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SCMP’s Asia desk

As another year comes to a close, it’s time to reflect on the most offbeat tales of the past 12 months.
As ever, there’s a selection of bizarre animal tales – yetis, pythons, oarfish and heroic dogs – and more than a few lashings of online outrage, stoked by drinking stunts, Photoshop fails and harsh words about a popular Asian fruit.

‘Sex trainers’ deported from Thailand
The Thai beachside city of Pattaya has long had a reputation for its seedy nightlife but the story of Russians and Belarusians running ‘sex training courses’ still turned heads. Anastasia Vashukevich, known by her pen name Nastya Rybka, had spent nine months in a Thai jail after a police bust and was deported in January. She added an extra layer of intrigue to an already seedy story by claiming her connection to oligarch Oleg Deripaska had given her inside information about Russian meddling in the 2016 US presidential election.


 Getting fired? Hire a support clown
New Zealand man Joshua Jack had an uneasy feeling when his bosses called him in for a meeting: he was either getting promoted at the advertising agency where he worked or being fired. So he took the responsible step and hired a “support clown” to accompany him. “I thought it’s best to bring in a professional and so I paid NZ$200 (US$134),” Jack said. He still got sacked but at least he had balloon animals at the end of it. The clown also mimed crying expressions as Jack went over the paperwork describing his termination.
The rise of DNA dating in Japan
Japanese singles have become so frustrated with their dating prospects that a new cutting-edge method of matchmaking has emerged. The service costs 36,000 yen (US$330) and plots differences in applicants’ human leucocyte antigen, or HLA genes. According to the science, the greater the genetic distance between two people’s HLA molecules, the more attractive they might find one another. Given the push by governments to drive up plummeting birth rates in countries such as Japan and Singapore, some DNA matchmaking firms are even being supported by the state.

Why does this colonial bs persist in food writing? That some tropical people 'let a food rot' or 'use it as birdfeed' until the white saviour discovers value in it as vegan miracle, superfood etc. https://t.co/YRXSl7MwXf @zoesqwilliams @guardian 1/2
— Niranjana Ramesh (@niranjwrite) March 27, 2019

Jackfruit backlash
The Guardian newspaper waded into a fruit-related controversy when it published a column by Zoe Williams describing jackfruit as a “spectacularly ugly, smelly … pest-plant” which people consumed “only if they had nothing better to eat”. Jackfruit is popular in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, so Williams’ assessment was assailed online as tone deaf. “This is one of the most offensive bits of food writing I have read in a while, and trust, there is a lot of competition on this front,” Vindhya Buthpitiya, a researcher at University College London, wrote on Twitter.
Hero dog rescues buried baby
Ping Pong has only three working legs, but the six-year-old dog became the toast of his village, northeast of Bangkok, in May. His digging and scratching at the ground alerted villagers who discovered a newborn baby who had been buried alive by his 15-year-old mother. “Ping Pong was hit by a car, so he’s disabled,” his owner said. “But I kept him because he’s so loyal and obedient, and always helps me out when I go into the fields to tend to my cattle. He’s loved by the entire village. It’s amazing he found the baby.”

Oarfish herald disaster in Japan
Superstitious Japanese netizens went into overdrive in January after a series of oarfish sightings: long, eel-like fish that inhabit the deep sea and are rarely seen near the surface. Legend has it that when they migrate to the shallows, it foretells tragedy, particularly earthquakes and tsunami. The belief persists in Japan despite experts debunking the connection between the fish and natural disasters. “I’m not a specialist in fish, but there is no academic literature that has proven a scientific link,” said Professor Shigeo Aramaki, a seismologist at the University of Tokyo.
How much halal?
Islam has strict rules about food and drink – mostly relating to pork and alcohol, which are forbidden. However, halal certification is now big business, having developed into a marker of quality. Accordingly, a dizzying array of products are now subject to halal certification, particularly in Malaysia, which has sought to establish itself a global halal hub. Everything from coconuts to cosmetics, transport to pharmaceuticals, health care to banking can now be certified halal. Electronics giant Sharp has even produced a halal-certified refrigerator.


