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RFA Breaking News: Xinjiang Authorities Detain Uyghur Pro Footballer For ‘Visiting Foreign Countries’

by Paul Eckert

Xinjiang Authorities Detain Uyghur Pro Footballer For ‘Visiting Foreign Countries’ April 13, 2018 - Authorities in northwest China’s Xinjiang region have detained 19-year-old Uyghur Erfan Hezim—a former member of China’s national youth football team—in a “political re-education camp” for “visiting foreign countries” after he traveled abroad to train and take part in matches, according to local sources. Hezim, also known by his Chinese name Ye Erfan, is a top soccer forward in the Chinese Super League who began playing professionally at the age of 15, and in July last year inked a five-year contract with Jiangsu Suning F.C. Two months ago, during winter break, Hezim returned home to visit his parents in Dorbiljin (in Chinese, Emin) county, in Xinjiang’s Tarbaghatay (Tacheng) prefecture, and was detained by police while visiting a market in the county seat, an official from the Dorbijin Police Central Command told RFA’s Uyghur Service. “Erfan Hezim was detained by officers from the Dorbiljin Market Police Station,” said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. “Currently, he is being detained at the Jiaochu township reeducation center. He was detained two months ago for visiting foreign countries.” An officer who answered the phone at the Dorbiljin Market Police Station told RFA he “can’t say where Hezim is currently being held,” and referred further inquiries back to the Dorbijin Police Central Command. A neighbor of Hezim’s parents confirmed to RFA that he had been detained and said his family was in shock. “They have not been able to see Erfan once over the past two months,” the neighbor said, adding that as an only child, his detention had been particularly hard on Hezim’s mother. “Erfan’s mother is ill. She has been crying nonstop for the past two months since Erfan was detained. She is losing herself—she cries and murmurs, so it is difficult to know what she is saying.” A Jiangsu Suning F.C. supporter told RFA that Hezim had visited Spain from Jan. 10-30 and Dubai from Feb. 3-15, adding that his travel was “not for personal reasons, but for training and match purposes.” Since April 2017, Uyghurs accused of harboring “strong religious views” and “politically incorrect” views have been jailed or detained in re-education camps throughout Xinjiang, where members of the ethnic group have long complained of pervasive discrimination, religious repression, and cultural suppression under Chinese rule. Official announcements have stated that those who are sent to the camps include former prisoners, suspects and anyone who has travelled overseas, and say the camps will “cleanse” them of ideology that endangers state security. Last month, sources told RFA that authorities in Ili Kazakh (Yili Hasake) Autonomous prefecture, where Tarbaghatay prefecture is located, have added “interest in travel abroad” to the list of reasons they are detaining Uyghurs in the Xinjiang region’s vast network of re-education camps and prisons. Call for information Reports of Hezim’s detention emerged as the Munich-based World Uyghur Congress (WUC) exile group issued a call for information about “disappearances or arbitrary detentions of Uyghurs” in Xinjiang’s re-education camps. In a statement issued on Thursday, the WUC said it is creating a list bearing the names, dates of birth, city of residence, and dates and circumstances of detention, of individuals held in the camps, which it plans to submit to various institutions of the European Union, and “demand that the EU take action to push for their immediate release.” China's central government authorities have not publicly acknowledged the existence of re-education camps in Xinjiang, and the number of inmates kept in each facility remains a closely guarded secret, but local officials in many parts of Xinjiang have in RFA telephone interviews forthrightly described sending significant numbers of Uyghurs to the camps and even described overcrowding in some facilities. Maya Wang of the New York-based Human Rights Watch told The Guardian in January that estimates of Xinjiang residents who had spent time in the camps went as high as 800,000, while at least one Uyghur exile group estimates that up to 1 million Uyghurs have been detained throughout the region since April 2017, and some activists say nearly every Uyghur household has been affected by the campaign. Earlier this month, U.S. Senator Marco Rubio and U.S. Representative Chris Smith—the chair and co-chair of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China—called on U.S. Ambassador to China Terry Branstad to visit Xinjiang and gather information on senior officials responsible for the mass surveillance and detention of Uyghurs to determine whether Washington should level sanctions against them. In a letter to the Ambassador, the lawmakers called the camp network in Xinjiang “the largest mass incarceration of a minority population in the world today.” Since Xinjiang party chief Chen Quanguo was appointed to his post in August 2016, he has initiated unprecedented repressive measures against the Uyghur people and ideological purges against so-called “two-faced” Uyghur officials—a term applied by the government to Uyghurs who do not willingly follow directives and exhibit signs of “disloyalty.” China regularly conducts “strike hard” campaigns in Xinjiang, including police raids on Uyghur households, restrictions on Islamic practices, and curbs on the culture and language of the Uyghur people, including videos and other material. While China blames some Uyghurs for "terrorist" attacks, experts outside China say Beijing has exaggerated the threat from the Uyghurs and that repressive domestic policies are responsible for an upsurge in violence there that has left hundreds dead since 2009. Reported by RFA’s Uyghur Service. Translated by RFA's Uyghur Service. Written in English by Joshua Lipes. View this s tory online at: https://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/footballer-04132018162312.html Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news , information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA ’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org . To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to engnews-join(a)rfanews.org . ##### All media inquiries may be sent to Rohit Mahajan at mahajanr(a)rfa.org .

7 years, 1 month

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Radio Free Asia Burmese Child Soldier Profile Wins at New York Festivals

by Rohit Mahajan

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 11, 2018 Contact: Rohit Mahajan 202 530 4976 <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org Radio Free Asia Interview with Burmese Child Soldier Wins at New York Festivals As with jailed Reuters reporters, Aung Ko Htway's treatment a "worrisome" sign of press freedom in Myanmar: RFA President WASHINGTON - Radio Free Asia <https://www.rfa.org/english/> (RFA) last night won at the 2018 New York Festivals TV <http://www.newyorkfestivals.com/tvfilm/> & Film Awards for its television profile piece titled, "Child Solider Recalls his Plight <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7qxDV7z_OY> ." The short documentary by RFA's Burmese Service was awarded a bronze medal in the biography/profiles category. Released last August, it follows former child soldier, Aung Ko Htway, as he describes his abduction and forced conscription for nearly 10 years. Following the interview's airing, Aung Ko Htway was arrested and charged defaming the military. He was sentenced in March <https://www.rfa.org/english/news/myanmar/abduction-03282018135909.html> to two year's hard labor. "Aung Ko Htway was robbed of his childhood," said Libby Liu, President of RFA. "Now, after speaking with RFA, he is being severely punished once again. "This award underscores not only his tragic past as a forcibly conscripted child soldier, but also Aung Ko Htway's unconscionable current situation and the increasingly worrisome state of press freedom in Myanmar. "Like Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo, the reporters from Reuters who are being tried, this brave individual courageously shared a difficult story knowing that it needed to be told and is paying a terrible price for it." Myanmar's armed forces and some of the country's ethnic armed groups have long recruited and trafficked children to serve as soldiers, particularly in conflict-prone areas in the borderlands. Military recruiters often snatch children under the pretext that they have committed a minor or nonexistent offense and tell them they must serve in the army or go to jail. Children are forced to undergo training in often harsh or inhumane conditions and are routinely subjected to physical abuse by military personnel. Radio Free Asia's Burmese Service produced an in-depth and personal look into the experience of these child soldiers, telling the gut-wrenching story of Aung Ko Htway, who was abducted when he was 14, forced to serve in the Myanmar army, and sentenced to prison for a crime he didn't commit. Twelve years after his ordeal began, he was sentenced on March 28 <https://www.hrw.org/news/2018/04/02/myanmar-quash-conviction-former-child-s oldier> under Section 505(b) of the country's Penal Code, pertaining to making, publishing, or circulating information that may cause public fear or alarm and incite people to commit offenses against the state or disturb public tranquility. Just this month, legal troubles for Aung Ko Htway have continued to mount, with <http://www.dvb.no/news/union-seal-law-charge-latest-legal-battle-ex-child-s oldier-supporters/80496> additional charges being brought forward by authorities. The award was presented during a ceremony in Las Vegas. Other winners <http://www.newyorkfestivals.com/winners/2018/index.php> announced at the 2018 New York Festivals included CNN, PBS, ABC, Al Jazeera, National Geographic, and RFA sister network, Voice of America. # # # Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA's broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to "seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers." RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. Rohit Mahajan | Radio Free Asia | Director of Public Affairs and Digital Strategy <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org | O: 202.530.4976 | M: 202.489.8021

7 years, 1 month

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RFA Breaking News: John Bolton on North Korea in March 19 interview.

by Paul Eckert

cid:2c3a6694f71098a16c3e3ba7a03eb26f40680d2c@zimbra Interview: Trump-Kim Talks to be 'A Very Short Meeting' if Pyongyang Won't Discuss Denuclearization March 23, 2018 - John Bolton, the former U.S. ambassador to the UN, spoke to Jung Min Noh of RFA’s Korean Service on March 19, just 3 days before the blunt-speaking lawyer was named by President Donald Trump to serve as his new national security adviser, in a telephone interview that focused on the North Korean nuclear weapons issue. RFA: What do you think of President Trump’s decision to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un? Bolton: Well it's obviously an unprecedented development and a very daring move, I think, on the part of President Trump. The real issue is whether the regime in North Korea, after talking for 25 years about its nuclear weapons program and committing on numerous occasions to give up that program, really is prepared to have a serious conversation or whether they're simply buying time to perfect the last stages of the nuclear weapons program and their ballistic missile program. So my hope is that President Trump can have a serious conversation with them about what the real objective should be which is denuclearizing North Korea, and if they're not prepared to have that kind of serious discussion, it could actually be a very short meeting. RFA: You sound still skeptical about North Korea’s intentions in talking with President Trump. Do you expect the summit to be successful? Bolton: I don't know that the North Koreans ever really expected that President Trump would accept the offer of a summit meeting and it's been some time now since the president's decision was announced. We've heard nothing publicly from North Korea. Now, maybe it's just an anomaly and perhaps the talks will go forward, but I think the positive aspect that we could see here is it's a way to cut through six months twelve months of preliminary negotiations. Let's have this conversation by May or even before that and let's see how serious North Korea really is. They've made commitments they’ve violated repeatedly in the past 25 years. I am skeptical that they're serious. I think they were trying to buy time but they've made the offer, the president has accepted, let's get on with it. RFA: It is reported that you had a meeting with President Trump in early March. What sort of opinions did you share on North Korea? Bolton: I don't comment publicly on my meetings with the president but I have written and spoken extensively on the North Korean threat. I think it's very dangerous, not just in Asia and the Pacific, but I think worldwide. I believe if North Korea really did have nuclear warheads and ballistic missile capabilities, they would sell them to anybody with enough hard currency. They'd sell it to the Ayatollahs in Iran, they'd sell it to terrorist groups like ISIS and al Qaeda, they'd sell it to any aspiring nuclear weapons states. I think North Korea it really is a global threat and I think it has to be treated with great concern and great caution. RFA: That meeting (with Trump) was a day before the agreement to hold a U.S.-North Korea summit was announced. Has there been any change in your views since then? Bolton: The fact of North Korean interest in negotiations was made clear when they accepted South Korea's invitation to show up for the Winter Olympics. I think it was a mistake to understand that as anything other than North Korean propaganda, but it was clear then they were seeking an opportunity to distract attention from just how close they were to a capability to hit targets in North America with thermo-nuclear weapons. I think the pattern that North Korea has followed for decades – the same pattern that Iran followed – is that it used negotiations to camouflage their on-going nuclear and ballistic missile efforts. I think we should not fall for that ploy again. I think we should insist that if this meeting is going to take place, it will be similar to discussions we had with Libya 13 or 14 years ago: how to pack up their nuclear weapons program and take it to Oak Ridge, Tennessee, which is where the Libyan nuclear program. If it's anything other than a conversation about how to do that, then I think it shows it's just camouflage for North Korea to continue working toward its long-sought objective of deliverable nuclear weapons. RFA: What is your evaluation of CIA Director Mike Pompeo, who holds hawkish views on North Korea, becoming the next secretary of state? Bolton: I think he's a realist about North Korea. You know, North Korea has made many commitments over the years to give up its nuclear weapons program and it's lied about them every single time. They violated every commitment they've made on nuclear weapons for the last 25 years. There's no reason to think that their behavior has changed. So I hope the Senate confirms Mike Pompeo as soon as possible. I think it's important to have a new secretary of state in place and I look forward to his leadership at the State Department. RFA: What is your advice to President Trump ahead of the talks with North Korea? Bolton: I think he's very familiar with the history of North Korea's duplicity on this subject. I don't think he has any illusions about this regime. I don't think he wants to waste a lot of time talking to them without the prospect of success. You know there a lot of considerations here but I believe that it could become very clear very early in this meeting whether North Korea is serious or not or whether they're just playing games, and so I think it's important if the president sees that they're just looking for a way to waste time, that he make the point that he's not there to waste time and that we expect real denuclearization, not talks about talks about denuclearization, but concretely how we're going to eliminate their program as quickly as possible. So if the meeting takes place, we'll see if that's the path that they follow. RFA: What should the U.S. be prepared to offer North Korea in exchange for denuclearization? Economic aid? A peace treaty? Bolton: I don't think we should offer them economic aid. That happened in the context of the Agreed Framework, where they took the heavy oil shipments and yet did not dismantle their nuclear program. There's no way we should give North Korea a peace treaty. They're lucky to have a meeting with the president of the United States. I think if they want economic progress for the people of North Korea, they should the end the charade of a divided peninsula. They should ask for reunification with South Korea. That's the best way to aid the people of North Korea. RFA: If negotiations are not successful, there are concerns that the U.S. will turn to the option of military action. As one who has argued for military action, what is your proposed course of action in the event of failed talks? Bolton: Let me be very clear. I don't favor military action to eliminate the North Korean nuclear program. Nobody wants to see that happen, but I also believe that it's a mistake to leave North Korea with nuclear weapons. And yet they are very close to achieving that objective. The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dunford said last summer that he thought it was unimaginable to leave North Korea with nuclear weapons. That's the way I feel, too. We we've had 25 years of efforts at carrots and sticks with North Korea. They have played the West and the United States like a violin, and they've used that time to make considerable progress toward the objective of deliverable nuclear weapons. So President Trump has unattractive options in front of him, because he's inherited 25 years of failure, so that he doesn't have much time. Somebody said, you know, we can't kick the can down the road any further because there isn't any road left. RFA: Experts who talk with North Korea say there is not enough time to prepare for summit talks with North Korea. What do you think? Bolton: We have plenty of experts. The kind of expert we need really is less about North Korea, and more about nuclear weapons. I think we've got plenty of time. I think it's a mistake to treat this like a normal summit meeting, with months and months of preparation by lower-level people. We know what the subject is here, at least from the US point of view: It's North Korea eliminating, dismantling its nuclear weapons program and, as I say, we'd be happy to store the program in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. That's what the conversation ought to be about. If it's about anything else, it's a waste of time. RFA: What are your thoughts about the inter-Korea summit talks scheduled for April and do you have any advice for South Korea ahead of this meeting? I think the people of South Korea are very divided about how to treat North Korea. Many obviously support the current government in South Korea, but many others are deeply distrustful of anything the government of North Korea says. So I think everybody in South Korea, for their own peace and security, has to be very dubious about North Korea's commitment to anything that it says. And so that that is a word of caution to the government of South Korea before they agree to anything with North Korea. Using military action to solve the North Korean nuclear issue is on the table but it presents many problems and the South Korean government is against this. Do you see military action as part of the solution to the North Korean problem? Nobody wants to use military force, but I think sensible people don't want to see this bizarre regime in North Korea with nuclear weapons, not only because of the threat they pose but the threat that those weapons would be sold to others all around the world. So military action is very dangerous, but I think it's more dangerous if North Korea has a nuclear capability. View this story at: https://www.rfa.org/english/news/korea/interview-bolton-03232018130326.html Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to <mailto:engnews-leave@rfanews.org> engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org. To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to <mailto:engnews-join@rfanews.org> engnews-join(a)rfanews.org . ##### All media inquiries may be sent to Rohit Mahajan at <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org.

7 years, 2 months

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RFA Breaking News: Cambodia Security Forces Shoot Protesters Dead in Land Dispute

by Paul Eckert

Cambodia Security Forces Shoot Protesters Dead in Land Dispute March 8, 2018 - Authorities in Cambodia’s Kratie province on Thursday opened fire on a group of people protesting over a long-running land dispute with a rubber plantation, killing as many as eight people and injuring dozens of others, according to sources. More than 400 residents of 2 Thnou commune, in Kratie’s Snuol district, blocked National Road 76A for three hours, beginning around 9:00 a.m. on Thursday, after workers from the Memot Rubber Plantation and security forces burned down the huts and razed the farms of 300 villagers locked in a dispute over ownership of the land, witness Tin Pheak told RFA’s Khmer Service. The demolition came a day after Kratie provincial authorities met with the villagers in a bid to resolve the dispute with Memot — which leased the land around the same time residents settled in the area — but were unable to come to an agreement, she said. Around 150 soldiers, police and military police were deployed to remove protesters from National Road 76A, Tin Pheak said, and security forces fired on residents during the ensuing confrontation. “When authorities opened fire on the protesters, I saw two people were killed right away and another two injured,” she said. “As of now, I know that six people were killed and 40 injured. All the six dead are men. Some of those who were killed are from nearby villages.” Tin Pheak said that the authorities “confiscated our smart phones and destroyed them,” apparently in a bid to prevent video of the incident from being made public. “We tried to help victims by sending them to hospitals and we are still searching for some missing people,” she said. “I saw six dead bodies being dragged from a creek inside a forest ... So far two bodies have been claimed by relatives, but the other four bodies have not been taken from the forest yet.” An official with a local civil society organization, who spoke to RFA on condition of anonymity, also confirmed that six people had been killed and “several others injured.” Unarmed villagers Tin Pheak stressed that the clash occurred after “the company sent authorities to demolish and burn down our houses.” “We residents asked them to stop the demolition, but they didn’t listen to us,” she said, adding that the villagers were unarmed and only resorted to throwing sticks and stones at authorities after they opened fire. “Had they not opened fire on us first, we would not have thrown anything at them. The authorities were all well armed.” Authorities later confiscated our smart phones and destroyed them as they were afraid that we used them to record the incident.” The Phnom Penh Post also quoted Tin Pheak as saying that she had seen a woman and man shot dead by the authorities, and had helped move the bodies away from the road. After returning from calling for help, “the police already put [a] body in a car,” she added. Tin Pheak said that she had also been hit in the face by a police official’s gun. The Post quoted another villager at the clash, who requested anonymity, who said he saw a man fall over after being shot in the chest. Death toll rises Later on Thursday, witnesses told RFA they had discovered two more bodies, bringing the total of number dead to eight. One of the sources, who declined to provide her name, said that the eight dead included one woman, and echoed Tin Pheak’s claims that around 40 people were injured, adding that a number of villagers remain missing. She said Kratie provincial authorities ordered security forces to fire on the protesters, adding that two people were killed on the spot, and that many of those injured suffered bullet wounds to the arms and legs. “The authorities warned me [not to talk to media], but I will speak, because even if I die, it will be worth it, as long as all the residents can get their land back and not have their homes burned down,” she said. “I feel so sorry for them, since some of them have many kids. Myself as well — I have five children. If they shoot and kill me, that’s fine, but I just want to make sure that I can get the land back for my children.” Another resident who asked to remain unnamed told RFA that the incident had led to “pure chaos.” “Now it happens that some people are missing and we are still searching for them,” she said, adding “I don’t know how many people were arrested.” A video of the confrontation, circulating on Facebook, shows villagers with sticks and machetes arguing with authorities, including soldiers carrying rifles. In a later segment, dozens of shots can be heard as the villagers run away, and a separate video purportedly shows a man shot in the thigh receiving medical treatment from fellow protesters. Claims dismissed In the hours following the confrontation, authorities offered a significantly different account of what happened in 2 Thnou commune, with Major General Nay Toeung Loeung, the deputy commander of Region 2 and commander of Kratie sub-military operations, telling government-aligned Fresh News Media that “reports by The Phnom Penh Post and Radio Free Asia are totally incorrect.” “There was no death toll and only two people were injured—one in his buttock and another one in his thigh—and they were sent to the hospital right away.” Fresh News also quoted Kratie provincial governor Sar Chamrong dismissing reports that residents were killed and that several others had been injured by police firing on protesters. He said a man and a woman had suffered minor injuries, while another villager was arrested for sparking the confrontation, in which protesters wielded “homemade guns.” The Kratie provincial government also released a press statement denying the claims and calling earlier reports “fake news.” Provincial authorities “conducted a security and safety exercise … surrounding company land so as to prevent encroachment from a group of people,” the statement said, adding that a confrontation occurred after “residents gathered and blocked the National Road 76, whereby a provincial working group tried to compromise for reopening the road, but was rejected by protesters.” “Protesters then employed violence against our working group by throwing knives, axes, stones, missiles from rubber slingshots, arrows, and Molotov cocktails, causing injuries to seven members of our provincial working group,” it said. “As a result, our working group decided to fire into the air, so as to protect our members and protect the safety of the whole working group. No one was killed during the clash, although nine people were injured—seven of whom are authorities.” Information lockdown The Phnom Penh Post quoted rights group Adhoc coordinator Be Vanny, who it said initially reported the shooting deaths, as saying he was simply passing on information he had received, and that he was “wanted” by police. The Post cited Soueng Sen Karuna, land rights coordinator at Adhoc, as saying that he had been contacted by a Kratie Provincial Court official demanding his group retract its statement and that “if not, you’ll have a problem.” A doctor at the district referral hospital and the director of the provincial hospital declined to provide details when asked by the paper about the incident. Reported by RFA’s Khmer Service. Translated by Sovannarith Keo. Written in English by Joshua Lipes. View this s tory online at: https://www.rfa.org/english/news/cambodia/protest-03082018150029.html Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news , information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA ’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org . To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to engnews-join(a)rfanews.org . ##### All media inquiries may be sent to Rohit Mahajan at mahajanr(a)rfa.org .

7 years, 3 months

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RFA Breaking News: Tibetan Dies in Self-immolation in Sichuan’s Ngaba County

by Paul Eckert

Tibetan Dies in Self-immolation in Sichuan’s Ngaba County March 7, 2018 - A Tibetan man self-immolated on Wednesday in Sichuan’s Ngaba county in an apparent protest against Chinese rule and policies in the far-western region of China, a Tibetan source living abroad said. Tsekho Tukchak, set himself ablaze in Ngaba’s Meruma township at about 5 p.m. local time and died at the scene, said Meuruma Kungyam, a Tibetan political prisoner living in Australia who is from the same town as Tukchak. “At the time of his self-immolation, Tsekho called out, ‘Long live His Holiness the Dalai Lama and freedom for Tibet,’” Kungyam said. “The self-immolation was a protest against China’s repressive policy in Tibet.” Tukchak, also known as Tsekho Topchag, was in his early 40s and is survived by his mother, wife and two daughters, he said. Local residents told Kungyam that Tukchak had lately expressed concern about China’s occupation of Tibet and repression of the Tibetan people and their culture. “He paid great attention to Tibetan issues and was very capable of speaking out about the cause,” Kungyam said. “Whether it was at a tea shop or in the market, he often discussed Tibetan issues and convincingly explained Tibet’s situation to others.” In recent days, Chinese authorities have deployed an increased number of security forces in Meruma, ready to crack down on large gatherings and blocking internet service, he said. Tukchak likely self-immolated on Wednesday because he assumed the heavy security presence would have made it difficult to carry out his plan on March 10, Kungyam said, referring to the 59th anniversary of the failed Tibetan uprising against Chinese occupation of the formerly self-governing region. Security forces are spreading throughout the region in the run-up to the anniversary of the incident, which saw thousands of Tibetans killed amid a crackdown by Chinese authorities and led to the Dalai Lama’s flight into exile in 1959. The day will also mark the 10th anniversary of the beginning of several days of peaceful protest that were brutally suppressed by police and culminated in an anti-China riot in Tibet’s capital Lhasa on March 14, 2008. During the riot, Tibetan demonstrators torched ethnic Han Chinese shops in the city and carried out deadly attacks on Han residents. Protests then spread across Tibet and into Tibetan-populated provinces of western China, causing official embarrassment ahead of the August 2008 Beijing Olympics. Hundreds of Tibetans were detained, beaten, or shot as Chinese security forces quelled the protests. Chinese officials later said that 22 people, mostly Han Chinese and Hui Muslim civilians, had died in the Lhasa rioting, but denied that police had fired on protesters. ‘Prayers for his martyrdom’ Meanwhile, news of Tukchak’s death has spread throughout Meruma township and beyond. “Tibetans in Tibet are sad to hear the news and are mourning the death of the self-immolator Tsekho,” a source inside Tibet, who declined to be named, told RFA. “Many Tibetans are saying prayers for his martyrdom,” the source said. “The situation in the area is very tense.” Tukchak’s self-immolation was also noted by Lobsang Sangay, president of the India-based Central Tibetan Authority (CTA), who expressed “deep concern” over the incident and reiterated an appeal by the CTA to Tibetans to refrain from such protests in a statement on Wednesday. Sangay said that self-immolations by Tibetans in Tibet, however, “evidences that repression in Tibet under the Chinese rule is making lives unlivable” and urged China’s government to heed to the calls of those who “long for freedom in Tibet and the return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama back to Tibet.” Tukchak’s protest brings to 153 the number of self-immolations by Tibetans living in China since the wave of fiery protests began in 2009. Most protesters who have set themselves on fire have called for Tibetan freedom and the return of the Dalai Lama from India, where he has lived since escaping Tibet in 1959. Reported by Kalden Lodoe, Sonam Lhamo, and Kunsang Tenzin for RFA’s Tibetan Service. Translated by Dorjee Damdul. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin. View this s tory online at: https://www.rfa.org/english/news/tibet/tibetan-dies-in-self-immolation-in-s… Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news , information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA ’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org . To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to engnews-join(a)rfanews.org . ##### All media inquiries may be sent to Rohit Mahajan at mahajanr(a)rfa.org .

7 years, 3 months

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RFA Breaking News: Rights Groups Condemn China’s Detention of RFA Reporters’ Relatives

by Paul Eckert

Rights Groups Condemn China’s Detention of RFA Reporters’ Relatives March 1, 2018 - Human rights and press freedom watchdog groups condemned China’s detention of close relatives of four U.S.-based reporters for RFA’s Uyghur Service in apparent retaliation for their coverage of the Xinjiang region, as a fifth Uyghur reporter came forward on Thursday with an account of missing family members. The Committee to Protect Journalists said it is “alarmed” by news that authorities in the northwestern China’s Xinjiang region have detained multiple relatives of U.S.-based RFA journalists Gulchehra Hoja, Shohret Hoshur, Mamatjan Juma, and Kurban Niyaz. More than two dozen relatives have been affected by the clampdown, RFA has learned. "Punishing family members of journalists beyond the reach of the Chinese government is a cruel, if not barbaric, tactic," said CPJ Asia Program Coordinator Steven Butler said in a statement. "The Chinese government should immediately account for these people's health, whereabouts, and legal status and set them free,” he said. The New York-based CPJ was responding to a Washington Post report on Wednesday on the four Uyghur reporters, whose work has documented a brutal crackdown on the Turkic-language speaking Muslim minority since the installation of a hard-line Communist Party boss in the Xinjiang region in August, 2016. Amnesty International, meanwhile, issued an urgent appeal for 20 relatives of Hoja, a 17-year veteran RFA reporter, who “have been detained and are at risk of torture” and were believed to have been targeted for her work for the U.S.-government-funded broadcaster based in Washington. “Media reports from Radio Free Asia, Buzzfeed, the Globe and Mail , the Associated Press and others, as well as information gathered by Amnesty International, indicate that in the spring of 2017, authorities throughout the region began detaining Uighurs en masse, and started sending them to administrative detention facilities or sentencing them to long prison terms,” said Amnesty. Hoja’s brother Kaisar Keyum was taken into custody by Chinese police in October 2017, while her parents are unreachable and suspected to be in custody. Another brother of Hoja’s has been detained since September 2017 and her extended family – as many as 20 relatives – are feared detained and being held in undisclosed locations, she told RFA. When her brother was detained, police told Hoja’s mother that her employment with RFA was the reason for his detention. The relatives may have been detained for communicating with her through a WeChat group, according to a cousin who she was able to contact, Hoja said. 'Stop calling inside China' Hoshur’s brothers Shawket Hoshur and Rexim Hoshur were jailed from August 2014 until they won release December 2015, in part due to pressure on China from the U.S. Congress. However, the two brothers were detained again in September 2017 and are now being held in the Qorghos county re-education camp. Shohret’s younger brother Tudaxun Hoshur, who was sentenced in 2015, remains jailed. Shohret told RFA he has heard from family members in Xinjiang who have told him they were contacted by Chinese authorities urging them to ask him to stop calling inside China. RFA Uyghur Deputy Director Mamatjan Juma reported that his brothers Ahmetjan Juma and Abduqadir Juma were detained in May 2017. While the whereabouts of Ahmetjan, who has a family and a toddler son, are unknown, Abduqadir was taken to Urumqi No. 1 Prison, a facility known for incarcerating political prisoners in inhumane conditions in Urumqi, the regional capital of Xinjiang. Abduqadir suffers from heart and health issues that require medical care, and his sister was denied access to him in prison, Mamatjan Juma said. “He needs immediate medical attention. I am extremely worried that his health condition will dramatically worsen without proper food and medication and, more importantly, the inhumane treatment he faces in Chinese prison,” he said. Juma said his mother has suffered a heart attack and has been hospitalized four times in recent weeks. His father died in October, 2017 and he learned of his father’s passing only 10 days later. “I cannot send money to help because of Chinese government restriction on my family,” he said. RFA Uyghur broadcaster Kurban Niyaz’s youngest brother, Hasanjan Niyaz, was arrested in May 2017 in Bugur county, and in July sentenced to six years in jail on charges of “holding ethnic hatred.” Fifth RFA reporter affected Niyaz’s other relatives in Xinjiang have been visited by police, who have questioned them about Niyaz and another U.S-based brother, he said. Following reports by the Washington Post , the Associated Press and other international media outlets that brought attention the fate of the four reporters’ families, a fifth RFA journalist on Thursday revealed that three of his relatives and in-laws have been detained. RFA broadcaster Eset Sulaiman said his elder brother, an educator in the Tianshan region, was picked up by authorities around October 2017 and sent to undergo forced study at a “Political Re-education Camp” in Qomul City (In Chinese, Hami). His mother-in-law, Saadet Kichik, and father-in law, Memteli Sopi, both pensioners in their 70s, were also detained in October 2017 and sent to the same re-education camp. “Because of my job at RFA and my wife’s position on the board of the Uyghur American Association, Chinese authorities have retaliated against and threatened us by detaining three relatives in the Uyghur Region,” said Sulaiman, who last saw his relatives in person in 2008. “Because I cannot contact my family since the end of 2017, I did not hear about my mother’s death in real time,” he said. “She passed away February 18, but I heard this news four days later through my relative in Sweden. I don’t know what happened to my other brothers and sisters,” added Sulaiman. “We’re very concerned about the well-being and safety of our journalists’ family members, especially those in need of medical treatment,” said Rohit Mahajan, director of public affairs at RFA in Washington. “We’re also particularly concerned about the use of detentions as a tactic by Chinese authorities to silence and intimidate independent media, as well as to inhibit RFA’s mission of bringing free press to closed societies.” Amid what many analysts see as a worldwide slide toward more authoritarian rule, RFA journalists have been targeted by other illiberal Asian regimes, many of which are close allies of China. Chen Quanguo's draconian policies RFA closed its operations in Cambodia in September amid a government crackdown on the media, and two former RFA Khmer Service reporters were taken into custody on Nov. 14. They formally charged with “illegally collecting information for a foreign source.” Uon Chhin and Yeang Sothearin, who deny the charges, were denied bail from pre-trial detention and face a possible jail term of up to 15 years if convicted of the charges against them. The RFA Uyghur journalists have produced detailed reports on how Xinjiang Communist Party Secretary Chen Quanguo, who took office in August 2016, has set up numerous detention facilities throughout Xinjiang and imposed harsh policies affecting the 10 million Uyghurs in China. The camps are variously called “counter extremism centers,” “political study centers,” or “education and transformation centers” and are believed to hold tens of thousands of Uyghurs as well as ethnic Kazakhs and other Muslim minorities. “People are often sent to these detention facilities if they are known religious practitioners, have relations with ‘foreign contacts,’ or have themselves been caught up in social stability campaigns or have relatives who were involved in the same,” said Amnesty International in its appeal for Hoja’s relatives. “Authorities have detained people who receive phone calls from outside of China. Authorities have also tried to ensure that nobody uses encrypted messaging apps, and instead rely on domestic apps, which have no encryption or other privacy safeguards,” said Amnesty. Asked about the detentions at a news conference in Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said he had no information on the cases. “I suggest you raise your question to the competent department,” he said Wednesday, adding: “We welcome all foreign media to do fair and objective reporting in China.” RFA, which broadcasts in nine languages in six authoritarian Asian countries, “is the only Uyghur voice in the free world out of the control of the Chinese government,” said Dolkun Isa, president of World Uyghur Congress, an advocacy group in Washington. “We know that Chinese government has illegally detained hundreds of thousands of innocent Uyghurs in concentration camps. But we had never imagined that Chinese government would go after the loved ones of Uyghur journalists working at RFA,” he added. Despite China’s rising wealth and growing global clout, the Chinese media languishes near the bottom of most major international rankings of media freedom. "China continues to be the world’s biggest prison for journalists ... and continues to improve its arsenal of measures for persecuting journalists and bloggers," Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said in its annual report for 2017. The Paris-based RSF ranked China 176 th in press freedom last year, above only Syria, Turkmenistan, North Korea and Eritrea. Reported by RFA's Uyghur and English Services. View this s tory online at: https://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/reporters-relatives-03012018164751.… Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news , information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA ’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org . To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to engnews-join(a)rfanews.org . ##### All media inquiries may be sent to Rohit Mahajan at mahajanr(a)rfa.org .

7 years, 3 months

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Widow of Slain Cambodian Government Critic Kem Ley is Granted Asyum in Australia

by Richard Finney

cid:db5c53ccb2f2c28f5afa2b46deb76600b893914b@zimbra Widow of Slain Cambodian Government Critic Kem Ley is Granted Asyum in Australia Feb. 19, 2018--Bou Rachana, widow of slain Cambodian social commentator and government critic Kem Ley, has been granted asylum in Australia, leaving with her five sons from Thailand and arriving in Melbourne on Feb. 17, an Australian lawmaker told RFA's Khmer Service on Monday. It was unclear shortly before they left whether Bou Rachana's youngest child, a toddler, would be allowed to leave with her, as he was born in Thailand and was not given a birth certificate. But Australian authorities convinced the Thai government to allow them all to leave together, Hong Lim, a member of Australia's Victoria state legislative assembly, said, speaking to RFA by phone on Feb. 19. Hong Lim said that he and the Cambodian community in Australia are "thrilled" to welcome Bou Rachana to the country. "We think that she and her children will have much better lives here than in Cambodia," he said. Housing and support for the family will now have to be arranged so that Bou Rachana's children can resume their schooling, Hong Lim said, adding that a welcoming ceremony has been planned for Bou Rachana and her family at a local temple on Saturday, Feb. 24. Bou Rachana's husband Kem Ley, a popular political commentator, was gunned down in broad daylight in Phnom Penh on July 10, 2016, 36 hours after discussing on an RFA Khmer call-in show a report by the London-based group Global Witness detailing the wealth of the family of Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, who has ruled Cambodia for 32 years. Though authorities later charged a former soldier with the murder and sentenced him to life in prison, many in Cambodia did not believe the government's story that Kem Ley was killed by the man over a debt. Kem Ley's body was kept for two weeks at a Buddhist temple before being taken to his home town in Cambodia's Takeo province on July 24, with hundreds of thousands of mourners and supporters later attending his funeral procession. Soon after the funeral, and fearing for their safety, Bou Rachana-then pregnant-fled with her children from Cambodia to neighboring Thailand to seek asylum in a third country. They spent over a year and a half in Thailand before being granted permission to settle in Australia. Reported by Chun Chanboth for RFA's Khmer Service. Translated by Nareth Muong. Written in English by Richard Finney. View this story online at: https://www.rfa.org/english/news/cambodia/asylum-02192018112553.html Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA's broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to "seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers." RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to <mailto:engnews-leave@rfanews.org> engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org. To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to <mailto:engnews-join@rfanews.org> engnews-join(a)rfanews.org . ##### All media inquiries may be sent to Rohit Mahajan at <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org.

7 years, 3 months

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RFA Breaking News: Threat of Re-Education Camp Drives Uyghur Who Failed Anthem Recitation to Suicide

by Paul Eckert

Threat of Re-Education Camp Drives Uyghur Who Failed Anthem Recitation to Suicide Feb. 5, 2018 - A Uyghur resident of Kashgar (in Chinese, Kashi) prefecture, in northwest China’s Xinjiang region, committed suicide after he was threatened with detention in a political re-education camp because he was unable to recite the national anthem in Chinese instead of his native Uyghur language, according to officials. Since April last year, ethnic Uyghurs accused of harboring “extremist” and “politically incorrect” views have been detained in re-education camps throughout Xinjiang, where members of the ethnic group have long complained of pervasive discrimination, religious repression, and cultural suppression under Chinese rule. While investigating social media reports of an alleged protest in Kashgar’s Yarkand (Shache) county, RFA’s Uyghur Service determined that a separate incident occurred recently in which a Uyghur named Tursun Ablet had hanged himself at his home in No. 1 village of the county’s Tomosteng township. According to officers who answered the phone at the Tomosteng Police Station, Ablet—a man in his 40s who is the father of three children—committed suicide on Jan. 28, and was discovered by his wife, before members of the provincial Public Security Bureau arrived to investigate. “He hanged himself with a rope,” said one officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity. “I heard it was related to the class he was attending, and that something had affected him,” he said. “The classes were arranged by the Family Committee for people to study the Chinese language, [Communist] party regulations, and so on. As it is the wintertime [and not farming season], it is also to prevent men from taking part in activities that affect social stability.” A second officer at the station named “Ilham” said that a police investigation had determined that Ablet “was struggling with his studies” before his death. “[Ablet’s wife] said that the previous evening, after returning from the training course, he complained about the lessons, saying, ‘What kind of life is this?’” Ilham said. “She said, ‘In the morning when he left the house, I thought he had gone to the class. I went to our old house to feed the chickens and I found he had hanged himself.’” According to Ilham, Ablet’s wife explained that he had “complained about the difficulties he faced in learning how to read and write the Chinese language, saying ‘Other people can read and write, but I cannot.’” Mandarin Chinese and the Uyghur language—which is Turkic—differ significantly, and Uyghurs speak Chinese at varying levels of proficiency, depending on where they live, how they have been educated, and their occupations. Ilham said it was unclear whether Ablet held particularly strong beliefs with regard to his Muslim faith, and if that had been a factor in his difficulties in the class. “All his life he worked as a laborer—he was a very quiet man who kept to himself,” Ilham said, adding, “He looked after his family doing odd jobs daily.” He said he believed Ablet’s suicide was motivated by “verbal harassment” and “abuse of his dignity” he endured at the class. Statements from classmates A third officer—who was part of an investigation unit comprised of village and township cadres, as well as police—read RFA statements taken from residents familiar with Ablet and his treatment at the training course. A statement from Ablimit Abliz said that on the morning of Jan. 25, about 200 people aged 16 to 45 attended a training course at Bagh Hoyla Family Committee Hall, and that 17 people in the class—including Ablet—were unable to recite the national anthem when asked to stand and do so. The head of the Family Committee, Mehmet Tursun Mahmut, told the group that if they could not learn to recite both the national anthem and the Oath of Allegiance to the Communist Party by Jan. 29, he would “send us to a re-education camp for between six months and five years.” “On Jan. 27, 11 out of the 17 people passed the recitation of the national anthem and the Oath of Allegiance test, and the remaining six failed it,” Abliz’s statement reads. “After class, the six people who failed were kept in the building and forced to carry out cleaning tasks,” it said, adding that Abliz was unsure what the group was told after they were finished with the work. According to the statement, Mahmut had made a similar threat at a class at the Yengisheher Family Committee on the morning of Jan. 24, when he called attendees “stupid donkeys” and told them they would be sent to a re-education camp for up to five years if they could not recite the anthem and the oath within three days. A second statement from Turdi Tursun confirmed that six people were forced to carry out a cleaning task after Mehmet Tursun swore at them in front of the class on Jan. 25 at Bagh Hoyla Family Committee Hall. “He shouted, ‘Why didn’t you complete the task that I told you to do within the time allotted? You are all stupid, ignorant donkeys.’” The officer who read the statements said investigators had not determined whether Mehmet Tursun was responsible for Ablet’s death, as they had only asked about whether abuse had taken place during the classes he attended. “According to witnesses, Mehmet Tursun Mahmut told him that he had until the 29th to remember and recite everything,” he said, adding that he believed Ablet was frightened about the consequences of failing to do so. He said Ablet was discovered hanging from a trellis supporting grapevines in the courtyard of his old home, and that he had used a pile of bricks to position himself. An ambulance team pronounced Ablet dead at the scene without bringing him to the hospital, and he was buried on the same day, the officer said. Ablet had never committed any crimes and had no record of arguments with his neighbors or others, he added. Camp network Prior reporting by RFA’s Uyghur Service found that as arrests in Xinjiang increased around the sensitive 19th Communist Party Congress in Beijing in October, the region’s re-education camps have been inundated by detainees, who are forced to endure cramped and squalid conditions in the facilities. Chinese authorities have not publicly acknowledged the existence of re-education camps in Xinjiang, and the number of inmates kept in each facility remains a closely guarded secret, but Uyghur activists estimate that up to 1 million Uyghurs have been detained throughout the region since April 2017. Since Xinjiang party chief Chen Quanguo was appointed to his post in August 2016, he has initiated unprecedented repressive measures against the Uyghur people and ideological purges against so-called “two-faced” Uyghur officials—a term applied by the government to Uyghurs who do not willingly follow directives and exhibit signs of “disloyalty.” China regularly conducts “strike hard” campaigns in Xinjiang, including police raids on Uyghur households, restrictions on Islamic practices, and curbs on the culture and language of the Uyghur people, including videos and other material. While China blames some Uyghurs for "terrorist" attacks, experts outside China say Beijing has exaggerated the threat from the Uyghurs and that repressive domestic policies are responsible for an upsurge in violence there that has left hundreds dead since 2009. Reported by Shohret Hoshur for RFA’s Uyghur Service. Translated by RFA’s Uyghur Service. Written in English by Joshua Lipes. View this s tory online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/suicide-02052018165305.html Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news , information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA ’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org . To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to engnews-join(a)rfanews.org . ##### All media inquiries may be sent to Rohit Mahajan at mahajanr(a)rfa.org .

7 years, 4 months

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RFA Breaking News: Released Xinjiang reeducation camp inmate describes his ordeal

by Paul Eckert

Interview: ‘I Lost All Hope of Surviving’ Jan. 30, 2018 - Omurbek Eli, a 41-year-old Kazakh national of mixed Uyghur and Kazakh heritage from northwest China’s Xinjiang region, was arrested by police in Xinjiang’s Hotan (in Chinese, Hetian) prefecture in 2017 while visiting his parents and accused of “terrorist activities.” He was refused legal representation and imprisoned for more than seven months, despite never having been tried by a court of law. Eli was eventually freed with the assistance of the Kazakh government, although he believes his family members in Xinjiang remain under the scrutiny of local authorities. Since April last year, ethnic Uyghurs and Kazakhs accused of harboring “extremist” and “politically incorrect” views have been detained in prisons and political re-education camps throughout Xinjiang, where members of the ethnic groups have long complained of pervasive discrimination, religious repression, and cultural suppression under Chinese rule. Chinese authorities have not publicly acknowledged the existence of re-education camps in Xinjiang, and the number of inmates kept in each facility remains a closely guarded secret, but activists estimate that up to 1 million people have been detained throughout the region. Eli recently spoke with RFA’s Uyghur Service from Almaty, Kazakhstan about his experience while detained by Chinese authorities: RFA: When did you move to Kazakhstan? Eli: Twelve years ago. I became a Kazakh citizen in 2008. Since then I have been traveling back and forth between [Kazakhstan and China] conducting business. I had been traveling to [the Xinjiang capital] Urumqi without any hassle, and I have never supported any [terrorist] organizations or groups. Since 2016, I have been working for a tourism company. In March, I went to Urumqi to attend a conference … and then I went to Guma (Pishan) county to visit my family. The day after I arrived, the police came to the house saying they needed to speak to me … That was on March 26. They took me away without any documentation and imprisoned me without any evidence. I was kept in prison until Nov. 4, despite being a Kazakh citizen. They said I was a suspect. They accused me of instigating terrorism, organizing terror activities, and covering up for terrorists. After arriving at the police station, they said, “There is a warrant for your arrest from the Karamay (Kelemayi) City Public Security Bureau” … even though they had no paperwork. [The police] then handcuffed me, and placed a black hood over my head … I was taken to a hospital [in Guma], where I had blood samples taken and was then given a full body examination, without my hood being removed. I was terrified that they might open me alive to remove my organs for sale. After the procedure was complete, I was taken to a prison, where I had to change into a prison uniform before being placed in a cell among 13 … Uyghurs in shackles. I was kept there in shackles for eight days. On the first day, three men—one Uyghur and two Chinese—came from Karamay to question me. They said, “You assisted people with their visa applications, and took money from them claiming you could obtain passports for them.” On April 3, I was taken to Karamay in handcuff and shackles … to the Jarenbulaq district police station and placed in a basement cell. The following day the police chief came to question me … I was not allowed to sleep for two days while I was continually questioned … [about] people who have left from Karamay to Turkey, Syria, and Europe, [saying I] have been assisting them ... I denied everything they accused me of. Then, on April 17, I was taken to the Karamay City Prison. RFA: During that period, didn’t anyone visit you from the Kazakh Embassy? Eli: Officials from the Kazakh Embassy … came on July 16 or 17—a diplomat from the embassy in Beijing and another diplomat based [in the consulate] in Urumqi … They advised me that the Chinese authorities had no right to torture me or force me to do heavy labor. They said that in prison, if I am ill, the authorities must provide medical treatment and also ensure I receive three meals a day. The worst experience I endured in prison was that from the time I arrived, my ankles were shackled together and one ankle was chained to the bed. I spent every day and night until June 13 eating, sleeping and using the bathroom on the bed, with only an occasional bath. Afterwards, they used a meter of chain attached to my upper arm and ankle to keep me in a crouching position. It was agonizingly uncomfortable, and I had to live in that position until Nov. 4, when I left the prison. In the end, diplomats from the consulate approached the Chinese authorities, saying I should be released into their authority if I was not going to be put on trial. The day the [Kazakh] diplomats visited me in July was the only time I was free of my shackles, for about an hour and a half. When I stood up, I couldn’t even maintain my balance—I staggered like a drunken man. I knew I was innocent, but when I was locked up in prison, I lost all hope of surviving. On Nov. 4, I was asked to sign a document [admitting my guilt] as a condition of my bail. I thought, I must leave this hellhole, even if it is just to make contact with the outside world, and I signed the paper … I was then taken to a political re-education camp, where I remained for 20 days … The place was just like a prison, with guards at the gate. RFA: How many people were sharing one room? Eli: There were 23 in my room … There were cameras installed in the room, so we were under observation all the time. People who were kept there included teenagers, the middle-aged, and the elderly, and they were all from different backgrounds. There were government employees and teachers. I also saw a whole family—father, mother, and child. People who had completed their prison sentences were transferred there for re-education. The government employees were accused of being two-faced [a term applied by the government to Uyghurs who do not willingly follow directives and exhibit signs of “disloyalty], which was the most convenient allegation to use. They were 70-80 percent Uyghur, 20-30 percent Kazakh, and no other ethnic groups represented. According to what I heard, there were more than 1,000 young men in the camp, which was comprised of three different areas, designated A, B, and C. I was in area C, along with approximately 300 other men. Sleeping hours were from 12:00 a.m. to 6:00 a.m. In the morning, all beds had to be made in military style. If one failed to do so, it was considered an ideological failure. We were made to attend a flag-raising ceremony at 7:30 a.m. each day. After that, we would wash and attend breakfast, where we first would have to sing a “red song” [in praise of the Communist Party]. Those who didn’t know the Chinese language well were taught Chinese. Other lessons included party laws and regulations, and red songs. All lessons were taught in Mandarin and there was an exam every week. Also, during lessons, instructors informed you of trials and sentences, and what offenses they were related to. This was to create fear—they used these examples to show people the heavy price they would pay if they did not follow the rules. In between lessons, there were two hours of military training, marching, standing at attention, and following orders. From what I experienced, I now suffer from post-traumatic disorder and can no longer sleep properly. It damages one’s psychology … but the cadres told me that it takes at least one year to complete the re-education program. RFA: What is the food like in the camp? Eli: It was slightly better than the prison. Breakfast is rice gruel, while lunch and dinner include some meat. I think they sent me there because they wanted me to improve before returning. I had lost 40 kilograms (88 pounds) in prison. [In the camp] if you fell ill, you would only receive treatment if you could pay for it … In the beginning they refused to provide me with medication, but I argued that it was their responsibility to provide me with treatment. As my blood pressure was very high, in the end I was given medicine for it. Because there are armed police—some of whom carried wooden batons—if you showed any signs of disobedience they would come immediately and give you a severe beating. Therefore there was no choice but to obey every order. At about 3:00 p.m. on Nov. 24, I heard my name being called and I was told to collect my belongings and get ready to go. I said to my roommates, “I might be taken to prison or freed, but take care of yourselves.” I was collected by a policeman who told me I would be released and returned to Kazakhstan … I was sent to my sister’s house and my family members were all in tears upon seeing me. [The authorities] claim that through re-education they can liberate people’s minds to embrace the party and love the country, to obey all the party rules and regulations. It was very difficult for me to comprehend the fact that just being a Uyghur or Kazakh, you could be forced to undertake such a re-education regime in a prison. Seeing so many innocent people being treated in such a cruel way left me deeply saddened. >From my point of view, the authorities are hoping that re-educating these people will turn them into lambs, but on the contrary, they are planting the seeds of hatred and turning them into enemies. This is not just my view—the majority of the people in the camp feel the same way. Reported and translated by RFA’s Uyghur Service. Edited by Joshua Lipes. View this s tory online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/kazakh-01302018161655.html Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news , information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA ’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org . To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to engnews-join(a)rfanews.org . ##### All media inquiries may be sent to Rohit Mahajan at mahajanr(a)rfa.org .

