Mekong Review
LightNews LightNews
banner
mekongreview.com
Mekong Review
@mekongreview.com
1.6K followers 110 following 240 posts
A quarterly magazine of arts, literature, culture, politics, the environment and society in Asia, written by people from the region or those who know it well.

Subscribe: https://mekongreview.com/subscribe/

Newsletter: https://bit.ly/mekongreviewweekly
Posts Replies Media Videos
mekongreview.com
Our February–April 2026 issue is now available online!

Check it out... or better yet, subscribe and never miss an issue: mekongreview.com/sub...
February 11, 2026 at 2:21 AM
mekongreview.com
Ngiam Li Yi, who illustrated our February–April 2026, shares a little of the process.

Subscribe to Mekong Review: mekongreview.com/sub...
When I started on the concept draft, the loss of spaces in Singapore was something that was on my mind. At that time, the closure of The Projector, an independent cinema in Singapore, was still pretty fresh. The last event I attended at The Projector was the Singapore Independent Media Fair in July 2025. I constructed the scene based on amalgamated impressions from photos of the independent media fair online. Clear references to the cinema were included, such as hints of the giant “The Projector” sign on the windows, and the framed movie posters on the window sill. I took some creative liberty with the colours as I wanted an illustration that felt luminous, and I gravitated towards blues, greens, and yellows. I also added pops of orange and pink as accents. The movie posters were inspired by real posters with similar colours: Wong Kar Wai’s Happy Together, and Jafar Panahi’s Taxi Tehran. mekongreview.com/susbcribe
February 8, 2026 at 4:02 AM
mekongreview.com
We're pleased to share that our February–April 2026 issue is now available!

You can order a copy from our online Ko-Fi shop: ko-fi.com/mekongrevi...

(And perhaps consider subscribing annually, too!)
February 6, 2026 at 5:34 AM
Reposted by Mekong Review
kirstenhan.com
I was really glad for the opportunity to interview Hakamata Hideko. It's not at all easy to have to fight for a loved one on death row, and she stuck with it for such a long, long time.
mekongreview.com Mekong Review @mekongreview.com · 10d
In our November 2025 issue, we interviewed Hakamata Hideko about her decades-long fight for her brother Iwao—likely the world's longest-serving death row prisoner, finally fully acquitted of murder in Japan in 2024.

Read more: mekongreview.com/bri...
In 2014, Hakamata Iwao was finally released from prison, pending a retrial. He was seventy-eight years old, and had spent almost half a century on death row in Japan—making him likely the world’s longest-serving death row prisoner. It took another ten years for him to be fully exonerated. Throughout all this time—an ordeal of fifty-six years—his older sister Hakamata Hideko has been his staunchest advocate. The way she tells it, she’d assumed the role quite naturally. She’s always been close to Iwao; the extroverted, expressive older sister to the placid introvert of few words. The youngest two in a family with six children, they never fought. She wasn’t about to turn her back on him—especially since she was convinced the authorities had got the wrong guy. The biggest motivation, though, was their mother, who struggled to come to terms with her son’s situation. She died without seeing Iwao’s name cleared. “I suppose you might say that I carry that burden of my mother’s feelings,” Hideko says. “That’s why, after my mother died, having witnessed her anguish and sorrow firsthand, I thought I had to do something about it.” “Looking back now, fifty-six years is indeed a long time. But when I was fighting, I didn’t have time to think about what year it was, what month, what day. I never once thought, ‘How many years have I fought? Five years? Six? Ten? Thirty?’ I just kept pushing forward.” — Hakamata Hideko Bringing Iwao home by Kirsten Han Read more at mekongreview.com
February 4, 2026 at 7:58 AM
mekongreview.com
In our November 2025 issue, we interviewed Hakamata Hideko about her decades-long fight for her brother Iwao—likely the world's longest-serving death row prisoner, finally fully acquitted of murder in Japan in 2024.

Read more: mekongreview.com/bri...
In 2014, Hakamata Iwao was finally released from prison, pending a retrial. He was seventy-eight years old, and had spent almost half a century on death row in Japan—making him likely the world’s longest-serving death row prisoner. It took another ten years for him to be fully exonerated. Throughout all this time—an ordeal of fifty-six years—his older sister Hakamata Hideko has been his staunchest advocate. The way she tells it, she’d assumed the role quite naturally. She’s always been close to Iwao; the extroverted, expressive older sister to the placid introvert of few words. The youngest two in a family with six children, they never fought. She wasn’t about to turn her back on him—especially since she was convinced the authorities had got the wrong guy. The biggest motivation, though, was their mother, who struggled to come to terms with her son’s situation. She died without seeing Iwao’s name cleared. “I suppose you might say that I carry that burden of my mother’s feelings,” Hideko says. “That’s why, after my mother died, having witnessed her anguish and sorrow firsthand, I thought I had to do something about it.” “Looking back now, fifty-six years is indeed a long time. But when I was fighting, I didn’t have time to think about what year it was, what month, what day. I never once thought, ‘How many years have I fought? Five years? Six? Ten? Thirty?’ I just kept pushing forward.” — Hakamata Hideko Bringing Iwao home by Kirsten Han Read more at mekongreview.com
February 4, 2026 at 7:39 AM
mekongreview.com
Our February 2026 issue is in the works! Subscribe by 10 January 2026 to make sure you're on the mailing list.