‘Tornado’ drinking technique stolen
Chinese man Hebei Pangzai became a cult figure online for his videos showing him drinking vast quantities of alcohol, gaining a following of more than 130,000 users. He also claims to have invented the “tornado” technique for drinking beer, swirling his bottle around before chugging it in seconds. New Zealanders, however, were unimpressed, and took to social media to claim ownership. As they pointed out, late comedian Johnny Danger had in fact invented the technique, known as a “vortex”, to slam a beer down quickly.
blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
For the first time, an #IndianArmy Moutaineering Expedition Team has sited Mysterious Footprints of mythical beast 'Yeti' measuring 32x15 inches close to Makalu Base Camp on 09 April 2019. This elusive snowman has only been sighted at Makalu-Barun National Park in the past. pic.twitter.com/AMD4MYIgV7
— ADG PI - INDIAN ARMY (@adgpi) April 29, 2019 

Indian military ‘finds yeti’
The Indian military risked becoming the butt of online ridicule when it posted photos of what it claimed were “yeti footprints” in the Himalayas. The army said the footprints measured 32 inches by 15 inches and were spotted by a team on April 9 close to the Makalu Base Camp, an isolated area on the Nepal-China frontier. The online reaction to the military’s claims was scathing. “Seriously disappointing to see Army propagating such foolish myths into reality. Expected better from you guys,” one Twitter user said.

Indian driver uses cow dung to beat heat
A punishing heatwave in May prompted one Indian driver to employ an unusual method of keeping her car cool. Rather than crank up the air conditioning, Sejal Shah slathered her vehicle in cow dung. The use of manure as insulation comes from an old practice by rural residents who used it on their walls and floors – it would keep their homes warm in winter and cooler in summer. “Best use of cow dung I have ever seen,” wrote Facebook user Rupesh Gauranga Das after sharing the images of the vehicle.

Dug some more, found the OG dirty shoes in a Fiji Times article… LOL #shoegate #auspol https://t.co/DW3FgsJE7f pic.twitter.com/V4RUeGlaed
— Luke ‍♂️ (@lukerhn) January 8, 2019

Australian Prime Minister’s Photoshop fail
It was meant to be a cheery portrait of Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and his family. An overly officious staffer, however, went the extra mile by editing the pictures, adding dazzlingly white shoes in place of Morrison’s slightly battered trainers. And the internet spotted it: as well as the fact Morrison now had two left shoes. Morrison took the gaffe in good humour, tweeting: “Message to my Department (PM&C): I didn’t ask for the shoeshine, but if you must Photoshop, please focus on the hair (lack thereof), not the feet!”
Kim Kardashian gets it badly wrong
Kim Kardashian was accused of cultural appropriation this year after she ill-advisedly registered the name “Kimono” for her new line of shapewear, inviting a torrent of criticism that eventually persuaded her to withdraw the copyright application. “Trademarking & profiting without any actual true appreciation and recognition of the origin of the name, a cultural garment from Japan, is just gross,” one Twitter user wrote. Even the Kyoto mayor became involved, urging the reality TV star to reconsider her use of the name.

68mm just fell in the last hour at Kununurra. Flushed all the cane toads out of my brothers dam. Some of them took the easy way out - hitching a ride on the back of a 3.5m python. pic.twitter.com/P6mPc2cVS5
— Andrew Mock (@MrMeMock) December 30, 2018

Toads take a ride on a python
Summer storms tore through the remote Australian town of Kununurra, dumping almost 70mm into the Mock family’s dam. Worried that the dam would overflow, Paul Mock ventured outside to inspect. It was then he noticed a three-metre python hastily making for higher ground with several cane toads hanging on. Cane toads are a damaging pest in Australia’s tropical north, with their apparently unstoppable march from east to west over the past few decades invading communities and devastating ecosystems. Apparently the pythons don’t mind.
Singapore offended by Lady Gaga
In the interests of preserving racial harmony, Singaporean parliamentarians were presented with a list of popular songs containing potentially offensive lyrics. The list, which contained songs by Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande containing religious imagery, was met with derision after appearing online. “These songs might upset a few strict Christian parents, but by no stretch of the imagination do they incite violence against Christians,” said Tiffany Chuang, a Singaporean sociology PhD candidate at the University of Michigan.