7 years, 4 months

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RFA Breaking News: Chinese Authorities Jail Four Wealthiest Uyghurs in Xinjiang’s Kashgar in New Purge

by Paul Eckert

Chinese Authorities Jail Four Wealthiest Uyghurs in Xinjiang’s Kashgar in New Purge Jan. 5, 2017 - Authorities in northwestern China’s Xinjiang region have jailed the four wealthiest ethnic Uyghurs in Kashgar (in Chinese, Kashi) city for acts of “religious extremism,” according to an official, amid a crackdown he said is unlikely to end any time soon. A source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, recently told RFA’s Uyghur Service that Abdujelil Hajim, Gheni Haji, Memet Tursun Haji, and Imin Hajim—all successful business owners in Kashgar—were taken into custody in May 2017. The four men, whose last names signify that they have made the Muslim holy pilgrimage to Mecca, were later sentenced to a total of 42 years in prison, the source said. Chairman of the Kashgar Prefectural Trade Association Abdujelil Hajim—who owns a firm that transports goods between China, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, as well as large tracts of property in Kashgar and Xinjiang’s capital Urumqi—was sentenced to 18 years in prison. Gheni Haji, the owner of the Emin Trading Plaza at Kashgar’s Sunday Market; Memet Tursun Haji, owner of Eziz Diyar Plaza at the same market; and Imin Hajim, owner of the Ibnsina Dental Facility; were each sentenced to eight years in jail, according to the source. The source’s claims were verified earlier this week by Yasinahun, the chief of security for Kashgar’s Chasa township, who confirmed that the four men topped the list of the city’s wealthiest Uyghurs and that they had all been arrested in May, although he was unable to say where they are being held. “Gheni Haji, Imin Hajim, and Memet Tursun Haji had displayed signs of religious extremism, so they were arrested,” he told RFA in a phone interview, adding that their activities were characterized as “abnormal” by authorities. “I was told that Memet Tursun Haji did not hold a funeral when his father passed away. Not holding a funeral is one of the signs of extremism. Gheni and Imin prayed only eight times at prayer service, not 20 as others usually do. That is also a sign of extremism.” Imin Hajim, Yasinahun said, is “a man of few words” who normally kept to himself, but had protested police searches of his home. “He expressed extreme displeasure with our visits to his house related to our security work and said, ‘I am a Chinese citizen, why do you conduct so many searches,’” he said. China regularly conducts “strike hard” campaigns in Xinjiang, including police raids on Uyghur households, restrictions on Islamic practices, and curbs on the culture and language of the Uyghur people, including videos and other material. While Yasinahun did not provide the specific reason for Abdujelil Hajim’s arrest, he said that all four men had also undertaken “unapproved, private hajj” pilgrimages and been involved with imams who were not sanctioned by the state. Re-education camps Since April last year, ethnic Uyghurs accused of harboring “extremist” and “politically incorrect” views have been jailed or detained in political re-education camps throughout Xinjiang, where members of the ethnic group have long complained of pervasive discrimination, religious repression, and cultural suppression under Chinese rule. Yasinahun said he was unsure of how many people are currently being held in re-education camps in Kashgar city, but that “around 2,000 people” were being held from Chasa alone. “Most people are being detained at the Yawagh Street detention facility in Kashgar city,” he said. The security chief also said it was unclear when the campaign of political re-education in Kashgar would end. “At one of the meetings held in the city, one of the Chinese officials said, ‘you can’t uproot all the weeds hidden among the crops in the field one by one—you need to spray chemicals to kill them all,’” he said. “He went on to say, ‘re-educating these people is like spraying chemicals on the crops. That is why it is a general re-education, not limited to a few people.’” “The message I got from this was that the re-education will last a very long time.” Region-wide purge Dolkun Isa, president of the Munich-based World Uyghur Congress exile group, told RFA that China has been “targeting all Uyghurs as potential state enemies” since Xinjiang party chief Chen Quanguo was appointed to his post in August 2016. “Chen has initiated an unprecedented region-wide purge of Uyghur intellectuals, religious figures, businessmen, and any Uyghur who is not pleased with Chinese rule as ‘two-faced’ people,” Isa said. “He has locked up tens of thousands in the political re-education camps, in much the same way that the Nazis did the Jews, soon after coming to power in Germany,” he added. “The international community should closely monitor what the Chinese government is doing in [Xinjiang] and express concern, because the Uyghur homeland is now simply a massive concentration camp.” While China blames some Uyghurs for "terrorist" attacks, experts outside China say Beijing has exaggerated the threat from the Uyghurs and that repressive domestic policies are responsible for an upsurge in violence there that has left hundreds dead since 2009. Reported by Shohret Hoshur for RFA’s Uyghur Service. Translated by Alim Seytoff and Mamatjan Juma. Written in English by Joshua Lipes. View this s tory online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/wealthiest-01052018144327.html Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news , information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA ’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org . To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to engnews-join(a)rfanews.org . ##### All media inquiries may be sent to Rohit Mahajan at mahajanr(a)rfa.org .

7 years, 5 months

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RFA Breaking News: Uyghur Inmates in Xinjiang’s Korla City Endure Overcrowded Re-Education Camps

by Paul Eckert

Uyghur Inmates in Xinjiang’s Korla City Endure Overcrowded Re-Education Camps Jan. 3, 2018 - Political re-education camp inmates in Korla (in Chinese, Kuerle) city, in northwest China’s Xinjiang region, endure cramped and squalid conditions in facilities where as many as 1,000 detainees are admitted every few days, according to a former official. Since April last year, ethnic Uyghurs accused of harboring “extremist” and “politically incorrect” views have been detained in re-education camps throughout Xinjiang, where members of the ethnic group have long complained of pervasive discrimination, religious repression, and cultural suppression under Chinese rule. Sources recently told RFA’s Uyghur Service that detention centers in Korla, the seat of central Xinjiang’s Bayin’gholin Mongol (Bayinguoleng Menggu) Autonomous Prefecture, are “completely full” and have been turning detainees away because they could not accommodate them. An employee at the central Korla Detention Center did not deny that the facility was overcrowded, but said he was not authorized to speak to people over the phone. The head and deputy chief of the center were unavailable for comment, he added, suggesting that inquiries be directed to the local Public Security Bureau. An official with the Judicial Office in Korla’s Qosheriq township told RFA that while he didn’t have the exact number of inmates held at area re-education camps, “it’s been over a month since I heard that the centers were full,” adding that “people are taken to them, but can’t be admitted.” He referred further inquiries to Korla’s Central Management Office, including questions about whether those who had been turned away were sent back to their home villages. One thousand processed But Naman Bawdun, the former head and Communist Party secretary of Bashawat village, in Korla’s Awat township, said that during the course of a few days last month he had joined around 1,000 people awaiting health checks at the city’s main hospital, ahead of being admitted to re-education camps. According to Bawdun, despite his exemplary work as an official and loyalty to Beijing, his wife was detained on Oct. 9 for allegedly “allowing others to preach religion,” after workers were said to have delivered Islamic sermons at her carpet factory. His daughter was removed from her position in the local police force a week later and Bawdun was held in police custody from Nov. 30 to Dec. 2, before being brought to the hospital to undergo a medical examination as part of the intake process for entering a local re-education camp. “I was taken for a medical examination at the hospital, where I saw around 500 people,” he said. “I witnessed women who fainted, as well as many men over the age of 70—a number of whom were being looked after by their children. They were all there for medical check-ups before being taken to the detention centers.” Bawdun said that at around 7:30 p.m.—more than four hours after arriving at the hospital—he completed his medical exam and was moved to a large hall outside of a re-education camp, where he and others waited to be processed and admitted. “I saw 500-600 people waiting in a hall, many of whom were sleeping on the floor … before being assigned to a place in the re-education camp, one-by-one, after their medical reports had been checked,” he said. “My turn came at 4:00 a.m. … but I was turned away as I had failed my health check. When I went back through the gate to the hall, again I saw people sleeping on the floor everywhere.” When asked whether the people could have included visitors that were waiting to see their detained family members, Bawdun said it was “impossible.” “No one is allowed to visit the center or its detainees, so everyone there was waiting to be imprisoned,” he said. ‘Stop bringing people’ Bawdun said that on the day he was brought to the re-education camp, a friend was also processed and admitted, although contacts from the Bayin’gholin Mongol Autonomous Prefectural Public Security Bureau and the detention center bailed him out three to four days later based on a health condition. While inside, the friend said he had seen officials from the re-education camp tell the police to “stop bringing people … as it is already too full.” He described cells that had previously held eight people now accommodating 14 inmates, who “were not allowed pillows” and “had to lay on their sides because there was not enough room to lay flat,” let alone space to turn over or stretch their legs. Other acquaintances told Bawdun that they had seen “detainees walking barefoot,” and that inmates were “not allowed clothes with buttons or metal zippers,” belts, shoelaces, or “even underwear” in some cases, despite average low temperatures of around 15 degrees Fahrenheit (-10 degrees Celsius) at night in December. Bawdun was unable to confirm how many people are typically admitted to area re-education camps on a daily basis, but said those he saw during his visit consisted of detainees being processed “from Dec. 1-3,” and that the chief of the center he went to had ordered police to stop bringing them on the last of the three days. Weeks later, he said, a police acquaintance had told him that detainees were being processed at the camps again, although he did not specify how many. ‘Like a brother’ The former village chief, who has been a party member since 2009 and was one of only four residents of Xinjiang to have ever received China’s “Ethnic Unity Prize,” said he remains unsure of exactly what he had done to earn a visit to a detention center last month. “When I was the district secretary, my relationship with the Han Chinese was like that of a brother—when I had any celebrations I invited them, and they invited me, and when they leased land of 50 mu (8.2 acres) but extended it another 20 or 30 mu (3.3-5 acres), I turned a blind eye,” Bawdun said. “But now I’m in a terrible situation. I used to be the person who led my cadres house to house, promoting ethnic unity, and educating people on government policies in order to prevent illegal activities. All of a sudden, I’m the person receiving this education, and the working group comes to see me almost daily, taking photographs of me to document their visit.” Since Xinjiang party chief Chen Quanguo was appointed to his post in August 2016, he has initiated several harsh policies targeting religious freedom in the region. China regularly conducts “strike hard” campaigns in Xinjiang, including police raids on Uyghur households, restrictions on Islamic practices, and curbs on the culture and language of the Uyghur people, including videos and other material. While China blames some Uyghurs for "terrorist" attacks, experts outside China say Beijing has exaggerated the threat from the Uyghurs and that repressive domestic policies are responsible for an upsurge in violence there that has left hundreds dead since 2009. Reported by Shohret Hoshur for RFA’s Uyghur Service. Translated by RFA’s Uyghur Service. Written in English by Joshua Lipes. View this s tory online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/camps-01032018155622.html Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news , information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA ’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org . To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to engnews-join(a)rfanews.org . ##### All media inquiries may be sent to Rohit Mahajan at mahajanr(a)rfa.org .

7 years, 5 months

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RFA Breaking News: Two Uyghur Students Die in China’s Custody Following Voluntary Return From Egypt

by Paul Eckert

Two Uyghur Students Die in China’s Custody Following Voluntary Return From Egypt Dec. 21, 2017 - Two Uyghur students who were detained after voluntarily returning to northwest China’s Xinjiang region from Egypt this year amid a call by authorities for members of the ethnic group living abroad to travel home have died in police custody, according to sources. A resident of Xinjiang, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told RFA’s Uyghur Service that Abdusalam Mamat and Yasinjan, both from Korla (in Chinese, Kuerle) city, had been studying at prestigious Al-Azhar Islamic University in Egypt’s capital Cairo since 2015 and 2016, respectively. After Xinjiang’s government issued an order earlier this year for Uyghurs living abroad to travel home to “register” with authorities, Mamat voluntarily returned to Korla in January and Yasinjan three months later, the source said. The two young men were immediately imprisoned upon arrival and later died in police custody under suspicious circumstances, despite having no prior health issues, he added. Since Xinjiang Communist Party chief Chen Quanguo was appointed to his post in August last year, a series of harsh policies have been initiated targeting Uyghurs in the region, where members of the mostly Muslim ethnic group complain of religious and cultural repression and harassment under Chinese rule. Thousands of Uyghurs accused of harboring “extremist” and “politically incorrect” views have been detained in political re-education camps and prisons throughout Xinjiang since April as part of an ongoing crackdown. The Communist Party secretary of Korla’s Aq-Eriq village, who said that 23 people are currently detained in his village, confirmed in a telephone call with RFA this week that Mamat and Yasinjan had died “in prison.” Mamat “was the son of the imam of the Grand Mosque,” he said, referring to Korla’s biggest Muslim house of worship, also known as the “Juma Mosque.” Yasinjan was the sibling of an officer from Korla’s Charbagh township police station who had worked for seven to eight years at the township’s prison, the secretary said, adding that “not even his police brother could save his life.” “Yasinjan’s brother was dismissed from his police work prior to Yasinjan’s death,” he said. “He was dismissed because he began to inquire about Yasinjan’s imprisonment.” Enver Osman, the secretary of Lenger village, in nearby Awat township, said he was unfamiliar with Yasinjan’s brother, when asked about policemen who had been recently fired from the Charbagh police station. “We have many who have been dismissed, so I don’t know which one,” he said. Cairo students Some 20 Uyghur students in Cairo are unaccounted for several months after authorities launched a dragnet targeting members of the ethnic minority at China’s behest, two of the young men, who said they endured regular abuse while in detention, recently told RFA. More than 200 Uyghurs, many of them religious students at Al-Azhar University, have been detained since July 4, rounded up in restaurants or at their homes, with others seized at airports as they tried to flee to safer countries, sources said in earlier reports. Dozens of Uyghurs are believed to have already been deported home to Xinjiang, where rights groups say they face a serious risk of arbitrary detention and torture, but many of those who have voluntarily returned home have also been taken into custody. China regularly conducts “strike hard” campaigns in Xinjiang, including police raids on Uyghur households, restrictions on Islamic practices, and curbs on the culture and language of the Uyghur people, including videos and other material. While China blames some Uyghurs for “terrorist” attacks, experts outside China say Beijing has exaggerated the threat and that repressive policies in Xinjiang are responsible for an upsurge in violence there that has left hundreds dead since 2009. Reported by Shohret Hoshur for RFA’s Uyghur Service. Translated by Alim Seytoff. Written in English by Joshua Lipes. View this s tory online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/students-12212017141002.html Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news , information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA ’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org . To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to engnews-join(a)rfanews.org . ##### All media inquiries may be sent to Rohit Mahajan at mahajanr(a)rfa.org .

7 years, 5 months

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WATCH: Radio Free Asia's Look Back at 2017

by Rohit Mahajan

>From the plight of the Rohingya to Liu Xiaobo's death to a dramatic defection in the DMZ, 2017 was full of remarkable stories showing both the struggle and resilience of the human spirit. Radio Free Asia <http://www.rfa.org/english/> was there. WATCH . https://youtu.be/PtFXMbtlg2g Season's greetings from all of us at Radio Free Asia. Rohit Mahajan | Radio Free Asia | Director of Public Affairs and Digital Strategy <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org | O: 202.530.4976 | M: 202.489.8021

7 years, 5 months

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CPJ Report Highlights Threats to RFA Journalists, Former Staff

by Rohit Mahajan

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Dec. 13, 2017 Contact: Rohit Mahajan 202 530 4976 <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org CPJ Report Highlights Threats to RFA Journalists, Former Staff WASHINGTON - More than half of the countries in <http://www.rfa.org/english/> Radio Free Asia's target broadcast region are listed among the world's worst jailers of journalists in the Committee to Protect Journalists' <https://cpj.org/reports/2017/12/journalists-prison-jail-record-number-turke y-china-egypt.php> special report for 2017. The report cites China, Cambodia, and Vietnam -- countries that have imprisoned Radio Free Asia (RFA) current and former journalists, as well as contributors and sources. RFA President Libby Liu said the report's findings underscore not only the threats to free press, but also the importance of RFA's work and independent journalism in these countries and around the world. "Cambodia, Vietnam, and China persecute and make examples of journalists and sources who challenge the narratives of the ruling regimes," Liu said. "By resorting to desperate measures, these countries unwittingly highlight the impact and importance of a free press. "The situation in Cambodia, where two former RFA journalists have been charged with espionage, is especially egregious. Uon Chhin and Yeang Sothearin severed ties to RFA after our bureau was forced to close in September. Yet two months later they were arrested and charged, and they now wait in prison as a Cambodian court pursues what could be a months-long quest to assemble evidence for the prosecution. It's an absolute outrage. "In Vietnam, RFA contributors like Nguyen Van Hoa and Mother Mushroom have both been sentenced to jail and other correspondents are routinely stopped and searched, while their families are questioned and harassed by police. "In China, authorities detain and charge rights activists, citizen journalists, and family members who provide information or comments to RFA. "None of these individuals deserves to be imprisoned or face the might of authoritarian legal systems. Nor should their families and loved ones be forced to suffer at the hands of authorities. These acts of intimidation should cease and these individuals should be freed, without charges and without delay. "RFA thanks CPJ, RSF, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, Frontline Defenders, and other global media rights groups for their sustained efforts to keep pressure on the international community to act." In Cambodia, former RFA journalists Uon Chhin and Yeang Sothearin from its Khmer Service, which was forced to close its Phnom Penh bureau in September, were arrested and are facing charges of "espionage." The two are being held at Prey Sar Prison in Phnom Penh. If tried and convicted, they face up to 15 years in prison. In Vietnam, video journalist and RFA contributor Nguyen Van Hoa was sentenced in November to seven years in prison for reporting on the 2016 chemical spill that devastated the country's central coast. Days after Nguyen's sentencing, blogger Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh, known also as Mother Mushroom, lost her appeal of her 10-year prison sentence for her posts on Facebook about human rights and other underreported issues in Vietnam. According to CPJ's updated <https://cpj.org/data/imprisoned/2017/> database, China has 41 reporters and bloggers currently in prison, making it among the world's biggest jailers of journalists. CPJ also <https://cpj.org/blog/2017/12/in-china-medical-neglect-can-amount-to-a-death -sen.php> documents how medical neglect in Chinese prisons often amounts to a "death sentence" for jailed journalists. While no RFA journalists or sources have been arrested in Myanmar, the country has three reporters jailed and recently stepped up restrictions on media. # # # Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA's broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to "seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers." RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors.

7 years, 5 months

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RFA Releases e-Book of Chinese Dissident Political Cartoonist's Artwork

by Rohit Mahajan

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Dec. 13, 2017 Contact: Rohit Mahajan 202 530 4976 <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org RFA Releases e-Book of Chinese Dissident Political Cartoonist's Artwork WASHINGTON - <http://www.rfa.org/english/> Radio Free Asia (RFA) today released an e-book featuring the artwork of Wang Liming, also known as Rebel Pepper, whose career as a political cartoonist began by satirizing politics in his native China. In this collection of 50 drawings, titled "Drawing Fire: The Political Cartoons of Rebel Pepper," Wang continues to apply his editorial and artistic wit to events in China, while also tackling issues from North Korean nuclear provocations to Cambodian political machinations to the Rohingya humanitarian crisis in Burma. RFA's e-book is available free for download on iTunes <https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/drawing-fire-the-political-cartoons-of-reb el-pepper/id1324163355?ls=1&mt=11> , Google Play <https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Radio_Free_Asia_Drawing_Fire_Th e_Political_Cartoon?id=aYNCDwAAQBAJ> , and the RFA website's <http://www.rfa.org/english/bookshelf> e-book shelf (in PDF format <http://www.rfa.org/english/bookshelf/RebelPepper.pdf> ). "Rebel Pepper masters the art of making big statements with few to no words," said Libby Liu, President of RFA. "Political cartoonists serve up satire, caricatures, and dark humor that can be controversial, if not subversive, even in free societies with long histories of unfettered media and open debate. "In countries where independent thought is repressed and even criminalized, the resonance of visual commentary can be a lifeline." Wang honed his craft in his native China, where the government is more famous for censorship than for a sense of humor, and where often grim political and human rights topics do not lend themselves easily to light treatment. His success in giving expression to the thoughts of his thousands of followers both on taboo subjects and on everyday experiences drew the wrath of the mighty Chinese Communist Party. "I want to use my talents for change using a format that can be understood by everyone," said Wang. "In China, to be a cartoonist is a very dangerous profession. I believe by doing my artwork I help friends and others in China whose voices have been silenced. To have an opportunity to think, say, and, of course, draw anything without fear is a right that cannot be taken for granted." Forced to leave his homeland in 2014, Rebel Pepper first found haven in Japan before settling in Washington, D.C. His cartoons have appeared in the Japanese edition of Newsweek, Index of Censorship, and China Digital Times, among other publications. He began working for RFA in June 2017. Throughout his journey he continued to hone his craft, challenging Chinese state-controlled narratives and expanding his graphic editorials for RFA. # # # Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA's broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to "seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers." RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. Rohit Mahajan | Radio Free Asia | Director of Public Affairs and Digital Strategy <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org | O: 202.530.4976 | M: 202.489.8021

7 years, 5 months

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RFA Breaking News: Tibetan Monk Burns to Death in Sichuan Calling For Tibetan Freedom

by Paul Eckert

Tibetan Monk Burns to Death in Sichuan Calling For Tibetan Freedom Nov. 29, 2018 - A Tibetan monk set himself ablaze and died on Sunday in western China’s Sichuan province in a challenge to Chinese rule in Tibetan areas, Tibetan sources said. The protest brings to 151 the number of self-immolations by Tibetans living in China since the wave of burnings began in 2009. Tenga, aged 63 and a monk at a monastery in Sichuan’s Kardze (in Chinese, Ganzi) county, set himself alight on Sunday, Nov. 26, and died of his burns, a Tibetan living in exile in South India told RFA’s Tibetan Service, citing sources in Kardze. While burning, Tenga called out for freedom for Tibet, a second source said, speaking on condition of anonymity from inside Tibet. “Security officers and armed police quickly arrived at the scene and took his body away,” the source said. “Afterward, there was a heavy security clampdown in the area, with family members in Dando village placed under watch by Chinese police.” “With police now stationed around his house, and phone calls not getting through, it is difficult to assess the current situation,” he said. “Police have not returned [Tenga’s] body to his family yet,” a third source said, also speaking on condition he not be named. Communications clampdown News of Tenga’s fiery protest on Sunday was briefly delayed in reaching outside media contacts due to communications clampdowns imposed by Chinese authorities in the Kardze area. Telephone and online social media connections are now blocked in the area where the incident occurred, RFA’s source in South India said, adding that a phone call he had made to Kardze seeking information ended abruptly when the phone line was cut. “But what we know for sure is that he burned himself for the Tibetan cause, and that he demanded freedom for Tibet,” he said. The second of four siblings in his family, Tenga had worked as a volunteer teacher before joining the Kardze monastery, another local source said. “He was very popular in several villages in his hometown, where he was respectfully called ‘Teacher’ by the villagers,” the source said. A total of 151 people have now set themselves ablaze in Tibet and Tibetan-populated counties in western China. Their protests have featured demands for Tibetan freedom and the return of the Dalai Lama from India, where he has lived since escaping Tibet during a failed national uprising in 1959. Reported by Lhuboom, Pema Ngodup, Dawa Dolma, and Lobsang Choephel for RFA’s Tibetan Service. Translated by Dorjee Damdul. Written in English by Richard Finney. View this s tory online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/tibet/burns-11292017120514.html Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news , information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA ’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org . To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to engnews-join(a)rfanews.org . ##### All media inquiries may be sent to Rohit Mahajan at mahajanr(a)rfa.org .

7 years, 6 months

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RFA Breaking News: Disappeared Chinese Lawyer 'Held in Darkness' in Shaanxi Province

by Paul Eckert

cid:db5c53ccb2f2c28f5afa2b46deb76600b893914b@zimbra Disappeared Chinese Lawyer 'Held in Darkness' in Shaanxi Province Nov. 12, 2017 - Human rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng is being held in secret police custody a darkened room with no access to the outside, according to a rights group that has been advocating for him. Gao, 53, has been incommunicado after disappearing on Aug. 13 from his previous house arrest in a cave dwelling in a remote village in the northern province of Shaanxi. Now, the Gao Zhisheng Lawyers' Concern Group headed by rights activist Ai Ming says it has tracked him down, publishing a brief audio clip of Gao talking about the conditions he is being held in. "I haven't seen the light of day, nor taken any exercise in eight years," Gao can be heard saying in the audio recording, saying that his conditions are even worse than during his three-year jail term at Shaya Prison in a remote area of the northwestern region of Xinjiang. "Things weren't so bad in Shaya Prison," Gao says in the undated audio sent to RFA by Ai. "During my time there, I got to leave the closed cell at times. I also got to leave the prison building twice during those three years." Gao said he is currently locked up in total darkness, in a room where the windows have been blacked out to prevent any natural light from coming in. He said it feels like being confined in an "infinite darkness." "He is currently being held in secret detention, so they definitely won't be allowing him access to the outside, nor any medical treatment," Ai told RFA on Sunday. "We are very worried about his situation in secret detention, that he will be subjected to torture like he was before," she said. "The denial of medical treatment is a form of slow torture ... and we are worried that he might [die in custody] if this continues." Ai said Gao had a number of illnesses. "For example, his teeth have all fallen out, so he can only eat liquids," she said. However, officials gave conflicting information about Gao's whereabouts when contacted by RFA on Sunday. 'Stability maintenance' An official who answered the phone at the Jialu township government in Shanxi's Jia county, which administers Gao's home village, said his case is being managed by the local "stability maintenance" team." "I don't know the details. I think the stability maintenance team is handling it. I can give you the number of a Mr. Xue who's in charge of it," she said. But Xue declined to give a direct answer when asked about Gao's whereabouts on Sunday. "As far as I recall, he is still in the village, but maybe he is here. Yes, he is. He never went [to Beijing]. He spent some time at a friend's place," Xue said. His account contradicted that of Gao's brother, who told RFA last month that his brother had been placed in detention by authorities in Beijing. Asked when Gao went to the friend's house, he replied: "I don't know. This wasn't part of our remit. It was the Jia county [police]. But he's fine, anyway. Nothing happened to him, nothing at all." "[The Jia county police] told us that he's fine. OK, I have to go now," Xue said. And Gao's defense attorney Zhang Lei said the Jia county police had denied being in charge of Gao's case when he went there in person on Nov. 9 to enquire about his client's whereabouts. "We don't know what our next move should be, and we have no way of finding out what is really happening," Zhang told RFA. "Under the law, if he is implicated in a case, the family should be informed. If he's not, he should be a free man." Gao Zhisheng, once a prominent lawyer feted by the ruling Chinese Communist Party, began to be targeted by the authorities after he defended some of China's most vulnerable people, including Christians, coal miners, and followers of the banned Falun Gong spiritual movement. In a published memoir, Gao details the torture he later endured at the hands of the authorities during his time in prison, as well as three years of solitary confinement, during which he said he was sustained by his Christian faith and his hopes for China. Activists say his continuing house arrest even after being "released" from jail mirrors the treatment meted out to fellow rights lawyers and activists detained in a nationwide police operation since July 2015. Gao's wife Geng He fled to the U.S. with the couple's two children after Gao's last disappearance in 2009, where she has continued to speak out on his behalf. Reported by Qiao Long for RFA's Mandarin Service, and by Hai Nan for the Cantonese Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie. View this story online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/gao-update-11122017141322.html Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA's broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to "seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers." RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to <mailto:engnews-leave@rfanews.org> engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org. To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to <mailto:engnews-join@rfanews.org> engnews-join(a)rfanews.org . ##### All media inquiries may be sent to Rohit Mahajan at <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org.

7 years, 6 months

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RFA Breaking News: Nearly 20 Uyghur Students Unaccounted For Four Months After Egypt Raids

by Paul Eckert

Nearly 20 Uyghur Students Unaccounted For Four Months After Egypt Raids Oct. 30, 2017 - Nearly 20 Uyghur students in Egypt’s capital Cairo are unaccounted for some four months after authorities launched a dragnet targeting members of the ethnic minority at China’s behest, according to two of the young men, who said they endured regular abuse while in detention. More than 200 Uyghurs, many of them religious students at Cairo’s Al-Azhar Islamic University, have been detained since July 4, rounded up in restaurants or at their homes, with others seized at airports as they tried to flee to safer countries, sources told RFA’s Uyghur Service in earlier reports. Dozens of Uyghurs are believed to have already been deported home to northwest China’s Xinjiang region, where rights groups say they face a serious risk of arbitrary detention and torture. Last month, Egyptian authorities began releasing the Uyghur students and their family members detained in July and published their names in reports by local media, but 16 of them remain unaccounted for, two young men who were freed on Sept. 13 and 28 told RFA on condition of anonymity, after recently relocating to Turkey. Among those confirmed missing are Abduweli Hesen, from Korla (in Chinese, Kuerle) city; Muhemmet Ahmet, from Kashgar (Kashi) prefecture; Nurmemet Obul, from Kashgar, Abdureqib, from Aqsu (Akesu) prefecture; and Memet Hajim, from Hotan (Hetian) prefecture, the students said. The two men, who had travelled to Egypt last year when China relaxed requirements for Uyghurs seeking to obtain passports, had ignored pressure from authorities in Xinjiang to return home to “register” earlier this year, following reports that several Uyghurs who complied with the order were taken into custody upon their return. They believed themselves to be safe from China’s reach, but on July 4 were rounded up by Egyptian State Security personnel and soldiers while strolling through a district of Cairo that is home to several Uyghur residents and “handled roughly, as if we were criminals who came to Egypt to destroy the country.” The two men said that they were among 70 Uyghur, Hui, and Salar ethnic minority students from China and their family members who were captured that day and brought to the Qismil Awal district police station for questioning by Bai Kecheng—the Beijing-appointed president of the Chinese Students and Scholars Association in Egypt. After bringing them food and photographing them, Bai and three other Chinese men interrogated the detainees about their Islamic religious activities, such as how often they prayed and how well they knew the Quran. “In the beginning, the Egyptian police questioned us, but later, officials from the Chinese embassy questioned us,” said one of the two students who spoke to RFA. “They asked us questions such as, ‘Where did you come from? What are you doing here in Egypt? and What are you studying?’ And they videotaped [our responses].” The two students said the detainees were sent to prison the following day, where they were “beaten by security guards” and by “cellmates who demanded money” from them, noting that children were among those held. Tora Prison On July 7, the detainees were dispersed to “various police stations in Cairo” by Egyptian authorities who acknowledged that they were “innocent” and told them they would be released, but 11 days later, they were all moved to the capital’s notorious Tora Prison, the students said. A total of 94 Uyghur students and their family members were placed in two cells at Tora Prison on July 18, when they were visited by a Uyghur official from the Chinese embassy in Cairo, the students told RFA. The 16 Uyghur students who remain unaccounted for were blindfolded and brought to the Uyghur official for interrogation at the time, they said, and he questioned them about their finances, connections with Uyghur organizations in exile, and their studies. Throughout their detention, authorities never once explained the accusations against them, the students said, and prison personnel repeatedly told them that they would be freed “once your embassy gives us the order to release you.” “It’s hard to take it, when you are locked up without any reason,” one of the two men told RFA, adding that conditions in prison were difficult and food was sparse. Media reports have quoted officials as denying that Egyptian authorities were targeting Uyghurs and saying that those arrested were brought in for “alleged irregularities in their residency papers,” but Uyghur exile groups and students say the detentions were ordered by China on allegations that they had “joined extremist organizations.” On Aug. 31 and Sept. 2, Egyptian authorities relocated the Uyghur students and their family members from Tora Prison to jail cells in various police stations throughout the capital, and it was at this time that the 16 students went missing, the sources told RFA. Nearly 80 people are believed to still be held at Tora Prison. ‘They were very cruel’ After being transferred to local jails, the students and their families faced regular harassment, robbery and physical assault from local prisoners, according to the sources. “Some students became ill and some developed open sores, but the prison guards didn’t care about their condition,” they said. “Being Muslims, we Uyghurs … thought all other Muslims are like us. However, to our disappointment we didn’t receive kindness from them. They were good at reciting the verses from the Quran, but they were very cruel, and showed no sympathy towards the pain of fellow Muslims.” The ruling Chinese Communist Party blames some Uyghurs for a string of violent attacks and clashes in China in recent years, but critics say the government has exaggerated the threat from the ethnic group, and that repressive domestic policies are responsible for violence that has left hundreds dead since 2009. China regularly conducts “strike hard” campaigns in Xinjiang, including police raids on Uyghur households, restrictions on Islamic practices, and curbs on the culture and language of the Uyghur people, including videos and other material. Reported by Abduweli Ayup for RFA’s Uyghur Service. Translated by Mamatjan Juma and Alim Seytoff. Written in English by Joshua Lipes. View this s tory online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/students-10302017162612.html Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news , information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA ’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org . To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to engnews-join(a)rfanews.org . ##### All media inquiries may be sent to Rohit Mahajan at mahajanr(a)rfa.org .

7 years, 7 months

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RFA Breaking News: Children of Detained Uyghurs Face ‘Terrible’ Conditions in Overcrowded Xinjiang Orphanages

by Paul Eckert

Children of Detained Uyghurs Face ‘Terrible’ Conditions in Overcrowded Xinjiang Orphanages Oct. 18, 2017 - Uyghur children whose parents or guardians have been detained in political re-education camps are being held in ‘terrible’ conditions in orphanages in northwest China’s Xinjiang region, and overcrowding has forced authorities to send them to facilities in the country’s inner provinces, according to sources. Since April, thousands of Uyghurs accused of harboring “extremist” and “politically incorrect” views have been detained in a vast network of re-education camps throughout Xinjiang, where members of the ethnic group complain of pervasive discrimination, religious repression, and cultural suppression under Chinese rule. Sources believe there are virtually no majority ethnic Han Chinese held in the Xinjiang camps, and that the number of detainees in the region’s south—where the highest concentration of Uyghurs are based—far surpasses that in the north. A Uyghur officer at a police station in Kashgar (in Chinese, Kashi) prefecture’s Peyziwat (Jiashi) county recently told RFA’s Uyghur Service that local government officials were deciding the fates of children who had been left behind after their guardians had been sent for re-education. “Children who were left without parents are being cared for by their relatives, and district committees are in charge of those who have no relatives to care for them,” said the officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity. An official at the Peyziwat county government office refused to answer questions about the children of detained Uyghurs, but a staff member at the Chasa Street neighborhood committee in Kashgar city told RFA that those who have no guardians to care for them are being sent to orphanages. “Those children are being looked after by orphanages through arrangement by the government,” said the staff member, who asked to remain unnamed. “No one has the authority to make a decision about these children except the government,” he added, before hanging up the phone. A Han Chinese staff member at the Central Orphanage of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, in the regional capital Urumqi, refused to provide any information about how the government was caring for children of detained Uyghurs, but sources in other parts of the region told RFA of situations similar to that in Kashgar prefecture. A teacher at a primary school in neighboring Aksu (Akesu) prefecture’s Kuchar (Kuche) county said that the headmaster was making arrangements for children there. “If the children were already registered at the school, then the school would accept responsibility for them,” she said, adding that other children in the prefecture were being sent to orphanages, though she did not know how the decisions were being made. Sources in Hotan (Hetian) prefecture’s Qaraqash (Moyu) county—where officials last week said they had been ordered to send 40 percent of area residents to re-education camps—also told RFA that the children of detained parents were being brought to schools or nurseries for care, in addition to orphanages. ‘Terrible’ conditions A Uyghur worker at a regional orphanage in southern Xinjiang, who requested anonymity, said his facility was seriously overcrowded and described the conditions there as “terrible.” “Because there are so many children, they are locked up like farm animals in a shed,” he said. “We receive a lot of cash donations from the public, but only a very little is spent on the children.” The worker said that some of the money is used to decorate a few rooms and “dress up” some of the children for advertising on television. The orphanage also saves money by giving the children meat only once a week, he said, while the rest of the time they are provided with “rice soup.” “In the past we didn’t have so many children, but now there are too many,” he said. According to the worker, “a large number of children” whose parents were sent to re-education camps, had arrived in the last month, including kids aged six months to 12 years old. Authorities in Xinjiang’s northern prefectures, such as Ili Kazakh (Yili Hasake) Autonomous prefecture and in Tarbaghatay (Tacheng) prefecture, are “more relaxed” about placing Uyghurs in re-education camps, the worker said, but added that he had heard “their orphanages are overcrowded too.” With all of the overcrowding at orphanages around the region, authorities “are moving children to mainland China,” he said, though he was unsure of where they were being sent. “They are making the excuse that they are providing them with free food, accommodation and schooling,” he added. With security so tight in Xinjiang, “it isn’t possible” for parents who have been released from re-education camps to look for their children in the orphanages, the worker said. “In the current climate, not even a bird can fly in and out freely,” he said. “You’d better not ask any more questions, otherwise you place the person answering them in jeopardy, and other people they come into contact with will also get into trouble.” Camp network Last month, sources told RFA that political re-education camps in Ghulja (Yining) county, in Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture, and Korla (Kuerle) city, in neighboring Bayin’gholin Mongol (Bayinguoleng Menggu) Autonomous Prefecture, hold at least 3,600 inmates deemed “politically incorrect” by local authorities. The camps are labeled “career development centers” in a bid to mask their true nature, they said, but the detainees held there are rarely freed, despite undergoing months of “training.” Officials told RFA last week that authorities in Korla are also detaining Uyghurs in re-education camps for traveling overseas where they are “influenced by extremism and other things,” and refusing to free them until they admit it was “wrong” to have left the country. New York-based advocacy group Human Rights Watch has called on the Chinese government to free the thousands of Uyghurs placed in the camps since April and close them down. The camps—where inmates who have not broken any laws are detained extrajudicially, indefinitely and without the knowledge of their families—run contrary to China’s constitution and violate international human rights law, Human Rights Watch noted. China regularly conducts “strike hard” campaigns in Xinjiang, including police raids on Uyghur households, restrictions on Islamic practices, and curbs on the culture and language of the Uyghur people, including videos and other material. While China blames some Uyghurs for "terrorist" attacks, experts outside China say Beijing has exaggerated the threat from the Uyghurs and that repressive domestic policies are responsible for an upsurge in violence there that has left hundreds dead since 2009. Reported by Shohret Hoshur for RFA’s Uyghur Service. Translated by Mamatjan Juma and Alim Seytoff. Written in English by Joshua Lipes. View this s tory online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/children-10182017144425.html Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news , information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA ’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org . To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to engnews-join(a)rfanews.org . ##### All media inquiries may be sent to Rohit Mahajan at mahajanr(a)rfa.org .

7 years, 7 months

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RFA Breaking News: Uyghurs in Xinjiang Re-Education Camps Forced to Express Remorse Over Travel Abroad

by Paul Eckert

Uyghurs in Xinjiang Re-Education Camps Forced to Express Remorse Over Travel Abroad Oct. 13, 2017 - Authorities in Korla (in Chinese, Kuerle) city, in northwest China’s Xinjiang region are detaining ethnic Uyghurs in re-education camps for traveling overseas and refusing to free them until they admit it was “wrong” to have left the country, according to a security official. Last month, sources told RFA’s Uyghur Service that re-education camps in Ghulja (Yining) county, in Ili Kazakh (Yili Hasake) Autonomous Prefecture, and Korla (Kuerle) city, in neighboring Bayin’gholin Mongol (Bayinguoleng Menggu) Autonomous Prefecture, hold at least 3,600 inmates and are labeled “career development centers” in a bid to mask their true nature. Many of those detained are Muslim Uyghurs who have been accused of harboring “extremist” views after returning to the Xinjiang region from government sanctioned visits to family members or religious studies at Islamic universities in countries including Turkey and Egypt. The director of Public Security in Korla’s Qara Yulghun village recently told RFA that while going abroad is a “citizen’s right,” those who travel overseas are “influenced by extremism and other things” and his department is determined to force them to acknowledge it. Anyone who is detained at a re-education camp after having travelled abroad will first be interrogated by instructors about their impressions and how the experience had changed them, said the director, who spoke on condition of anonymity. “For example, we ask whether the lifestyle is the same and what the food is like,” he said. “Then we ask, ‘What is the living standard like and what influenced you? Did you meet people who had [relocated from] China or anyone who cannot return because they have bad intentions?” Specifically, the director said, instructors ask detainees whether there are Uyghurs in the country they visited, and whether they met with them or tried to contact them, but “the majority say that they only travelled with a tour company and that none of what we ask them occurred.” Only after being subjected to “law and regulation education” do the detainees express “remorse” for having left the country and spoken with neighbors about what impressed them about their visit, he said. “During the re-education, they will say … “Yes, it was a mistake to travel abroad, when the [ruling Communist] Party and government have created such a high living standard in our own country—we were ungrateful when we decided to go to elsewhere,’” the director said. “With the understanding of the regulations of our country, they naturally realize that what they have experienced and their reaction [to having travelled] is against the rule of law here. So they, themselves, state that what they have thought and done is inappropriate.” The director told RFA that, in some cases, detainees require coaching until they understand what they have done “wrong.” “When they bring us their letter of remorse, we review it and tell them what is incorrect or missing, and we ask them to correct it,” he said. “If the detainees don’t write a letter of remorse, or if the letter is not comprehensive, they will have to be re-educated [about traveling abroad] until they produce one that is satisfactory.” Only at that point are detainees permitted to return to their “studies” for general re-education, and potentially be granted the right to return to their homes and families. “We tell them that if they achieve a satisfactory result, they can resume their [re-education] sooner,” he said. “If they don’t study hard and cure their disease, we have no choice but to continue giving them medicine. When the disease is cured, they will feel it themselves, and we can also see it from their actions and behavior.” Vast network China regularly conducts “strike hard” campaigns in Xinjiang, including police raids on Uyghur households, restrictions on Islamic practices, and curbs on the culture and language of the Uyghur people, including videos and other material. While China blames some Uyghurs for "terrorist" attacks, experts outside China say Beijing has exaggerated the threat from the Uyghurs and that repressive domestic policies are responsible for an upsurge in violence there that has left hundreds dead since 2009. Earlier this week, sources told RFA that authorities in two villages in Hotan (Hetian) prefecture’s Qaraqash (Moyu) county had been ordered to send 40 percent of area residents to re-education camps, and that they are struggling to meet the quota. Investigations by RFA suggest there is a vast network of re-education camps throughout the Xinjiang region. Sources indicate that there are almost no majority ethnic Han Chinese held in the Xinjiang camps, and that the number of detainees in the region’s south—where the highest concentration of Uyghurs are based—far surpasses that in the north. Reported by Shohret Hoshur for RFA’s Uyghur Service. Translated by Alim Seytoff. Written in English by Joshua Lipes. View this s tory online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/camps-10132017150431.html Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news , information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA ’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org . To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to engnews-join(a)rfanews.org . ##### All media inquiries may be sent to Rohit Mahajan at mahajanr(a)rfa.org .

7 years, 7 months

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RFA Breaking News: Nearly Half of Uyghurs in Xinjiang’s Hotan Targeted For Re-Education Camps

by Paul Eckert

Nearly Half of Uyghurs in Xinjiang’s Hotan Targeted For Re-Education Camps Oct. 9, 2017 - Authorities in a county of northwest China’s Xinjiang region that is largely populated by Muslim ethnic Uyghurs have been ordered to send almost half of area residents to re-education camps, according to officials, who say they are struggling to meet the number. Officials from two villages in Hotan (in Chinese, Hetian) prefecture’s Qaraqash (Moyu) county recently acknowledged to RFA’s Uyghur Service that they had been given a target percentage for arrests as part of a verbal directive issued by higher-level authorities during an “online conference.” Since Xinjiang Communist Party chief Chen Quanguo was appointed to run the region in August last year, he has initiated several harsh policies targeting the religious freedom of Uyghurs. The new quota for sending residents to re-education camps appears to be Chen’s latest measure aimed at assimilating members of the ethnic minority, who complain of pervasive ethnic discrimination, religious repression, and cultural suppression under Chinese rule in the region. When asked about whether a target percentage of re-education arrests had been ordered by authorities, an official from No. 1 Village, in Qaraqash’s Aqsaray township, confirmed the directive, but referred RFA to the local Communist Party secretary—who had recently been admitted to the hospital and was unreachable—for the exact number. But a police officer from Aqsaray’s No. 2 Village, said he had been informed during an “online conference” in mid-June that his department was to detain 40 percent of the local population for exhibiting signs of “religious extremism.” No deadline was set for the initiative, he added. “We were told to target people who are religious … for example, those who grow beards despite being young,” said the officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity. “There are 82 people who have been placed in re-education camps [since the order was given], and 61 [of them were later] imprisoned … This is far from the expectations of village officials, but compared to other districts in the township, we have the best rate in achieving our target.” According to the officer, No. 2 Village is home to 2,060 people, meaning his department had failed to send even four percent of the population for re-education since the order was given. The department had planned to send an additional 85 people for re-education by the end of September, he said. ‘Severely punished’ An officer at the Shaptul township police station in neighboring Kashgar (Kashi) prefecture’s Peyziwat (Jiashi) county told RFA that while he had not been given a target percentage of people to detain for re-education camps, he was informed at an online staff meeting in June that 80 percent of those arrested were to be “severely punished,” including those with “extreme views.” “We were not given exact numbers [to arrest], but we must ensure that we do not miss anyone with extreme views and we must punish 80 percent of all those arrested severely,” said the officer, who also asked to remain unnamed. “We didn’t receive any formal documentation—it was all announced during one of our meetings. These days, we have online conferences, where we meet in the police station and view the monitor to listen to speeches.” According to the officer, 46 people had been detained in Shaptul since the order was given—33 of whom were imprisoned. While the imprisonment rate meant that his department had only “severely punished” nearly 72 percent of detainees, the officer said that the remaining 13 people had been placed in re-education camps, and that they could be sent to jail at a later date. “If we find any evidence against them during re-education, they will be transferred to prison,” he said. Vast network The ruling Chinese Communist Party blames some Uyghurs for a string of violent attacks and clashes in China in recent years, but critics say the government has exaggerated the threat from the ethnic group, and that repressive domestic policies are responsible for violence that has left hundreds dead since 2009. Rights groups accuse Chinese authorities of heavy-handed rule in Xinjiang, including violent police raids on Uyghur homes that sources say in some areas have detained one member of every two households. At the end of last month, sources told RFA that re-education camps in Ghulja (Yining) county, in Ili Kazakh (Yili Hasake) Autonomous Prefecture, and Korla (Kuerle) city, in neighboring Bayin’gholin Mongol (Bayinguoleng Menggu) Autonomous Prefecture, hold at least 3,600 inmates and are labeled “career development centers” in a bid to mask their true nature. The thousands of “politically incorrect” inmates are rarely freed despite undergoing months of “training,” the sources said. Investigations by RFA suggest there is a vast network of re-education camps throughout the Xinjiang region. Sources indicate that there are almost no majority ethnic Han Chinese held in the Xinjiang camps, and that the number of detainees in the region’s south—where the highest concentration of Uyghurs are based—far surpasses that in the north. Reported by Shohret Hoshur for RFA’s Uyghur Service. Translated by Alim Seytoff. Written in English by Joshua Lipes. View this s tory online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/camps-10092017164000.html Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news , information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA ’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org . To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to engnews-join(a)rfanews.org . ##### All media inquiries may be sent to Rohit Mahajan at mahajanr(a)rfa.org .