Subscribe now: mekongreview.com/sub...

Print subscriptions that come in after 10 January will start with the May 2026 issue.
Want to get our February–April 2026 issue in the mail? Subscribe by 10 January to make sure you’re on our subscribers’ mailing list! Subscriptions that come in after 10 January will start with the May–July 2026 issue instead. http://mekongreview.com/subscribe
January 7, 2026 at 8:43 AM
mekongreview.com
A very happy new year, one and all! 🎉
December 31, 2025 at 5:07 PM
mekongreview.com
Picture this memento of Mekong Review history, one of our rare print covers, adorning your wall. Erica Eng's paintings could be the missing piece that elevates your artful home in 2026. There are only a few original works available on our online shop: ko-fi.com/mekongrevi...
December 31, 2025 at 11:55 AM
mekongreview.com
Bring a unique piece of Mekong Review history home with you this year! There's still time to support us by purchasing an original watercolour painting of one of our print issue covers by Erica Eng : ko-fi.com/mekongrevi....

A heartfelt thanks from us to you, this holiday season.
December 23, 2025 at 4:48 AM
mekongreview.com
Looking for a special gift for a loved one--or yourself--this holiday season? How about choosing one of Erica Eng's beautiful watercolour paintings on our online shop: ko-fi.com/mekongrevi....

Purchasine each art piece is also a meaningful contribution to Mekong Review's year-end push!
December 19, 2025 at 12:25 AM
mekongreview.com
Playing with nationalism is to take part in a risky game. A reflection by Peixuan Xie, prompted by Thai–Cambodian tensions earlier this year, before conflict flared up again.

Read here: mekongreview.com/del...

Subscribe: mekongreview.com/sub...
December 10, 2025 at 4:04 AM
Reposted by Mekong Review
chinarhyming.bsky.social
Last few days to access this discount subscription to the excellent @mekongreview.com
November 26, 2025 at 3:47 AM
Reposted by Mekong Review
jrttager.bsky.social
@mekongreview.com 's tenth anniversary issue just dropped, including my interview with @trinhhuulong.bsky.social on how he built a library-in-exile of Vietnam's banned books. Read it now! And if you don't have a subscription to Mekong Review--I highly recommend it!

mekongreview.com/the-libraria...
The librarian of Vietnam’s banned books - Mekong Review
In a nondescript office on a university campus in Taipei, Trịnh Hữu Long maintains one of the world’s most extensive collections of Vietnamese banned books.
mekongreview.com
November 10, 2025 at 4:46 PM
mekongreview.com
Celebrate 10 years of inspirational Asian literature by supporting us with an annual subscription! The code MR10 is valid until November 30 so act fast.

mekongreview.com/sub...
November 24, 2025 at 10:00 AM
Reposted by Mekong Review
jrttager.bsky.social
It has long been a dream of mine to write something for @mekongreview.com, one of my favorite magazines.

So I'm proud to announce that my interview with the brilliant Vietnamese journalist @trinhhuulong.bsky.social will be coming out very soon in Mekong Review's upcoming issue!

mekongreview.com
Home - Mekong Review
Mekong Review, a quarterly literary magazine, publishes reviews, essays, interviews, fiction and poetry on and from Asia.
mekongreview.com
November 4, 2025 at 3:44 PM
Reposted by Mekong Review
kirstenhan.com
I absolutely love our tenth anniversary cover, beautifully illustrated by @badiucao.bsky.social, paying homage to the Gen Z protesters across Asia and the way they’ve embraced One Piece as a symbol of their determination for freedom and resistance 💪🏼
mekongreview.com Mekong Review @mekongreview.com · Oct 30
Really looking forward to everyone reading our tenth anniversary edition! It’ll be with our stockists in November, and is already at the Ubud Writers & Readers Festival bookstore 🤩🤩🤩
October 30, 2025 at 2:52 AM
mekongreview.com
Really looking forward to everyone reading our tenth anniversary edition! It’ll be with our stockists in November, and is already at the Ubud Writers & Readers Festival bookstore 🤩🤩🤩
October 30, 2025 at 2:51 AM
Reposted by Mekong Review
connla-stokes.bsky.social
Thanks to Pandan Weekly for publishing this ‘Writer’s Cut’ version of an essay that first appeared in @mekongreview.com

