research interest, easing of regulations and even modest legalisation, with Thailand leading the way.
Off the beaten track
Asia focus, Erich Parpart, Published on 06/01/2020
» What are you afraid of the most when travelling off the map? For most people, lack of security and accessibility probably top the list. With world tourism growing exponentially on the back of cheap flights, and GPS making it easy for anyone to find their destination, getting away from tourist traps is growing more popular in Asia.
Playing it cool
Asia focus, Erich Parpart, Published on 09/09/2019
» When it comes to sports, skiing and skating are the last activities anyone associates with Southeast Asia. Outside of a few indoor skating rinks in big cities, the only ice you'll find is in drinks. And as for snow, it's non-existent except at the highest reaches of remote and forbidding Hkakabo Razi in northern Myanmar.
Good as gold
Asia focus, Erich Parpart, Published on 09/09/2019
» It is common knowledge among traders that when geopolitical tensions rise, so too does the price of gold as it is considered a safe haven compared with other investments. But Robin Lee believes gold trading shouldn't be limited only to deep-pocketed market professionals. In his view, it is a good tool for anyone interested in saving.
Time for a Seoul-Tokyo peace pact
Asia focus, Erich Parpart, Published on 12/08/2019
» I love kimchi and I love ramen. I love the bushido way of life and Japanese humility, and I love South Koreans' resilience and devotion to education that helped them lift their country from poverty after World War II to become an Asian economic powerhouse. And in my opinion, both South Koreans and Japanese are among the nicest people in the world.
Tourism trap
Asia focus, Erich Parpart, Published on 22/07/2019
» Southeast Asia is home to some of the most beautiful beaches in the world, making the region a tourism magnet. But truly unspoiled beaches are getting harder to find outside of Instagram.
Farang correspondent
Asia focus, Erich Parpart, Published on 17/06/2019
» Standing as tall as his name, Andrew Biggs is arguably one of the most famous farangs in Thailand. On big screens and small ones alike -- or beaming from the covers of his many books and the pages of the Bangkok Post on Sunday -- his humbly charming manner and easy smile mark him as a local who has earned his spurs.
Plastic peril
Asia focus, Erich Parpart, Published on 20/05/2019
» The spectacle of the ever-changing sunset above a beach in front of a five-star resort on a beautiful Pacific island was a memory I will cherish forever. But my reverie was rudely interrupted by the sight that greeted me on a public beach nearby.
Entrepreneur in overdrive
Asia focus, Erich Parpart, Published on 22/04/2019
» Do you remember what you were doing when you were 13? Aaron Tan, a teenage prodigy in Singapore, was running his first tech startup. He then went on to set up two more companies before turning 21. Today he is the CEO of Singapore-based Carro, an automotive marketplace and services portal that started from his love of trading cars, not driving them.
People from Nowhere
Asia focus, Erich Parpart, Published on 18/03/2019
» A person can be born or made stateless, but either way the limitations such a status places on one's rights are severe. The issue has come into sharp focus with the case of Shamima Begum, a 19-year-old Islamic State supporter who was stripped of her British nationality for her decision to joined the self-declared caliphate in 2015.