7 years, 8 months

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RFA Breaking News: Re-Education Camps in Two Xinjiang Counties Hold Thousands of Uyghurs: Officials

by Paul Eckert

Re-Education Camps in Two Xinjiang Counties Hold Thousands of Uyghurs: Officials Sept. 29, 2017 - Re-education camps in two counties in northwest China’s Xinjiang region, where mostly Muslim ethnic Uyghurs have protested Beijing’s rule, house thousands of “politically incorrect” inmates who are rarely freed despite undergoing months of “training,” according to sources. The camps in Ghulja (in Chinese, Yining) county, in Ili Kazakh (Yili Hasake) Autonomous Prefecture, and Korla (Kuerle) city, in neighboring Bayin’gholin Mongol (Bayinguoleng Menggu) Autonomous Prefecture hold at least 3,600 inmates, local officials told RFA’s Uyghur Service, and are labeled “career development centers” in a bid to mask their true nature, they said. Minewer Ablet, a middle school teacher in Ghulja’s Turpanyuz township who was assigned to work as an assistant cadre and a Chinese instructor at Camp No. 4—one of the county’s five re-education camps—said it was unclear exactly how many people were detained in the county camp system. “I am responsible for teaching class No. 33, and I have seen on the teacher’s notice board that the last class number is 44,” she said of the county camps, where other courses include “law, regulations, and career training.” “There are 30 to 50 students in each class, so I estimate the total number of people who are undertaking the re-education program [across the county] to be at least 1,500.” Assistant cadre Tursun Qadir, who teaches at the same camp, told RFA that of the 45 people in his class, the majority are “former criminals or suspects,” including a number of Uyghurs who had served time in prison following an uprising against Chinese rule in Ghulja 20 years ago. “Among them are a number of former prisoners who served 10-15 years in prison after being accused of involvement in the Feb. 5, 1997 Ghulja Incident,” Qadir said, referring to protests sparked by reports of the execution of 30 Uyghur independence activists that were violently suppressed by authorities, leaving nine dead, according to official media, though exile groups put the number at as many as 167. “The most common reason that people are brought here is that they attended [or overheard] illegal [religious] teachings,” he said, adding that other detainees included “men who grew beards 10 years ago” and “parents who sent their children to underground religious schools.” “The oldest student is 66 years old and the youngest is 19. The group also includes a number of illiterate people.” ‘Training center’ None of the four instructors RFA contacted at Camp No. 4 could recall the official name of the facility, but one, who spoke on condition of anonymity, agreed during a phone interview to walk out to the courtyard to read the name of the camp’s sign. “The name of our camp is ‘The Center for Developing Skills for a Professional Career,’” the instructor said, adding that the reason he hadn’t been able to remember the name was because it was “changed four times in the past eight months.” “At first, it was called ‘The Law and Regulation Training Center For Citizens’ and then it was renamed ‘The Career Training Center For The Unemployed’ for a while, but now it is called ‘The Center For Developing Skills For a Professional Career,’” he said. “Obviously, the reason for changing the name is to avoid giving others a bad impression.” According to the instructor, staff live inside the camp and share the same courtyard with detainees. The center’s main gate is guarded 24 hours a day and instructors are required to obtain permission if they need to leave the facility. “Students are not allowed to leave the camp until they have completed the full program, but the length of the training is unclear—the rules only say that the program is complete once a ‘satisfactory level has been achieved,’” he said. “I have been teaching for the last six months, but there is no one in my class who has completed the course and no one knows when the training will end.” Detainees The same instructor passed his phone to a detainee who told RFA that he had been detained at Camp No. 4 after helping his brother send money to his son, who was studying in Turkey. “Because my ‘crime’ was not deemed serious, I was placed here, but my brother, Abdurshit, is in prison [facing charges for] sending his son abroad without governmental permission,” the detainee said. “I know this camp is called ‘The Center For Developing Skills For a Professional Career,’ but I was brought here in handcuffs with a black hood over my head. It was only after I passed through the security gate that the handcuffs and hood were removed.” Another detainee named Osman Tursun, who spoke to RFA on a phone handed to him by an instructor, said he had been placed in the camp after he and several of his fellow residents from Yengitam village overheard religious teachings at a wedding ceremony in 2012. “Five years ago, I went to a wedding in my neighborhood where a man discussed teachings from the Quran, though I don't remember the exact information,” he said. “There are 22 of us here from my village because we were at the same wedding and listened to the discussion. Apart from us, there are seven others from my village here who are former prisoners.” Korla city Sources in Bayin’gholin Mongol Autonomous Prefecture’s Korla city, where Uyghurs have protested house-to-house raids on their homes during “strike hard” anti-terrorism campaigns in recent years, told RFA that the municipality houses three re-education camps with at least 2,100 detainees, as well as a “Socialism Institute,” where more than 40 religious figures are being held. Rehim Yasin, the Communist Party secretary of Korla’s Qara Yulghun village, said that 86 of his village’s 1,678 residents are currently being held in the city’s three re-education camps, which are known as “Professional Career Improvement Centers.” “They are all designed to re-educate people who are deemed politically incorrect,” he said. “Each camp holds at least 700 people, so in the three re-education camps there are at least 2,100 people.” Mutellep Esset, the party secretary for the Saybagh Street office in Korla, told RFA it was unclear how many people from his district had been detained at the city’s re-education centers, but said many of those held had overseas connections. “I learned through my work that among the detainees [from my district] are 13 people held for traveling abroad with a tourist company, one person who had been on a hajj [Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca] two years ago, and two people who studied in Turkey for a short time before returning home,” he said. Vast network Investigations by RFA suggest there is a vast network of re-education camps throughout the Xinjiang region. Sources indicate that there are almost no majority ethnic Han Chinese held in the Xinjiang camps, and that the number of detainees in the region’s south—where the highest concentration of Uyghurs are based—far surpasses that in the north. Earlier this month, local officials in Xinjiang told RFA that thousands of Uyghurs and other Muslim ethnic minorities—including Kyrgyz and Kazakh—are being held in re-education camps without contact with their families under a policy designed to counter "extremism" in the region. New York-based advocacy group Human Rights Watch has called on the Chinese government to free the thousands of Xinjiang people placed in re-education camps since April 2017 and close them down. China’s ruling Communist Party blames some Uyghurs for a string of violent attacks and clashes in China in recent years, but critics say the government has exaggerated the threat from the ethnic group, and that repressive domestic policies are responsible for violence that has left hundreds dead since 2009. China regularly conducts “strike hard” campaigns in Xinjiang, including police raids on Uyghur households, restrictions on Islamic practices, and curbs on the culture and language of the Uyghur people, including videos and other material. Reported by Shohret Hoshur for RFA’s Uyghur Service. Translated by Alim Seytoff. Written in English by Joshua Lipes. View this s tory online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/camps-09292017160826.html Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news , information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA ’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org . To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to engnews-join(a)rfanews.org . ##### All media inquiries may be sent to Rohit Mahajan at mahajanr(a)rfa.org .

7 years, 8 months

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RFA Breaking News: Egyptian Authorities Forcibly Disappear 16 Uyghur Students From Notorious Prison

by Paul Eckert

Egyptian Authorities Forcibly Disappear 16 Uyghur Students From Notorious Prison Sept. 25, 2017 - Egyptian authorities have released up to 25 of more than 100 Uyghur students from northwestern China’s Xinjiang region who were detained earlier this year in the country’s notorious Tora Prison, though armed police put black hoods on 16 others and took them away, three recently released Uyghurs said. The three students, who were released in early September, told RFA’s Uyghur Service that they do not know why the 16 were whisked away or whether they were deported to China, though prison guards told them the students were “in trouble.” One of them was 17 years old, they said. Egypt’s secret police began detaining Uyghur and ethnic minority Kazakh Muslims from China en masse on July 4, in an operation activists said was requested by Beijing, sources told RFA at the time. The 200 students, many of them religious students at Cairo’s Islamic Al-Azhar University, were rounded up in restaurants or at their homes, with others seized at airports as they tried to flee to safer countries, the sources said. The Egyptian government has not disclosed the charges, the number of detentions, the whereabouts of the detainees, or whether any were sent back to China. Ethnic minority Kazakh Muslims from China were among some 200 ethnic minority holders of Chinese passports targeted in July by Egypt's secret police The three Uyghur students who were later released said that the detainees were first interrogated by Egyptian security officials, and later by Chinese security officials. The Egyptian officials gave every Uyghur student a form in Arabic to fill out, though many could not fully comprehend the questions because of their poor Arabic skills and responded “yes” to all items out of fear, they said. The students were then divided into three categories in prison — red, yellow, and green — according to their interrogation results, answers on the forms, and the contents of their mobile phones, they said. The ones placed in the green category are those who had legal status in Egypt and were enrolled in Al-Azhar or other Egyptian universities. The ones in the yellow category had either status issues or were not enrolled in a university, and those in the red category had cell phones with content that Chinese security officials deemed problematic. It was unclear what kind of content was found on their mobile devices. Prior to the mass detentions, the majority of Uyghur students in Egypt used the Chinese instant messaging service WeChat to communicate with family and friends at home and abroad. WeChat is an app developed by China’s internet company Tencent, which shares all private user data with the Chinese government. Many Uyghurs in Xinjiang have gotten in trouble with the Chinese authorities in recent years because of the content on their mobile phones, including the sharing of political and religious content on WeChat. Police frequently check the mobile phones of Uyghurs in Xinjiang and detain them for possessing unapproved content. Divided up into jail cells One recently released Uyghur student in Egypt who spoke on condition of anonymity said that more than 100 Uyghur students were divided into two huge jail cells after they were detained on Aug. 31 and their mobile phones were confiscated. “We were first interrogated by the Egyptian police, but not tortured or mistreated,” he said. “After the interrogations, they told us that they had detained us because of a Chinese government request that we were ‘terrorists.’” The police said they could not find any evidence of terrorism after the interrogations and would soon release the students, noting that “this is politics between two countries,” he said. “In our jail cell, there were 54 students, including me,” he said. “Suddenly fully armed police came in that day and told us in Arabic to face the wall.” The police handcuffed some of the students and took them away, he said. “We saw altogether 16 were taken from both cells,” the Uyghur student said. “Later when we asked prison guards where they had been taken, they simply said that they were ‘in trouble.’ These 16 Uyghurs belonged to the red category.” Another Uyghur student from Al-Azhar University who spoke on condition of anonymity said he was placed into the green category because authorities could not accuse him of any criminal conduct. The 25 students who were released were all placed into the green category, he said, adding that some in the yellow category may have been released as well. “This place is no longer safe for any of us now,” he said. “But what worries me most is the fate of 16 who belonged to the red category. There is no sign of them. They simply vanished.” A third Uyghur student who fled to Turkey soon after his release from prison said that he and others who were detained by Egyptian police on July 4 were divided into two jails cells at Tora Prison, a detention complex for criminal and political detainees on the southern outskirts of the capital Cairo. “We were not tortured, but we were terrified of being possibly deported to China,” said the student who spoke to RFA on condition of anonymity. “The Arab [Egyptian] police didn’t treat us badly, but the Chinese security officials put black hoods on our heads and repeatedly interrogated us, asking questions like, ‘Why did you come to Egypt?’ [and] ‘Which organizations did you participate in?’” “In the end, I was released after the Eid [al-Adha] holiday [on Aug. 31], so I guess some of those who belonged to the yellow category may have also been released,” he said. Sent back home? Both released Uyghur students and Uyghurs in hiding in Egypt said they fear that the 16 others who have vanished may have been sent back home in light of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi’s visit to China to attend the BRICS Summit in early September and strengthen economic ties with Beijing. Chinese President Xi Jinping invited Sisi to participate in the summit as “a reaffirmation of Egypt's position and its economic, political and commercial status that qualifies it to become a member of the BRICS,” according to the Egyptian government’s information service. During Sisi’s visit on Sept. 3-5, some major trade deals were signed between Egypt and China, including a memorandum of understanding for Beijing to finance a U.S. $739 million rail link that will connect a new, yet-to-be-named capital the North African country is building to an industrial zone. Reported by Gulchehra Hoja for RFA’s Uyghur Service. Translated by Alim Seytoff. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin. View this s tory online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/egyptian-authorities-forcibly-disapp… Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news , information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA ’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org . To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to engnews-join(a)rfanews.org . ##### All media inquiries may be sent to Rohit Mahajan at mahajanr(a)rfa.org .

7 years, 8 months

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Aung San Suu Kyi Rejects Claims She's 'Soft' on Myanmar's Military

by Richard Finney

cid:db5c53ccb2f2c28f5afa2b46deb76600b893914b@zimbra Aung San Suu Kyi Rejects Claims She's 'Soft' on Myanmar's Military Sept. 19, 2017--Myanmar's de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi, under mounting criticism over her government's military offensive against minority Muslim Rohingyas, on Tuesday rejected claims that she had softened her stand towards the military after her party took power last year. In an interview with Radio Free Asia, she said she has remained firm with the generals since her days under house arrest during military junta rule. "I've stood firm with the military before, and still do now," the Nobel laureate told RFA in a wide-ranging interview covering topics such as the Rohingya refugee crisis, her election pledge to bring about political and other reforms, as well as economic growth and media freedom. "We've never changed our stand," Aung San Suu Kyi said, adding that her National League for Democracy (NLD) party's goal has been national reconciliation "from the very beginning." "We have never criticized the military itself, but only their actions. We may disagree on these types of actions," said Aung San Suu Kyi, who had spent more than a decade under house arrest before her election victory in 2015. The military has come under severe criticism from the international community for its security crackdown against the Rohingyas in Myanmar's Rakhine state since Rohingya militants staged deadly attacks on police posts on August 25. Army-led security operations have left more than 1,000 dead according to U.N. figures and sent more than 500,000 people"-roughly half the Rohingya population in Rakhine state-fleeing into neighboring Bangladesh, triggering an international humanitarian crisis. Rights abuses condemned On Tuesday, in her first address to the nation since the crisis flared, Aung San Suu Kyi condemned rights abuses in Rakhine state and said that violators will be punished, but did not criticize the powerful military or address U.N. accusations of ethnic cleansing. She insisted that military "clearance operations" ended on Sept 5. Britain says it has suspended its military training program in Myanmar, and French President Emmanuel Macron has condemned "unacceptable ethnic cleansing" in Rakhine, while U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for an end to all military operations in the state. In her interview, Aung San Suu Kyi said her party had tried in 2012 but failed to revoke a key provision in Myanmar's constitution that would have removed the military's effective veto on legislative reform. "We did this openly within the bounds of the law. We'll continue to bring changes within the parliament. I've stood firm with the military before, and still do now," she said. Under Myanmar's Constitution, Aung San Suu Kyi is barred from becoming president and has no effective role in security issues, although her NLD party scored a landslide victory in 2015 elections. The military runs three key security-related ministries, has an allocation of 25 per cent of the seats in Parliament, and appoints one of two vice-presidents. Aung San Suu Kyi pointed out that Myanmar wants to work with the international community to resolve the Rohingyas crisis, citing her invitation Tuesday to the diplomatic corps to visit Rakhine. "Nobody can live in isolation in this age," she said. "Globalization is the norm and we need to have enough courage to associate globally too. So, if we prohibit outside visits, it will be like we have something to hide." Human rights investigators from the United Nations, which has labeled the Rohingya one of the world's most persecuted minorities, say they need "full and unfettered" access to Myanmar to investigate the Rohingya crisis, but Aung San Suu Kyi's government renewed its rejection of the probe on Tuesday. "We continue to believe that instituting such a mission is not a helpful course of action in solving the already-intricate Rakhine issue," Myanmar's U.N. ambassador Htin Lynn told the U.N. Human Rights Council. Reported by Khin Maung Soe of RFA's Myanmar Service. Translated by Nyein Shwe and Khin Maung Nyane. Written in English by Parameswaran Ponnudurai and Richard Finney. Below are excerpts from the interview: Q: What are Myanmar's most important challenges? A: As the whole world knows, the biggest one now is the situation in Rakhine state. And then there is the peace process [to bring about a cease-fire with ethnic rebel groups seeking greater autonomy since independence from the British in 1948]. The world thinks the Rakhine situation is the most important. But for us, peace [with the rebel groups] has been the most challenging. Q: What's the peace situation then? A: We believe that it will finally be successful. But this will take time. If we look at other peace processes, they never go smoothly. Because there was no peace in the beginning, we are now working for peace. Overall we can say it's not too bad. Q: How is the economic situation in Myanmar? A: In the earlier part of the year, before the Investment Law was passed, foreign investments were very slow. After that law was passed, it had to be followed by by-laws and a Companies Act. And after that we had to deal with laws pertaining to foreigners. These all are connected, and we understand that after everything is in place we can expect more investments. Q: What's your assessment of the current Rakhine situation? A: The Rakhine situation was not calm and peaceful long before we came into power. However, now that the world's attention is focused on it, it has become overly sensitive to handle. It is always the case when a situation is given a lot of attention, that it becomes difficult and sensitive. People have been criticizing and faulting each other. If you just look at it narrowly instead of effectively, instead of solving the problem you can make it worse. As I said this morning, we should look at the good points too. There are villages where people get along. We need to find out why and how. We have to encourage them and make their ties stronger. Q: You have said that half the [Muslim] population [in Rakhine state] has fled, and that half or more are still living here. You have requested the international community to cooperate and help. A: Nobody can live in isolation in this age. Globalization is the norm and we need to have enough courage to associate globally too. So, if we prohibit outside visits, it will be like we have something to hide. In the end, we have to rely on ourselves for our country's development. Q: What do you think about the comments by the international community including the U.N. on the Rakhine situation? A: These comments are not good for the country, of course. But we have to find out how much truth there is or what evidence they have. And if it is true, then we'll have to correct it. If it's not true, we have to find out why they are saying untruths. Is it because of misunderstanding, or are they intentionally attacking us? We'll have to find the cause and find an appropriate answer. Q: May I know the current relationship between you and the military? A: It's normal. Q: Does normal mean it's the same as before you formed the government? A: No, there was very little contact between us before, but now we do meet regularly. In some cases we always try to get cooperation. Q: Regarding the peace issue, it has been said that the military takes a hard-line position. What do you think? A: There is a difference in looking at the peace process between groups that are armed and those that are not. We have to negotiate on this. Q: You never gave in to the military while you were under house arrest, but now you seem to have softened toward them. Are they right, or do you have some other objective? A: We've never changed our stand. Our goal has been national reconciliation from the very beginning. We have never criticized the military itself, but only their actions. We may disagree on these types of actions. For example, after 2012 in Parliament, we tried to revoke Article 436 [ which effectively gives the military a de facto veto over any constitutional changes]. We did this openly within the bounds of the law. We'll continue to bring changes within the parliament. I've stood firm with the military before, and still do now. Q: We are now seeing a lot of extremist Buddhists, including monks. There were some anti-government protests in Yangon and Mandalay recently. And then not too long ago in Pa-an, there was a rally where there was a lot of extreme hate speech. What do you think of this? A: Hate speech is never good. Spreading hate speech is against Lord Buddha's teachings. He never encouraged hate speech. Buddhism does not espouse anger, and any kind of extremism is never good. Buddhism follows the middle path. It doesn't accept any kind of extremes. Q: What do you think of social media, which is becoming so popular nowadays? A: Even developed countries with a high level of communications technology have admitted that social media is becoming very hard to deal with. People write whatever they want and use it to spread hate speech, and that has become a big concern with no solution in sight yet. Q: Some people are saying they have less freedom since your government came into power. What would you like to say? Especially concerning freedom of the media, the arrest of some reporters, etc. A: These arrests have been made according to existing laws. We don't have any new ones yet. Lately, Parliament has made some amendments to relax the old laws like Article 66 (D). Q: Can you tell us how the international community and Myanmar people should view the current situation in the country? A: They should view it with a sense of responsibility, both the international community and Myanmar people. Our people should know that we in Myanmar have more responsibility. If we want to see our country developed and peaceful, we will have to do it ourselves. We cannot ignore the world, as we are in the age of globalization. Everything is connected, and we cannot ignore this. We need to be in harmony with the world; that is also our responsibility. Simply put, we have to be responsible for our country, and the world has to be responsible for the world. If everybody has a sense of responsibility, then nobody will have any problems. However, having a sense of responsibility is not always easy. Q: What do you think of current U.S. policies and views towards Myanmar? A: Any country will change its policy and views toward Myanmar depending on that specific country's policy and its people's views. Q: Is the road to democracy still tough? A: The road to democracy will never end. Whether or not this is tough is not the main issue. Some think there is an end to democracy. But has the road to democracy in U.S. come to the end? There will never be an end as long as the world exists. Democracy is harder to sustain than other systems because you have to take the will of the people into consideration. We need to give and take when it depends on the will of the people. Dictatorships never have to give and take. They do what they want. Superficially it looks easier to govern this way, but the effect on a country is worse. In a democracy, to be able to get the support of the people, you have to work harder. In the long run it's good for the country. As [British statesman Winston] Churchill said, democracy is not a good system, but it's better than all the others. View this story online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/myanmar/rejects-09192017204613.html Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA's broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to "seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers." RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to <mailto:engnews-leave@rfanews.org> engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org. To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to <mailto:engnews-join@rfanews.org> engnews-join(a)rfanews.org . All media inquiries may be sent to Rohit Mahajan at <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org.

7 years, 8 months

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RFA Breaking News: RFA Closes Phnom Penh Bureau Amid Crackdown by Hun Sen

by Paul Eckert

RFA Closes Phnom Penh Bureau Amid Crackdown by Hun Sen Sept. 12, 2017 - Radio Free Asia has decided to close its nearly 20-year old bureau in Cambodia's capital Phnom Penh amid a relentless crackdown by Prime Minister Hun Sen's authoritarian regime on independent media ahead of critical polls next year, RFA President Libby Liu announced Tuesday. Using a pretext of tax and administrative violations, the Cambodian authorities have recently closed independent radio stations carrying reports from RFA and its sister US government-funded radio station, the Voice of America, as well as the Voice of Democracy station, and forced the closure of the American-owned Cambodia Daily newspaper. Liu said the authorities had employed the same tactics against RFA, despite its full cooperation to comply with all government requests and its efforts to register as a licensed media company in Cambodia. They had resorted to "false statements" and "increasingly threatening and intimidating rhetoric" about RFA, made mostly through leaked documents on government mouthpiece media and random statements from different ministries, she said. "After almost 20 years of bringing the Cambodian people independent, reliable and trustworthy news and information from inside the country, Radio Free Asia has regrettably been forced to close its Phnom Penh bureau," Liu said in a statement. "The government’s relentless crackdown on independent voices in recent weeks has made it impossible to keep the bureau open while guaranteeing the integrity of RFA’s journalistic mission." Liu stressed however that RFA, which broadcasts into six countries, including North Korea, China, Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam, would continue reporting on Cambodia as part of its mission to provide accurate and timely news and information to Asian countries whose governments prohibit access to a free press. "RFA stands resolved to stay true to its vital mission in Cambodia, now more than ever, to go forward shining a light even in the darkest of hours," she said. "RFA will keep reporting on the most important and censored issues and events inside the country - and we will continue to broadcast and publish our programs, reports and content on shortwave radio, social media, and on our website. "As history has shown, dictators may rise and force their will on nations, but the people will always seek truth in pursuit of freedom." Through the years, Cambodian journalists working for RFA have risked their lives to report on corruption, illegal logging, forced evictions, bribery, labor disputes, and rights abuses, among other important stories largely ignored by state-controlled media. "Their hard work has helped to build the foundation of RFA’s investigative, in-depth journalism from the ground up and has earned us the trust of the Cambodian people -- to whom we also owe our heartfelt gratitude," Liu said. She said she hoped that the government would not persecute "the individual brave Cambodians" who worked with RFA in retaliation for RFA’s efforts to bring reliable free press to their countrymen and women. The RFA closure of its Phnom Penh office on Tuesday came as the U.S. ambassador to Cambodia rejected accusations by the Hun Sen government of interference by the United States as “inaccurate, misleading and baseless” and called for the release of detained opposition leader Kem Sokha. Kem Sokha was arrested on Sept. 3 and charged with treason and accused of plotting with the United States to take power from Hun Sen, a former Khmer Rouge commander who has ruled Cambodia for more than 30 years. On Monday, Hun Sen, who could face his biggest election challenge next year. threatened to dissolve Kem Sokha’s Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) if it continued to back him. "It has become increasingly apparent that Prime Minister Hun Sun has no intention of allowing free media to continue operating inside the country ahead of the 2018 elections. The government has instead seized on every opportunity to go after critics, political opponents, NGOs, and independent media committed to reporting the truth," Liu said. Libby Liu's full statement is at http://www.rfa.org/about/releases/statement-on-cambodia-09122017092506.html View this s tory online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/cambodia/crackdown-raf-09122017084157.html Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news , information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA ’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org . To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to engnews-join(a)rfanews.org . ##### All media inquiries may be sent to Rohit Mahajan at mahajanr(a)rfa.org .

7 years, 9 months

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RFA Breaking News: Demolition of Tibetan Residences Underway at Sichuan’s Yachen Gar Buddhist Center

by Paul Eckert

Demolition of Tibetan Residences Underway at Sichuan’s Yachen Gar Buddhist Center Aug. 15, 2017 - Authorities in western China’s Sichuan province have begun demolishing 2,000 residences of Tibetan clergy at the Yachen Gar Buddhist Center and are set to expel an equal number of monks and nuns from the complex by the end of the year, according to Tibetan sources in the region. “Chinese authorities ordered the demolition of 2,000 houses of monks and nuns at Yachen Buddhist Center … [by the end of] this year,” one source told RFA’s Tibetan Service recently, speaking on condition of anonymity. “The demolition began on Aug. 8 and the work is said to be ongoing at Yachen Gar, while the same number of monks and nuns [2,000] are also to be expelled from the Buddhist center this year alone.” Sources said that the monks and nuns had been ordered to tear down any homes built with wooden materials, and that demolition workers would be sent by the local authorities to raze any concrete structures in the area. One nun is said to have been injured in the demolition. Yachen Gar, located in Kardze (in Chinese, Ganzi) prefecture’s Palyul (Baiyu) county and founded in 1985, until recently housed an estimated 10,000 monks, nuns, and lay practitioners devoted to scriptural study and meditation. In April, sources told RFA that authorities had demolished at least 200 tents set up by Tibetan pilgrims visiting Yachen Gar to receive teachings and accumulate merit, citing difficulties posed by the encampments to the orderly management of the complex. Following the beginning of the demolitions last week, a senior lama at Yachen Gar issued an appeal to the monks and nuns at the complex to “exercise patience and tolerance.” “About 2,000 houses will be demolished this year and around same number of monks and nuns will be asked to leave the complex—this is an order from the powerful authorities and cannot be resisted, just as falling boulders from a mountain cannot be stopped,” the lama said. “Most important is to remain humble and adhere to proper conduct, and things may get better. Also, it is important for all monks and nuns to take care of their health,” he added. “The monks and nuns should exercise patience and tolerance under the stress of the demolitions and expulsion orders—this is crucial.” Another Tibetan from the region, who also asked to remain unnamed, told RFA that the new order had placed “tremendous stress and hardship” on Yachen Gar’s Buddhist community. “The demolition will cause a great amount of stress, as many monks and nuns will lack accommodations and be forced to leave,” the source said. “Yachen monks and nuns are solely focused on Buddhist practice and not involved in any form of politics,” he added. Restricted access Authorities have been restricting access to the sprawling complex and areas nearby, with foreign visitors drawing particular scrutiny from police, sources told RFA in earlier reports. In April, following the demolition of the pilgrim tents, sources told RFA that Chinese surveillance and other tightened security measures at Yachen Gar had become growing causes of concern for the center’s resident monks and nuns, and that it was increasingly difficult for news about the complex to reach the outside world. They said that while Yachen Gar has internet service, residents had been reluctant to speak out about what was happening at the complex for fear of retaliation by authorities. Restrictions on Yachen Gar and the better-known Larung Gar complex in Sichuan’s Serthar (Seda) county are part of “an unfolding political strategy” aimed at controlling the influence and growth of these important centers for Tibetan Buddhist study and practice, the Washington-based International Campaign for Tibet (ICT) said in a March 13 report, “Shadow of Dust Across the Sun.” “[Both centers] have drawn thousands of Chinese practitioners to study Buddhist ethics and receive spiritual teaching since their establishment, and have bridged Tibetan and Chinese communities,” ICT said in its report. At the end of June, a senior abbot at Larung Gar said that Chinese authorities had destroyed 4,725 monastic dwellings over the course of a year at the complex, with a total of more than 7,000 demolished since efforts to reduce the number of monks and nuns living at the sprawling center began in 2001. The abbot said that more than 4,828 monks and nuns had also been expelled since 2016, with many forced back to their hometowns and deprived of opportunities to pursue religious studies. Many thousands of Tibetans and Han Chinese once studied at Larung Gar Academy, which was founded in 1980 by the late religious teacher Khenpo Jigme Phuntsok and is one of the world’s largest and most important centers for the study of Tibetan Buddhism. Reported by Kunsang Tenzin and Lhuboom for RFA’s Tibetan Service. Translated by Karma Dorjee. Written in English by Joshua Lipes. View this s tory online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/tibet/demolition-08152017145510.html Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news , information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA ’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org . To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to engnews-join(a)rfanews.org . ##### All media inquiries may be sent to Rohit Mahajan at mahajanr(a)rfa.org .

7 years, 9 months

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RFA Breaking News: China Bans Uyghur Language in Xinjiang Schools

by Paul Eckert

China Bans Uyghur Language in Xinjiang Schools July 28, 2017 - Authorities in northwest China’s Xinjiang region have issued a directive completely banning the use of the Uyghur language at all education levels up to and including secondary school, according to official sources, and those found in violation of the order will face “severe punishment.” The new ban marks one of the strongest measures yet from Beijing aimed at assimilating ethnic Uyghurs, who complain of pervasive ethnic discrimination, religious repression, and cultural suppression by the China’s ruling Communist Party in Xinjiang. In late June, the Education Department in Xinjiang’s Hotan (in Chinese, Hetian) prefecture issued a five-point directive outlawing the use of Uyghur at schools in favor of Mandarin Chinese “in order to strengthen elementary and middle/high school bilingual education.” Under the directive—a copy of which was obtained by RFA’s Uyghur Service—schools must “insist on fully popularizing the national common language and writing system according to law, and add the education of ethnic language under the bilingual education basic principle.” Beginning in the fall semester this year, Mandarin Chinese “must be resolutely and fully implemented” for the three years of preschool, and “promoted” from the first years of elementary and middle school “in order to realize the full coverage of the common language and writing system education.” The directive instructs schools to “resolutely correct the flawed method of providing Uyghur language training to Chinese language teachers” and “prohibit the use of Uyghur language, writing, signs and pictures in the educational system and on campuses.” Additionally, the order bans the use of Uyghur language in “collective activities, public activities and management work of the education system.” Any school or individual that fails to enforce the new policy, that “plays politics, pretends to implement, or acts one way and does another,” will be designated “two-faced” and “severely punished,” it said, using a term regularly applied by the government to Uyghurs who do not willingly follow such directives. ‘Encouraging’ Mandarin Four different officials anonymously confirmed the directive to RFA and said their local county governments were preparing to implement it ahead of the fall semester. A Han Chinese official at Hotan’s Qaraqash (Moyu) county Education Bureau said that the directive was issued on June 28 and distributed to all county education bureaus two days later. “I can give you the contents of this directive, but only the Prefectural Educational Department has the right to explain them,” he said, referring further questions to the department. A Uyghur official with Hotan’s Chira (Cele) county government said she had heard about the directive, but was not fully aware of its contents. “I heard that all teaching in elementary and middle/high schools will be done in the Chinese language, beginning in September, and Uyghur language will not be used,” she said. A Uyghur official at the same county’s Education Bureau was able to provide more information about the new policy, which he said his bureau was “urgently discussing the implementation of.” “All teachings will be conducted in the Chinese, not Uyghur, language in the upcoming semester,” he said. “Even the Uyghur textbooks will be replaced with Chinese textbooks from inland China. All teachers and students are required to speak the Chinese language only in the school and education system,” he added. The Uyghur official said that while Hotan prefecture had repeatedly tried to implement a bilingual education policy over the past 10 years, “the national language hasn’t become popularized.” “As a result, the Prefectural Education Department issued this directive to deal with this situation,” he said. A Han Chinese official from the Education Bureau for the seat of Hotan prefecture told RFA that the directive is being implemented throughout the prefecture to “encourage” the learning of the national language. “Education authorities decided to ban the use of the Uyghur language in order to create a favorable environment for minorities to study the national language,” he said. “This is, in fact, good for Uyghurs to study the national language. Uyghur students will not study Mandarin if they learn from Uyghur language materials in the school system. That is why they should immerse themselves daily in Chinese language announcements, propaganda, signs and other materials.” “All meetings and collective activities” in the school system will be held in Mandarin in the future, the official added. Illegal policy While Beijing has attempted to implement a “bilingual” system in Xinjiang’s schools over the past decade, Uyghurs say the system is monolingual and reject it as part of a bid to eliminate their mother tongue and increase their assimilation into Han Chinese culture. Additionally, the bilingual education policy is in violation of both China’s constitution and regional ethnic autonomy laws. Article 4 of the first chapter of China’s constitution states that “the people of all nationalities have the freedom to use and develop their own spoken and written languages, and to preserve or reform their own ways and customs.” Article 121 of the charter’s sixth section states that in performing their function, the organs of self-government in China’s autonomous regions should “employ the spoken and written language or languages in common use in the locality.” Additionally, Article 10 of the first chapter of China’s Regional Ethnic Autonomy Law on Language states that agencies in ethnic autonomous areas “guarantee the freedom of the nationalities in these areas to use and develop their own spoken and written languages and their freedom to preserve or reform their own folkways and customs.” Article 37 of the law’s third chapter states that “schools (classes) and other educational organizations recruiting mostly ethnic minority students should, whenever possible, use textbooks in their own languages and use these languages as the media of instruction.” Ilshat Hassan, president of the Washington-based Uyghur American Association, told RFA that Beijing is attempting to skirt its own laws by labeling the new policy part of a bilingual education, while it works to “eradicate one of the most ancient Turkic languages in the world.” “In fact, by enforcing this new policy at the preschool level, the Chinese government intends to kill the Uyghur language at the cradle,” he said. “It is nothing short of cultural genocide. The international community must not allow China to destroy our beautiful language and culture, which has thrived for several millennia.” Reported by Eset Sulaiman for RFA’s Uyghur Service. Translated by Alim Seytoff. Written in English by Joshua Lipes. View this s tory online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/language-07282017143037.html Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news , information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA ’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org . To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to engnews-join(a)rfanews.org . ##### All media inquiries may be sent to Rohit Mahajan at mahajanr(a)rfa.org .

7 years, 10 months

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RFA Breaking News: China Launches Racial Profiling Campaign to Assess Uyghurs’ Security Risk

by Paul Eckert

China Launches Racial Profiling Campaign to Assess Uyghurs’ Security Risk July 14, 2017 - Authorities in northwest China’s Xinjiang region have launched a racial profiling campaign to assess the security threat posed by non-Han Chinese majority residents of the capital Urumqi, with points automatically docked for members of the mostly Muslim Uyghur ethnic minority, according to a local official. On July 10, the Western Hebei Road Neighborhood Committee in Urumqi’s Yengisheher (in Chinese, Xinshiqu) district circulated a document listing 13 non-Han residents of the area and grading their individual risk to security based on ten categories. While the title suggests that all non-Han residents of Western Hebei Road had been graded, subsequent mentions of ethnicity on the document only refer to the “Uyghur” minority, and only Uyghurs were listed on the copy obtained by RFA’s Uyghur Service. The ruling Chinese Communist Party blames some Uyghurs for a string of violent attacks and clashes in recent years, but critics say the government has exaggerated the threat from the ethnic group, and that repressive domestic policies are responsible for violence that has left hundreds dead since 2009. According to the document from the Western Hebei Road Neighborhood Committee, each resident is assigned a 100-point value and 10 points are subtracted from that value for each of the 10 categories that applies to them. The remaining value for each resident is used to determine the security risk they pose to the community, with anyone rated 80 points or higher designated “safe,” anyone rated between 50 and 70 points seen as “average,” and anyone rated below 50 points considered “unsafe.” The 10 categories on the form consist of: Between Ages of 15 and 55, Ethnic Uyghur, Unemployed, Possesses Passport, Prays Daily, Possesses Religious Knowledge, Visited [one of] 26 [flagged] Countries, Belated Return to China, Has Association With Foreign Country, and Family With Children Who Are Homeschooled. Additionally, personal information for each resident is listed on the document, including their name, home address, age and number of family members. In one example, 85-year-old Ibrahim Ismail (Yibulaying Simayi), was rated an “average” security threat based on a 50-point score after 10 points each were subtracted for being a Uyghur, possessing a passport, praying daily, possessing religious knowledge, and visiting a flagged country. Another resident, 29-year-old Misir Emet (Misaier Aimaiti), was also rated “average” based on a 70-point score after he lost points for being Uyghur, falling within the “risky” age range, and being unemployed. While the 11 other residents were rated “safe” with scores of 80 points or more, all of them were docked at least 10 points for being Uyghur. ‘Gathering information’ When contacted by RFA, officials from the Yengisheher district Party Committee and the district government office said they were unfamiliar with the document and referred questions to the area Political Law Committee. But an official from the Yengisheher district Ethnic and Religious Affairs Committee confirmed that the Western Hebei Road Neighborhood Committee had prepared the document and brought it to his office, where it was officially endorsed. “We examined the content related to religious affairs and compared it to our own findings, and then stamped the document—we also kept one for our records,” the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. “We can say that the purpose of this document is to gather general … [and] personal information from the residents in our jurisdiction.” According to the official, the campaign had been underway for “two to three weeks already,” and “various neighborhood committees” in the district had brought their completed lists to his office for endorsement immediately after the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, which ended on June 24 this year. “I cannot say it is mainly targeting Uyghurs, but I do not know—you can view it however you’d like to,” he said. “[Neighborhood committee representatives] told us that the document was issued to collect basic information from the residents. That’s all we know. I’m not aware who was responsible for ordering this kind of documentation.” The official referred further questions about the matter to the county propaganda department. Being Uyghur is ‘a crime’ Ilshat Hassan, president of the Washington-based Uyghur American Association, told RFA that his group was “extremely concerned” by the document, adding that it was an example of how “extreme” China’s Uyghur policy had become. “China deems being Uyghur a crime,” he said. “This campaign reminds us of how Nazi Germany first racially profiled Jews, perceiving them as a security threat, and then committed the Holocaust during World War II.” According to Hassan, the document shows that even Uyghurs who identify predominantly as “Chinese” and abide by the policies of the state will always be viewed as terrorists by the authorities, simply because of their ethnic background. “The Chinese government doesn’t trust any Uyghur, because … being a Uyghur simply increases [a person’s] threat level, according to the document,” he said. “The simple fact that China is specifically targeting the Uyghur population and subtracting points for such information clearly demonstrates its intention to enforce ever more repressive policies against the minority group with ethnic cleansing in mind.” China regularly conducts “strike hard” campaigns in Xinjiang, including police raids on Uyghur households, restrictions on Islamic practices, and curbs on the culture and language of the Uyghur people, including videos and other material. Reported by Eset Sulaiman for RFA’s Uyghur Service. Translated by Mamatjan Juma and Alim Seytoff. Written in English by Joshua Lipes. View this s tory online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/campaign-07142017165301.html Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news , information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA ’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org . To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to engnews-join(a)rfanews.org . ##### All media inquiries may be sent to Rohit Mahajan at mahajanr(a)rfa.org .

7 years, 11 months

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RFA Breaking News: Chinese Dissident, Nobel Peace Prize Winner Liu Xiaobo, 61, Dies of Cancer

by Paul Eckert

Chinese Dissident, Nobel Peace Prize Winner Liu Xiaobo, 61, Dies of Cancer July 13, 2017 - Prominent Chinese dissident and Nobel peace laureate Liu Xiaobo has died of liver cancer after being transferred to hospital from prison only after his disease was in the final stages. He was 61. Liu's late diagnosis, and the refusal of the ruling Chinese Communist Party to allow him to go overseas on medical parole, had sparked widespread public anger, with the governments of Germany and the U.S. offering him the best possible treatment. At the time of his death, Liu had been serving an 11-year jail term for "incitement to subvert state power," linked to his online writings promoting democracy and constitutional government. They included Charter 08, a document that was signed by more than 300 prominent scholars, writers, and rights activists around the country. In it, the former literature professor called for concerned Chinese citizens to rally to bring about change, citing an increasing loss of control by the Communist Party and heightened hostility between the authorities and ordinary people. "Among the great nations of the world, China, alone, still clings to an authoritarian political way of life," said the Charter, translated into English by California-Riverside East Asian Studies Professor Perry Link. "As a result, it has caused an unbroken chain of human rights disasters and social crises, held back the development of the Chinese people, and hindered the progress of human civilization." The Charter called for a genuine use of the Constitution and institutions that uphold the rule of law, democratic reforms, and human rights, warning of disaster amid growing social tensions in the absence of such reforms. Before the Charter, Liu had served as the president of the Independent Chinese PEN Center writers' group from 2003 to 2007, as well as heading Democratic China magazine since the mid-1990s. Empty chair in Oslo He was the third person to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize while in prison or detention, and was represented at the awards ceremony in Oslo in December 2010 by an empty chair. Born in Changchun, in the northeastern province of Jilin, Liu was taken by his father to Inner Mongolia in 1969, when intellectuals across China were sent "down to the countryside" during Mao Zedong's Cultural Revolution (1966-1976), and initially worked as a farm laborer. But with the reinstatement of China's universities, Liu joined the rest of his generation in applying to college, winning a place to read Chinese literature at Jilin University in 1977, and receiving his master's degree from Beijing Normal University, and began to make a mark in literary and ideological circles with his radical opinions. He went on to lecture at the same university after gaining his PhD, and was a visiting scholar at Columbia University, the University of Oslo, and the University of Hawaii. His books were banned in China soon after the 1989 student-led pro-democracy movement in Tiananmen Square. Liu was detained by police two days before the Charter went public on Human Rights Day 2008, and formally arrested on June 23 , 2009. His lawyers said the case against him was mostly built around six articles he published since 2005, as well as his participation in the drafting and promotion of Charter 08. The articles appeared on foreign news Web sites including China Observer and the BBC, and including titles such as "China's Dictatorial Patriotism," "The Many Facets of Chinese Communist Party Dictatorship," and "The Negative Effects on World Democracy of the Rise of Dictatorship." House arrest for Liu's wife The indictment document described Liu's crimes as "very great," accusing him of "using rumors and slander to overthrow the socialist system." He was found guilty on Dec. 25, 2009 of "engaging in agitation activities, such as the spreading of rumors and defaming of the government, aimed at subversion of the state and overthrowing the socialist system" and handed an 11-year jail term, which he served mostly in Liaoning, far from his Beijing-based friends and family. After his Nobel peace prize was announced in October 2010 , Liu's wife Liu Xia was held for several years under house arrest at the couple's home in Beijing, and prevented from receiving visitors or earning a living. She suffered from pronounced mental and physical health problems that friends blamed on this unofficial incarceration. During his last illness, many retired officials and Chinese intellectuals expressed their anger over Liu's treatment at the hands of the government. Former top Communist Party aide Bao Tong said Liu had never been guilty of subversion. "To subvert the state would be to remove power from the people and put it elsewhere. Any act that does not have this result cannot be called subversion," Bao wrote in a Dec. 23, 2009 essay ahead of Liu's trial. "It is patriotic to defend the sovereignty of the people. All movements that try to do this are patriotic movements," he wrote. "It is patriotic to defend the right to freedom of speech, publication, association, demonstration, and public protest, and to safeguard the public's right to know what is happening, to express themselves, to take part in political life and to oversee the government." In a statement written on the same day, which was never read out at his trial, Liu said he didn't blame the authorities for their treatment of him. "I have no enemies, and no hatred," he wrote. "None of the police who have monitored, arrested and interrogated me, the prosecutors who prosecuted me, or the judges who sentence me, are my enemies." "For hatred is corrosive of a person’s wisdom and conscience; the mentality of enmity can poison a nation’s spirit, instigate brutal life and death struggles, destroy a society’s tolerance and humanity, and block a nation’s progress to freedom and democracy," Liu wrote. But while he said he hoped to "defuse hatred with love," Liu added: "I do not feel guilty for following my constitutional right to freedom of expression, for fulfilling my social responsibility as a Chinese citizen." Reported by RFA's Mandarin and Cantonese Services. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie. View this s tory online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/liu-death-07132017094322.html Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news , information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA ’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org . To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to engnews-join(a)rfanews.org . ##### All media inquiries may be sent to Rohit Mahajan at mahajanr(a)rfa.org .

7 years, 11 months

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RFA Breaking News: Xinjiang Authorities Take Further Steps Towards Total Digital Surveillance

by Paul Eckert

Xinjiang Authorities Take Further Steps Towards Total Digital Surveillance June 29, 2017 - Chinese authorities in the northwestern region of Xinjiang are ordering residents to hand in all digital devices for “checking” at local police stations by Aug. 1, as part of an operation targeting “terrorist videos,” according to an announcement and official sources. "According to the requirements of stability maintenance measures, the Baoshan community district will be carrying out a specific anti-terrorist videos operation," a notice issued to residents of the regional capital Urumqi’s Baoshan district said. “Please would all residents and business owners of the district submit their personal ID cards, cell phones, external drives, portable hard drives, notebook computers and media storage cards and any similar devices to our district police post for registration and scanning by Aug. 1, 2017," the June 27 notice said. "Anyone who fails to submit the above devices and content by the stated time will be dealt with according to the relevant national law, should any problems arise," it said, calling on local people to respond "proactively" to the order. An employee who answered the phone at the Baoshan district committee offices confirmed to RFA that the order is genuine. "Handheld computers, smartphones, and storage devices [must be handed in]," she said. "We have a special system for scanning them, and this is happening across the whole city, not just here in our district." "These are orders from higher up." ‘Everyone must obey’ A Han Chinese officer at the Baoshan district police station also confirmed the directive, saying the directive was to “check and clean up illegal audio-video content.” “As long as you are a Chinese citizen, it is your obligation to cooperate with us, under the necessity of stability maintenance,” he said. “As soon as residents see the announcement, they should bring their smart phones, USB drives, [tablets] and notebook computers—these four types of devices—to the nearest police station for inspection.” According to the officer, authorities will install software that opens “everything” stored on the devices, including documents, archived items, and “anything unclean,” without providing details. He said that “every Chinese citizen has an obligation to participate” in the inspection, though he acknowledged that the order did not extend beyond Xinjiang, where he said the situation is “unlike any other part” of China in the aftermath of ethnic unrest in Urumqi, on July 5, 2009. If anyone fails to bring a device for inspection, “we will find them through their mobile phone,” the officer said. “Everyone must obey—if they don’t come, they will face legal consequences,” he added. The officer said that anyone born in Xinjiang must comply with the order, regardless of whether they are living in other parts of China, or even in one of “26 designated countries” abroad, without specifying which nations. “They must bring their devices for checkup as soon as they return,” he said. “This includes all Han Chinese and ethnic minorities. As long as you are from Xinjiang, you understand well what we’re doing here.” Increasing restrictions The new measures come after the regional government issued orders earlier this year for all vehicles to have compulsory GPS trackers and microchip license plates installed, enabling police to pinpoint the position of vehicles at all times. Beijing in December 2015 passed an anti-terrorism law banning anyone from disseminating images or information regarding “terrorist” activities, and authorizing anti-terrorist operations by security forces beyond China's borders. U.S. officials have said they fear the new law could be used to target peaceful dissent and religious activities among ethnic minorities in China, particularly among the Uyghur ethnic group. The ruling Chinese Communist Party blames some Uyghurs for a string of violent attacks and clashes in recent years. But critics say the government has exaggerated the threat from the Uyghurs, and that repressive domestic policies are responsible for violence that has left hundreds dead since 2009. Dilxat Raxit, spokesman for the exile World Uyghur Congress group, said the monitoring program will likely result in even more arrests. "I think this will mean that the situation gets even more unpredictable," Raxit said. "They are now forcibly prying into Uyghurs' private belongings." Control and surveil Sophie Richardson, China director at New York-based Human Rights Watch, called the new measure an unprecedented strategy by Chinese authorities to control and surveil residents of Xinjiang, and questioned its legality. “There is no basis for that in Chinese law, absent some sort of credible suggestion that the communications are taking place with the view towards committing some kind of actual crime,” she said. “From our perspective it’s another counterproductive strategy. Instead of actually addressing the legitimate grievances of the Uyghur people in the region … authorities are compounding them by preventing people from discussing them freely.” An ethnic Kazakh resident of Urumqi told RFA that the authorities are increasingly stepping up pressure on his ethnic group too, however. "Since 2000, all the ethnic minority schools, including Uyghur and Kazakh schools, have been merged with Han Chinese schools," the Kazakh resident said. "That includes 2,000 Kazakh schools that have been merged with Chinese schools." "Ethnic minorities' right to their language and religious beliefs have been stripped away," he said. "We should continue to fight for justice, and say what needs to be said. We shouldn't allow them to suppress us." Reported by Qiao Long for RFA's Mandarin Service and Ghulchehra Hoja for RFA’s Uyghur Service. Translated by Luisetta Mudie, Alim Seytoff and Mamatjan Juma. Written in English by Luisetta Mudie and Joshua Lipes. View this s tory online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/surveillance-06292017134132.html Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news , information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA ’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org . To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to engnews-join(a)rfanews.org . ##### All media inquiries may be sent to Rohit Mahajan at mahajanr(a)rfa.org .

