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RFA BREAKING NEWS: Kokang Rebels Recruiting Chinese Nationals as Mercenaries in Yunnan: Sources

by Joshua Lipes

Kokang Rebels Recruiting Chinese Nationals as Mercenaries in Yunnan: Sources March 24, 2015 - Rebel forces fighting Myanmar government troops in the Kokang border region of Shan state are actively recruiting Chinese nationals as mercenaries to boost their numbers, RFA has learned. While the Myanmar government has strongly denied the involvement of Chinese mercenaries in the conflict with the rebels, military recruiter Lu Wei said he is currently offering a sign-up package to former soldiers demobilized from China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) to join rebel Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) forces. Chinese mercenaries are being offered 30,000 yuan (U.S. $4,830) to sign up for periods of at least a month with the MNDAA and allied military groups, according to middle man Lu Wei. It was unclear which faction of MNDAA rebels was doing the recruiting-that of ageing leader Peng Jiasheng, or that of commander Bai Suocheng, who has closer ties with the Myanmar government. But Lu, who is based in Nansan township in China's southwestern province of Yunnan, said the recruitment drive didn't seem to be working. "We have been trying to hire people but nobody wants to go," he told RFA in a recent interview in Yunnan. "They have their own network, and they just leave a phone number," Lu said. "If you fight for them, they pay 1,000 yuan (U.S. $160) a day." He said some people had discovered the rate of pay by calling the number. "They will pay 30,000 yuan as a sign-up fee, and you have to get to Nansan or Mengding, and someone crosses the border to meet you," Lu said. "You can take two companions with you, and one of them takes your money away [for safe-keeping] and then you go with them," he said. "You get to go home after fighting with them for a month, and if you still want to carry on fighting, they will pay you 1,000 yuan a day," Lu said. But he said not many Chinese were taking up the offer. "They're only paying 30,000 yuan, and you're not going there on holiday; you're going to fight in a war," Lu said. "If you die, it will have been for nothing." Child soldiers Lu said Myanmar's army currently enlists boys as young as 13 to be soldiers, and never allows them to be demobilized, only on leave with the possibility of recall. "Some people don't want their kids to be soldiers, so they send them to live in China when they're about one or two years old, and they never go back," said Lu, who was himself brought to live in Yunnan at a young age by his parents after being born in Kokang. "If you never go back, you're no longer a Kokang, and they take them after six years of schooling to be soldiers in Kokang," he said. "You might have more freedom in China, but it means you can't see your parents again for the rest of your life." Asked if the MNDAA under Peng and Bai Suocheng still practices conscription, Lu said: "Yes, they are all pressed into the army." He said much of the lives of the "soldiers" is taken up with regular farming and food production, however. "It's like being a farmer over here [in China]," Lu said. "You pick sugar cane and harvest grain all day." Sympathy for Kokangs Lin Wucheng, a young man who was born in Kokang but is now living in Yunnan, said there is strong sympathy for the Kokang rebel cause among China's military and armed police forces. "Last time I went to the border, I saw [the rebel fighters] had taken off their uniforms and swapped clothes with local people ... and then they went up to talk with the [Chinese border police] and then the police gave them a route through, where they could drop down out of the mountains," Lin said. "Things were pretty tense, and everyone who passed through gave seven or eight packs of good cigarettes to the [Chinese] armed police," he said. A volunteer for a charity in the border region surnamed Luo said Kokang military vehicles had also been seen helping civilian refugees get to their destination amid the conflict. "You have no idea how close the relationship is between ordinary people [and the Kokang rebel fighters]," Luo said. "That's why I don't think the Myanmar army can win this war, because wherever they go, the population isn't on their side, so the fighting will never end," he said. "I don't know how many people are going to die; this could go on for another 50 years," he said. Rebel allies Meanwhile, the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), which is allied with the MNDAA but has remained in its own territory, engaged government troops in fierce fighting on Sunday and Monday, with heavy casualties on the government side, a KIA spokesman told RFA on Tuesday. "There has been fighting in our mountains yesterday and the day before," the spokesman, who gave only a surname Pai, said. "Our military commanders are holding a meeting because the government troops have come to search the mountains [for rebels], leading to clashes between the two sides," he said. "Yesterday it was in the direction of Nongdao." Pai added: "There were some casualties on their side yesterday, maybe seven dead or injured, but none on our side." "The fighting ended at around 3:00 p.m. yesterday afternoon," he said. Rebel commander Peng Jiasheng launched a bid to retake the rugged and mountainous region of Shan state on Feb. 9, beginning in the Kokang regional capital Laukkai. Tens of thousands of displaced civilians in northern Myanmar's conflict-riven Kokang region and across the Chinese border face worsening conditions and uncertainty over whether cease-fire talks will take place, sources have said. Refugee camps In the No. 125 Border Marker camp on the Kokang side, the majority of makeshift tents and dwellings housing refugees had leaked badly in a recent storm, as the rainy season began, aid workers said. "All of the tents had rain leaking through them so we couldn't sleep," Protestant missionary surnamed Li said on Tuesday. "We need to rebuild the housing, and we should move higher up to do it, because we are right next to a river here, and it's not safe," Li said. "We are going to need a large amount of tarpaulin if we are going to do this," he added. "We will also need to build a bigger store to keep the grain, rice and salt at the very least; the basics we need to survive." A Kokang resident surnamed Yuan, who lives between the No. 125 camp and Laukkai, said there had been a lull in the fighting around the regional capital since Monday. "We have returned to our home, which is not far from Laukkai," Yuan said. "A lot of people have come back here from the border, although some stayed behind in Border Marker No. 125 camp." Father-son split He said security was tight in Laukkai, with police on patrol on the city's streets, and the son of Myanmar army-backed Kokang leader Bai Suocheng was running it. "Bai Suocheng's son is commanding the plainclothes security operation," Yuan said. "He is pro-government." Bai, who was put in charge of the Kokang army after Peng was deposed following the 2009 Kokang fighting, left the region shortly after Peng's Feb. 9 offensive began. "The army is definitely going to make a general attack in the next few days to try to wipe out the alliance in the mountainous regions," Yuan said. "I think they have been discussing a change in their strategy for this war in the past couple of days." Reported by Xin Lin and Qiao Long for RFA's Mandarin Service. Translated and written in English by Luisetta Mudie. View this story online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/myanmar/recruit-03242015121255.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.

10 years, 2 months

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Breaking News: Fresh Cross-Border Bombs Reported in China-Myanmar Border War

by Paul Eckert

Spam detection software, running on the system "rfanews", has identified this incoming email as possible spam. The original message has been attached to this so you can view it or label similar future email. If you have any questions, see the administrator of that system for details. Content preview: Fresh Cross-Border Bombs Reported in China-Myanmar Border War March 21 - Authorities in the southwestern Chinese province of Yunnan are investigating a group of unexploded bombs that fell on the mountainous and rugged border with Myanmar, where fighting between government troops and Kokang rebels has intensified in the past week. [...] Content analysis details: (6.3 points, 5.0 required) pts rule name description ---- ---------------------- -------------------------------------------------- 0.0 RCVD_IN_SORBS_DUL RBL: SORBS: sent directly from dynamic IP address [98.218.246.69 listed in dnsbl.sorbs.net] 3.6 RCVD_IN_PBL RBL: Received via a relay in Spamhaus PBL [98.218.246.69 listed in zen.spamhaus.org] 1.3 RCVD_IN_RP_RNBL RBL: Relay in RNBL, https://senderscore.org/blacklistlookup/ [98.218.246.69 listed in bl.score.senderscore.com] 0.0 HTML_MESSAGE BODY: HTML included in message 1.3 RDNS_NONE Delivered to internal network by a host with no rDNS 0.2 SHORT_HELO_AND_INLINE_IMAGE Short HELO string, with inline image The original message was not completely plain text, and may be unsafe to open with some email clients; in particular, it may contain a virus, or confirm that your address can receive spam. If you wish to view it, it may be safer to save it to a file and open it with an editor.

10 years, 2 months

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Breaking News: More Than 100 Myanmar Soldiers Dead in Assault on Rebel Position

by Paul Eckert

More Than 100 Myanmar Soldiers Dead in Assault on Rebel Position March 19 - Intense fighting between Myanmar government troops and rebel forces in the northern Shan State region of Kokang in recent days has left at least 100 people dead, the majority of them on the government side, local sources told RFA on Thursday. Fighting intensified on three fronts around the Kokang regional capital Laukkai, currently held by the army, since Sunday, local residents said. "I heard the shelling start up this morning after breakfast, and it hasn't stopped since," a Kokang resident, who declined to be named, told RFA. "Every five or 10 minutes, a shell sounds, continually now, in the direction of Dongshantou," the resident said. Online reports said the government has been using heavy artillery in the Koutangshan district of Kokang, in the fiercest assault on the rebel Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) since it launched its bid on Feb. 9 to retake the Kokang self-administered zone that it had controlled until 2009. The assault has also cost the Myanmar army heavily in terms of casualties as they try to assault rebel positions in the rugged and mountainous region close to the Chinese border. "More than 70 Myanmar government soldiers died when the Myanmar army attacked the rebel forces," a second local resident told RFA. "It was from an attack the army launched on a rebel position that was easy to defend and hard to storm," he said, adding: "I had friends there, and they told me about it." "The people who live in Gunlong city saw it with their own eyes." Separately, allied forces clearing up after a battle at Koutangshan said they had counted some 40 bodies of government soldiers. Photos of the scene obtained by RFA showed dead bodies in military uniform, some with missing limbs, or in parts. The casualties came after a battle between some 1,250 government troops massed at five locations near Koutangshan. The rebel stronghold was manned by around 440 fighters, none of whom have access to heavy weaponry or air cover. According to the official Global New Light of Myanmar , government troops on Wednesday drove away six groups of Kokang rebels that had attempted to attack Laukkai. The report said the military, supported by air strikes, captured five hilltops along the Kokang rebel defense line on Wednesday, "forcing the insurgents to withdraw to the east of the region." During the operation, government troops seized a variety of drugs, as well as the bodies of three rebels and small arms, it said, adding that a total of 13 military officers and other ranks were killed in the fighting and 28 others were injured. MNDAA spokesman Tun Myat Linn confirmed to RFA's Myanmar Service that fighting occurred "throughout the day" on Wednesday, with the military deploying four fighter jets and two helicopters for support. "What we have heard is that many homes and buildings were destroyed by bombs dropped by government planes," he said. Border build-up The first Kokang resident said China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) was maintaining its show of force along the border between Kokang and its southwestern province of Yunnan following the deaths of five Chinese citizens in a bombing incursion into Chinese territory last week. "There are Chinese helicopters patrolling the area," he said, in a reference to frequent PLA sorties following the cross-border attack on March 14 that prompted a military build-up in Yunnan and stern warnings from Beijing. Myanmar's government has offered to pay 70,000 yuan (U.S. $11,300) for each victim of the bombing, compared with just 20,000 yuan (U.S. $3,230) a head paid to similar accidental victims inside its own borders, local sources said. The offer sparked a furious backlash among China's Internet users, who amid a climate of anti-Myanmar feeling, slammed the offer as far too low. One of the victims' relatives, who asked to remain anonymous, said they wouldn't accept the offer. "People don't agree with this; we spoke to the family, and they said definitely not," the relative said. "We hope the government will help us to get justice, and better treatment, so that they can address the issue of their future livelihoods," he said. A social media commentator nicknamed Wang Ye said they were surprised to hear about the compensation offer, given that Myanmar had refused to admit that it dropped the bombs. "Don't tell me the Myanmar government intends this as a friendly gesture, to pick up the bill for the rebel alliance," the user wrote. Meanwhile, social media user Feng Hua said the amount was too low. "Can 70,000 yuan pay for a human life? It should be at least two million yuan (U.S. $322,800) per person." But Kokang residents said 70,000 yuan seemed like an enormous sum from their side of the border. "It's not bad, actually," a third Kokang resident told RFA. "We wouldn't get that amount of compensation here in Kokang." "In Myanmar, if you get killed, you get killed." Myanmar president’s office spokesman Ye Htut said he was unable to comment on the source of the bombs that fell on the Chinese side of the border without seeing the sites himself. “Weapon experts from our military went there and took bomb fragments from the fighting area, but the examination is still ongoing,” he said. Ye Htut denied that Myanmar had offered compensation to the families of Chinese citizens killed in the bombing. “I asked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs [on Wednesday] about the news of compensation being offered for killed Chinese citizens and the ministry said they hadn’t made any agreement about it,” he said. “Myanmar doesn’t intend to wage a war of aggression against China or any other country … China and Myanmar are working together to determine what happened, as our relationship remains very good.” He said the government was working to return refugees who have fled the clashes to their homes as soon as stability returns to the region. Refugees Tens of thousands of civilians have been displaced or made homeless by the fighting in Kokang, with many of the ethnic Chinese minority fleeing across the border, when permitted to do so by Chinese border guards. At their peak, the number of refugees streaming into China was estimated at 100,000, although many appear to have returned to Myanmar after being pressured to do so by dwindling supplies and border restrictions. China has on occasion closed sections of the border and refugees without their own financial resources now find it hard to enter Chinese territory. "There are more than 2,000 people here right now," a volunteer aid worker surnamed Zhao at a refugee camp on the Myanmar side near the No. 125 border post told RFA on Thursday. "Those who have the money have all gone to Nansan, in China." He said an eight-year-old Kokang girl seriously injured in a shell blast in a crowded marketplace earlier this month is now on the road to recovery at a hospital in Nansan, after losing two brothers in the blast. "She has woken up from her coma and is able to play now," Zhao said. "But she still needs further surgery to her head, because there is shrapnel inside." "It has cost more than 20,000 yuan [for her treatment] so far." Supplies and medical treatment for refugees is largely being financed in China by the Chinese Red Cross, but services on the Myanmar side are dependent on donations. Reported by Qiao Long for RFA's Mandarin Service and by Pyone Moh Moh Zin and Khin Khin Ei for the Myanmar Service. Translated by Luisetta Mudie and Khet Mar. Written in English by Luisetta Mudie and Joshua Lipes. View this s tory online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/myanmar/assault-03192015113203.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, 2 months

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Breaking news: Chinese Police Shoot Seven Uyghurs Dead Following Fatal Xinjiang Knife Attack

by Paul Eckert

Chinese Police Shoot Seven Uyghurs Dead Following Fatal Xinjiang Knife Attack March 18 - Authorities in northwestern China’s restive Xinjiang region have shot dead seven ethnic Uyghurs who hacked a local armed forces commander and two members of his family to death, as well as a security guard who came to their aid, near the Silk Road city of Kashgar, according to local sources. Police in Kashgar's Yarkand (in Chinese, Shache) county are investigating the March 8 attack in the county seat which killed Tagharchi township People's Armed Police department head Fang Kezheng, 40, his wife and her uncle, and Uyghur security guard Batur Memet, 33, sources said. Turap Emet, police chief of Yarkand’s Igerchi township, told RFA's Uyghur Service he had received confirmation of the attack from county authorities. “That evening, Fan Kezheng, his wife, his daughter and his wife’s uncle were returning to their home from a restaurant in the Yarkand county township bazaar and as they walked towards their car, parked in front of the former armed forces department, they were suddenly attacked on the road,” he said. According to Emet, the attackers surprised Fang, who was wearing a uniform, and he did not have time to react or draw his gun. “Four of the seven attackers slashed Fang, killing him, while the other three chased after his wife and her uncle, and hacked them to death,” he said. “For some reason, they spared Fang’s daughter ... but they killed Batur Memet, who had run towards the scene of the attack [to assist Fang’s family].” Emet said police arrived at the scene around 10 minutes after the attack and quickly engaged the assailants, killing them in a hail of bullets. A nurse from the Yarkand County People’s Hospital, who spoke to RFA on condition of anonymity, said one Uyghur and three Han Chinese bystanders were shot by police in the confrontation and were brought by authorities to her facility for medical treatment. “All of them were injured by bullets,” she said, without specifying what condition the four were in. “It appeared as if the police were shooting indiscriminately in order to secure the situation quickly, so four people in the area were wounded.” Rahman Obul, the social stability chairman of the local Yarkand county township government, told RFA that all of the attackers were from Yarkand’s Beshkent township, where he said a Uyghur woman had been shot and killed by police in an incident days before the attack on Fang and his family. “Fang Kezheng was among the police [involved in the Beshkent shooting],” he said, without providing details of the incident. “Was Fang Kezheng targeted because he played an active role in that campaign? … We cannot know, because all of the attackers [in the March 8 incident] were killed by police.” He noted that Fang’s nine-year-old daughter had been spared in the attack, and called the case “strange,” adding that it was currently under investigation by local authorities. Information clampdown China's ruling Communist Party, which is running a region-wide anti-terror crackdown in Xinjiang, has so far made no official comment on the incident. Dilxat Raxit, spokesman for the Germany-based World Uyghur Congress (WUC) told RFA's Mandarin Service that the incident, which took place during a politically sensitive parliamentary session in Beijing last week, had been kept out of China's tightly controlled media. He said local sources told the WUC that “some of the injured” were being treated at the Yarkand County People’s Hospital, but “the actual figures of deaths and injuries are unclear.” “It is my understanding that the injured all had some direct connection to the police force,” he said, without elaborating. Repeated calls to local government offices, a high school and local businesses in Fang’s home township of Tagharchi were immediately cut off after being contacted for comment or confirmation. Local residents said all of Yarkand county had been offline since the death of two Uyghur officials during a riot in late July last year, but that police patrols and identity checks had been increased in the county's town center in recent weeks. “We can't get online in Yarkand county, and there are roadside checks on people's identity,” an employee at a guesthouse in the town center said. Kashgar attack Earlier this week, police shot dead four ethnic minority Uyghurs who carried out a knife attack on a group of Han Chinese outside the popular Chess Room casino in western Xinjiang's Kashgar (in Chinese, Kashi) city, local sources told RFA's Uyghur Service Monday. The reports of the March 12 attack, in which police wounded another two Uyghurs, emerged in spite of a tight media clampdown on the region during the annual meeting of China's National People's Congress (NPC). "The government doesn't report what's going on over in Kashgar," a resident of the Xinjiang capital Urumqi told RFA on Tuesday. "There is often very little unofficial information to come out of there, either." "People who witness incidents in Xinjiang won't dare to talk about them if the government hasn't reported them," the resident said. He said the authorities immediately seal off areas affected by such incidents, preventing travel in and out of the security cordon. 'Anti-terror' campaign Beijing last year intensified its targeting of Uyghurs with an "anti-terror" campaign in the troubled northwestern region of Xinjiang, Amnesty International said in its annual global human rights report. The campaign prompted further restrictions on Uyghurs' practice of Islam, on top of existing widespread discrimination in employment, education, housing and curtailed religious freedom, as well as political marginalization, the group said. As many as 700 people are believed to have been killed in political violence that rocked northwestern China's Xinjiang region from 2013-2014, with ethnic Uyghurs three times as likely as Han Chinese to have lost their lives in clashes, the Washington-based Uyghur Human Rights Project (UHRP) reported earlier this month. Chinese state-controlled media reported less than a third of the clashes that took place in the reporting period, and described more than two-thirds of the 37 incidents it did report on as "terrorist" events, UHRP said. Many Uyghurs living in China and in exile refer to Xinjiang as East Turkestan, as the region came under final control by China only following two short-lived East Turkestan republics in the 1930s and 1940s. Reported by Shohret Hoshur for RFA's Uyghur Service, by Qiao Long for the Mandarin Service, and by Wei Ling for the Cantonese Service. Translated by Luisetta Mudie 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/attack-03182015121024.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, 2 months

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Breaking News: Chinese Police Shoot Four Uyghurs Dead After Casino Knife Attack

by Paul Eckert

Chinese Police Shoot Four Uyghurs Dead After Casino Knife Attack March 16 - Authorities in northwestern China’s restive Xinjiang region have shot dead four ethnic minority Uyghurs who carried out a knife attack on a group of Han Chinese outside a popular casino, according to a police officer and local doctors. The incident, in which police wounded another two Uyghurs, took place on March 12 at the Chess Room casino in western Xinjiang’s Kashgar (in Chinese, Kashi) city, the sources told RFA’s Uyghur Service Monday, confirming the attack despite a media clampdown on the region during the annual meeting of China's annual parliamentary session. “The group tried to attack people inside casino, but they failed to enter because the security guards immediately closed the door, so the group attacked bystanders in front of the establishment,” said a police officer from Kashgar’s Shamalbagh police station, which has jurisdiction over the area. “The place was populated by Han Chinese and eight people were injured,” he said, speaking on condition of anonymity. The group also set fire to two motorcycles and two cars belonging to Han Chinese before authorities arrived and confronted them, he said. “Within 10 minutes, our police reached the area, shooting and killing four of the six attackers,” the officer said. “The eight injured [victims] were transferred to the Kashgar No. 1 Hospital.” Physicians at the hospital confirmed that eight injured Han Chinese had been admitted for medical treatment following the attack. Li Zhuren, head of the emergency department at Kashgar No. 1, said at least two of the victims were in critical condition. “Four of the eight victims were seriously injured in the attack and two of them are currently in critical condition,” he said. “Only two of the four who received less serious wounds have fully recovered and left the hospital, while the other six are still being treated.” Qasimjan Tursun, another doctor at Kashgar No. 1, confirmed that the eight victims had been admitted on March 12, but said he was unclear what had happened to the attackers. “I heard that the two attackers who were captured by police were also wounded in the shooting, but I haven’t seen them among the injured,” he said. “It may be that they were taken to other hospitals. We can’t ask too many questions about such sensitive incidents, but witnesses said one of the two [captured] suspects was seriously injured.” Reports of the attack initially circulated on Chinese social media last week, becoming the fifth incident known to have occurred in the region during the March 3-15 National People’s Congress in Beijing to be revealed that way. Recent attack Last week, officials told RFA that police in Xinjiang’s Hotan (Hetian) prefecture shot and killed as many as seven ethnic Uyghurs who had been “acting suspiciously” while they gathered at a restaurant on March 9, prompting a security clampdown. They said the incident was sparked when members of a county-level state security unit demanded to search the men, prompting one of them to pull a knife and kill a police officer. The incident drew immediate condemnation from the Munich-based World Uyghur Congress (WUC) exile group, which expressed concern that authorities had restricted access to information about the killings. The WUC called on the international community to undertake an independent investigation into the shootings in Hotan, noting that residents in the area had been warned by authorities to remain silent about the incident and to ensure that they don’t disclose any details to the media. China has in recent years launched a series of “strike hard” campaigns in Xinjiang in the name of the fight against separatism, religious extremism and terrorism. The targets of these campaigns, the minority Turkic-speaking, Muslim Uyghurs, complain of pervasive ethnic discrimination, religious repression, and cultural suppression by China’s communist government. Uyghurs say they chafe under strict police scrutiny and controls on their movements and violent clashes with authorities are not uncommon in the region. 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/shooting-03162015173628.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, 2 months