Carousell, YouTrip, SenseTime: the Asian start-ups that grabbed headlines in 2019

Huawei to trade war to Hong Kong dollar: 2019’s top 10 economy stories

Sex trainers, Kim Kardashian, yetis and Photoshop fails: the year’s best offbeat stories

China 2019 Year in Review

Year in Review 2019

Kim Kardashian launched her own ill-advisedly named Kimono range. Photo: Reuters

=== PHOTO CAPTURED FROM FACEBOOK === Facebook

FILE PHOTO: Model Anastasia Vashukevich, also known as Nastya Rybka, who was deported from Thailand to Russia after her arrest and pleading guilty to charges including conspiracy and soliciting, is escorted before a court hearing in Moscow, Russia January 19, 2019. REUTERS/Tatyana Makeyeva/File Photo

Oarfish

Divorce in Malaysia, Thai consort no more and new emperor in Japan: 2019 for Asia’s royals

Thailand’s King Maha Vajiralongkorn and former royal consort Sineenat Wongvajirapakdi, who was stripped of her titles in October. Photo: Reuters

FILE - In this April 19, 2018, file photo, the Sultan of Brunei Hassanal Bolkiah listens during the first executive session of the CHOGM summit at Lancaster House in London. Brunei's sultan has said a moratorium on capital punishment is in effect for new Shariah criminal laws including stoning people for gay sex and adultery that sparked an international outcry. Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah said Sunday, May 5, in a speech to mark the start of Ramadan that he was aware of the "many questions and misperceptions" over the penalties provided for under new sections of Brunei's Shariah Penal Code, but stressed that there should be no fear.(AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, File)

Japanese Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako arrive at Kashihara Jingumae Station in Nara Prefecture on Nov. 27, 2019, during their trip to visit imperial burial sites. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

This Year in Asia: Huawei, Hong Kong protests, domestic workers and toxic masculinity in K-pop are our most-read stories from 2019

The ways in which the Hong Kong protests affected the rest of Asia were the year’s most widely read topic. Photo: Reuters

Russia's President Vladimir Putin (L), India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi (C) and China's President Xi Jinping pose for a picture during a meeting on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Osaka, Japan June 28, 2019. Sputnik/Mikhail Klimentyev/Kremlin via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY.

Candle light vigil for Adelina and all the victims of human trafficking at Patterson Street in Causeway Bay. Late Adelina Lisao, a domestic worker in Malaysia, was reportedly tortured by her employer. 25FEB18 SCMP / Dickson Lee

=== PHOTO CAPTURED FROM FACEBOOK === Li Huanwu (R) and Heng Yirui (L) is marrying in South Africa. Photo: Facebook

Hennessy Road near Causeway Bay is a complete sea of black as Hongkongers of every age, profession and background, from every corner of the city, march in a massive show of solidarity and defiance against the extradition bill. 16JUN19

(FILES) In this file photo taken on March 14, 2019, Seungri, a member of the K-pop boy group BIGBANG, arrives for questioning over criminal allegations at the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency in Seoul. - Female K-pop stars and actors fearing stigmatisation have rushed to issue denials that they appear in sex videos secretly shot by male singers, illustrating women's worries about victim-blaming in the face of South Korea's enduring conservative social values. In three days no fewer than five male K-pop singers, including mega star Seungri, have been identified as recipients of illicit videos made by singer-songwriter Jung Joon-young of sexual acts with women, taken without their consent. (Photo by Jung Yeon-je / AFP) / TO GO WITH SKorea-gender-social-music, FOCUS by Claire LEE

