Innholdsfortegnelse for 3/2018 i ASIAN Geographic

“Politics is comparable to boxing. The only thing is that in politics, there are basically no rules.”Wladimir Klitschko, Ukrainian boxer Sports and politics are among some of the most divisive areas of life. Either you’re into them, or you’re not; either you root for this side, or you don’t. But at the core of both these subjects lies the story of our existential struggle – a wonderfully conflicted, primitively emotional struggle – that marks every sporting endeavour and policy decision, lending these fields histories full of rich significance to the human race. This year, the quadrennial Asian Games – a massive sports event that often gets mixed up with some of its regional variants (pg 68) – will be hosted here in Southeast Asia. We appraise several local sports that…

Hard-core gamers might seem out of place at a sports stadium, but that’s exactly who will be comprising part of the audience at this year’s Asian Games in Jakarta: fans of cult digital quests Arena of Valor, Starcraft II, Hearthstone, Clash Royale, League of Legends and Pro Evolution Soccer 2018. Thanks to e-commerce giant Alibaba, competitive electronic gaming, or e-sports – once a curiosity in places like South Korea – is now making its way into the Asian Games as an official sport. Asiad’s organising body, the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA), noted the industry’s “rapid development and popularity” as a form of sports among youth, generating some USD490 million in revenue in 2016. “E-sports is the way forward, and this is evident from how sponsors are reacting. From Coca-Cola,…

MAKEPUNG: (A Chase) West Bali, Jembrana regency WHEN: July to November, various circuits across the Melaya district WHERE: 3-kilometre-long dirt track circuits Once a celebration of the rice harvest by Madurese migrants, then popularised and formalised in the 1930s, this water buffalo grand prix sees hundreds of jockeys and their animal companions vie for the Jembrana Regent’s Cup. Only the best of the racers participate in the finals in Tuwed village’s Sangyang Cerik circuit, typically at the year’s end. To clinch the USD1,500 winnings – the equivalent of a farmer’s annual salary – jockeys must surpass their rivals by more than 10 metres to compensate for staggered starting times. A 60-year-old rivalry between teams from the east and west banks of the Ijo Gading River pit the green flags of…

Or, at least, that’s one view Indonesia’s Sukarno stood behind at all costs. “Let us declare frankly that sport has something to do with politics,” the former President said in 1962, when the Southeast Asian country was expelled from the Olympic movement after Israeli and Taipei athletes were refused travel visas to the Jakarta Asiad. A fervent Sukarno would later go on to create his own games, which “sent shockwaves through international sport”, Susan Brownell describes in East Plays West: Sport and the Cold War (2007). Sport, arguably, did start out with ties to warfare. Researchers posit that early sports served two uses: entertainment and military training. For the latter, individual events could have been an easy way to determine which men were in the best fighting shape, while team…

Sepak takraw – also known as kick volleyball – has always been a regular feature of the Asian Games. Its origins are hotly contested among nine Southeast Asian states, each with its own regional variation and claims to its true inception, but there is general agreement that the sport was first introduced to the region by the Chinese, who had a similar military exercise involving players keeping shuttlecocks airborne with just their feet. The earliest record of sepak takraw in Southeast Asia is in the Sejarah Melayu (Malay Annals), which describes a 15th-century game in the royal court involving one player hitting another with a kicked rattan ball. Eighteenth-century murals in Bangkok’s Phra Kaeo Temple also depict the Hindu god Hanuman playing sepak takraw with a group of monkeys. In…

KABADDI An ancient South Asian game invented some 5,000 years ago to improve self-defence and hunting reflexes, kabaddi was formalised in the 1930s, and is noted for its symbolic resemblance to a tale in the Hindu epic Mahabharata about a doomed military raid by the Indian warrior Abhimanyu. In this legendary narrative of the Kurukshetra wars between the Pandava and Kaurava tribes, Abhimanyu was a brave warrior who, as an unborn child, learned a secret method of penetrating the seven-tiered defence of the Kauravas by listening to the words of the Hindu god Krishna. At 16 years old, he successfully broke down the enemy’s seemingly impenetrable defence, but because he did not learn the way out, he was ultimately killed in battle. In the same spirit, modern kabaddi involves a…

“Girls are not often able to do sports because society thinks it is not necessary for them,” says Kov Chan Sangva when asked about skateboarding in Phnom Penh. “But my mum didn’t have any objections to me skating – my parents are a bit different from other parents.” In the skateboarding world, which is associated with heavy male participation worldwide, Cambodia’s top female skateboarder cuts a particularly maternal figure. As a staff member at non-profit Skateistan, an organisation providing free sport and education programmes to disadvantaged youth, she helps girls pick up skateboarding and realise their potential through the sport. “I have become a role model to show people that girls can skate,” she says. “I wanted to change the opinion of the community that girls couldn’t do things. I’ve…