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Breaking News: Two Children Die in Shell Blast At Crowded Kokang Market

by Paul Eckert

Two Children Die in Shell Blast At Crowded Kokang Market March 10 - Two children died, another was left critically ill, and more than 10 other people were injured after a shell exploded at a crowded market in the conflict-torn Kokang region of northern Myanmar on Tuesday , witnesses said. The shell, believed to have been fired by government forces amid intense fighting with ethnic Kokang rebels, hit the New Agricultural and Trading Goods Market in Laukkai on Tuesday morning as it was thronged with civilians and young families, according to medical staff who saw the aftermath. Two brothers were killed outright, while their eight-year-old sister was taken to the neighboring Chinese province of Yunnan for emergency treatment, an aid worker told RFA. "The injured child has already been taken to the county hospital in Nansan," an aid worker surnamed Zhao at the No. 125 Border Post refugee camp said. "No expense will be spared to send her on to the Lincang City Hospital, and if they can't treat her, direct to [the provincial capital] Kunming." He added: "She was about seven or eight. The injuries were to her head." Zhao said the girl's two brothers had been killed outright in the blast. "I was just at the scene, and we took their bodies and cremated them," he said, adding: "It was a terrible scene; I could barely look. I was in tears. This is so inhumane." Photos from the scene seen by RFA showed the dead bodies of the two boys and the girl, apparently unconsciously, being held by her mother. At least 10 injured Zhao said at least 10 people had been sent for medical treatment in China for injuries connected to the shelling. He said he didn't know which side in the conflict, which began in Laukkai on Feb. 9, fired the shell. "All I know is that it was an artillery shell," he said. Local sources told RFA the shell was likely fired by government troops, who have engaged Kokang rebel alliance fighters in intense fighting in an area known in Chinese as Nantianmen Mountain. Heavy shelling resumed on Monday following a temporary cease-fire that lasted less than 24 hours. But according to local residents, the Kokang rebels have no artillery emplacements around Laukkai. They said the shell had likely come from government artillery located in an area outside Laukkai known in Chinese as Mixiangou, and had likely been aimed at rebel forces and gone astray. Fighting began on Feb. 9 in Laukkai between Myanmar government troops and Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) rebel forces. The MNDAA under ethnic Chinese commander Peng Jiasheng is trying to retake the Kokang self-administered zone, which it had controlled until 2009, forcing an estimated 100,000 refugees away from the conflict zone and across the border into China. New refugee facility An aid worker surnamed Li at a refugee camp in Maidihe, which straddles the border, said the authorities in Yunnan appeared to have relented and allowed some 1,000 refugees to re-enter a new facility on the Chinese side after forcing thousands of refugees back to the Myanmar side of the border last week. "We have some 4,000 people on this side, and another 1,000 elsewhere," Li said. "Some 1,000 people have already moved into a refugee camp on the Chinese side." "Some of those who didn't want to go to China have returned to their homes." He said the new camp is called Dayuntang. "They opened up a refugee camp there three days ago," Li said. "It's probably because the fighting has intensified, and because of international pressure," he said. Beijing has been at pains to distance itself from involvement in the Kokang conflict following tensions with Myanmar's ruling military junta over the role played by its citizens in supporting the ethnically Chinese Kokang side. Peng's dangerous gamble Li said many older refugees had refused to go to China because they weren't allowed to take their livestock with them, and there was no-one to care for them in Kokang. The MNDAA is allied with three other ethnic minority armies: the Ta'ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), and part of the Shan State Army (SSA), although the KIA has remained in the region it controls, rather than fighting alongside MNDAA troops. Further south, in the Shan town of Lashio, Chinese-speaking ethnic Kokang residents said Peng may have miscalculated in taking on the army, which has superior fire power and holds the region. A Lashio resident surnamed Li said much of the online debate over the conflict was being framed as a bid for greater autonomy by Myanmar's ethnic Chinese, making Peng's battle for hearts and minds even trickier. "This allows the Myanmar government to claim the higher moral ground of maintaining order," Li said. "It's hard to say that Peng Jiasheng is in the wrong, but he is in the last stage of his life, and he wants to take Laukkai [before he dies]," he said. "He was gambling on other armed ethnic groups taking their cue from him, creating an opportunity in the midst of chaos." "But this time, he has miscalculated, and the gamble hasn't paid off," Li said. Reported by Qiao Long for RFA's Mandarin Service and by Lee Tung for the Mandarin Service. Translated and written in English by Luisetta Mudie. View this s tory online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/myanmar/kokang-shell-03102015132437.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, 3 months

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Breaking News: Businessman Tied to Kokang Rebel Leader Dies in Custody of Myanmar Authorities

by Paul Eckert

Businessman Tied to Kokang Rebel Leader Dies in Custody of Myanmar Authorities March 9 - A prominent ethnic Chinese businessman with family ties to the leader of a rebel group fighting government troops in northern Myanmar’s Shan state has died while in custody of local authorities, prompting speculation he was tortured to death, sources said Monday. Yangon-based Li Guoquan, 60, was secretly arrested by Myanmar’s military intelligence agency on Feb. 23, sources in the city told RFA’s Mandarin Service on the condition of anonymity, adding that it was unclear why he had been taken into custody. Li died after being admitted to the Yangon Military Hospital on March 5 and was buried by his family at a nearby cemetery a day later, they said. Miandian Zaixian (Myanmar Online), a Chinese language news website, claims to have obtained the deceased businessman’s autopsy report, which it said indicated Li’s death was caused by “internal injuries” and “serious damage to internal organs.” Witnesses who were in the hospital with Li also told Myanmar Online that the right side of his face and stomach exhibited severe wounds at the time of his death, prompting the website to question whether he had been tortured to death by intelligence agents while in custody. Sources said Li’s death may have been linked to his ties to ethnic Chinese brother-in-law Peng Deren—the military commander in charge of operations for the rebel Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), which is fighting to retake the Kokang self-administered zone of Shan state it had controlled until 2009. Shan State shares a long rugged border with China’s Yunnan province and a significant segment of people in Kokang are ethnic Chinese. Peng Deren’s father, Peng Jiasheng, leads the MNDAA, but the younger Peng is in charge of the group’s combat operations. The conflict in Kokang flared up on Feb. 9 and has killed more than 100 people and displaced tens of thousands of people. The military may also have suspected Li, who was born in the Kokang region, of financing the Kokang rebels with the wealth he accumulated as a successful businessman, the sources said. The death of the former vice president of both the Yangon Kokang Ethnic Culture Association and the Chinese Business Chamber of Myanmar, has shocked the country’s Chinese community, sources told RFA, adding that the belief that he had been killed was widespread. A source that was close to Li called him a “gentle” person with moderate political views, despite his personal connections to the Peng family. Other sources said that if Li had committed any acts of treason he should have been given a fair and public trial, while his death in custody had conjured up images of life under Myanmar’s former military regime—a contradiction to democratic reforms introduced by President Thein Sein’s quasi-civilian since taking power in 2011. A large number of Myanmar's ethnic Chinese and residents of Kokang disagree with Peng Jiasheng, they said, and would prefer to integrate as citizens of the country. But Li’s death had lent legitimacy to the rebel cause, they added, prompting moderate ethnic Chinese to call their loyalty to the country into question. Recent fighting Li’s death came to light as fighting in Kokang intensified over the weekend, with the military employing air and artillery strikes against rebels, a resident of Kokang told RFA Monday. “The battle raged all day [Sunday] with military aircraft bombing the area intensively,” he said, adding that he was unclear about the number of casualties from the day’s fighting. “When the military airplanes dropped bombs, it looked as if the whole mountain caught fire. Government troops also used artillery [Sunday] but it has been quiet today.” The source said residents of Kokang were required to show their identification to cross the border into China’s Yunnan province and that refugees were being told to use the checkpoint at the Chinese town of Nansan to enter the country. “It is reported that China’s armed police will seal off the border area in two or three days as more and more refugees cross on daily basis,” he said, adding that there are now more than 4,000 refugees living in Nansan. Refugees and aid workers have said Chinese authorities previously offered reliable humanitarian aid to some 100,000 Kokang refugees who fled to Yunnan, but have begun forcing thousands back across the border into Myanmar since last week. Also on Monday, Kokang residents reported that Myanmar’s military aircraft had mistakenly dropped four bombs into Chinese territory during Sunday’s battle. Pictures provided by the residents show individuals dressed like Chinese officials investigating the bomb sites, though China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs had not made any public comments about the alleged incident. Bilateral meetings were held over the weekend in both China and Myanmar with the aim of reducing tensions over the Kokang conflict, the officials Global New Light of Myanmar reported Monday. Officials from the foreign ministries of both nations met in the Shan State border town of Muse on Sunday, while a delegation of the Myanmar-China Friendship Association traveled to Beijing to meet with Liu Zhenmin, the Chinese vice-minister for foreign affairs, along with other officials from March 3-8. Reported by Li Tong and Qian Long for RFA’s Mandarin Service. Translated by Ping Chen and Feng Xiaoming. Written in English by Joshua Lipes. View this s tory online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/myanmar/businessman-03092015181419.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, 3 months

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RFA Launches New Edition of Asian Women's e-Book // *** DC Event at at 12:15 PM (US ET) TODAY ***

by Rohit Mahajan

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 2, 2015 Contact: Rohit Mahajan 202 530 4976 <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org RFA Launches New Edition of Asian Women's e-Book * <http://www.newamerica.org/breadwinning-caregiving/asias-unsung-female-leade rs/> Today at 12:15 ET (US) in Washington, DC, Book Event with Burmese political activist Zin Mar Aung at New America Foundation* WASHINGTON - Ahead of International Women's Day, <http://www.rfa.org/english/> Radio Free Asia (RFA) today launched the second edition of an e-book <http://www.rfa.org/english/bookshelf> profiling women from Asian countries and regions under authoritarian rule taking up the fight for human rights on their families' and communities' behalf. 'It's not OK' collects and presents additional portraits of these remarkable individuals, whose often untold stories demonstrate courage under fire, in China, Southeast Asia, and North Korea. The book is available for free on the iTunes Store <https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/itsnotok-2ndedition/id972140033?mt=11> and Google Play <https://play.google.com/store> . "For women living in Asian countries under strict authoritarian rule, the challenges of fighting for human rights can be immense," said Libby Liu, President of RFA. "These fearless individuals must contend with rigid social norms, little representation in government, and few legal protections, at great cost to themselves and their families. "That is why it is especially important to know and share their stories. Awareness and attention can help protect them, improve their situation, and advance their cause." Portraits selected by RFA's nine language services are based on RFA reporting and interviews over the years, in addition to other sources. The e-book also features multimedia content, including video interviews, graphics, and illustrations, the latter of which were created by the Broadcasting Board of Governor's <http://www.innovation-series.com/tag/oddi/> Office of Digital & Design Innovation (ODDI). The new portraits in this edition are: women's advocate and poverty activist Susanna Hla Hla Soe (Myanmar); jailed mother Nurungul Tohti (China's Uyghur region); UK born Tibetan advocate Dechen Pema; jailed veteran journalist Gao Yu (China); anti-human trafficking activist Tran Thi Nga (Vietnam); land grab activist Sivanxai Phommalath (Laos); and Park Sun-young (South Korea), an advocate of North Korean defectors. # # # 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, 3 months

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RFA Breaking News: Myanmar Says Kokang Rebels Getting Help from China’s Side of Border

by Paul Eckert

Myanmar Says Kokang Rebels Getting Help from China’s Side of Border FEB. 26, 2015 - Myanmar has evidence that Kokang rebels fighting government troops in weeks of deadly clashes in northeastern Shan State are getting arms, food and medical care from nearby China, the government spokesman said on Thursday. Minister of Information Ye Htut stopped short, however, of accusing China’s central government of supporting the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) rebel forces under ethnic Chinese commander Peng Jiasheng. The conflict flared up on Feb. 9 and has killed more than 100 people and displaced tens of thousands of people. “We believe the PRC government has policies to follow the Five Basic Principles for Peaceful Co-existence. However, we now have questions on how closely the local government and business circles in the border regions adhere to these policies,” Ye Htut told RFA’s Myanmar Service in an interview. Peng's MNDAA, which is trying to retake the Kokang self-administered zone that it had controlled until 2009, has denied receiving Chinese help and rejected earlier Myanmar government claims that Chinese mercenaries are fighting alongside rebel forces in Kokang. But Ye Htut said “the evidence we had gotten proved that the arms supplies, their food rations, and treatment of their injured are not from Myanmar territory. So we wonder how much the regional-level authorities on their (China’s) side ‘control’ themselves.” 'Arms traders and drug smugglers' Myanmar has been reaching out to China to share information and cooperate on the conflict, he said. “It would be more accurate to say groups on the other side of the border rather than saying Chinese,” said Ye Htut. Shan State shares a long rugged border with China’s Yunnan province and a significant segment of people in Kokang are ethnic Chinese. “We are going to feed them with necessary information and cooperate with them so they can stand correctly in accordance with their policies,” he added. China denies having anything to do with the MNDAA or the current fight in Kokang. Amid confusion and competing claims over casualties, Ye Htut said Myanmar’s army “only announces the statistics depending on the bodies they found and so is closer to reality” while MNDAA “would not admit high casualties to avoid bringing their morale down.” Ye Htut reiterated Myanmar’s stance that it will not negotiate with the MNDAA and Peng, who published an open letter to President Thein Sein this week requesting talks. “We have no reason to hold talks with criminals, murderers, arms traders and drug smugglers,” he told RFA. Reported by Khin Khin Ei for RFA’s Myanmar Service. Translated by Khin Maung Nyane. Written in English by Paul Eckert. View this story online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/myanmar/ye-htut-kokang-02262015162400.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, 3 months

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RFA Breaking News: Cambodia Deports Spanish Environmental Activist After Visa Row

by Paul Eckert

Cambodia Deports Spanish Environmental Activist After Visa Row FEB. 23, 2015 - Cambodia on Monday deported a Spanish environmentalist who had led a campaign against a controversial dam project, rejecting appeals from opposition politicians and NGOs and putting the activist on black list that may prevent his return to the country. Alejandro Gonzalez-Davidson, director of the NGO Mother Nature Cambodia, was put on a plane to Thailand Monday night, three days after his visa had expired, said Ministry of Interior spokesman Khieu Sopheak. “Alejandro Gonzalez-Davidson was given a notice for deportation from Cambodia. We ousted him from Cambodia,” Khieu Sopheak told RFA's Khmer service. “At around 9 pm, he was deported from the international airport, and was going to Bangkok,” the spokesman added. The Khmer-speaking Gonzalez-Davidson had long campaigned against the planned Chhay Areng hydropower dam in Koh Kong province. The 108-megawatt dam is backed by ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) lawmaker Lao Meng Khin and his wife, who have evicted thousands of families from land around the country. Gonzalez-Davidson’s supporters in the Cambodia NGO community say the dam would force more than 300 ethnic minority families off of their ancestral land and would destroy the habitat of endangered animals. They said the government wanted Gonzalez-Davidson expelled to prevent him from organizing any further opposition to the U.S. $400 million dam project, which is to be built by China’s Sinohydro Corporation. Abuse of NGO status Interior Ministry spokesman Khieu Sopheak, however, said Gonzalez-Davidson had abused his NGO’s status last year when he had set up road blocks that prevented local authorities from traveling in the district. “We don’t want to implement legal actions; this is the last option,” he said. “We received complaints from Koh Kong authorities, and demanded that Alejandro Gonzalez-Davidson must be deported,” said Khieu Sopheak. Gonzalez-Davidson, who had refused to leave when his visa expired Friday and said he would await forced deportation, is unlikely to be allowed back into Cambodia, said Khieu Sopheak. “When we issued a removal notice, he was registered on a black list,” he said. The deportation came after Prime Minister Hun Sen on Monday lashed out against the opposition party for asking the Cambodia’s King to intervene in the deportation. Road block angers officials Hun Sen asked NGOs and politician not to get involved in the case of Gonzalez-Davidson and asked the Spaniard to leave the country. “Regardless of (whether they are) foreigners or Cambodians those who abuse the law will be prosecuted,” he said. Monday’s decision marked the first time a worker with a foreign NGO was prevented from entering the country since Global Witness staff members were denied visas in 2005. On Feb. 17, opposition politicians and a group of 31 local rights groups, unions, communities and associations issued a statement urging the government to reverse course on a decision announced the previous week not to renew Gonzalez-Davidson’s visa. In September, authorities briefly detained 11 local environmental activists, including Gonzalez-Davidson, for blocking a road and preventing Koh Kong provincial governor Phon Lyvirak and Chinese experts from visiting the Chhay Areng dam project site. Gonzalez-Davidson told RFA at the time that villagers set up the road block after receiving information that Chinese experts and officials were traveling to the province to conduct studies on the impact of the dam, adding they did not believe the studies would be conducted fairly. Reported by RFA's Khmer Service. Translated by Samean Yun. Written by Paul Eckert. View this story online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/cambodia/spanish-02232015112118.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, 3 months

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RFA's Tibetan Service Launches Satellite TV Broadcast

by Rohit Mahajan

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Feb. 18, 2015 Contact: Rohit Mahajan 202 530 4976 <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org RFA's Tibetan Service Launches Satellite TV Broadcast WASHINGTON - Marking Losar, the Tibetan new year, Radio Free Asia <http://www.rfa.org/english/> 's Tibetan Service <http://www.rfa.org/tibetan/> today launched its first satellite television broadcast <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNgPnreV_cw#t=61> . The half-hour program airs daily at 6 p.m. in China's Tibetan regions and 3:30 p.m. in Dharamsala, India. "With the launch of RFA Tibetan's daily satellite TV broadcast, we begin a new and exciting chapter for both RFA and our Tibetan audiences," said Libby Liu, President of Radio Free Asia (RFA). "Starting today, as we join Tibetans everywhere around the world in celebrating Losar, RFA will provide a great way to access uncensored news and information." Since it began in December 1996, RFA's Tibetan Service - which broadcasts in the Uke, Amdo, and Kham dialects - has covered the Chinese authorities' longstanding crackdown on Tibetan protests, and political, religious, and human rights abuses throughout the Tibetan ethnic regions of China. Press freedom watchdog group Reporters Without Borders <http://index.rsf.org/#!/> considers China among the world's most challenging and restricted media environments for journalists. Despite these challenges, the service has broken the vast majority of stories related to the ongoing wave of self-immolations in China's Tibetan regions since they began in 2009. The service's new half-hour daily satellite TV broadcast opens another channel for RFA Tibetan to focus on these and other issues through news programming, as well as hosted talk shows, and special interviews. The service joins RFA's Myanmar, Mandarin, and Cantonese services, which also offer its audiences satellite television programming. # # # 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, 3 months

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RSF’s Index Paints “Grim Picture” of Press Freedom’s Future in Asia: RFA President

by Rohit Mahajan

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Feb. 12, 2015 Contact: Rohit Mahajan 202 530 4976 <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org RSF’s Index Paints “Grim Picture” of Press Freedom’s Future in Asia: RFA President Seven of RFA’s nine target countries and territories in bottom 10 percent WASHINGTON – Threats to journalists and netizens, and censorship issues continued to hurt the media environments of Radio Free Asia <http://www.rfa.org/english/> ’s target countries, according to Reporters Without Borders’ 2015 Press Freedom Index <http://index.rsf.org/#!/> . Radio Free Asia (RFA) President Libby Liu said the report continues to paint “a grim picture of the future of press freedom in Asia,” with seven of RFA’s nine language services now operating in the bottom 10 percent of media environments in the world. Meanwhile, the two RFA countries not in the bottom 10 percent, Myanmar and Cambodia, still continue to struggle with government pressure on journalists and news outlets to self-censor. “In all of RFA’s countries, press freedom continues to be under threat and under attack,” Liu said. “The seriousness of the situation is evidenced in areas once considered the few bright spots of our broadcast regions. “In Hong Kong, for example, authorities used the Umbrella Movement demonstrations as an excuse to escalate their efforts to rein in media freedoms, including attacks on and firings of editors and reporters critical of the city’s and mainland China’s leadership. “Our journalists on the ground in Myanmar and Cambodia continue to experience and witness both countries struggling with free press issues, including the use of civil and criminal courts as a means to intimidate journalists with the threat of prosecution. “With this latest report, Reporters Without Borders continues to paint a grim picture of the future of press freedom in Asia, especially with countries under authoritarian rule – and it reinforces the need for our work there now more than ever.” The survey ranked North Korea second to last at 179 of the 180 countries researched, with China at 176, Vietnam at 175, and Laos at 171. Cambodia was ranked at 139 and Myanmar at 144. Hong Kong, once considered a bastion of free expression in China, saw steep declines. The report cited police misconduct aimed at reporters and photojournalists during the Umbrella Movement <http://www.rfa.org/english/news/special/umbrella/home.html> pro-democracy protests. The report cited China and Vietnam as among its worst press freedom offenders, with both countries arresting bloggers and journalists. In China, these included famous journalist Gao Yu <http://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/denies-11212014101216.html> , who was forced to make a televised “confession,” cyber-dissident Xu Zhiyong <http://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/zhang-xiangzhong-06122014103936.html> , and leading Uyghur blogger and economics professor Ilham Tohti <http://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/separatism-verdict-11212014161952.ht…> , who have joined “the hundred or so other news and information providers already in detention.” In Vietnam, independent journalist Truong Minh Duc <http://www.rfa.org/english/news/vietnam/media-11252014204726.html> was in intensive care for weeks after being attacked by eight policemen on Nov. 2, 2014. 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 | Media Relations Manager <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org | O: 202.530.4976 | M: 202.489.8021

10 years, 3 months

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RFA BREAKING NEWS: Tibetan Monk Self-Immolates in Second Protest This Week

by Joshua Lipes

cid:image001.png@01CCE405.460E1840 Tibetan Monk Self-Immolates in Second Protest This Week DEC. 23, 2014 - A Tibetan monk set himself on fire in Sichuan on Tuesday in the second self-immolation protest this week against Beijing's rule in Tibetan-populated areas of China, sources said. Kalsang Yeshe, 38, set himself ablaze at around 11:20 a.m. local time outside the Tawu Nyitso monastery in the Kardze (in Chinese, Ganzi) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture's Tawu (Daofu) county, sources in the region and in exile told RFA's Tibetan Service. "He self-immolated in protest against Chinese policies in Tibet and called for the return of [exiled spiritual leader] the Dalai Lama to Tibet," one source said, speaking from exile on condition of anonymity and citing local contacts. Yeshe staged his protest "in front of the offices of the Chinese Public Security Bureau and work team stationed at the monastery," the source said. Engulfed in flames, Kalsang Yeshe collapsed on the ground, and Tibetans nearby rushed to prevent his body being taken away by the police, a local source told RFA. "But police dispersed the crowd by firing warning shots and took possession of his body," the source said, adding, "It is unknown whether he is dead or alive." Other sources said that Yeshe died at the scene, however. 'Well-respected monk' Yeshe had previously studied at the Ganden Jangtse monastery in South India before returning to Tibet, where he began a campaign against illiteracy among the elderly and "taught Buddhism and the Tibetan language," a local source said, adding, "He was a well-respected monk." Yeshe's burning brings to 136 the number of self-immolations by Tibetans protesting Chinese rule since the wave of fiery protests began in 2009, and is the third to take place this month. On Monday, a 20-year-old woman named Tsepe in Sichuan's Ngaba (Aba) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture died after setting herself ablaze in Ngaba county's Meruma town. And on Dec. 16, Sangye Khar, 33, self-immolated in front of a police station in Gansu province's Sangchu (Xiahe) county in the Kanlho (Gannan) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture. Both died to protest Chinese policies in Tibetan-populated areas, sources told RFA. Chinese authorities have tightened controls in a bid to check self-immolation protests, arresting and jailing Tibetans linked to the burnings. Some have been imprisoned for up to 15 years. Reported by Sonam Lhamo, Lobsang Choephel, and Lhuboom for RFA's Tibetan Service. Translated by Dorjee Damdul. Written in English by Richard Finney. View this story online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/tibet/second-12232014124427.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.

10 years, 5 months

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RFA BREAKING NEWS: Tibetan Woman Dies in Second Self-Immolation Protest This Month

by Joshua Lipes

cid:image001.png@01CCE405.460E1840 Tibetan Woman Dies in Second Self-Immolation Protest This Month DEC. 22, 2014 - A Tibetan woman set herself on fire and died in Sichuan province on Monday in the second self-immolation protest this month against Beijing's rule in Tibetan-populated areas of China, sources said. Tsepe, 20, set herself ablaze at around 2:00 p.m. local time in Meruma town in Ngaba (in Chinese, Aba) county in the Ngaba Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, local sources told RFA's Tibetan Service. "Today, a 20-year-old Tibetan woman self-immolated in protest against China's repressive policies," one source said, speaking on condition of anonymity. "Soon afterward, the police arrived and took her body away," the source said. Sources gave the woman's name as Tsepe and described her as a resident of Meruma town's Unit No. 4. "Her father's name is Chidor Rinchen, and her mother's name is Chenpa," one source said. Reached for comment, a duty officer at a local police station denied knowledge of the incident, adding, "You should ask the higher authorities," before hanging up the phone. 'Good character' Separately, a Tibetan monk living in India said Tsepe was known for her "good character and personal integrity," citing contacts in Ngaba. "Tsepe had been living with her parents as a nomad and had not been to school since she was young," the monk, Kanyak Tsering, said. "Police took her parents and brother Yime away for questioning shortly after her protest, but it is not known if they will be detained," he said. In addition to her brother Yime, Tsepe leaves behind five other siblings, sources said. Tsepe's burning brings to 135 the number of self-immolations by Tibetans protesting Chinese rule since the wave of fiery protests began in 2009, and is the second this month. The last Tibetan self-immolation occurred on Dec. 16 in Gansu province when Sangye Khar, 33, set himself ablaze in front of a police station in Amchok township in Sangchu (Xiahe) county in the Kanlho (Gannan) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, a local source told RFA's Tibetan Service. Khar died "in protest against Chinese policies in Tibetan areas," RFA's source said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Tightened controls Chinese authorities have tightened controls in a bid to check self-immolation protests, arresting and jailing Tibetans linked to the burnings. Some have been imprisoned for up to 15 years. "Tibetans continue to set themselves alight in protest against China's policies and rule in Tibet," Eleanor Byrne-Rosengren, director of the London-based advocacy group Free Tibet, said in a statement on Monday. "The ongoing crisis in Tibet will not be resolved until the world's leaders put pressure on China to recognize Tibetans' desire for freedom instead of criminalizing it," she said. Reported by Yangdon Demo, Lobsang Choephel, and Chakmo Tso for RFA's Tibetan Service. Translated by Dorjee Damdul. Written in English by Richard Finney. View this story online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/tibet/second-12222014121523.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.

