Good morning.
The award-winning series Undercover Asia is back, and have we got a slate of stories that will make you see the region in a different light.
From investigating the harsh dilemma of domestic helpers who get pregnant, to the fallout of China’s tuition ban, and Southeast Asia’s vaping crisis – here’s a peek at what went into the making of the six episodes.
|
Prohibited Pregnancy: Foreign domestic helpers in Singapore face deportation and a lifetime ban if they get pregnant. It took producer Peh Yuxin months of scouring social media to find willing profiles – and that’s how she learnt of the daytrips pregnant helpers take to Batam on their days off to get clandestine abortions.
Local cabbies work with ‘agents’ to ferry them to abortion clinics. “I was shocked to learn from one of them that the aborted foetus was shredded in a blender and disposed of in a waste bin to cover their tracks,” says Yuxin.
A Million Cuts: Millions of mothers in India undergo C-sections unnecessarily. In private hospitals, the C-section rate is a whopping 47.4% – well above the WHO-recommended 15%.
Doctors don’t spell out the surgical risks to expectant mothers, most of whom do not question the decision. For producers Reshma Ghosh and Arun Rabindranath, “It was hard to believe this was happening, and even harder to find doctors to talk about such unethical decisions that endanger lives.”
|
Double Reduction, Triple the Stress?: Two years ago, China pulled the plug on its private tutoring industry to lighten students’ academic load. The industry had been unabashed in fueling and profiting off of parental anxiety. But was the ban actually effective in lowering student stress – or did it in fact have the opposite effect?
Producers Tang Hui Huan and Tang Fan Xi came across a YouTube video by Joel, whose account of how the ban disrupted his tuition business helped tell this story.
What’s Really Up With Mukbang?: In Korea, where the mukbang phenomenon started, producer Au Yong May Lin was fascinated to learn why young Koreans are so into the “vicarious satisfaction” of watching others indulge in things they can’t afford to.
In India, where many middle-aged folks have become mukbang creators, lives have been dramatically changed – one profile could afford to build her own house within just two years. But, May Lin says, “You wonder about the health impact of binge-eating on their creators.”
|
The last two episodes air Sunday and Monday at 9pm, which you can catch on livestream here or catch up on here.
Cannabis Cowboy Country: In Thailand, buying marijuana (cannabis) is “like buying a cup of coffee”, and producer Lolita Lachica investigates the fallout from its legalisation of cannabis in June 2022.
Southeast Asia’s Vaping Crisis: In investigating how the vape industry grew so huge in Malaysia and Indonesia, producer Clarisse Goh delved into Indonesia’s cottage industry of illegal DIY vape-narcotics.
Finding users who were willing to share on camera about was tough. One said his heart was pounding before the interview: “Are they really journalists? What if they’re cops waiting to ambush me?” (Note: The profiles featured no longer vape drugs as they suffered health effects.)
Yvonne Lim
Deputy Chief Editor (CNA Insider)
|