For me, this is a story that will never get old. In these past couple of years, as bombs have rained down on Gaza and Ukraine, I have, alas, often thought of the Peace Plane.
connla-stokes.bsky.social Connla Stokes @connla-stokes.bsky.social · Oct 29
By complete coincidence, the artist Bradford Edwards died exactly six years ago in Phnom Penh — I’m delighted that his ‘Peace Plane’ (co-created with the #Vietnamese artist Nguyen Manh Hung) gets to fly again — and its simple message will be seen once more

pandanweekly.substack.com/p/peace-plan...
The Peace Plane flies again by Connla Stokes
An essay about an art installation created for peace by an American and a Vietnamese artist, whose fathers fought in the war in the Vietnam.
pandanweekly.substack.com
October 29, 2025 at 4:24 AM
mekongreview.com
Please run, don’t walk!

mekongreview.com/subscribe
kirstenhan.com Kirsten Han 韩俐颖 @kirstenhan.com · Oct 13
I don't want to give too much away but the upcoming @mekongreview.com cover (and the whole issue) is absolutely 🔥🔥🔥

So if you haven't subscribed to our magazine yet, you should right now: mekongreview.com/subscribe

We're compiling the mailing list for this issue TODAY so this is your last chance!
October 13, 2025 at 3:30 AM
mekongreview.com
We're compiling our mailing list for the next issue on 13 October—if you'd like your subscription to start with the November 2025 issue, remember to subscribe to Mekong Review before this weekend! (And remember our discount code!)

mekongreview.com/sub...
October 8, 2025 at 3:40 PM
mekongreview.com
Dina Zaman brings a lot from her past to Malayland, but she’s also firm in looking forward and seeking the humanness in Malaysia’s obsession for categories and othering.

Read more: mekongreview.com/mal...

Subscribe: mekongreview.com/sub...
Malayness By Rowena Abdul Razak Dina Zaman’s Malayland emerged from the pandemic, motivated by questions about what makes Malays tick in the twenty-first century—what drives their politics, beliefs, desires and fears. Across seven chapters, she takes us through the interviews and interactions she’s had, either personally or through IMAN Research, the think-tank she founded. Her range is impressive: from the rural to the urban, from different social, political and academic backgrounds. Although her book is readable and familiar, quite “come close and let me share with you, okay?”, it’s packed with information, research and academic rigour. What makes the work even more potent is that she puts herself under the spotlight too. Malayland is as much a personal quest for identity as it is a community’s. Another important thread is the role of Islam—how it has helped Malays, whether it has made them progress or regress, if it’s a thing to celebrate or fear. As Dina discovers, it really depends who you ask. Everyone has their own unique experience and approach, but everything becomes hazy when you look at things collectively. Read more on mekongreview.com Subscribe to keep us going!
September 19, 2025 at 8:34 AM
mekongreview.com
We're turning 10 soon! To celebrate, we're sharing a discount code, valid until the end of November. If you want your subscription to start with the November 2025 issue (our 10th anniversary issue!), remember to subscribe by 10 October, before we compile our mailing list!

mekongreview.com/sub...
September 17, 2025 at 4:13 AM
Reposted by Mekong Review
luke-buckmaster.bsky.social
Just read the very good article about scam compounds in Myanmar. Lots of interesting stuff in this edition.
mekongreview.com Mekong Review @mekongreview.com · Aug 1
It’s August, which means a new issue of Mekong Review 🥳

In this issue: young K-pop stans in Myanmar join resistance efforts, the contestation of Indonesia’s history, an interview with Saigon Soul Revival… and more!

Order online: ko-fi.com/s/a3e8a4c60d
September 13, 2025 at 4:21 AM
mekongreview.com
Nepal’s prime minister has resigned, and the parliament building was set on fire amid anti-corruption protests

www.bbc.com/news/live/c7...
Nepal's parliament set on fire after PM resigns over anti-corruption protests
A social media ban that aimed to stifle an anti-corruption movement sparked unrest leaving at least 22 dead since Monday.
www.bbc.com
September 10, 2025 at 3:31 AM
Reposted by Mekong Review
caitlinmccaffrie.bsky.social
“Even when there’s no reason to believe things will improve, we can’t help but cling to this diminishing hope"

Poignant piece from @mono24.bsky.social in @mekongreview.com on Cambodia's golden age of journalism, feat. Mech Dara, Kann Vicheika and Phuong Vantha:

mekongreview.com/memories-of-...
Memories of a golden age - Mekong Review
In the face of funding cuts and growing oppression, Cambodian reporters cling on to hope through memories of a golden age of journalism
mekongreview.com
September 9, 2025 at 3:41 AM