In 2016, 22-year-old Febri made a decision to move to Syria and live under Islamic State, better known as ISIS. In the first of a special two-part series for New Naratif, Deputy Editor Aisyah Llewellyn reports on Febri's journey to Syria and the reasons why some Indonesian families made the decision to join the so-called Caliphate.
What is "Operation Coldstore"––the 1963 arrest and detention without trial of over 112 opposition politicians, trade unionists, and political activists on grounds of a communist conspiracy––for its role in Malayan history, how it has shaped Singapore's governance, and why it matters to the ruling party. The lecture then examines the current political economy of control in Singapore and what these controversies reveal about the nature of People's Action Party governance today.
This week, Victoria Milko takes a look at how providers are bringing healthcare to the Naga Self-Administered Zone, Adam Bemma speaks to Hasan Al-Akraa, a refugee in Malaysia who uses social media to provide support to fellow asylum seekers, Mark Tilly talks to Hanna Guy of sustainable clothing label Dorsu Cambodia about conditions in the garment industry, and Kirsten Han argues that the lack of information about the death penalty in Singapore affects accountability and debate.
It's been about a year since Singapore's Select Committee on Deliberate Online Falsehoods held its open hearings. Although no Bills have yet been tabled, Singapore is expecting legislation to deal with "fake news" and foreign interference. But what would their impact be?
This week, Adam Bemma takes a look at the political parties running in Thailand’s general election, Laura McDowell profiles Timor-Leste’s first blind radio broadcaster, PJ Thum interviews Andreas Harsono of Human Rights Watch about Indonesia’s internet law, and Michael Tatarski reflects upon covering the Trump-Kim Summit in Hanoi.
Thum Ping Tjin sits down with James Minchin, author of "No Man Is An Island: A Portrait of Singapore’s Lee Kuan Yew", to talk about his life in Singapore, his experience writing the book, his ban from Singapore, and his reflections on Singapore’s politics today.
This week, Kirsten Han invites us to lunch with Singapore's Old Left, Mike Tatarski looks at the effects of Vietnam's booming tourism industry, PJ Thum talks to Cambodian feminist Eng Chandy, and James Rose reflects upon efforts to clean up Thailand's fishing industry.
Joko Widodo dan Prabowo Subianto bertarung dalam debat capres kedua pada tanggal 17 Februari 2019. Wakil Editor Bahasa Indonesia di New Naratif, Aisyah Llewellyn membahas dengan Konsultan Editor untuk Kalimantan Nita Roshita, Konsultan Editor untuk Sulawesi Ian Morse, dan kontributor Max Regus tentang debat tersebut dan isu energi, pangan, infrastruktur, dan sumber daya alam di Indonesia.
On 28 January 2019, Singapore’s Ministry of Health revealed that the personal data of 14,200 people living with HIV had been leaked. The news has drawn attention to both the stigma against HIV and concerns over data collection and protection in Singapore.
Indonesia is heading to the polls on 17 April. Incumbent president Joko “Jokowi” Widodo is fighting for a second term with his new vice-presidential pick Ma’ruf Amin, an influential Muslim cleric. They're facing off against former army general Prabowo Subianto and former deputy governor of Jakarta Sandiaga Uno. New Naratif’s Indonesian team sit down to discuss the candidates, the hot-button issues, and their predictions.
2019 marks the 200th anniversary of Sir Stamford Raffles' arrival and the beginning of colonisation in Singapore. But how—and why—are Singaporeans commemorating their own colonisation?
In its 60 years in power, the People's Action Party has used three, very starkly different, official historical narratives. In this lecture, PJ Thum explains this historiography and how the current narrative aims to legitimise the continued subjugation of Singaporeans, weaponise nationalism, and perpetuate colonial mindsets.
This week, Jamie Fullerton visits an ethical elephant park in Vietnam, Victoria Milko brings us through the history and struggles of Myanmar’s ethnic minorities, and Adam Bemma talks about the cases of two high-profile refugees from the Middle East who found temporary shelter in Southeast Asia before being resettled in Canada.
Protests are often seen as disruptive and destructive, and are generally frowned upon in Singapore. Activists and performance artists have been arrested and charged under the Public Order Act in recent years, even for indoor forums and solo outdoor performances. In this episode, we sit down to talk to former student activist Tan Tee Seng and civil rights activist Jolovan Wham about activism, social change, and the rule of law in Singapore.
This week, Adam Bemma speaks to LGBT rights activists working to establish an advocacy network in Laos, Victoria Milko visits a peace park set up by the Karen ethnic group in conflict-embroiled Myanmar, Aidila Razak speaks to a trans woman who left her home country of Malaysia to seek asylum in the UK, and Aisyah Llewellyn talks about her experience covering the December 2018 tsunami from Lampung in South Sumatra.
New Naratif's Managing Director PJ Thum and Editor-in-Chief Kirsten Han sit down to talk about recent developments in Singapore, from the 4G leadership, to the Singapore-Malaysia maritime dispute, and the upcoming bicentennial of Raffles' landing on the island.
This week, Teodosia Dos Reis and Laura McDowell attend the anniversary of Timor-Leste’s Santa Cruz Massacre, Teguh Harahap looks at the future of Kuda Lumping dance seances in Indonesia, Tehmina Kaoosji talks to MP for Batu Kawan Kasthuri Patto about ICERD and Malaysia, and Victoria Milko reflects on the lack of protection for women against violence in Myanmar.
Singapore has an ageing population. It's a situation often described in anxious, alarmist tones, with the growing number of senior citizens framed as dependent on a shrinking pool of able-bodied working adults. Yet the country is doing well in terms of health life expectancies, indicating that Singapore's elderly aren't as helpless or infirm as they are often portrayed as being. Is it time for a fundamental overhaul of the way we think about ageing?
Our Chief Editor, Kirsten Han, sits down with Deputy Editor for Bahasa Indonesia, Aisyah Llewellyn, and Deputy Editor of Bahasa Malaysia, Pauline Wong, to talk about what they look for when commissioning stories, why they believe it’s important to push back against a media culture of breaking news, and their own experiences as women in journalism.
A lecture that our Managing Director PJ Thum delivered at Stanford University in October. He discusses Singapore's political development and evolution under the ruling People's Action Party, how this history has shaped and constrained the current government and politics in Singapore, and how this fits into contemporary Southeast Asia.
