From the question of Britain’s place in Europe to the choice of New Zealand’s flag, referendums worldwide are usually preceded by unbridled debate. Not so under Thailand’s junta.

Many Thais are chafing under strict new regulations governing discussion ahead of an Aug 7 referendum on a military-backed constitution.

The junta that seized power in a May 2014 coup has already threatened to jail anyone campaigning for or against the constitution, which critics say entrenches the military’s political influence.

The 14 rules, which were issued by the Election Commission and formally became law on Monday, make even well-meaning discussion risky, say academics and experts.

Under the regulations, Thais must express their opinions with “polite words … without distorting the facts”. “Rude, aggressive, or intimidating” interviews with the media are banned. So is organising a panel discussion “with intent to incite political unrest”.

Also forbidden are “T-shirts, pins and ribbons” that encourage others to campaign.

Violators can be jailed for up to 10 years. Dissenters in military-run Thailand often receive lengthy prison sentences under draconian laws on computer crime and royal defamation.

The referendum will be a test of the junta’s popularity and a potential flashpoint in a turbulent political scene, say analysts. The military government has promised an election by mid-2017, even if the constitution is rejected.

Groups of all political stripes have denounced the draft constitution as undemocratic, with one major political party urging supporters to vote “no”. “To express opinions using reason. Is that so hard to understand?” Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha snapped at a reporter who asked about the new rules on Tuesday.

Prayuth has ruled largely unchallenged but anti-junta activists have recently staged small but frequent protests.

Nine activists were jailed last week on charges of sedition and computer crimes. Two face additional charges of insulting the monarchy.

Phubed Pisanaka, a recent law graduate who comments on the government on his Facebook account, said the rules would make him more careful. “I have to think twice about what I post and share now,” he said.

Others remain defiant. “I’ll keep expressing my opinion even though I could be criminalized,” said Kornkritch Somjittranukit, a contributor to Thailand’s online publication Prachatai. “If thinking differently is a crime, living inside or outside of jail is practically the same,” he said.

Are you a karaoke fan?

If you are, you may have seen videos of your friends singing on Sing! Karaoke, a mobile application created by Smule that allows you to sing karaoke-style either on your own, with a friend or even British singer Jessie J herself.

Imagine that!

With karaoke being a well-loved pastime among Asians, AsiaOne decided to take a look at some of the most popular and hilarious video recordings made by Asians themselves on the application.

Here are our favourites:

1. Indonesia

Amelldedaramesha and YD_DeniBaadillah singing Goyang Dumang

2. Malaysia

GLEEK_TTimTam_R1 and GLEEK_Andi singing Let it Go

As part of promoting the application, Smule teamed up with singers like Jessie J and Charlie Puth and got them to record a version of themselves singing one half of a duet of their hit songs.

Anyone who has downloaded the application can then sing the other half and record themselves doing so with the singers.

Here are our celebrity duet favourites: 

3. Phillippines

Jessie J and danielle_abril03 singing Flashlight

If you felt that video underwhelmed you, maybe these will impress you:

4. Indonesia

Jessie J and Fahri Ilyas singing Flashlight

5. Thailand

Jessie J and alicealwa_123 singing Flashlight

And if you remember, we even had our own homegrown talent Fairus Adam try his hand at the duet last year. His video went viral, pulling in 854,482 views to date and over 10,000 likes.

6. Singapore

Jessie J and Fairus Adam singing Flashlight

If these videos left you impressed or in stitches from laughing, maybe you could try making your own karaoke video via Sing! Karaoke. Sing! Karaoke is available for download on the App Store and Google Play.

mldas@sph.com.sg

South Korean prosecutors pushed ahead Tuesday with embezzlement charges against the former director of Asia’s top film festival, despite widespread criticism that the allegations are politically motivated.

The future of South Korea’s Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) has been threatened by a bitter dispute which organisers say is rooted in political anger over the screening of a film in 2014 that was critical of the government’s handling of the Sewol ferry disaster.

Lee Yong-Kwan, the BIFF artistic director for five years before he was forced to step down in February, is accused of making fraudulent payments amounting to $27.5 million won (S$32,169) to a firm that brokers sponsorship deals.

Three other former and current senior festival officials were also formally charged on Tuesday.

“We are seeking to punish those who squandered the funds for the festival … without discretion,” Yonhap news agency quoted the chief investigator Song Sam-Hyon as saying.

The prosecutors began an investigation last year at the request of Busan city council – a major BIFF sponsor and stakeholder.

The council and organisers crossed swords in 2014 over the premiere of the Sewol disaster-related documentary, “Diving Bell” (or “The Truth Will Not Sink With Sewol”).

The scathing, highly emotive film slammed Seoul’s botched rescue efforts in the immediate aftermath of the ferry sinking in April 2014 that claimed more than 300 lives, most of them school children.

Busan city mayor, Suh Byung-Soo, who serves as festival chairman, had deemed the film “too political”.

The premiere went ahead after a barrage of protests from filmmakers, but the BIFF organising committee subsequently became the target of a flurry of state probes and the festival received an unprecedented cut in state funding.

The row prompted a group of 100 prominent overseas cineastes including the directors of the Cannes, Berlin and Venice film festivals to issue a rare open letter in February, condemning the “political pressure” being brought to bear on the festival organisers.

South Korean filmmakers have vowed to boycott this year’s BIFF, saying its artistic independence has been compromised.

China’s health ministry will investigate a hospital that a university student turned to for cancer treatment after seeking information on the Baidu Inc search engine, a state health commission said on Tuesday.

The student, Wei Zexi, 21, died last month of a rare form of cancer and China’s Internet regulator said on Monday it would investigate Baidu over the case.

Wei had searched Baidu for the best place for treatment, finding a department under the Second Hospital of Beijing Armed Police Corps which offered an experimental treatment that ultimately failed, state media reported this week.

The health ministry, along with military health departments, would jointly investigate the hospital, the National Health and Family Planning Commission said in a short statement on its website.

The ministry did not give further details about the investigation but said the case had drawn widespread public attention.

Before dying, Wei accused Baidu online of promoting false medical information, and the hospital for misleading advertising in claiming a high success rate for the treatment, state radio said.

Baidu said in a statement it deeply regretted Wei’s death, and it would fully co-operate with the investigation.

Baidu’s shares dropped sharply after the investigation was announced on fears it may hit its advertising revenues and that it could face a sharp response from regulators who are keenly sensitive to healthcare-related scandals.

Reuters was not able to reach the hospital for comment.