“It is tempting to say, ‘There’ll be no difference’, but ASEAN’s influence runs deeper than meets the eye” It seems whimsical to envision an alternative future without ASEAN. But in fact, the current global climate – where the ASEAN countries face uncertainties that challenge their futures – tempts countries to doubt the benefits of regional cooperation and magnify its constraints. Transactional “me first” attitudes and shifting power balances have magnified petty differences between countries. Narratives of nationalism are on the rise, together with critical views of whether governments can ensure the security and development of their population. Without the weight of regional commitment, natural differences would heighten suspicions and inhibit travel and trade. Economically speaking, countries with high numbers of unemployed youth, poverty, natural disasters, or conflicts have the most…

An entry on the Seven Wonders of Nature and UNESCO World Heritage Site lists, this beautiful diving spot sits in a narrow channel between Flores and Sumbawa. Though famous for its namesake monitor lizards, Komodo Island also boasts some of the country’s best sightings of marine life, with over 50 dive sites teeming with dugongs, pygmy seahorses, gobies, nudibranchs, scorpionfish, and rare sunfish. On land, laid-back fishing villages, coral cays and deserted beaches of pale pink sand give the island its reputation as a backpacker’s paradise. As the equatorial spot where the Pacific and Indian oceans meet, the powerful, nutrient-rich currents near Komodo Island have blessed the area with amazing biodiversity and a range of underwater environments, including fringing and patch coral reefs, mangrove forests, seagrass beds, and seamounts. The…

Located in Ratanakiri province, Cambodia’s biggest national park is home to one of the largest protected forests in Asia. Special treks set up by the park office encourage visitors to explore its 3,325 square kilometres of varied environments: semi-evergreen lowlands, cloud forests, upland savannahs, bamboo thickets and mixed deciduous forest. For wildlife lovers, the breathtaking natural landscape plays home to clouded leopard cats, wild buffalo, elephants, gibbons, sun bears, and many unique tree species. Eight-day tours by indigenous guides include traversing the Phnom Veal Thom grasslands, overnight camping beside the Chour Preah rapids, and learning about the lives of the hill tribes that reside within park borders. It’s also possible to take a boat, bamboo raft or kayak up the river. The hilly trek through dense forests is only for…

People PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR Wildlife PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR Street PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR Black + White PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR Architecture/Landscape PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR Youth PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR Deadline: November 1, 2018 Submission at www.asiangeo.com/events/ioa All ASIAN Geographic subscribers can enter for FREE. • Entries are limited to three photos per subscriber • To enter more photos, normal fees apply…

BRUNEI Flag: Designed 1959 Royal yellow backdrops the national crest. “Always render service with God’s guidance” is inscribed in Arabic on the Islamic crescent. Flower: The blooming Simpor (Dillenia) symbolises the country’s development, and features prominently in handicrafts and on the one-dollar note INDONESIA Flag: Designed 1945 Derived from the flag of the 13th-century Majapahit Empire, its red and white symbolise blood and spirit. Flowers: There are three: the long-blooming Moon Orchid (Phalaenopsis amabilis), the sacredArabian Jasmine (Jasminum sambac), and the large, rare and pungent Rafflesia (Rafflesia arnoldii) CAMBODIA Flag: Designed 1993 The world’s only flag featuring an actual building – Angkor Wat, representing Theravada Buddhism – against Khmer red and blue. Flower: Chosen by King Sihamoni in 2005 for its fragrance, the Rumduol (Sphaerocoryne affinis) is grown across the…

At 59 years old – an age where most athletes, able-bodied or otherwise, have long retired from sports – Kalai Vanen is still powering on. The powerlifter, who lost his left leg to cancer at 29, will be competing in the Paralympic iteration of the upcoming Games as one of its oldest competitors. Despite picking up powerlifting just three years ago – relatively little experience for an Olympic-level athlete – the personal trainer and former army officer has already swept up a bronze from the 2015 Southeast Asian Games and set a personal record of 156 kilograms at this year’s Commonwealth Games. His ultimate goal is to qualify for Tokyo 2020. Outside the stadium, Kalai constantly fights for recognition for para-athletes. “I’m just hoping that sometime in the near future,…

ASIAN GEOGRAPHIC extends our warmest thanks to the ASEAN Secretariat and Ms Salmaini Malik and family for providing resources and support in the writing of this feature. It started at a banquet in 1960s Jakarta, the same city that today hosts the 2018 Asian Games. Neutral Thailand had just brokered a reconciliation between Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines – the beginning of an effort to stabilise the region observers would later say deserved the Nobel Peace Prize – and champagne flowed as the foreign ministers, and their respective nations, celebrated. The disagreements that arose between the three states over the territorially contentious formation of the Federation of Malaysia (comprising Malaya, Sabah, Sarawak, and Singapore) marred 1960s Southeast Asia with bitter intergovernmental relations. The Philippines broke off diplomatic ties with Malaysia,…