10 years, 5 months

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RFA BREAKING NEWS: Suspected North Korean Government Agents Assault Refugee Who Fled Country

by Parameswaran Ponnudurai

Suspected North Korean Government Agents Assault Refugee in Denmark DEC. 17, 2014 – Suspected North Korean government agents have assaulted a North Korean living in a refugee center in Denmark and warned him that they would cut his head off if he does not return home, according to a rights group. “We are currently trembling in extreme fear and anxiety,” the refugee, who lives with his wife at the center in the small Danish town of Hanstholm in the northern part of Denmark, told the U.S.-based Committee for Human Rights in North Korea (HRNK). Bae Jun Sik was assaulted by the agents this week and has been hospitalized at Hillerod Hospital in Hanstholm in the latest of several attacks on him since Nov. 10. “I have spoken with hospital staff, who confirmed that he has a broken nose, an injury to his head, and scars on his neck, most likely proof of an attempt to strangle him,” Greg Scarlatoiu, HRNK’s executive director, told RFA’s Korean Service. “He says he went out [of the center] for a cigarette, opened the door for people outside, and they tried to strangle him with a plastic string. His wife heard the noise, screamed, and they ran away,” Scarlatoiu said. In a written message to HRNK just before the attack, Bae said he entered Denmark after escaping from a North Korean political prison camp, where he and his family had been held. They were thrown in the camp after being caught and repatriated while trying to enter China illegally in their bid to seek asylum in a foreign country. “My father, unable to endure the torture by the North Korean State Security Department, committed suicide [at the camp],” said Bae, whose application for asylum together with that of his wife are currently being processed by Danish authorities. Bae, who left behind his three-year-old infant and a nine-year-old child at the camp, said he had been threatened and assaulted by “agents of the North Korean regime” over the past month. “These agents have also brandished a knife at me,” he said in his message, a copy of which was handed to RFA by HRNK. Bae said after he was first assaulted on Nov. 10, he received a threatening text message on the same day. “The text message said that ‘the motherland forgives you. Return to the loving care of the Party. If you do not, we will not hesitate to cut your head off.” Additional threats The threats did not end even after he was transferred to a second refugee center as the agents harassed and tried to force him to give details of North Korean refugees in Denmark. “At the second refugee center we moved to, I was threatened with a knife and dragged to some place, where the agents put me on the phone with someone,” he said. “The person on the phone was a North Korean, and this person asked me how many North Korean refugees there are in Denmark.” When he refused to answer, he was told, “If you don’t want to die a useless death in some faraway place, come back to North Korea while we are still giving you the chance.” Before his latest assault, Bae received a written threat on Dec. 12. “It said that ‘wherever you go, we will find you. We know where you are. You will see for yourself the last moments of those who betray the motherland.’” The Danish immigration authorities and police had asked him and his wife if there was a reason for the agents to threaten them in this way. “If there is a reason, it is only that we have committed the ‘crime’ of being born in North Korea,” he said, adding that he fled his country “because—like many other North Korean refugees—I could no longer endure the hunger and deprivation.” “I had to find a way to live.” “We have nowhere to turn for help.” 'Unreal rights situation' Bae said he wanted his case publicized “to let the world know of the unreal human rights situation in North Korea.” “I would also like to sincerely ask for your help with regards to my current situation, and I would like to ask for your continued attention.” Scarlatoiu said that Bae was not asking for help with expediting his asylum application, but seems to be in need of protection. He said he had spoken to the Danish Red Cross and immigration authorities about Bae’s plight since being contacted by the North Korean 10 days ago, several times a day. “As you will see from the message, he has been followed, threatened, and assaulted by persons he believes are agents of the North Korean regime—both Koreans and non-Koreans,” Scarlatoiu said. He said the Danish authorities initially did not take the threats serious due to miscommunication. Even after understanding his plight, they could not provide additional protection, he said. “The Red Cross had thought that he'd been in a fight with other refugees. They verified that he is a North Korean whose application is being processed, and they raised no red flags whatsoever.” After he was issued the threatening message last week, the local police also spoke to Bae, Scarlatoiu said. “They also brought in a translator who helped decipher the threatening message and interview the refugee. However, everyone informed me that they don't have the resources to provide additional protection.” Agents abroad Bae has provided HRNK the dates of birth and full names of all his family members he claims were taken to political prison camps. “I also spoke with his wife. I may not know much, but I can tell for sure when I am talking to a Korean lady who appears to be genuinely frightened and in distress,” Scarlatoiu said. Both Bae and his wife insist they stand out as the only Koreans around at the refugee center and that the North Korean agents have informants among the foreign refugees at such centers. North Korea’s hard-line communist regime had sent agents abroad previously to abduct defectors, who are subsequently imprisoned without trial, beaten, tortured and even executed, reports have said. The abductions were reported mostly in South Korea and China but a man who admitted to having taken part in such schemes was recently caught in Canada and deported. Reported by RFA’s Korean Service. Written in English by Parameswaran Ponnudurai. View this story online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/korea/assault-12172014183304.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.

10 years, 5 months

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RFA BREAKING NEWS: Tibetan Man Dies in Self-Immolation Protest in Front of Police Station

by Parameswaran Ponnudurai

Tibetan Man Dies in Self-Immolation Protest in Front of Police Station DEC. 16, 2014 – A Tibetan man set himself on fire and died in Gansu province on Tuesday in the first self-immolation protest in three months against Beijing’s rule in Tibetan-populated areas in China, sources said. Sangye Khar, 33, set himself ablaze between 9:00 and 10:00 a.m. in front of a police station in Amchok township in Sangchu (in Chinese, Xiahe) county in the Kanlho (Gannan) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, a local source told RFA’s Tibetan Service. Khar died “in protest against Chinese policies in Tibetan areas,” RFA’s source said, speaking on condition of anonymity. The last two Tibetan self-immolations also occurred near police stations. Authorities have stepped up security in Amchok and clamped down on communications, including the Internet. “When I heard about the incident, I called my friends and went to see [Khar’s] condition, but the Chinese authorities had already taken his body away,” he said. “Soon after this, the presence of security personnel increased in the area, and restrictions were imposed on the movements of the people in the area.” Community of farmers Chinese police tried to extinguish the flames on Khar's burning body but apparently failed, a Tibetan living in exile and giving his name as Tamdin told RFA, citing contacts in the region. “We could not confirm that he died at the scene, but I heard that the Chinese took his body to Labrang [monastery], where it was cremated,” he said. Another local source confirmed the self-immolation, saying Khar was a resident of Amchok township’s Chung Nyuthang village. “The members of his community are primarily farmers dependent on the cultivation of land,” said the source, who sent RFA Khar's photo. “His father’s name is Ranglo, and his mother’s name is Yudron." “All lines of communication are now blocked, and it is very difficult to get updates,” he said. Burning numbers climb Khar’s burning brings to 134 the number of self-immolations by Tibetans protesting Chinese rule since the wave of fiery protests began in 2009, and is the first since September. The last Tibetan self-immolation occurred on Sept. 17 when a 22-year-old student burned himself to death in front of a police station in Gansu province's Tsoe (Hezuo) county in protest against Chinese rule. Lhamo Tashi set himself on fire and shouted slogans before succumbing to his burns on the spot. A day earlier, on Sept. 16, Konchok, 42, set himself on fire beside a police station in Qinghai province's Gade (Gande) county in the Golog (Guoluo) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, but Tibetans nearby managed to douse the flames and rushed him to a nearby hospital. News of his burning in Tsang Khor town emerged only in early October, apparently due to the communication clampdowns usually imposed by Chinese authorities following self-immolation protests, they said. Chinese authorities have tightened controls in a bid to check self-immolation protests, arresting and jailing Tibetans linked to the burnings. Some have been jailed for up to 15 years. Reported by Kunsang Tenzin 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/new-12162014125456.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.

10 years, 5 months

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RFA BREAKING NEWS: Chinese Court Frees Uyghur Linguist Following Appeal

by Parameswaran Ponnudurai

Chinese Court Frees Uyghur Linguist Following Appeal DEC. 11, 2014 – Chinese authorities have freed a U.S.-educated Uyghur linguist who sought to set up schools to promote the ethnic minority language in the Xinjiang region after more than a year in prison, according to a close relative. Abduweli Ayup was ordered jailed 18 months and fined 80,000 yuan (U.S. $13,000) for “illegal fundraising” in August by the Tengritagh (in Chinese, Tianshan) district court in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region’s capital Urumqi after being detained for more than a year. He was released on Nov. 27 after his partners in an education venture, Muhemmet Sidik and Dilyar Obul, who were convicted in the same trial, appealed their verdict, the relative said, speaking to RFA’s Uyghur Service on condition of anonymity. State media had not reported the release of Ayup, who did not lodge an appeal against his sentence. Uyghurs in exile have suggested that the charges against Ayup and his partners were politically motivated, after the linguist’s essays and lectures on maintaining the Uyghur language in schools drew widespread support in China’s Uyghur community. “After Abduweli’s trial, our family assumed that he would be released in February 2015, based on the decision of the court [which included his time already spent in detention], but the authorities freed him three months before the end of his jail term,” he said. The conviction of Ayup, who has a Master’s Degree in Linguistics from the University of Kansas, had received international attention. A group of supporters in the United States launched a petition on MoveOn.org to publicize his case, receiving hundreds of backers from across the globe. They also set up a Facebook page “Justice for Uyghur Linguist Abduweli Ayup” to highlight his plight. The petition called on the ruling Chinese Communist Party to protect the rights of ethnic minorities, among other requests. The mostly Muslim Uyghurs say they have long suffered ethnic discrimination, oppressive religious controls, and continued poverty and joblessness. Ishat Hesen, vice president of the Uyghur American Association, said he found it strange that Ayup had been convicted of illegal fundraising instead of crimes against the state or separatism. But he said the authorities were likely eager to avoid drawing international attention to his case in the same way that the September sentencing of Uyghur scholar Ilham Tohti to life in prison for "separatism" had invited criticism from rights groups and Western governments. “Ilham Tohti’s case was one of the big lessons for the Chinese government,” Hesen said. Partners appeal The education venture partners, Sidik and Obul, who together with Ayup had set up Mother Tongue International Co. to push for Uyghur language education in Xinjiang, had been sentenced to jail for up to 27 months and fined up to 130,000 yuan (U.S. $21,000). They were “unsatisfied” with their verdicts and had appealed to the Urumqi Intermediate Court, the relative said. “We don’t know what the intermediate court’s ruling was on their appeal, but either way, my uncle was released from prison three months early.” Ayup’s elder sister told the relative that the partners’ prison terms had been reduced, but it was unclear by how many months, adding that the two men were being held in Liudawan prison in Urumqi. He said that the day after his uncle’s release, Ayup had traveled from the capital to his home in Kashgar’s old city, where he was “recovering from his trauma” along with his wife and two daughters. “I heard that [his] mood is normal, but he is thin and his body is weak, so he needs some time to recover,” he said. Kashgar kindergarten An active promoter of the Uyghur language in Xinjiang, where Beijing is strongly pushing the use of Mandarin Chinese in schools, Ayup established a Uyghur-language kindergarten in Kashgar, China’s westernmost city, together with his business associates in the summer of 2012. Authorities said they closed down the school in March 2013 because it was operating “without complete documentation,” though they later let it reopen on a smaller scale. They refused the trio’s permission to open another school in Urumqi. Ayup said he plans to return to teaching at the kindergarten in Kashgar, which his wife had continued to operate in his absence, according to his relative. But he has abandoned his dream of opening a Mother Tongue school in Urumqi, he added. The relative said Ayup will have his work cut out for him in trying to rebuild the status of the kindergarten, which saw a major drop in attendance after he was jailed. “After [he] was detained, his wife took over the responsibilities of the daily work and teaching at the kindergarten. The local authorities warned her several times that they would close the kindergarten, but later they let her continue her work,” he said. “The problem was that Uyghur parents would dare not send their children to the kindergarten, because they worried the government would interfere in the school’s affairs after my uncle was jailed. The number of children decreased, but my aunt insisted on continuing the kindergarten.” Avoiding a political tone “[Ayup’s] writings and lectures aroused strong feelings in the Uyghur community in the Uyghur Region. After he was detained in August, there was a lot of reaction from Uyghurs and international human rights organizations,” Hesen said. “I think the Chinese authorities would never want to create a second Ilham Tohti among the Uyghurs, so the court avoided taking a political tone on [Ayup’s] case and convicted him of illegal fundraising.” The Xinjiang region, which is home to millions of Turkic-speaking Uyghurs, has seen an upsurge in violence that has left hundreds dead since 2012, and which China has blamed on terrorists and Islamist insurgents seeking to establish an independent state. But 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 Eset Sulaiman for RFA’s Uyghur Service. Translated by Eset Sulaiman. Written in English by Joshua Lipes. View this story online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/linguist-12112014153845.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.

10 years, 6 months

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RFA Unveils e-Book on Asian Women Fighting for Human Rights

by Rohit Mahajan

cid:image001.jpg@01CC3004.B37985F0 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Dec. 8, 2014 Contact: Rohit Mahajan 202 530 4976 <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org RFA Unveils e-Book on Asian Women Fighting for Human Rights *On Dec. 10 at 10:00-11:30 am ET*, join editor on Twitter for Q&A #HerStoryTold WASHINGTON – Ahead of Human Rights Day, <http://www.rfa.org/english/> Radio Free Asia (RFA) today unveiled an e-book profiling the lives, work, and sacrifice of women from Asian countries and regions under authoritarian rule taking up the fight for human rights on their families’ and communities’ behalf. <http://www.rfa.org/english/bookshelf> ‘It’s not OK’ collects and presents portraits of these remarkable women, whose often untold stories demonstrate courage under fire, in China, Southeast Asia, and North Korea. The book is available in English for a free download for iPads and tablets. Along with the e-book, RFA is launching a companion <http://www.womensrights.asia/> website with additional related content. “Whether fighting for their homes at Boeung Kok Lake, demanding answers in the disappearance of her husband, or making sure her traditions and culture are passed on to younger Tibetans, these women all share one essential quality – an unyielding strength of spirit,” said Libby Liu, President of RFA. “They never sought the fight, but took it up without hesitation the moment they refused to accept injustice and inhumanity. “With this project, we aim to put a spotlight on these extraordinary Asian women whose struggle is seen to be a universal one for fairness, compassion, and justice.” Each portrait selected by RFA’s nine language services is based on RFA reporting and interviews over the years, in addition to other sources. The e-book also includes multimedia content, including video, graphics, and illustrations, the latter of which were created by the Broadcasting Board of Governor’s <http://www.innovation-series.com/tag/oddi/> Office of Digital & Design Innovation (ODDI). On Wednesday, Dec. 10 from 10:00 to 11:30 a.m. ET, the project’s executive producer, Catherine Antoine (@antoinec) and RFA staff, will answer questions about the e-book and the women’s profiles via Twitter (questions should use the hashtag #HerStoryTold). The women featured in this edition are: from China, Ding Zilin, a Tiananmen mother, and Jiao Xia, the wife of jailed investigative journalist Qi Chonghuai; from Vietnam, Đỗ Thị Minh Hạnh, a young labor activist recently released from jail; from Myanmar, Zin Mar Aung, a former political prisoner who helps other recently released prisoners; from Cambodia, Yorm Bopha and Tep Vanny, land rights activists; from North Korea, Lee Ae Ran, the first North Korean defector to obtain a doctoral degree who helps other defectors in South Korea; from Laos, Ng Shui Meng, wife of missing Lao activist Sombath Somphone; from China’s Tibetan regions, Rinchen Khandro Choegyal, who supports overseas Tibetans and nuns in India; and from China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, Patigul Ghulam, who has been jailed several times for demanding information about her son's whereabouts since he disappeared in July 2009. RFA plans to release a second edition in March 2015 with more profiles and content. # # # 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, 6 months

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RFA BREAKING NEWS: Jailed Prominent Vietnamese Blogger Dieu Cay Freed, on Way to US: Sources

by Parameswaran Ponnudurai

Jailed Prominent Vietnamese Blogger Dieu Cay Freed, on Way to US: Sources OCT. 21, 2014 – Authorities in Hanoi have freed one of Vietnam’s most prominent jailed bloggers and dissidents, Nguyen Van Hai, and deported him to the United States, sources said Tuesday. Hai, who is also known by his pen name Dieu Cay, was handed a 12-year prison sentence in September 2012 for conducting “anti-state propaganda” amid a crackdown on bloggers in the one-party state after his online articles slammed communist rule and highlighted alleged abuses by the authorities. He was first arrested in 2008. "Blogger Dieu Cay is on an airplane heading to the U.S.," a source in Hanoi told Radio Free Asia's Vietnamese Service, speaking on condition of anonymity. A source dealing with the State Department said she was told that Hai was on his way to Los Angeles. The State Department in Washington would not confirm the news. Straight to airport Hai's wife Duong Thi Tan said he was taken straight from his jail to the airport and put on a plane to the United States. "They let him go from Hanoi airport. We are in Saigon," Tan told RFA from Ho Chi Minh City, where she and their son are residing. "We only got a message saying that Hai was on the way to the Noi Bai airport. I called that number again several times, but he did not answer," she said. "The last message was he was on the airplane that was about to take off. I don’t know where it was heading to." "Hai could not call us at home," she said. "In fact, they did not let the family know anything about his release. There was no signal or notice. They deported him to exile, they did not release him just like what they said." Just two months ago, Hai had refused to make an official application to the authorities seeking his release from prison, insisting instead that they explain the reasons for his initial arrest and demanding that he be freed without condition. “He said that he told them he is innocent and that his arrest was illegal,” Tan said. Following a visit to Vietnam in early August by U.S. Senators John McCain and Sheldon Whitehouse, rumors had spread that Hai might be freed from jail on Vietnam’s Independence Day on Sept. 2, Tan said. On July 27, 2013, Hai ended a five-week-long hunger strike at Prison No. 6 in Vietnam’s northern Nghe An province after judicial authorities agreed to investigate his complaints over abuses in prison. Arrested in April 2008 after helping to lead anti-China protests, Hai was sentenced in 2009 to 30 months in prison on a charge of tax evasion but was not freed after completing his term, and was then charged with carrying out propaganda against the state. An appeals court upheld his sentence in December 2012, and authorities have repeatedly transferred him from one prison to another. Hai’s case has been adopted by the U.N. Working Group on Arbitrary Detention and raised by U.S. President Barack Obama, whose administration has called on Hanoi to release all political prisoners in Vietnam. These included attempts by prison officials to force him to sign a document admitting guilt in the charges for which he was convicted, Tan said. Paris-based press freedoms watchdog Reporters Without Borders lists Vietnam as an “Enemy of the Internet” and the third-largest prison in the world for netizens. Vietnam is second only to China for the number of journalists jailed, according to the annual prison census of the U.S.-based Committee to Protect Journalists, which counts 16 out of 18 Vietnamese reporters currently behind bars as bloggers. Reported by RFA's Vietnamese Service. Written in English by Parameswaran Ponnudurai. View this story online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/vietnam/blogger-10212014122030.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.

10 years, 7 months

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RFA BREAKING NEWS: 22 Killed in Farmers' Market Attack in Xinjiang's Kashgar Prefecture

by Param

22 Killed in Farmers' Market Attack in Xinjiang's Kashgar Prefecture OCT. 18, 2014 – Four ethnic minority Uyghur men armed with knives and explosives attacked a farmers' market in northwestern China's unrest-plagued Xinjiang region this week, leaving 22 people dead, including police officers and the attackers themselves, according to police Saturday. The daring Oct. 12 raid on the majority Han Chinese Farmers Trading Center in Maralbeshi (in Chinese, Bachu) county in Kashgar prefecture has prompted a new security buildup in the region, where an upsurge of violence fueled by ethnic tensions has left about 300 dead in the past year and a half. The four Uyghurs stabbed an unknown number of police officers as they stormed into the township market hurling explosives and attacking Han Chinese stall owners before they were gunned down, police officers in the Chongqurchaq and Konabazar police stations in Maralbeshi told RFA's Uyghur Service. "According to brief notice I received, a total of 22 people were killed, including the four attackers, but I have no idea how many police officers were among the 18 [victims]," Qahar Ayup, the chief of the Chongqurchaq police station, said. Hashim Eli, a police officer at the Konabazar police station, said dozens of people were injured in the latest violence. "The four men arrived in two motorcycles at the farmers' market at 10:30 a.m.," he said. "Two of them attacked police officers patrolling the street while the other two attacked the Han Chinese stall owners who were just entering the market to open their stores." “Most of the business owners in the market were Han Chinese," Eli said. "The attackers carefully planned the attack to ensure that there were no Uyghur customers in the market." He said the four attackers, aged between 25 and 30, were from Aksakmaral Township in Maralbeshi county. Security stepped up Police said security has been stepped up following the attack, which came two days after two Uyghur men went on a stabbing spree in neighboring Hotan prefecture’s Guma (in Chinese, Pishan) county on Oct. 10, killing three police officers and three government officials before they were gunned down. “It's true we have placed the city on red alert after the violence in Maralbeshi," Obul Yasin, a police officer in neighboring Tumshuk (in Chinese, Tumushuke) city said. "An emergency meeting has been held by Tumshuk City Police department and we have taken steps to prepare for any possible attacks here," he said. China has accused "terrorists" and Islamist insurgents seeking to establish an independent state for the persistent unrest in Xinjiang, where an anti-terror campaign has been underway since May, Uyghur groups have blamed the violence on heavy-handed rule, including violent police raids on Uyghur households, restrictions on Islamic practices, and curbs on the culture and language of the Uyghur people. Radicalize Rights groups warn that the strike-hard campaign in Xinjiang could further radicalize the Uyghurs into fueling more violence. The Uyghur men who staged the Maralbeshi attack may have been frustrated by the jailing of more than 1,000 Uyghur youths in the county since May, when the authorities launched the anti-terror campaign, a retired government employee in the area said. “The Maralbeshi incident was not even reported in the local media but almost all the residents in the county heard about it and know why this happened," he said. Foreign journalists find it difficult to visit violence-wracked areas in Xinjiang, making it almost impossible to independently verify state media reports on the unrest in the region. Death penalty On Oct. 13, a court in Kashgar prefecture sentenced to death 12 people, all believed to be Uyghurs, blamed for attacks that killed 37 people in July, state media reported. The official Xinhua News Agency said the court sentenced another 15 people to death with a two-year reprieve while nine others received life sentences. Another 20 people received terms of four to 20 years. The sentences were linked to July 28 violence in Kashgar’s Yarkand (in Chinese, Shache) county in which police shot dead dozens of knife and axe-wielding Uyghurs who went on a rampage, apparently angry over restrictions during the Ramadan holiday and the cold-blooded killing of a family of five. It was one of the worst clashes in Xinjiang since bloody riots in the regional capital Urumqi in 2009 between Uyghurs and Han Chinese that left almost 200 people dead. Reported by Shohret Hoshur for RFA's Uyghur Service. Translated by Shohret Hoshur. Written in English by Parameswaran Ponnudurai. View this story online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/attack-10182014194433.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.