FILE PHOTO: A surveillance camera is seen in front of the Huawei logo outside its factory campus in Dongguan, Guangdong province, China, March 25, 2019. REUTERS/Tyrone Siu/File Photo

Marjorie (left) and Gretchen Barretto. Photo: Instagram

FILE - In this Aug. 20, 2018 file photo, Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad speaks to reporters during a news conference at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. After nearly a generation out of power, the 93-year-old is clearly relishing his return to power. (How Hwee Young/Pool Photo via AP, File)

Lee Hsien Loong, Singapore's prime minister, pauses during a Q&A panel at a dinner in honor of the Bloomberg New Economy Forum on Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2018. The New Economy Forum, organized by Bloomberg Media Group, a division of Bloomberg LP, aims to bring together leaders from public and private sectors to find solutions to the world's greatest challenges. Photographer: Giulia Marchi/Bloomberg

This Year in Asia: from Huawei to the Hong Kong protests, here are 2019’s best stories as picked by our journalists

The June 30 cover for This Week in Asia. Design: Huy Truong

Identification tags left by US marines who have gone to Mount Suribachi to remember lost soldiers. Photo: SCMP

epa06963645 South Korean Cho Hye-do (L), 86, meets with her North Korean older sister Cho Sun-do (R), 89, during the last-day of inter-Korean family reunions at Mount Kumgang resort, North Korea, 22 August 2018. In a first family reunion since three years, some 180 Koreans from separated families will meet between 20 to 26 August. EPA-EFE/O JONGCHAN / POOL SOUTH KOREA OUT

An elderly woman drags a trolley load of cardboard for recycling in front of a police water cannon vehicle, which was used minutes before to disperse protesters, in Hong Kong on November 2, 2019. - Hong Kong police fired tear gas and water cannon on November 2 as thousands of protesters hit the streets, defying authorities with another unsanctioned march as the democracy movement shows no signs of abating after nearly five months. (Photo by Anthony WALLACE / AFP)

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FILE PHOTO: Demonstrators block a road access to a copper mine during a protest in Fuerabamba, Apurimac, Peru, March 29, 2019. REUTERS/Mitra Taj/File Photo

Graphic layout ***PAY PER USE. Please re-download from vendor website.*** Shutterstock ID 48647659, 300895910 grunge brush strokes paint design background Business man stress and sitting on isolated white background Korea Mental Health_Online

Four of the best known clerics behind the hijrah movement gripping Indonesian millennials. Photo: YouTube

Duterte. What's in a name, anyway?

Stir-fried asam laksa, Tracy Goh's modern take on the fish-based tamarind laksa .Photo: Handout

Funders Keepers. Can Malaysia Capture Asia's Start-up Crown?

Manisha Uke's daughter, Janhavi, playing in her home. Photo: Kunal Purohit

A man uses his smartphone as he stands near a billboard for Chinese technology firm Huawei at the PT Expo in Beijing, Thursday, Oct. 31, 2019. The government-organized event comes amid a trade dispute with Washington in part over China's plans for the state-led championing of its own global technology competitors. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

A woman whose name was left off the draft National Register of Citizens queues in Guwahati, Assam, to collect forms to file an appeal. Photo: AFP

Photo: Handout

Image of residential buildings and the Orchard district in Singapore. 26MAY19 SCMP / Roy Issa

***ONE TIME USE ONLY, PLEASE CLEAR THE COPYRIGHTS BEFORE RE-USE - OTUO*** Myrna Salazar collects pagpag at Joe's Junk Shop in Payatas.