Lying off the coast of Borneo is Sipadan, Malaysia’s only oceanic island. A contender for the world’s best dive site, the mushroom-shaped barrier reef here is Southeast Asia’s largest and houses over 3,000 fish species. Sea turtles here can grow up to three metres long. No resorts operate on the island, and there’s a daily limit of 120 divers to preserve the reef, so permits should be applied for well in advance. Those with Cavern Diver certification can explore Turtle Cavern – made famous by Jacques-Yves Cousteau in his documentary Borneo: The Ghost of the Sea Turtle – and marvel at the same mysteries that the renowned French oceanographer did 30 years ago. Inside lies a macabre chamber of skeletons belonging to turtles and dolphins that became disoriented, got lost…

Situated in the heart of the central Quang Binh province, Son Doong (Mountain River) Cave – the world’s largest cave – was first discovered in 1991 by a local hunter seeking shelter from the rain. At over 200 metres across, 150 metres tall and 6,500 metres long, this cave was formed from an underground river cutting through layers of limestone along a geological fault. It’s so big, it’s yet to be fully explored. First opened to the public in 2013, this three-million-year-old cave has its own weather and ecosystem, including jungles, clouds of mist, ancient lakes, and waterfalls. Its treasures include rare cave pearls, passages lined with ancient fossils, and the world’s largest stalagmite. Permits are granted under only one company, Oxalis Adventure Tours, and all visitors must be accompanied…

Sailing along Marina Bay provides an uninterrupted view of the Lion City’s impressive architecture and iconic skyline. Encircled by the gleaming skyscrapers of the downtown district, the Marina Bay freshwater reservoir boasts calm and gentle waters suitable for beginner sailors. A free sailing experience on mega sailboats with an accompanying skipper is available for those aged 7 to 70. Choose between two types of sailing boats: The nine-metre high SM20 boats, commonly used in races, accommodate four people, while the 18-metre-tall SM40 boats, used for training and competitions by elite sailors, accommodate 10. In case you were wondering, Marina Bay is the only place in Asia that allows non-sailors to experience sailing on an SM40. The route is most scenic at sunset, but this fortnightly programme sees slots fill up…

The mountainous northern province of Luang Namtha offers waterfalls, emerald mountains and abundant rice paddies dotted with wooden huts. Bicycles, motorcycles and scooters are easily rentable, and provide a fast but flexible means of seeing the waterfalls, rivers and temples. The sparse traffic means peaceful, flat roads and the ability to stop and explore wherever piques your fancy. One of the most popular activities is a homestay, which allows visitors to experience how the local hill tribes live. The area contains over 20 different ethnic groups, including the Lolo, Tai Dam, and Tai Neua. Those not looking for an overnighter can still observe cultural activities like weaving and the brewing of lao lao, a sticky rice whiskey. A motorbike will get you as far as the Nam Ha National Protected…

The old city still radiates a timeless charm. In Malacca, once considered among Southeast Asia’s greatest trading ports, nothing parallels the hotchpotch heritage better than the locals inhabiting its labyrinthine alleys. After being discovered by a wandering Srivijayan monarch from Sumatra, the humble, strategically located 14th-century fishing village on Malaysia’s southern peninsula enjoyed its golden age monopolising trading routes from China to India and bursting at the seams with settlers. Following colonisation by the Portuguese in 1511, the Dutch in 1641, and the British in 1826, and – finally – independence, once-bustling Melaka gradually reverted to its original state as a sleepy backwater, while her sister cities rose to favour in their turn. Today, the web of cultural influences that form this UNESCO World Heritage Site’s complex identity still whispers…

If you’re a thief, you don’t ring up law enforcement, promise a share of the loot, and compliment their work. But that’s exactly what one man did for Absan Saman. The warden of Tun Mustapha, Malaysia’s largest marine park, remembers the call he received from a poacher last year, offering him a fifth of the eggs from two illegally-raided nests on Tigabu Island in appreciation of his conservation efforts. Saman is a prominent personality in the area. The former fish-bomber stretches his arms wide as he describes the catch two days of fishing could bring in decades ago. Today, though, Sabah waters suffer the same issues plaguing reefs across Southeast Asia – overfishing, poaching, and destructive fishing practices – and Saman has experienced the effects of dwindling fish stocks firsthand.…