10 years, 7 months

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RFA BREAKING NEWS: Three Police Officers Among Eight Killed in New Xinjiang Violence

by Parameswaran Ponnudurai

Three Police Officers Among Eight Killed in New Xinjiang Violence OCT. 13, 2014 – Two ethnic minority Uyghurs went on a stabbing spree in northwestern China’s Xinjiang region last week, killing three police officers and three government officials before they were gunned down by the authorities in the latest violence to hit the troubled region, according to local officials. Abdurehim Tuniyaz, 25, and Ablikim Abdurehim, 26, staged the killings in Hotan prefecture’s Guma (in Chinese, Pishan) county on Friday in what could have been a revenge attack over the death in police custody of one of their brothers, one source said. The two, who were on a motorcycle, began their stabbing rampage by killing two police officers on patrol in Guma township before taking the life of a government official near the area, the local officials said. They then traveled to nearby Kokterek township, where they killed two government officials and a police officer. The duo were on their way back to their home in Guma township on Sunday when they were surrounded by police and shot dead at a checkpoint, Turmemet Abdurehim and Abbas Khan, two village chiefs in the Kokterek township, told RFA’s Uyghur Service. Only two of the dead were identified by the officials—one of them a woman police officer, Peridem Kuresh, and the other a male police officer, Ablkim Mehsut. Both were Muslim Uyghurs while the third unidentified police officer was believed to be a majority Han Chinese, according to the officials. The slaying came amid an anti-terror campaign launched in Xinjiang following deadly attacks blamed by Beijing on Uyghur separatists and Islamist insurgents seeking to establish an independent state. 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. 'Outstanding officer' Kuresh was attached to the Kokterek police station and had been on patrol duty when she was stabbed to death, Khan said. “She was a very strict and an outstanding officer and had received awards a couple of times for her good work,” he said. The village chiefs said the motive of the attacks was unclear but a business owner in Guma township believed revenge by the two Uyghur youths could have been a reason. Tuniyaz’s brother was detained during the Ramadan Muslim fasting month in July and had died in police custody. “People are saying that it could have been a revenge attack for his brother who died in jail,” the business owner said, speaking on condition of anonymity. “I believe so.” A teacher in Guma township, also speaking on condition of anonymity, speculated that the authorities would classify the new attacks as the work of “separatists.” “They were decent guys. When I last met them two years ago, they did not demonstrate any political leanings,” he said. Death sentences Meanwhile, a court in Xinjiang’s Kashgar prefecture has sentenced to death 12 people, all believed to be Uyghurs, blamed for deadly attacks in July, state media reported Monday. The official Xinhua News Agency said the court sentenced another 15 people to death with a two-year reprieve while nine others received life sentences. Another 20 people received terms of four to 20 years. The sentences were linked to July 28 violence in Kashgar’s Yarkand (in Chinese, Shache) county in which police shot dead dozens of knife and axe-wielding Uyghurs who went on a rampage, apparently angry over restrictions during the Ramadan holiday and the cold-blooded killing of a family of five. It was one of the worst clashes in Xinjiang since bloody riots in the regional capital Urumqi in 2009 between Uyghurs and Han Chinese that left almost 200 people dead. Reported by Shohret Hoshur for RFA’s Uyghur Service. Translated by Mamatjan Juma. Written in English by Parameswaran Ponnudurai. View this story online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/violence-10132014172244.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.

10 years, 7 months

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RFA BREAKING NEWS: China Imposes Harsh New Restrictions in Restive Tibet County

by Parameswaran Ponnudurai

China Imposes Harsh New Restrictions in Restive Tibet County OCT. 7, 2014 – Chinese authorities have launched a campaign to tighten restrictions on monastic life in a restive county in Tibet, ordering the destruction of recently built religious structures and demanding that younger monks be expelled from the monasteries and sent back to their family homes, according to sources. The “rectification and cleansing” campaign in Driru (in Chinese, Biru) county in the Nagchu (Naqu) prefecture of the Tibet Autonomous Region was launched on Sept. 20 and will continue through Oct. 20, a local source told RFA’s Tibetan Service. Tibetans in Driru, a county considered “politically unstable” by Beijing, have long resisted forced displays of loyalty to Beijing, which has imposed tight restrictions in the area, including a clampdown on communications. Detailed instructions for Beijing's new campaign are contained in a 30-page document that is being distributed door-to-door by government workers in all the monasteries and villages in Driru,” the RFA source said, speaking on condition of anonymity. “All new stupas, mounds of mani stones [stones displaying carved mantras], and shrines built after 2010 have been declared illegal and must be destroyed by a specified deadline,” the source said, adding that the monasteries or villages that originally set the structures up must be the ones to take them down. “If they do not comply, the government will do it for them,” he said. “It has also been ordered that retreat facilities built after Nov. 1, 2011, including houses for individual retreatants, must be torn down,” he said. 'Underage' monks expelled Monks aged 12 and younger may no longer be enrolled in Driru-area monasteries, and those now present must return to their family homes by Oct. 20 or be expelled, with monastic leaders held criminally responsible if any remain beyond that date, the source said. “Families who refuse to take their children back may be detained for six months, or even sent to jail for terms of from one to three years,” he said. “If the lamas or khenpos in the monasteries hold back any of the underage monks, they will be punished and expelled themselves.” Driru is one of three neighboring counties in Tibet’s eastern Nagchu prefecture from which Chinese authorities fear political unrest may spread unchecked to other parts of the region. About 1,000 Driru-area Tibetans have been detained since authorities launched a crackdown in September 2013 when Beijing began a campaign to force Tibetans to fly the Chinese national flag from their homes, sources say. The campaign intensified in early October 2013 when villagers refused to fly the flags, throwing them instead into a river and prompting a deadly security crackdown in which Chinese police fired into unarmed crowds. “Now, monks and nuns who defy instructions to fly the Chinese flag from their houses or to prominently display photos of Chinese leaders will be expelled from the monastic community,” RFA’s source said. “They are also forbidden from keeping photos of the Dalai Lama, and if these are found in their possession they will be ‘re-educated’ and deprived of the state benefits provided for monks and nuns by Chinese policy.” Members of the public found with photos of the exiled spiritual leader must attend a six-month “refresher course” on Chinese law and will be banned for two years from collecting cordyceps sinensis, a valuable fungus harvested and sold for its purported medicinal properties, he added. Reported by Kunsang Tenzin 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/harsh-10072014165921.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.

10 years, 8 months

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RFA BREAKING NEWS: US Senators Call For De-Escalation of Hong Kong Political Standoff

by Param

US Senators Call For De-Escalation of Hong Kong Political Standoff OCT. 5, 2014 – Two key U.S. senators called Sunday for a "de-escalation" of the one week standoff between the authorities in Hong Kong and pro-democracy protesters, saying "good faith" negotiations were key to breaking the stalemate over election reforms for the former British colony. The call came as a Monday government deadline loomed for demonstrators to clear Hong Kong's streets with the semiautonomous Chinese territory's Beijing-backed Chief Executive C.Y. Leung claiming the mass protests occupying key areas risked "serious consequences" for public safety. The protesters have demanded the right for the residents of Hong Kong to nominate who can run as the territory's next leader in 2017 elections while Beijing insists that only candidates it has screened will be able to participate in the polls. "As democratically elected members of the United States Senate, we strongly support the Hong Kong people's aspiration for universal suffrage and full democracy," U.S. Democratic Senator Patrick Leahy and Republican Senator Roger Wicker said in a statement. "We urge all parties to follow the path of restraint, de-escalation, and good faith dialogue in pursuit of that goal," said Leahy, the President pro tempore of the Senate, and Wicker, the Republican Deputy Whip. Leahy, the most senior senator who is the third in the presidential line of succession, and Wicker also condemned the "violent attacks" against peaceful demonstrators in Hong Kong. Two of Hong Kong's busiest shopping districts plunged into chaos on Friday as angry opponents clashed with protesters, tearing down their tents and barricades, amid allegations by pro-democracy crowds that triad criminal gangs backed by Beijing had been brought in stir up trouble. On Saturday, fresh clashes occurred in Mong Kok, a densely packed working-class district of shops and apartments, with complaints of sexual assaults and attacks on journalists in the crowds. 'Dismayed' '"We are dismayed that Hong Kong authorities have not taken necessary steps to protect peaceful protesters from these cowardly attacks by individuals who seek to deny their right of peaceful assembly," the senators said. "The people of Hong Kong must be applauded and supported for their remarkable courage and determination in extraordinarily challenging circumstances." The senators said the "Umbrella Movement" has shown the world the inspirational power of free expression in defense of the fundamental right to choose one's leaders. Protesters had used umbrellas to deflect pepper spray and tear gas fired by police last Sunday when the government moved to disperse the crowd. Reports on Sunday said student protesters occupying the area outside Hong Kong's government headquarters have agreed to remove some barricades that have blocked the building's entrance during the weeklong pro-democracy protests, the Associated Press reported. Television footage from the scene showed a protest representative shaking hands with a police officer. It was not immediately clear whether all the students had decided to withdraw from the scene, AP said. The move appeared to be part of a strategy to regroup in another part of town. Reported by RFA's Mandarin and Cantonese Services. Written in English by Parameswaran Ponnudurai. View this story online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/senators-10052014065307.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.

10 years, 8 months

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RFA BREAKING NEWS: Tibetan Man Self-Immolates In Front of Police Station in Qinghai

by Parameswaran Ponnudurai

Tibetan Man Self-Immolates In Front of Police Station in Qinghai OCT. 4, 2014 – A Tibetan man has burned himself in front of a police station in protest against Chinese rule in Qinghai province, sources said Saturday, in the second Tibetan self-immolation in less than a month. Kunchok, 42, set himself on fire beside a police station in Gade (in Chinese, Gande) county in the Golog (Guoluo) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture on Sept. 16 but Tibetans nearby managed to douse the flames and rushed him to a nearby hospital, the sources said. Information of his burning in Tsang Khor town emerged only on Saturday, apparently due to communication clampdowns usually imposed by Chinese authorities following self-immolation protests, they said. Kunchok, whose son is a monk and daughter a nun in a local monastery, "self-immolated in protest against Chinese policy in Tibet," a Tibetan with contacts in Gade county told RFA's Tibetan Service. "He did it for the interest of the Tibetans." "He's now in great pain," the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity. "While he's being treated, he often breaks down in tears over his failure to die in the self-immolation. He regrets not accomplishing what he planned to do." The source said Kunchok's chances of survival are "slim." Secret treatment Another source, also with contacts in the area, said Tibetans who saw Kunchok on fire immediately went to put out the flames and rushed him to an undisclosed hospital in the provincial capital Xining, "where he is being treated secretly." "We cannot reveal other details since the relatives fear that those who helped him could land in trouble with the authorities," the source said. "The family members also fear that Kunchok could be taken away by the authorities if he survives," the source said. "If he does not survive, the authorities would also not return the body to the family.” A third source said Chinese authorities have beefed up security, installing security cameras at vantage points in Gade county, following the self-immolation. "It is very difficult to give you more details since we are constantly being watched with cameras installed at different places, including the front and rear of the monasteries in this area," the source said. Kunchok's burning protest brought the total number of Tibetan self-immolations in China to 133 since the fiery protests began in 2009 challenging Chinese rule in Tibetan areas and calling for the return from exile of Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama. Student victim The last reported self-immolation burning protest was on Sept. 17 — one day after Kunchok's self-immolation — when a 22-year-old Tibetan student burned himself to death in front of a police station in Gansu province in protest against Chinese rule. Lhamo Tashi set himself on fire and shouted slogans in front of the Kanlho (in Chinese, Gannan) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture's police station in Tsoe (Hezuo) county before succumbing to his burns on the spot, sources had told RFA on Sept. 21. Chinese authorities have tightened controls in a bid to check self-immolation protests, arresting and jailing Tibetans linked to the burnings. Some have been jailed for up to 15 years. Reported by Kunsang Tenzin for RFA's Tibetan Service. Translated by Karma Dorjee. Written in English by Parameswaran Ponnudurai. View this story online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/tibet/burning-10042014192656.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.

10 years, 8 months

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RFA BREAKING NEWS: Exclusive commentary on the Hong Kong pro-democracy protests by a former aide to the late Chinese premier Zhao Ziyang.

by Parameswaran Ponnudurai

OCT. 4, 2014 – Below is a commentary on the Hong Kong pro-democracy protests written exclusively for Radio Free Asia’s Mandarin Service by Bao Tong, a political aide to China’s late premier Zhao Ziyang, who was ousted during the 1989 student-led pro-democracy movement on Tiananmen Square. Bao Tong lives under house arrest at his Beijing home. In his commentary, Bao Tong, among other things, calls on the Hong Kong pro-democracy protesters to take a 'break.' The full commentary: 'The seeds have already been sown, they need time to lie fallow' A commentary by Bao Tong True patriots are those who say "no" to fake universal suffrage. They are "the ones who don't wish to be slaves" [in China's national anthem.] So I am naturally proud of those who put the principles of "a high degree of autonomy," and "Hong Kong people ruling Hong Kong," into practice. So, transportation and some businesses in Hong Kong appear to have been paralyzed. We should ask who is responsible for this, and what has caused this state of affairs? Some say it was caused by the Occupy Central campaign. That's wrong. Occupy Central was forced into existence after the legitimate rights of citizens were denied them. At the heart of the matter, the responsibility lies with bureaucrats acting on their own and not serving any master. The same people say: "If the demonstrations continue, our political and economic system will be damaged. The thing we fear most of all is damage to, and loss of confidence in, Hong Kong's market. This sort of damage will be permanent, and we can't afford it." Consensus view of history Actually, if the National People's Congress refuses to rescind its [Aug. 31] announcement; if "one country, two systems," becomes "one country, one system," then Hong Kong's political and economic system will certainly be damaged, and that thing we fear the most, that damage to and loss of confidence in Hong Kong's markets will come about. I have no doubt that one day, this view will have become the consensus view of history. But saying it out loud now, I don't think it has much chance of being heard. This will take at least a little time. If I were one of the protesters, I would probably want a rest from the debate for a while. The seeds have already been sown, and they need time to lie fallow. No great task can be achieved all at once; they all need some time to gestate. There's no need to keep digging up the seeds to see if they're still growing every day. Take a break, for the sake of future room to grow. For tomorrow. Bao Tong, political aide to the late ousted premier Zhao Ziyang, is currently under house arrest at his home in Beijing. Translated by Luisetta Mudie. View this commentary online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/commentaries/baotong/democracy-10042014172414.ht… 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.

10 years, 8 months

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RFA BREAKING NEWS: At Least a Dozen Killed, 100 Wounded in Bugur Riots in Xinjiang

by Param

At Least a Dozen Killed, 100 Wounded in Bugur Riots in Xinjiang SEPT. 25, 2014 -- At least a dozen people, including three policemen, were killed and about 100 injured in attacks targeting government buildings and police stations in a southern prefecture of China’s restive Xinjiang region at the weekend, local officials and eyewitnesses said, as details of the violence emerged Thursday. The Xinjiang government's Tianshan web portal had said on Monday that two people were killed in the Sept. 21 bomb attacks by suspected Uyghurs on at least three locations in Bugur (in Chinese, Luntai) county in the Bayingolin Mongol Autonomous Prefecture. But local officials and witnesses told RFA’s Uyghur Service that the violence had caused higher casualties. They said the raids on the Bugur city center and the townships of Yengisar and Terekbazar had left at least 12 people dead, including three policemen and seven attackers. All of them were killed during the bomb attack at a police station in Yengisar, the sources said. The number of fatalities in Bugur and Terekbazar was not immediately know, they said. The Bugur county hospital has been crammed with patients with serious injuries, a nurse said, in the latest violence to rock Xinjiang, which has seen more than 200 deaths in attacks the past year. “I assume there are about 100 people with injuries because all the hospital beds are occupied right now,” the nurse said. Among those undergoing treatment were up to 20 policemen, as well as one suspected attacker, she said. The raids were believed to have been staged by disgruntled ethnic minority Uyghurs, who claim to have long suffered ethnic discrimination, oppressive religious controls, and continued poverty and joblessness, sources said. A curfew has been imposed in the affected areas, with schools and offices closed as of late Tuesday, according to Aklikim, the secretary of the ruling Chinese Communist Party branch in Bartoghraq village in Terekbazar. “The explosions are all related to attacks on government buildings and police stations,” he said. Stabbed Amangul Mollaq, the aunt of policeman Nijat Ehet, who was seriously injured in the raid on the police station in Yengisar, said he had gone to investigate an explosion when he was stabbed by one of the attackers. “When he heard the explosion, he went to the site and saw the gate of the police station being ripped off by the blast and a group of people attacking the station from the front and back of the building,” she said. “When my nephew was dispersing the crowd, one of the attackers stabbed him,” Mollaq said. “He was only able to convey a few details as his condition was severe.” Police officers who visited him at the hospital told Mollaq that "three suspects who staged the attack on the police station from the front and three attackers who came from the back of the building were killed on the spot." "I also heard that two policemen with the names Husenjan [Osman] and Ibrahim had been killed in action.” Another police assistant, who was not identified, was among the three policemen who died in the raid, sources said. Morgue mobbed Qadir Osman, a Communist Party cadre in Yengisar and whose brother, a restaurant owner, was among those killed in the attacks, said the township morgue was mobbed by relatives and friends of those who perished. “The place was surrounded by police and there were about 100 people, some of whom were waiting to identify the bodies,” he said. Osman, whose younger brother was shot dead, said that among those at the morgue was a Han Chinese woman who told him that her husband was “crushed” by a motor vehicle during the attack. A teacher in Yengisar, who declined to be identified, said he witnessed police cars, motorcycles and a gas station being torched. He said that he believed that the attackers, particularly in Bugur county center, were Uyghurs disgruntled by mass forced evictions to make way for the influx of Han Chinese. Reported by Shohret Hoshur and Eset Sulaiman for RFA’s Uyghur Service. Translated by Mamatjan Juma. Written in English by Parameswaran Ponnudurai. View this story online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/violence-09252014005018.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.

10 years, 8 months

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RFA BREAKING NEWS: Tibetan Student Perishes in First Self-Immolation in Five Months

by Param

Tibetan Student Perishes in First Self-Immolation in Five Months SEPT. 21, 2014 -- A 22-year-old Tibetan student has burned himself to death in front of a police station in Gansu province in protest against Chinese rule — the first self-immolation in more than five months among disgruntled Tibetans in China, according to sources. Lhamo Tashi set himself on fire last week, shouting slogans in front of the Kanlho (in Chinese, Gannan) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture's police station in Tsoe (Hezuo) county before succumbing to his burns on the spot, the sources said. Information of Tashi's Sept. 17 fatal burning emerged only at the weekend, apparently due to communication clampdowns usually imposed by Chinese authorities following self-immolation protests. Tashi's burning protest occurred more than five months since the last reported self-immolation among Tibetans in China on April 15. It brought the total number of self-immolations to 132 since the fiery protests began in 2009 challenging Chinese rule in Tibetan areas and calling for the return from exile of Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama. “Tashi self-immolated in front of the office of the police department of Kanlho Prefecture," a local Tibetan told RFA's Tibetan Service, speaking on condition of anonymity. "He did it for Tibetan freedom and died in the self immolation," the source said. Chinese authorities seized Tashi's remains but returned them to his parents a day later, the source said. "After learning about their son's self-immolation, they rushed to the site and demanded his body but the authorities refused to hand it over to the family. Only the next day, the family members were handed over some remains.” 2008 protest A second Tibetan source, who confirmed the self-immolation, said Tashi had been studying in Tsoe. "He was among those who protested against Chinese rule in 2008," the source said, referring to a mass uprising which erupted in Tibet's capital Lhasa in March that year before spreading to other Tibetan-populated areas. Tashi was detained then and subsequently released for participating in the protest, the source said. The Central Tibetan Administration, the India-based Tibetan government in exile, says about 220 Tibetans died in the 2008 unrest and nearly 7,000 were detained in the subsequent region-wide crackdown. The Chinese government had put the death toll at 22. The last reported self-immolation before Tashi's burning occurred in Sichuan province's restive Kardze prefecture on April 15. Thinley Namgyal, 32, had self-immolated in Tawu (in Chinese, Daofu) county in Kardze (Ganzi) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture "in protest against Chinese policy and rule [in Tibetan populated areas]," a Tibetan resident had said. Chinese authorities have tightened controls in a bid to check self-immolation protests, arresting and jailing Tibetans linked to the burnings. Some have been jailed for up to 15 years. Reported by RFA's Tibetan Service. Translated by Karma Dorjee. Written in English by Parameswaran Ponnudurai. View this story online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/tibet/burning-09212014121057.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.

10 years, 8 months

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RFA BREAKING NEWS: Uyghur Scholar Tohti 'Humiliated' in Prison, Shackled Again

by Parameswaran Ponnudurai

Uyghur Scholar Tohti 'Humiliated' in Prison, Shackled Again SEPT. 4, 2014 -- Detained Uyghur scholar Ilham Tohti has claimed that several inmates in his prison in northwestern China's Xinjiang region ganged up on him and humiliated him, forcing a confrontation that led to him being shackled again, his lawyer said Thursday. Lawyer Liu Xiaoyuan said he learned about the clash between Tohti and the other prisoners when he met the scholar at the detention center in Xinjiang's capital Urumqi on Thursday ahead of his pretrial hearing this weekend. "In the morning, I saw that he was wearing manacles and leg irons," Liu told RFA's Mandarin Service after his lengthy meeting with Tohti, a long-time advocate of Uyghur rights and outspoken critic of Chinese policies in the Xinjiang region. "I spoke to the prosecutor's office about it, and they said it was because there had been a confrontation with other inmates on Aug. 9." "Tohti told me that several people had ganged up on him and humiliated him," Liu said. "There was a clash between him and [a few others], and the detention center accused him of getting into a fight, and he was subjected to internal disciplinary procedures." It was not immediately clear what triggered the fight last month between Tohti, who is facing separatism charges, and a few of his seven other cellmates, who were ordinary criminals. The prosecutor at the detention center said the other inmates were also sanctioned, but Tohti told Liu they weren't punished at all. Dragged from home Tohti was placed in leg irons for 20 days when he was first detained in January after being dragged away from his home in the Chinese capital Beijing by dozens of police, his former lawyer Wang Yu said in June after meeting him. Tohti told her then that he was denied food and given one and a half glasses of water for 10 days in March in an apparent punishment for failing to cooperate with the authorities. Human rights groups have said that Tohti's detention is part of Beijing's broad strategy to drown the voices of the mostly Muslim Uyghurs, who call Xinjiang their homeland. They said his incarceration underscores the Chinese leadership's increasing hard-line stance on dissent surrounding Xinjiang, where Uyghurs say they have long suffered ethnic discrimination, oppressive religious controls, and continued poverty and joblessness. Tohti, who was sacked from his job as economics professor at the Central University for Nationalities in Beijing following his detention, has applied to attend his pretrial hearing on separatism charges, according to Liu. Tohti has dismissed the charges as baseless. “He is sticking to his original position, which is that he is simply an intellectual expressing a point of view. He had no intention of incitement to separatism, and he carried out no separatist activities either,” Liu said. Evidence in doubt Committing the state security crime of "separatism" can result in the death penalty in China, while the lesser crime of "inciting separatism" carries penalties ranging from less than five years to 15 years maximum. Tohti has also said that some of the evidence against him should be disallowed and has demanded to watch several video recordings that would be used in testimonies in the trial, Liu said. Among the evidence are 52 DVDs, five of which contain footage of Tohti's university lectures. His lawyers also want to cross-examine witnesses for the prosecution. "That's what we are going to be requesting, applying for. But some witnesses may not appear. It's not entirely clear yet. The defense team is working on this, and we will be bringing it up at the pretrial hearing," Liu said. "Also, some witnesses have quoted him as saying certain things. But he says he didn't say those things, and is insisting on seeing the videotapes of the interview." Tohti is also demanding that he be tried in Beijing, where he had worked and lived. "He said the Xinjiang police shouldn't be involved in his case, because he moved to Beijing in 1985, and his hukou [household registration] is in Beijing," Liu said. "He started lecturing at the Central University for Nationalities in 1991." "If he is suspected of a crime, he says it should be the Beijing police who investigate the case against him, and that he should be tried in a Beijing court." "This is also the view of the defense team. We think it's very strange that this case is being handled in Xinjiang. We will also be bringing up this issue of jurisdiction at the pretrial hearing." Family contact denied Liu said Tohti expressed sadness that the prison authorities had refused to give him photos of his children brought by his lawyers. "He had tears in his eyes when we talked about his children. I asked the detention center staff about the photos, and also mentioned it to the prosecution official there," Liu said. Chinese authorities have not allowed Tohti's wife Guzelnur and their two young sons to meet with him in jail. Asked about Tohti's health, Liu said he has some pain and discomfort along his lower back and abdomen and on his right side that hasn't gotten any better. "He is feeling very sluggish, and is in some pain. His left eye looks smaller than his right, while his voice sounds hoarse and hurts sometimes. He has a nighttime cough." Reported by Qiao Long for RFA's Mandarin Service. Translated by Luisetta Mudie and Feng Xiaoming. Written in English by Parameswaran Ponnudurai and Luisetta Mudie. View this story online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/shackled-09042014162301.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.

