A Far East Special: Malaysia and Vladivostok

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Presenter Rob Young looks back over an eventful year at some of the cities and countries we visited in the Far East – Malaysia and Vladivostok. First to Malaysia, where the biggest political crisis many can remember engulfs the country. In the past year protests have erupted over the corruption allegations concerning sovereign wealth fund 1MDB and the Prime Minister Najib Razak. He’s accused of stealing money from the fund, while the Prime Minister says the $681 million which appeared in his personal bank account was in fact a gift from the Saudi royal family. We spoke to some of those angry and eager for change, as well as one fervent defender of the Prime Minister, Rahman Dhalan, the Minister for Economic Planning. We also revisit one of the guests we met while in Kuala Lumpur, journalist Amy Chen, to ask her whether the protest movements sweeping parts of the country have led to any meaningful change. Also in the programme, we look at the Cameron Highlands, a well-trodden path for tourists in search of the famed tea plantations but also the place where most of Malaysia's vegetables are grown. It is under threat from various environmental challenges. One of them is flooding and the resulting landslides. We speak to Caroline Russell, the owner of Boh Tea, the largest tea plantation, about the impact climate change is having on her business. On a somewhat lighter note, we complete our radio voyage back to Malaysia by speaking to comedian Harith Iskander. He has just been crowned the funniest person in the world. Later on in the show, we cast our minds back to Vladivistock – the far end of Russia and the endpoint for the trans-Siberian railway, a place of ice and fog. The city is a modest-sized port, ice-free all year round, though the temperature can get down to minus 20 or 30 degrees celsius in the winter. For some it lacks opportunities. Roger Hearing speaks to two students who have very different perspectives of the city they live in. We also hear from our reporter Marie Keyworth who looks at the government’s plan to revive the area and develop empty farmland, by giving it away for free. And playing you out is Ivan Panfilov, the composer of a 20 year old song which sums up the love-hate relationship that locals have with the city. (Photo: Saeed Khan/AFP/Getty Images)