7 years, 11 months

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RFA Breaking News: Former Chongqing Party Chief Bo Xilai 'Under Treatment For Liver Cancer' Near Dalian

by Paul Eckert

Former Chongqing Party Chief Bo Xilai 'Under Treatment For Liver Cancer' Near Dalian June 27, 2017 - Jailed former Chongqing chief Bo Xilai has been released from prison, where he was serving a life prison term for corruption and abuse of power, after being granted medical parole following a diagnosis of liver cancer, RFA has learned. Once a former rising star in the ruling Chinese Communist Party, Bo Xilai was jailed for life for corruption and abuse of power in September 2013 , a month after his wife Gu Kailai was handed a suspended death sentence for the murder of a British businessman in the biggest political scandal to rock the party in decades. The former member of the 25-member Politburo has been transferred to a medical facility on Bangchui island near Dalian, the northeastern port city where he also once held the top party job, an overseas source close to the Bo family told RFA on Tuesday . The source, who asked to remain anonymous, said Bo had been diagnosed with liver cancer by doctors in Beijing's Qincheng Prison earlier this year. Unlike dissident Liu Xiaobo, whose liver cancer is now beyond treatment, Bo's cancer is still at a fairly early stage, the source said. RFA was unable to confirm the source's claims independently. The Chinese Embassy in Washington did not reply to RFA's request for a comment. Drawing a parallel with the recent transfer of jailed dissident Liu to a Liaoning hospital with inoperable, late-stage liver cancer, a Beijing-based academic said the standard of medical care offered to a former high-ranking official like Bo in China's Qincheng Prison would be second-to-none. "They all receive a certain standard of treatment in Qincheng, which is far, far better [than that available to Liu]," the academic said. "It is very good indeed, and the medical facilities are excellent." Bo's ouster from office on March 15 , 2012 came soon after an embarrassing Feb. 6 visit to the U.S. Consulate in Chengdu by his former police chief and right-hand man Wang Lijun. Bo's sudden departure also sparked online rumors of an alleged coup plot between him and former state security czar Zhou Yongkang, and references to "unofficial political activities" between the pair from the country's Supreme People's Court. Anhui-based former state prosecutor Shen Liangqing said there is no comparison between Liu's peaceful advocacy of democratic, constitutional government and Bo's activities while in Dalian and Chongqing. "Bo Xilai has committed very major crimes, including the purges of so many people during his 'revolutionary songs and anti-mafia' campaigns in Chongqing," Shen said. "He used absolutely cruel and horrific methods to do that." Bo's tenure in Chongqing saw reports of forced confessions and rights abuses during the campaigns, which won political plaudits at the time for Bo and his then police chief Wang Lijun. Li Zhuang, a whistle-blowing lawyer who worked on a high-profile anti-gang case in 2009, said that many of those convicted in Chongqing at the height of Bo's anti-mafia campaigns were targeted purely for their wealth. Bo was famed for his "strike black, sing red" campaigns during his tenure in the city as pensioners gathered daily to sing Mao Zedong era anthems. But Li said that behind the headline-catching arrests and the Cultural Revolution kitsch, Bo and Wang ran a terror campaign that, while it did net some bona fide criminal bosses, also targeted innocent businessmen with the aim of taking over their assets. Reported by Qiao Long for RFA's Mandarin Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie. View this s tory online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/boxilai-cancer-06272017141729.html Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news , information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA ’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org . To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to engnews-join(a)rfanews.org . ##### All media inquiries may be sent to Rohit Mahajan at mahajanr(a)rfa.org .

7 years, 11 months

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RFA Breaking News: China's 'Underground Railroad' Smuggles Blood For Illicit Gender-Testing in Hong Kong

by Paul Eckert

China's 'Underground Railroad' Smuggles Blood For Illicit Gender-Testing in Hong Kong June 22, 2017 - A complex network of companies, middlemen and clinics in mainland China and Hong Kong is carrying on a roaring trade in on-the-quiet prenatal testing to determine the gender of fetuses for Chinese couples, a practice that is banned on the mainland because of its association with sex-selective abortion, RFA has learned. According to government figures for last year, China is home to 34 million more men than women, reflecting the longer-term effects of selective abortion, abandoned baby girls, and the country's family planning restrictions. China's population stood at 1.38 billion at the end of last year, according to official statistics released last month, of whom 708 million are men and 674 million are women. In 2014, officials described the gender imbalance as the "most serious" problem, outlawing gender testing of unborn babies in a bid to make sex-selective abortions less common. But an employee surnamed Chan who answered the phone at a medical intermediary company in Hong Kong's Sheung Shui district confirmed that it supplies gender testing kits to mainland China which could enable parents-to-be to determine the sex of their unborn child. The company also helps mainland testing firms by importing blood samples to Hong Kong for testing, circumventing Chinese regulations that forbid such tests, she said. "I think it's the mainland Chinese intermediary that takes the money, if [the customer] can't come here [to Hong Kong]," Chan said. "All they have to do is go to the mainland middleman." "If they want an ultrasound, then they need to find a doctor over in mainland China who will do it for them, then bring it with them [to Hong Kong]," she said. An employee surnamed Huang, whose contact details were printed on a leaflet advertising the process and obtained by RFA from a Hong Kong-based intermediary company, said parents-to-be wanting gender testing often mail their own blood samples to Hong Kong, as formally importing the samples is also covered by the ban. "It works like this: you take the blood sample yourself and mail it to me, and then I will help you to get it into Hong Kong," Huang said, adding that many pregnant women don't dare to make the trip to Hong Kong for fear of being caught. "In the past three months, the border guards have been looking out for pregnant women," he said. "If you're not [obviously] pregnant, they'll let you through, but if you are, they turn you back [at the border]." 'Pretty big risk' Huang said his company arranges for the blood samples to be taken to the Sheung Shui company for testing, at a cost of 3,000 yuan each, including transportation costs, testing equipment and results. He said the middlemen run some risks in smuggling the blood samples across the border, however. "If you take blood across the border, you can wind up with a fine, so there's a pretty big risk attached," Huang said. "But we're used to it; it's not too bad." There are even more direct methods of getting around regulations banning gender-testing, however. RFA learned from a fairly large medical clinic in Shenzhen's Baoan district, across the internal immigration border with Hong Kong, that people wanting such tests are charged 100 yuan for the taking of the blood sample in clinical conditions. "If you want the blood test done over here, then it's 100 yuan per sample," an employee at the clinic said when visited by RFA. "We have a friend on the Hong Kong side who brings over test tubes for the samples to go in when we take the blood for [the customer]," the employee said. "Then, as soon as the sample is taken, he takes them back to Hong Kong on the subway." Hong Kong's Mass Transit Railway (MTR) subway system connects with the Shenzhen Metro at the border town of Lo Wu. The Hong Kong clinic also offers ultrasound scans of babies as early as seven weeks, the employee said, while the Shenzhen clinic can't offer them before four months. "We can carry out an ultrasound on this side of the border on the quiet at four months," the employee said. "But that's not as good as doing it at two months, if you then decide to abort, if it isn't developing normally, or if you don't want it, or if it is going to harm your health." PRC population controls While the Hong Kong clinic promises an accuracy rate of more than 98 percent, a Hong Kong gynecologist told RFA that there are considerable risks to ultrasound scans as early as seven weeks. She said first-trimester scans carry a greater risk of a miscarriage soon after the scan, and may result in errors when trying to determine the sex of the fetus. Hong Kong Democratic Party lawmaker James To, who is also a lawyer, said such practices are the result of long-running population controls in mainland China, alongside traditional preferences for male offspring in China. "I think that, regardless of the fact that they have relaxed the one-child policy now, there are still some traditional attitudes [in China], and some families might want to make sure they have at least one son," To told RFA. "They want to make sure they don't wind up with two daughters, which they would probably find unacceptable." "So they get a blood sample and send it to Hong Kong for testing, and if they don't like the result, they'll get an abortion," he said. "Of course, this is very far from ideal." He said part of the problem is caused by the ruling Chinese Communist Party's insistence on limiting the rights of its citizens to give birth, although the one-child policy has now become a two-child limit. U.S.-based women’s rights activist Reggie Littlejohn in February called for an end to China’s coercive population control regime, saying it makes sex-selective abortions more, not less, likely. "The Chinese government has been lauded by many for its supposed ‘loosening’ of its one-child policy, yet the coercive nature of the program remains, and it continues to result in the selective abortion of countless girls," Littlejohn, who heads the Women’s Rights Without Frontiers group, said. "It is a travesty that most women’s rights organizations remain silent in the face of this attack on women and girls." Littlejohn was commenting in February on a January article posted on the state-backed ECNS news service titled "In pursuit of boy babies, families send samples to HK for sex tests, abort girls," which had been removed when the link was tested by RFA on Thursday . "We predicted last year that the increasing availability of non-invasive pregnancy tests and the modified two-child policy would result in an increase, not a decrease, in sex-selective abortion," Littlejohn told the pro-life group National Right to Life. "In fact, with the two child policy, odds are increased that girls will be selectively aborted. Couples whose first child is a girl will often abort the second child if she is also a girl. Second daughters remain endangered," she said. Reported by Wo Miu and Wong Lok-to for RFA's Cantonese Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie. View this s tory online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/hongkong-blood-06222017141720.html Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news , information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA ’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org . To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to engnews-join(a)rfanews.org . ##### All media inquiries may be sent to Rohit Mahajan at mahajanr(a)rfa.org .

7 years, 11 months

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RFA's Mekong Project Wins at New York Festivals

by Rohit Mahajan

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 20, 2017 Contact: Rohit Mahajan 202 530 4976 <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org RFAs Mekong Project Wins at New York Festivals WASHINGTON Radio Free Asia <http://www.rfa.org/english/> (RFA) was a winner at last nights 2017 New York Festivals <http://www.newyorkfestivals.com/> International Radio Program Awards gala for its investigative web series on the impact of Chinas rapid development on the Mekong River. A River in Peril: The Mekong Under China <http://www.rfa.org/about/releases/river-in-peril-12062016131425.html> s Control won a silver award in the category of Best Online News Program. In addition, two other entries from RFA were listed as finalists. Chinas Mekong development and dams have a detrimental impact on the lives of millions downstream, said Libby Liu, President of RFA. RFA has documented this underreported story from the beginning and will continue to bring it to our audiences, who are directly affected. Dan Southerland and the team behind this project deserve credit and recognition for bringing this important and on-going issue to light. A River in Peril tells the story of Southeast Asias longest river, on which more than 60 million depend for their food, drinking water, and livelihoods. Including personal accounts from people of all walks of life from six countries in addition to analysis by some the worlds foremost authorities on the Mekong, the project follows on RFAs award-winning 2009 web series Traveling Down the Mekong <http://www.rfa.org/english/multimedia/MekongProject> , which chronicled the early phases of the waterways damming. RFA revisited many locations from its 2009 series in China, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam, interviewing people who have both witnessed and endured the drastic changes since then. RFAs founding executive editor Dan Southerland led the project as a follow-up to the 2009 project, which he also produced. RFAs finalist entries were submissions from its Korean and Khmer (Cambodian) language services. My Son, Im So Sorry! follows the stories of North Korean women refugees who left behind families and loved ones to escape life in the isolated dictatorship. These women continued to face hardships and abuse in China, where they live in hiding to avoid being sent back to North Korea. RFA Khmers Damming the Future reports on the human and environmental impact in Cambodia of the construction of the controversial Lower Sesan II dam. The awards ceremony took place in Manhattan. Other winners and finalists <http://www.newyorkfestivals.com/radio/> included NPR, BBC, KBS, ABC (Australia), and RTÉ IRELAND, in addition to RFA-sister networks Radio Sawa (MBN) and Radio Farda (RFE/RL). # # # Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFAs broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers. RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. Rohit Mahajan | Radio Free Asia | Director of Public Affairs and Digital Strategy <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org | O: 202.530.4976 | M: 202.489.8021

7 years, 11 months

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RFA Breaking News: China Embeds Cadres in Uyghur Homes During Ramadan

by Paul Eckert

China Embeds Cadres in Uyghur Homes During Ramadan June 8, 2017 - Authorities in northwest China’s Xinjiang region are doubling down on a bid to prevent Muslim Uyghurs from fasting and praying during Islam’s holy month of Ramadan by embedding Chinese officials in their homes, according to official sources. While authorities in Xinjiang have typically forced restaurants to stay open and restricted access to mosques during Ramadan to discourage traditional observation of the holy month, officials in Hotan (in Chinese, Hetian) prefecture said the local government is taking more drastic steps this year and assigning ruling Chinese Communist Party cadres to each Uyghur family for monitoring purposes. They told RFA’s Uyghur Service that in addition to regular home searches, the Hotan government had launched a campaign called “Together in Five Things” a day ahead of this year’s May 26 to June 24 Ramadan period, during which Chinese officials will stay with each Uyghur household for up to 15 days to make sure residents neither fast nor pray. “Inspections are conducted during iftar [a meal eaten by Muslims after sunset during Ramadan] when houses with lights on are checked—that is how we carry out patrols and inspections,” a police officer in Hotan city told RFA, speaking on condition of anonymity. Designated cadres visit the home of each family every day, he added, and every ten cadres report to a higher level official. “Furthermore, we had a special arrangement … this year called the ‘Together in Five Things’ campaign, [through which cadres and Uyghur families] worked together, dined together, and stayed in the same home together,” the officer said, without specifying the other two “things” that rounded out the initiative. “It’s all about keeping close to the people. During this period, they [officials] will get to know the lives of the people, assist in their daily activities—such as farming—and propagate laws and regulations, party and government ethnic and religious policies, and so on,” he said. “They stay at farmers’ homes to inquire after their ideological views.” According to the officer, the campaign in Hotan city began on May 25 and lasted until June 3. A farmer in Hotan’s Qaraqash (Moyu) county, who also asked to remain unnamed, told RFA that cadres had also been embedded in his village since the day before Ramadan began. “We have cadres from different government organs, including from [the Xinjiang capital] Urumqi, and other places,” he said. “They will be here for [up to] 15 days and have been constantly telling us not to fast. It is impossible for us to fast or pray.” And an official in Hotan who asked that the name of his village be withheld said that the “Together in Five Things” campaign was also underway in his area, while speaking with RFA by telephone. “The cadres are staying in the farmers’ homes right now—one cadre in every home,” he said. “First, they will make sure there is no [unsanctioned] religious practice [in the home]. Second, they will observe [the families]. But I don’t know any other details.” Pledge for Ramadan Additionally, sources said, authorities are forcing Uyghur cadres, civil servants and government retirees who draw a pension to sign a document pledging that they will neither fast nor pray during Ramadan, ostensibly to set an example to other Uyghurs in the community. While such a pledge is common during Ramadan for government employees in Xinjiang, the sources said that this year, those who sign the document must also assume responsibility for ensuring that none of their friends or family members fast or pray either. “We all signed a letter of responsibility guaranteeing that we won’t fast,” an auxiliary police officer based in Hotan city told RFA, speaking anonymously. “Most of the content [in the letter] is the same as last year. However, this year we are required to monitor our families, our neighbors, and even the families that we are responsible for, and persuade them not to fast.” The auxiliary officer said he and his coworkers signed the pledge on June 2. A Uyghur graduate student based in the U.S., who also asked not to be named, told RFA that his father is a civil servant in Xinjiang and had instructed him not to fast after signing the pledge. “My grandfather is a very pious person who went to Mecca for Hajj [Muslim pilgrimage] and had always instructed us in religious teachings—it is our family tradition to pray, fast and celebrate Ramadan,” he said. “But this time, not only is my father not fasting, but he even asked my grandparents not to fast because he signed the letter of responsibility.” ‘Stability’ measures Ahead of Ramadan this year, sources told RFA that authorities in Xinjiang’s Aksu (Akesu) prefecture had ordered restaurants to stay open during the holy month as part of a “stability maintenance” measures, suggesting efforts to undermine the Muslim tradition of fasting. Separately, students in Hotan’s Qaraqash county were ordered to gather on Fridays to “collectively study, watch red [communist propaganda] films, and conduct sports activities” in a way to “enrich their social life during the summer vacation.” Fridays are customarily prayer days at mosques, while those who go without food between dawn and dusk during Ramadan rarely have the energy to take part in sports events, suggesting authorities may be trying to prevent the largely Muslim ethnic Uyghur inhabitants of Aksu and Hotan from observing the holy month according to Islamic tradition. Beijing has been cracking down on what it calls religious extremism in Xinjiang, with authorities conducting regular “strike hard” campaigns including police raids on Uyghur households, restrictions on Islamic practices, and curbs on the culture and language of the Uyghur people. While China blames some Uyghurs for "terrorist" attacks, experts outside China say Beijing has exaggerated the threat from the Uyghurs and that repressive domestic policies are responsible for an upsurge in violence there that has left hundreds dead since 2009. Reported by Gulchehra Hoja for RFA’s Uyghur Service. Translated by Mamatjan Juma and Alim Seytoff. Written in English by Joshua Lipes. View this s tory online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/cadres-06082017164658.html Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news , information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA ’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org . To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to engnews-join(a)rfanews.org . ##### All media inquiries may be sent to Rohit Mahajan at mahajanr(a)rfa.org .

8 years

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RFA Breaking News: China Extends Ban on ‘Extreme’ Uyghur Baby Names to Children Under 16

by Paul Eckert

China Extends Ban on ‘Extreme’ Uyghur Baby Names to Children Under 16 June 1, 2017 - Authorities in northwest China’s Xinjiang region have extended a recently introduced ban on “extreme” Islamic names for ethnic Uyghur babies to include anyone up to the age of 16, according to official sources and residents, and the order may soon include Uyghurs of all ages. According to a recent posting on WeChat by the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region’s Public Security Bureau, Order No. 4425 requires all Uyghur parents to change the names of children under 16 years of age, if they are among those listed in a region-wide ban uncovered by RFA’s Uyghur Service. In April, official sources told RFA that “overly religious names”—such as Islam, Quran, Mecca, Jihad, Imam, Saddam, Hajj, and Medina—were banned under the ruling Chinese Communist Party's “Naming Rules For Ethnic Minorities,” and that any babies registered with such names would be barred from the “hukou” household registration system that gives access to health care and education. A police officer in Hotan (in Chinese, Hetian) prefecture recently confirmed to RFA that his station in Hotan city’s Elchi district was ordered last month to complete name changes of Uyghurs aged 16 and younger by June 1, but said that due to technical issues the deadline may be extended to July 1. The officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said “15 names cannot be used, including Arafat,” and that parents should bring both their own and their children’s household registration papers to the police station to make the change. “We are changing only the names of minors under 16,” he said. “The ones 16 and above have not been ordered to change yet, due to the difficulty of changing their ID cards and driver’s licenses, so we do not have any directive on changing their names.” According to the officer, students who have completed primary school must also change the names on their graduation certificates, meaning they must visit both their local police station and education department. He acknowledged that the name change process is difficult, as many parents have been the target of a crackdown on what Beijing calls religious extremism in Xinjiang, with authorities conducting regular “strike hard” campaigns including police raids on Uyghur households, restrictions on Islamic practices, and curbs on the culture and language of the Uyghur people. “Basically, the village cadres are assisting the minors to change their names, because some of their parents are either in jail or detention,” he said. The officer said that many Uyghur parents had given their children “extremist” names when Beijing’s policies in the region were “lenient,” but “at the moment, since they cannot use those names, they are simply changing them.” “The locals have no objections,” he added. An official from Hotan prefecture’s Qaraqash (Moyu) county government also told RFA his office had recently received an order to change banned names for Uyghur children. “There are around seven names and the order specified that the name change should be done for free,” said the official, who also asked to remain unnamed. “For example, they have to change names like Arafat. My colleague’s son’s name was Arafat and he was made to change it. He is a Xinjiang Medical University student.” The official did not specify the age of the young man. A teacher in Hotan city also confirmed the name ban, but said that none of the Uyghur students at her school had “radical” names. “There are some students named after their grandparents—such as Ayshem, Tohti and Mahmut—and most have more popular names—such as Ilnur and Dilnur—so we didn’t hear much about the name ban here,” she said. Judging names Sources in Hotan had previously detailed to RFA a list of banned names in 2015, but an employee who answered the phone at a police station in the regional capital Urumqi suggested in April that the ban had since been rolled out region-wide. The employee said at the time that names “with a strong religious flavor, such as Jihad” or those with “connotations of holy war or of splittism [Xinjiang independence]” were no longer allowed. Other rules on what constituted an “extremist” name seemed arbitrary, at best. Names of Islamic scholars could be regarded as “promoting terror and evil cults,” Yultuzay—a reference to the star and moon symbol of the Islamic faith—is “pagan,” and Mecca “would be a bit over-the-top,” the employee said, adding that he didn’t think Saddam would be acceptable either. “Just stick to the party line, and you'll be fine,” he told RFA. “[People with banned names] won't be able to get a household registration, so they will find out from the hukou office when the time comes.” A second source told RFA at the time that the safest names for Uyghurs are those that are considered more “mainstream” by the Chinese Communist Party, such as Memet. Invasion of privacy Dolkun Isa, general secretary of the Munich-based World Uyghur Congress exile group, strongly condemned the Chinese government for forcibly changing the names of Uyghur children under the age of 16. “This demonstrates how far and wide the Chinese government violates the fundamental human rights of the Uyghur people and invades the very privacy of their lives,” he told RFA. “Clearly, Uyghur parents are being stripped of the right to name their own children.” Isa noted that in every culture, baby names are carefully selected—often with the input of the extended family—and said Uyghur families should not be denied that right. “China should be ashamed of forcing Uyghur parents to change the names of their children under any circumstances,” he said. While China blames some Uyghurs for "terrorist" attacks, experts outside China say Beijing has exaggerated the threat from the Uyghurs and that repressive domestic policies are responsible for an upsurge in violence there that has left hundreds dead since 2009. Reported by Mihray Abdulin for RFA’s Uyghur Service. Translated by Mamatjan Juma. Written in English by Joshua Lipes. View this s tory online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/ban-06012017165249.html Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news , information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA ’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org . To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to engnews-join(a)rfanews.org . ##### All media inquiries may be sent to Rohit Mahajan at mahajanr(a)rfa.org .

8 years

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RFA Breaking News: Xinjiang Authorities Confiscate ‘Extremist’ Qurans From Uyghur Muslims

by Paul Eckert

Xinjiang Authorities Confiscate ‘Extremist’ Qurans From Uyghur Muslims May 25, 201 7 - Authorities in northwestern China’s Xinjiang region are confiscating all Qurans published more than five years ago due to “extremist content,” according to local officials, amid an ongoing campaign against “illegal” religious items owned by mostly Muslim ethnic Uyghur residents. Village chiefs from Barin township, in Kashgar (in Chinese, Kashi) prefecture’s Peyziwat (Jiashi) county, recently told RFA’s Uyghur Service that hundreds of the Islamic holy books printed before 2012 had been seized since authorities issued an order recalling them on Jan. 15. The Qurans were appropriated as part of the “Three Illegals and One Item” campaign underway in Xinjiang that bans “illegal” publicity materials, religious activities, and religious teaching, as well as items deemed by authorities to be tools of terrorism—including knives, flammable objects, remote-controlled toys, and objects sporting symbols related to Islam, they said. Emet Imin, the party secretary of Barin’s No. 1 village, told RFA that authorities had confiscated 500 books in the recent campaign sweep of households beginning in January, “most of which were Qurans published before 2012.” “They can keep Qurans that were published after August 2012, according to an order from the top, but they are not allowed to keep any other versions,” Imin said. “Other versions should be recalled entirely, even if they were published by the government.” Imin said that according to the order he received from his superiors, there were “problems” in the earlier version of the Quran related to “some signs of extremism.” “Therefore, we issued a notice on Jan. 15 urging residents to hand over older Qurans and warning them they would bear the consequences if banned versions were found in their homes,” he said. “As a result, most of them brought their Qurans to us. We gathered all [the books] at the village office and [earlier this month] we took them to the office of United Front Work Department,” he added, referring to a Communist Party agency responsible for handling relations with China’s non-party elite. Only materials signed off on by official religious organizations endorsed by the ruling Chinese Communist Party are considered legal to own and use for worship in China, and Imin did not explain how a state-sanctioned version of the Quran might have been deemed “extremist” by authorities. Imam Rishit, the party secretary of Barin’s No. 2 village, said that while the recall was only issued for Qurans published prior to 2012, residents of his village turned in every version of the Quran they owned, “most likely to [do whatever they can to] stay out of trouble.” “We collected 382 of them and they will be taken to the township government,” he said. “The type of work we are doing right now is meant to discourage residents from reading older versions of the Quran by warning them that they will be contaminated by extremist ideas. Therefore, the Uyghurs have been bringing their Qurans to us—even the ones they inherited from their grandparents.” Rishit said authorities in his village had also confiscated “plates and decorative items with the inscriptions ‘Muhammed’ and ‘Allah’ on them” during the sweep of homes since January. Anti-Islamic policies Overseas Uyghurs slammed the Quran ban as merely another bid by Chinese authorities to exert more control over the Xinjiang region by linking their ethnic group’s cultural traditions to terrorism and promoting more government-friendly versions. “The real objective of the Chinese government is to alienate Uyghur people from the true belief of Islam,” said Turghunjan Alawudin, Religious Commission chairman of the Munich-based World Uyghur Congress (WUC) exile group. “China is attempting to justify its wholesale repression of the Uyghur people by distorting the teachings of the Holy Quran, Hadith [the sayings of the Prophet Muhammed] and Islamic theology passed down to us by our forefathers.” Alawudin said that Beijing is working to ensure that the “accepted” version of the Quran legitimizes its “repressive policies” in Xinjiang and teaches the Uyghur people to “submit.” “In Islam, we must follow Allah and the teachings of Muhammed, but the Chinese government is distorting the Quran by adding passages about submission to authorities so that Uyghurs will acquiesce to its illegitimate and dictatorial rule over our homeland,” he said. “China’s goal is to use the new translated Quran to confuse the minds of believers and to serve its own political purposes.” Alawudin denounced any version of the Quran that had been translated from the original Arabic into the Uyghur language by “atheists or communists,” saying only “learned Islamic scholars and true believers” are worthy of translating the holy book. WUC spokesperson Dilxat Raxit echoed Alawudin’s concerns over what constitutes a legitimate version of the Quran. “Only independent Islamic researchers and highly-trained religious scholars—not the atheistic Chinese government—should have the authority to pronounce which version of the Quran is correct,” he said. “Instead of changing the Quran—the Holy Book of all Muslims—China should change its anti-Islamic policies against the Uyghur people disguised as anti-extremism.” China regularly conducts “strike hard” campaigns in Xinjiang, including police raids on Uyghur households, restrictions on Islamic practices, and curbs on the culture and language of the Uyghur people, including videos and other material. While China blames some Uyghurs for "terrorist" attacks, experts outside China say Beijing has exaggerated the threat from the Uyghurs and that repressive domestic policies are responsible for an upsurge in violence there that has left hundreds dead since 2009. Reported by Shohret Hoshur for RFA’s Uyghur Service. Translated by Mamatjan Juma and Alim Seytoff. Written in English by Joshua Lipes. View this s tory online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/qurans-05252017142212.html Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news , information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA ’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org . To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to engnews-join(a)rfanews.org . ##### All media inquiries may be sent to Rohit Mahajan at mahajanr(a)rfa.org .

8 years

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RFA Breaking News: Tibetan Monk Sets Himself Ablaze in Qinghai in 150th Self-Immolation

by Paul Eckert

Tibetan Monk Sets Himself Ablaze in Qinghai in 150th Self-Immolation May 19, 2017 - A young Tibetan monk set himself on fire and died on Friday in northwestern China’s Qinghai province in an apparent challenge to Chinese rule in Tibetan areas, a Tibetan living in the area said. The protest brought to 150 the number of self-immolations by Tibetans living in China since the wave of fiery protests began in 2009. Jamyang Losal, aged about 22, set himself ablaze at around 5:00 a.m. on May 19 near the People’s Hospital in Kangtsa (in Chinese, Gangcha) county in Qinghai’s Tsojang (Haibei) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, a local source told RFA’s Tibetan Service. “He did not survive his protest,” RFA’s source said, speaking on condition of anonymity “Losal’s body was taken away by the police, and when his family members went to the police station to claim his remains, the police refused to comply with their request,” he said. “Losal was a monk belonging to Gyerteng monastery in Kangtsa’s Nangra town,” RFA’s source said, adding that about 20 monks now study at the monastery, which is located about 30 kilometers (18 miles) south of the Kangtsa county seat. Losal was a native of Dong Gya village in Kangtsa county’s Nangra township, the source said. Reported by Sangye Gyatso for RFA’s Tibetan Service. Translated by Karma Dorjee. Written in English by Richard Finney. View this s tory online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/tibet/ablaze-05192017121758.html Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news , information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA ’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org . To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to engnews-join(a)rfanews.org . ##### All media inquiries may be sent to Rohit Mahajan at mahajanr(a)rfa.org .

8 years

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RFA Breaking News: Uyghurs Studying Abroad Ordered Back to Xinjiang Under Threat to Families

by Paul Eckert

Uyghurs Studying Abroad Ordered Back to Xinjiang Under Threat to Families May 9, 2017 - Uyghur students enrolled in schools outside China are being ordered by Chinese authorities to return to their home towns by May 20, with family members in some cases held hostage to force their return, sources in Xinjiang and in Egypt say. Launched at the end of January by authorities across the Xinjiang region, the campaign has frightened targeted students, some of whom have disappeared or been jailed after coming back, a Uyghur studying at Egypt’s Al-Azhar University told RFA’s Uyghur Service. “It seems that everyone who went home from Egypt has simply vanished,” RFA’s source said, speaking on condition of anonymity. “We haven’t been able to contact any of them.” “A friend of mine has already returned because his parents, brother, and sister were detained,” RFA’s source said. “There is a dark cloud hanging over every Uyghur student’s head. All of them are very depressed. They are really scared now,” he said. Many of those ordered home have been jailed after arriving in Xinjiang, another Uyghur studying in Egypt said. Two sisters named Sumeyya and Subinur were detained by police after being called back to Xinjiang’s Hotan prefecture, the source said. “Within seven to eight days after their return, the older sister was sentenced to three years in jail, and the younger sister was sentenced to political reeducation,” he said. “There was another girl, Asma, also from Hotan,” he said. “She left two weeks after the other girls went back, and was detained at the airport when she arrived.” “We have all been notified to return by the deadline,” one married Uyghur studying at Al-Azhar said. “They are forcing us to do this by locking up the parents of each student to make them go back. My own father has been detained for the last two months,” he said. Some Uyghur students are now vowing to stay in Egypt until their school terms end, while others attempting to refuse their orders to return by fleeing into Turkey are being stopped at the Turkish border and denied entry, other sources said. Political views investigated Also speaking to RFA, police officers and officials of the ruling Chinese Communist Party in Kashgar prefecture’s Peyziwat county described the campaign as an effort to investigate the political views of the students ordered home. “From what I understand, the goal of this policy is to identify their political and ideological stance, and then educate them about our country’s laws and current developments,” a police officer in a village of Peyziwat’s Barin township said. “We have a directive from the top,” he added. Uyghurs ordered home to Barin include students now studying in Turkey, France, Australia, and the United States, party officials in three of Barin’s villages told RFA. “We have five students studying abroad, two Chinese and three non-Chinese,” the party secretary of one village said. “So far we have brought back two Uyghurs. One of them was studying in America, and the other one was in Turkey.” Another party secretary said that three residents of his village are now studying abroad. “One was in America and two were in Turkey. The one in America was brought to us by his father and returned after talking to us. One from Turkey is still here, and hadn’t gone back there.” One girl studying in Turkey has not yet returned home, though, the party secretary said. “Right now we are talking to her parents about this matter,” he said. “We are telling them she should come back within the next two weeks, otherwise things won’t be good for any of us.” A government official has been specially assigned to talk to parents about the new policy, he said. “He basically tells the students’ parents to advise their children so that they don’t go astray and don’t take part in any anti-China activities.” “We have two now studying abroad,” the party secretary of a third village said. “One is in France, and the other is in Australia, but neither of them have returned yet.” “We told them they must come back by the end of May,” he said. “We have orders to enforce this policy. The directive came from the Uyghur Autonomous Regional government,” he added. “We are now managing the return of Uyghur students studying abroad,” a police officer in Xinjiang’s Turpan city said, also speaking to RFA. “This work consists of several stages, but I can’t give you any of the details of this over the phone,” he said. Only Uyghurs targeted Underscoring the policy’s apparently exclusive focus on Uyghur students, a Hui Muslim from China’s Ningxia region now studying at Al-Azhar said he had received no notice to return. “We Hui students are not returning, but are staying,” he said. Bai Kecheng, chairman of the Chinese consulate-affiliated Chinese Students and Scholars Association in Egypt, meanwhile denied any knowledge of the orders to Uyghurs to return. “The consulate doesn’t know about this either,” he said. “[The orders] may have come from Xinjiang local authorities.” Meanwhile, Uyghur bakeries and restaurants near Egypt’s Al-Azhar are closing as their customers depart for home, sources said. “It has been at least a month now that our business has been slow,” one restaurant owner said. “Our food was consumed mostly by the Uyghur students, since the locals don’t really like it. Our business has suffered great losses due to the lack of students here,” he said. Reported by Shohret Hoshur, Gulchehra Hoja, and Eset Sulaiman for RFA’s Uyghur Service. Translated by Alim Seytoff and Mamatjan Juma. Written in English by Richard Finney. View this s tory online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/ordered-05092017155554.html Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news , information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA ’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org . To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to engnews-join(a)rfanews.org . ##### All media inquiries may be sent to Rohit Mahajan at mahajanr(a)rfa.org .

8 years, 1 month

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RFA Breaking News: Tibetan Teenager Stages Self-Immolation Protest in Gansu

by Paul Eckert

.png Tibetan Teenager Stages Self-Immolation Protest in Gansu May 7, 2017 - A 16-year-old student in a Tibetan region of Gansu staged a self-immolation protest on May 2 against Chinese rule, RFA's Tibetan service has learned. A source inside Tibet said Chagdor Kyab from Bora Township, in Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Amdo, set himself on fire near Bora monastery, a branch of Labrang Tashikyil monastery. The source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Chagdor Kyab, a student from a farming family, shouted "Tibet wants freedom" and "Let His Holiness the Dalai Lama come back to Tibet" while he burned. While his body was on fire the teenager tried to run towards the Chinese government offices of Bora Township but he fell down before reaching the offices. Chinese police and military swiftly arrived at the scene and extinguished the flames and took away the body, the source told RFA. It was not clear on Saturday whether Chagdor Kyab was alive or dead. The source in Tibet identified his mother as Dolma Tso and his father as Zoepa, farmers from Dardo in Bora Township. Following the self-immolation, the local Chinese authorities imposed tight restrictions in the area which made it difficult to obtain further information. Since 2009 four Tibetans from Bora have self-immolated, and the May 2 protest brought to 149 the number of self-immolations by Tibetans living in China since the wave of fiery protests began in 2009. Of these, 125 are known to have died. Reported by Lumbum Tashi and edited and translated by Kalden Lodoe. Written in English by Paul Eckert. View this story online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/tibet/amdo-protest-05072017091020.html Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA's broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to "seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers." RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to <mailto:engnews-leave@rfanews.org> engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org. To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to <mailto:engnews-join@rfanews.org> engnews-join(a)rfanews.org . ##### All media inquiries may be sent to Rohit Mahajan at <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org.

8 years, 1 month

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RSF's Index Stresses Threats to Journalists in Asia, Audiences' Need for Free Press

by Rohit Mahajan

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 26, 2017 Contact: Rohit Mahajan 202 530 4976 <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org RSF's Index Stresses Threats against Journalists in Asia, Audiences' Need for Free Press Seven of RFA's nine services target countries and territories in bottom 10 percent WASHINGTON - The media environment in Radio Free Asia <http://www.rfa.org/english/> 's broadcast region further declined, according to Reporters Without Borders's 2017 Press Freedom Index <https://rsf.org/en/2017-world-press-freedom-index-tipping-point> . Radio Free Asia (RFA) President Libby Liu said the report's findings underscore the importance of RFA's mission in countries that censor and restrict access to independent, reliable news and information. Seven of RFA's nine language services operate in countries that were ranked in the bottom 10 percent of the survey, with North Korea ranked dead last, and China and Vietnam named the world's biggest jailers of bloggers and journalists. "In a year when RFA journalists and their sources have been subject to threats and intimidation, RSF's Index verifies what we have seen on the ground as conditions only worsen," Liu said. "With Vietnam arresting bloggers and citizen journalists, including an RFA videographer who remains in jail; Cambodian authorities targeting our Khmer Service as its reporters cover the coming elections; and Beijing aggressively cracking down on independent media in Hong Kong, RFA continues to witness an increased aggressive stance by governments seeking to silence independent voices. "These findings underscore the crucial need among RFA's audiences living under authoritarian rule for the honest, objective, and unbiased news that we work hard to provide." Of the 180 countries ranked, RSF's annual survey put North Korea last, China at 176, Vietnam at 175, and Laos at 170. Cambodia was ranked 132, dropping four places from last year, and Myanmar at 131. The report cited continued worsening trends in Asia. China now has more than 100 bloggers and journalists detained as President Xi Jinping has stepped up efforts to retain complete control over internal news coverage. Authorities in Laos, Vietnam, Myanmar, and China actively police and punish social media users for posting and discussing "sensitive" topics. And news outlets in Cambodia, including RFA, face threats for publicizing the views of government critics, especially after the July 2016 assassination of well-known analyst Kem Ley - a frequent guest on RFA's programs. RSF also reported on media freedoms in Hong Kong (which slipped four places), once a bastion for free press, to continue to decline with Chinese mainlanders purchasing Hong Kong media companies and reporters' greater exposure to violence by "Chinese Communist Party henchmen." RFA <http://www.rfa.org/about/> provides accurate, fact-based news and information via short- and medium-wave radio, satellite transmissions and television, online through the websites of its nine language services, and social media such as Facebook <https://www.facebook.com/pages/Radio-Free-Asia/31744768821> and YouTube <https://www.youtube.com/user/RFAVideo> , among other widely used platforms in its countries of operation. RFA's language services are Mandarin, Cantonese, Tibetan, and Uyghur, in China; Burmese; Khmer (Cambodian); Vietnamese; Lao; and Korean. # # # Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA's broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to "seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers." RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. Rohit Mahajan | Radio Free Asia | Director of Public Affairs and Digital Strategy <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org | O: 202.530.4976 | M: 202.489.8021

8 years, 1 month

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RFA Breaking News: North Koreans Overcome Border Guards in Bold Escape to China

by Paul Eckert

North Koreans Overcome Border Guards in Bold Escape to China April 21, 2017 - Seven North Koreans from three families overpowered border guards and seized their weapons in a dramatic escape across the Tumen River to China on April 15, multiple sources inside the North told RFA’s Korean Service. The defectors were from a small village in Musan County, North Hamgyong Province near the Chinese border and their escape took place as North Korea was marking the 105 th birthday of the late North Korean founder Kim Il Sung amid heightened security for the national holiday. “On April 15, the late Kim Il Sung’s birthday, three family units of Musan County beat the border guards and defected. As this incident happened during the special security week, the Border Guard and law enforcement agencies were put on high alert,” one source in North Hamgyong Province told RFA on April 18. “The defectors were a total of seven from the three family units who resided in Dosori village in Musan County,” the source added. “The law enforcement agencies believe the defectors had no choice but to attack the border guards and steal their weapons when they were in danger of being caught by the approaching guards,” said the source. It was not clear if any guards were injured and the whereabouts of the seven escapees is unknown. A second source in North Hamgyong Province reached by RFA on April 20 added details on the events of April 15, whose repercussions are being felt all along the North’s long border with China. “During the escape process, three adults in the families ambushed and muzzled two patrolling guards before tying them securely to trees, and then seized their automatic rifles, removed the magazines and threw them into the (Tumen) river,” the second source said. “Dozens of border guards stationed in Musan County were mobilized the next day, the afternoon of April 16 to dive into icy cold Tumen River to search for the magazines, but failed to find them up to now,” added that source. “Right after the incident happened, the People’s Security Department and the Border Guards headquarters in Musan County prohibited the movement of county residents, and at the same time informed China of the incident, dispatching an investigative team over on the Chinese side of the border in an effort to arrest the seven defectors,” the source said. When asked about the incident by RFA on April 21, a Chinese embassy official in Washington said only: “I do not know." Both of RFA’s sources in North Hamgyong said Saturday’s dramatic escape took place against the backdrop of tighter state controls on border guards. Guards used to take bribes to turn a blind eye on defections into China, but now face stern punishments for allowing escapes, including public execution. The tighter security, “coupled with the spreading rumors of a nuclear war, have made lots of residents determined to defect solo, without the border guards’ help, as they feel they might die helplessly. This kind of thinking among the residents affected the incident involving the seven family members,” said the second Hamgyong source. Reported by Jieun Kim and translated by Changsop Pyon. Written in English by Changsop Pyon and Paul Eckert. View this s tory online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/korea/china-border-04212017155720.html Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news , information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA ’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org . To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to engnews-join(a)rfanews.org . ##### All media inquiries may be sent to Rohit Mahajan at mahajanr(a)rfa.org .

8 years, 1 month

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Radio Free Asia Wins Award for Uyghur Diaspora Project

by Rohit Mahajan

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 28, 2017 Contact: Rohit Mahajan 202 530 4976 mahajanr(a)rfa.org Radio Free Asia Wins Award for In-Depth Web Project on Uyghur Diaspora WASHINGTON - Radio Free Asia <http://www.rfa.org/about/> (RFA) is among min magazine's "Best of the Web" award winners and finalists for 2017. RFA's "Between Identity and Integration: The Uyghur Diaspora in the West <http://www.rfa.org/english/news/special/pathtofreedom/> " was selected as best multimedia feature in this year's international contest. RFA's online feature "The Wild West: Gold Mining and Its Hazards in Myanmar <http://www.rfa.org/english/news/special/goldmine/index.html> " was named a finalist in the same category. "With this investigative project, RFA interviewed generations of Uyghurs who left their homeland to resettle and re-establish their lives at unimaginable costs," said Libby Liu, RFA's President. "It's the stories of these brave individuals escaping Chinese repression that are so compelling. "Credit for this award belongs to RFA's Uyghur, editorial, and graphics staff for their hard work in realizing this incredible and ambitious project." Over the past 60 years, tens of thousands of ethnic Uyghurs from northwest China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region have fled oppression and political violence at home, seeking refuge in the West. "Between Identity and Integration" is the first known effort to document the emigration of Uyghurs from China to Europe and Turkey. RFA shares these individuals' stories through interviews, in-depth reports, and graphics. Collected in this investigative project, they tell of the heartbreaking losses, intrepid escapes, and personal triumphs of Uyghurs who went into exile after the 1949 establishment of Communist Chinese rule, which extinguished hopes of an independent homeland. RFA's finalist entry "The Wild West" focuses on the unprecedented environmental destruction and human toll of rampant industrial gold mining in Myanmar. With a documentary video and in-depth reports, the special investigation provides a detailed look at the lives of the mostly young people driven by poverty to undertake the dangerous and low-paying work in the Mohnyin district of Myanmar's northern Kachin State. Other winners in this year's min awards <http://www.minonline.com/best-of-web-winners-honorees-2017/> include Bloomberg Media, The Economist, Time Inc., National Geographic Society, and Hearst Magazines Digital Media. # # # Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA's broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to "seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers." RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. Rohit Mahajan | Radio Free Asia | Director of Public Affairs and Digital Strategy <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org | O: 202.530.4976 | M: 202.489.8021

8 years, 2 months

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RFA Breaking News (UPDATE): Young Farmer Stages First Tibetan Self-Immolation of 2017

by Paul Eckert

(Updates with conflicting report on status of Pema Gyaltsen.) Young Farmer Stages First Tibetan Self-Immolation of 2017 March 19, 2017 - UPDATED at 11:10 A.M. EDT on 2017-03-19 A 24-year-old Tibetan man set himself on fire Saturday in a protest against Chinese rule in the Himalayan region, the first reported self-immolation of 2017, sources told RFA's Tibetan Service. Pema Gyaltsen, from Nyagrong (in Chinese, Xinlong) in Kardze (Ganzi) county Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, around 4 p.m., and police swiftly removed his charred body from the scene, Tibetan sources told RFA. Two sources from the Tibetan exile community said Gyaltsen, an unmarried farmer, was taken to a hospital in Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan. One source said the man later died, but the other said his contacts in the region believed he was still alive in hospital. In a one-minute video clip that was circulating on Tibetan social media, Chinese police are seen dispersing Tibetan onlookers from a scene of commotion, with women crying. Sources told RFA that authorities blocked the popular smartphone application WeChat following the self-immolation. "In the evening around ten close relatives of Pema Gyaltsen from Nyagrong went to Kandze county police station to see self-immolator Pema Gyaltsen. But the Chinese beat them severely and detained them for the entire night, and forced them to stand up the whole night," a Tibetan exile source with contacts in the town told RFA. "Today some of them could barely walk from the beating, but they were released under the guarantee of a Nyarong official," the source added. "He called for the return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama to Tibet and said there is no freedom in Tibet at the time of self-immolation," another source told RFA. Gyaltsen was the eldest of five children of his father Wangyal and mother Yullha, and "the main breadwinner of his family and had not attended any school," the second source added. The Kardze police station did not answer repeated calls by RFA seeking details of the incident. Saturday's protest brings to 147 the number of self-immolations by Tibetans living in China since the wave of fiery protests began in 2009. The previous known self-immolation was on Dec. 8, when Tashi Rabten, 33, a husband and father of three, set himself on fire and died in Gansu province. Gyaltsen's protest was the second case of self-immolation in Nyagrong, following the death of 18-year-old Kalsang Wangdu in March 2016. Most protests feature demands for Tibetan freedom and the return of the Dalai Lama from India, where he has lived since escaping Tibet during a failed national uprising in 1959. Reported by Lobsang Choephel, Sangyal Dorjee, Dawa Dolma and Pema Ngodup for RFA's Tibetan Service. Translated by Dorjee Damdul. Written in English by Paul Eckert. UPDATE: Adds conflicting report on death of Pema Gyaltsen. Reported by Lobsang Choephel, Sangyal Dorjee, Dawa Dolma and Pema Ngodup for RFA's Tibetan Service. Translated by Dorjee Damdul. Written in English by Paul Eckert. View this story online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/tibet/sichuan-immolation-03192017095940.html Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA's broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to "seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers." RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to <mailto:engnews-leave@rfanews.org> engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org. To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to <mailto:engnews-join@rfanews.org> engnews-join(a)rfanews.org . ##### All media inquiries may be sent to Rohit Mahajan at <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org.

8 years, 2 months

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RFA Breaking News: Young Farmer Stages First Tibetan Self-Immolation of 2017

by Paul Eckert

Young Farmer Stages First Tibetan Self-Immolation of 2017 March 19, 2017 - A 24-year-old Tibetan man has died after setting himself on fire Saturday in a protest against Chinese rule in the Himalayan region, the first reported self-immolation of 2017, sources told RFA's Tibetan Service. Pema Gyaltsen, from Nyarong (in Chinese, Xinlong) in Kandze (Ganzi) county Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, around 4 p.m., and police swiftly removed his charred body from the scene, Tibetan sources told RFA. They said Gyaltsen, an unmarried farmer, later died after being taken to a hospital in Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan. In a one-minute video clip that was circulating on Tibetan social media, Chinese police are seen dispersing Tibetan onlookers from a scene of commotion, with women crying. Sources told RFA that authorities blocked the popular smartphone application WeChat following the self-immolation. "In the evening around 10, close relatives of Pema Gyaltsen from Nyarong went to Kandze county police station to see self-immolator Pema Gyaltsen. But the Chinese beat them severely and detained them for the entire night, and forced them to stand up the whole night," a Tibetan exile source with contacts in the town told RFA. "Today some of them could barely walk from the beating, but they were released under the guarantee of a Nyarong official," the source added. "He called for the return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama to Tibet and said there is no freedom in Tibet at the time of self-immolation," another source told RFA. Gyaltsen was the eldest of five children of his father Wangyal and mother Yullha, and "the main breadwinner of his family and had not attended any school," the second source added. The Kandze police station did not answer repeated calls by RFA seeking details of the incident. Saturday's protest brings to 147 the number of self-immolations by Tibetans living in China since the wave of fiery protests began in 2009. The previous known self-immolation was on Dec. 8, when Tashi Rabten, 33, a husband and father of three, set himself on fire and died in Gansu province. Gyaltsen's protest was the second case of self-immolation in Nyarong, following the death of 18-year-old Kalsang Wangdu in March 2016. Most protests feature demands for Tibetan freedom and the return of the Dalai Lama from India, where he has lived since escaping Tibet during a failed national uprising in 1959. Reported by Lobsang Choephel, Sangyal Dorjee, Dawa Dolma and Pema Ngodup for RFA's Tibetan Service. Translated by Dorjee Damdul. Written in English by Paul Eckert. View this story online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/tibet/sichuan-immolation-03192017095940.html Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA's broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to "seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers." RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to <mailto:engnews-leave@rfanews.org> engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org. To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to <mailto:engnews-join@rfanews.org> engnews-join(a)rfanews.org . ##### All media inquiries may be sent to Rohit Mahajan at <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org.