10 years, 9 months

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RFA BREAKING NEWS: Tibet's Exile Government Rejects Beijing's Claim of Dalai Lama Return Talks

by Param

Tibet's Exile Government Rejects Beijing's Claim of Dalai Lama Return Talks AUG. 31, 2014 -- The head of Tibet's government-in-exile has rejected a claim by Chinese authorities that the Dalai Lama is in talks with Beijing through his envoys about the possibility of his return to Tibet. But Lobsang Sangay, the political leader of the India-based Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), left open the possibility of any official dialogue between the two sides aimed at bringing about a resolution to the Tibet question. "As we have always been transparent, right now there isn’t any official contact or dialogue taking place [with the Chinese leadership]," Sangay told RFA's Tibetan Service. "If dialogues are to take place, as we stressed earlier, it would be between the envoys of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and representatives of the new Chinese leadership," he said. "It has been like this before and will remain like this in the future." China’s government in the Tibetan Autonomous Region (TAR) claimed last week that the Dalai Lama, Tibet's spiritual leader, was in discussions with Beijing through his “personal envoys” but the talks were only about the possibility of his return to Tibet. Wu Yingjie, the deputy secretary of the ruling Chinese Communist Party's Committee for Tibet, had told a group of Indian journalists on a special visit to the TAR capital Lhasa that the talks with the Dalai Lama were “ongoing and always smooth, but we are discussing only his future, not Tibet’s.” “All Tibetans, including the Dalai Lama and the people around him, can return if they accept Tibet and Taiwan as part of China, and give up ‘splittist’ efforts,” The Hindu newspaper of India quoted Wu as saying. He claimed that many Tibetan leaders in exile had chosen to return to Tibet in recent years. The Dalai Lama fled into exile in India in the midst of a failed national uprising in Tibet against Chinese occupation in 1959, and the Chinese government has repeatedly accused exiled Tibetans, including the Dalai Lama, of stoking dissent against its rule ever since. Talks held on Tibet’s status between envoys of the Dalai Lama and Beijing stalled in January 2010. There has been no progress in the discussions since then despite calls from U.S. President Barack Obama and other world leaders for a resumption of the Sino-Tibetan dialogue. "If we receive a signal from the Chinese side and a conducive environment is created for possible dialogue, then our side can easily appoint the envoys [for the talks]," Sangay said. "We attach more importance to the substance than form of the dialogue," he said. "So, the most important objective is to resolve the Tibet issue.” Optimistic The Dalai Lama had always said he remained optimistic he would be able to return to Tibet, citing political reforms that have taken place over the last few decades. But he is reviled by some Chinese leaders as a dangerous separatist who seeks to split the formerly self-governing region from Beijing's rule. The Dalai Lama says he seeks only a meaningful autonomy for Tibet as a part of China, with protections for the region’s language, religion, and culture under his "Middle Way" approach. When asked by RFA whether the Dalai Lama’s return to Tibet would solve the Tibet issue, Sangay said, "There are several possibilities." "Whatever is the most realistic and practical approach, we pursue that.” “Ninety-nine percent of the Tibetan people aspire and dream for His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s return to Tibet. My hope for that becoming a reality is still strong," he said. "We have made consistent efforts at the international stage for the realization of His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s return and for the restoration of Tibetan freedom, and recognize the unflinching spirit of Tibetans inside Tibet," Sangay said. Sangay, a Harvard-educated lawyer, was elected Tibet’s exile political leader in 2011 after the Dalai Lama relinquished his political role as the leader of the government-in-exile, ending a tradition spanning centuries of the Dalai Lamas holding both spiritual and political authority. Reported by Palden Gyal for RFA's Tibetan Service. Translated by Dorjee Damdul. Written in English by Parameswaran Ponnudurai. View this story online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/tibet/lama-08312014221933.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.

10 years, 9 months

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RFA BREAKING NEWS: Uyghur Linguist, Two Associates Sentenced After One Year Detention

by Parameswaran Ponnudurai

Uyghur Linguist, Two Associates Sentenced After One Year Detention AUG. 27, 2014 -- A U.S.-educated Uyghur linguist and two others who wanted to set up schools to promote the ethnic minority language in China’s troubled Xinjiang region have been sentenced to up to three years on what their supporters see as trumped-up charges of “illegal fundraising.” In a case that has received international attention, the Tengritagh (in Chinese, Tianshan) district court in Xinjiang’s capital Urumqi imposed an 18-month jail term and a 80,000 yuan (U.S $13,000) fine on Abduweli Ayup after detaining him for about a year, a relative of Ayup’s told RFA’s Uyghur Service. Ayup, who earned a Master’s Degree in Linguistics at the University of Kansas, returned to his homeland in 2011 to pursue his dream of opening Uyghur language schools but was arrested and thrown in jail with two of his business partners – Dilyar Obul and Muhemmet Sidik – on Aug. 20, 2013. Their firm was called Mother Tongue International Co. Sidik, the company’s director, was sentenced to two years and three months imprisonment and ordered to pay a fine of 130,000 yuan (U.S. $21,130) while Obul, a board member like Ayup, got two years imprisonment and was fined 100,000 yuan (U.S. $16,260), the relative said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Family notified of court ruling The court arrived at its decision on Aug. 21 after holding a one day-trial on July 11, he said, adding that Ayup’s family has been notified about the ruling. “The ruling states that they committed a crime of abusing public money,” he said, citing a copy of the court’s ruling. “There are no other charges except that.” He said that Ayup and Obul had accepted the verdict and do not wish to lodge an appeal. Sidik’s decision however is not immediately known. The jail sentences would be effective from the date of their detention, according to the court ruling, he said. “If the court ruling is truly enforced, Ayup may be released in six months,” he said. The trio are being held in Liudawan prison in Urumqi. “It has not been stated when the ruling would be enforced and Ayup’s parents have not been allowed to meet with him,” the relative said. An active promoter of the Uyghur language in Xinjiang, where Beijing is strongly pushing the use of Mandarin Chinese in schools, Ayup established a Uyghur-language kindergarten in Kashgar, China’s westernmost city, together with his business associates in the summer of 2012. Authorities said they closed down the school in March 2013 because it was operating “without complete documentation.” They refused the trio’s permission to open another school in Urumqi. Relatives of Ayup were not told of his whereabouts until recently, even though they had pleaded to meet with him after learning that he was in poor health in jail. International petition A group of supporters in the United States lately launched a petition on MoveOn.org to publicize his case, receiving more than 500 backers from across the globe. They also set up a Facebook page “Justice for Uyghur Linguist Abduweli Ayup” to highlight his plight. The petition called on the ruling Chinese Communist Party to protect the rights of ethnic minorities, among other requests. The mostly Muslim Uyghurs say they have long suffered ethnic discrimination, oppressive religious controls, and continued poverty and joblessness. The New York-based Committee of Concerned Scientists also wrote a note of concern over Ayup’s plight to Chinese President Xi Jinping. Anwar Memet, a childhood friend and middle school classmate who now lives in the U.S., told RFA in an earlier report that Ayup’s supervisor at the University of Kansas had offered him a three-year scholarship if he agreed to pursue his doctorate in linguistics following the completion of his graduate degree. “[B]ut he chose to return to his homeland to realize his dream ... of opening Uyghur-language kindergartens and schools.” He said that he and other friends had tried to persuade Ayup—whose wife and daughter were also with him in the U.S. at the time—to stay to pursue his studies, but he could not be swayed. Reported by Eset Sulaiman for RFA’s Uyghur Service. Translated by Mamatjan Juma and Eset Sulaiman. Written in English by Parameswaran Ponnudurai. View this story online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/language-08262014235118.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.

10 years, 9 months

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RFA BREAKING NEWS: Three More Detained Tibetan Protesters Die From Gunshot Wounds

by Parameswaran Ponnudurai

Three More Detained Tibetan Protesters Die From Gunshot Wounds AUG. 19, 2014 -- Three more Tibetans have died of untreated gunshot wounds after Chinese authorities fired on peaceful protesters last week in Sichuan Province and refused to treat the dozens who were injured and detained, according to sources Tuesday. The bodies of the three, all members of the same household, were returned to their families on Monday after they succumbed to their injuries at the detention center in Loshu township in the Kardze (Ganzi) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture. Two protesters had previously died at the detention center on Sunday, one committing suicide in protest against "torture" at the hands of Chinese authorities and another dying of untreated wounds, exile sources had said. The five who died were among dozens detained after Chinese police fired into a protest by hundreds in Shukpa village in Sershul (Shiqu) county on Aug. 12. Many of those detained who had gunshot wounds were left untreated for a week with bullets still embedded in their bodies. It was not clear when the three Tibetans died at the detention center, but their bodies were returned on Monday, exile sources said, They were identified as Tsewang Gonpo, 60; Yeshe, 42; and Jinpa Tharchin, 18. “They were refused medical care and had been tortured by the Chinese authorities,” Demay Gyaltsen, a Tibetan living in India told RFA’s Tibetan Service on Tuesday, citing local sources. “They succumbed to their injuries in custody, and their bodies were returned to their families on Aug. 18,” Gyaltsen said. Gonpo, the elder of the three who died, was the uncle of Dema Wangdak, a local village leader, whose detention by police on Aug. 11 sparked the mass protest the next day. 'Acting with impunity' Tibet advocacy groups have slammed the Chinese authorities, who have been accused of blatant rights abuses in Tibet, for acting with impunity. “This alarming news indicates that the authorities in this area are apparently acting with complete and dangerous impunity,” Matteo Mecacci, President of the International Campaign for Tibet, said in a statement on Monday. “As a matter of urgency, the international community must express its abhorrence of these acts by officials and paramilitary police in Kardze and call upon the central leadership in Beijing to ensure that the wounded are allowed medical treatment and released from custody, and that the detentions of Tibetans following the protest must end.” Khenpo Sonam Tenphel, Deputy Speaker of the exile Tibetan Parliament in India, urged the Chinese government to release the “innocent” Tibetans and allow a fact-finding team and the international media to enter the area to investigate the deadly shooting incident. A group of Tibetans in New York protested outside the United Nations headquarters since Monday, asking the world body to help stop what they called Chinese atrocities on Tibetans. Meanwhile Chinese authorities summoned Tibetan residents of Loshu township to a meeting Monday to accuse the detained village leader of embezzlement, Gyaltsen said. “On Aug. 18, the people of Denkor district in Loshu were summoned to a public meeting in which authorities urged people to spread the word that Wangdak’s detention was not related to horse racing or making incense offerings, but rather was due to his embezzlement of public funds.” Only a few people attended the meeting, though, Gyaltsen said. “Because of this, the authorities have scheduled a further meeting for Aug. 19 to repeat their baseless accusations,” Gyaltsen said. National identity Tibetans in Kardze prefecture are known for their strong sense of Tibetan identity and nationalism, and “the political climate in the region has been deeply oppressive,” the ICT said in a report last week. Last year, at least eight Tibetans were injured when Chinese police fired gunshots and used tear gas to disperse about 1,000 monks and nuns who had gathered in a restive county in Kardze in July to mark the birthday of Tibet's spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama. Sporadic demonstrations challenging Chinese rule have continued in Tibetan-populated areas of China since widespread protests swept the region in 2008. Reported by Pema Ngodup, Sonam Wangdue and Rigdhen Dolma for RFA’s Tibetan Service. Translated by Dorjee Damdul. Written in English by Richard Finney. View this story online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/tibet/wounds-08192014131944.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.

10 years, 9 months

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RFA BREAKING NEWS: Chinese Authorities Refuse to Treat Detained Tibetans With Gunshot Wounds

by Param

Chinese Authorities Refuse to Treat Detained Tibetans With Gunshot Wounds AUG. 18, 2014 -- Six days after nearly a dozen Tibetan peaceful protesters were shot and detained by Chinese police in Sichuan province, some of them have bullets still embedded in their bodies as they are denied medical care while in custody, according to exile sources. The situation has become so acute that one of the wounded Tibetan detainees committed suicide Sunday in protest against the "torture" committed by Chinese authorities while another died of untreated wounds at the detention center in Loshu (in Chinese, Luoxu) township in the Kardze (Ganzi) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture. On Aug. 12, Chinese police opened fire and detained scores of Tibetans as they broke up a mass protest against the arrest a day earlier of a respected leader in Kardze's Shopa village in Sershul ( Shiqu) county. Village leader Dema Wangdak was held after he complained to the authorities over the harassment of Tibetan women by senior Chinese officials at a cultural performance during their visit to the county, according to sources. “On Sunday, one of the detainees, Lo Palsang [from Shupa village] killed himself in detention in protest against the torture by the Chinese authorities," Demay Gyaltsen, a Tibetan living in exile in India, told RFA’s Tibetan Service, citing local contacts. "On the same day, another detainee, a 22-year-old man, died from injuries,” he said. Concerns Gyaltsen said he was informed that the gunshot wounds of several detainees, including the son of Wangdak, have been left unattended six days after the shooting, raising concerns about their medical condition while under custody. “Several of the wounded, including Kunga Sherab, the son of the village leader Wangdak, have been left without the bullets removed from their bodies," he said. Sherab is in "critical condition," he said. A meditation instructor, Karma Rinchen, of the local Miru monastery is also among the detainees but his condition is not immediately known. Capacity Sources said that initially, the detention center in Loshu had reached full capacity and several of the detainees had to be kept at a hospital. "Some of them were given medical treatment when they were at the hospital but now all of them have been brought back to the detention center while being denied any further medical attention," Gyaltsen said. The detainees had their heads shaved and were not allowed visitors, he said. Tibetans in Kardze prefecture are known for their strong sense of Tibetan identity and nationalism, and “the political climate in the region has been deeply oppressive,” the International Campaign for Tibet (ICT), an advocacy group, said in a report last week. Last year, at least eight Tibetans were injured when Chinese police fired gunshots and used tear gas to disperse about 1,000 monks and nuns who had gathered in a restive county in Kardze in July to mark the birthday of Tibet's spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama. Sporadic demonstrations challenging Chinese rule have continued in Tibetan-populated areas of China since widespread protests swept the region in 2008. Some 131 Tibetans to date have set themselves ablaze in self-immolation protests to oppose Beijing’s rule and call for the return of exiled spiritual leader the Dalai Lama. Reported by Yangdon Demo for RFA’s Tibetan Service. Translated by Dorjee Damdul. Written in English by Parameswaran Ponnudurai. View this story online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/tibet/gunshot-08182014014610.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.

10 years, 9 months

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RFA BREAKING NEWS: Chinese Police Open Fire at Tibetan Protest, Nearly A Dozen Wounded

by Parameswaran Ponnudurai

Chinese Police Open Fire at Tibetan Protest, Nearly A Dozen Wounded AUG. 13, 2014 -- Chinese police opened fire to disperse hundreds of Tibetans protesting the detention of a respected village leader in Sichuan province, seriously wounding nearly a dozen people, exile sources said Wednesday, quoting local contacts. Many Tibetans were also detained and beaten in the violent crackdown in Sershul (in Chinese, Shiqu) county in the Kardze (Ganzi) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture on Tuesday, a day after police whisked away village leader Dema Wangdak from his home at midnight, the sources said. Wangdak, 45, was detained after he complained to the authorities over the harassment of Tibetan women by senior Chinese officials at a cultural performance the local community was forced to host during their visit to the county, the source said. “Hundreds gathered to call for Wangdak’s release because he is innocent, but the Chinese authorities sent in security forces to crack down on the protesters,” Demay Gyaltsen, a Tibetan living in exile in India, told RFA’s Tibetan Service. “The security forces used tear gas and fired live ammunition indiscriminately to disperse the crowd during the protest in Loshu township,” he said, adding that about “10 Tibetans were seriously wounded” by the gunshots. Communication links cut off Among the injured were Wangdak’s son and brother, both of whom suffered two gunshot wounds each, said Gyaltsen, who heads an organization in India for Tibetans from Sershul’s neighboring Dege county. After dispersing the protesters, he said, the authorities sought reinforcements and stepped up security late Tuesday, when many Tibetans were detained and communication lines were cut off. “The village is now entirely surrounded by security forces and many of the adults in the village have gone to the hills to hide,” Jampa Youten, a monk in South India told RFA. “Those who remained were the younger Tibetans and women, who have been interrogated and tortured by the Chinese security forces,” he said, also citing local contacts. Illegal ceremony Youten said that when Wangdak, who is a leader of Shopa village, criticized the Chinese officials for harassing the Tibetan women, the authorities accused him of holding an illegal ceremony at the beginning of a local horse festival in which Tibetans burned incense and made prayer offerings. “Wangdak voiced strong opposition to the treatment of the women, which led to a verbal altercation with the officials, who then accused the village leader of holding the ceremony and horse racing without the authorities’ permission,” Youten said. “Under these circumstances, he was taken away secretly at midnight on Aug. 11.” The Chinese authorities did not cite any reasons for Wangdak’s arrest. “The Tibetans do not believe he was held for allowing horse racing, as this is a traditional activity and is a very normal thing,” said Tenpa, another exile source in India with contacts in the region. “His arrest is arbitrary and he didn’t violate any pertinent laws,” he said. 'Speaking up for the poor' Wangdak has a reputation for “standing up for the weak and speaking up for the poor as well as victims of harassment.” Tibetans in Kardze prefecture are known for their strong sense of Tibetan identity and nationalism, and “the political climate in the region has been deeply oppressive,” the International Campaign for Tibet (ICT), an advocacy group, said in a report. Last year, at least eight Tibetans were injured when Chinese police fired gunshots and used tear gas to disperse about 1,000 monks and nuns who had gathered in a restive county in Kardze in July to mark the birthday of Tibet's spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama. Sporadic demonstrations challenging Chinese rule have continued in Tibetan-populated areas of China since widespread protests swept the region in 2008. Some 131 Tibetans to date have set themselves ablaze in self-immolation protests to oppose Beijing’s rule and call for the return of exiled spiritual leader the Dalai Lama. Reported by Sonam Wangdue for RFA’s Tibetan Service. Translated by Dorjee Damdul. Written in English by Parameswaran Ponnudurai. View this story online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/tibet/shooting-08132014220307.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.

10 years, 10 months

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RFA BREAKING NEWS: ‘At Least 2,000 Uyghurs Killed’ in Yarkand Violence: Exile Leader

by Parameswaran Ponnudurai

‘At Least 2,000 Uyghurs Killed’ in Yarkand Violence: Exile Leader AUG. 5, 2014 -- An exile Uyghur leader has claimed that at least 2,000 ethnic minority Uyghurs may have been killed by Chinese security forces following riots last week in a restive county in China’s western Xinjiang region, far more than reported by the state media. Citing “evidence” from the ground, Rebiya Kadeer, president of the Germany-based World Uyghur Congress (WUC), accused the Chinese authorities of a cover up of what she called a “massacre” of Uyghurs in Yarkand (in Chinese, Shache) county in Xinjiang’s Kashgar prefecture on July 28. Chinese state media had at first said “dozens” of people were killed but revised upwards the death toll to 96 this week, saying the riots erupted after a “gang” of Uyghurs attacked a police station and government offices in Yarkand’s Elishku township and that the authorities reacted with “a resolute crackdown to eradicate terrorists.” But Kadeer told RFA’s Uyghur Service that information the WUC received from the area was “absolutely different than the accounts provided by Chinese official narrative.” “We have evidence in hand that at least 2,000 Uyghurs in the neighborhood of Elishku township have been killed by Chinese security forces on the first day [of the incident] and they ‘cleaned up’ the dead bodies on the second and third day during a curfew that was imposed,” she said. “We have recorded voice messages from the people in the neighborhood and written testimonies on exactly what had taken place in Elishku township of Yarkand county during this massacre,” she said, adding that the victims were mainly from villages No. 14, 15 and 16 in the township. “We can share these facts without releasing the source of the information as their security and safety is at risk,” said Kadeer, who has been in exile in Washington since being released from a Chinese prison in 2005. Highest death toll in Xinjiang Kadeer said the death toll in Yarkand was the highest reported in Xinjiang violence, surpassing the 200 killed in rioting in the regional capital Urumqi in 2009 involving the mostly Muslim Uyghurs and members of China's Han majority. “It is clearly state terrorism and a crime against humanity by any standard committed by Chinese security forces against the unarmed Uyghur population,” she charged. Kadeer’s claim could not be independently verified but interviews with Uyghur and Han residents in Yarkand and the Silk Road city of Kashgar by RFA’s Uyghur and Mandarin Services indicated that the death toll was much higher than that reported by the state media, with one Han Chinese resident saying it could be “more than 1,000.” Kadeer said that the riots were triggered by a march by a group of Uyghurs to the police station and government offices to seek justice “for the killing of innocent villagers,” including the shooting death of a family of five by police over a dispute about wearing traditional headscarves. She claimed the police gunned down nearly all the protesters and went on to kill others in a house-to-house search. “As usual Chinese security forces have regarded this mass gathering of Uyghurs as a crime and that they should be silenced, and started to shoot at them without even listening to their concerns,” Kadeer said. Uyghurs attacked with sticks She said that some Uyghurs, armed with sticks, attacked government vehicles and government employees in protest against the violence by the security forces. “Chinese military forces immediately called for [reinforcements] and started to shoot and kill all the participants of the march and other villagers during house-to-house searches.” The authorities had sealed off the affected area, which has been surrounded by heavily armed security forces, she said, adding that the July 28 bloody incident had been overshadowed by the Israeli military offensive in Gaza which had grabbed headlines in recent weeks. “At least 2,000 innocent Uyghurs in three villages of Yarkand county have been brutally killed by Chinese security forces without even condemnation from the outside world,” Kadeer said. In the violence-hit Elishku township, a Uyghur shop owner told RFA that “some streets have been almost deserted because many people have died,” citing accounts by his customers who had heard “continuous gunfire and cries for help.” Ambulance sirens A resident of one of the three villages gripped by the violence in Elishku township said she heard ambulance sirens sounding throughout the day on Aug. 2, five days after the riots. When asked about casualties, a doctor at Yarkand People’s Hospital, Mihrigul Awut, said, “Sorry, I cannot answer any questions about the injuries from the incident.” However, local Han Chinese residents of Yarkand county and the Silk Road city of Kashgar said the ruling Chinese Communist Party was trying to "cover up" the extent of the violence, and had greatly underreported the number of deaths. A Han Chinese businesswoman from Kashgar, which administers Yarkand, said that more than 1,000 people, including Hans and Uyghurs, could have died from the violence which she charged was caused by armed Uyghurs. "If you add up our own [Han casualties] with the gangsters, including those of us who died for no reason, it's more than 1,000," she told RFA’s Mandarin Service. "It’s because a lot of the East Turkestanis … attacked people with great, big chopping knives," she said, referring to the Uyghurs. “It's a bit like Iraq over here.” "Some of them were local Uyghurs from around here, while some were from overseas," the businesswoman said, adding, "We have five border crossings to Pakistan around here." Many Uyghurs refer to Xinjiang as East Turkestan, as the region had come under Chinese control following two short-lived East Turkestan republics in the 1930s and 1940s. 'Premeditated' attack The official Xinhua news agency had said that of the official death toll of 96, 35 of the dead civilians were Han Chinese, while two were Uyghurs and others were “terrorists.” The news agency cited the government as saying investigations showed the attack was "organized and premeditated,” and "in connection with the terrorist group East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM).” Chinese authorities have blamed ETIM and “separatists” from Xinjiang for a series of attacks which have expanded in scale and sophistication over the last year, including a May 22 bombing in Urumqi, which killed 39 people and injured 90, and which prompted the launch of an anti-terror campaign across the region. Reported by Shohret Hoshur for RFA’s Uyghur Service and Qiao Long for the Mandarin Service. Translated by Mehmet Tohti, Jennifer Chou and Luisetta Mudie. Written in English by Parameswaran Ponnudurai and Luisetta Mudie. View this story online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/yarkand-08052014150547.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.

