Mong Palatino

Blogging about the Philippines and the Asia-Pacific since 2004

About

@mongster is a Manila-based activist, former Philippine legislator, and blogger/analyst of Asia-Pacific affairs.

New year in Asia-Pacific: Crackdown, state of emergency, and harsh prison convictions. Positive developments in the region such as prison releases and the outlawing of the “virginity test” were overshadowed by mass arrests in Hong Kong, an absurdly long prison term handed out to a Thai elderly woman for “insulting” the king, the silencing of […]

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November 2020: Media killings, zines promoting women’s empowerment, and the dangers of criticizing monarchies. Six journalists were killed in November across the Asia-Pacific. The past month also saw the further erosion of civic space in Thailand and Malaysia where citizens faced persecution for speaking out about the royal family in their respective countries. Opposition legislators […]

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August 2020: #AttacksWontSilenceUs: Resisting media raids, internet shutdown, and online violence in Hong Kong, Kashmir, and Pakistan. The democratic space continues to shrink in Hong Kong, Kashmir marks a year of losing its special autonomy status while internet connections are still restricted, India bans Chinese apps including TikTok, Thailand has started arresting student activists, and […]

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May 2020: A month of mayhem: Security law, tracing apps, and media shutdowns in Asia-Pacific The COVID-19 pandemic did not stop various governments in the region from imposing new laws and orders that further weakened democracy and human rights. China’s security law threatens Hong Kong’s freedom, a major broadcaster in the Philippines was forced to […]

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January 2020 in Asia-Pacific: Landmark rulings on genocide and internet shutdowns. Read more February 2020 in Asia-Pacific: Coronavirus, censorship, and threats against the media. Read more March 2020: COVID-19 and censorship plague Asia-Pacific What we saw spreading quickly across the region in March was not just the dreaded coronavirus, but the mainstreaming of laws, regulations, […]

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This is part of a series IFEX is producing on regional experiences with the global problem of information disorder, and what people are doing to counter it. From blackouts to legislation, from fact-checking to education, Mong Palatino scrutinises some of the most popular responses to the problem of disinformation in his region. Disinformation may be […]

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August 2019: News blackout and rising repression in Kashmir and West Papua. Read more September 2019: September strikes: Climate actions, student protests, and landmark court rulings. Read more October 2019: Protests condemn communications blackout, police violence, and government secrecy laws. Read more.

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IFEX brief: May, June, July 2019

Wednesday, March 11th, 2020

May 2019: ‘Tiananmen Square’ censorship, #LoveWins in Taiwan, Malaysia falters on reforms, and Indonesia’s post-election violence. Read more June 2019: From Hong Kong to Australia: Protesters and journalists fight back against police violence and intimidation. Read more July 2019: Hong Kong’s fight for democracy, Pakistan journalists decry rising censorship, and more. Read more

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Journalists face growing persecution, an impunity win in Indonesia, and much more…February in Asia: A roundup of key free expression news, based on IFEX member reports. Read more Women’s Day marchers attacked, Thai media restricted, and report on media killings in Afghanistan. March in Asia: A roundup of key free expression news, based on IFEX […]

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IFEX Roundups: April, May, June 2018

Sunday, February 17th, 2019

Fake news laws, letters to Facebook, and a decline in press freedom rankings: Asia-Pacific in April. Governments have begun issuing anti-‘fake news’ regulations, groups engaged Facebook about propagating hate speech, decline of press freedom rankings of Asia-Pacific countries, and Pakistan women reclaim public spaces. Malaysia’s election, Afghan attacks, defiant newspapers: Asia-Pacific in May  Malaysia’s ruling […]

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