Thai hubs and tigers – Southeast Asia Globe

Greetings Globe readers,

The news in any stretch of time can include stories generating inspiration and frustration. In the past week, Southeast Asia Globe highlighted economic opportunities, family challenges and man-made issues impacting nature and wildlife. From innovation hubs and captive tigers in Thailand to rainbow families in Singapore and Cambodia’s Tonle Sap Lake, our articles covered encouraging improvement and exasperating errors throughout the region.

While Singapore and Jakarta are normally the focus of international cash in Southeast Asia, Thailand is pitching global investors and new businesses with a programme supporting innovation hubs. Globe’s Jack Brook explained how the Thai government’s efforts to attract entrepreneurs, foster homegrown talent and advance technological development include a special visa, tax incentives and incubation and acceleration initiatives.

Singapore maintains an official view of families that promotes heterosexual couples and their children, with same-sex couples who wish to expand their own families through adoption meeting prohibitive bureaucracy and legal hurdles. Contributor Loretta Chen interviewed a couple who shared their first-hand account of the challenges and significance of same-sex parenthood in the city-state. 

Globe contributor Andreas von Bubnoff expanded on the ongoing story of man-made threats to Cambodia’s Tonle Sap Lake. Through text, photos and video, his article provided more evidence of how the growing number of dams and commercial sand dredging in the vital Mekong River interrupt the lake’s flood cycle by holding back water during the rainy season. 

Tigers are one of the striking jewels in Southeast Asia’s array of natural creatures, but the animals living in captivity in Thailand can be subjected to undersized cages and other mistreatment. Contributor Wanpen Pajai reported on the Kingdom’s private and government wildlife centres, where tigers may enjoy healthy lives in wide grasslands or improper care and unregulated inbreeding to feed the desires of tourists seeking selfies.

As always, we hope you take away something valuable from the articles. Have a great weekend.