10 years, 10 months

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RFA BREAKING NEWS: Imam of Grand Kashgar Mosque Murdered in Xinjiang Violence

by Parameswaran Ponnudurai

Imam of Grand Kashgar Mosque Murdered in Xinjiang Violence JULY 30, 2014 -- The head of the largest mosque in China who has been highly critical of violence by ethnic minority Muslim Uyghurs in the troubled Xinjiang region has been stabbed to death, according to witnesses and local officials. Jume Tahir, the Uyghur imam of the Id Kah mosque in the ancient Silk Road city of Kashgar in China's western Xinjiang region, was found in a pool of blood outside the prayer house on Wednesday morning. Abdugheni Dolkun, director of a neighborhood stability committee in Kashgar city, said that Tahir, who was in his 70s, was assassinated. "He was a patriotic religious person, he lost his life in an assassination," Dolkun told RFA's Uyghur Service. "Right now, we are busy making arrangements for his funeral." An owner of a shop at a market near the mosque said he was about to open for business when he saw police busy clearing a huge crowd that had gathered at the murder scene. "I saw the body lying in front of the Id Kah mosque and when I asked one of those leaving the scene about the commotion and the police presence, he said the body was that of Juma Tahir," the shopowner said, speaking on condition of anonymity. 'Last respects' Another Kashgar resident said he went to the residence of Tahir, who is also the vice-president of the China Islamic Association, late Wednesday to "pay my last respects" to him. "I do not know who killed him or why he was killed, nobody dared to ask this question. His family members and relatives were weeping. They said he was assassinated," he said. "What I heard was that as he was returning from the mosque, he was stabbed to death." Tahir has been a longtime imam of the nearly 600-year-old Id Kah mosque, the largest in China and which houses thousands of worshipers during Friday prayers. The mosque on an area covering 16,800 square meters (180,833 square feet) was built in 1442. Officials could not be immediately contacted to ascertain the motive of Tahir's murder, which occurred two days after bloody riots erupted in Yarkand (in Chinese, Shache) county in Kashgar prefecture during the Eid al-Fitr festival marking the end of the Ramadan fasting month. The riots began on Monday morning when groups of Uyghurs attacked a police station and government offices in Elishku township, prompting police to fire at the crowd, leaving many dead or wounded, local officials told RFA. The Uyghurs were apparently angry over restrictions during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan and the police killing of a family of five earlier this month, according to local officials. High death toll The official Xinhua news agency said "dozens" were shot dead by police but the exile group, World Uyghur Congress, claimed the death toll may have reached "nearly 100." The Yarkand incident was one of the worst clashes in Xinjiang since bloody riots between Uyghurs and majority Han Chinese in the regional capital Urumqi in 2009 that left almost 200 people dead Tahir has often been cited in Chinese state media criticizing Uyghurs involved in violence in their Xinjiang homeland, where they complain that they are subject to political, cultural, and religious repression for opposing Chinese rule. A teacher in the Kashgar city said Tahir was disliked by many Uyghurs since the Urumqi riots when he backed the bloody government crackdown on the minority group. "He has turned the mosque into a Communist Party propaganda school," the teacher said, declining to identify himself. Reported by Shohret Hoshur for RFA's Uyghur Service. Translated by Mamatjan Juma. Written in English by Parameswaran Ponnudurai. View this story online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/murder-07302014221118.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.

10 years, 10 months

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RFA BREAKING NEWS: Tibetans Openly Display Dalai Lama Portrait at Horse-Racing Festival

by Parameswaran Ponnudurai

Tibetans Openly Display Dalai Lama Portrait at Horse-Racing Festival JULY 29, 2014 -- In open defiance of authorities, Tibetans set up a portrait of exiled spiritual leader the Dalai Lama at a traditional horse-racing festival in China’s Sichuan province this week, inviting festival-goers to pray before the photo and make offerings, sources said. The popular festival, held this year on July 27 in Dziwa village in Bathang (in Chinese, Batang) county in the Kardze (Ganzi) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, opened with the Dalai Lama portrait’s formal installation, a Tibetan living in exile told RFA’s Tibetan Service on Tuesday. “Though Chinese authorities imposed restrictions on the festival, the Tibetans brought in a portrait of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and placed it on a throne,” Tsultrim Choedar said, citing local sources. “The organizers also invited Tibetans gathered at the festival to view the photo and offer ceremonial scarves,” he said. “They prayed for the long life of the Dalai Lama and other prominent religious teachers, and also prayed for a resolution of the question of Tibet.” The Dalai Lama, who fled Tibet into exile in India in 1959, is reviled by Chinese leaders as a dangerous separatist who seeks to split the formerly self-governing region from Beijing’s rule. In what he calls a Middle Way Approach, though, the Dalai Lama himself says that he seeks only a meaningful autonomy for Tibet as a part of China, with protections for the region’s language, religion, and culture. A popular tradition Horse racing festivals date back to the time of the Tibetan emperor Songtsen Gampo in the seventh century, and are still popular in Tibetan rural nomadic areas—especially in the historical southeastern Tibetan region of Kham, which has largely been absorbed into Chinese provinces, Choedar said. “This time, when the horse race was organized in Dziwa village, the festival began with an invitation to all who came to the festival to participate in the installation of Dalai Lama’s portrait and to receive blessings,” he said. Most of the horse-racing events are held annually “but in some places the event is organized twice each year.” Many travel for days to attend the festivals, he said. In September 2012, Bathang-area Tibetans also defied authorities by parading large portraits of the Dalai Lama during the enthronement of a local religious leader, Tibetan sources told RFA in earlier reports. Several thousand Tibetans, many on motorbikes, took part in the enthronement ceremony to welcome the young lama, one source said, adding, “Many displayed huge photos of the Dalai Lama on their motorbikes and paraded in the ceremony.” And in March this year, a 31-year-old nun named Drolma self-immolated near a monastery in Bathang to protest Beijing’s rule, sources in the region and in exile said. Sporadic demonstrations challenging Chinese rule have continued in Tibetan-populated areas of China since widespread protests swept the region in 2008, with 131 Tibetans to date setting themselves ablaze to oppose Beijing’s rule and call for the Dalai Lama’s return. Reported by Pema Ngodup 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/display-07292014161126.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.

10 years, 10 months

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RFA BREAKING NEWS: Tibetan Monk Hangs Himself in Despair at China's 'Interference'

by Parameswaran Ponnudurai

Tibetan Monk Hangs Himself in Despair at China's 'Interference' JULY 17, 2014 -- A young Tibetan enrolled at a large monastery in northwest China’s Gansu province has hanged himself in protest over official restrictions on monastic life, citing hardships in the daily life of Tibetan monks and nuns, sources said. Thabke, aged about 24 and a monk at the Labrang monastery in Sangchu (in Chinese, Xiahe) county in Gansu’s Kanlho (Gannan) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, committed suicide on July 9 “by hanging himself from a tree in front of the monastery,” a local source told RFA’s Tibetan Service on Thursday. The source said the incident could not be made public earlier due to “communication restrictions” in Sangchu over the last week. Thabke “had confided to close friends that he wanted to end his life in protest against the imposition of a variety of restrictive regulations and policies,” the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Restrictions included limits placed on the number of monks and nuns allowed to be enrolled in monasteries in Sangchu, the source said. “[Chinese] authorities have even interfered in the religious curriculum and have created severe hardships in the monasteries, including Labrang,” he said. Founded in 1709, Labrang has long been one of the largest and most important monasteries in the historical northeast Tibetan region of Amdo, at times housing thousands of monks. Thabke, a native of Sangchu county’s Ngakpa village, had protested against China’s policy of limiting enrollment at Labrang to 999, RFA’s source said. “He also protested against the imposition of restrictions on religious freedom and prohibitions on the display of photos of personal teachers,” he said, adding, “Many monks and nuns who had wanted to pursue the study of Buddhism in the monasteries have had to quit and lead ordinary lives.” Sporadic demonstrations challenging Chinese rule have continued in Tibetan-populated areas of China since widespread protests swept the region in 2008, with 131 Tibetans to date setting themselves ablaze to oppose Beijing’s rule and call for the return of exiled spiritual leader the Dalai Lama. Reported by Lhu Boom 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/hangs-07172014150315.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.

10 years, 10 months

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RFA BREAKING NEWS: Dalai Lama Calls for a ‘Realistic’ Approach to Break Tibet Impasse

by Parameswaran Ponnudurai

Dalai Lama Calls for a ‘Realistic’ Approach to Break Tibet Impasse JULY 15, 2014 -- Tibet’s spiritual leader the Dalai Lama on Tuesday called for a “realistic” approach to resolving the Tibet question, warning that viewing the dispute merely through the prism of history would only aggravate the situation. Citing the Israeli-Palestinian turmoil as an example, he said the Middle East conflict had prolonged because both sides had used the historical context to back their territorial claims. The Dalai Lama said that Beijing and Tibetans should make efforts to bring an end to their dispute through compromise and by considering mutual interests. “Political changes should be looked at from a realistic angle, not just through the prism of history; doing so would only provoke conflict,” the Dalai Lama told RFA’s Tibetan Service in an interview in the Himalayan town of Choglamsar in Leh, the capital of Ladakh district of India-administered Kashmir. “For instance, the Palestinians and the Israeli Jews both lay claim to territory from the past. Dealing with the issue based on historical records has only aggravated the Middle East conflict since 1948,” he said. Example The Chinese authorities and Tibetans should regard the Middle East crisis as an example to understand the “reality” of the situation, he said. “On the Tibetan issue too, we need to think of mutual interests of both [Tibet and Beijing] instead of pursuing a ‘I win, you lose’ policy, which is not appropriate, and will not help resolve the situation,” the Dalai Lama said. The 79-year-old Dalai Lama, who is living in exile in India where he fled to following a failed 1959 Tibet national uprising against Chinese occupation, has been the face and symbol of the Tibetan struggle for freedom for more than five decades. He has been seeking “genuine” autonomy for Tibet based on his Middle Way approach, which does not seek separation from China. A dialogue between Beijing and the Dalai Lama’s envoys since 2002 to consider prospects of "genuine" autonomy had ground to a halt in 2010 without any breakthrough after nine formal rounds of discussion and one informal meeting. Beijing has rebuffed calls for a resumption of the dialogue. Living up to slogan The Dalai Lama said Tuesday that Beijing should live up to its “brotherhood of nationalities” slogan by giving equal treatment to all groups in China for mutual benefit. “From a historical point of view, Tibetans and Chinese have a unique relationship. From that perspective, we should think about mutual benefit,” he said. “The Chinese government’s official political announcements usually refer to brotherhood of nationalities. If this is true, and the nationalities are truly equal, then China and Tibet can mutually benefit,” said the Dalai Lama, who was in Ladakh to confer Kalachakra, a Buddhist process that empowers his disciples to attain enlightenment. Asked whether he still wanted to achieve his long held objective of conducting a Kalachakra ceremony in China, he said Buddhism has been growing rapidly in the world’s most populous nation. Buddhism in China He then referred to a speech by Chinese President Xi Jinping during a visit to France recently in which Xi said that Buddhism had played a significant role in China’s culture. “That a leader of the Communist Party of China to say such a thing is a matter of amazement, a new idiom, a new statement,” the Dalai Lama said. Xi had said in his address at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris in March that after Buddhism was introduced into China, the religion went through an extended period of integrated development with the indigenous Confucianism and Taoism and "finally became the Buddhism with Chinese characteristics." It made "a deep impact on the religious belief, philosophy, literature, art, etiquette and customs of the Chinese people," Xi said. Reported by Kalden Lodoe for RFA’s Tibetan Service. Translated by Benpa Topgyal. Written in English by Parameswaran Ponnudurai. View this story online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/tibet/autonomy-07152014203916.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.

10 years, 10 months

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RFA Wins at New York Festivals Radio Awards

by Rohit Mahajan

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 24, 2014 Contact: Rohit Mahajan 202 530 4976 <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org RFA Wins at New York Festivals Radio Awards WASHINGTON Radio Free Asia <http://www.rfa.org/english/> (RFA) last night won a bronze medal in the category of Best Human Interest Story at the 2014 New York Festivals International Radio Program Awards for RFAs Cantonese Service <http://www.rfa.org/cantonese/> exposé on Chinese birth tourism, Born in the USA: Instant Citizenship in Saipan <http://www.rfa.org/cantonese/features/hottopic/feature-China-birth-06262013 104200.html?encoding=simplified> . In addition, RFAs Uyghur, Korean, Lao, and Cantonese services had stories and features among this years finalists. The full credit and honor that comes with this recognition at New York Festivals goes to our reporters, said Libby Liu, President of RFA. Whether reporting on the questions raised about a missing Lao activist, birth tourism in Saipan, Chinas food safety issues, or a deadly crackdown in Chinas Uyghur region, RFA aims to get at the truth, no matter what obstacles stand in the way. No one understands this better than the journalists at RFA. For RFAs winning entry, Cantonese Service journalist Vivian Kwan investigated the cottage industry of birth tourism in the U.S. territory of Saipan, an island in the western Pacific. Since the U.S. government waived the visa for Chinese tourists to visit the Northern Mariana Islands, which include Saipan, near-term Chinese women have been going there in great numbers. If they give birth during their stay, the mothers bypass Beijings one-child policy and can take advantage of instant U.S. citizenship status for their newborns. The piece also won a Gracie award <http://www.rfa.org/about/releases/birth-tourism-gracie-02182014135252.html> earlier this year from the Alliance for Women in Media. RFAs finalists were: the Lao Services audio news documentary on the disappearance of activist Sombath Somphone; the Uyghur Services breaking news coverage of a deadly crackdown <http://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/clashes-08102013000244.html> on the eve of Muslim holiday Eid al-Fitr in Chinas Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Regions Aksu province; the Korean Services human interest story on a church-sponsored trip to Eastern Europe for young North Korean defectors to learn about life under Communism and after; and the Cantonese Services multimedia investigative series on Chinas food production, Poisoned at the Source <http://www.rfa.org/english/news/special/foodsafety/Home.html> . Other winners <http://www.newyorkfestivals.com/worldsbestradio/2014/> at this years program, the ceremony for which was held in New York, included BBC, Bloomberg News, RTHK, and RFA sister network Middle East Broadcasting Networks. # # # 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 | Media Relations Manager <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org | O: 202.530.4976 | M: 202.489.8021

10 years, 11 months

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RFA BREAKING NEWS: Five Police Officers Killed in Attack on Xinjiang Security Checkpoint

by Param

Five Police Officers Killed in Attack on Xinjiang Security Checkpoint JUNE 22, 2014 -- Five police officers have been killed in a pre-dawn attack on a security checkpoint in China's restive far-western region of Xinjiang after government officials harassed ethnic minority Muslim women wearing head scarves and men with beards, according to police and residents. Unknown assailants on Friday stabbed two police officers guarding the checkpoint in Qaraqash (in Chinese, Moyu) county in southwestern Hotan prefecture and then set fire to a room in the building where three police officers were taking a nap, police said. Residents going for early Friday morning Muslim prayers discovered the two wounded officers and the charred remains of the three others in the room and alerted the authorities. The two officers died on the way to the hospital. The incident followed several high-profile attacks blamed on militants in Xinjiang, the traditional home of the Uyghurs who complain they have long suffered ethnic discrimination, oppressive religious controls, and continued poverty and joblessness. Local police described the violence in Kayash village in Manglay township as among the most deadly in the area in recent years. “It was the most terrible incident in our town but I cannot give you details about that," Ablikim Yasin, chief of the Manglay police station, told RFA's Uyghur Service. "You should call the higher authorities for that.” Manglay town chairman Shi Hongchang said the assailants struck at 4 a.m. "The three police officers were sleeping inside, the two others were on watch outside. The group first stabbed the two who were guarding outside and then set fire to the room,” he told RFA. Kayash village residents said the checkpoint was razed to the ground. Lookout for suspects Atawulla Qasim, chief of Kayash village, said the local authorities were helping police to look for the suspects who carried out the attack. "There are still no clues about the identity of the suspects," he told RFA, saying police have found five empty bottles of petrol. "The group locked the door of the room from outside after they stabbed the two officers, poured the petrol into the room through a stove chimney and then set fire to it," Qasim said. "The officers were unable to get out," he said. A resident living near the checkpoint said the violence occurred amid tensions in Manglay town, where police had detained and interrogated women wearing head scarves and men with beards two days before the incident. "Just two days ago, this place was so busy," the resident said, speaking on condition of anonymity. "The [police] were stopping, holding or interrogating women who were wearing headscarves or men with beards." Many Uyghurs say headscarves are a marker of Uyghur rather than Muslim identity. Chinese authorities, however, discourage the wearing of beards and headscarves, veils, and other Islamic dress in the region. Heavy-handedness A Qaraqash schoolteacher said he was not surprised by the fresh violence in the county, citing what he called the heavy-handedness of Beijing's “strike hard” campaign launched throughout Xinjiang in the wake of increasing violence. "I was not surprised when I heard about this incident," the teacher said, also speaking on condition of anonymity. "The ongoing 'strike hard' campaign, let alone other campaigns in previous years, is enough to provoke more serious incidents which we are seeing now." "They do not do anything for stability other than just spreading hostility and hatred among society." The Qaraqash violence came a day before police shot dead 13 people in Kargilik county in Xinjiang's Kashgar prefecture on Saturday after they drove into a police building and set off an explosion, according to reports. The official Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region government website Tianshan said the 13 "thugs" crashed a car into the public security building in the county and detonated explosives. Three police officers suffered injuries but there were no other casualties, the report said, without providing further details, according to Agence France-Presse. Chinese state media reported earlier in the week that 13 people had been executed in the region for "terrorist attacks” in seven separate cases. Xinjiang authorities declared a one-year crackdown on “violent terrorist activities” last month following the May 22 bombing at a market in Xinjiang’s capital Urumqi that killed 43 people, including the four attackers. Reported by Shohret Hoshur for RFA's Uyghur Service. Translated by Shohret Hoshur. Written in English by Parameswaran Ponnudurai. View this story online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/violence-06222014163028.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.

10 years, 11 months

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RFA BREAKING NEWS: Chinese Officials Force Management Change at Tibetan Monastery

by Parameswaran Ponnudurai

Chinese Officials Force Management Change at Tibetan Monastery MAY 15, 2014 -- Chinese authorities have removed officials from a key monastery in a restive county of China’s Qinghai province whom they suspect of opposing Beijing’s rule, replacing them with monks of their own choosing, according to sources in the region. The move is believed to be the first high-profile management change by Beijing of a monastery in Tibetan-populated areas in recent years. The revamp this week at the Nyatso Zilkar monastery in Yulshul (in Chinese, Yushu) prefecture’s Tridu (Chenduo) county has heightened local fears that Zilkar’s new managers will now be acting under exclusive Chinese control, an area resident told RFA’s Tibetan Service on Wednesday. “This action has completely broken the tradition of the [monastery] managing its own discipline and activities,” RFA’s source said, speaking on condition of anonymity. “With this appointment of a new management committee for Zilkar monastery, the monks are worried about their future.” Chinese authorities in recent months had increasingly interfered in the work of Nyatso Zilkar, “accusing the management team of the monastery in involvement in separatist activities and pressing for their removal from management positions,” a Tibetan source told RFA last month. On May 10, the monastery’s managers were called to a meeting in nearby Dzatoe town, a local source told RFA on Wednesday. “The officials insisted that the current management team must be changed, and the pressure became so intense that the management committee members were replaced on May 11,” he said. An initial list of 32 candidates, including both Nyatso Zilkar monks and laypeople from nearby villages, was first shortened to 28 and then reduced further to a final list of nine, RFA’s source said, adding that these nine were then chosen without input from the monastery itself. Taken into custody When the head of nearby Khangmar village challenged two of those initially named, he was taken into custody for a day and a half and “questioned in detention,” the source said. “Later, he was released,” he said. Nyatso Zilkar, where monks in recent years have led protest marches and held prayer gatherings to honor self-immolation protesters, appears to have been principally targeted for new restrictions, but other local monasteries have also come under heightened scrutiny, one source said, identifying them as Shelma, Drubgyu, and Lu. “We are extremely worried, as this could have an impact on the monasteries’ activities,” he said. In December 2013, Chinese security forces surrounded monasteries with paramilitary police and detained monks in Driru (Biru) county in the neighboring Tibet Autonomous Region when county residents defied orders to fly the Chinese flag from their homes, according to Tibetan sources. Two years before, authorities in Tibet’s Chamdo prefecture had forced the return of monks and nuns to a monastery abandoned following a bomb attack on a government building, warning senior leaders that they could be shot if they fail to heed the order, sources said. Sporadic demonstrations challenging Beijing’s rule have continued in Tibetan-populated areas of China since widespread protests swept the region in 2008, with 131 Tibetans to date setting themselves ablaze to protest Chinese rule and call for the return of exiled spiritual leader the Dalai Lama. Reported by Kunsang Tenzin 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/change-05152014173009.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.

11 years

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RFA BREAKING NEWS: Xinjiang Police Open Fire at Protest Against Clampdown on Islamic Dress

by Parameswaran Ponnudurai

Xinjiang Police Open Fire at Protest Against Clampdown on Islamic Dress MAY 20, 2014 -- Police in China’s restive Xinjiang region opened fire Tuesday at a protest by hundreds of mostly Muslim ethnic minority Uyghurs angry over the detention of several women and middle school girls for wearing headscarves, according to residents who fear several were shot dead. The mass protest in front of government buildings in a township in Aksu prefecture’s Kucha county turned violent when participants beat the principal of the girls’ school and a township official and pelted stones at the buildings, the residents said. Eyewitnesses said up to four people may have been killed and several others wounded when special armed police blasted several rounds of gunfire at random apparently to control the swelling crowd near the Alaqagha township state buildings. Police also detained dozens among the protesters, who had demanded the immediate release of the girls and several other women detained by local authorities for wearing headscarves and Islamic robes. “I heard the sound of gunfire. All the protesters were shocked and fled in different directions,” a Uyghur woman who was at the protest scene told RFA’s Uyghur Service. “I don’t know for sure how many people were shot dead but the people around me were saying three or four were gunned down on the spot and several others wounded, including in the legs,” she said. “The armed police also detained many people.” Trigger She said the incident was triggered by an ongoing crackdown by local authorities on Uyghur men sporting beards and women wearing headscarves as well as on schools with girls adhering to Islamic dress. An unknown number of them had been detained by the authorities in recent days. “Their families and relatives gathered at the main door of government buildings today and demanded that the detainees, including schoolgirls, be freed,” the woman said, adding that the protests became bigger as other residents joined to express their anger over the detentions. She said the protesters beat the principal of the Alaqagha township middle school—identified as Tursun Qadir—who helped the authorities round up girls wearing headscarves. “The head of the township government [identified just as Ahmad] emerged to speak to the protesters but he was also beaten by the angry protesters.” Police who were contacted by RFA said the situation had calmed down by late Tuesday but refused to provide details such as the number of fatalities and of those detained. “The situation is already under control,” an officer at the Alaqagha township police station said, declining to elaborate on the incident, the latest in a series of violent events to rock Xinjiang. An officer at the neighboring Dongqotan police station, when contacted, said police were huddled in an emergency meeting and wanted all queries to be directed to the county authorities. Curbs on Islamic practices Uyghur rights groups accuse the Chinese authorities of heavy-handed rule in Xinjiang, including curbs on Islamic practices and the culture and language of the Uyghur people. Many Uyghurs say headscarves are a marker of Uyghur rather than Muslim identity. Chinese authorities, however, discourage the wearing of headscarves, veils, and other Islamic dress in the region. More than 100 people, mostly Uyghurs, are believed to have been killed in violence in the region over the last year as the authorities launched an aggressive campaign to clamp down on dissent and suppress what they call “separatist” campaigns. A woman resident of Alaqagha said she heard numerous gunshots from her house several meters away from the protest site on Tuesday. She said power supply to the township has been cut off and security forces were in full force in the streets. “Now, the police and other security forces are patrolling everywhere. We cannot walk in the streets. The electricity has been cut off and we are staying at home without lights.” Security tightened Security has been stepped up across Xinjiang since three people were killed and 79 injured in a knife and bomb attack on a railway station in the regional capital Urumqi when President Xi Jinping concluded a visit to the region last month. Following the attack, Xi called for "decisive actions" against such raids, saying "the battle to combat violence and terrorism will not allow even a moment of slackness,” the official Xinhua news agency said. Deadly 2009 ethnic riots between Uyghurs and Han Chinese in Urumqi left around 200 people dead and sparked a security crackdown targeting Uyghurs. Reported by Eset Sulaiman for RFA’s Uyghur Service. Translated by Eset Sulaiman. Written in English by Parameswaran Ponnudurai. View this story online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/dress-05202014202002.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.

