Malaysia: tresspassers will be shot

It is difficult to reconcile the welcoming nature of the average Malaysian, regardless of religion or ethnicity, with the warning signs commonly seen on fenced property around the country. The threat of an armed response may be normal practice but in the US but much of the rest of the world has a lesser inclination to the indiscriminate use of firearms, Malaysia could however be taking the first steps down that path. A spate of shootings in 2013,  generally linked…

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The sofas of Malaysia

In the West we have a narrow view on the uses and adaptability of the humble sofa, where it is primarily reserved for exercising the eye balls in front of the big screen TV or collapsing unconscious upon after a night dedicated to the art of intoxication, its plump cushions ideal sponges for the drool of beer addled slumberers.  You may think that soft furnishings would be unsuited to the drenchings of tropical downpours or blazing sunshine but the people…

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Sarawak: village of the damned

“We’re going to visit the old village”, said Penghulu Sagan cheerfully, as he loaded another box of fishing equipment onto the small boat. The matter of fact statement disguised the real nature of the expedition, which was perhaps more evident in the thin, sun etched face of his uncle, who sat quietly waiting: eyes lost in the distance, speaking of a longing, a sadness? Lost in thought, remembering. The reality was that to actually visit the village they would have…

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