How the Hong Kong protests affected overseas Chinese in Asia and beyond

Pro-democracy protesters raise their hands to symbolise the five demands of their movement, with the Hong Kong Island skyline behind them. Photo: AP

TOPSHOT - Pro Hong Kong supporters hold signs during a rally at the Broadway-City Hall SkyTrain Station in Vancouver, Canada on August 17, 2019. - Ten weeks of demonstrations have plunged Hong Kong, the international finance hub, into crisis, with communist-ruled mainland China taking an increasingly hardline tone. (Photo by Don MacKinnon / AFP)

A police officer fires his tear gas launcher during a clash with student protesters in Bandung, West Java, Indonesia, Monday, Sept. 30, 2019. Thousands of Indonesian students resumed protests in several cities on Monday against a new law they say has crippled the country's anti-corruption agency, with some clashing with police. (AP Photo/Kusumadireza)

===PHOTO CAPTURED ONLINE=== Hong Kong and Mainland Chinese students clash during a pro-democracy protest at the university of Queensland in Australia. Photo: Twitter

Chinese bogeymen, Facebook fails: a year in Asian fake news

A sign outside Thailand’s Anti-Fake News Centre in Bangkok. Photo: Reuters

An aerial view of East Timor's capital, Dili, which makes a great base from which to elxplore Asia's youngest nation. Photo: Shutterstock

Fire crackers explode near supporters of presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto during clashes with the police in Jakarta, Indonesia, Wednesday, May 22, 2019. Indonesian President Joko Widodo said authorities have the volatile situation in the country's capital under control after six people died Wednesday in riots by supporters of his losing rival in last month's presidential election. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)

FILE PHOTO: The Facebook application is seen on a phone screen August 3, 2017. REUTERS/Thomas White/File Photo

A tour boat plies along the Singapore river at Empress Place in Singapore on October 14, 2019. - Singapore eased monetary policy for the first time in more than three years on October 14 as the US-China trade war bites, while the export-reliant economy narrowly avoided recession in the third quarter. (Photo by Roslan RAHMAN / AFP)

A man dressed as "Fake News Media" participates in the annual Village Halloween parade on Sixth Avenue on October 31, 2019 in New York. (Photo by Johannes EISELE / AFP)

epa07923980 Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak (C) arrives at the High Court in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 16 October 2019. Razak appeared at Kuala Lumpur High Court to face charges of money laundering and abuse of power; in relation to his alleged role in the scandal surrounding the state-owned firm 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB). A day earlier, the trial was postponed so that Razak could deliver a speech to parliament. EPA-EFE/AHMAD YUSNI

epa07964341 Thai officials work on their first day at the Anti Fake News Center, after the opening ceremony in Bangkok, Thailand, 01 November 2019. Thailand opens the first centre of the Anti-Fake News Centre to combat fake news, as the latest country in Asian to push for cyber scrutiny with using AI and human monitors to flag posts on everything from health care to government policies. EPA-EFE/NARONG SANGNAK

This picture taken on March 18, 2019 shows an Indonesian election commission worker arranging ballot boxes in Surabaya, in preparation for the upcoming April 17 presidential and parliamentary elections. - Indonesia is probing vote-rigging claims after the discovery of thousands of stray election ballots in neighbouring Malaysia, officials said, as the opposition threatens to challenge next week's poll results over separate voter list irregularities. (Photo by Juni Kriswanto / AFP)

FILE PHOTO: Silhouettes of laptop users are seen next to a screen projection of Facebook logo in this picture illustration taken March 28, 2018. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo

FILE - In this July 16, 2019, file photo, Thailand's Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha gestures after a group photo with his Cabinet members at the government house in Bangkok, Thailand. Prayuth said Friday, Aug. 9, 2019 he is not quitting despite facing mounting criticism for failing to properly take his oath of office. Prayuth led members of his Cabinet to be inaugurated in a ceremony presided over by the Thai king on July 16. However, he omitted a phrase while taking the oath where he was supposed to pledge that he will uphold every aspect of the constitution. The omission has raised questions over whether the inauguration was legally valid. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit, File)

Thailand’s Anti-Fake News Centre in Bangkok. Photo: Reuters

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Meanwhile, rare oarfish sightings in Japan heralded disaster and DNA dating took off


Meanwhile, rare oarfish sightings in Japan heralded disaster and DNA dating took off.