11 years

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RFA BREAKING NEWS: Three Han Chinese Officials Murdered in Xinjiang During President Xi's Trip

by Parameswaran Ponnudurai

Three Han Chinese Officials Murdered in Xinjiang During President Xi's Trip MAY 14, 2014 -- Three senior Han Chinese officials were brutally murdered and their bodies dumped in a pond when President Xi Jinping visited the Xinjiang region—home to the restive mostly Muslim Uyghur minority—last month, according to police and local officials who had kept the bloody crime under wraps. The killing of the trio—two of whom had their throats slit and the third who had been stabbed 31 times—occurred on April 27, the first day of Xi’s four-day regional visit, which ended with a deadly blast at a railway station in Urumqi, the capital of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, the officials said. The three were among four officials on a fishing expedition in a lake in Kargilik county in Kashgar prefecture when they were killed, just one day before Xi visited the prefecture, police said. When one of the officials couldn’t find the other three while fishing in Kokkolyar Lake, he reported the matter to police, resulting in a massive search that led to the discovery of their bodies, said Enver Tursun, deputy chief of the police station in Janggilieski town, where the incident occurred. "Two of the men had their throats cut and were dumped into the lake, while the third one was stabbed in 31 places before he was also pushed into the lake,” Tursun told RFA’s Uyghur Service. “It indicates that the third man had resisted against the murder suspects.” County level officials He said that the men, aged between 38 and 45, were senior county level officials—one was head of a bank and the two others were chiefs of the telecommunication department—all of whom were transferred to Xinjiang two years ago. The fourth official was a director of a state-owned company. All four were based in Poskam county, which neighbors Kargilik county. “For 15 days, the regional police department chief Chen Tingjiang and leaders of the prefectural police department of Kashgar have been on the case and, so far, over 150 people have been interrogated with some of them still in detention, but we still are unable to pinpoint the suspects,” Janggilieski police chief Kuresh Hesen told RFA. “We have now widened the search area,” he said. A Janggilieski Politics and Law Commission official said the bodies were handed over to the wives of the men the next day. A note posted on the Internet on May 3, and later deleted, claimed that the authorities had ordered the wives of the three Han officials to quickly bury their husbands. As the three men did not have any bad records, the families believed they may have been victims of a “terrorist attack,” according to the note, which could not be immediately authenticated with the authorities. Four other killings unconfirmed The note, circulated on the Baidu and Tianya online forums, also mentioned four other killings on the same day of the murder case in Kargilik county, including that of a 13-year old female middle school student who was allegedly stabbed by “a woman wearing a black veil.” None of them could be confirmed with the authorities. A teacher at the girl’s No. 2 Middle School in Poskam county, however, confirmed with RFA’s Cantonese Service that the student was from the school, though she refused to provide any personal details. Police had identified three to five initial suspects from the more than 150 people rounded up for questioning over the murder case, but have refused to give their identity, although many assume they are Uyghurs. The Janggilieski Politics and Law Commission official said police believe the suspects were from Lengger village in the town, “which is 99 percent Uyghur.” 'Front line' Xi visited a Kashgar police station on April 28, telling police officers that the prefecture is the “front line in anti-terrorist efforts and maintaining social stability.” "Grassroots police stations are 'fists and daggers' so you must spare no efforts in serving the people and safeguarding public security," Xi was quoted saying by state media. Henryk Szadziewski, senior researcher at the Washington-based Uyghur Human Rights Project said the murder case in Kashgar ahead of Xi’s visit to the prefecture was a significant development. “It is a very alarming incident if the details are confirmed,” he told RFA’s Mandarin Service. “The timing is probably the reason why the information was suppressed,” he said, noting that Xi had conveyed a message of “stability” and “security” during his visit. Three people were killed and 79 injured in a knife and bomb attack on a railway station in Urumqi as President Xi Jinping concluded his Xinjiang trip. Following the attack, Xi called for "decisive actions" against such raids, saying "the battle to combat violence and terrorism will not allow even a moment of slackness,” the Xinhua official news agency said. Reported by Shohret Hoshur for RFA’s Uyghur Service, the Cantonese Service, and Nadia Usaeva for the Mandarin Service. Translated by Shohret Hoshur, Shiny Li and Nadia Usaeva. Written in English by Parameswaran Ponnudurai. View this story online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/murder-05142014192309.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.

11 years

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Radio Free Asia Hosts Vietnamese Bloggers Event Ahead of World Press Freedom Day

by Rohit Mahajan

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 1, 2014 Contact: Rohit Mahajan 202 530 4976 <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org Radio Free Asia Hosts Vietnamese Bloggers Event Ahead of World Press Freedom Day Netizens Joined by Experts from U.S. State Department, Google, and other groups WASHINGTON - Marking the upcoming commemoration of World Press Freedom Day on May 3, Radio Free Asia <http://www.rfa.org/english/> (RFA) today hosted "Towards a Free Media in Vietnam" featuring six Vietnam-based bloggers and digital activists, in addition to U.S. human rights, media, and technology experts. In two panels, speakers discussed ways to promote opening Vietnam's oppressive digital landscape and media environment. The event was co-sponsored by RFA's Open Technology Fund <https://www.opentechfund.org/> (OTF), Vietnamese reform party Viet Tan <http://www.viettan.org/-English-.html> , ACCESS <https://www.accessnow.org/> , Electronic Frontier Foundation <https://www.eff.org/> (EFF), and Reporters Without Borders <https://en.rsf.org/> (RSF). "For RFA's audience - and everyone around the world - empowerment begins with free speech and free press on any platform," said Libby Liu, President of RFA. "The will and determination of these courageous bloggers from Vietnam, who risk so much to join us here today, are an inspiration. "Their cause is our cause. And it is the cause of all who pick up the banner of free expression and free media around the world." Vietnam's authoritarian government encourages the Internet's growth for the sake of economic gains. But at the same time, it retains tight controls and clamps down on government criticism online. It blocks websites, including RFA's; launches cyber attacks on online media; aggressively monitors its citizens' Internet use; routinely shuts down social media platforms; restricts content allowed online through a series of decrees; imposes narrow limits on providers such as the country's abundant Internet cafes; and jails bloggers - 31 at last count - making Vietnam second only to China as the world's biggest prison for netizens. This stark reality, along with hopes of finding ways to change it, were discussed in the first panel by the visiting bloggers, who included Le Thanh Tung, a freelance journalist and digital activist; Ngo Nhat Dang, a freelance journalist and contributor to the BBC Vietnamese section; Nguyen Dinh Ha, a blogger and digital activist; Nguyen Thi Kim Chi, an actress who began blogging; and To Oanh, a blogger and former contributor to state-owned newspapers. Speaking about these issues on the second panel, which was moderated by President Liu, were Scott Busby, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor; Do Hoang Diem, Chairman of Viet Tan; Jon Fox, Global Advocacy Manager at ACCESS; and Google Program Manager Meredith Whittaker. # # # 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

11 years, 1 month

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RFA BREAKING NEWS: North Korean College Students Ordered to Adopt Leader Kim's Haircut

by Parameswaran Ponnudurai

North Korean College Students Ordered to Adopt Leader Kim's Haircut MARCH 26, 2014 -- Colleges in North Korea have ordered male students to sport the same hairstyle as the country's young leader Kim Jong Un while female students are being advised to keep their hair as short as that of first lady Ri Sol Ju, according to sources inside the hermit kingdom. The order, issued in early March, has sparked resentment among some male students not in favor of trading their hairstyle for Kim's shaved sides and long parted top look, which a decade ago was regarded as a style sported by smugglers, the sources said. The instruction for male students to get the same haircut as their leader is not based on any directive from Kim but on a recommendation from the ruling Workers' Party, according to a North Korean from North Hamgyong province near the border with China. Still, colleges nationwide are treating it as a directive and "many students are disgruntled by it," the source told RFA's Korean Service, speaking on condition of anonymity. The round-faced Kim's trademark half-buzz, half-mop hairstyle "is very unique but it does not look good on some face shapes," the source said. "However, the college authorities have told the students that this is a party recommendation and must be adhered to." "In the past, the authorities did not make a particular hairstyle compulsory,” the North Korean said. "This is the first time. So criticism against the instruction is unavoidable." One source said he knew of a college student, a neighbor, who had just unhappily shed his hairstyle for Kim's look. 'Preposterous policy' The absence of a written directive from the government or ruling party on the hairstyle reform makes it easier for the authorities to ease the policy if there is a groundswell against it, according to observers of developments in North Korea, a reclusive country with intricate rules aimed at stage managing information. The Swiss-educated Kim came to power after his father Kim Jong Il, who favored a bouffant hairstyle, died in December 2011. A North Korean living in Pyongyang on a visit to a Chinese border town confirmed that college students had received the new hairstyle instructions. "In North Korea, Pyongyang is the launchpad for any national policy," he told RFA, saying the instructions were issued early this month. However, there was confusion over the reasons behind the haircut instructions, the Pyongyang resident said. "In mid-2000, youngsters wouldn't dare sport the Kim Jong Un hairdo," he said, also speaking on condition of anonymity. "At that time, the authorities would pounce on anyone with such a hairstyle because they would be deemed to be a smuggler." "It's not the first time North Korea has had this preposterous policy," he said. List of approved styles Last year, according to reports, the North Korean government recommended a relatively generous range of 28 hairstyles for its citizens—18 for women and 10 for men. The reports were based on pictures seen on the walls of hair salons around the impoverished country showing the approved styles for men and women. Married women were allowed more flexibility in their hair choices than single women. But the new call for female college students to sport the short hairstyle of Kim's fashion-conscious wife Ri is merely a "suggestion," the source from North Hamgyong province said. Ri, who entered the public eye as the first lady in July 2012, raised eyebrows when she displayed a new, shorter hairstyle at a concert featuring a police performance troupe in September last year. The North Korean paper Rodong Sinmun printed a picture from the event, showing Ri wearing her hair short and dressed in a deep blue shirt with a black collar, contrasting with the shoulder-length perm she had sported while attending a performance a month earlier. The North Korean source said college students have been advised, however, against wearing the above-the-knee skirts at times donned by Ri. Reported by Joon Ho Kim for RFA’s Korean Service. Translated by Bong Park. Written in English by Parameswaran Ponnudurai. View this story online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/korea/haircut-03262014163017.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.

11 years, 1 month

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RFA BREAKING NEWS: More than 200 Asylum-Seeking Uyghurs Detained in Thailand

by Parameswaran Ponnudurai

More than 200 Asylum-Seeking Uyghurs Detained in Thailand MARCH 13, 2014 -- More than 200 Uyghurs fleeing ethnic tension in China’s restive northwestern Xinjiang region have been detained in Thailand and face deportation back home where they could be punished, according to some of their relatives. Thai police on Wednesday swooped down on a secret camp in a mountainous rubber plantation in Songkhla province in southern Thailand where the 235 mostly Muslim ethnic minority Uyghurs were believed to be waiting to be smuggled across to neighboring predominantly Muslim Malaysia, the relatives said, speaking from Malaysia and Turkey. The Turkic-speaking Uyghurs had initially told the Thai authorities that they are from Turkey, fearing they would be deported back to Xinjiang if their true identity is revealed, a relative told RFA's Uyghur Service, speaking from Malaysia. Thai authorities have already informed Chinese diplomats in Bangkok about the group's illegal presence in Thailand, the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity. "The detained Uyghurs have spoken with Thai officials through an interpreter and they described themselves as Turkish in order to prevent any departure to China and with expectations of assistance from Turkey," the source explained. Thai authorities showed the detainees flags of different countries, including China, to identify their nationality but they refused to acknowledge Chinese citizenship, the relatives said. "Today a Chinese delegation, probably from the Chinese Embassy in Bangkok, went to them and said, 'You are Uyghurs, we can take you to China, don't worry,' but the detainees did not say anything to the delegation except, 'We are Turkish.'" "The detainees are so nervous as China has already intervened in the case." Detention center The Uyghurs have been taken from the camp to a detention center in southern Thailand, sources said. Thailand and Malaysia and several other Southeast Asian neighbors—such as Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos—with strong trade and diplomatic ties to China have deported Uyghurs home in the past, following pressure from China. According to the two relatives of the Uyghurs held in Thailand, they fled Xinjiang in the hope of gaining political asylum through the office of the United Nations High Commissioner of Refugees (UNHCR). "Since it is very dangerous and difficult for Uyghurs to reside in the interior Chinese provinces, they have fled to Thailand using all possible means and to eventually seek political asylum through the U.N.," a relative from Turkey said. "Since there are no Uyghurs residing in Thailand to assist them, they wanted to enter Malaysia to get in touch with U.N. officials and request political asylum, but were detained in the process." Several batches Other sources told RFA that the 235 Uyghurs may have arrived in Thailand in several batches over a couple of months. Many minority Uyghurs in China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region say they are subjected to political, cultural, and religious repression for opposing Chinese rule in their homeland, as well as denied economic opportunities stemming from rapid development of the northwestern region. They blame the problems partly on the influx of majority Han Chinese into the region. China has intensified a sweeping security crackdown in Xinjiang, where according to official figures about 100 people are believed to have been killed over the past year-—many of them Uyghurs accused by the authorities of terrorism and separatism. Rights groups and experts say Beijing exaggerates the terrorism threat to take the heat off domestic policies that cause unrest or to justify the authorities' use of force against Uyghurs. Many Uyghurs refer to Xinjiang as East Turkestan, as the region came under Chinese control following two short-lived East Turkestan republics in the 1930s and 1940s. “The experience over the past few years shows that people who leave China illegally and try to seek political asylum abroad are severely punished upon their forceful return," a Uyghur source said. Past deportees Uyghur exile groups have criticized the Chinese authorities in the past for consistently refusing to provide information on the whereabouts and legal status of Uyghurs who had been deported home, although Beijing had assured the international community that the deportees would be dealt with transparently upon their return. In 2012, two Uyghur asylum-seekers who were deported back to China from Cambodia were sentenced to life imprisonment in a punishment imposed in secret by Chinese authorities and described as severe by rights groups, family members told RFA at the time. The duo were among 18 Uyghurs from Xinjiang who were believed sentenced to various prison terms since Cambodia deported them on Dec. 19, 2009. Another Uyghur in the same group that was deported was sentenced to 17 years in prison. The jail terms of the 15 other Uyghurs were not known. The Uyghurs had fled from China in small groups between May and October 2009 and had applied to the UNHCR for refugee status in Phnom Penh. Reported by Shohret Hoshur for RFA's Uyghur Service. Translated by Shohret Hoshur. Written in English by Parameswaran Ponnudurai. View this story online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/thailand-03132014183027.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.

11 years, 2 months

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RFA BREAKING NEWS: Tibetan Father of Two Self-Immolates in Ngaba

by Rachel Vandenbrink

Tibetan Father of Two Self-Immolates in Ngaba December 4, 2013 — A Tibetan father of two self-immolated in protest against Chinese rule in a restive Tibetan prefecture in Sichuan province, triggering clashes and a security crackdown in the area, according to sources. Konchok Tseten, aged 30, torched himself late Tuesday at the Ngaba county's Meruma township center in the Ngaba (in Chinese, Aba) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, shouting slogans against Beijing's rule in Tibet and calling for the return of Tibet's spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, said the sources, speaking from inside Tibet. With his body engulfed in flames, Tseten managed to run for a distance along the main street before he collapsed, the sources said. Local residents clashed with police as they tried but failed to stop security forces from taking the severely injured Tseten away, they said. "While his body was on fire, he called for the long life of the Dalai Lama and appealed for the Dalai Lama's return to Tibet," a Tibetan with contacts in the area told RFA's Tibetan Service. "He also called for the reunion of Tibetans inside and outside Tibet." "Even after he collapsed on the ground, he was seen by local witnesses folding his hands together in prayer and uttering some words that were not audible," the Tibetan said. Eyewitnesses also said that local residents resisted police attempts to take away Tseten, who had suffered severe burns, resulting in a scuffle and the detention of several Tibetans. "The police arrived at the scene and tried to take him away as he was burning, but the local Tibetans who had gathered at the township resisted and tried to stop the police. This lasted for about one hour before the security forces took him away," another Tibetan said. Relatives detained Police detained Tseten's wife and several of his relatives, among others. "All the Tibetan stores and restaurants in Meruma town were ordered to be closed and many mobile phones were confiscated from the locals." Details of Tseten's condition were not immediately available amid a clampdown on information in Ngaba county following the self-immolation, the 124th since Tibetans launched burning protests in 2009 calling for Tibetan freedom and for the return to Tibet of the Dalai Lama, who fled into exile in 1959 following a failed national uprising against Chinese rule. Sporadic demonstrations challenging Beijing’s rule have continued in Tibetan-populated areas of China since widespread protests swept the region in 2008. Chinese authorities have tightened controls in a bid to check self-immolation protests, arresting and jailing Tibetans whom they accuse of being linked to the burnings. Some have been jailed for up to 15 years. The authorities have also attempted to pressure local Tibetans to sign an official order that forbids any kind of activities to support or sympathize with self-immolation protests, residents said. Reported by Lumbum Tashi and Lobe Socktsang for RFA's Tibetan Service. Translated by Karma Dorjee. Written in English by Parameswaran Ponnudurai. View this story online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/tibet/burn-03042012113258.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 .

11 years, 3 months

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RFA Wins Gracie for Exposé on 'Birth Tourism' in Saipan

by Rohit Mahajan

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 18, 2014 Contact: Rohit Mahajan 202 530 4976 <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org RFA Wins Gracie for Exposé on Birth Tourism in Saipan WASHINGTON Radio Free Asia <http://www.rfa.org/english/> (RFA) has won a Gracie Award for its Cantonese Service <http://www.rfa.org/cantonese/> s exposé, Born in the USA: Instant Citizenship in Saipan <http://www.rfa.org/cantonese/features/hottopic/feature-China-birth-06262013 104200.html?encoding=simplified> , in the category of investigative program or feature. Sponsored by the Alliance for Women in Media <http://www.allwomeninmedia.org/> (AWM), the annual Gracies recognize exemplary media and entertainment programming created by women and focused on issues relating to women. We are thrilled to win a Gracie again this year among so many respected colleagues in journalism, said Libby Liu, President of RFA. Womens stories and stories that affect women are an important part of Radio Free Asias coverage every day. This award continues to inspire us at RFA to produce exceptional programming that makes an impact on womens lives throughout Asia. For RFAs winning entry, Cantonese Service journalist Vivian Kwan investigated the cottage industry of birth tourism in the U.S. territory of Saipan, an island in the western Pacific. Since the U.S. government waived the visa for Chinese tourists to visit the Northern Mariana Islands, which include Saipan, near-term Chinese women have been going there in great numbers. If they give birth during their stay, the mothers bypass Beijings one-child policy and can take advantage of instant U.S. citizenship status for their newborns. Kwan posed as an expectant mother and contacted two Chinese travel agencies to learn about the 11,000 USD packages that include accommodations, meals, documentation, hospital booking, an interpreter, and a driver. Excluded is the medical coverage, which can run up to 12,000 USD. Between 2010 and 2012, births attributed to Chinese tourists increased by 60 percent. The local government of the one-hospital island has requested that the federal government impose tighter border controls. RFA, along with this years winners, will be recognized at the 39th annual Gracies Gala on May 20 in Beverly Hills, Calif. Winners <http://www.thegracies.org/2013-grace-awards.php> include ABC News, CNN, NBC Nightly News, and Al Jazeera America, among others. # # # 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 | Media Relations Manager <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org | O: 202.530.4976 | M: 202.489.8021

11 years, 3 months

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Radio Free Asia Responds to RSF 2014 Press Freedom Index

by Rohit Mahajan

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Feb. 11, 2014 Contact: Rohit Mahajan 202 530 4976 <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org Radio Free Asia President Responds to Reporters Without Borders Press Freedom Index Seven of RFA's nine language services in the bottom 10 percent WASHINGTON - In response to the release of Reporters Without Borders' 2014 World Press Freedom Index <http://rsf.org/index2014/en-index2014.php> , Radio Free Asia <http://www.rfa.org/english/> 's President Libby Liu noted that the survey shows little change in the poor media environments of China, Vietnam, North Korea and Laos, while Cambodia continued on its downward trajectory with heightened press threats in the past year. The survey also cited the slowdown of media reforms in Myanmar threatening the progress made in recent years. "This year's index paints a sobering portrait of RFA's countries as some of the world's worst for journalism," Liu said. "In China and Vietnam, an unrelenting crackdown continues on journalists, netizens, and cyberactivists who venture beyond state-controlled media headlines. "Myanmar, where RFA's on-the-ground presence has only strengthened over the past several years, continues to shows promise but is also at risk of losing ground. "Of particular concern is the worsening situation in Cambodia, where RFA's journalists have witnessed firsthand a pattern of intimidation, threats, and unsubstantiated accusations of bias waged by the government. Unfortunately, we anticipate that this pattern will continue." The survey ranked North Korea second to last at 179 of the 180 countries researched, with China at 175, Vietnam at 174, and Laos at 171. Cambodia was ranked at 144, with continued signs of deterioration. Myanmar showed slight improvement, ranking at 145 (up from 151 last year). 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 and YouTube, 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 | Media Relations Manager <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org | O: 202.530.4976 | M: 202.489.8021

11 years, 3 months

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RFA BREAKING NEWS: Tibetan Man Sets Himself Ablaze in First Burning Protest This Year

by Parameswaran Ponnudurai

Tibetan Man Sets Himself Ablaze in First Burning Protest This Year FEB. 6, 2014 — A Tibetan living in northwestern China’s Qinghai province has set himself on fire in protest against Beijing’s rule in the first self-immolation protest by Tibetans this year, triggering a security crackdown, local sources said Thursday. Phagmo Samdrub, 29, set himself ablaze “for the cause of Tibet” at around 9:30 p.m. on Wednesday near the Panchen Day School in Dokarmo township in Tsekhog (in Chinese, Zeku) county in the Malho (Huangnan) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, a local resident told RFA’s Tibetan Service. “On Feb. 5, a Tibetan called Phagmo Samdrub self-immolated for the cause of Tibet,” the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity and adding that Samdrub had been taken away by Chinese authorities. By the early hours of Thursday, Chinese forces had tightened security “very conspicuously” in Tsekhog and nearby Rebgong (Tongren) county, the scene of several earlier self-immolation protests, the source said. “Communication channels have been restricted in areas around Tsekhog, and it is said that [Samdrub] has been taken to government headquarters in Tsekhog county.” “No further details are available,” he added. Calling the Tsekhog county police department for comment, an RFA reporter was told that he had reached “the hospital” by mistake before the phone was hung up. Repeated calls to the same number were not answered Thursday. Burnings continue Samdrub’s protest brings to 126 the number of Tibetan self-immolations challenging Chinese rule in Tibetan areas and follows the Dec. 19 burning of a respected Tibetan monk in China’s Gansu province. Tsultrim Gyatso, 43, self-immolated at a road junction in Sangchu (Xiahe) county in the Kanlho (Gannan) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture after penning a one-page suicide note in which he called for the return of exiled spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, sources said. Sporadic demonstrations challenging Beijing’s rule have continued in Tibetan-populated areas of China since widespread protests swept the region in 2008. Chinese authorities have tightened controls in a bid to check self-immolation protests, arresting and jailing Tibetans whom they accuse of being linked to the burnings. Some have been jailed for up to 15 years. Last month, three Tibetan men were ordered jailed for up to two years on charges of involvement in self-immolation protests against Chinese rule in Gansu province, sources in the region said. The three —Dorje Rabten, Kalsang Jinpa, and Dorje Tashi—were sentenced on Jan. 2 by the Tsoe (in Chinese, Hezuo) city court in Kanlho (Gannan) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, according to a source in Tibet. Reported by Lumbum Tashi for RFA’s Tibetan Service. Translated by Dorjee Damdul. Written in English by Richard Finney. View this story online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/tibet/ablaze-02062014133904.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.