8 years, 2 months

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RFA Breaking News: China's Rebel Village Still Under Close Surveillance, Cut Off From World

by Paul Eckert

China's Rebel Village Still Under Close Surveillance, Cut Off From World March 16, 2017 - More than a year after a police raid ended months of daily demonstrations, the rebel Chinese village of Wukan is under a security cordon six or seven levels deep, with residents under constant surveillance from security cameras, an activist told RFA on Thursday . The village in southern China's Guangdong province has been largely incommunicado since hundreds of armed police in full riot gear raided the village on Sept. 13, firing rubber bullets and tear gas into crowds of protesters who fought back with bricks from behind makeshift barricades. "There are six or seven layers of security surrounding Wukan before you get to the center of the village," Chen Yongzong, a farmer-turned-rights activist from the southern region of Guangxi, told RFA on Thursday following an incognito visit to check up on the relatives of an activist in exile. "But security cameras all have blind-spots. There were cameras all around the tombs [outside the village] but I got in via the tombs at night," Chen said. Chen said it had been difficult to avoid appearing on security cameras once inside the main village, however. "All I could do was not carry a big backpack, so they couldn't tell I wasn't a local resident, or where I was from," he said. Chen, who hails from Guangxi's Liuzhou city, said the atmosphere is still "extremely tense" on the streets of Wukan. "It is extremely tense, and there were so many security cameras when I went there," he said. "I have never seen cameras so densely packed before." "They had them on all of the main paved roads in the village, so it is impossible to avoid appearing on them," Chen said. "The local residents there are very wary, and very few people spoke to me." "They were really terrified, that was the impression I got," he said. "If you spoke to them, they'd just say they didn't know." Missing activists sought Chen said he made the trip in spite of the fear of being detained to try to find out what happened to two fellow activists from Guangxi, Yang Jishuang and Huang Huimin, who have been incommunicado since they traveled to Wukan to support the protests. "They were detained and beaten up after they got here, and now they are incommunicado," Chen said. "I am very worried about them, so I came here to investigate." While he was in Wukan, Chen also paid a call on the relatives of Zhuang Liehong, a former land rights activist from Wukan who fled to the U.S. in the wake of earlier protests and clashes in 2011. "There were two or three [security cameras] installed to the left of Zhuang Liehong's family home, and one on the right," said Chen, who paid a visit to Zhuang's elderly mother. "I bowed once I had gotten inside the door, and explained who I was, that I was sent by Zhuang Liehong to visit them," he said. "She was pretty shocked; I think she was scared. I could see it in her eyes." He said the family had asked him to leave, apparently for fear of reprisals from the authorities. "Zhuang Liehong's brother was there too, and he said to me, 'leave, please leave,'" Chen said. "They were terrified. I think they were afraid I might be a plainclothes cop trying to entrap them." "They didn't believe me until I played them a recording that Zhuang Liehong had given me," he said. "Then their attitude changed completely, and they became warm and friendly, and treated me very kindly." Zhuang, who has continued to campaign on behalf of his hometown while in the U.S., said Chen was the first person to make it past the tight security and visit his family. "[Activists] I've been in contact with before said they were taken to the police station for questioning, and part of the inquiry was about whether or not they were in direct contact with me," Zhuang told RFA. "I am the only person from Wukan who is able to speak out, so the authorities are extremely focused on me," he said. Police hound family of exiled activist He said local officials typically visit his family home to check up on them several times a day. "They are afraid that the outside world will find out what is going on in Wukan," Zhuang said. Authorities in Guangdong in January sent nine Wukan residents to prison to begin serving sentences ranging from two to 10 years for their involvement in resistance to the armed police raid, without giving them a chance to appeal. The nine were sentenced by the Haifeng County People's Court on Dec. 26 for their part in resisting a raid that put an end to months of daily mass protest in Wukan following the loss of village land and the jailing of its former leader Lin Zuluan. They were found guilty of charges that included "unlawful assembly," "disrupting public order," "disrupting traffic," "obstructing official business," and "intentionally spreading false information." Wukan villagers have been campaigning for the return of land sold out from under them by former village chief Xue Chang, who was fired for corruption after an earlier round of protests and clashes in 2011, sparking fresh elections that saw Lin Zuluan take the helm. But even Lin and his newly-elected village committee found it hard to secure the return of the land amid powerful vested interests, political changes higher up, and a tangle of complex legal issues. September's raid by police on Wukan came after a court in Guangdong's Foshan city sentenced Lin to more than three years' imprisonment on "bribery" charges that local residents said were trumped up. Reported by Wong Lok-to for RFA's Cantonese Service, and by Qiao Long for the Mandarin Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie. View this s tory online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/wukan-lockdown-03162017140431.html Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news , information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA ’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org . To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to engnews-join(a)rfanews.org . ##### All media inquiries may be sent to Rohit Mahajan at mahajanr(a)rfa.org .

8 years, 2 months

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RFA Breaking News: Detained on Unknown Charge, Uyghur Kills Five With Axe

by Paul Eckert

Detained on Unknown Charge, Uyghur Kills Five With Axe Feb. 27 - A Uyghur baker under police investigation killed five people in Xinjiang’s Kashgar prefecture earlier this month after being brought to a hospital for medical care, sources in the region said. Memet Eli, aged about 30, used an axe to carry out his Feb. 9 attack, also injuring an unknown number of people, sources told RFA’s Uyghur Service. “The attack took place in Yengisar [county] hospital,” a police officer in the county’s Saghan township said, speaking on condition of anonymity. “Memet Eli had vomited blood the day before, and Abduhalik, the security chief in the village where Eli was under investigation, took him to the hospital for a checkup.” Leaving Eli waiting in line, Abduhalik went to get some food, and when he returned, “Eli suddenly confronted him and hit him in the head with an axe,” the source said. “After that, he attacked two Chinese shopkeepers—one the owner of a pharmacy and the other the owner of a food store—and after that he rushed back into the hospital and killed a nurse inside,” he said. Also speaking to RFA, Ablikim, deputy director of the Yengisar Hospital, confirmed the attack had taken place, adding that Eli was captured alive shortly afterward. “It happened at around 6:30 p.m. on Feb. 9,” he said. “I was outside the hospital when it happened.” “I later learned that Zhang Caixia, one of our nurses, was among the people killed in the attack, while several were wounded.” “I took two of the wounded to Kerambagh Hospital, a prefectural hospital located in Kashgar city, and one of them—a shop owner—died there,” he said. 'Political re-education' Eli, a resident of Yengisar’s Setil township, had recently been forcibly returned from Korla city by police for investigation, and was undergoing “political re-education,” township security chief Yusup Mesum told RFA. “He had vomited blood in the village office on the morning of the day before the attack, and that is why the security chief took him to the hospital for a checkup,” Mesum said. “We don’t know if he got the axe from his home before visiting the hospital, or whether he bought it from a nearby market. None of this is clear, and different explanations are circulating on the streets.” Eli is believed to have eight children from two different marriages, Mesum said. “Right now, all his family members and officials in his village have been detained for investigation.” China has vowed to crack down on what it calls religious extremism in Xinjiang, and regularly conducts “strike hard” campaigns including police raids on Uyghur households, restrictions on Islamic practices, and curbs on the culture and language of the Uyghur people, including videos and other material. While China blames Uyghur extremists for terrorist attacks, experts outside China say Beijing has exaggerated the threat from the Uyghurs and that repressive domestic policies are responsible for an upsurge in violence there that has left hundreds dead since 2009. Reported by Shohret Hoshur for RFA’s Uyghur Service. Translated by Mamatjan Juma. Written in English by Richard Finney. View this s tory online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/axe-02272017144239.html Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news , information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA ’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org . To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to engnews-join(a)rfanews.org . ##### All media inquiries may be sent to Rohit Mahajan at mahajanr(a)rfa.org .

8 years, 3 months

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RFA Breaking News: Killings in Xinjiang’s Guma Sparked by Anger at Prayer Restrictions

by Paul Eckert

Killings in Xinjiang’s Guma Sparked by Anger at Prayer Restrictions Feb. 23 - Three Uyghurs shot dead last week by authorities in China's troubled northwestern region of Xinjiang after they killed five Chinese passersby on the spot and wounded five others with knives appear to have been motivated by anger at threats by local officials to punish them for praying with their family, RFA’s Uyghur Service has learned. Authorities shot dead brothers Omer Abdurahman, 25, and Memtimin Abdurahman, 21, as well as their friend Ehmet Eli, 21, in a residential area of Guma (in Chinese, Pishan) county in the Silk Road region of Hotan (Hetian) on Feb. 14. The Hotan government said in a brief statement on its official news website the day after the incident that “thugs” had killed five passersby and injured five others among crowds in a residential area around 2:30 p.m. RFA interviews with local authorities and others familiar with the incident indicate that a stability working group of officials barged into the Abdurahman home in Guma’s Yengibazar village the day before the attacks and discovered that Omer’s and Memtimin’s father Abdurahman Rehmetulla had led an “illegal” family prayer service. The groups, which consist of cadres and security officials from the regional capital Urumqi and village-level officials visit Uyghur farmers’ homes every day as part of an effort to maintain social order in the restive region. China has officially outlawed group prayer services in the Uyghur region, even in one’s own home with family members, as a way to curb Muslim religious practices. Uyghurs who hold such group prayer sessions face severe punishment. After the members of the working group called police to report the “illegal religious activity,” officers arrived immediately and took all eight people in the house to the police station for questioning, but later released them. On Feb. 14, police summoned Omer and Memtimin to the station again along with their friend Ehmet Eli. Before the attack About three hours before the attack, Omer and Memtimin went to township chief Ablikim Turek’s office requesting irrigation water for their greenhouse, Abliz Mamut, a Chinese Communist Party member and former village party secretary, told RFA. It was there that they were informed that local police wanted them to provide more details about the illegal prayer service their family had held a day earlier, he said. “When Omer Abdurahman came to my office asking for water, I granted his request and told him that his turn would be at 2 p.m.,” said Ablikim Turek, head of the No. 3 township of Yengibazar. “And I also informed him that the police wanted to see them again.” “But he did not show up to take his turn at 2 p.m.,” he said, adding that local officials took necessary measures to insure social stability in the area by assigning cadres responsible for overseeing groups of 40 people each. “[Previously] we had collected signatures, assigned two families to be responsible for each other, and banned praying in private by stressing that it is illegal,” he said. “Yet, we had this incident happen.” ‘Uyghurs did not intervene’ Around 5:30 p.m., the two brothers and Eli went by motorcycle to the Nilofer residential district in Guma’s town center, about 500-600 meters (547-656 yards) from the Abdurahman family’s home, where they brandished knives and carried out the attack, Mamut said. “The Uyghur onlookers did not intervene,” Mamut said. “We didn’t know if they did so out of fear or to support them. Even though two Chinese resisted with a spade, they were overpowered by them.” Of the five injured Chinese taken to the prefecture’s hospital, one died two days later, sources said. Among the others killed was an official from the township taxation office and Xiang Xiaoping, wife of the head of the County Commission for Discipline Inspection. The names of the others who were killed have not yet been released. It appears as though the attack was not premeditated, but rather a sudden reaction to heavy-handed policing by Chinese authorities and the working group who invaded the Abdurahman home and harassed and intimidated the family for holding a family prayer service, sources said. “It is clear that the attack was not premeditated at all and was carried out instantaneously,” Ababekri Jamal, security chief of the Yengibazar village, said. “The attackers carried out this attack to protest our country’s religious policy and take revenge against the restrictions on illegal prayers,” he said. “They know that they are no match for our armed forces, so they attacked Chinese people in the town.” Mamut said that it is possible that the Abdurahman brothers were “fed up with the endless home visits by the working group cadres or displeased by the police call” for performing the Namaz Muslim prayer ritual in their home with their parents and other siblings. During a Chinese flag-raising ceremony held every morning in the village, an announcement is made to remind Uyghur residents that it is illegal for them to pray in private homes, he said. Instead, Uyghurs must pray in mosques that have a government-appointed imam. “Perhaps they might have been scared of being prosecuted for performing Namaz in their own home, because they were aware that some people in adjacent villages had been sentenced for 10 to 12 years in prison in such cases,” Mamut said. The brothers believed that they had been summoned to the police station a second time for reportedly arguing with police when they hauled in their family members were hauled in for questioning on Feb. 13, he said. When Omer, Memtimin, and Eli arrived in the center of Guma, they stabbed to death a Chinese man who was entering the taxation office, Mamut said. The trio attacked nine other Chinese in front of the Nilofer residential district, killing four instantly and wounding five. Though rumors circulated that cadres who had visited the Abdurahman household were among the dead, officials did not mention this during a meeting they held about the attack, Mamut said. ‘Mysterious’ involvement of third attacker The involvement of the third attacker, Ehmet Eli, is somewhat “mysterious,” Mamut said, because he had gotten a marriage certificate the day before the attack and was to be married that weekend. On Feb. 13, Eli was ill and having his fluids checked in a hospital when he received a phone call from Omer about an hour before the attack, Mamut said. Afterwards, he asked the nurses to remove needles from his arm, saying that he had something important to attend to. When a nurse did not comply with his request, he pulled out the needles himself and left the hospital. Eli did not have any record of suspicious activity, said Abdurahman Abdurishit, Yengibazar’s security chairman. A year ago, however, he was rejected when he tried to enlist in the village militia. “It is clear that they carried that attack abruptly out of contempt for our government’s policies or out of fear of being punished,” he said. “We do not know if they had some secret plan before. Right now this aspect is under investigation.” All three attackers, including the Abdurahmans’ parents, did not have very deep religious understanding and had not received religious training in other places, he said. But he added that the attackers’ families originally hailed from Arakum village in Guma country’s Kokterek township, where people “are a bit dangerous.” After the Feb. 14 attack, authorities detained all members of the Abdurahman family and questioned about 100 people, including their neighbors, at the village office, Mamut said. Between 50 and 60 of them were released after three days, and 20 to 30 others are still under investigation. Reported by Shohret Hoshur for RFA’s Uyghur Service. Translated by Mamatjan Juma. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin. View this story online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/killings-in-xinjiangs-guma-sparked-b… Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news , information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA ’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org . To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to engnews-join(a)rfanews.org . ##### All media inquiries may be sent to Rohit Mahajan at mahajanr(a)rfa.org .

8 years, 3 months

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Radio Free Asia Hires New Managing Director for East Asia

by Rohit Mahajan

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Feb. 13, 2017 Contact: Rohit Mahajan 202 530 4976 <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org Radio Free Asia Hires New Managing Director for East Asia WASHINGTON - Radio Free Asia (RFA) today announced the hiring of veteran journalist Min Lee Mitchell as its new Managing Director for East Asia. Mitchell will oversee RFA's four language services for Chinese audiences (Mandarin, Tibetan, Cantonese, and Uyghur) and its Korean Service, broadcasting into North Korea. "Min brings a great range of broadcasting expertise from her well-respected career as a reporter with Phoenix Television and Taiwanese media," said Libby Liu, President of RFA. "She'll be a strong addition to RFA's news team, leading our China and North Korea services. We are thrilled to have Min on board." "I'm proud to join Radio Free Asia's talented team of journalists, who do great work in some of the world's most challenging media environments," Mitchell said. "I look forward to working for an organization with such a critical mandate of bringing free press to closed societies across Asia." As Managing Director for East Asia, Mitchell will work closely with the directors of five language services to manage the daily and long-term operations of RFA Mandarin, Tibetan, Cantonese, Uyghur, and Korean. She will focus on expanding the operations of these services to meet audience needs. Min reports to RFA's Vice President of Programming, Parameswaran Ponnudurai. Prior to becoming RFA's Managing Director, Mitchell covered U.S. politics and global affairs as the Washington- and New York-based correspondent and news anchor for several major Chinese-language news organizations, including Hong Kong's Phoenix Satellite Television and Taiwan Television, where she served as the organization's D.C. bureau chief, and as a stringer for BBC Chinese News. In Taiwan, Mitchell also worked for Ming Sheng Daily News and as RFA's Taipei stringer, providing daily headline coverage of news events. A native of Taiwan, Mitchell received a BA in Russian language and literature from National Chengchi University in Taipei. Mitchell holds a master's degree in journalism from the University of Texas in Austin. # # # Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA's broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to "seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers." RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. Rohit Mahajan | Radio Free Asia | Director of Public Affairs and Digital Strategy <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org | O: 202.530.4976 | M: 202.489.8021

8 years, 3 months

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RFA Breaking News: Interviews: One in Three Rohingya Women Refugees Say They Were Raped

by Paul Eckert

Interviews: One in Three Rohingya Women Refugees Say They Were Raped Jan. 19, 2017 - One in three women interviewed by BenarNews this week in Bangladesh’s refugee camps for Rohingya Muslims who fled violence in Myanmar claimed they were raped by security forces before their escape. A BenarNews correspondent, who spent four days visiting the camps in southeastern Cox’s Bazar district, reported that 17 of the 54 Rohingya women she interviewed said they were raped while Myanmar’s military launched a brutal crackdown in northern Rakhine state after nine police officers were attacked and killed by an armed Rohingya insurgent group in October. Numerous reports of rape and other atrocities had emerged since the post-attack crackdown, which led to some 65,000 Rohingya entering Bangladesh, but this is the first time that numbers were cited based on random surveys of the extent of sexual assaults on women. Refugees who spoke to BenarNews also described a wide range of other abuses, including torching of their homes and animals, beatings, and killings of loved ones. The perpetrators, often operating at night, were members of the military or the Nadala, a uniformed paramilitary force, they said. Setara Begum, 24, a refugee in Kutupalong camp, said security forces snatched her one night as she was eating dinner in Naisapro village, in Maungdaw district, and took her to some nearby hills where she and some other local women were “tortured by turns.” “Failing to bear the barbaric torture, two women died there. I somehow managed to flee after being raped,” she told BenarNews. “They stripped me, beat my breasts and body; then they did whatever they desired,” she said. Her husband rescued her hours later. By that time, the security forces had burned their home, according to Begum. They hid in the hills for several days. “I could not eat rice for 10 days; my three children survived eating leaves. Coming to Bangladesh, they can eat here,” said Begum, who crossed the border in a boat (?) on Jan. 13. ‘Crude denial games’ Myanmar has come under international fire over the alleged mistreatment of the ethnic minority. On Thursday, representatives of 57 Muslim nations held an extraordinary meeting in Kuala Lumpur to focus on the humanitarian crisis gripping the Rohingya Muslim community. Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak warned that Islamic extremists could use the plight of the Rohingya, who are considered illegal immigrants from Bangladesh by Myanmar’s Buddhist-majority population, as a way to radicalize the minority group, which is denied basic rights. A commission appointed by the government of Myanmar has rejected accusations that its military was committing genocide in Rakhine villages, which have been closed to Western journalists and human rights investigators. But earlier this month, in a rare official acknowledgment of the security forces’ abuses, several police officers were detained over a video that appeared to show policemen beating Rohingya during a security operation. The U.N. human rights envoy to Myanmar Yanghee Lee met privately in Naypyidaw Wednesday with de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi to discuss the violence in Rakhine state and reports of security forces committing the atrocities. “Aung San Suu Kyi and her government apparently lack the political will to confront its security forces about their actions,” said Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director of U.S.-based Human Rights Watch (HRW), calling for an independent, international investigation of the allegations of rights abuses in Rakhine. HRW’s own investigations have uncovered that numerous women have suffered rape and sexual violence at the hands of the security forces, “yet the government continues its crude denial games rather than seriously investigating these grave rights abuses,” Robertson told BenarNews. The 17 women who were said they were raped ranged in age from 16 to 31. They gave their full names to BenarNews. ‘They pushed me with guns’ Nur Jahan, 31, another refugee who spoke to BenarNews, said she was raped three weeks after soldiers took her husband from their home. He remains missing. “On December 14 last year, two [military personnel] tightly caught me and the other raped me; thus all of the three violated me inside my room. I got unconscious; I do not know whether more people raped me,” said Jahan, from Naisapro Noarbil village in Maungdaw. She said she reported her ordeal to a local leader when he visited the village; after he left, the military encircled her house. She went into hiding and fled to Bangladesh, where she said she received medical treatment. “My body got swollen due to their torture. I was admitted to the hospital as I could not bear the pain,” she said. Senoara Begum, 19, living in the Leda refugee camp, said she was heavily pregnant when she was raped. She cradled her baby, born after she arrived in Bangladesh, as she spoke. “They pushed me with guns. I was pregnant for eight months at the time but they did not spare me, and bit my cheek,” she said. A human bite mark was visible on the left side of her face. “They held [my husband] and took him away. Then they took me away to a room and raped me,” she said. Many rape victims: UN worker Officials and workers at non-governmental organization said it was difficult to track large numbers of new arrivals at the camps, but confirmed large numbers of rape reports. “Generally it is true that raped women are coming every day. A lot of the raped women also don’t disclose rape issues, because of shame. But I can say the number of rapes is really huge,” Tayeb Ali, leader of the Kutupalong unregistered Rohingya camp, told BenarNews. “Every day, new Rohingya are taking shelters in almost each of the houses of this unregistered Rohingya camp. Out of them, the number of raped women is huge. Along with old Rohingya, we are providing primary treatment to new Rohingya too,” said Samira Akter, with the medical NGO Bangladesh German Shompreeti (BGS) at Leda camp. Prior to the influx of Rohingya following the recent violence, about 35,000 refugees lived in two UN-registered refugee camps and 300,000 more in vast unregistered settlements immediately adjacent, where homes are constructed of bamboo and plastic and roughly 5,000 people have access to a single water source and latrine, as witnessed by a BenarNews correspondent. “The number of new Rohingya only in this camp is more than thirty thousand. Out of them, a lot of women are rape victims. The nature of the torture on them is very cruel,” a worker with the U.N. refugee agency (UNHCR) in Noyapara Rohingya Camp told BenarNews on condition of anonymity. “There are also incidents of abortions and miscarriages due to the rape of pregnant women.” Reported by Jesmin Papri from Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, for BenarNews, an RFA-affiliated online news service. View this s tory online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/myanmar/rohingya-bangladesh-01192017181052.… Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news , information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA ’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org . To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to engnews-join(a)rfanews.org . ##### All media inquiries may be sent to Rohit Mahajan at mahajanr(a)rfa.org .

8 years, 4 months

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Breaking News: North Korean Security Conscript in Custody after Shooting 7 Colleagues Dead

by Paul Eckert

North Korean Security Conscript in Custody after Shooting 7 Colleagues Dead Jan. 18 - A young North Korean man conscripted to guard a customs post on his country's border with China in under arrest for shooting dead seven platoon members who had angered him with bullying treatment, RFA’s Korean Service has learned. After the shootings at dawn on Jan. 7 at Hyesan, a city in North Korea’s northern Yanggang province, the young conscript was arrested and taken to Pyongyang, sources familiar with the shooting told RFA. “The suspect and one platoon member who survived the shooting were transported to State Security headquarters in Pyongyang. There is no way to find out the exact cause of this incident, since the Yanggang authorities are trying to keep everyone’s mouth shut,” one source said on Jan. 14. A second source, however, said the shooter apparently snapped after suffering bullying from his colleagues. “The incident at the Hyesan customs office was caused by the frequent beatings suffered by the new conscripts at the hands of their superiors, and the one who committed the crime is a new conscript who graduated from high school last spring,” the source told RFA on Jan. 16. North Korean authorities are trying to prevent the information from spreading to other parts of the country, the sources said.The names of the shooter and victims are not known. No other information was immediately available about the shooting in Hyesan, a provincial administrative center of nearly 200,000 people that lies on the Yalu River, which forms North Korea’s border with China. Reported by Sunghui Moon for RFA’s Korean Service. Translated by Max Kwak. Written in English by Paul Eckert. View this s tory online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/korea/customs-shooting-01182017170332.html Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news , information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA ’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org . To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to engnews-join(a)rfanews.org . ##### All media inquiries may be sent to Rohit Mahajan at mahajanr(a)rfa.org .

8 years, 4 months

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FW: AudioNow & Radio Free Asia Launch Major Digital Initiative

by Rohit Mahajan

From: AudioNow [mailto:elan@audionow.ccsend.com] On Behalf Of AudioNow Sent: Thursday, December 08, 2016 2:50 PM To: mahajanr(a)rfa.org Subject: AudioNow & Radio Free Asia Launch Major Digital Initiative Having trouble viewing this email? Click here <http://campaign.r20.constantcontact.com/render?m=1102254001789&ca=f7ae8d26-…> <http://r20.rs6.net/on.jsp?a=1102254001789&r=3&c=88b98e30-07f6-11e6-a610-d4a…> News From AudioNow <https://origin.ih.constantcontact.com/fs122/1102254001789/img/162.png?ver=1…> & National Television Authority <https://mlsvc01-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/d7e4573a001/c2f57249-2aa8-4d29-86e9-6…> Radio Free Asia Launches Major Digital Initiative With Multilingual Audio Mobile Streamer App by AudioNow® December 8, 2016 - Washington, D.C. Radio Free Asia, a private, nonprofit multimedia news corporation broadcasting in nine East Asian languages, and AudioNow®, the leading mobile platform for broadcasters, today announce a new state-of-the art mobile app to expand the reach of RFA’s global audio content, RFA Mobile Streamer. Available here: <http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001jNTq7DjtwPHBFd1BgGYjQvbsGWQaC8KuH-MoAg90BOxF…> Download the app on the Google Play store <http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001jNTq7DjtwPHBFd1BgGYjQvbsGWQaC8KuH-MoAg90BOxF…> Download the app on the iTunes store The centerpiece of the AudioNow®-produced app is RFA’s award-winning investigative brand of domestic journalism via its audio programs, serving audiences in six Asian countries who otherwise lack access to reliable news and information. In-language programming by RFA Cantonese, Khmer (Cambodian), Korean, Lao, Mandarin, Myanmar, Tibetan, Uyghur, and Vietnamese is streamlined for an “audio-only” experience, where listeners can choose how to hear favorite programs over voice or data plans. “RFA’s mission is to bring reliable, accurate news and information to people living in closed Asian countries,” said Rohit Mahajan, RFA’s Director of Public Affairs and Digital Strategy. “This app, which RFA is proud to launch with AudioNow®, provides a great way for people in Asia to access RFA’s programming and audio content through their mobile phones and devices.” Headquartered in Washington, D.C. since 2008, AudioNow® has become the leading developer of innovative, in-language apps for global and local broadcasters designed around listener engagement unique to communities and broadcaster genres. App Splashscreen <https://mlsvc01-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/d7e4573a001/62610337-b447-4fdb-bf42-7…> App Screenshot <https://mlsvc01-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/d7e4573a001/efb14cd1-c8ba-4366-8a69-2…> RFA Mobile Streamer includes features that enable users to: * Listen to dozens of radio news programs in all of RFA's nine languages on demand; * Choose between listening to audio over your phone cellular connection or data connection to save money and bandwidth; * Save on data costs with the Low-Bandwidth Mode in the settings; * Share audio content by e-mail, Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and other social media services; * Download podcasts, allowing listeners to access programs offline; and * Users will soon be able to submit their citizen journalist content to RFA (allowing users to send text, photos, audio files, or video –- giving access to content in a variety of forms). This specific feature will be available in the upcoming weeks. In addition to RFA, AudioNow® app partners include VOA, BBC, ESPN 980, WTOP, Radio America, Multimedios, CCTV, Radio Television Caraibes, United Nations, and apps in over 50 languages. For more information, contact Rebecca Walker at: Rebecca.walker(a)audionow.com About Radio Free Asia Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. About AudioNow® & AudioNow Digital AudioNow®, based in Washington, DC, USA, is the leading in-language mobile distribution platform in the world. With broadcast partners on every continent, AudioNow® extends the reach of radio by connecting mobile listeners to their favorite radio stations in two ways: through its acclaimed Call-to-Listen™ system, and through our industry-leading mobile apps. AudioNow® serves more than 5,000 radio broadcast partners around the world, broadcasting radio by phone in over 100+ languages, to over 7 million unique listeners across 140+ nationalities and ethnic groups. AudioNow® partners include global leaders such as the United Nations, BBC, RFI, Voice of America, Entravision, talkSPORT, C-SPAN and IMG College. Our platform connects users to breaking news, sports, faith, talk, and much more, resulting in 4 billion minutes of listening time annually. Apps from AudioNow® Digital are designed for a “two-way” engagement experience between the station and its audience. Features include: video programming; live and recorded content; one-touch call-to-listen; user control of bandwidth size to manage data costs; sharing through social media; “Radio Reporter” for on-the-ground reporting; push notifications, and next generation advertising integrating external businesses including money transfer services.. <http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001jNTq7DjtwPHBFd1BgGYjQvbsGWQaC8KuH-MoAg90BOxF…> Facebook: www.facebook.com/AudioNow <http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001jNTq7DjtwPHBFd1BgGYjQvbsGWQaC8KuH-MoAg90BOxF…> Website: www.audionow.com <http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001jNTq7DjtwPHBFd1BgGYjQvbsGWQaC8KuH-MoAg90BOxF…> Twitter: twitter.com/AudioNowUS AudioNow 1101 17th St. NW Suite 250 Washington, DC 20036 <https://imgssl.constantcontact.com/letters/images/sys/S.gif> Alpine AudioNow LLC, 1930 Isaac Newton Square, Reston, VA 20190 <https://visitor.constantcontact.com/do?p=un&m=001m6o5RA_BR29wC-upegT42w%3D%…> SafeUnsubscribe™ mahajanr(a)rfa.org <http://ui.constantcontact.com/sa/fwtf.jsp?llr=6ttkxrcab&m=1102254001789&ea=…> Forward email | <https://visitor.constantcontact.com/do?p=oo&m=001m6o5RA_BR29wC-upegT42w%3D%…> Update Profile | <http://www.constantcontact.com/legal/service-provider?cc=about-service-prov…> About our service provider Sent by <mailto:rebecca.walker@audionow.com> rebecca.walker(a)audionow.com in collaboration with <http://www.constantcontact.com/index.jsp?cc=custom01> Constant Contact <http://www.constantcontact.com/index.jsp?cc=custom01> Try it free today <https://imgssl.constantcontact.com/letters/images/sys/S.gif>

8 years, 6 months

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RFA Breaking News: Tibetan Self-Immolates in China’s Gansu Province

by Paul Eckert

Tibetan Self-Immolates in China’s Gansu Province Dec. 8, 2016 - A Tibetan living in northwestern China’s Gansu province self-immolated on Thursday in the first such protest in Tibetan areas of China since May, Tibetan sources say. The protest took place at about 7:00 p.m. local time on a main road leading from the Machu (in Chinese, Maqu) county center to the Machu Bridge, a local source told RFA’s Tibetan Service. “Many who saw the protest said the self-immolator was praying to [exiled spiritual leader] the Dalai Lama,” RFA’s source said, speaking on condition of anonymity. “Not long after, Chinese police arrived and took the self-immolator away,” the source said. No details on the protester’s identity or condition were immediately available. The protest brings to 146 the number of self-immolations by Tibetans living in China since the wave of fiery protests began in 2009. Most protests feature demands for Tibetan freedom and the return of the Dalai Lama from India, where he has lived since escaping Tibet during a failed national uprising in 1959. Reported by RFA’s Tibetan Service. Translated by Karma Dorjee. Written in English by Richard Finney. View this s tory online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/tibet/burns-12082016120643.html Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news , information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA ’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org . To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to engnews-join(a)rfanews.org . ##### All media inquiries may be sent to Rohit Mahajan at mahajanr(a)rfa.org .

8 years, 6 months

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Radio Free Asia Launches 'A River in Peril: The Mekong Under China's Control'

by Rohit Mahajan

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Dec. 6, 2016 Contact: Rohit Mahajan 202 530 4976 mahajanr(a)rfa.org Radio Free Asia Launches 'A River in Peril: The Mekong Under China's Control' Project Investigates Dams, Development, through Eyes, Experiences of People in Six Countries cid:image003.jpg@01D24FB4.6531DD40WASHINGTON - Radio Free Asia <http://www.rfa.org/english/> (RFA) today launched a multimedia investigative web series examining the impact of China's rapid development on the Mekong River and the communities downstream. "A River in Peril: The Mekong Under China <http://www.rfa.org/english/news/special/riverinperil/> 's Control" tells the story of Southeast Asia's longest river, on which more than 60 million depend for their food, drinking water, and livelihoods. Relating personal accounts from people of all walks of life from six countries in addition to analysis by some the world's foremost authorities on the Mekong, the project follows on RFA's award-winning 2009 web series "The Mekong Diaries <http://www.rfa.org/english/multimedia/MekongProject/mekongVideo-02272013110 500.html> ," which chronicled the early stages of the major waterway's damming. "This is an underreported story," said Dan Southerland, the chief editor of RFA's six-part series of blogs and photos, as well as a forthcoming e-book on the plight of the Mekong. "I call it the slow death of a river, which has had an untold effect on the many millions who rely on the Mekong's health and viability." The river's slowly developing crisis rarely gains much attention from mainstream Western media or the state-controlled press in several Southeast Asian countries. This is partly because of a lack of transparency from regional governments and developers over plans by China, Laos, and Cambodia to build more dams. RFA revisited many locations from its 2009 series in China, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam, interviewing people who have both witnessed and endured the drastic changes since then. Among those interviewed were Laotian villagers who complain that their government tells them little about the impact of dams built in Laos. "A River in Peril" explores these stories and more in reporting on the dire environmental, health, and commercial consequences that have been felt by numerous communities and individuals living along the river as a result of Chinese industrial development and dam building. People featured in the project's blog series include Cambodian villagers who demonstrate against their government and block bulldozers sent in to destroy their village and make way for a new dam; a Thai teacher who organizes villagers to stand up against Chinese-backed enterprises that pollute the villagers' drinking water; and farmers and fishermen in Vietnam's heavily populated Mekong Delta who complain that upstream dams have blocked the sediment needed to refresh their soil and riverbanks. Offering expert commentary are Brian Eyler, Southeast Asia Director at the Stimson Center; Dr. Ian Baird of the University of Wisconsin-Madison; and Dr. Pham Tuan Phan, Chief Executive Officer of the Mekong River Commission. # # # Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA's broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to "seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers." RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. Rohit Mahajan | Radio Free Asia | Director of Public Affairs and Digital Strategy <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org | O: 202.530.4976 | M: 202.489.8021

8 years, 6 months

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RFA Breaking News - China Expels Nine Uyghur Children From Soccer Talent Program

by Paul Eckert

China Expels Nine Uyghur Children From Soccer Talent Program Oct. 14, 2016 - Authorities in the northern Chinese province of Hebei have ordered a regional soccer club to expel nine youth trainees of Uyghur ethnicity, citing "counterterrorism" concerns, leaving them potentially with nowhere to go, RFA has learned. Hengshui Power Football Club received applications for training contracts from promising youngsters from across China following a nationwide recruitment drive, among them nine members of the mostly Muslim, Turkic-speaking Uyghur group, who won places on the scheme. Trainees are given the opportunity to enter the club's intensive soccer training program at the same time as completing their education, and the youngsters had already been enrolled in a local school since the start of the academic year. "These kids are very talented, and the club wanted to train them up properly," a Xinjiang-based coach told RFA. "But the local state security police wouldn't allow the club to take on these children from Xinjiang, and that they would have to go home." "They weren't to be allowed to attend school here," he said. The police decree had caused anger and consternation at the club, sources close to the story said, as even the local middle school had offered the boys places to study, and the boys had won the official support of the State Ethnic Affairs Commission in Beijing. But state security police vetoed the plan. Four of the children have already left Hengshui, but five others remain in their dormitories in the hope of pursuing their dream of becoming soccer stars, the coach said. "We are very shocked and very angry about this, because we are citizens of China, it says so on our ID cards," he said. "We are very patriotic, but we just grew up somewhere different and we look a bit different, is all." "We are Chinese too. Maybe you can subject adults to such controls, but what is there to fear from children?" he said. "I can't get my head around it." Far worse consequences The ban has left the children facing potentially far worse consequences, too, as their hukou, or household registrations, were moved to Hebei after they signed the contract with the club and the middle school, the coach said. This means they are no longer eligible for enrollment in schools back in Xinjiang, as the hukou system is the basis for access to all government services. The coach said it would be impossible to find similar training opportunities for the children closer to home. "There are far more opportunities in majority Han Chinese areas of China, including better teaching and more funding," he said. "Soccer is much better developed there than in Xinjiang." Repeated calls to the Hengshui Power Football Club rang unanswered during office hours on Thursday and Friday. A second coach close to the story told RFA that the reason for the police decision was linked to China's antiterrorism campaign. But he said the boys were likely to be negatively affected by being expelled from the soccer training program. "Everyone says that Chinese soccer is going to depend on talent from Xinjiang in future," the coach said. "Now they're putting pointless obstacles in the way of that." "I really hope that the relevant departments take note of what is happening here, and help out these future national heroes." Exaggerated threats While China blames Uyghur extremists for a string of violent attacks and clashes in recent years, critics say Beijing has exaggerated the threat from the Uyghurs, and that repressive domestic policies are responsible for violence that has left hundreds dead since 2009. China has vowed to crack down on what it calls religious extremism in Xinjiang, and regularly conducts "strike hard” campaigns including random, nighttime police raids on Uyghur households, restrictions on Islamic practices, and curbs on the culture and language of the Uyghur people, including clothing and personal appearance. Anhui-based rights activist Shen Liangqing said ethnic tensions remain high in China, blaming flawed policies in Beijing. "The main reason for this is that the [ruling] Chinese Communist Party insists on copying Russia's approach to ethnic conflict," Shen said. "This sort of overreaction on the part of the authorities is just going to make ethnic tensions even worse." "Right now, Uyghurs aren't allowed to work, study or travel freely through the rest of China, and now they are interfering with the training of Uyghur youths," he said. "This sort of hyper-vigilant paranoia goes far beyond normal counter-terrorism measures, and it will make Uyghurs feel insulted and discriminated against," he said. Reported by Qiao Long for RFA's Mandarin Service. Translated and written in English by Luisetta Mudie. View this s tory online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/china-expels-nine-uyghur-children-fro… Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news , information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA ’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org . To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to engnews-join(a)rfanews.org . ##### All media inquiries may be sent to Rohit Mahajan at mahajanr(a)rfa.org .

8 years, 7 months

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RFA Breaking News: Bomb Blast Kills County Police Chief in Xinjiang's Hotan

by Paul Eckert

Bomb Blast Kills County Police Chief in Xinjiang's Hotan Sept. 18, 2016 - A county police chief was killed and three officers are believed to have died in China's restive region of Xinjiang on Saturday when a bomb exploded in a house they were searching, local police told RFA's Uyghur Service. The police were raiding homes in a village in Guma (In Chinese, Pishan) County of Hotan (Hetian) Prefecture when a bomb exploded in the basement of a house they were searching that belonged to a family suspected of radical behavior, police from neighboring districts told RFA. "What I know is that Gheyret Mamut was leading a group of four officers in a house-to-house search of No.23 Village of Kokterek Township. The house they were searching belonged to a blacklisted family and there was nobody in the house," said Turup Abbas, deputy chief of Guma County Police Department. "When they entered the cellar at the center of the house, suddenly a bomb exploded, and Gheyret Mamut died on the spot. Three of the officers were heavily injured," said Turup Abbas. "I am not sure whether the three wounded policemen taken to the hospital are alive or dead. There has been no official announcement issued yet of a death toll," he added. A second police officer in Muji told RFA that Gheyret Mamut, 45, was "among the dead" and described the same sequence of events leading to the explosion. "According to an oral announcement by our station chief, a group of police in Kokterek Township was conducting house-to-house searches in the village, and one or a bunch of homemade bombs exploded when they were checking the cellar of the house," said the officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity. Don't spread rumors A farmer from nearby No. 21 Village of Kokterek Township told RFA he attended a meeting early on Sunday at which the village Communist Party secretary discussed the explosion and urged villagers not to talk about it. "We were just warned not to say much about the incident, to avoid spreading rumors, to advise youth not to challenge the government and to call the police if strangers appear in the village," said the farmer. "From the neighbors I heard that the police chief died in the cellar, and the three police officers were dead when they arrived at the hospital," the farmer added. Memet Eli, a police officer in Kokterek Township, said he did not know details about the explosion, but was familiar with the house where it took place and had interrogated a couple that lived there but did not remember their names. "The house belonged to the owner of a fast-food restaurant in Guma County that is located in front of a teachers college," he told RFA. "I have gone there several times to bring him to the police station for interrogation. I only remember that he has a four-year-old child and that he and his wife were about 30 years old and were blacklisted because of signs of extremism in their life," said Memet Eli. The family's fate and whereabouts were unknown. 'Emergency situation' The farmer from No. 21 Village said, however: "Some people are saying that there was no one in the house other than police when the bombs exploded, but other people say the owner and his friends were hiding in the cellar when the police entered." Meanwhile, an officer from Guma's neighboring Qarghiliq (Yecheng) County said his district was "under an emergency situation now." "In order to prevent potential attacks or incidents, most of our officers are patrolling streets or guarding sensitive places like government buildings, or Han immigrant resident complexes," said the officer. Kokterek Township was the hometown of the perpetrators of a May 2014bombing at a market in Xinjiang's capital Urumqi that killed 43 people, including the four attackers. China has vowed to crack down on what it calls religious extremism in Xinjiang, and regularly conducts "strike hard" campaigns including police raids on Uyghur households, restrictions on Islamic practices, and curbs on the culture and language of the Uyghur people, including videos and other material. While China blames Uyghur extremists for terrorist attacks, experts outside China say Beijing has exaggerated the threat from the Uyghurs and that repressive domestic policies are responsible for an upsurge in violence there that has left hundreds dead since 2009. Reported by Shohret Hoshur for RFA's Uyghur Service. Translated by Mamatjan Juma. Written in English by Paul Eckert. View this story online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/uyghur-hotan-09182016105401.html Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA's broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to "seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers." RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to <mailto:engnews-leave@rfanews.org> engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org. To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to <mailto:engnews-join@rfanews.org> engnews-join(a)rfanews.org . ##### All media inquiries may be sent to Rohit Mahajan at <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org.

8 years, 8 months

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RFA e-Book by Han Dongfang Uncovers 'Dark Side of China's Economic Rise,' Proposes a Way Out

by Rohit Mahajan

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Sept. 8, 2016 Contact: Rohit Mahajan 202 530 4976 <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org Radio Free Asia e-Book by Labor Advocate Han Dongfang Uncovers 'Dark Side of China's Economic Rise,' Proposes a Way Out Workers interviewed share personal accounts of falling victim to unfair system WASHINGTON - Radio Free Asia (RFA) published an e-book today that highlights the struggles and challenges faced by China's workers during the country's dramatic economic rise. "China's Workers Wronged," available for a free download on RFA's website <http://www.rfa.org/english/bookshelf> , is based on 88 interviews with Chinese workers conducted in recent years by China Labor Bulletin Executive Director Han Dongfang for RFA. "China's workers' struggles are an underreported story that deserves more attention," said Dan Southerland, RFA's Executive Editor. "Han Dongfang brings the dark side of China's economic rise to light." "With this e-book, RFA makes available to our audiences an important, in-depth investigation of a story so often overlooked." While the rise of China as a global economic powerhouse has been well documented, less well known is how ordinary workers reaped few rewards during this period of astounding growth. Their side of the story is subject to censorship in the Chinese state media and is often underreported in Western media. Roughly half of Han's interviewees were victims of the injuries or illness endemic among coal miners, construction workers and others whose local governments deny them the benefits that are owed to them. Some interviewees tell of being cheated out of their wages or arbitrarily reassigned to jobs with lower pay and poorer working conditions. Some are simply fired without compensation. Seeking justice through the court system, they often hit a stone wall. As Han explains in the foreword to his book, China's official trade union is "in league with the Communist Party and the factory bosses, and does nothing to represent the workers." Many of these stories are harrowing, but are also inspiring. The book closes with several encouraging examples of how workers have come together to defend their legal rights and push for better pay and working conditions. "Going forward," states Han, "the key task for China's workers is to reclaim the trade union and make it an effective bulwark against employer abuses." Based in Hong Kong, Han Dongfang has been an advocate for workers' rights in China for more than two decades. He first came to international prominence during the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 when, as a railway worker, he helped set up China's first independent trade union, the Beijing Autonomous Workers' Federation. In 1993, he was expelled to Hong Kong, where the following year he set up the China Labor Bulletin to promote labor rights in mainland China. He also has his own radio talk show on Radio Free Asia in which he conducts regular interviews with Chinese workers and farmers. # # # Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA's broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to "seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers." RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. Rohit Mahajan | Radio Free Asia | Director of Public Affairs and Digital Strategy <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org | O: 202.530.4976 | M: 202.489.8021

8 years, 9 months

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RFA Breaking News: Tibetan Political Prisoner Who Opposed ‘Patriotic Reeducation Campaign’ Dies

by Paul Eckert

Tibetan Political Prisoner Who Opposed ‘Patriotic Reeducation Campaign’ Dies Aug. 9, 2016 - A Tibetan political prisoner and monk who was jailed by authorities for five years for refusing to participate in a "patriotic reeducation campaign" died on Monday in western China’s Tibet Autonomous Region, RFA has learned. Khenrab Tharchin, who was about 40 years old when he passed away, was jailed in 2008 and had suffered beatings and torture while in prison, said a Tibetan source in Nepal. He was released in 2013 because of poor health, and his health continued to deteriorate thereafter, he said. “His relatives took him to the hospital, but he died on the way there,” the source said. Tharchin hailed from Drushe village, Shelkar township, in Dingri county of Shigatse (Xigaze) prefecture in southwestern Tibet. At the time of his arrest in May 2008, he was one of several monks at Dingri Shelkar Choedhe monastery who opposed a patriotic reeducation campaign imposed upon them by local Chinese authorities, the source said. Authorities began conducting new patriotic reeducation campaigns in Tibetan Buddhist monasteries and nunneries in April 2008 following unrest a month earlier that spread across region as a result of protests that started in the Tibetan capital Lhasa and led to rioting, burning, looting, and ethnic killing. The campaigns were conducted in an effort to control religious practices, suppress support for exiled spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, and quash notions of independence or genuine autonomy for Tibet. Under the reeducation program, work teams temporarily moved into religious institutions and provided instruction on the Chinese government’s official version of Tibet's history as well as religious policy and the law. Monks and nuns were required to comply or risk arrest or expulsion. Open opposition When Tharchin was arrested, he was 32 years old and a member of the monastery’s democratic management committee set up by Chinese authorities to ensure that the monks did not disrupt social order through protests or self-immolations, according to an article on the Tibetan news site Phayul.com on June 1, 2008. Tharchin stood up while the reeducation campaign was in session, openly opposed it and told the visiting work team that he could not denounce the Dalai Lama as required under the campaign, the article said. Eleven other monks also stood up and opposed the campaign. That night, Chinese security forces raided Dingri Shelkar monastery and arrested the 12 monks, taking them to unknown locations, the article said. It later came to be known that authorities had sentenced three of the monks to 18 months in prison and had handed Tharchin a five-year sentence, the Tibetan source said. Tharchin was first detained at a facility in Shigatse but later moved to Chushul (Qushui) prison on the outskirts of Lhasa. Reported by Sangye Dorjee for RFA’s Tibetan Service. Translated by Karma Dorjee. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin. View this s tory online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/tibet/tibetan-political-prisoner-who-oppose… Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news , information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA ’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org . To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to engnews-join(a)rfanews.org . ##### All media inquiries may be sent to Rohit Mahajan at mahajanr(a)rfa.org .

