In some countries there are firm social taboos against eating the same animals that are commonly kept as pets, such as cats and dogs. But in dozens of other countries around the world, if you can catch it, you can eat it. Chris Tran goes for lunch in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, and learns that eating fried dog, green dragon and cobra heart supposedly do wonders for a man’s virility. Taste is another matter entirely.
Published on Nov 21, 2012 by VOAvideo
Burma’s communal fighting in western Rakhine state this year has led many Buddhists and Muslims to question whether they can live together again as neighbors. President Obama drew attention to the issue during his historic visit to Burma. VOA’s Daniel Schearf reports from Sittwe, the capital of Rakhine state.
Published on Nov 2, 2012 by linktv
Policy brutality has long been a major issue in Vietnam, and has gone unchallenged due to government suppression. Yet as contributor Nguyen Qui Duc reports from Hanoi, advances in technology have allowed Vietnamese citizens to document the worst cases of brutality.
Published on Aug 7, 2012 by vice
Indonesian transsexuals, or Warias, still feel the urge to practice Islam despite being shunned by Islamic Authorities.
We headed to Indonesia to visit the Senin-Kamis School, an Islamic school for Indonesian transsexuals. Our host, Hannah Brooks, meets the school’s founder, Maryani, and the rest of the ladies who call this place home. Then Hannah is taken to a local funeral, where Maryani speaks about the difficulties of living as a transvestite and a practicing Muslim.
Published on Oct 17, 2012 by PBSNewsHour
The Philippines have become increasingly vulnerable to human traffickers, who lure women of all ages and circumstances into prostitution and other forms of forced labor. Fred de Sam Lazaro reports on how Cecilia Oebanda’s Visayan Forum Foundation has worked with law enforcement to prevent more women from falling prey.
Burma’s AIDS epidemic mostly affects marginalized groups, such as the gay community. In a country where homosexuality remains illegal, finding and treating gay patients is a challenge for the few health workers devoted to their treatment. VOA News reports that an annual religious event called a Nat festival, however, is one time when the gay community can network – and talk to health workers about treatment.
In Lao People’s Democratic, women and girls are faced with the hardship of collecting water for multiple purposes. They travel far distances and make numerous trips—often across uneven terrains. Ms. Buakham’s story is one of many whose life has changed as a result of an ADB-financed water supply system in Sing district. It has helped to ease women’s domestic burden and enhance their economic role through local markets and ecotourism opportunities. The system supplies piped water to more than 1,700 homes and businesses since it began operations in 2010.
Marines from the 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion recently underwent jungle survival training in the Kingdom of Thailand, and learned it isn’t the best tasting experience. Sgt. Paul Robbins Jr. brings us the story.
Human rights activists and religious scholars in Indonesia are demanding the release of a man who wrote on Facebook that he did not believe in God.
Alexander An, a 31-year-old civil servant, is facing five years in prison after being charged with defamation of religion.
He says he started to question the existence of God when he was a child.
Although the country is officially secular, every Indonesian has to have a religion and register himself according to one of the official five religions.
Al Jazeera’s Step Vaessen reports from Dharmasraya in West Sumatra.
A chapter of colonial history is slowly drawing to a close in Sainte-Livrade-sur-Lot, where the last of the French citizens repatriated during the Indochina War still live.The first of the repatriated citizens originally from Vietnam arrived in the town of Sainte-Livrade-sur-Lot in southwestern France in April 1956. Some were former parachutists; others were the widows of French officers, and their children. Today they are between 80 and 90 years old. For a long time, they lived in dilapidated barracks without indoor plumbing. Only in recent years has an effort been made to build new housing. But the residents of the makeshift repatriate camp never complained publically about their deplorable living conditions in France.
Violent images: Children as young as seven are being drawn into Muay Thai prize-fighting in Thailand, in what they see as a route out of poverty. Report by Sam Datta-Paulin.
Asian Development Bank (ADB) is supporting an initiative to introduce tens of thousands of biogas systems in rural communities throughout Viet Nam. By turning waste to fuel, families save on their energy bills and enjoy a cleaner environment.
About 18,000 Burmese refugees have come to the United States each year since 2007. The communities where they have settled have tried to help them assimilate. A school and company in Howard County, Maryland have forged a partnership to teach refugee children by helping their parents learn English. VOA’s June Soh has the story.
Burma’s notorious censors have relaxed their tight grip on the media this year, although journalists are still by no means able to freely report. VOA’s Daniel Schearf traveled to Rangoon last week and spoke with Eleven Media Group’s Chief Editor Wai Phyo about how the censorship process has changed and what remains the same.
Millions of the poorest people in the Philippines live without electricity.
Some try to tap external power sources – an illegal and often dangerous practice, but a new and cheap solar light idea provides an answer for a growing number of Filipinos.
Al Jazeera’s Marga Ortigas reports from Manila, the Philippines.
