Asia Rising

In the Chinese region of Xinjiang, tens of thousands of ethnic Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities have been detained inside enormous extrajudicial ‘re-education camps’.

China claims the region faces a serious threat from Islamist militants and separatists, stirring up tensions between the mostly Muslim Uyghur minority and the ethnic Han majority. After months of denial, the Chinese government now claims these camps are benign vocational training centers, but many outside observers assert that they are little more than prisons where detainees are subjected to political and cultural indoctrination without legal recourse.

As more allegations come to light about the treatment of Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities, China faces mounting pressure from international human rights groups, governments, and academics to provide access to these camps and put an end to any coercive and illegal practices.

Speaking on Uyghurs in China and how the world should react are:

- Nury A Turkel (Uyghur Human Rights Project)

Co-hosted by the Australian Institute of International Affairs (AIIA) Victoria, on 7th December 2018.

There are 22 official languages in India, but more than 780 have been recognised. It can be a challenge to communicate across the country, and while the most common language is Hindi there’s communication of all sorts in a variety of dialects and scripts.

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Religion and caste divides Indians in many ways - religion primarily between Hindu and Muslim, with Hindu further divided by a complex caste system which can influence how they work, how they live and even who they marry.

While laws and social initiatives have tried to to counteract inequality and discrimination, it does still happen.

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With a fast-growing population and aspirations to join the throwaway prosperity of the developed world, India generates vast quantities of waste, sewerage and pollution. How does it live with and deal with the problem?

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The Indian National Congress party in India has mostly looked to the Nehru-Gandhi family for leadership, making them powerful figures in India’s political landscape. Four members of the family have been Prime Minister of the country, but does the current leader, Rahul Gandhi, have what it takes?

Guest: Emeritus Professor Robin Jeffrey (Politics, La Trobe University).

India goes to the polls in 2019, and the popular incumbent Narendra Modi is currently favoured to retain his position. With close to a billion people eligible to vote elections in India promises to be a busy time and an organisational quagmire.

Guest: Emeritus Professor Robin Jeffrey (Politics, La Trobe University).

The vibrant fashion styles of Tokyo are notable for their colour and playfullness, and the shojo culture (girls) draw on anime, manga, literature, film and cosplay.

The distinctive fashion movement has evolved to embrace culture and identity, and in this panel we will hear from four experts about shojo and kawaii (cute) studies.

- Dr Lucy Fraser is a specialist on Japanese fairy tales and girl culture.

It was co-hosted by La Trobe Asia and the Japan Foundation, Sydney. It was recorded on 1st November, 2018 at the State Library of Victoria.

In 2017 India celebrated 70 years of independence from British rule. Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the country, calling for the people to set aside their differences.

"India is about peace, unity and goodwill," said Modi. "We have to take the country ahead with the determination of creating a new India."

Can a new India emerge from the old? How has it been shaped by its years in the British Empire?

Guest: Emeritus Professor Robin Jeffrey (Politics, La Trobe University).

India will soon be unveiling the world’s tallest statue, the Statue of Unity. At 182m tall it towers over its nearest competitor by more than 50m.

The statue in the Narmada district of Gujarat is of independence leader Vallabhbhai Patel. The project has been championed by India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and is not without controversy.

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The Bund, or Wai Tan in Chinese, is a waterfront strip in central Shanghai. It is within the former Shanghai International Settlement, and so all the buildings there have a grand colonial feeling, right across the river from the Pudong district, with some of the most modern and radical skyscrapers you’ll see.

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