Indonesia: Top 10 Dialects 1. Javanese – 84.3 million | 2. Sundanese – 34 million | 3. Madurese – 13.6 million | 4. Minangkabau – 6.5 million 5. Musi – 3.9 million | 6. Minahasan – 3.8 million | 7. Buginese – 3.5 million | 8. Banjar – 3.5 million 9. Acehnese – 3.5million | 10. Balinese – 3.3 million “Unity in diversity” is how the archipelago of Indonesia chooses to describe itself. The motto of the world’s largest island country acknowledges head-on the reality of its people’s overwhelmingly disparate cultural identities: a transcontinental republic of citizens scattered across some 14,700 islands, speaking over 700 indigenous language variants of Austronesian and Papuan descent. To Bahasa Indonesia, the country’s official tongue, falls the delicate task of creating civic unity between these…

1 The Asian Games, also known as Asiad, developed from the Far Eastern Championship Games 2 The number of participating countries has increased from 11 in 1951 to 45 in 2018 3 Israel has been banned from the Games since 1982 for political reasons 4 2018 is the first time the Games will be held in two cities: Indonesia’s Jakarta and Palembang 5 The number of sports/ disciplines has increased from 7 in 1951 to 61 in 2018 6 Asiad 2018 was to be held in Hanoi, but it withdrew over hosting costs 7 India and Japan are the only two countries to have won a gold medal in each of the Games 8 Yemen, Palestine, Nepal, Laos and Afghanistan have all never won a gold medal 9 India hosted…

ASIAN GAMES Frequency: Every four years First Games: 1951, India Past Games: 17 Countries: 45 Organiser: Olympic Council of Asia ASIAN YOUTH GAMES Frequency: Every four years First Games: 2009, Singapore Past Games: 2 Countries: 45 Organiser: Olympic Council of Asia ASIAN BEACH GAMES Frequency: Every two years First Games: 2008, Indonesia Past Games: 5 Countries: 45 Organiser: Olympic Council of Asia CENTRAL ASIAN GAMES Frequency: Every four years First Games: 1995, Uzbekistan Past Games: 5 Countries: 5 Organiser: Olympic Council of Asia EAST ASIAN GAMES Frequency: Every four years First Games: 1993, China Past Games: 6 Countries: 8 Organiser: East Asian Games Association SOUTH ASIAN GAMES Frequency: Mostly every two years First Games: 1984, Nepal Past Games: 12 Countries: 8 Organiser: South Asian Sports Council WEST ASIAN GAMES Frequency:…

Former champion boxer Syed Abdul Kadir remembers his experience competing at the 1970 Asian Games in Bangkok. Fresh from bagging a bronze medal in the previous year’s Southeast Asian Games, the athlete took to the ring with hopes of a medal in his heart, but faced a formidable opponent: South Korean boxing powerhouse Kim Chung. Kadir was quickly eliminated, and Kim went on to claim the gold. This disappointing scenario – elimination in the very first round – repeated itself at the 1974 Asian Games in Tehran. “Yes, it felt bad, but you keep your head up and carry on,” he muses. “That’s the sport. Sometimes you get unlucky and don’t do well on the first match.” The future was kinder to Kadir, who went on to win six medals…

“Another principle to which we anchored our faith was that our cooperation should deal with non-military matters. Attempts were made by some to launch us on the path of forming a military alliance. We resisted; wisely and correctly we stuck to our resolve to... remain safely on economic ground” Thanat Khoman Thanat Khoman (THAILAND) “Mostly I observed… that he would like the people in this region to be happy, to be safe, and to be strong,” notes Thanat’s nephew, Amarin Khoman. Born in Bangkok to a prominent Sino-Thai family, Thanat Khoman attended law school in Paris before joining the foreign service. In his time at the embassy in Japan, the ardent Buddhist fought against the decision to let Japanese forces pass through Thailand to attack the region during World War…

Declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1994, Tubbataha Reef is another contender for one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World. This remarkably pristine coral reef in the Sulu Sea comprises two atolls (simply referred to as the North and South Atoll), a 100-metre reef wall, lagoons and two coral islands. The iconic and threatened Napoleon wrasse can be found in these waters, alongside whale sharks, manta rays, dolphins, and tiger sharks. Endangered green turtles and hawksbill turtles also nest here, and the area hosts various species of endangered seabirds. This precious site in the Coral Triangle, home to 75 percent of the world’s corals and 40 percent of the world’s fish species, is heavily guarded by park rangers day and night. To conserve the reef, the dive…

The famous Bagan Temple Marathon takes place every November, and its route weaves through dirt paths along the historic Bagan plains, an archaeological zone containing over 2,000 sacred pagodas and temples built from the 9th till the 13th century by fervent devotees of Theravada Buddhism. Runners dash along village roads across an area once ruled by the Pagan Kingdom on the banks of the Irrawaddy river. Starting off at 6am from the iconic Htilominlo Temple – a majestic 46-metre structure famous for its ornate stucco carvings – the hot and dusty course is relatively flat, and its main draw is the scenic landscape, which allows participants to breeze past the temples in this stunning pilgrimage destination, regardless of what distance they cover: the full marathon, half marathon, or 10-kilometre run.…