8 years, 10 months

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RFA Breaking News: Shan State Villagers Arrested by Myanmar Military Turn Up Dead Near Lashio

by Paul Eckert

Shan State Villagers Arrested by Myanmar Military Turn Up Dead Near Lashio June 30, 2016 - Five days after the Myanmar army arrested three ethnic Palaung men and 11 Shan villagers working in a cornfield near Lashio township in conflict-ridden northern Shan state, five of them turned up in shallow graves along with two other identified locals on Thursday, RFA’s Myanmar Service has learned. Government soldiers detained the six women and five men on June 25 in Long Mon village near the sub-township of Mong Yaw where fighting erupted that day between the military and armed ethnic soldiers. They later released all the women and three of the men, local villagers told RFA. “They arrested and took us away, and later separated us along the way,” one of the released women told RFA through an interpreter. “We had to keep our heads down, and we were not allowed to look at their faces. Those who were released notified lawmakers and civil society organizations (CSOs) about what had happened to them, villagers said. They also reported the incident to local police, who declined to look into the incident since the powerful Myanmar military was involved, they said. The police declined to provide information to CSOs and reporters who inquired about the incident. The same day that soldiers detained the villagers, police arrested three Palaung men who arrived at the cornfield on motorbikes to pick up relatives who were working there, residents said. Local residents reported to the CSOs that they had heard gunshots in the vicinity, said Than Than Aye, chairwoman of northern Shan state’s CSO Network who went to the area. “The shooting occurred around 3.30 p.m.,” said one of released men. “We are sure it was the Myanmar army. During the interrogation, they asked us, ‘Did you see the rebels? Did you see armed men?’ We told them we hadn’t.” Wait until morning Some of the victims' relatives asked village authorities to do something, but they said they could do nothing,” said Mya Yin, the aunt of one of the Palaung victims who was killed. “They thought the soldiers might beat them while they are angry, so they told us to wait until the next morning," she said. Five days later, villagers found seven corpses in three shallow graves—the corpses of the three men who had been on motorbikes in one, the bodies of two men from the cornfield in the second, and the bodies of an unidentified man and woman who had passed along the road beside the cornfield in the third. “We were told that three bodies were interred in a hole in the ground, and two others in another hole,” said Than Than Aye, adding that locals said the victims were members of the Palaung and Shan ethnic groups. “Their hands were tied behind their backs,” she told RFA. “We saw the rope they were tied with near their bodies.” “We saw two other bodies—a man and a woman who were interred together in a hole on the opposite side of the road, but we haven’t yet identified who they are,” Than Than Aye said. “As a CSO, we object to and condemn any killings or executions by any group," she said. "We cannot accept any armed groups killing unarmed civilians.” Villagers watch while corpses are removed from shallow graves in Long Mon village of Mong Yaw subtownship in Myanmar's northern Shan state, June 30, 2016. Credit: RFA Soldiers open fire A Myanmar army unit from Lashio entered Long Mon village in about five trucks on June 25 and suddenly opened fire near the cornfields, injuring three female villagers who were taken to a hospital in Mong Yaw, Myanmar’s Shan Herald Agency for News (SHAN) reported, citing a resident who requested anonymity. The troops then unloaded their guns and began stopping and questioning drivers who passed, shooting one man dead at the checkpoint, the report said. As farmers ran for cover, the army allegedly told them to line up by the side of the road for questioning and they took five into custody—Aik Hseng, 23; Aik Lod, 39; Aik Maung, 27; Sai Mon Awn, 17; and Sai Aik Maung, 23, it said. The source told SHAN that the army later denied arresting the villagers, though soldiers claimed to have released all of them. Of the ethnic armies that operate in the area, the Manpang Peoples Militia commanded by Bo Mon is active in and around Mong Yaw, according to SHAN. The Kachin Defense Army (KDA) People’s Militia led by Matu Naw, Kachin Independence Army (KIA), Shan State Army (SSA), and Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) are active about 30 miles outside the area. Human rights abuses Arbitrary detentions by soldiers in Shan state are nothing new. Unidentified gunmen abducted 50 men from four villages between Lashio and Namtu townships during a raid last Nov. 26. Clashes between Myanmar’s military and the ethnic Shan State Army-North (SSA-N) had frequently occurred in the area. Hostilities resumed between the army and the SSA-N early last October, forcing an estimated 10,000 people to flee their homes in the central part of Shan state. At the time, local civil society groups urged the international community to “break its silence on the war crimes” being committed by Myanmar government troops in Shan state with their repeated air and ground missile attacks on densely populated civilian areas, along with the shootings and rapes of villagers. Last week, officials prevented Yanghee Lee, the United Nations human rights envoy to Myanmar, from visiting areas of Shan state where fighting and human rights abuses have reportedly occurred, according to another SHAN report. Citing security reasons, they also prevented her from visiting conflict zones in northern Myanmar’s restive Kachin state where fighting is taking place. Lee had wanted to include the states on her 12-day mission to Myanmar, which ends Friday, to observe the situation of war refugees, especially in the aftermath of heavy fighting in Shan state between the Myanmar military and armed ethnic groups in May. However, she did meet with CSOs in Lashio and told them that she would thoroughly review reports of human rights violations submitted to her for a report she is compiling for the U.N., the SHAN report said. Reported by Kan Thar for RFA’s Myanmar Service. Translated by Khet Mar. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin. View this s tory online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/myanmar/shan-state-villagers-arrested-by-my… Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news , information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA ’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org . To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to engnews-join(a)rfanews.org . ##### All media inquiries may be sent to Rohit Mahajan at mahajanr(a)rfa.org .

8 years, 11 months

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RFA Breaking News: Lao Police Publicly Confirm Arrest of Trio of Workers For Criticizing State

by Paul Eckert

Lao Police Publicly Confirm Arrest of Trio of Workers For Criticizing State May 27, 2016 - Lao police have publicly acknowledged that the arrest of three Lao workers who returned home from Thailand to renew their passports for the offense of criticizing the government and the ruling communist party via social media while abroad. Somphone Phimmasone, 29, his girlfriend Lod Thammasong, 30, and Soukane Chaithad, 32, disappeared after returning to Laos earlier this year to renew their passports, their family and friends told RFA’s Lao Service in a previous report. “Special police forces suppressed a group of bad people who have campaigned to accuse and condemn the direction of the state and party through Facebook,” the Ministry of Public Security and police announced on a state security television channel on Wednesday. “It’s true that the three of them were arrested,” a policeman who works at the TV channel told RFA’s Laos service on Friday. “They were at the press conference which was held only for the state security TV channel and newspaper yesterday,” he said. “Other media were not allowed to cover the event.” The security channel showed the three making what appeared to be public confessions. They apologized to the communist party, government, Lao people and their relatives for making the mistake of getting involved with the group that protested against the country’s policies. “For me, from now on I will improve myself, change my ideas, not go against the government and not be traitor to the country,” Somphone said. He also said that no authorities or agencies had threatened or coerced him into speaking to the press at the conference. “We admit our mistake,” he said, speaking on behalf of the other two at the end of the press conference. Apprehended for political campaigning Police arrested Somphone and Lod at her home at Navatai village of Nongbok district in central Laos’ Khammouane province on March 5, said a relative of the couple, who declined to be named, in an earlier report. Police initially told the couple’s relatives that the pair had been arrested for drug possession, but two weeks later the policeman in charge of the jail informed them that they had been arrested for political campaigning. Somphone and Lod were being held in the province’s Khamkhikai jail as of April, but later the police told their families that they had transferred the pair to the capital Vientiane for detention, the relative said. Soukane Chaitad disappeared on March 22 while he was renewing his passport at a police station in Savannakhet province, south of Khammouane, according to his wife who now works in Thailand. Police denied seeing him there, although a witness told his family that someone drove off with Soukane in a truck after he had arrived at the station, she said. While working in Thailand, the three strongly criticized the Lao government on social media for its human rights abuses and lack of democracy, sources told RFA in an earlier report. They and some friends also protested outside the Lao embassy in the Thai capital Bangkok on Lao National Day on Dec. 2, 2015 calling on the Lao government to respect human rights and democracy, they said. Reported by RFA’s Lao Service. Translated by Ounkeo Souksavanh. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin. View this s tory online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/laos/lao-police-publicly-confirm-arrest-of-… Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news , information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA ’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org . To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to engnews-join(a)rfanews.org . ##### All media inquiries may be sent to Rohit Mahajan at mahajanr(a)rfa.org .

9 years

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RFA Breaking News: Shootout Between Lao Soldiers And ‘Bandits’ Leaves One Dead, Others Injured

by Paul Eckert

Shootout Between Lao Soldiers And ‘Bandits’ Leaves One Dead, Others Injured MAY 11, 2016 - An exchange of gunfire between Lao soldiers and unidentified armed forces along a new road between Vientiane and Luang Prabang provinces on May 6 left one soldier and eight of members of the unknown group dead and others injured, a relative of the deceased soldier and a local health official said. The shootout occurred on the thoroughfare connecting Kasy district of central Laos’ Vientiane province’s and Luang Prabang province’s Nanh district, where two other deadly attacks by unknown assailants referred to by government authorities as “bandits” took place in March. Second Lieutenant Santhi, a soldier who died during the attack, was from Nanh district’s military division, said one of his relatives who declined to be named and did not provide the soldier’s surname. The assailants shot Santhi dead while he was walking in front of the other soldiers, the relative said, adding that he didn’t know if the soldiers were in pursuit of the gunmen. “Brothers and sisters at home informed me that Santhi had passed away during the exchange of fire,” he said, adding that others were also killed. Authorities later sent Santhi’s body to his hometown in Thinkeo village, Xieng-ngun district, in Luang Prabang province, the relative said. But authorities have not issued an official report on the others who were killed and injured, he said. A health official at the hospital in Luang Prabang told RFA that eight members of the unidentified armed group were killed and others arrested after they purchased medicine in the town to treat their injuries. “But I don’t know how many people were arrested afterwards,” she said. Government soldiers wounded in the shootout were sent to military hospital 103 in Vientiane for treatment, she said. Lieutenant Colonel Peankham Boutchanpheng, deputy chief of Luang Prabang’s military headquarters told RFA that he had no further information about the shootout. “Santhi’s funeral was on May 7, but I cannot provide more details,” he said One of many incidents The incident is one of many shootings by unidentified armed groups that have occurred in Vientiane province, north-central Xaysomboun province, and Luang Prabang province since last November. In March, a bus shooting by unknown assailants left one Chinese national dead and six others wounded on the stretch of road between Tham and Houasan villages in Kasy. Another attack in January on a public bus traveling along Route 13 North in Kasy injured one of about a dozen passengers, but caused no deaths. Military and police officials in Vientiane province have arrested 30 people suspected of being involved in the bus shooting. A shooting in Phoukhoun district of Luang Prabang province in early March killed a Chinese man and injured three other Chinese nationals, all of whom worked for a logging company clearing land for the Nam Ngum 3 hydropower dam project. On the same day as the shooting near the dam, gunmen mounted two separate attacks on a public bus and a truck traveling along Route 13 North in Phoukhoun, injuring five people. An exchange of gunfire between a Lao anti-government resistance group and local troops in Xaysomboun last November left three government soldiers dead and some others injured, a retired Lao soldier close to a high-ranking officer in the Ministry of Defense told RFA in an earlier report. A month later, 15 attackers shot two motorcyclists in the province’s Anouvong district, killing one and injuring the other. The alleged bandits shot at a truck transporting beer in the district three days later, injuring two people in the vehicle. Reported by RFA’s Lao Service. Translated by Ounkeo Souksavanh. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin. View this s tory online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/laos/shootout-between-lao-soldiers-and-band… Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news , information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA ’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org . To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to engnews-join(a)rfanews.org . ##### All media inquiries may be sent to Rohit Mahajan at mahajanr(a)rfa.org .

9 years

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Tibetan Mother of Five Burns to Death to Protest Chinese Rule

by Richard Finney

Tibetan Mother of Five Burns to Death to Protest Chinese Rule MAY 6, 2016 - A Tibetan mother of five has burned herself to death in southwestern China’s Sichuan province in a challenge to Beijing’s rule in the second such protest in a Tibetan area of China this year, a source in the region told RFA’s Tibetan Service. Sonam Tso, believed to have been in her 50s, self-immolated on March 23 near a monastery in Dzoege (in Chinese, Ruo’ergai) county in the Ngaba (Aba) Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, RFA’s source said, speaking on condition of anonymity. News of Tso’s protest was initially delayed in reaching outside contacts due to communications clampdowns imposed by Chinese authorities in the area, but her self-immolation followed by almost a month a similar burning in Sichuan’s Kardze prefecture that killed a young monk. Tso, a native of Akyi township’s Tsa village, launched her protest outside Dzoege’s Sera monastery after telling her husband, who was walking with her, to go ahead, saying that she would join him later, RFA’s source said. “A young monk heard her call out for the return of [exiled spiritual leader] the Dalai Lama and for freedom for Tibet as she burned,” he said. Tso’s husband and the monk tried to put out the flames, and an elderly monk named Tsultrim, Tso’s uncle, then brought her inside the monastery. “She was later put into a vehicle to be taken to a hospital, but she died before leaving the monastery,” the source said. Speaking separately to RFA, a Tibetan source in exile confirmed the incident had occurred, citing contacts in the region. Police detained Tso’s uncle for eight days for discussing the incident with other people and forced him to delete the photos he had taken of Tso’s protest, the source said, adding that her husband, Kalsang Gyaltsen, was called in for questioning three times. “She leaves behind five children—two boys and three girls,” he said. Tso’s protest brings to 145 the number of self-immolations by Tibetans living in China since the wave of fiery protests began in 2009. Most protests feature demands for Tibetan freedom and the return of spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, who has lived in exile in India since an abortive national uprising in 1959. A handful of self-immolation protests have been over local land or property disputes. Reported by Sonam Topgyal for RFA’s Tibetan Service. Translated by Karma Dorjee. Written in English by Richard Finney. View this story online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/tibet/mother-05062016131403.html Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to <mailto:engnews-leave@rfanews.org> engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org. To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to <mailto:engnews-join@rfanews.org> engnews-join(a)rfanews.org . ##### All media inquiries may be sent to Rohit Mahajan at <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org.

9 years, 1 month

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RFA Hosts Banned Film on Murdered Cambodian Rainforest Activist on Website

by Rohit Mahajan

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 25, 2016 Contact: Rohit Mahajan 202 530 4976 <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org RFA Hosts Banned Film on Murdered Cambodian Rainforest Activist on Website Documentary's release marks anniversary of Chut Wutty's slaying WASHINGTON - Ahead of World Press Freedom Day, Radio Free Asia <http://www.rfa.org/english/> (RFA) will make available online a recently banned documentary film about the murder of a prominent Cambodian rainforest activist. The makers of "I Am Chut Wutty <https://www.journeyman.tv/film/6541/> " have agreed to allow RFA to post the Cambodian language film on its RFA Khmer website <http://www.rfa.org/khmer/> in perpetuity starting Tuesday, April 26. RFA will also post an English subtitled version for a 24-hour period on April 26 starting at 12:01 a.m. (U.S. EST). Cambodia's government last week refused to grant a license for a screening of the film in Phnom Penh, effectively issuing a ban on its public release. "Chut Wutty's life was cut short but his legacy of fighting to protect Cambodia's rainforests lives on," said Libby Liu, President of RFA. "Cambodian authorities' decision to deny a public screening of this documentary about him and the ongoing struggle only reinforces its relevance. "We are proud to make 'I Am Chut Wutty' available online to RFA's audiences and hope this guarantees its largest possible viewing." Coming four years after the death of community activist Chut Wutty, who was slain in April 2012, the documentary focuses on the longstanding struggle to stop the practice of illegal logging in Cambodia. Wutty had led a group of activists determined to investigate and halt corrupt logging syndicates, which often have ties to the Cambodian military. The rate of deforestation in Cambodia is among the highest in the world, and the devastation to one of Southeast Asia's last remaining wilderness is costly to native indigenous communities who rely on the rainforest's health for their daily livelihoods. The film, directed and produced by Fran Lambrick, features exclusive footage with Wutty in the final months before his death at the hands of a military police officer. RFA's Khmer Service has closely covered <http://www.rfa.org/english/news/cambodia/threaten-10132015165540.html> Cambodia's illegal logging trade, which reaps huge profits at the expense of the country's natural resources. Though Cambodia's government has repeatedly claimed <http://www.rfa.org/english/news/cambodia/cambodia-forests-04222016152419.ht ml> to crack down on corrupt deforestation, overwhelming evidence persists of this widespread practice. Environmental defenders and communities have struggled to bring attention the rampant rate at which Cambodia's rainforest is being cut down. The trade has also been tied closely to government corruption. RFA's reports <http://www.rfa.org/english/news/cambodia/interview-vanishing-forests-042120 16180426.html> also reveal how land concessions have been used as a cover for illegal logging, often as a result of collusion between timber companies and government officials. # # # Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA's broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to "seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers." RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. Rohit Mahajan | Radio Free Asia | Director of Public Affairs <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org | O: 202.530.4976 | M: 202.489.8021

9 years, 1 month

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RSF Index Underscores "Desperate Need" in Asia for Reliable Press: RFA President

by Rohit Mahajan

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 20, 2016 Contact: Rohit Mahajan 202 530 4976 <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org RSF Index Underscores "Desperate Need" in Asia for Reliable Press: RFA President Seven of RFA's nine target countries and territories in bottom 10 percent WASHINGTON - Media freedom further declined in Radio Free Asia <http://www.rfa.org/english/> 's broadcast region, according to Reporters Without Borders (RSF) in its 2016 Press Freedom Index <https://rsf.org/en/news/2016-world-press-freedom-index-leaders-paranoid-abo ut-journalists> . Radio Free Asia (RFA) President Libby Liu said the report, which was issued today, underscores a need for objective, unbiased, and independent press in Asian countries with restricted media environments. Seven of RFA's nine language services operate in countries that were ranked in the bottom 10 percent of the survey. "In a year of Hong Kong booksellers being abducted, Burmese newspapers still operating under heavy restrictions, and China's leadership resorting to every means possible to coerce journalists both inside and outside the country, there are few surprises in RSF's index," Liu said. "While this worrisome trend continues, it should not go unheeded. "Despite recent advances in technology and the growth of social media, ruling regimes in Asia continue to impose severe limits on their citizens' access to objective, independent press. Self-censorship also remains on the rise, even in countries with fewer restrictions such as Myanmar and Cambodia. "The report emphasizes the desperate need among RFA's audiences for the accurate, reliable news and information that we provide." Of the 180 countries ranked, RSF's annual survey put North Korea second to last at 179, China at 176, Vietnam at 175, and Laos at 171. Cambodia was ranked 128 and Myanmar at 143. The report cited China's Communist Party taking repression to "new heights" with the detentions of prominent journalists, forced televised confessions, and threats to their family members. Myanmar's overall score declined, with the report noting the limits of recent reforms and measures taken to improve media freedom and safety. Free press also continued to decline in Hong Kong, once considered a bastion of free press, with the buying of the territory's news outlets by Chinese businessmen intent on toeing the mainland government's line. RFA <http://www.rfa.org/about/> provides accurate, fact-based news and information via short- and medium-wave radio, satellite transmissions and television, online through the websites of its nine language services, and social media such as Facebook <https://www.facebook.com/pages/Radio-Free-Asia/31744768821> and YouTube <https://www.youtube.com/user/RFAVideo> , among other widely used platforms in its countries of operation. RFA's language services are Mandarin, Cantonese, Tibetan, and Uyghur, in China; Myanmar; Khmer (Cambodian); Vietnamese; Lao; and Korean. # # # Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA's broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to "seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers." RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. Rohit Mahajan | Radio Free Asia | Director of Public Affairs <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org | O: 202.530.4976 | M: 202.489.8021

9 years, 1 month

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RFA Breaking News: Tanzania Shutters Two North Korean Medical Clinics

by Paul Eckert

Tanzania Shutters Two North Korean Medical Clinics April 19, 2016 - The Tanzanian government has ordered the immediate closure of two North Korean medical clinics operating in the major port city of Dar es Salaam because the facilities used fake medicine, unqualified doctors and ineffective treatments that could actually harm patients. Hamisi Kigwangalla, Tanzania’s deputy minister of health, ordered the immediate closure of the two North Korean clinics located in the city’s Kariakoo and Magomeni wards, after a personal visit to check the clinics’ medical operating conditions on April 15. April 15 also marked the end of a grace period the Tanzanian government issued in January to give the clinics time to correct the problems, many of which were highlighted in a set of investigative reports by RFA’s Korean Service earlier this year. The medical facilities had no business licenses but were accepting patients, while most of the North Korean doctors at the clinic had no work permits, The Guardian , Tanzania’s leading newspaper, reported on April 17th. North Korean personnel initially tried to preempt Kigwangalla’s visit, arguing that their business was a joint operation with Tanzania’s governing party, Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM).) The deputy minister wasn’t buying that argument. “We have already checked with the ruling party, who then denied this claim,” Kigwangalla told the media. “We must take immediate action to this obvious illegal act by shutting it down.” A long list There is a long list of reasons Tanzania wants to shutter the clinics that include: operating without a business license, or work permits, lack of qualifications for the North Korean doctors, unverified treatments, unverified therapeutic apparatus, and the hospitals’ failure to label their drugs and the use of fake or improperly labeled medicine. The Guardian also reported that the North Koreans couldn’t speak the national language, Swahili, and lacked a command of English. A ‘Closed for Business’ sign hung in front of the clinics’ locked doors following Kigwangalla’s visit, a local source in Tanzania told RFA on April 18. The North Korean medical issue was brought to the forefront after reporting by RFA’s Korean service and local media outlets uncovered the conditions at the North Korean clinics in Tanzania. While the RFA stories pointed out the poor conditions under which patients are treated at the North Korean clinics, it also exposed the facilities as a source of hard currency for the regime of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Kim’s cash-strapped government is feeling the pinch of United Nations’ economic and trade sanctions imposed by the U.N. Security Council in response to North Korea’s four nuclear tests since 2006. Pyongyang has responded by sending its citizens abroad to work for hard currency, in jobs ranging from medical workers in Africa to loggers in Russia to construction laborers in the Middle East. Before the shuttering of the two clinics, 13 such facilities in Tanzania, including four in Dar es Salaam, were remitting about $1 million a year to Pyongyang, which takes the lion’s share of North Korean workers’ overseas earnings. Kigwangalla told reporters that the Tanzanian government intended to investigate the other 11 North Korean clinics in the country. Reported by Albert Hong for RFA's Korean Service. Translated by Jackie Yoo. Written in English by Brooks Boliek. View this s tory online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/korea/tanzania-shutters-two-04192016143509.… View the investigative stories at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/special/nkinvestigation/ Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news , information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA ’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org . To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to engnews-join(a)rfanews.org . ##### All media inquiries may be sent to Rohit Mahajan at mahajanr(a)rfa.org .

9 years, 1 month

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RFA Breaking News: Chinese Offer Reward for Information on Terrorism, Religion in Xinjiang

by Paul Eckert

Chinese Offer Reward for Information on Terrorism, Religion in Xinjiang April 12, 2016 - Officials in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region are offering a cash bounty of up to 5 million yuan (U.S. $774,000) for tips about suspicious activity linked to terrorism or religious extremism, RFA’s Uyghur Service has learned. "The program is a necessary step that corresponds to the reality and development of Xinjiang,” said a government official who spoke on condition of anonymity. While informants can cash in, the amount of money they receive depends on the quality of information they give, local law enforcement officials told RFA. The reward program took effect on April 11, according to authorities, “The reward amount depends on value of information,” A Uyghur police officer based in the Hoten (in Chinese Hetian) Prefecture told RFA. “We report the information they provide to us to the local public security department, which evaluates the value of the information.” The rewards fall into various categories with information about bombs, bombers and bomb making raking in the most cash. “Information about a bombing somewhere, or making bombs, or planning to make bombs for an attack is the most valuable,” another local police officer explained. “The top information will be awarded 5 million yuan.” “This includes the planning stage,” the officer added. “If someone informs us before the attack, the cash reward will increase because that is preventive work.” Not just terrorism While the reward program is linked to terrorist activities, it can also be used to encourage people to talk to officials about religious extremism, according to authorities. “If someone provided us information about illegal religious activity, they can also get the reward,” said another police officer based in the Hoten (in Chinese Hetian) Prefecture. “The information regarding religious schools is also considered valuable information, and the informant also deserves a reward, but the 5 million yuan only goes to the informants who provided information about activity linked to terrorism,” said another police officer. While the main aim of the program is interdicting terrorist activity, the officer said someone has already collected some money for turning in an illegal religious school. Under the program an informant’s identity is confidential. “In our village we rewarded a guy who informed us about an illegal religious school,” the officer said. “We have arrested that school teacher.” When pressed about the arrest, the officer declined to say anything else. Suspicious minds But that type of action is exactly what concerns the human rights activists, who see it as another way for the Chinese government can put pressure on Uyghur society. “We know in the Chinese cultural revolution that a mechanism to award informants existed during that period,” said Uyghur human rights activists Enwer Tohti. “Under this mechanism, everybody spied on each other. If a guest came to your home, the police station near your home knew it within five minutes.” That kind of activity breeds suspicion and undermines the local society, he said. “Under these circumstances, you can't say you have a healthy society,” he said. “At the end of the day, this surveillance mechanism harmed social relationships, the fabric of society, and created a social hypocrisy.” Rights groups accuse the Chinese authorities of heavy-handed rule in Xinjiang, including violent police raids on Uyghur households, restrictions on Islamic practices, and curbs on the culture and language of the Uyghur people. China has vowed to crack down on what it calls the “three evils” of terrorism, separatism, and religious extremism in Xinjiang. But experts outside China say Beijing has exaggerated the threat from Uyghur separatists, and that domestic policies are responsible for an upsurge in violence that has left hundreds dead since 2012. Reported and translated by Jilili Musa for RFA's Uyghur Service. Written in English by Brooks Boliek. View this s tory online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/chinese-offer-reward-04122016164714.… Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news , information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA ’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org . To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to engnews-join(a)rfanews.org . ##### All media inquiries may be sent to Rohit Mahajan at mahajanr(a)rfa.org .

9 years, 1 month

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RFA Launches Investigative Series on North Korean Labor Overseas

by Rohit Mahajan

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 4, 2016 Contact: Rohit Mahajan 202 530 4976 <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org RFA Launches Investigative Series on North Korean Labor Overseas Venture Is First in a Series of In-Depth Journalistic Projects to Come WASHINGTON - Radio Free Asia <http://www.rfa.org/english/> (RFA) today launched an investigative project "Human Capital: North Korean Workers Abroad Earn Hard Currency for Regime <http://www.rfa.org/english/news/special/nkinvestigation/> ," focusing on North Korea's practice of sending tens of thousands to work in foreign countries. Currency earned overseas benefits the country's ruling regime. The project marks the first of a series of RFA special investigations coming out this year. "With this venture, RFA investigates the consequences of an isolated dictatorship that does little to improve its own people's living standards but profits from sending its work force abroad," said Libby Liu, President of RFA. "RFA looks forward to the launch of more in-depth, ongoing investigations this year. "Investigative projects can greatly benefit our audiences in Asia whose governments and state-controlled media often do little to shed light on the issues and decisions directly affecting their lives." RFA's project, which utilizes on-the-ground reporting in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia, begins with two reports on North Korean-run medical clinics in Tanzania. It is estimated that more than 50,000 North Koreans are working overseas. They might be doctors or construction workers but their lives are tightly controlled. These workers also help the Stalinist state skirt UN sanctions by earning billions of dollars' worth of hard currency for the regime. A UN report from last year estimated that the North Korean government earned between 1.2 billion to 2.3 billion USD annually through these forced laborers. The first installment of the series, the two-part feature "Exporting Fakes? North Korean Clinics Hawk Questionable Medical Care to Tanzania," provides an up-close look at the conditions and practices of medical facilities set up and run by North Korean transplants in Dar-es Salaam, Tanzania. RFA found the treatment provided by medical staff is putting the health of Tanzanians at serious risk with improper diagnoses, a major language barrier, and questionable medical practices and ingredients in the prescribed medications. The country is believed to host a total of 12 North Korean clinics, with four opening in Dar-es Salaam since 2009. Future installments of RFA's North Korean overseas labor project will include reports from Kuwait, Cambodia, and Myanmar - all examining the lives, impact, and conditions of North Korean workers in those foreign countries. Some of RFA's special investigative projects to come later this year include: "Between Identity and Integration: "The Uyghur Diaspora in the West"; "Fool's Gold: Government-Run Metals Exchange Defrauds Millions"; "Buying Influence: China's Mission in Cambodia"; and "The Wild West: Gold Mining and its Hazards in Myanmar." # # # Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA's broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to "seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers." RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. Rohit Mahajan | Radio Free Asia | Director of Public Affairs <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org | O: 202.530.4976 | M: 202.489.8021

9 years, 2 months

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RFA's Trafficking Documentary Describes Vietnamese Mother's Ordeal, Escape

by Rohit Mahajan

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 8, 2016 Contact: Rohit Mahajan 202 530 4976 <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org Radio Free Asia's Trafficking Documentary Describes Vietnamese Mother's Ordeal, Escape Video Part of 'Breaking Free' Series that Showcases Survivors' Stories WASHINGTON - On International Women's Day, Radio Free Asia (RFA) today released a short documentary, "Vietnam: Cost of Living <http://www.rfa.org/english/breaking-free/videocostofliving.html> " -- the eighth installment of the online RFA multimedia series "Breaking Free: Stories of escape from traffickers <http://www.rfa.org/english/breaking-free/> ." This seven-minute video report from Vietnam tells the story of a married woman and mother who was tricked into working in the Malaysian sex trade by a female relative. "On International Women's Day, RFA continues to throw a spotlight on the stories of human trafficking survivors so those who are victimized can have their voices heard as both a warning and an inspiration," said Libby Liu, President of RFA. "It's essential that their stories are told so others can learn. "Our commitment to eye-opening journalism at RFA in some of the world's toughest media environments is essential to the business of informing people who lack free press and free speech." The video follows the story of Xuan, whose family textile business in Vietnam went into heavy debt in 2013. Against the advice of her husband, Xuan answered her cousin's call to join her in Malaysia to earn a higher salary. Once there, the job was not at all what she had expected. She was forced to perform sex work and endure terrible living conditions. Xuan made a dramatic escape to be reunited with her family. Xuan's story is not unique, as many women are unwittingly tricked into trafficking by family members promising a better life. Xuan now works with police and anti-trafficking groups to help the other women and girls she met in Malaysia during her ordeal. The video is part of a larger series called "Breaking Free: Stories of escape from traffickers," which focuses on the issue of human trafficking in China and Southeast Asia, including forced labor at fisheries, abuse of undocumented workers, and the bride market. The series explores various ways survivors of trafficking have escaped enslavement and possible solutions to the widespread problem. These include the essential role of local NGOs and the need for the outspoken testimony of survivors to bring light to these situations and to the means by which people are trafficked. RFA's series -- published in the English, Khmer, Vietnamese and Burmese languages -- also includes several animated videos and provides links to RFA's related coverage. "Breaking Free" follows a previous, award-winning multimedia documentary series "Human Trafficking and Modern Slavery <http://www.rfa.org/english/news/special/trafficking/home.html> ," which was published in 2012. This first series was based on investigative reports by RFA's video reporters, often traveling under cover in China and Southeast Asia. Their in-depth reporting exposes the underlying corruption and lack of local media attention that fuels the growing problem of human trafficking and forced labor. # # # Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA's broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to "seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers." RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. Rohit Mahajan | Radio Free Asia | Director of Public Affairs <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org | O: 202.530.4976 | M: 202.489.8021

9 years, 3 months

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RFA Breaking News: Tibetan Monk Burns to Death in Kardze Protest

by Paul Eckert

Tibetan Monk Burns to Death in Kardze Protest March 1, 2016 - A Tibetan monk set himself ablaze and died on Monday in southwestern China’s Sichuan province in an apparent challenge to Beijing’s rule in the first such protest in a Tibetan area of China this year, a source in the region told RFA’s Tibetan Service. Kalsang Wangdu, a monk of the Retsokha Aryaling monastery, self-immolated at around 4:00 p.m. on Feb. 29 near his monastery in the Kardze (in Chinese, Ganzi) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture’s Nyagrong (Xinlong) county, RFA’s source said, contacting RFA on social media and speaking on condition of anonymity. “[While he burned], he called out for Tibet’s complete independence,” the source said, adding that witnesses to Wangdu’s protest “intervened,” intending to take him to Sichuan’s provincial capital for treatment. “However, he died on the way before reaching Chengdu,” he said, adding, “His father’s name is Sotra, and his mother’s name is Urgyen Dolma.” Wangdu’s self-immolation could not be immediately confirmed, and authorities were not available for comment. But his action would bring to 144 the total number of burnings by Tibetans living in China since the wave of fiery protests calling for Tibetan freedom and the return of exiled spiritual leader the Dalai Lama began in 2009. Tibetans living in Kardze prefecture are known for their strong sense of Tibetan national identity and frequently stage protests alone or in groups opposing rule by Beijing. Meanwhile, a young Tibetan student living in India set himself on fire on Monday to protest China’s rule in Tibetan areas after telling his parents he hoped to do something “for the cause of Tibet,” a Tibetan source in exile told RFA. Dorje Tsering, 16, set himself ablaze near a housing complex for elderly Tibetans in Dehra Dun at about 8:30 a.m. on Feb. 29, RFA’s source, housing complex staff member Lobsang Tsultrim, said. “He was severely injured in the fire, and was quickly moved to the Safdurjung hospital in Delhi,” Tsultrim said. “He is reported to have suffered burns over 95 percent of his body,” he said. Tsering had previously hinted at his coming protest, asking his parents if they would be happy if he was able to do something for the cause of Tibet, Tsultrim said. “Yesterday, he did exactly what he said he would do,” he added. “I did discuss my intentions with my parents, who told me they would kill themselves if I did this,” Tsering said from his hospital bed, speaking in a video. “[But] I have the will to do something for the Tibetan cause and thought that I could sacrifice this body for the Tibetan cause,” he said. “I want His Holiness the Dalai Lama to live long and for Tibet to achieve its independence,” he said. Tsering’s protest “was a sign of how deep and sustained opposition to Chinese rule remains [even] among Tibetans outside Tibet,” London-based Free Tibet director Eleanor Byrne-Rosengren said in a statement Tuesday. “Whether inside or outside the country, young Tibetans feel the sense of injustice and are driven to act because of it,” she said. Reported by Yangdon Demo for RFA’s Tibetan Service. Translated by Karma Dorjee. Written in English by Richard Finney. View this s tory online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/tibet/burns-03012016164905.html Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news , information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA ’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org . To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to engnews-join(a)rfanews.org . ##### All media inquiries may be sent to Rohit Mahajan at mahajanr(a)rfa.org .

9 years, 3 months

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RFA Breaking News: Bomb Explosion Kills Two Chinese in Laos

by Paul Eckert

Bomb Explosion Kills Two Chinese in Laos Jan. 28, 2016 - An early morning bomb blast at a road construction site near a military camp in Laos’ Xaysombaun province killed two Chinese officials and injured a third on Jan 24, RFA’s Lao Service has learned. The explosion near a work camp outside the Pha Nok Kok village in the Long Cheang district occurred about 8 a.m. damaging a vehicle and forcing construction on the road project to be halted. The blast marked the third explosion in the area in less than a month. Soldiers defused another bomb on the road in Namphanoy village on Dec. 30. “While I was driving past the spot where the vehicle was bombed, I saw about 10 soldiers who were inspecting it with the dead and injured inside,” a witness told RFA. “When I was there and saw the truck damaged on the right side. The soldiers did not allow people to approach the truck. The truck attacked by the bomb is not far from the venue where soldiers were on duty.” An official with the construction company, who requested anonymity so he could talk about the incident, said the company was pulling its equipment from the construction site. “The company decided to remove all the construction machinery from the site for safety reasons,” the official said, Police at the Xaysomboun province police station refused to comment on the explosion, but Chinese authorities in Vientiane confirmed that the victims were Chinese. A report on Xinhuanet – the website of China’s official Xinhua news agency – said Beijing was demanding an investigation. Xinhuanet also reported that one of the Chinese worked for a mining company from southwestern China's Yunnan Province, which borders Laos. Official silence over the bombing is not unusual as the Lao government, which controls all media in the one-party state, looks like it’s trying to keep a lid on incidents of violence in the mountainous region. The central Lao province with a population of some 82,000 has seen a rise in violence recently. The killing of Chinese nationals will be harder to keep quiet. "This incident cannot be hidden because the victims are Chinese, but if it happens to Laos, it will be kept silent,” said one Vientiane resident, who requested anonymity. “The Lao officials will say nothing happens as usual, but it is not normal in Xaysombaun province, because it has become a case of monthly attacks since November last year.” While Lao officials like to blame the violent unrest on “bandits,” Laos are beginning to think that there is more than criminals at work this time. The following is a list of bombings and shooting incidents reported by RFA: * The 10-year-old daughter of a government military officer died in a shootout at the officer's residence in Xaysomboun Province on Nov. 12; * Three soldiers were killed between Nov. 15 and Nov. 18 when they pursued the anti-government resistance group, which sustained unknown casualties; * Between Nov. 15 and 18th, in two separate incidents in which passenger vehicles were fired upon, one person was killed and six others were injured; * Other shootouts reported between soldiers and anti-government forces between Nov. 25 and Dec. 2, but casualties are unknown; * Fifteen assailants on Dec. 15 shot two motorcyclists in Anouvong district of Xaysomboun province as they traveled along the road to Longchaeng district killing one and injuring another; * Three days later, assailants shot at a truck transporting beer on Nammo bridge in Anouvong district, injuring two people ; * On Dec. 28 a bomb damaged a truck on the road to a Phu Bia Mining Company work camp; * A bomb was diffused by soldiers on the road to Namphanoy village on Dec. 30; * On Jan. 14 gunmen shot up a passenger bus on Route 13 North in the Kasy district in Vientiane province, injuring one passenger; * Three soldiers were injured on Jan. 21 on the road between the Luang Phanxay and the Phoukongkhao village; * Two Chinese were killed and another injured in a Jan. 24 bomb blast near Pha Nok Kok village. Lao’s secretive government has stopped short of identifying individuals or groups who might have perpetrated the attacks and there have been no claims of responsibility or political statements issued in connection with the incidents. Discontentment among the Lao populace has focused on widespread corruption, wasteful government spending and poor delivery of government services. Some people have complained about the rapidly growing presence of Chinese investors, who are criticized for environmental damage, illegal logging, wildlife poaching and bringing vices like gambling and prostitution to rural Laos. Authorities in multi-ethnic Laos have long been wary of opposition among the Hmong ethnic minority, many of whom say they face persecution from the government because of their Vietnam War-era ties with the United States. Thousands of Hmong fought under CIA advisers during a so-called “secret war” against communists in Laos. General Vang Pao, who spearheaded the 15-year CIA-sponsored war, was an outspoken opponent of the Lao government who emigrated to the United States after the communists seized power in his country in 1975 and died in California in 2011 at the age of 81. Since 2000, Laos has sustained periodic shootings and bomb attacks on transportation hubs and border checkpoints by suspected insurgents. Reported by RFA’s Lao Service. Translated by Ounkeo Souksavanh. Written in English by Brooks Boliek. View this s tory online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/laos/laos-bombing-01282016154354.html Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news , information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA ’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org . To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to engnews-join(a)rfanews.org . ##### All media inquiries may be sent to Rohit Mahajan at mahajanr(a)rfa.org .

9 years, 4 months

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Radio Free Asia Releases e-Book on North Korea's Prison Camps

by Rohit Mahajan

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Jan. 12, 2016 Contact: Rohit Mahajan 202 530 4976 <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org Radio Free Asia Releases English e-Book on North Korea's Prison Camps Digital Publication Includes Survivors' Stories of Inhuman Conditions WASHINGTON - Radio Free Asia <http://www.rfa.org/english/> (RFA) today released the English version of its e-book about North Korea's infamous secret labor detention camps for political prisoners and the horrendous human rights violations committed inside them. Based on a six-part investigative series RFA's Korean Service recently aired, North Korean Political Prison Camps <http://www.rfa.org/english/bookshelf/9781632180230.pdf> offers readers a window into the degradation, desperation, death, and despair experienced by inmates and camp guards. North Korea experts and human rights activists also provide information, analysis, and their own perspectives. RFA's e-book is available free for download on iTunes <https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/north-korean-prison-camps/id1072449084?mt= 11> , Google Play <https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Jin_Seo_Lee_North_Korean_Prison _Camps?id=OqxUCwAAQBAJ> , and the RFA website's e-book shelf <http://www.rfa.org/english/bookshelf> . "In this in-depth look at one of the world's most notorious prison systems, RFA gained unprecedented knowledge of the abhorrent, inhuman conditions faced by men, women, and children forced to live there," said Libby Liu, President of RFA. "This e-book puts a spotlight on more than just the abuses suffered. It also exposes the regime behind this brutal system that still denies that system's existence despite documentation and evidence." In North Korean Political Prison Camps, a trio of survivors describes to readers the "hell on earth" they endured in concentration camp-like conditions. Practicing Christianity, having a relative who is a prisoner, or criticizing the government or the ruling Kim family are tickets to a term in the camps where three generations of one family can face an interminable sentence under the Kim regime's "guilt-by-association" doctrine. It is estimated that as many as 400,000 people have died in these camps from torture, starvation, disease, and execution. A United Nations commission on human rights in North Korea estimated in a 2014 report that between 80,000 and 120,000 political prisoners are still incarcerated in the camps. Reported by RFA's Korean Service, these first-hand accounts detail the intense labor, torture, starvation, sexual assault, and threat of death that inmates face every day as they are treated as something "less than animals." As one inmate said, it is the kind of treatment that forces prisoners to turn on each other and "become devils ourselves." While there are tens of thousands of prisoners held in the camps, North Koreans themselves know little about what goes on inside the camps since the Kim regime keeps a tight lid on any information about them. Survivors telling their stories in North Korean Political Prison Camps are: Kim Young-soon, who was sent to prison camp for befriending leader Kim Jong-il's second wife, Sung Hye-rim; Kang Chul-hwan, imprisoned for 10 years on a guilt-by-association charge; and Kim Hye-sook, who was imprisoned for 28 years without explanation. # # # Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA's broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to "seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers." RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. Rohit Mahajan | Radio Free Asia | Media Relations Manager <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org | O: 202.530.4976 | M: 202.489.8021

9 years, 4 months

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RFA Breaking News: Former Lao Finance Minister Named in Corruption Probe

by Paul Eckert

Former Lao Finance Minister Named in Corruption Probe Jan. 8, 2016 - Authorities in Laos have taken into custody a former finance minister and four colleagues in connection with a scheme in which private companies cashed government bonds issued in promise of payment for work they never performed, according to a source in the one-party communist state. Phouphet Khamphounvong, Lao finance minister from 2012 to 2014 and formerly a governor of the Bank of the Lao PDR (People’s Democratic Republic), was arrested “at the end of December 2015 while attending a party,” a finance ministry source told RFA’s Lao Service. Taken into custody at the same time were Phouphet’s former secretary general, a director general of the ministry, a vice director of the ministry’s budget department, and another official whose job was not specified, RFA’s source said, speaking on condition of anonymity. After serving two terms as bank governor, Phouphet was appointed finance minister in 2012, and in March 2014 was abruptly removed from his post, RFA’s source said. “His demotion was linked to corruption connected to the issuance of bonds and his involvement in so-called ‘ghost projects’ while he was at the ministry,” he said. 'Ghost projects' The Lao government had previously granted concessions to private firms to build roads in Oudomxay province in northern Laos to support the country’s 10th National Sport Games, which were held in December 2014, sources said in earlier reports. And though those roads were never built, the contracting firms later converted bonds issued in promise of future payment into cash with the help of “commissions” paid to finance ministry officials, sources said. The scheme has caused losses so far of over 300 billion kip (U.S. $36,840,092) to the state budget, with little chance that money will ever be recovered. The governor of Oudomxay province has now been “urgently removed” from office on suspicion of involvement in the scheme, with Phetsakhone Luangaphay, a deputy minister serving in the central government, replacing him as governor in September 2015, sources said. According to a report presented to the National Assembly last year by head of the Government Inspection Authority Bounthong Chitmany, Laos suffered losses from corruption of more than 1 trillion kip (U.S. $123 million) between 2012 and 2014. Corruption among high-level officials in Laos is so widespread that it has deterred foreign investors, created problems with the country’s ability to enforce business contracts and regulations, and left many ordinary citizens frustrated and impoverished. Reported by RFA’s Lao Service. Translated by Ounkeo Souksavanh. Written in English by Richard Finney. View this s tory online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/laos/corruption-01082016142933.html Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news , information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA ’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org . To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to engnews-join(a)rfanews.org . ##### All media inquiries may be sent to Rohit Mahajan at mahajanr(a)rfa.org .

9 years, 5 months

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RFA Breaking News: Curfew Imposed in Lao Province After Deadly Violence

by Richard Finney

Curfew Imposed in Lao Province After Deadly Violence Dec. 11, 2015 - Lao authorities have imposed a curfew in north-central Xaysomboun Province after a spate of violence in which three government soldiers and three civilians were killed, police and other sources said Friday. The authorities blamed the violence last month on bandits, but a source close to the government said an anti-government resistance group was behind the killing of the three soldiers and wounding of several others, a rare development in tightly-ruled Laos where there have been no known armed rebel groups operating in recent years. Police confirmed that a curfew had been imposed and said the situation was under control. “The situation in the province is peaceful," Lieutenant Colonel Bouanphanh, chief of Xaysomboun’s Police Department told RFA on Friday. "We just finished celebrating the Lao National Day this morning." He blamed "bandits" for one of at least six incidents of violence over the last month in the province, saying, "We are investigating." Traditionally celebrated on Dec. 2, Lao National Day was observed on Dec. 11 in Xaysomboun due to security concerns, a source close to the government said. Under curfew A retired Lao soldier close to a high-ranking officer in the Ministry of National Defense, speaking on condition of anonymity, told RFA's Lao Service that security had been immensely beefed up to prevent further violence. "Now people in the province are under curfew. From 6 p.m. they must be inside their houses," he said. "Government officials [in charge of security at night] have to sleep in bunkers." He and another government source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said three soldiers were killed between Nov. 15 and Nov. 18 when they pursued the anti-government resistance group, which sustained unknown casualties. The pursuit occurred after the group was believed to have killed the 10-year-old daughter of a government military officer in a shootout at the officer's residence on Nov. 12, the retired soldier said, without giving any other details of the group. Ten days after the incident, the group was involved in another shootout involving several trucks along a main road, leaving two people dead, he said. There were also shootouts between government forces and the group during the Nov. 23-24 period, and on Nov. 25 and Dec. 2, he said, without giving any details of the incidents or casualties. "Soldiers and people injured are being treated in 103 Military Hospital” in Xaysomboun Province, he said. “The three soldiers who died in the gunfire exchange are from 584 Brigade in Xaysomboun province. Soldiers have been sent to beef up the security throughout the province and also on the main roads linked to neighboring provinces.” The Lao national defense committee issued a circular, identified as Notice No. 283, on Nov. 19 warning other provinces to be wary of any further unrest staged by the group. 'That's normal' Police chief Bouanphanh acknowledged only the truck-shooting incident, saying two people were killed. He declined to provide details of the military casualties. RFA received a photograph of the three fallen soldiers at the scene from a source close to the government. “The curfew is declared to prohibit people from going out at night for the safety of their properties and lives because the bandits may take advantage to shoot ... and rob people,” he said. But when asked about the exchange of gunfire between anti-government resistance group and Lao soldiers that left three government soldiers dead, Lieutenant colonel Bouanphanh declined to answer. And when asked to comment about the photo of the dead soldiers, Bouanphanh said, "That is normal. OK, I'm busy [in a] meeting.” The source close to the government said the province had postponed the Dec. 2 National Day celebrations by more than a week "due to the unrest." "The celebration was held on Dec. 11 amid the [presence of] strong security.” Xaysomboun was once a base of thousands of ethnic minority Hmong who fought under CIA advisers during a so-called “secret war” backing the Lao Royal Army against the Pathet Lao communist forces. After the communist takeover in 1975, a ragtag band of Hmong resisters hid in the jungle, fearing government persecution for having fought for the pro-American side during the war. Reported by Ounkeo Souksavanh for RFA’s Lao Service. Translated by Ounkeo Souksavanh. Written in English by Parameswaran Ponnudurai. View this story online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/laos/curfew-12112015191818.html Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to <mailto:engnews-leave@rfanews.org> engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org. To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to <mailto:engnews-join@rfanews.org> engnews-join(a)rfanews.org . ##### All media inquiries may be sent to Rohit Mahajan at <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org.

9 years, 6 months

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RFA Breaking News: NLD Leader Aung San Suu Kyi Meets With Former Junta Chief Than Shwe

by Paul Eckert

Dec. 5, 2015 - National League for Democracy (NLD) chairperson Aung San Suu Kyi met on Friday with retired Senior General Than Shwe, the reclusive leader of Myanmar's former ruling junta, to discuss the country's transition to a multiparty democracy following the NLD's landslide victory in national elections last month, an NLD spokesman confirmed on Saturday. The two met at 2:00 p.m. in Myanmar's capital Naypyitaw, senior party member Win Htain told RFA's Myanmar Service. During their meeting, Than Shwe acknowledged the NLD's victory in the polls and promised to support the continuing growth of democracy in Myanmar, the Southeast Asian nation formerly known as Burma, Win Htain said. "Their meeting was a crucial step forward for politics in Myanmar, and it will be very helpful in promoting a peaceful transition," he said. "Than Shwe is believed to still wield influence in the government and the military to some degree, and this is why Suu Kyi decided to meet with him," Win Htain said, adding, "The NLD has been asking consistently for political dialogue since 1989." "Finally, it has happened after 27 years," he said. 'A good atmosphere' "Suu Kyi is now having talks that will create a good atmosphere in which our country can move forward smoothly," Tin Oo, NLD co-founder and former party chairperson, said on Saturday at a meeting of winning NLD candidates for parliament. "People are very happy to hear about this, but she still needs your support, as she won't be able to do all this by herself," he said. Aung San Suu Kyi had called for "national reconciliation" talks shortly after the NLD was assured of victory in the Nov. 8 polls, and observers are anxious to see how the transition will play out in Myanmar, where the military retains substantial sway over the country's political affairs. Than Shwe, 82, ruled Myanmar from 1992 to 2011 as chief of a military junta notorious for its brutal suppression of political dissent and for the corruption and lavish lifestyles of its leaders. He was succeeded as national leader by Thein Sein, who became president as the leader of the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) in a 2010 election widely seen as neither free nor fair. The NLD had swept the previous election in 1990, but the then-ruling military regime ignored the results and placed Aung San Suu Kyi under house arrest for more than a decade. Reported by Thin Thiri and Win Ko Ko Latt for RFA's Myanmar Service. Translated by Kyaw Kyaw Aung. Written in English by Richard Finney. View this story online at: <http://www.rfa.org/english/news/myanmar/meets-12052015152921.html> http://www.rfa.org/english/news/myanmar/meets-12052015152921.html Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA's broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to "seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers." RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to <mailto:engnews-leave@rfanews.org> engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org. To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to <mailto:engnews-join@rfanews.org> engnews-join(a)rfanews.org . ##### All media inquiries may be sent to Rohit Mahajan at <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org.

