160 episodes

‘WTF is Up in Southeast Asia + Hong Kong’ is a podcast by Coconuts Media that delivers impactful, weird, and wonderful reporting by our journalists on the ground in Singapore, Bangkok, Hong Kong, Manila, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur and Bali. Listen to headline news and insightful interviews on matters large and small, designed for people located in – or curious about – Southeast Asia and Hong Kong.

WTF is Up in Southeast Asia + Hong Kong Coconuts

    • News

‘WTF is Up in Southeast Asia + Hong Kong’ is a podcast by Coconuts Media that delivers impactful, weird, and wonderful reporting by our journalists on the ground in Singapore, Bangkok, Hong Kong, Manila, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur and Bali. Listen to headline news and insightful interviews on matters large and small, designed for people located in – or curious about – Southeast Asia and Hong Kong.

    Bizarre groping at Bangkok EDM fest + other top stories | WTF SEA + HK | December 15, 2022

    Bizarre groping at Bangkok EDM fest + other top stories | WTF SEA + HK | December 15, 2022

    The last episode of the year does not disappoint with this week’s stories true to the WTF brand: notably allegations of security personnel sticking fingers in festival goers’ bras and grabbing crotches at the recent 808 Festival in Bangkok. Coconuts Bangkok Nicky Tanskul (who was also there at the EDM fest) sheds light on the account of a female attendee who came with receipts.

    We also reminisce on the year that was through highlights on the podcast. Tune in!

    Other stories include:

    Thumbs down: East Nusa Tenggara man finds human finger in his plate of sayur lodeh | Search or assault? Thai security grab crotches, stick fingers under bras at ‘808 Festival’ | Blitar Mayor and wife bound, gagged, and robbed at their residence: Police | Activists call on Malaysian government to assist Rohingya refugees stranded at sea | Filipino actress Dolly de Leon gets Golden Globes nod for ‘Triangle of Sadness’ | Best spots in Singapore to soak up the Christmas vibes

    WTF is up in Southeast Asia + Hong Kong delivers impactful, weird, and wonderful reporting by our journalists on the ground in eight cities: Singapore, Bangkok, Hong Kong, Manila, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Yangon, and Bali. Listen to headline news on matters large and small, designed for people located in – or curious about – Southeast Asia and Hong Kong.

    WTF is up in Southeast Asia + Hong Kong is available on Apple, Spotify, Google, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Subscribe today!

    • 32 min
    Indonesia’s new penal code: more than unsexy time + other top stories | WTF SEA + HK | December 8, 2022

    Indonesia’s new penal code: more than unsexy time + other top stories | WTF SEA + HK | December 8, 2022

    The Indonesian parliament quietly passed a bill to revise its colonial-era penal code, with much of the media attention turned to all but one provision: outlawing sex between non-spouses. Coconuts Regional Managing Editor Andra Nasrie gives us the lowdown on what that’s really about, and why people ought to pay attention to other parts of the bill aside from policing sexy time. Tune in!

    Other stories include:

    RKUHP: Indonesia’s proposed new criminal code has a conservative slant, but should we be worried? | Former Malaysian PM denies stealing RM600 billion | Woman from the Philippines raped by American man in Canggu while her friend held her down: Police | 2 meteor showers will light up the Philippines’ night sky in December | Hail Satan? Church-burning Norwegian black metal band coming to Bangkok | COCO CRINGE: Singapore minister puts out anti-scam advisory through TikTok dance

    WTF is up in Southeast Asia + Hong Kong delivers impactful, weird, and wonderful reporting by our journalists on the ground in eight cities: Singapore, Bangkok, Hong Kong, Manila, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Yangon, and Bali. Listen to headline news on matters large and small, designed for people located in – or curious about – Southeast Asia and Hong Kong.

    WTF is up in Southeast Asia + Hong Kong is available on Apple, Spotify, Google, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Subscribe today!

    • 29 min
    Singapore decriminalizes gay sex + more top stories | WTF SEA + HK | December 1, 2022

    Singapore decriminalizes gay sex + more top stories | WTF SEA + HK | December 1, 2022

    The LGBTQ+ community in Singapore is celebrating a hollow victory after a bill was passed repealing a law that criminalized sex between two men, while another was passed to ensure that the definition of marriage as between a man and a woman is protected. Coconuts Singapore’s Delfina Utomo gives us the lowdown on the reaction in the Little Red Dot, and how even the smallest steps for LGBTQ+ rights should be celebrated in the largely conservative country. Tune in!

    Other stories include:

    New Malaysia PM Anwar Ibrahim refuses to use his office’s official Mercedes S600 | Gov’t eyes flying cars for Indonesia’s future capital city Nusantara | Riding BTS will be more expensive starting Jan. 1 | They’re building a shortcut in Canggu (but not the one you’re probably thinking of) | INTERVIEW: ‘I was told that I would never see my family again’ | Dear ‘Underage’ producers, it’s 2022. Can we please stop sexualizing minors?
    WTF is up in Southeast Asia + Hong Kong delivers impactful, weird, and wonderful reporting by our journalists on the ground in eight cities: Singapore, Bangkok, Hong Kong, Manila, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Yangon, and Bali. Listen to headline news on matters large and small, designed for people located in – or curious about – Southeast Asia and Hong Kong.

