Few years are bound so universally by one event, but 2020 is synonymous worldwide with the pandemic. Yet there was more to the last 12 months than the coronavirus. We look back at 10 striking moments from Asia that had almost nothing to do with Covid-19.
In February, a picture of a Muslim man being viciously beaten by a Hindu mob became the defining image of religious riots in Delhi. Mohammad Zubair, his head still wrapped in bandages, told the BBC: 'No one who saw the photo thought I would survive.' The attack, which took place during protests sparked by a new citizenship law, left him for dead. Despite the severity of his injuries, the 37-year-old survived. More than 50 others did not, dying in violence that also drove thousands from their homes. 'People who do such horrible acts cannot be from any religion,' he said.
In June, North Korea blew up a joint liaison office that allowed the two Koreas to talk directly for the first time since the Korean War. Pyongyang said it wanted 'human scum and those who have sheltered the scum to pay dearly for their crimes', referring to defectors in the South who send propaganda leaflets. The building, launched in 2018 on Pyongyang's side of the border, had been empty since January due to Covid-19. The dramatic explosion marked 'an ominous turning point for the two neighbours', according to one analyst.
In August, Hong Kong's biggest pro-democracy newspaper, Apple Daily, was raided by more than 200 police officers under the new national security law. Its founder, Jimmy Lai, was paraded through the newsroom in unprecedented scenes livestreamed by reporters. The outspoken media mogul, viewed as a traitor by China, could face life in prison. Early the next morning, Hong Kongers queued up to buy the tabloid, which vowed to 'fight on' in a defiant headline. Earlier this month, Lai was formally charged for endangering national security.
In August, a 21-year-old student, Panusaya Sithijirawattanakul, delivered a speech at Thammasat University demanding reform of the monarchy, an institution deemed untouchable. 'No one in the world is born with blue blood,' she said, challenging the royal taboo. Her manifesto pushed previously unuttered questions about the Thai king's vast power to the forefront of the student-led movement. Last month, she was one of several dozen young activists charged under the royal insult law, facing up to 15 years in jail.