9 years, 6 months

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RFA Breaking News: Chinese Authorities Kill 17 Suspects in Xinjiang Attack, Including Seven Women and Children

by Paul Eckert

Chinese Authorities Kill 17 Suspects in Xinjiang Attack, Including Seven Women and Children Nov. 11, 2015 - Authorities in northwest China’s troubled Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region have killed 17 suspects from three families, including women and children, they accused of carrying out an attack that left 50 people dead and injured 50 others at a coal mine, according to the government and local sources. “All terrorists were killed on the 56th day of a ‘pursue and attack’ operation” in the region, China’s Ministry of Public Security announced in a Nov. 14 statement published on its website, referring to the action as a “great victory in the War on Terror.” While the announcement, which was removed shortly after it was posted, did not link the “terrorists” to a specific act, the length of the operation it referred to suggested it had been launched in the aftermath of a Sept. 18 attack at the Sogan Colliery in Aksu (in Chinese, Akesu) prefecture’s Bay (Baicheng) county. The attack, which was not reported in Chinese media, occurred when a group of knife-wielding suspects set upon security guards at the gate of the mine in Terek township before targeting the owner’s residence and a dormitory for workers. When police arrived at the mine to control the situation, the attackers rammed their vehicles using trucks loaded down with coal, sources told RFA at the time, adding that at least five officers were killed in the incident, including a local police chief. In the aftermath of the attack, authorities launched a manhunt for 17 suspects, consisting of the three men believed to have been behind the incident—Tursun Jume, 46, Musa Toxtiniyaz, 47, and Memet Eysa, 60, from Chokatal Meadow, in Bay’s Kanchi township—and their family members. Four of the suspects were women and three are children. On Tuesday, police officers from Bay county confirmed to RFA’s Uyghur Service that “all of the terrorists,” including the seven women and children, had been killed in a raid. “Yes, I received a notice from my superiors informing us that all of the terrorists have been killed and warning us to remain vigilant against a possible revenge attack,” said Exmet Abliz, police chief of Bay’s Qeyir township, adding that a large number of officers had been kept on duty following the raid. “We were also warned not to hold any kind of celebration to mark the victory, and even not to talk much about it until the operation has officially been made public.” Ghalip Memet, a police officer in Terek township, told RFA that authorities had set off an explosion to kill the suspects where they lay in hiding. “I heard from colleagues who participated in the operation that the military blew up the cave where the suspects were hiding,” he said. “That is why we were able to kill all of them with zero victims [from our side]. Seventeen corpses were gathered after the explosion.” Classes resume Ekber, the director of the Terek township middle school, which had been used as a base of operations for the manhunt, said teachers and staff had finally returned to classes on Tuesday after nearly two months. “I received a call from the chief of the Bay county education department, who told me that the war had ended with a great victory—that all the terrorists had been killed and that we could return to the middle school,” he said. “But I still have not received an official written notice, and the authorities have probably not decided yet whether to keep the raid secret or to disclose it.” According to Ekber, authorities had only informed the public that they were to assist in the manhunt and to maintain a lookout for the suspects since the attack on the mine, and residents of the county were forbidden from discussing the incident. “That is why I could only tell the teachers and students in my school, ‘The operation was completed, so we can resume work and study as usual,’ but I was unable to answer their questions about what happened to the women and children in the group, which was a particularly sensitive topic,” he said. “Based on the warrant list, we found out that the 17 suspects included four women and three children, one of which—nine-year-old Munire [Memet, the adopted granddaughter of Memet Eysa]—was one of our second grade students.” In addition to Memet, an unidentified six-year-old boy and an unidentified one-year-old boy—both from Tursun Jume’s family—were also killed in the raid, according to information about the suspects provided to RFA by local officials last month. The four women suspects killed by authorities were Memet Eysa’s wife, 55-year-old Zorem Mamut; his daughter-in-law, 28-year-old Reyhan Musa; another daughter-in-law, 30-year-old Ayimnisa Rozi; and Tursun Jume’s wife, 44-year-old Meryem Abdurehim. The other 10 suspects killed in the raid included Tursun Jume, Musa Toxtiniyaz and Memet Eysa, as well as their sons and one nephew. A local official who provided the names of the suspects to RFA in October said at the time that neither the women nor the children had been involved in the Sogan Colliery attack and had only followed the other suspects when they fled from Kanchi township. Ekber said that not only the students and teachers, but “all the people of Bay county” were wondering about the fate of the women and children on the suspect list. “At this point, I don’t know what the decision on publishing news of the victory will be,” he said. “It’s tough. The suspects [are believed to have] carried out the attack, but publishing details of the incident—including the death toll and what happened at the coal mine attack—could deepen hatred between the ethnic [majority] Hans and [minority] Uyghurs.” ‘Can’t convince the world’ A teacher from the Terek township middle school, who spoke to RFA on condition of anonymity, said the Ministry of Public Security would not have published information about the raid if the terrorist attack in Paris had not taken place a day earlier. “The central government authorities wouldn’t have disclosed the killing of 17 so-called ‘terrorists’ on their website if the Paris attack had not occurred—the quick removal of the post also suggests this is true,” the teacher said. China's tightly controlled state media has covered the Paris attacks in detail, including commentary calling on the international community to avoid "double standards" and take Beijing's anti-terror campaign at face value. French President Francois Hollande on Monday vowed to eradicate terrorism, saying that "France is at war," following the attacks, for which the Islamic State has claimed responsibility and that left at least 129 dead and 352 wounded. The teacher questioned how China could convince the international community that the four women and three children were terrorists, how it could validate the detention of more than 1,000 people as part of raids following the September attack, and how authorities could claim that forcing farmers to take part in the manhunt had been part of professional police methodology. “The authorities can force us to believe their claims through the power they wield, but they can’t convince the rest of the world,” he said. “That is why they dare not disclose the details of the incident.” The ‘three evils’ China has vowed to crack down on the "three evils" of terrorism, separatism, and religious extremism in Xinjiang, but experts outside China say Beijing has exaggerated the threat from Uyghur "separatists" and that domestic policies are responsible for an upsurge in violence that has left hundreds dead since 2012. Uyghur groups in exile say such attacks are likely expressions of resistance to Beijing’s policies in Xinjiang, where Uyghurs complain of pervasive ethnic discrimination, religious repression, and cultural suppression by China’s communist government. Rights groups accuse the Chinese authorities of heavy-handed rule in Xinjiang, including violent police raids on Uyghur households, restrictions on Islamic practices, and curbs on the culture and language of the Uyghur people. Reported by Shohret Hoshur for RFA’s Uyghur Service. Translated by Shohret Hoshur. Written in English by Joshua Lipes. View this s tory online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/suspects-11172015175006.html Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news , information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA ’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org . To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to engnews-join(a)rfanews.org . ##### All media inquiries may be sent to Rohit Mahajan at mahajanr(a)rfa.org .

9 years, 6 months

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RFA Breaking News: Interview: ‘No Confrontation With an NLD-Led Government’

by Paul Eckert

Interview: ‘No Confrontation With an NLD-Led Government’ Nov. 12, 2015 - In an interview with reporter Kyaw Kyaw Aung of RFA’s Myanmar Service, Ashin Wirathu of the Committee for the Protection of Nationality and Religion (Ma Ba Tha) congratulates Aung San Suu Kyi’s opposition National League for Democracy (NLD) on its expected victory in Myanmar’s general election and says his Buddhist nationalist group will accept a government formed by her party. RFA: How do you view the NLD’s expected victory at the polls? ASHIN WIRATHU: We monks, the sons of Buddha, rejoice for the winners and express compassion for the losers. We welcome the NLD’s victory. RFA: People who desire change are excited by the prospect of development in Myanmar. What is your opinion on change? ASHIN WIRATHU: It is through politics that our country is going to develop. We have concerns about the stability of parliamentary politics, national security, and safeguarding religion and the national identity. RFA: What are your concerns regarding religion and the national identity? ASHIN WIRATHU: For the most part, those who are pushing for “human rights and equality,” and those who are referred to as “minorities,” depend too much on the NLD. The NLD frequently uses these terms when it speaks with international organizations. We are concerned about whether [a government formed by] the party will make demands and push forward on these issues. RFA: How should the NLD act to reduce your concerns? ASHIN WIRATHU: We don’t want the NLD to be remove laws on race and religion, and think it should protect them. The NLD has said it will amend the 1982 [law on citizenship] and we don’t want that. There should be no negotiations on [the citizenship status of the ethnic Muslim Rohingya], and the NLD should stand by the country’s religion and national identity. RFA: The international community has accused Myanmar’s government of violating human rights during President Thein Sein’s term. Do you think there will be less human rights violations and more development under an NLD government? ASHIN WIRATHU: As a person who had to lead a crippled country out of a troubled era [during the former military regime], of course [Thein Sein] experienced some difficulties. We are sympathetic towards Thein Sein. He has built a foundation in these five years. We pray that [the new government] can now build a roof and walls. RFA: There are concerns about how power will transfer from President Thein Sein’s government to a new one. What is your opinion? ASHIN WIRATHU: I believe that the power transfer will be smooth. RFA: Do you have any suggestions for a would-be NLD government? ASHIN WIRATHU: My suggestion to an NLD government is to consider advice and suggestions from everyone. RFA: Some people have expressed concern that there could be a confrontation between Ma Ba Tha and the NLD in the future. Do you want to respond to this? ASHIN WIRATHU: These concerns are from people who don’t understand how a democracy works. In fact, all of our members who are nationalists understand democratic rules and follow them. We will accept any government that is chosen by the people and welcome it. We will have no confrontation with an NLD-led government. We work only in the interest of religion and national identity. Reported by Kyaw Kyaw Aung for RFA’s Myanmar Service. Translated by Khet Mar. View this s tory online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/myanmar/confrontation-11122015123339.html Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news , information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA ’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org . To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to engnews-join(a)rfanews.org . ##### All media inquiries may be sent to Rohit Mahajan at mahajanr(a)rfa.org .

9 years, 6 months

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RFA Breaking News: Interview: Aung San Suu Kyi Says 'It's Not Finished Yet'

by Parameswaran Ponnudurai

Interview: Aung San Suu Kyi Says 'It's Not Finished Yet' November 11, 2015 : As Myanmar's ongoing vote count pointed to a landslide victory for the opposition National League for Democracy, NLD leader Aung San Suu Kyi told RFA's Myanmar Service in an interview in Yangon on Wednesday that she was not ready to declare "a winning moment yet" and that victory in the Nov. 8 national elections marked only the first step toward the goals of her supporters. The 70-year-old Nobel laureate told RFA's Khin Maung Soe that popular suspicion that the country's dominant military would refuse to honor the results were understandable, but that she believed that the nation "cannot be caught in the bond of suspicion." RFA: Can you tell me roughly what percentage of the votes you have won so far? Aung San Suu Kyi: More than 70% I should say. RFA: Did you expect that much beforehand? Aung San Suu Kyi: We could expect that much in advance because the NLD is close to the people. The NLD knows the people and their needs and so we could guess what they wanted. RFA: How free and fair do you think the elections were? Aung San Suu Kyi: We have made many complaints regarding violations. We made these complaints not because we want to stir up problems. Our people need to believe that these elections are really free and fair. And that’s why we had to submit official complaints against actions which are not in accord with the rules and regulations. Some cases have to be reported to the police, some to the electoral commission. And we cannot say such cases are very few. RFA: How are you going to solve the problem of advance votes that came in after the polling stations closed? Aung San Suu Kyi: These are not in accord with the rules and regulations. The rules are very clear. Advance votes within the country cannot be brought in after the 6 a.m. opening of the polling booths. And advance votes from overseas cannot come in later than 4 p.m. RFA: Some USDP candidates conceded defeat and congratulated their respective NLD rivals who won the polls. What do you think of that? Aung San Suu Kyi: Those kinds of actions are politically honorable and I respect these actions. I’d like to say I truly thank them. RFA: NLD won the majority of seats they contended. What factors do you think make it possible to win in such a big margin? Aung San Suu Kyi: That’s because the NLD is close to the people. The NLD was born of the people, and NLD members are from the people. We cannot be differentiated from them. Our hearts beat on the same note. We struggled together, we suffered together, and we had hopes together. We dreamed together for nearly 30 years. The NLD and the people are colleagues, comrades-in-arms. I think that’s the reason they supported us. RFA: What are your feelings at this winning moment? Aung San Suu Kyi: We do not definitely have a winning moment yet. I don’t see it that NLD has won the elections yet. It’s because of people’s qualities. Political awareness of the people is very heartening. I respect them, love them. I can see that the goal people wanted is still far ahead and this is only the first step. Only after reaching there I might be able to tell you my feelings. There are so many things to be done. Right now, I’m thinking only what I should do. RFA: Some people are still suspicious of the military. They are not sure the military will totally honor the results. Can you comment on this? Aung San Suu Kyi: It’s natural they have suspicions. But we cannot be caught in the bond of suspicion. We have to carry out what we should be doing with a firm determination and everyone is expecting these tasks to be done in proper manner. A people’s army should be hand in glove with the people. Military representatives in the Hluttaw (parliament) have told me more than once that they also want to be with the people. RFA: You have requested to meet the president, commander in chief and the lower house speaker. Do you mean meeting them individually or together? Aung San Suu Kyi: I can meet then individually or I can meet them together. I will meet whoever accepted my request. RFA: People have accepted your slogan "time for real change". What are you going to do in the first place? Aung San Suu Kyi: Well, the first thing is to bring about a change of administration. This will be carrying out the main task of the election result in respect to the people’s wishes. This will be the first major change. RFA: How many educated people will you have in the government? Aung San Suu Kyi: What do you mean by "educated?" We must contemplate what the meaning of being "educated" is. Some people think a person with plenty of degrees is an educated one. But I believe a person who can judge a situation correctly and make timely decisions is more important. It’s not that we must not value these graduates. I myself value them and respect them. We have only about four percent of the people in our country who are (college) graduates. So can we not value the majority? No, we must. If we just value the graduates, then does that mean our people are not valuable? I don’t believe that. What is important is we need right people in right positions. RFA: People are left with three legacies since the military takeover in 1962: selfishness, mistrust of others and fear of everyone. Because of fear, people dare not go into the public and they lose their self-esteem. So what will you do to get rid of these three? Aung San Suu Kyi: You said selfishness first, and then mistrust and fear. Actually, it is the other way round. It starts with fear. When fear sets in, you don’t trust others and when you don’t trust anyone then you become selfish. I cannot trust anyone, I must do it myself, and I cannot depend on anyone. What you said was the opposite of that. To abolish fear correctly is to nurture law and order. I have said this again and again. People need security of the mind. Why do they want democracy? Because it can give them freedom and security in a balanced way. People must have freedom and at the same time they must have security. They must not be using freedom to fight with each other. When they have security of the mind, their fears will subside, and their mistrust of others will also decline. There will be no need to worry that somebody will be looking at you with jealousy. They won't have to worry that someone will report some lies to their superiors and get them into trouble. This fear of being unjustly punished would disappear and I believe confidence and trust will mount and people will have more love and respect towards one another. RFA: I notice you always care about young people. What do you think of young people in our country smoking and using drugs and the entire population physically stunted due to malnutrition? What will you do to bring them back to be physically on par with others? Aung San Suu Kyi: This has something to do with the economy. I’ve always said that the most important thing is job creation. Jobs will earn them money and build self-confidence. Jobless people will have no self-confidence. And they feel they are worthless because when you don’t have a job you have to rely on someone. After so many years of malnutrition the bodies of our young are stunted. There’s a certain age when your height stops growing and you cannot change that. This sort of body growth cannot be fixed. But there are many things that can be changed. You might have a small body structure but there are opportunities to make yourself very fit and healthy. So we’ll have to work hard in many aspects. The problem of young people smoking and drinking is not a problem only for our country; It’s happening in many countries. But with regard to drug abuse, effective deterrents should be laid down to stop the problem. Young people drift away from society because, in many cases, they have no hope or goals. So, hope will have to be given to the young. The participation of young people in this week’s elections was so terrific, so admirable. They have objectives and goals like winning the elections. Because they have aims and goals to bring out their desires rightfully, our youth worked so hard to such an unbelievable extent. RFA: When will the changes become noticeable? Aung San Suu Kyi: First we must be able to form a government. After that, we’d have to lay out, as a duty, in front of the people what we will do during a certain time frame. The NLD has such plans to carry out. Not vague statements like we’ll give you a better economy or a better health sector. It has to be clear and precise. But we will need to become a government first. RFA: What will you do to form a government then? Aung San Suu Kyi: Well, we just can’t do it ourselves. The present government will have to cooperate. The Union Electoral Commission must finish its work first. RFA: Can you explain about foreign investment and utilization of natural resources? Aung San Suu Kyi: Of course we need foreign investment and at the same time we have to use the natural resources to a certain extent. There will be projects where we need foreign investment. The important thing is for our people to enjoy some of the benefits. Foreign investors will not come and do things without any returns for themselves. And we don’t expect them to come work for us free. But the local population should benefit rightfully. The locals should benefit just a little more than the companies. RFA: Can you tell us about foreign policy? Aung San Suu Kyi: The non-aligned policy which had been in practice since independence has been very successful. Not joining any groups. We played well with our neighbors India as well as the People’s Republic of China. We had good ties with other SE Asian nations too. We had no animosity towards anyone. RFA: What have you in mind about the release of detained students and political prisoners? Aung San Suu Kyi: We would have to work within the bounds of the law. There should be no political prisoners in a democratic country. RFA: What about laws restricting freedoms? Aung San Suu Kyi: Laws restricting freedoms like Article 5, Article 10, etc must be changed. We will have to change these kinds of laws. We tried to do that in the Hluttaw but we didn’t succeed as we were a minority. RFA: I want you to say something for the people in this first IV after the elections. Aung San Suu Kyi: I would just like to thank all the people. I am encouraged, and I appreciate and value the support of the people. But it’s not finished yet and I’d like to caution all to look out for instigation. In the next few weeks, couple of months, people must be able to control themselves, beware of instigation aimed at creating riots and disturbances. There might be provocations from the sidelines when you are walking your own path but these can be overcome by trust and understanding of each other and it is important to calmly move towards the goal. And I believe you all can do it. In one word, thank you all very much. Translated by Khin Maung Nyane. View this story online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/myanmar/myanmar-assk-11112015165922.html Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to <mailto:engnews-leave@rfanews.org> engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org. To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to <mailto:engnews-join@rfanews.org> engnews-join(a)rfanews.org . ##### All media inquiries may be sent to Rohit Mahajan at <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org.

9 years, 7 months

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RFA Breaking News: Interview: 'Aung San Suu Kyi will start working for reconciliation first'

by Paul Eckert

Nov. 10, 2015 - Tin Oo, 88, co-founder of the National League for Democracy (NLD), spent almost seven years in prison and under house arrest under the military junta that ran the country before 2011, when military rule was replaced by a quasi-civilian government. In an interview with reporter Khin Maung Soe of RFA’s Myanmar Service, the retired general, former commander in chief of Myanmar's armed forces and trusted patron of NLD leader Aung San Suu Kyi offers his views on how the country's political situation will play out after the NLD's expected landslide election victory. RFA: How much do you know so far about the election results? Tin Oo: As far as we know, the NLD won an average of 80% although we haven’t learned the complete official result yet. RFA: With this 80%, how will parliament be made up? Tin Oo: It will be better than before to work in the parliament with 80%, but we still need more because the military MPs in parliament will sound the same. If we can collaborate with ethnic MPs who are willing to work with NLD, it will be much better. RFA: How will the NLD’s relationship with military be? Tin Oo: The military will not like being asked to move out from the parliament. They (people from military) have to say something to people, as they understand what democracy is. They already said they will reduce their force from the country’s political sector. By now, the s enior general would have understood the true determination of the people. All citizens would be happy if he says the military will no longer demand 25% of parliamentary seats. This will give him dignity and lead the military to resume its status as people's military. RFA: What do you think is the reason why the NLD won? Tin Oo: This time is the General Aung San’s 100-year anniversary and his daughter, Aung San Suu Kyi, is leading NLD. She has had enough political experience and people really want to change. That’s why. Especially, we won because of the people’s power. RFA: So what will the NLD do? Tin Oo: I think Aung San Suu Kyi will start working for reconciliation first. She also cares about rules and laws and we still need to amend the 2008 constitution. Ethnic problems are very important, too. As long as we don’t have trust from ethnic people and we are not united with them, we will face difficulties in moving on. The country will change anyway. Her influence on people is unbelievable. People listen to whatever she asks of them. RFA: Do you believe that Aung San Suu Kyi will become president? Tin Oo: I do. That’s why I am helping and working for her. Reported by Khin Maung Soe for RFA’s Myanmar Service. Translated by Khet Mar. View this s tory online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/myanmar/myanmar-tinoo-11102015153733.html Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news , information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA ’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org . To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to engnews-join(a)rfanews.org . ##### All media inquiries may be sent to Rohit Mahajan at mahajanr(a)rfa.org .

9 years, 7 months

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RFA Breaking News: Authorities Identify 17 Suspects in Deadly Attack at Xinjiang Mine

by Paul Eckert

Oct. 16, 2015 - Authorities in northwest China’s troubled Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region have identified 17 suspects from three families suspected of carrying out an apparent revenge attack that left 50 people dead and injured 50 others at a coal mine, a local official said. The suspects are relatives of the three men who are believed to have been behind the Sept. 18 attack at the Sogan Colliery – Tursun Jume, 46, Musa Toxtiniyaz 47, and Memet Eysa, 60, from Chokatal Meadow, Kanchi township of Bay (in Chinese, Baicheng) County in Aksu (Akesu) prefecture, Eliniyaz Turdi, head of the Chokatal ranch unit, told RFA’s Uyghur Service. Four of the 17 suspects are female, and three of them are children. “I am sure that this incident was the direct result of our county enforcing campaigns [by the Chinese] to promote modern culture and expel extremism,” he said. “I think we harassed them during the campaigns,” Turdi said. “Maybe they could not take it anymore. Based on the fact that they killed not only police officers, but also Chinese bosses and workers, we can say that they might have been poisoned by separatist ideology.” All three Muslim Uyghur families showed signs of religious extremism, he said, noting that the women always wore head scarves and long dresses. Local officials had to force Eysa’s relatives to participate in six campaign sessions, he said. “Every time the family was not only forced to join, but also brought to our offices and educated,” Turdi said. “They were clearly irritated about this.” At one such campaign to expel extremism, all Uyghurs were forced to dance, but one of Eysa’s adult sons refused, he said. “He was grabbed by his neck and pushed to the middle of dance floor by the township’s Communist Party secretary,” Turdi said. “He glared at the secretary with anger and reluctantly danced.” But another event that befell Eysa and his family may have been the breaking point. Eysa had secretly adopted the illegitimate daughter of his hunting apprentice, Turghun Memet, without notifying the local government, Turdi said. When word leaked out, town officials hauled Eysa into their office on Sept. 7 for three days of “political education,” he said. “When the education did not prove to be effective, we fined him 2,500 yuan [U.S. $393] and took him to Kanchi township’s legal and political office to educate him for 15 days.” But because there was no space for Eysa in the township police detention center or county jail, he was let go on a parole on Sept. 10 and carried out the attack eight days later, Turdi said. The three families are some of the wealthiest people in the township and own cars, hundreds of sheep, tractors, motorcycles and large single-family homes, he said. “It is certain they will be captured, but the police did not inform us about the details of case,” he said. “The police have ordered us to give the suspects two minutes to surrender; otherwise, we are to dispose of them.” Still at large Local authorities and farmers have been searching for the suspects and their relatives who are still at large. A local herder spotted the families on the day of the attack around 7:30 a.m., as they walked along a stream heading to the mountains with women and children who were riding horses and donkeys, Turdi said. “Some animals were carrying loads of stuff that might have been their food and other items,” he said. “Some of them were carrying guns, swords and bows and covered with blood. The blood might have been the blood of the Han Chinese workers they killed.” The families knew the mountainous areas with their steep cliffs and vast coverage of pine trees like the “backs of their hands,” he said. “They are hunters and very sharp shooters, and one of them is a veteran,” he said. “So, they can live off deer and other animals if they want to.” Ebey Tomur, chief of Kanchi’s No. 2 village, said the township’s party secretary called it “shameful” that the three main suspects were from Kanchi, during a township government meeting about the attack on Tuesday. “We have to clear our township’s image by helping with their capture or dispose of them during any raid operations by armed forces,” the party secretary said. The families vacated their homes and vanished just after the attack, the party secretary said, adding that anyone who provided information on the whereabouts of the three could receive a reward of 200,000-500,000 yuan (U.S. $31,500-78,800). He also encouraged anyone who had aided and abetted the suspects to come forward voluntarily and report their “mistake.” “This is a good opportunity for anyone who has breached the law knowingly or unknowingly to avoid heavy punishment,” he said, according to Tomur. Round-the-clock watch Tayir Nur, chief of Kanchi’s No. 1 village, said that ever since the day of the attack, at least 20,000 farmers from villages in each of the country’s 14 townships had been taking turns guarding local offices, mosques schools and businesses around the clock. An additional 50,000 farmers are participating in search operations in the mountains and on farmland, he said. “Of course, some farmers complain about losing time that they normally would be devoting to their production operations, but we managed to convinced them that stability in the region overrides everything else,” Nur said. Authorities issued a notice last week that farmers should inspect all abandoned and dilapidated houses and animal pens in the villages, he said. “It seems that the authorities have lost some hope with the mountain and grassland searches,” Nur said. “We also keep telling the Han Chinese immigrants in the villages not to be afraid of the situation and that peace and stability will soon be recovered.” The group of knife-wielding attackers set upon security guards at the entrance to the Sogan Colliery, which consists of three separate coal mine shafts in Terek township around 3 a.m. on Sept. 18. They then targeted the mine owner’s residence and a six-story workers’ dormitory housing 300-400 workers, about 90 percent of whom are Han Chinese, according to official sources. When police arrived at the mine, the attackers rammed their vehicles with trucks loaded with coal, killing at least five officers, including a local police chief, sources said. China has vowed to crack down on the “three evils” of terrorism, separatism, and religious extremism in Xinjiang, but experts outside China say Beijing has exaggerated the threat from Uyghur “separatists” and that domestic policies are responsible for an upsurge in violence that has left hundreds dead since 2012. Rights groups accuse the Chinese authorities of heavy-handed rule in Xinjiang, including violent police raids on Uyghur households, restrictions on Islamic practices, and curbs on the culture and language of the Uyghur people. Reported by Shohret Hoshur for RFA’s Uyghur Service. Translated by Mamajan Juma and Shohret Hoshur. Written in English by Rosanne Gerin. View this s tory online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/authorities-identify-17-suspects-in-… Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news , information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA ’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org . To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to engnews-join(a)rfanews.org . ##### All media inquiries may be sent to Rohit Mahajan at mahajanr(a)rfa.org .

9 years, 7 months

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RFA Launches Umbrella Revolution Anniversary E-Book

by Rohit Mahajan

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Oct. 14, 2015 Contact: Rohit Mahajan <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org RFA Launches Umbrella Revolution Anniversary E-Book WASHINGTON - <http://www.rfa.org/english/> Radio Free Asia (RFA) today released an e-book commemorating the one-year anniversary of the Umbrella Revolution in Hong Kong. Walking with a Yellow Umbrella: Bearing Witness to a Revolution is available for free in English and Cantonese on RFA's <http://www.rfa.org/english/bookshelf> website. It includes original RFA on-the-ground reporting, photographs, timelines, and analysis of the pro-democracy mass demonstrations that took place over a 79-day period last fall in the former British colony. "The Umbrella Revolution shook Beijing's assumptions that the people of Hong Kong were unwilling to stand up and fight for the promised right of determining their future," said Libby Liu, President of RFA. "Withstanding tear gas, threats, arrests, and Chinese authorities' PR smear campaign, the movement's leaders, participants and supporters - coming from all generations and walks of life - demonstrated the resilience of the call for democracy. "RFA's journalists documented the historic demonstrations from the beginning, from the streets of Hong Kong and inside China. With this e-book, we hope to share insights about this remarkable episode and contemplate its complex and enduring legacy." Through RFA's coverage, the e-book documents the early spontaneous student-led demonstrations and Occupy Central protests that grew into the Umbrella Movement in September 2014 and lasted until December. Protesters, incensed by restrictive electoral guidelines issued by Beijing's Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, first gathered at Hong Kong government headquarters calling for universal suffrage and then occupied sites throughout the city, including Admiralty, Causeway Bay, Mong Kok, and Tsim Sha Tsui. As tens of thousands of Hong Kong residents began to participate in the demonstrations, the movement gave rise to new political voices like that of Joshua Wong, the then 17-year-old leader of student group Scholarism, which played a major role in the protests. It also sparked solidarity rallies in Taiwan and cities around the world as messages of support via social media poured in. RFA's e-book collects many of these messages and images that were featured on a <http://www.rfa.org/english/news/special/hkwall/home.html> virtual solidarity wall. While Chinese state-run media covered the demonstrations selectively, if at all, RFA was able to reach audiences inside China, bringing them accurate news along with global messages of support and information on banned social media hashtags. # # # Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA's broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to "seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers." RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. Rohit Mahajan | Radio Free Asia | Media Relations Manager <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org | O: 202.530.4976 | M: 202.489.8021

9 years, 7 months

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Radio Free Asia Announces New Managing Director, Northeast Asia

by Rohit Mahajan

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Oct. 7, 2015 Contact: Rohit Mahajan 202 530 4976 <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org Radio Free Asia Announces New Managing Director, Northeast Asia WASHINGTON - Radio Free Asia (RFA) has announced that distinguished journalist and former diplomat Bay Fang will serve as RFA's new Managing Director, with responsibility for Northeast Asia. "Bay's experience as a Beijing-based correspondent who also reported from the war zones of Iraq and Afghanistan, in addition to her diplomatic career, make her an asset to RFA in advancing our mission of gathering news in some of the world's toughest media environments," said Libby Liu, President of RFA. "Her knowledge, expertise, and leadership will help to expand RFA's capacity for covering critical developments in China and North Korea, as well as enhancing audience engagement. We are delighted to have Bay on our team." "I have long admired the work of Radio Free Asia journalists, and am thrilled to be joining an organization with such an important mandate," Fang said. "Bringing objective, accurate, and timely news to people in countries that restrict free press is a cause that is more critical than ever. I hope to help RFA continue to break stories and deliver impactful journalism in some of the most challenging regions of the world." As Managing Director, Northeast Asia, Fang will work closely with the directors of five language services to manage the daily and long-term operations of RFA Mandarin, Tibetan, Cantonese, Uyghur, and Korean. She will oversee a year-long investigative series across all the language services, and help to increase the impact of RFA's programming. Prior to joining RFA, Fang was a senior fellow at the New America Foundation, where she worked on China issues, focused on the new generation and technological change. Before that, Fang served at the U.S. Department of State as a Deputy Assistant Secretary overseeing public affairs and public diplomacy for Europe and Eurasia. With more than a decade of journalism experience, Fang was most recently the Chicago Tribune's Washington-based diplomatic correspondent after an eight-year stint with U.S. News and World Report that began in Beijing as the Asia bureau chief before taking her to Afghanistan and Iraq as a war correspondent. She won a Robert F. Kennedy journalism award for her article "China's Stolen Wives," about kidnapped women in China. Also during her tenure in Beijing, Fang wrote about Chinese underground house churches and the spread of HIV/AIDS in China and traveled widely in the region, including twice to North Korea. Fang obtained a bachelor's degree with honors in Social Studies and East Asian Studies at Harvard University. She received a Fulbright Scholarship and was based at the Chinese University in Hong Kong, where she published a project on the democratization of Hong Kong and its handover from British rule. # # # Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA's broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to "seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers." RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. Rohit Mahajan | Radio Free Asia | Media Relations Manager <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org | O: 202.530.4976 | M: 202.489.8021

9 years, 8 months

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RFA Breaking News: Death Toll in Xinjiang Coal Mine Attack Climbs to 50

by Paul Eckert

Death Toll in Xinjiang Coal Mine Attack Climbs to 50 Sept. 30, 2015 - The death toll in a knife attack orchestrated by alleged “separatists” at a coal mine in northwestern China’s troubled Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region has climbed to at least 50 people—including five police officers—with as many as 50 injured, according to local security officials who say nine suspects are on the run. The attack occurred on Sept. 18, when a group of knife-wielding suspects set upon security guards at the gate of the Sogan Colliery in Aksu (in Chinese, Akesu) prefecture’s Bay (Baicheng) county, before targeting the mine owner’s residence and a dormitory for workers. When police officers arrived at the mine in Terek township to control the situation, the attackers rammed their vehicles using trucks loaded down with coal, sources said. Three sources, including a ruling Communist Party cadre from a local township government, told RFA’s Uyghur Service in recent days that at least 50 people were killed and as many as 50 injured in the attack—with most casualties suffered by the mine’s largely majority Han Chinese workers. “The damage of the attack was very severe—that is why we are controlling [the flow of] information about the incident so strictly, lest we frighten Han migrants in Aksu,” said the cadre, speaking on condition of anonymity. Last week, sources had estimated that at least 40 people were either killed or injured in the incident, including police officers, security guards, mine owners and managers, and attackers. Other sources within the ethnic Uyghur exile communities in Sweden and Turkey have since put the number of dead as high as 110 and said the worker dormitory was the focus of the attack, although these accounts could not be independently verified by RFA. Ekber Hashim, a police officer who inspected the mine’s dormitory following the incident, told RFA that “nearly all the workers who were not on shift at the time were killed or injured.” “Some workers were sleeping while others were preparing to work when the attackers raided the building after killing the security guards,” he said. The Sogan Colliery, consisting of three separate coal mine shafts, maintains a six-story dormitory to house its 300-400 workers—around 90 percent of whom are Han Chinese, according to official sources. At least five policemen were also killed in the attack, including Terek township chief Wu Feng, 45, and officers Xiao Hu, 25; Zakirjan, 28; and Zayirjan Kurban, 27. The fifth officer has yet to be identified. An auxiliary officer from the neighboring Bulung township police department told RFA that Terek township deputy police chief Kurbanjan and his assistant “survived the incident by throwing themselves into the river next to the colliery.” “They went [to the mine] as part of a second team after five police officers, including police chief Wu Feng, were killed,” said the officer, who also declined to provide his name. “The second team had no idea everyone in the first team had been killed when they left the station. They turned their motorcycles around and fled when they saw the dead and injured, but the attackers pursued them in trucks and they were forced to drive the bikes into the river to escape.” Suspects on the run According to sources, authorities in Aksu have issued a warrant list for nine suspects who are believed to be hiding in a nearby mountain ravine, amid a widespread police operation to locate them. The auxiliary officer from Bulung township said he believed the search had remained unsuccessful after 12 days because the suspects had taken guns from the policemen killed in the attack and authorities were reluctant to attempt to flush them out. He added that the ravine is “complicated and dangerous,” while the suspects are from nearby villages and are “familiar with every inch of the area.” Another officer from Bulung named Tursun Hezim said police had received a notice from higher level authorities warning them to keep a lookout for a group of people wearing “camouflage”—a tactic allegedly employed by suspects in other recent attacks in the Uyghur region. “Based on this guidance, I assume the suspects attacked while wearing uniforms, which allowed them to catch the guards at the colliery and police on the road when they were unaware and successfully make their escape,” he said. “We also have been warned not to walk alone while patrolling in the villages or mountains, and to protect the residences of Han workers and coalmine owners, as well as to closely monitor the dynamite storerooms at collieries.” Last week, sources told RFA that the suspects had “taken control of the dynamite” at Sogan and were believed to have used explosives in the attack, although this could not be verified. Security buildup Since the incident, security personnel have been deployed in force in Terek township and are pressing local residents into assisting them in the search for the suspects, sources said. Yasin Sidiq, a technician with a telecommunications company in Terek, said that while scouting locations for new signal towers near the mountains with coworkers on Tuesday he witnessed “armed police everywhere and many checkpoints, with police and army trucks passing us every five to 10 minutes.” “All the herdsmen in the area were holding sticks which are usually used by farmers while assisting in a police operation,” he said. A Terek township middle school teacher told RFA that authorities had established a “command center” at his school, while students and staff members had been on vacation for the past week. “Our schoolyard is completely filled with police cars and ambulances, while helicopters fly from our soccer field to the mountains and back,” he said. An attendant at a gas station in Terek said authorities had been gathering horses from local villagers to transport goods for the mountain search operation, while store owner Ablet Mehmut said the township administrative office had been set up as a mess hall with “20-30 women cooking food for the authorities and the farmers assisting them.” The ‘three evils’ China has vowed to crack down on the "three evils" of terrorism, separatism, and religious extremism in Xinjiang, but experts outside China say Beijing has exaggerated the threat from Uyghur "separatists" and that domestic policies are responsible for an upsurge in violence that has left hundreds dead since 2012. Uyghur groups in exile say such attacks are likely expressions of resistance to Beijing’s policies in Xinjiang, where Uyghurs complain of pervasive ethnic discrimination, religious repression, and cultural suppression by China’s communist government. Rights groups accuse the Chinese authorities of heavy-handed rule in Xinjiang, including violent police raids on Uyghur households, restrictions on Islamic practices, and curbs on the culture and language of the Uyghur people. Reported by Shohret Hoshur for RFA’s Uyghur Service. Translated by Shohret Hoshur. Written in English by Joshua Lipes. View this s tory online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/attack-09302015174319.html Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news , information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA ’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org . To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to engnews-join(a)rfanews.org . ##### All media inquiries may be sent to Rohit Mahajan at mahajanr(a)rfa.org .

9 years, 8 months

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RFA Breaking News: Knife Attack at Xinjiang Coal Mine Leaves 40 Dead, Injured

by Paul Eckert

Knife Attack at Xinjiang Coal Mine Leaves 40 Dead, Injured Sept 22 - A knife attack orchestrated by alleged “separatists” at a coal mine in northwestern China’s troubled Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region has resulted in at least 40 casualties, including the deaths of five police officers, and several suspects are believed to be on the run, according to local security officials. The attack began at around 3:00 a.m. on Sept. 18 when a group of knife-wielding suspects set upon security guards at the Sogan Colliery in Aksu (in Chinese, Akesu) prefecture’s Bay (Baicheng) county, Jamal Eysa, the chief of state security police at a neighboring mine in the county seat told RFA’s Uyghur Service Monday. “The attack started at security gate of the colliery, which was watched by some 20 security guards at the time,” he said. “The residence of the colliery owner was the second target and, at the end, [the suspects] attacked police as they approached the area to control the situation.” Eysa said he received a phone call from the mayor of Bay township later that day ordering him to patrol area streets and prepare for a potential attack against the Bay Colliery where he is stationed, around 20 kilometers (12 miles) away from the Sogan Colliery in Terek township. An official notice he later received suggested the incident at Sogan was “a long-planned, well-prepared, large-scale attack by separatists against police officers and mine owners at a coal field in our county.” Colleagues who took part in the operation against the attackers told Eysa the suspects were from “neighboring farms” and that they had “taken control of the dynamite at the colliery.” “That is why they were able to do such severe damage to our police team and to the Han businessman and factory owners,” he said, without providing details about whether explosives were used by the suspects. Eysa estimated that “at least 40 people were killed or injured, including police officers, security guards, mine owners and managers, and attackers.” Relatives informed him that his friend Zakirjan, who worked as a security guard at Sogan, was among those killed. “That day, seven or eight ambulances were constantly driving between the Sogan Colliery and the Bay County Bazaar from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.,” he said. “Even though four days have passed since the incident, raiding operations are ongoing, so I believe that at least some of the attackers are alive and on the run.” Police officers targeted Zhang Jianjie, a security guard employed by the Bay township government, told RFA authorities were now patrolling the area in force and strictly controlling information about the incident, but said he had received details about the incident from his superior. “According to my boss, the attackers called the Terek police station to report the incident, and when police officers approached the mine area, the group used trucks filled with coal to ram the police van and then assaulted the injured officers with knives,” Zhang said. “I know that five of 10 police officers were killed at the scene and the rest of them were transferred to the hospital in Bay county, but I don’t know how many of the attackers were killed or injured,” he said. “The current situation in Bay county indicates that at least some of the attackers are alive and were able to escape.” A policeman from the Terek township station, who spoke to RFA on condition of anonymity, also confirmed the incident and said victims of the attack included high-ranking officers from his department. “I know that our chief, Wu Feng, was killed in the incident and our deputy chief Kurbanjan was injured and taken to a hospital,” he said. “I have not seen my other three colleagues since they left the station … to go to the coal mining field, and I’ve only been told to wait to hear in the next few days about their fate.” The policeman said he “didn’t have much knowledge about the incident” and suggested speaking with area residents to get more information. Security crackdown Li Ming, a resident of Bay township, told RFA that when he took his son to school on the day of the incident, he noticed that the campus security detail had moved from the gate onto the street and had increased to 10 guards from two or three normally. He said that by Monday afternoon, security checkpoints had been established at all intersections throughout town, while armed police squads were patrolling the area in armored personnel carriers, leading him to believe that the “incident was much more severe than I had thought and the suspects have still not been killed or captured.” Li’s son had been let out of school two hours early on Monday, but the only explanation his teacher gave was that the dismissal was linked to an “incident at the coal mining field.” While Li could confirm the incident had taken place at “the coal mining field in Terek township,” he said he was unable to provide further details due to a clampdown on information by local authorities. “I have no right to give you information and I have to record your contact information to give to the county police department,” he said. “I can only answer your questions if the department notifies me that I may accept your interview.” The ‘three evils’ China has vowed to crack down on the "three evils" of terrorism, separatism, and religious extremism in Xinjiang, but experts outside China say Beijing has exaggerated the threat from Uyghur "separatists" and that domestic policies are responsible for an upsurge in violence that has left hundreds dead since 2012. Uyghur groups in exile say such attacks are likely expressions of resistance to Beijing’s policies in Xinjiang, where Uyghurs complain of pervasive ethnic discrimination, religious repression, and cultural suppression by China’s communist government. Rights groups accuse the Chinese authorities of heavy-handed rule in Xinjiang, including violent police raids on Uyghur households, restrictions on Islamic practices, and curbs on the culture and language of the Uyghur people. Reported by Shohret Hoshur for RFA’s Uyghur Service. Translated by Shohret Hoshur. Written in English by Joshua Lipes. View this story online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/attack-09222015150820.html Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news , information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA ’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org . To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to engnews-join(a)rfanews.org . ##### All media inquiries may be sent to Rohit Mahajan at mahajanr(a)rfa.org .

9 years, 8 months

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RFA Breaking News: Interview: Retiree Than Shwe Exerts 'No Influence Whatsoever' on Myanmar Politics

by Paul Eckert

August 20, 2015 - In an interview with Nancy Shwe, director of RFA’s Myanmar Service, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, Commander in Chief of the Myanmar Armed Forces, said former junta chief Than Shwe advises his former army colleagues on military affairs but exerts no influence on the country’s politics. He also denied that the Tatmadaw [Myanmar’s armed services] played any role in the ouster last week of ruling party chairman Shwe Mann. RFA: Is former Myanmar junta chief Gen. Than Shwe still involved in Myanmar’s affairs? MIN AUNG HLAING: I would say this is impossible. He’s living peacefully by himself in retirement. I sometimes go to see him to pay my respects on religious occasions, but I do this because he’s the father of the Tatmadaw. He gives advice on the betterment of the Tatmadaw, but he won’t say “do this” or “do that.” He often stresses the need for us to maintain unity and to work for the country. We don’t discuss the current political process. The government and the Hluttaw [legislature] are also doing their best within their rights. There is no influence whatsoever being exerted by retired Gen. Than Shwe. RFA: What is the military doing to provide relief to Chin State, which has suffered from flooding, heavy rains, and landslides? MIN AUNG HLAING: We are carrying out everything according to our program. We use helicopters for emergency supply, and use the roads for whatever can be transported by land. The Tatmadaw is using lots of cars, helicopters, and airplanes in these efforts. I myself have been to [Chin state capital] Hakha and feel very bad about the landslide there. We are sending 1,000 tons of cement, 5,000 sheets of corrugated iron, and other construction materials. We will soon be sending another 5,000 sheets. I believe this will contribute to the reconstruction in Chin State. RFA: People are happy about the Tatmadaw’s assistance in disaster relief efforts, but at the same time the ethnic parties are worried that the Tatmadaw is now also buying more arms to build up its military strength. MIN AUNG HLAING: First, we are not doing this relief work because the law tells us to; it is because we believe we must do it. Second, all countries must build their defense capabilities. We have bought fighters, trainers, and transport planes, but these are only for building our strength. This has nothing to do with the ethnic groups. And even still, we have not reached our goals. Many countries build up their arms on the pretext of defending the peace, and others then expand their own militaries in response, and these arms buildups go on and on. The late Gen. Aung San himself said in 1947 that the country’s air force would need at least 500 airplanes, with another 500 in reserve. That was in 1947, and we are not even close to that yet. But if relations among our neighboring countries and other countries around the world improve, I don’t think that any harm will come to our nation. RFA: There have been reports in the media that you are supporting President Thein Sein during the latest political developments in Myanmar. MIN AUNG HLAING: The Tatmadaw must stand up for the government, and we are helping Thein Sein’s government in the work of successfully rebuilding our country. Although I am the head of the military, Thein Sein is the head of state, and so I have to work under his leadership. That is my duty. Regarding the recent political changes, this is the business of the [ruling USDP] party. The party is simply doing its work. Some have said that these things happened because of the involvement of senior retired military officers. But they can take any path they choose, because they are retired. Our military is not involved. All this is speculation, I would say. RFA: You once said that the Tatmadaw would withdraw from politics when peace comes to the country. Can you set a time frame for that? MIN AUNG HLAING: Since 1948, when Myanmar achieved independence, the Tatmadaw has involved itself in the country’s changes in one way or another, and now we have reached the present situation. We do not yet have complete stability in the country. We are still trying to solve the problem of the armed ethnic groups, and we can see that some of these groups’ activities are affecting national peace and stability. We cannot deviate from our goals. We are marching toward a parliamentary democracy. The people have asked us for this. The Tatmadaw has tried to create this, and we will not let it fall apart. Stability means economic security, political security, food security—everything connected to “human security.” And when all of this is stable, other things will fall into place automatically. We want to see the country peaceful and developed, and the Tatmadaw will play any role necessary to accomplish this. RFA: Can you set a time frame for this? MIN AUNG HLAING: This will happen when the ethnic groups come into the legal fold, give up their arms, and participate peacefully in building a democratic nation. Another concern is our three main tasks: nondisintegration of the Union, nondisintegration of national unity, and perpetuation of national sovereignty. We need to guarantee that these tasks are not compromised, and we will need to wait until we have achieved this. So all this depends on the other side. Maybe in five or ten years. Now we are trying to create a national cease-fire agreement. Once they have signed it, political dialogues will follow, and things will fall into place if we all work together with trust. RFA: Is progress toward the signing of this pact not meeting expectations yet? MIN AUNG HLAING: The onus is on both sides, though some might say that the army is mainly responsible. My sincere wish, the Tatmadaw’s wish, is to see peace. But if the government stops functioning after we get a pact, that would not be good. Right now, we can see that armed ethnic groups are involved in some sectors of the country’s administrative machinery. Everything should be in accord with the law. They should have a genuine desire to achieve peace, and all parties will need to participate in this endeavor. Look at any country. No one will accept an armed movement inside that country. That’s what we are pointing out and asking from them. We would have absolute peace if they would work with us in trust. View this story online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/myanmar/influence-08202015151523.html Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news , information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA ’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org . To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to engnews-join(a)rfanews.org . ##### All media inquiries may be sent to Rohit Mahajan at mahajanr(a)rfa.org .

