Season 10

2023 · 10 episodes

CNA's award-winning investigative series Undercover Asia uncovers the hard truths in the underbelly of Asia, and exposes the unintended fallout of change in the fast-moving continent.

1Prohibited Pregnancy (Singapore)In Singapore, about 170 pregnant domestic helpers are sent home every year, but actual figures could be higher because many turn to illegal abortion methods to avoid losing their jobs. Is there a better way to deal with maid pregnancies?
2A Million Cuts: India’s C-Section EpidemicIn India, nearly half the deliveries in private hospitals are done through C-sections. That's 3 times the rate that the WHO recommends.Are millions of mums being forced into unnecessary C-sections?
3What’s Really Up With Mukbang?Highly celebrated in South Korea. Empowering poor women in India. Banned in China. Why have Mukbang eating videos caused such a stir?
4Double Reduction, Triple The Stress?To score well in China's exams, students had to go for hours of tuition until a ban was imposed. Kids should be enjoying carefree childhoods now. Except tuition never disappeared.
5Cannabis Cowboy CountryCannabis is now legal in Thailand. As research show the impact of cannabis use on the growing brains of minors and young adults, is the kingdom trading its future while cashing in on the Green Rush?
6Smoke And Mirrors: Southeast Asia’s Vaping CrisisSome herald it as the ultimate solution to the tobacco crisis. Others believe that it could trigger a new public health crisis of its own. Why has vaping, the purportedly safer alternative to smoking, caused such polarising views?
7Inside The Exotic Butterfly TradeEvery year, more than 100,000 butterflies are shipped across the globe, sold as collectibles. What drives this obsession? How do protected butterfly species make their way across borders, undetected?
8Lombok's Poisoned GoldIn Indonesia, informal gold miners are relying on mercury to extract gold from its ore. Fueled by crime and corruption, we reveal how the toxic metal and its illegal trade is poisoning miners slowly.
9Tainted Medicine ScandalBetween 2022 and 2023, over 300 children in Gambia, Uzbekistan and Indonesia died after they consumed cough syrup. It sent shockwaves around the world. Investigations revealed toxic ingredients in them. Diethylene and Ethylene Glycol are deadly chemicals which should never be found in medicine. The cough syrups were manufactured by pharmaceutical companies in India and Indonesia. The manufacturing firms deny wrongdoing but, in the months to follow, the findings would open up a pandora's box of dirty truths.
10Inside Indonesia's UltrasThe Kanjuruhan stadium tragedy of October 2022 killed 135 people. We investigate Indonesia's ultra football fan clubs to see why they're the most extreme in Asia, and the reasons behind the disaster.

Episodes