    WTF is up in Southeast Asia + Hong Kong is available on Apple, Spotify, Google, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Subscribe today!

    • 34 min
    Um, No: Convoluted Malaysian election explained + more top stories | WTF SEA + HK | November 24, 2022

    Um, No: Convoluted Malaysian election explained + more top stories | WTF SEA + HK | November 24, 2022

    Staying true to the WTF spirit of this podcast is the outcome of the recent Malaysian election where Barisan Nasional, the right-wing alliance headed by the once-undefeatable Umno party, lost big. With no parties dominating seats in the Malaysian parliament, the country’s government hangs in the balance — and Coconuts KL’s Aminah Farid joins us to shed light on yet another political shitshow in Southeast Asia. Tune in!

    Other stories include:

    Cianjur earthquake: Governor confirms 162 killed, mostly children | Senior officials insist cannabis won’t be recriminalized | ‘My clothing doesn’t define me’: Aussie beauty influencer Kelsey Foster on staying positive amid criticism over Bali orphanage visit | Leni Robredo recreates ‘Crash Landing on You’ scenes in recent trip to Zurich | Englishman In Singapore: Sting to perform at The Star Theatre in March | Fossil fraud: T-rex skeleton pulled from HK auction after paleontologist raises doubts about its authenticity

    WTF is up in Southeast Asia + Hong Kong delivers impactful, weird, and wonderful reporting by our journalists on the ground in eight cities: Singapore, Bangkok, Hong Kong, Manila, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Yangon, and Bali. Listen to headline news on matters large and small, designed for people located in – or curious about – Southeast Asia and Hong Kong.

    WTF is up in Southeast Asia + Hong Kong is available on Apple, Spotify, Google, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Subscribe today!

    • 34 min
    Hainanese chicken rice… sandwich? + more top stories | WTF SEA + HK | November 17, 2022

    Hainanese chicken rice… sandwich? + more top stories | WTF SEA + HK | November 17, 2022

    We’re not necessarily against culinary reinventions of our beloved national dishes, but when an LA-based sandwich shop put Singapore’s beloved Hainanese chicken rice between two pieces of bread, we had our doubts. But this week’s guest to WTF, Regional Managing Editor Delfina Utomo, argues that there’s some sense in the reinvention, as long as one is open minded enough to try. Tune in!

    Other stories include:

    Watch: Elon Musk’s bizarre, virtual interview by candlelight at the B20 Summit in Bali | Embarrassingly error-filled APEC welcome sign fixed | Batik Air sorry for misplacing the president’s son’s luggage | 1MDB: Malaysia court rejects government request to forfeit designer handbags and jewellery seized from Najib and Rosmah | ‘First world prices with third world wages’: Filipinos compare grocery prices between Singapore and Manila
    WTF is up in Southeast Asia + Hong Kong delivers impactful, weird, and wonderful reporting by our journalists on the ground in eight cities: Singapore, Bangkok, Hong Kong, Manila, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Yangon, and Bali. Listen to headline news on matters large and small, designed for people located in – or curious about – Southeast Asia and Hong Kong.

    WTF is up in Southeast Asia + Hong Kong is available on Apple, Spotify, Google, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Subscribe today!

    • 30 min
    Thai trafficking victims face prosecution at home + more top stories | WTF SEA + HK | November 10, 2022

    Thai trafficking victims face prosecution at home + more top stories | WTF SEA + HK | November 10, 2022

    Thousands of Thais have fallen victim to traffickers who forced them to commit cyber crimes against their compatriots under threat of violence. While such scams have been widely documented, few have followed up on victims after they were rescued and repatriated. Coconuts Bangkok’s Milk talks to us about her three-part story on how Thai trafficking victims’ nightmare continues with prosecution back home. Tune in!

    Other stories include:

    More than 550 doctors fired by Myanmar junta for refusing to work in protest | Babysitter braves Kampung Baru blaze with baby in arms | ‘Kebaya Merah’ and the hardcore risks adult content creators in Indonesia are willing to take | CNB chimes in on Aaron Carter’s death, uses his drug abuse to give anti-drug PSA | Immigration pursuing unruly foreigners after MotoGP wannabe does street burnout in Bali | Inmates now using drones to sneak in contraband, jail bureau claims
    WTF is up in Southeast Asia + Hong Kong delivers impactful, weird, and wonderful reporting by our journalists on the ground in eight cities: Singapore, Bangkok, Hong Kong, Manila, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Yangon, and Bali. Listen to headline news on matters large and small, designed for people located in – or curious about – Southeast Asia and Hong Kong.

    WTF is up in Southeast Asia + Hong Kong is available on Apple, Spotify, Google, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Subscribe today!

    • 28 min

Top Podcasts In News

The Morning Brief
The Economic Times
Global News Podcast
BBC World Service
3 Things
Express Audio
ANI Podcast with Smita Prakash
Asian News International (ANI)
ThePrint
ThePrint
In Focus by The Hindu
The Hindu