9 years, 9 months

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RFA Breaking News: Chinese Authorities Snatch Tenzin Delek Rinpoche's Ashes from Tibetans

by Paul Eckert

Chinese Authorities Snatch Tenzin Delek Rinpoche's Ashes from Tibetans July 20, 2015 - The ashes of Tenzin Delek Rinpoche were forcibly taken from Tibetans who were carrying the revered monk's cremated remains to his home county of Nyagchuka, a Tibetan living in India told RFA’s Tibetan Service on Monday. Tenzin Delek Rinpoche, 65, who died on July 12 in the 13th year of a life sentence imposed for what rights groups and supporters have described as a wrongful conviction on a bombing charge, was cremated by prison authorities on July 16 against the wishes of his family. Four Tibetans who stayed in the Sichuan capital, Chengdu, to receive the ashes were carrying them back to Nyagchuka ( in Chinese, Yajiang) and stopped over night at a town in Jagsamka (Luding) county on July 16. "At that time, the Chinese authorities came to them in the night and forced them to give back the remains. They even threatened to throw the ashes into the local river in Luding," Geshe Jamyang Nyima, a source in exile with connections to the monk's family, told RFA . "We don’t know whether they actually dumped the ashes in the river or not, but it was an unfortunate incident,” he added. The death in prison of Tenzin Delek Rinpoche, who was widely respected among Tibetans for his efforts to protect Tibetan culture and the environment, added to simmering tensions in Tibetan parts of Sichuan and beyond. The cremation in defiance of his family's request that his remains be returned to them was followed by the detention of the sister of Tenzin Delek Rinpoche and that woman’s daughter. Dolkar Lhamo, 55, and Nyima Lhamo, aged about 25, were detained in the provincial capital Chengdu at about 8:00 a.m. on July 17 by police sent from their native Lithang (Litang) county. “It was extremely horrible action on the part of the Chinese authorities. Even if the body was not handed over to the relatives and students, snatching the remains of the cremated body of Rinpoche after it was handed over was unimaginable," said Geshe Jamyang Nyima. "They should at least leave the relatives alone in peace. But his sister Dolkar Lhamo and her daughter were taken away by Lithang police from Chengdu town on July 17, and nothing has been heard about them too. It is sheer bullying and unreasonable," he added. Reported by Lobsang Choephel for RFA’s Tibetan Service. Translated by Karma Dorjee. Written in English by Paul Eckert. View this s tory online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/tibet/tibet-lama-07202015173154.html Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news , information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA ’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org . To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to engnews-join(a)rfanews.org . ##### All media inquiries may be sent to Rohit Mahajan at mahajanr(a)rfa.org .

9 years, 10 months

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RFA BREAKING NEWS: Popular Tibetan Monk Serving Life Sentence Dies in Chinese Jail

by Param

Popular Tibetan Monk Serving Life Sentence Dies in Chinese Jail JULY 13, 2015—A popular Tibetan monk serving a life term in prison in China's Sichuan province has died after being known to be in extremely poor health with a serious heart condition for which he allegedly received no treatment, according to sources and rights groups. Tenzin Delek Rinpoche, who had been imprisoned since 2002 after what rights groups and supporters described as a wrongful conviction on a bombing charge, died on Sunday, the sources said. He was 65 years old. "Chinese police informed his relatives that he was seriously ill and when they rushed to visit him, they were told he was already dead," one source inside Tibet told RFA's Tibetan Service. Another source said Tenzin Delek Rinpoche's body has not been handed over to his family after his death at 4:00 p.m. local time Two of his relatives had been in Chengdu, Sichuan's capital, for more than a week hoping to visit the ailing monk in Mianyang jail but they were not allowed by the authorities to see him, the source said. Death sentence Tenzin Delek Rinpoche, who was highly respected by Tibetans, was charged with involvement in an April 3, 2002 bombing in the central square of Chengdu and initially sentenced to death in December that year along with an assistant, Lobsang Dondrub. His death sentence was later commuted to life imprisonment, but Lobsang Dondrub was executed almost immediately, prompting an outcry from rights activists who questioned the fairness of the trial. New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) concluded in a report two years after the trial that the legal proceedings against Tenzin Delek Rinpoche had been “procedurally flawed” and that he was charged only in order to “curb his efforts to foster Tibetan Buddhism … and his work to develop Tibetan social and cultural institutions.” Authorities had begun to perceive Tenzin Delek Rinpoche as a threat as his “local status rose and he successfully challenged official policies on a number of issues,” HRW said in its report. 'Devastated' Students for a Free Tibet, a global Tibetan group, said Sunday it was "devastated" by his death. "A Tibetan hero has died in Chinese prison," it said. "Over 13 years of unjust imprisonment and torture in prison left him with critical medical conditions for which he received no treatment," the group said. It charged that he "has died under suspicious circumstances," calling him "a revered Tibetan Buddhist teacher and outspoken advocate for his people." "Tibetans inside Tibet are already demanding local authorities to release his body to arrange Buddhist religious rites," the group said. Recognized by Tibet's spiritual leader the Dalai Lama as a reincarnated lama in the 1980s, Tenzin Delek Rinpoche has been a community leader and a staunch advocate for the protection and preservation of Tibetan culture, religion, and way of life for decades, the International Campaign for Tibet (ICT) had said. He has been held in detention for over 13 years "for a crime that he did not commit," the ICT said. Petition More than 40,000 Tibetans had signed their names to a petition asking for his release, each attesting to their signature by adding a thumbprint in red ink, the ICT said. "Every single one of the 40,000 Tibetan signers knows that they risk their freedom and perhaps their lives by speaking out for the Tenzin Delek Rinpoche." Tibetans had also been protesting for his release since he was detained in 2002 and many were themselves jailed for the action. Reported by Lhuboom and Kalden Lodoe for RFA’s Tibetan Service. Translated by Kalden Lodoe. Written in English by Parameswaran Ponnudurai. View this story online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/tibet/monk-07132015015651.html Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to <mailto:engnews-leave@rfanews.org> engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org. To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to <mailto:engnews-join@rfanews.org> engnews-join(a)rfanews.org . ##### All media inquiries may be sent to Rohit Mahajan at <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org.

9 years, 11 months

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RFA Breaking News: Tibetan Monk Self-Immolates in Kyegudo in Sixth Protest Burning This Year

by Paul Eckert

Tibetan Monk Self-Immolates in Kyegudo in Sixth Protest Burning This Year JULY 9, 2015 - A Tibetan monk set himself ablaze on Thursday in northwestern China’s Qinghai province in an apparent challenge to Beijing’s rule in Tibetan areas in the sixth such protest this year, according to sources in the region and in exile. The burning in the central square of Kyegudo in the Yulshul (in Chinese, Yushu) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture brings to 142 the total number of self-immolations by Tibetans since the wave of fiery protests began in 2009. The still unidentified monk was taken to hospital for treatment of his burns, but no word has been received on his current condition or whereabouts, sources said. “On July 9, sometime between 5:00 and 6:00 p.m. [local time] a monk self-immolated in Kyegudo’s Gesar Square,” a Tibetan living in exile told RFA’s Tibetan Service on Thursday, citing contacts in the town. “We still don’t know what his name is or which monastery he came from,” he said, adding that though sources said the monk was transported to a local hospital for treatment, it is unclear if he was taken there by bystanders or the police. Kyegudo, the site of Thursday’s protest and Yulshul prefecture’s main town, was hit by a devastating earthquake on April 14, 2010 that largely destroyed the town and killed almost 3,000 residents by official count. Thursday’s burning is the sixth Tibetan self-immolation to take place since the beginning of the year. It follows the May 27 protest of Sangye Tso, a Tibetan mother of two, who set herself ablaze and died outside Chinese police headquarters in Chone (Zhuoni) county in Gansu province’s Kanlho (Gannan) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture. Reported by Kalden Lodoe for RFA's Tibetan Service. Translated by Benpa Topgyal. Written in English by Richard Finney. View this story online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/tibet/sixth-07092015165728.html Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news , information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA ’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org . To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to engnews-join(a)rfanews.org . ##### All media inquiries may be sent to Rohit Mahajan at mahajanr(a)rfa.org .

9 years, 11 months

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RFA Breaking News: Thailand Rejects Claims it Killed Uyghurs Who Resisted Deportation

by Paul Eckert

RFA Breaking News: Thailand Rejects Claims it Killed Uyghurs Who Resisted Deportation JULY 9, 2015 - The Thai government on Thursday rejected a claim by the World Uyghur Congress that at least 25 men among a group of nearly 100 Uyghurs had been killed when they resisted moves by authorities to forcibly repatriate them to China. Thai authorities confirmed Thursday it had forcibly repatriated nearly 100 Uyghurs to China, a move that drew criticism from human rights groups and protests in Turkey over the expulsion of the Turkic-speaking Muslim minority that suffers harsh repression under Chinese rule. In a statement, the WUC had asserted that it has “direct information over the phone from a source on the ground in Thailand who indicated that at least 25 men were also killed trying to resist boarding the plane.” But Thai government deputy spokesman Weerachon Sukhontapatipak told Radio Free Asia that “there was no such thing as claimed by WUC.” The Munich-based WUC appeared to have removed the claim about the killing hours after publishing the statement on its website Thursday. The group had a day earlier accurately reported the impending expulsion of the more than 90 Uyghurs. Another Thai government source, speaking on condition of anonymity to RFA, also dismissed the WUC claim. “It is not true. There was no killing as claimed by the WUC,” he said, adding that Thai authorities could provide video evidence to show that there was no deaths in the run up to the repatriation. I believe we can prove this with sort of evidence, perhaps video footage, which I believe we may have during the operation,” he said. Initial report of 25 shot dead The WUC said in its statement that a first plane was loaded primarily with women and children, along with a small group of men, and departed without incident. “The second plane, however, was “intended to transport around 65 men, but authorities faced some resistance from the men in doing so.” It said that in the process 25 men were killed. Later, the paragraph on the killing was removed from its statement on its website. Wednesday's forced deportation followed the resettlement in Turkey last week of 173 women and children from among the detainees in Thailand, following long-lasting negotiations between the two countries. Figures given for the overnight deportation through a military section of Bangkok's main airport have ranged from 90 to 108. Thai officials said another 50 Uyghurs remained in the country awaiting determination of their status. The Uyghur arrivals in Turkey were among about 370 Uyghurs held in Thai government-run refugee detention centers in Padang Besar—in Songkhla province’s Sadao district—and the cities of Bangkok, Rayong and Trat, since March 2014 in what visitors have described as cramped and unhygienic conditions. Many have complained of worsening conditions and poor food quality, and detainees held a hunger strike in January to demand authorities improve the situation at the Padang Besar facility. One ethnic Uyghur boy detained there died last December after contracting tuberculosis. The detainees had remained in limbo more than a year into their detention, with Beijing demanding they be repatriated to China. Amnesty sees 'despicable act' Thailand, run by a military junta that has suspended democracy and is accused of human rights abuses, appeared uncomfortable being caught in a dispute among China, the Uyghurs who have been fleeing repression in increasing numbers and Turkey, which has offered hundreds of Uyghurs safe haven in recent years. “(If) they (Uyghurs) want to fight their way, just do it, but why cause friction between Thailand and Turkey, China or Uyghurs?" Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha, Thai prime minster, told reporters in Bangkok on Thursday. Prayuth also said the repatriated Uyghurs "will be provided with justice and safety. China confirmed they will be given access to fair justice." Those Chinese pledges are not taken seriously by human rights experts, who point to decades of systematic repression in the Xinjiang Uyhgur Autonomous Region, as that region is formally called. “This is akin to sentencing them to the worst punishment imaginable. Time and time again we have seen Uughurs returned to China disappearing into a black hole, with some detained, tortured and in some cases, sentenced to death and executed,” said Nicholas Bequelin, Regional Director for East Asia at Amnesty International. “Deporting these people is a despicable act, and illegal under international law. If the Thai authorities go ahead with any further deportations, they will be putting the lives of many at risk,” he said in a statement issued by the London-based rights watchdog. The U.S. State Department also condemned Thailand's move, saying it put the 100 or more Uyghurs in a position "where they could face harsh treatment and a lack of due process." In a statement from Washington, State Department spokesman John Kirby urged Thailand "not to carry out further forced deportations of ethnic Uyghurs" and called on China to "uphold international norms and to ensure transparency, due process, and proper treatment of these individuals." In recent years, hundreds of Uyghurs have been leaving China to escape persecution and repression by authorities and loss of land to settlers from eastern China. Chinese authorities have blamed an upsurge of violence in Xinjiang since 2012 on terrorists and Islamist insurgents seeking to establish an independent state, and have cracked down on Uyghur religion and culture. Reported by RFA's Uyghur Service. Written in English by Parameswaran Ponnudurai and Paul Eckert. View this story online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/thailand-uyghur-07092015140950.html Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news , information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA ’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org . To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to engnews-join(a)rfanews.org . ##### All media inquiries may be sent to Rohit Mahajan at mahajanr(a)rfa.org .

9 years, 11 months

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RFA Breaking News: Thailand Expels Nearly 100 Uyghurs to Uncertain Fate in China

by Paul Eckert

Thailand Expels Nearly 100 Uyghurs to Uncertain Fate in China JULY 9, 2015 - Thailand said on Thursday it had forcibly repatriated nearly 100 Uyghurs to China, a move that drew criticism from human rights groups and protests in Turkey over the expulsion of the Turkic-speaking Muslim minority that suffers harsh repression under Chinese rule. Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha, Thailand’s prime minster, told reporters his country was “not part of the dispute” between China and Uyghurs and had received guarantees from Beijing that the Uyghurs forced onto planes late on Wednesday would be treated fairly. “They will be provided with justice and safety. China confirmed they will be given access to fair justice,” Prayuth told reporters at the government house in Bangkok. “If they are not implicated in any offenses, they will be released and given land for making a living. But if any are implicated with crimes, they will be tried,” he said. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees said it was shocked at the deportation of a group believed to include women and children who did not wish to return to China. “While we are seeking further clarifications on what happened exactly, we are shocked by this deportation of some 100 people and consider it a flagrant violation of international law," said Volker Türk, UNHCR's Assistant High Commissioner for Protection, in a statement issued by the U.N. agency. "I strongly urge the Thai authorities to investigate this matter and appeal to Thailand to honor its fundamental international obligations, notably the principle of non-refoulement, and to refrain from such deportations in the future," he added. On Wednesday , the Munich-based World Uyghur Congress (WUC) warned of the impending repatriation and appealed for international intervention. The WUC said it was “gravely concerned” about the fate of the Uyghurs, noting that the consequences of their repatriation were likely to include criminal allegations used to justify punishments that would be inflicted on them upon their arrival in China. “It is anticipated that the Chinese government is behind this covert, and indeed heinous, operation which aims to bring these Uyghurs back to harsh punishment, which possibly includes capital punishment,” the WUC said. The forced deportation came despite the resettlement in Turkey last week of 173 women and children from among the detainees in Thailand, following long-lasting negotiations between the two countries. Maj. Gen. Weerachon Sukhontapatipak, deputy spokesperson for the Thai government, said in Bangkok the repatriation was ‘in line with a citizen verification procedure, which indicated them as Chinese and they must follow China’s justice.” The earlier release of Uyghurs to Turkey was a different matter, he told reporters at a news conference. “In regards with the 170 Uyghurs Thailand sent over to Turkey late June, this is an indication for Thailand’s compliance with international-standard citizenship verification process. They are verified being Turkish, so they were sent to Turkey,” said Sukhontapatipak. “We admitted it is a very sensitive security issue. However, Thailand has continual discussions with both China and Turkey,” he added. “There are about 50 Uyghur who are pending citizenship verification completion,” said Sukhontapatipak. Leaving China in droves In Turkey, local protesters responded to the expulsion by smashing windows and ransacking parts of the honorary Thai consulate in Istanbul. “Prime Minister Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha, has had a direct phone conversation with the Turkish prime minister and asked him to maintain security for the Thai diplomats and Thai citizens in Turkey. He has great concerns on the issue.” Sukhontapatipak said. The detainees had remained in limbo more than a year into their detention, with Beijing demanding they be repatriated to China. During the last couple of years, Uyghurs have been leaving China in droves to escape persecution and repression by authorities who consider them separatists and terrorists and have cracked down on their religion and culture. Chinese authorities have blamed an upsurge of violence in Xinjiang since 2012 on terrorists and Islamist insurgents seeking to establish an independent state. Several Asian nations—including Thailand—have bowed to demands by Beijing to repatriate Uyghurs fleeing persecution in Xinjiang, despite warnings from rights groups and the Uyghur exile community that they may face prison sentences upon their return. Reported by RFA's Uyghur Service. Written in English by Paul Eckert. View this story online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/thailand-uyghurs-07092015085045.html Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news , information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA ’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org . To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to engnews-join(a)rfanews.org . ##### All media inquiries may be sent to Rohit Mahajan at mahajanr(a)rfa.org .

9 years, 11 months

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RFA BREAKING NEWS: At Least 18 Dead in Ramadan Attack on Police Checkpoint in Xinjiang

by Param

At Least 18 Dead in Ramadan Attack on Police Checkpoint in Xinjiang JUNE 23, 2015—At least 18 people are dead following a knife and bomb attack by a group of ethnic Uyghurs on a police traffic checkpoint in northwestern China’s troubled Xinjiang region, sources said Tuesday, amid harsh restrictions on observance of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. One source said the incident, which occurred Monday in the Tahtakoruk district of southwestern Xinjiang’s Kashgar (in Chinese, Kashi) city, left as many as 28 people dead, several of whom were bystanders. The attack began when a car sped through a traffic checkpoint without stopping, Turghun Memet, an officer with the nearby Heyhag district police station told RFA’s Uyghur Service. “When one of the policemen at the checkpoint ran out of the booth, the car backed up, hitting him and breaking his leg,” Memet said. “Two other suspects then rushed out of the car, using knives to attack and kill two police officers who had come to rescue their comrade,” he said. The remaining traffic police, who do not carry guns, called for backup from Memet’s department and the People’s Armed Police (PAP). “By the time armed police reached the scene, three more suspects had arrived by sidecar motorcycle and attacked the checkpoint and police cars with explosives, killing one regular police officer, another traffic policeman and one auxiliary officer,” Memet said. “They also injured four other officers and damaged a police vehicle,” he said. “At that point, our [armed officers] arrived and killed 15 suspects we designated as terrorists.” Memet said the car used by the attackers had displayed a license plate from Kizilsu Kirghiz Autonomous Prefecture’s Atush (in Chinese, Atushi) city, but he was told they were residents of Kashgar prefecture’s Yengisheher (Shule) and Peyziwat (Jiashi) counties. “The security is tight in [downtown Kashgar], so they chose to attack an area on the outskirts of the city,” he said. “They were in possession of simple weapons, so they targeted [an unarmed] traffic police checkpoint.” Information ‘tightly controlled’ A police officer from Kashgar’s Ostengboyi station, near the site of the attack, confirmed the incident to RFA, but said it was unclear how many people had died. “The number of the dead varies even among the police—especially when it comes to the number of female suspects,” the officer said on condition of anonymity, adding that he had heard either three or eight women were involved in the attack. “Some are saying that all of the suspects were killed, while others say some were injured and taken to the hospital for treatment,” he said. “Information about this kind of incident is always tightly controlled—not even the police are given the details. But people are saying that the dead numbered around 20.” The officer noted that the attack occurred during the sensitive month of Ramadan and had “a massive effect” on the inhabitants of the city. “Even the police are panicked and the situation is still very tense right now.” An officer from the Qoghan police station, which has jurisdiction over the site of the incident, also said the attackers were from Yengisheher and Peyziwat counties, but decided to target Kashgar because the city is more populated. “I assume that they intended to do more damage in a bigger crowd in Kashgar city,” he said, adding that an investigation into the attack was ongoing. ‘Running for their lives’ A food vendor who works near where the attack occurred said the sound of explosions and prolonged gunfire prompted him to open his shop door a crack so he could see what was happening. “I saw people running for their lives in all directions when the police fired, including a lot of women who were crying and screaming,” he said, adding that if the women had been among the attackers “they would not have run and cried.” “We weren’t given any information about the suspects’ identities. The government usually refers to them as ‘terrorists’ in this kind of situation and they may do so this time as well.” A retired government worker, who also declined to give his name, said he had heard from a police officer that “28 people were killed in the incident, including six attackers and three police, while the others were all bystanders.” “It seems the police who arrived at the spot were either panicked or encouraged by the ‘strike hard’ policy, because they opened fire indiscriminately and many people who were not linked to the attackers got killed,” he said. Authorities have launched a “strike hard” campaign in Xinjiang in the name of fighting separatism, religious extremism, and terrorism, following a string of violent incidents that have left hundreds dead in recent years. The government worker said he believed the incident was prompted by the restrictions put in place by authorities during the month of Ramadan, which he called “very extreme.” “I think this is the first reaction to this year’s Ramadan restrictions,” he said. “If such restrictions were implemented in other parts of the [Muslim] world, they would have led to bloody incidents on a mass scale, but we Uyghurs are a defenseless and helpless people and this is the reaction.” Ramadan restrictions The attack comes a week after millions of Uyghurs began observance of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan under increasing official pressure not to fast. Uyghur officials and other state employees like teachers have been banned from fasting, and it is against the law for children under 18 to take part in religious activities. Restaurants in the region are typically required to stay open all day, even if the owners are Muslim, and Uyghur children and young people are often required to attend free lunches in the region's schools and universities to avoid the dawn-to-dusk fast traditionally observed during Ramadan. Turkic-speaking minority Uyghurs have complained about pervasive ethnic discrimination, religious repression, and cultural suppression by Chinese authorities. Last October, authorities tightened rules forbidding anyone under the age of 18 from following a religion, targeting families whose children studied the Quran or fasted during Ramadan with hefty fines. Authorities in the Hotan, Kashgar, and Aksu prefectures of Xinjiang have forced Uyghur parents to sign pledges promising not to allow their children to participate in religious activities, the Germany-based World Uyghur Congress exile group has said. Reported by Shohret Hoshur for RFA’s Uyghur Service. Translated by Mamatjan Juma. Written in English by Joshua Lipes. View this story online at: <http://www.rfa.org/english/news/tibet/burning-02142013110206.html> http://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/attack-06232015182353.html Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to <mailto:engnews-leave@rfanews.org> engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org. To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to <mailto:engnews-join@rfanews.org> engnews-join(a)rfanews.org . ##### All media inquiries may be sent to Rohit Mahajan at <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org.

9 years, 11 months

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Radio Free Asia Series on China Nuclear Risks Wins at New York Festivals

by Rohit Mahajan

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 23, 2015 Contact: Rohit Mahajan 202 530 4976 <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org Radio Free Asia Series on China Nuclear Risks Wins at New York Festivals WASHINGTON - Radio Free Asia <http://www.rfa.org/english/> (RFA) last night won a bronze medal at the New York Festivals' 2015 International Radio Program Awards <http://www.newyorkfestivals.com/worldsbestradio/2015/> for its Cantonese Service <http://www.rfa.org/cantonese/?encoding=simplified> 's investigative series <http://www.rfa.org/cantonese/features/hottopic/GD-nuclear-power-12012014110 600.html> on China's nuclear energy risks. Titled, "A Citizenry Left in the Dark: China's Nuclear Power Industry," the series follows on RFA's revelations in June 2010 when a nuclear power plant in close proximity to Hong Kong leaked radioactive material. It won in the juried contest's category of Best Investigative Reporting. "This award helps to underscore an important issue of safety for the millions in China who live and work near nuclear plants," said Libby Liu, President of RFA. "The tireless work of Radio Free Asia's Cantonese Service brings this story to the people who would otherwise be left in the dark by Chinese state-controlled media and officials. "The continued recognition of this story also inspires us at RFA to continue bringing news to people in Asia who would otherwise not be able to access uncensored, accurate journalism." In June 2010, radioactive substances were detected in cooling water at the Daya Bay nuclear power plant in southern Guangdong, China's most populous province. After RFA Cantonese broke the story, local authorities claimed that the danger to the public was "negligible." Four years after the incident, an RFA undercover film crew traveled to the site to investigate safety conditions in the area. RFA's team learned that local residents remain woefully ignorant of the danger of nuclear waste, even though waste from the power plant is dumped at a site that is five kilometers from where they live. RFA found also that, in order to prevent the rise of popular discontent in the aftermath of the 2010 radioactive leak, local authorities have been providing generous monthly living subsidies to those living within the immediate vicinity of the plant to quell discontent and concerns among locals. RFA's four-part multimedia series, which aired in four parts in December 2014, also explores safety issues surrounding Guangdong's Huizhou Nuclear Power Plant, one of 26 nuclear power plants under construction in China. The majority of local residents interviewed by RFA were only vaguely aware, if at all, of the existence of the nuclear plant, much less the health risks of living close by. China is in the midst of a serious push to expand its nuclear power industry to lessen reliance on fossil fuels. What is troubling, especially in the post-Fukushima era, is that there does not exist in the country a comprehensive national program to provide citizens with information on possible public health hazards in their communities; nor have the authorities established emergency plans and response mechanisms in the event of a nuclear accident. The award was presented at a ceremony in New York City. Earlier this year, the series also won a Sigma Delta Chi award <http://www.rfa.org/about/releases/sigma-deltachi-04242015113307.html> , presented by the Society of Professional Journalists <https://www.spj.org/index.asp> , in April. Other winners at New York Festivals included RFA sister broadcaster Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, the Middle East Broadcasting Networks (MBN), the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, BBC Radio 4, RTE, and WNYC, among many other esteemed broadcasters from around the world. # # # Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA's broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to "seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers." RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. Rohit Mahajan | Radio Free Asia | Media Relations Manager <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org | O: 202.530.4976 | M: 202.489.8021

9 years, 11 months

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RFA Breaking News: Tibetan Father of Four Self-Immolates in Protest in Sichuan

by Paul Eckert

Tibetan Father of Four Self-Immolates in Protest in Sichuan May 20, 2015 - A Tibetan man living in western China’s Sichuan province set himself ablaze on Wednesday to protest Beijing’s rule, bringing to 140 the number of self-immolations in Tibetan areas of China since the wave of fiery protests began in 2009. Tenzin Gyatso, 35, self-immolated at around 8:00 p.m. on May 20 in the Khangsar township of Tawu (in Chinese, Daofu) county in the Kardze (Ganzi) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, sources in the region and in exile said. “He staged his protest near a bridge close to official government buildings in Khangsar,” a Tibetan living in exile told RFA’s Tibetan Service, citing local sources. “While he was burning, security personnel stationed in the area rushed to put out the fire and took him away,” the source, named Tawu Tenzin, said. “It is hard to know now whether he has died or is still alive,” he said. Local Tibetans believe that Gyatso, who has a wife and four children, became upset when security forces were sent to Khangsar to prevent celebrations of the 80th birthday of exiled spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, Tenzin said. “Security forces conducted searches, interrogated several Tibetans, and harassed others,” Tenzin said, adding that some Tibetans had been detained for showing “unpleasant faces.” Following Gyatso’s protest, additional numbers of security personnel were deployed in Khangsar, and restrictions on movement and communications have been imposed in the area, sources said. Calls seeking comment from the Tawu county police rang unanswered on Wednesday. Reported by Lhuboom, Lobsang Choephel, and Sonam Lhamo for RFA’s Tibetan Service. Translated by Karma Dorjee. Written in English by Richard Finney. View this s tory online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/tibet/immolates-05202015165144.html Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news , information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA ’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org . To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to engnews-join(a)rfanews.org . ##### All media inquiries may be sent to Rohit Mahajan at mahajanr(a)rfa.org .

10 years

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RFA Breaking News: Interview: ‘This is The Right Time For Activists and Journalists in Vietnam’

by Paul Eckert

Interview: ‘This is The Right Time For Activists and Journalists in Vietnam’ May 1, 2015 - Six months after being deported to the United States following his release from a prison in Vietnam, dissident blogger Nguyen Van Hai, also known by his pen name Dieu Cay, spoke to RFA's Vietnamese Service about meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama about global press freedom. Hai, whose online articles had criticized communist rule and highlighted alleged abuses by the authorities, was arrested in 2008 and sentenced a year later to 30 months in jail on a charge of "tax evasion" but was not freed after completing his term. He was later charged with carrying out propaganda against the state and sentenced in 2012 to 12 years in prison. After being freed on Oct. 21, 2014, he was immediately deported to the United States. RFA: Your return to Washington this time has tremendous significance. Three years ago, in a speech on Press Freedom Day, President Barack Obama mentioned you by name. Partially due to that, you were released from prison and flew here about six months ago. Can you tell us what you and the president spoke about during this meeting? Hai: Thanks to the efforts of President Obama and the U.S. government, I was released from prison and was able to come to the U.S. During today’s meeting, the president spoke with three journalists about global press freedom—me, a journalist from Russia and one from Ethiopia. I expressed my sincere gratitude towards the president and the U.S. government for paying attention to my case and helping to free me from prison. I also told him about the situation of press freedom and the freedom of expression in Vietnam, as well as prisoners of conscience. After that, I presented a list of my colleagues who need his help. RFA: Do you think there is a connection between the president meeting you about global press freedom and the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) recommendation to the State Department to put Vietnam back on the Countries of Particular Concern list? Hai: The president and the U.S. government pay a great deal of attention to press and religious freedom in Vietnam. About two days ago, I met with Senator Dick Durbin and spoke to him about freedom of the press and expression, as well as the issue of prisoners of conscience. On the same day, the State Department demanded that the government of Vietnam immediately release prisoner of conscience Ta Phong Tan, who is a member of our free journalist club. I don’t know if my meeting with the president was related, but we have seen the results my friends back home and I were hoping for. The efforts of people in Vietnam to help our club have now achieved some results. RFA: A former prisoner of conscience visiting the White House and speaking with the president is a very special thing. It also comes just ahead of a scheduled visit by Vietnam’s Communist Party chief Nguyen Phu Trong and amid speculation that Obama will visit Vietnam at the end of this year. What is the significance of this? Hai: I think this is the right time—it’s a very important time for democracy activists as well as journalists in Vietnam. During today’s meeting I asked the president to raise the issue of freedom of the press and expression, and prisoners of conscience, at the scheduled visit by Trong, as well as to urge that Vietnam eradicate articles of the law the leadership is using to restrict the press and expression, because those articles do not comply with international conventions signed by Vietnam and U.S. RFA: It has been six months since you left a Vietnamese prison and came here, pledging to continue your fight for freedom online. Have you made progress on that goal? Hai: There are always difficulties, especially for a new organization. We must overcome such difficulties to achieve our goals. We have established the free journalist club overseas, but we are still in the process of building our website. We have a lot of activities that we plan to do to promote freedom of the press and expression in Vietnam, and we are exploring ways to send information to international organizations to protect journalists in Vietnam. We have achieved some results, but we hope to find additional support to finish our job … especially support from the media. Reported by Nam Nguyen for RFA’s Vietnamese Service. View this s tory online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/vietnam/blogger-05012015151555.html Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news , information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA ’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org . To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to engnews-join(a)rfanews.org . ##### All media inquiries may be sent to Rohit Mahajan at mahajanr(a)rfa.org .

10 years, 1 month

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Dear Apple Customer,

by iCloud＠Apple.eu

10 years, 1 month

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RFA Breaking News: Hong Kong Student Leaders See 'Explosion of Anger' if Limited Suffrage Bill Passes

by Paul Eckert

Hong Kong Student Leaders See 'Explosion of Anger' if Limited Suffrage Bill Passes April 27, 2015 - Approval by Hong Kong's legislature of electoral reforms proposed by Beijing that limit popular suffrage will spark angry street demonstrations by citizens of the former British colony, student leaders said on Monday. The Hong Kong government on April 22 put forth an electoral plan for 2017 in line with guidelines issued by China's parliament, the National People's Congress (NPC), on Aug. 31, under which Hong Kong's five million voters will each cast a ballot for the chief executive, but may only choose between two or three candidates pre-approved by Beijing. “If the motion is to be passed in LegCo in June or July, people will definitely occupy LegCo,” Alex Chow, former Secretary General of Hong Kong Federation of Students, told RFA's Cantonese Service in an interview in Washington. LegCo is Hong Kong's 60-seat Legislative Council. "It is for legislators to think about whether they can bear such consequences, in the political way or in the personal career way,” he said. Nathan Law, Secretary General of Hong Kong Federation of Students, told RFA he wasn't sure any public reaction to the voting proposal would match in scale the mass Occupy Central democracy movement that blocked key highways in downtown Hong Kong for 79 days last year in opposition to Beijing's plan. “There will be an explosion of anger if the proposal is passed and there will be a massive movement later on,” Law said. Law said he was concerned that future protests could be "more radical" and "destructive" than last year's protests. Chow dismissed as "ridiculous" assertions carried in Chinese state media that the universal suffrage campaign is Western inspired. "It is very obvious that this kind of claim was constructed by the authorities because they would like to complicate the situation and to really oppress the activists by constructing such a false statement,” he said. “If we look closely at the umbrella movement we will find no evidence that the people of the umbrella movement have received any donation or support from foreign countries,” said Chow. The late 2014 protests took the yellow umbrella as its symbol after protesters used umbrellas to shield themselves from pepper spray and tear-gas in clashes with police. Reported by RFA's Cantonese Service. Written by Paul Eckert. View this s tory online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/students-interview-04272015181134.html Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news , information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA ’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org . To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to engnews-join(a)rfanews.org . ##### All media inquiries may be sent to Rohit Mahajan at mahajanr(a)rfa.org .

10 years, 1 month

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RFA Wins Journalism Award for Series on China's Nuclear Risks

by Rohit Mahajan

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 24, 2015 Contact: Rohit Mahajan 202 530 4976 <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org Radio Free Asia Series on China Nuclear Risks Wins Award for Excellence in Journalism WASHINGTON - Radio Free Asia <http://www.rfa.org/english/> (RFA) today was named a winner of the Sigma Delta Chi award for excellence in journalism by the Society of Professional Journalists <https://www.spj.org/index.asp> . RFA's Cantonese Service <http://www.rfa.org/cantonese/?encoding=simplified> 's investigative series <http://www.rfa.org/cantonese/features/hottopic/GD-nuclear-power-12012014110 600.html> on China's nuclear energy risks, "A Citizenry Left in the Dark: China's Nuclear Power Industry," won in the category of radio investigative reporting. The series, which aired in four parts in December 2014, follows on RFA's revelations in June 2010 when a nuclear power plant in close proximity to Hong Kong leaked radioactive material. "Millions in China live and work near nuclear plants but are left in the dark about the dangers," said Libby Liu, President of RFA. "Radio Free Asia's Cantonese Service tirelessly pursued this story in depth, reporting on the potentially catastrophic consequences ignored by China's state-controlled media and authorities. "Credit for this great honor goes entirely to RFA Cantonese, which is bringing attention to a serious issue that has vast impact in China and the region." In June 2010, radioactive substances were detected in cooling water at the Daya Bay nuclear power plant in southern Guangdong, China's most populous province. After RFA Cantonese broke the story, local authorities claimed that the danger to the public was "negligible." Four years after the incident, an RFA undercover film crew traveled to the site to investigate safety conditions in the area. RFA's team learned that local residents remain woefully ignorant of the danger of nuclear waste, even though waste from the power plant is dumped at a site that is five kilometers from where they live. RFA found also that, in order to prevent the rise of popular discontent in the aftermath of the 2010 radioactive leak, local authorities have been providing generous monthly living subsidies to those living within the immediate vicinity of the plant to quell discontent and concerns among locals. RFA's four-part multimedia series also explores safety issues surrounding Guangdong's Huizhou Nuclear Power Plant, one of 26 nuclear power plants under construction in China. The majority of local residents interviewed by RFA were only vaguely aware, if at all, of the existence of the nuclear plant, much less the health risks of living close by. China is in the midst of a serious push to expand its nuclear power industry to lessen reliance on fossil fuels. What is troubling, especially in the post-Fukushima era, is that there does not exist in the country a comprehensive national program to provide citizens with information on possible public health hazards in their communities; nor have the authorities established emergency plans and response mechanisms in the event of a nuclear accident. Previous years' contest winners in radio include CBS News Radio, CNN Radio, Public Radio International's The World (WGBH), and National Public Radio. This occasion marks the first time RFA has won a Sigma Delta Chi. Awards will be presented to recipients at a reception to be held on June 26 at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. # # # Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA's broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to "seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers." RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. Rohit Mahajan | Radio Free Asia | Media Relations Manager <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org | O: 202.530.4976 | M: 202.489.8021

10 years, 1 month

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RFA Breaking News: Tibetan Man Dies in Second Self-Immolation Protest This Month

by Paul Eckert

Tibetan Man Dies in Second Self-Immolation Protest This Month April 16, 2015 - A Tibetan man burned himself to death in western China’s Sichuan province on Wednesday in the second self-immolation protest this month against Beijing’s rule in Tibetan areas, sources said. Nei Kyab, believed to be in his 50s, set himself ablaze on April 15 in the courtyard of his home in Soruma village, Choejema town, in Ngaba (in Chinese, Aba) county in the Ngaba Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, a local source told RFA’s Tibetan Service. “He was protesting against Chinese policies in Tibet,” RFA’s source said, adding, “His body was taken away by police.” Before staging his fiery protest, Kyab had set out offerings on an altar with photos of exiled spiritual leader the Dalai Lama and the Panchen Lama, Tibetan Buddhism’s second-highest ranking spiritual leader. “He had also sent a photo of himself holding a flower to a friend a few days before his protest,” the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity. The present Panchen Lama was recognized as a young boy by the Dalai Lama but was detained, together with his family, by Chinese authorities and vanished into China. A second Panchen candidate, selected by Beijing and enthroned in 1995, is unpopular in Tibet and lives outside the region. Father of seven Kyab, whose wife died last year, is survived by seven children, RFA’s source said. “He had received [religious] recognition for his vow not to harm others in personal disputes—a vow that he took in honor of all those who have sacrificed themselves in self-immolation protests for the cause of Tibetan freedom” the source said. A brother-in-law, Dargye, was one of two men who self-immolated in a similar protest in Tibet’s regional capital Lhasa in May 2012, he said. Separately, a Tibetan living in exile confirmed Kyab’s protest and death, citing local sources. “On April 15, a Tibetan named Nei Kyab, also called Damkar, an ex-monk of the Adue Yak monastery, burned himself to death in Ngaba,” the source, Ngaba Choephel, told RFA. Kyab’s self-immolation was the 139th in Tibetan areas of China since the wave of fiery protests began in February 2009, and the second to take place this month. On April 8, a 47-year-old Tibetan woman, Yeshi Khando, set herself ablaze and died in Sichuan’s Kardze (Ganzi) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture after calling out for freedom and the Dalai Lama’s long life, sources said in an earlier report. Reported by Lhuboom for RFA’s Tibetan Service. Translated by Karma Dorjee. Written in English by Richard Finney. View this s tory online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/tibet/second-04162015130336.html Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news , information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA ’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org . To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to engnews-join(a)rfanews.org . ##### All media inquiries may be sent to Rohit Mahajan at mahajanr(a)rfa.org .

10 years, 1 month

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RFA Breaking News: Karmapa says Reincarnation, Successor Question is Up to the Dalai Lama

by Paul Eckert

Karmapa says Reincarnation, Successor Question is Up to the Dalai Lama April 15, 2015 - The Dalai Lama is the only one who can decide the matter of his reincarnation, a senior Tibetan lama said on Wednesday in an effective rejection of China's insistence that the communist rulers of Beijing have the authority to select the next leader of Tibetan Buddhism. The 17th Karmapa told RFA's Tibetan Service in an interview that he had "complete belief and trust in the future decision" on on a successor to be made by the 79-year-old Dalai Lama, who has lived in exile since 1959. The Dalai Lama speculated earlier this year that he might not reincarnate, thus ending his spiritual lineage. China, keen to engineer a process that produces a pro-Beijing monk as the spiritual leader of Tibetans, reacted angrily to that suggestion, insisting that the officially atheist Chinese government was the only one with the authority to make that decision. The 29-year-old Karmapa said, however, that the decision rests with the Dalai Lama and he was confident that the globe-trotting Nobel laureate would make the right choice. “In Tibetan traditions, we don’t talk much about the reincarnation of a living master," he told RFA in an interview in Washington during a tour of the United States. "However, now many questions are being generated. In my view, it is only the Dalai Lama himself who should decide about his future reincarnation. So I am confident and have full trust in his decision. There are many presumptive statements and guess works, but I am not worried," he said. The Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje, head of the Karma Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism and one of Tibet’s highest-ranking religious figures, escaped from Tibet into India in 2000. He has since established himself in exile, and is considered close to the Dalai Lama. The dispute over the Dalai Lama's reincarnation is not the first time China has clashed with Tibetans over their traditional method of identifying future religious leaders. In 1995, Beijing named Gyaincain Norbu as the Panchen Lama in a retaliatory action after the exiled Dalai Lama identified another child, six-year-old Gendun Choekyi Nyima, as the reincarnation of the widely venerated religious figure, who died in 1989. But Chinese authorities have had difficulty persuading Tibetans to accept Gyaincain Norbu as the official face of Tibetan Buddhism in China, and monks in monasteries traditionally loyal to the Dalai Lama remain reluctant to receive him. In a tour of Tibet last August, Chinese authorities threatened punishment of Tibetan monks who refused to turn up for his official public appearances. Reported by Dorjee Damdul for RFA's Tibetan Service. Translated by Karma Dorjee. Written in English by Paul Eckert. View this s tory online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/tibet/tibet-karmapa-04152015172528.html Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news , information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA ’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org . To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to engnews-join(a)rfanews.org . ##### All media inquiries may be sent to Rohit Mahajan at mahajanr(a)rfa.org .

10 years, 1 month

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RFA Breaking News: Tibetan Nun in Kardze Stages Self-Immolation Protest Over Chinese Policies

by Paul Eckert

Tibetan Nun in Kardze Stages Self-Immolation Protest Over Chinese Policies April 10, 2015 - A 47-year-old Tibetan nun set herself on fire in China's Sichuan province this week in a protest against Chinese repression in the Himalayan Buddhist region, local sources and acquaintances told Radio Free Asia. Yeshi Khando, a nun at Chokri Ngagong nunnery in the Kardze ( in Chinese, Ganzi) Tibetan Autonomous Region, who is believed to have died after Wednesday's incident, is the 138th Tibetan to set herself ablaze since 2009 to stage a self-immolation protest. "She did it after she completed her circumambulation around the Kardze monastery on Wednesday," a local source told RFA's Tibetan service. "She called for the return of the Dalai Lama and also for his long life. She also called for the freedom for Tibet," the source added. The fiery protest took place on Wednesday morning at Kubushan, close to Kardze's prison and police station . The sources identified Yeshi Khado as a nun of Chokri Ngagong located in Draggo (in Chinese, Luhuo) county in Kardze Prefecture. "Not long after she set her body on fire, she fell to the ground and then police arrived and carried her body away in a vehicle," a second source told RFA. "The relatives approached the authorities for the body but they were not give the custody of her body. Those who witnessed the scene are almost certain that she did not survive the fiery protest," the second source added. "Be happy and have fun" A Tibetan monk from Yeshi Khado's monastery in Draggo, who now lives in Australia, told RFA that the nun had visited the monastery on the night before her self-immolation to meet friends. "She casually told those present that they should be happy and have fun. She also said that they have to do something for Tibet’s cause, including self immolation," he said. "But no one present suspected her plan," the monk said. "Yeshi Khado was a very simple and accomplished nun with sound judgment who had completed good practice. She is humble and friendly with others,” he recalled of the nun. The website of the exiled Central Tibetan Administration reported that Chinese security forces arrived shortly after the incident and seized her body. It said there was uncertainty about whether the nun had died. “Chinese authorities have summoned (her) family to the police station on 9 April to inform them that she has died. However, they refused to hand over her body to the family members. So, it’s quite difficult to ascertain whether she is dead or alive,” said the report from Dharamsala-based CTA. Tibet’s spiritual leader the Dalai Lama fled Tibet into exile in India in the midst of an uprising against Chinese rule in March 1959. Beijing has repeatedly accused exiled Tibetans, including the 79-year-old Dalai Lama, of stoking separatist dissent ever since. Sporadic demonstrations challenging Chinese rule have continued in Tibetan-populated areas of China since widespread protests swept the region in 2008. The self-immolations were committed to show opposition to Beijing’s rule and call for the Dalai Lama’s return. Reported by Yangdon Tsering and Lhuboom of RFA’s Tibetan Service. Translated by Karma Dorjee. Written in English by Paul Eckert. View this s tory online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/tibet/tibet-nun-04102015095505.html Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news , information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA ’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org . To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to engnews-join(a)rfanews.org . ##### All media inquiries may be sent to Rohit Mahajan at mahajanr(a)rfa.org .

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RFA Breaking News: Myanmar Army Commits Rapes, Beatings, Killings of Kokang People: Refugees

by Paul Eckert

Myanmar Army Commits Rapes, Beatings, Killings of Kokang People: Refugees March 25, 2015 - Refugees in the conflict-torn Kokang region of Shan State have accused Myanmar government troops of gang rape, beatings and shootings of unarmed civilians, in a bid to terrorize the local population since fighting with rebel forces began on Feb. 9. Kokang refugee Liu Zhengxiang, who frequently returns from China's neighboring province of Yunnan to take care of animals at her home in Shiyuanzi on the Myanmar side of the border, said groups of Myanmar government soldiers are roaming around, using rape, beatings and shootings as a weapon of war against local people. "The Myanmar army...comes at night, when you can't see them, because they think that the local people are working for [rebel commander] Peng Jiasheng," Liu said. "If they see a woman, they will rape her," she said. "They tie her hands up with wire, twisted tight with pliers, so that it tears into her flesh. When they are done raping her, they let her go." Liu said the groups of soldiers are attacking civilians in the belief that they are Peng's soldiers, even if they are unarmed. "Some of Peng's troops don't wear uniform, so when the Myanmar army sees them, especially if they are young, they assume they are Peng's people." Photos obtained by RFA from the region in recent weeks have shown young women fighting in Peng's Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) forces. However, the women in the photos wore green military uniforms. The MNDAA is trying to retake the Kokang self-administered zone in northeastern Myanmar's Shan that it had controlled until 2009. Raping women, beating men Liu said men were also being targeted by Myanmar government forces for violent attacks. "If they see a man, they tie them up and beat them with a wooden stick," she said. She said she had witnessed the shooting of a 70-year-old civilian by Myanmar soldiers on a recent trip home. "They shot two of his toes off as he was getting into a vehicle, but he hadn't managed to shut the door yet," Liu said. Xu Yong, a refugee who escaped to Yunnan from Yanjiaozhai village on the Myanmar side of the border, said he had witnessed an attack by government troops in the village on March 19 . "They smashed in doors and beat up anyone they saw," Xu told RFA in a recent interview. "They pointed their guns at the local people, and pushed them into a huddle in an open space in the village." "Four people were killed and 13 people were wounded, and two people are missing," he said. Massacres in Kokang Kokang high school teacher Qiu Yongbin, currently based in Yunnan's Nansan township and helping teach refugee children at the Border Marker No. 125 refugee camp, said the army is 'massacring' local people. "Wherever they go, they massacre whole villages, massacre them," Qiu said. "If you give me a sniper rifle, I'll go and join in the war." Qiu said the ethnic Chinese of Kokang aren't treated as Myanmar citizens in their own country, and carry ID cards identifying them as "not citizens of this country." Fellow Kokang refugee Liu Xiaowen said local residents who hadn't been attacked by government troops had had their homes ransacked and their belongings stolen by them. "They've been in charge of this country for several decades now, but they have never treated Kokang people as their own people," Liu Xiaowen said. "They treat us like the enemy, and they steal our stuff." Liu said hunger is becoming a widespread problem among the estimated 100,000 cilivians displaced from the border region by the conflict. "If they are hungry, they'll steal," he said. "The elderly and the children are starving, and they don't want to watch them die." "So they have to steal. The only alternative is to go and get food from Kokang, and risk getting beaten to death by the Myanmar army." Refugee Fang Yongwen, who ran a prosperous supermarket in the once-bustling regional capital Laukkai, said local people now fear for their lives on the Myanmar side of the border. "Things are tough here, but it's better to stay alive," Fang said. "Over there, there's no guarantee that you'll live." "When Peng Jiasheng was in charge, Laukkai ruled its own affairs... and excluded the Myanmar army, who act without reason." Tensions in the region are running high amid a relative lull in fighting between government and rebel forces, as a major government assault is widely expected in the next few days, sources said. A Kokang resident on the Myanmar side of the border said sporadic shelling and gunfire bursts had been heard, but that another government attack is expected soon. "The Myanmar army is going to launch an attack, but we're still only talking about surrounding and taking rebel positions," he said. "There's no way they can wage all-out war." In Nansan, China's armed police and People's Liberation Army (PLA) have stepped up patrols, a resident surnamed Zhang told RFA. "The PLA is all in position here now, an they have anti-missile missiles," Zhang said. "The guesthouse next door to our house has been totally taken over by PLA soldiers." "There are helicopters filling up the sports field at the school," Zhang said, adding: "China is prepared, and we are pretty safe here." Reported by Xin Lin and Qiao Long for RFA's Mandarin Service. Translated and written in English by Luisetta Mudie. View this s tory online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/myanmar/myanmar-kokang-03252015123347.html Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news , information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA ’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org . To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to engnews-join(a)rfanews.org . ##### All media inquiries may be sent to Rohit Mahajan at mahajanr(a)rfa.org .

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