11 years, 4 months

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RFA BREAKING NEWS: Uyghur Attack on Police Station Leaves Three Dead, Two Injured

by Parameswaran Ponnudurai

Uyghur Attack on Police Station Leaves Three Dead, Two Injured JANUARY 22, 2013— Chinese authorities have shot dead three Uyghurs who attacked a police station in northwestern China’s restive Xinjiang region, officials said Wednesday, calling it an act of “separatism.” The attack on the Yengieriq town police station in Aksu prefecture’s Awat county a week ago is the latest in a string of raids by Uyghurs who exile rights groups say could be retaliating against discrimination by Chinese authorities on the ethnic minority group. Xuan Xin, the police chief of nearby Dolan town, said that the attack by three young Uyghur men was being investigated by national security authorities. “I was not informed about the attackers’ intention, though I’m assuming that they wanted to express their discontent with our government,” he told RFA’s Uyghur Service. “Like many other previous incidents, this was also likely motivated by separatism,” he said of the Jan. 15 attack, which RFA had learned about following a tip off. The three Uyghur men had approached auxiliary guards at the police station complex and asked to meet with the station chief, according to Abdusalam Rozi, a policeman from Dolan. “The auxiliary policemen who were guarding the door did not let them in, saying that the chief was in a meeting,” he said. “During the ensuing argument, the guards realized the youths had something around their waists and demanded to search them. As they were about to be searched, the three young men took out sickles from inside their jackets and attacked the guards, injuring two of them.” Rozi said that during the melee “other police inside the building shot the Uygur youths to death.” Gao Hai, the vice chief of police in Dolan, said one of the auxiliary guards had been severely injured in the attack. “They are being treated at the county hospital. One is injured around the waist, while the other’s condition is more severe.” Gao said that the Uyghur youths were from the Qumeriq and Lenger villages of Yengieriq town, but said he did not know their names. In recent months, dozens of Uyghurs accused by the authorities of terrorism and separatism have been shot dead in lightning raids in Xinjiang, home to some 10 million mostly Muslim Uyghurs. On Dec. 30, Chinese authorities in Yarkand (in Chinese, Shache) county near the Silk Road city of Kashgar opened fire and killed eight Uyghurs who they said attacked a police station, calling them "terrorists" and "religious extremists." At least 91 people, including several policemen, have been killed in violence in Xinjiang since April, state media reported. Rights groups and experts say Beijing exaggerates the terrorism threat to take the heat off domestic policies that cause unrest or to justify the authorities' use of force against Uyghurs. Enver Molla, a police chief from nearby Tamtoghraq town, told RFA that since last week’s incident “security measures had been increased” in Yengieriq. But he said that the attack was a “matter of national security” and refused to provide details, referring inquiries to the provincial public security office. Respecting traditions The attack occurred on the same day of the arrest of outspoken Uyghur scholar Ilham Tohti in Beijing which Uyghur rights groups say underscored the Chinese government's increasingly hardline stance on dissent surrounding Xinjiang. Tohti, who has been critical of official policy in Xinjiang, was detained on suspicion of "breaking the law," according to the Chinese government which had come under fire from the United States and the European Union for the action. Uyghur exile groups say Chinese authorities in Xinjiang have launched a New Year “strike hard” campaign targeting cell phones, computers, religious materials and other “cultural products” belonging to Uyghurs. Dilxat Raxit, spokesman for the exile World Uyghur Congress (WUC) group, told RFA recently that the government had been “stepping up these raids, even to the point of armed police shooting Uyghurs who refuse to cooperate and offer some kind of resistance.” He warned that “any provocation could lead to further violence.” Meanwhile, the ruling Chinese Communist Party’s Xinjiang chief Zhang Chunxian called Wednesday for ethnic traditions in Xinjiang to be respected. Zhang said that the government must “treat issues of local tradition with respect and resolve issues of violence with rule of law and severe measures,” Reuters news agency reported, citing his comments in the official Xinjiang Daily. “[The government] must acknowledge the long-term, acute and complex nature of the anti-separatism and violent terrorism fight,” he said, adding that there was no contradiction between stability and development. Uyghurs say they have long suffered ethnic discrimination and oppressive religious controls under Beijing’s policies, blaming the problems partly on the influx of Han Chinese into the region. 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/uyghur/attack-01222014184920.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.

11 years, 4 months

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Season's Greetings from Radio Free Asia

by Rohit Mahajan

>From All of Us at Radio Free Asia, Season's Greetings! Watch our year-end video, marking a few of the year's most important stories RFA covered in 2013. Click here to view <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmSnHr870BY&feature=share&list=UUirnBv9qGKCJ YZSaWmYGFaQ&index=1> . KHM7 Wishing each and every person a safe and peaceful New Year. LogoText

11 years, 5 months

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RFA BREAKING NEWS: Tiananmen Crash Linked to Xinjiang Mosque Raid

by Parameswaran Ponnudurai

Tiananmen Crash Linked to Xinjiang Mosque Raid NOV. 6, 2013— An ethnic Muslim Uyghur who plowed his car into a crowded part of Tiananmen Square last week in what the Chinese authorities called a deadly terrorist act may have been angered by a police raid on a mosque in the troubled Xinjiang region, a former official from his home village said Wednesday. Usmen Hesen, who was killed in the crash together with his wife and mother who were also in the vehicle, had publicly vowed to avenge the police raid on the mosque in his Yengi Aymaq village in Xinjiang’s Akto county, former village chief Hamut Turdi said. “I think it is highly possible that Usmen Hesen did this to take revenge for our villagers,” Turdi told RFA’s Uyghur Service. He said that Hesen, aged 33, was furious when Chinese police entered the Pilal mosque compound and tore down the courtyard, which the authorities had termed as an illegal extension of the prayer house built on funds collected from the village community. According to Turdi, Hesen had donated a significant portion of the donated funds. “This is one reason that he might have carried out the Tiananmen attack,” which had also left two tourists dead and injured dozens at the popular site and symbolic heart of the Chinese state, Turdi said. He pointed out that the Pilal mosque raid took place exactly a year before the crash in Tiananmen Square on Oct. 28—“which also leads me to believe this” motive behind the alleged attack. The Yengi Aymaq village is situated in Ujme town under the jurisdiction of the Kizilsu Kirghiz Autonomous Prefecture in Xinjiang, home to the mostly Muslim Uyghurs who say they have long suffered ethnic discrimination and oppressive religious controls under Beijing’s policies. Turdi, 55, who had worked as Yengi Aymaq village chief for 22 years before he was ousted by authorities over the Pilal mosque incident, recollected Hesen making an emotional speech soon after some 100 police officers surrounded the mosque as workers demolished the courtyard. Hesen made the speech as he told the mosque community to stand down after they argued with the armed police. “At that time, Usmen Hesen jumped in and persuaded the community to disperse by saying, ‘Today they have won and we have lost because they are carrying guns and we have nothing—but don’t worry, one day we will do something ourselves’,” Turdi said. “As Usmen Hesen finished his emotional speech, [his mother] Kuwanhan Reyim went to him crying, and hugged and kissed his forehead because of her pride in him. The crowd was also moved to tears and retreated.” When the mosque community backed down, the demolition team bulldozed the mosque’s courtyard and destroyed part of the walls, Turdi said, adding that they also removed 12 carpets from the mosque and disconnected the building’s water supply and heating system. Hesen left Yengi Aymaq village the next day and never returned, he said. Tiananmen incident The Chinese authorities have blamed the little-known East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM) militant group for the Tiananmen raid. Many Uygurs refer to Xinjiang, which borders Afghanistan, Pakistan, and the former Soviet Central Asian republics, as East Turkestan. Last week, a source who claims to know Hesen’s family, suggested that he may have been on a deadly revenge attack after losing a family member during the 2009 bloody riots between Han Chinese and Uyghurs in the Xinjiang capital Urumqi. Another source—Hesen's school classmate—claimed his younger brother had died in a mysterious traffic accident several years ago that had been blamed on the majority Han Chinese or the Chinese authorities. Thousands of Uyghurs had gone missing since they were arrested in large sweep operations following the Urumqi riots, Uyghur groups have claimed. Pilal mosque Turdi said Hesen’s village community had collected around 200,000 yuan (U.S. $32,800) over three years to build the Pilal mosque and successfully applied for a permit to construct it in 2011. After the mosque was built in mid-2012, he said, the community raised another 30,000 yuan (U.S. $4,900) in August that year to lay a concrete floor in the courtyard and build a wall around it to keep the area clean for performing burial rituals. But when the courtyard project was completed, local authorities ordered it torn down because the mosque community had not applied for a new permit to build it. Xinjiang has seen a string of violent incidents in recent years as Beijing tightens security measures and extends house-to-house raids targeting Uyghur families. 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/uyghur/demolition-11062013163042.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.

11 years, 5 months

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RFA BREAKING NEWS: East Turkestan Flag Found Among Bodies of Uyghur Attackers in Xinjiang

by Parameswaran Ponnudurai

East Turkestan Flag Found Among Bodies of Uyghur Attackers in Xinjiang NOV.19, 2013— A group of ethnic Uyghur youths shot dead while storming a police station in China’s restive northwestern Xinjiang region last week had wanted to hoist a flag symbolizing regional independence in a possible suicide mission at the facility, according to police. The attack by the nine youths, in their late teens and early twenties, on the Siriqbuya (in Chinese, Selibuya) police station in Kashgar prefecture’s Maralbeshi (Bachu) county was believed prompted by the arrest of two men linked to the assailants, police said The nine youths, who were armed with knives and sickles, had killed three policemen in the Nov. 16 raid, which the authorities have called a “terrorist” attack. Deputy Siriqbuya police station chief Mahmut Dawut told RFA’s Uyghur Service that the youths had carried the blue and white flag that represented two short-lived independent republics set up within China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region some seven to eight decades ago. He said they were trying to take control of the station and fly the East Turkestan flag above it in emulation of a deadly attack in southern Xinjiang’s Hotan city in July 2011, when a group of young Uyghurs took hostages at a police station and took down the Chinese flag there. The flag of the republics of East Turkestan, set up in 1933 and 1944 within what is now known as Xinjiang, continues to be a symbol of independence by many Uyghurs. Ehmetjan Obul, a police officer who was on duty at the Siriqbuya station on the day of the attack, said the East Turkestan flag had been found lying among the bodies of four of the attackers killed in front of the door of the police station’s main office. “Among those who were killed next to our door, there was a blue flag with a crescent and star,” he said. Qeyim Nijat, another police officer at the Siriqbuya station, also confirmed that the attackers had been carrying the flag. Siriqbuya station police chief Liu Cheng and his deputy Hesen Ablet, who spoke to RFA on the day of the attack, did not mention that the assailants had carried a flag, saying only that the young men had stormed the guard post of the station in the afternoon and were shot dead while attempting to advance to the main office. RFA was unable to immediately contact Liu and Ablet again to verify the latest reports of the attack, the second in Siriqbuya in seven months. Two auxiliary policemen were bludgeoned to death on the spot and another policeman died on the way to the hospital in the latest attack, which ended when a crack security police team arrived and shot all nine dead. Rescue mission? Other police sources told RFA the attack could have been prompted by the arrest of two men in Alaghir village a few miles outside Siriqbuya earlier that afternoon. Police did not say how the two, who had been held in a county detention center at the time of the attack, were linked to the nine, but said that they were their “accomplices.” Dawut said the attack could have been a bid by the group to rescue the duo who they feared could reveal incriminating information about them to the police. “They attacked our police station to rescue their two collaborators, who were captured just one hour before by our co-workers and transferred to a detention center in the county,” he said. It could also have been a “suicide mission” carried out once they knew they might face harsh sentences based on information revealed by the two, he said. “They clearly knew they wouldn’t be able to rescue the two, but their extremist ideology gave them the motivation to try,” he said. "Maybe they assumed that they could face arrest and harsh punishment under the law after their partners’ confession, and that is why they chose to die by attacking the police station.” Police said that they had identified five of the attackers. Discrimination Chinese authorities often accuse Uyghurs of terrorist activities but experts familiar with the region have said Beijing has been exaggerating a terrorism threat to take the heat off domestic policies that cause unrest. Uyghurs say they have long suffered ethnic discrimination, oppressive religious controls, and continued poverty and joblessness in Xinjiang amid an influx of majority Han Chinese in the resource-rich region. The attack on the police station came amid heightened tensions in Xinjiang following a Uyghur-driven car raid on Beijing's Tiananmen Square last month. The government has blamed the Tiananmen attack on "terrorists" from Xinjiang but a former local official said the Uyghur who plowed his car into a crowded part of the highly sensitive site might have been angered by a police raid on a mosque in his hometown. Xinjiang has seen a string of violent incidents in recent years as Beijing tightened security measures and extended house-to-house raids targeting Uyghur families. Reported by Shohret Hoshur for RFA’s Uyghur Service. Translated by Mamatjan Juma and Shohret Hoshur. Written in English by Rachel Vandenbrink. View this story online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/siriqbuya-11192013181239.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.

11 years, 6 months

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Tibetan Exile Leader Visits Radio Free Asia

by Rohit Mahajan

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Nov. 15, 2013 Contact: Rohit Mahajan 202 530 4976 <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org Tibetan Exile Leader Visits Radio Free Asia 'China's hardline policies are not working': Sangay WASHINGTON - Speaking with Radio Free Asia <http://www.rfa.org/english/> (RFA) today, Lobsang Sangay, the political head of the Tibetan government-in-exile, renewed his call for China to find a resolution to the Tibetan issue through dialogue. Sangay's comments came during a live interview with RFA's Tibetan Service at RFA's headquarters in Washington. "We are telling the Chinese leadership that their hardline policies are not working in Tibet," Sangay said. "When the Tibetans inside Tibet are resisting by refusing to fly the Chinese national flag in Driru and are protesting against Chinese mining operations, this is proof that China's hardline policy cannot last. "Only through talk and dialogue can the Tibet issue be resolved." Sangay, known as the Sikyong, is the elected head of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), headquartered in Dharamsala, India. Before visiting RFA's studios, Sangay met with Under Secretary Maria Otero at the U.S. State Department, and with U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) and Representative Ed Royce (R-CA), Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, among other U.S. officials to discuss recent developments in China's Tibetan regions. Over the last two years, more than 120 Tibetans have self-immolated in protest of Beijing's rule. RFA's Tibetan Service has closely covered this topic <http://www.rfa.org/english/news/tibet> , as well as China's crackdown and the region's unrest, which recently has included large-scale demonstrations against forced displays <http://www.rfa.org/english/news/tibet/flags-11132013170239.html> of loyalty to the Chinese state by Tibetans. Sangay's interview was webcast on RFA Tibetan's website and broadcast via shortwave radio. The full interview is available on the service's website <http://www.rfa.org/tibetan/> . # # # 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

11 years, 6 months

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RFA Unveils e-Book of Jailed Uyghur Writer Yasin's Writings

by Rohit Mahajan

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Nov. 12, 2013 Contact: Rohit Mahajan 202 530 4976 <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org RFA Unveils e-Book of Jailed Uyghur Writer Yasin's Writings WASHINGTON - Radio Free Asia <http://www.rfa.org/english/> (RFA) today launched an e-book <http://www.rfa.org/english/bookshelf> collecting the writings of Nurmuhemmet Yasin, an award-winning Uyghur writer whom Chinese authorities sentenced to 10 years imprisonment in 2004. The collection, Caged, has been made available for the first time in digital format in the English and Uyghur languages for iPad and Kindle. It includes Yasin's allegorical essay "Wild Pigeon," the original publication of which led to his arrest and jailing, in addition to other writings and audio content. "For the first time, Nurmuhemmet Yasin's writings - which have been banned in China - can now be downloaded on mobile devices to be read and shared widely," said Libby Liu, President of RFA. "Through this e-book, Radio Free Asia is bringing Yasin's works to devoted fans in a new format while allowing those less familiar with his writing an opportunity to experience its power." RFA originally translated "Wild Pigeon" into English in 2005, a year after Yasin's arrest, in addition to producing an audio dramatization of the work for its Uyghur listeners. The essay, an allegory about the life and fate of a pigeon yearning for freedom, was first published in the Kashgar Literary Journal. RFA's dramatization is also included in this e-book. In addition to "Wild Pigeon," the English version of the e-book contains the essay, "What Is Love?" The Uyghur version includes those works in addition to others. The digital publication also contains rich illustrations, created by the Broadcasting Board of Governor's Office of Digital <http://www.innovation-series.com/tag/oddi/> & Design Innovation (ODDI), to accompany the writings. A prolific author and poet, Yasin is an honorary member of the English, American, and Independent Chinese branches of PEN, an international writers group. He published three volumes of poetry: First Love, Crying from the Heart, and Come On, Children, and his writings were included in Uyghur-language school textbooks. Yasin is scheduled to be released in November 2014, and while rumors have circulated that he may have died in prison, none have been confirmed and his family continues to deny them. Yasin was one of the few prisoners in China visited by the U.N. Special Rapporteur on Torture in 2005. # # # 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

11 years, 6 months

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Radio Free Asia Wins at AIBs for Tiananmen e-Book

by Rohit Mahajan

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Nov. 7, 2013 Contact: Rohit Mahajan 202 530 4976 <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org Radio Free Asia Wins at AIBs for Tiananmen e-Book WASHINGTON - Radio Free Asia <http://www.rfa.org/english/> (RFA) last night won a top award for its e-book on the Tiananmen Square crackdown in 1989 in the category of innovative production technology at this year's International Media Excellence Awards, held by the Association of International Broadcasters (AIB). The award was announced at a ceremony, also known as the AIBs, in London. "This award puts a spotlight on an event that Chinese censors have attempted to blot out in the mainland for more than 24 years," said Libby Liu, President of RFA. "This recognition also underscores Radio Free Asia's hard work getting accurate news in difficult media environments. "Radio Free Asia is thrilled to be honored this year at the AIBs among some of the world's greatest journalists and news organizations." Marking the 24th anniversary of the June 4, 1989, crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrators in Beijing, RFA-in close collaboration with the Broadcasting Board of Governors' Office of Digital and Design Innovation <http://www.innovation-series.com/> (ODDI)-launched Remembering Tiananmen <http://www.rfa.org/english/bookshelf> , an interactive e-book in Mandarin and English, in June of this year. Consisting of multimedia content and eyewitness accounts, the digital-format publication recounts the demonstrations and eventual dead-of-night crackdown near Tiananmen Square that left an unknown number of people dead in China's capital. The e-book comprises rare video footage, audio recordings, photographs, and a timeline of events, as well as a detailed account by RFA Executive Editor Dan Southerland, then the Beijing bureau chief for The Washington Post, who covered the events on the ground with a team of reporters. Also included are interviews with surviving student leaders who discuss the demonstrations that began in mid-April and grew to about a million people in May. The publication's section titled "Where Are They Now?" focuses on the lives of these student leaders and other central figures since the 1989 crackdown. The English version is available to iPad users. The Mandarin version is available in all e-book formats: PDF, EPUB, Kindle, and iPad. Other winners this year at the AIBs include RFA's sister broadcaster, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, CNN, BBC World Service, BBC Persian, Channel 4, Radio Taiwan International, and ChannelNews 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. Rohit Mahajan | Radio Free Asia | Media Relations Manager <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org | O: 202.530.4976 | M: 202.489.8021

11 years, 7 months

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Radio Free Asia's 'Gutter Oil' Video Goes Viral

by Rohit Mahajan

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Nov. 4, 2013 Contact: Rohit Mahajan 202 530 4976 <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org Radio Free Asias Gutter Oil Video Goes Viral Exposé Part of China Food Safety Series WASHINGTON, DC Radio Free Asias shocking video <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrv78nG9R04> exposé on Chinas black market production of gutter oil has gone viral on social media and websites around the world. The video, part of RFAs investigative series <http://www.rfa.org/english/news/special/foodsafety/Home.html> on food safety in China, has reached more than 1.3 million views on YouTube, while news organizations, bloggers, and social media users have picked it up and shared it online with their audiences, networks, and friends. Chinas ongoing struggle with food safety is obviously an issue of major concern for our audience in China, as well as people around the world, said Libby Liu, President of Radio Free Asia. The popularity of RFAs video demonstrates the want and need for investigative reporting, especially in places that, like China, aggressively restrict press freedoms. The video, originally produced by RFAs Cantonese Service, shows rare footage of Chinas black market production of gutter oil. The substance is first harvested as a waste product from grease traps and sewers before being processed in plants that mix it with animal fat and other products. The finished product is eventually sold to street food vendors, restaurants, and hotels to be used as cooking oil. RFAs Poisoned at the Source <http://www.rfa.org/english/news/special/foodsafety/Home.html> , the series in which the exposé first appeared, gives an up-close glimpse into food production in China, focusing on practices in Guangdong Province. The series includes videos on the making and selling of bogus soy milk <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YnI7fsb3xdg&feature=youtu.be> , the use of toxic waste as a fertilizer <http://youtu.be/yOEI4-8B-ys> for commercial farming, and practices at an illegal slaughterhouse <http://youtu.be/u0E4Zb33WFs> . From deadly infant formula to the discovery of thousands of dead pigs floating in a major river near Shanghai earlier this year, Chinese consumers increasingly worry whether the food on their tables is safe to eat, as do consumers and authorities in many countries to which China exports. RFAs video has been posted on popular social media site Reddit <http://www.reddit.com/r/videos/comments/1ph3az/this_video_of_chinese_street _food_made_from/> , in addition to Facebook, Google+, and Twitter, where the hashtag term #GutterOil was trending at one point among last weeks most popular topics. News sites and blogs featuring RFAs video include Washington Posts World Views blog <http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2013/10/28/you-may-never- eat-street-food-in-china-again-after-watching-this-video/> , <http://www.theatlanticcities.com/technology/2013/10/warning-expose-chinas-g utter-oil-black-market-will-churn-your-stomach/7410/> The Atlantic, Reuters <http://news.msn.com/this-expos%C3%A9-of-chinas-gutter-oil-black-market-will -churn-your-stomach> , Mediaite <http://www.mediaite.com/tv/the-making-of-gutter-oil-expose-reveals-horrid-o rigins-of-chinese-cooking-products/> , <http://national.dwnews.com/news/2013-10-30/59342168.html> Duo Wei News, <http://singaporeseen.stomp.com.sg/singaporeseen/this-urban-jungle/you-might -never-eat-food-in-china-again-cooking-oil-comes-from-sewers> Straits Times, <http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/world/2013/11/182_145487.html> Korea Times, HoaHoa Report <http://www.haohaoreport.com/china-news/a-look-into-how-gutter-oil-productio n-is-rife-in-china> , and Take Part <http://www.takepart.com/article/2013/10/31/sustainability-gone-awry-chinas- gutter-oil-industry> , among many others. # # # 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 | Media Relations Manager <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org | O: 202.530.4976 | M: 202.489.8021

11 years, 7 months

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RFA BREAKING NEWS: Vietnamese Blogger Released After Night of Questioning

by Parameswaran Ponnudurai

Vietnamese Blogger Released After Night of Questioning OCT. 31, 2013— An outspoken Vietnamese blogger said he was released Thursday after being held by police on his return home following a six-month trip abroad and questioned about his activities aimed at challenging his country’s strict media controls. Nguyen Lan Thang, who began blogging for RFA’s Vietnamese Service last month, was detained at Hanoi’s Noi Bai airport Wednesday night after returning from trips to Thailand, the Philippines, and Europe, where he met with U.N. human rights officials and with media and advocacy groups. Police freed the blogger on Thursday afternoon after interrogating him overnight, friends said. “I’m fine now, though I had a very tiring night last night,” Thang told RFA’s Vietnamese Service Thursday by phone. He said the Vietnamese authorities were particularly interested in his campaign for the abolition of Article 258, a provision in Vietnam’s penal code that has been used to jail dissidents, and about his training stint in the Philippines. “[The police] wanted to know about my activities related to Declaration 258 and the civil society class operated by Asian Bridge,” a Manila-based human rights and civil society organization, Thang said. Police on his trail Thang said that police have frequently followed him in the past. In an apparent rebuke to state authorities later posted to his Facebook page, Thang “apologized” for the resources taken up by his detention and questioning. “I have used too much of our people’s tax money since yesterday,” he said. Thang, who lives in Hanoi with his wife, was among a group of Vietnamese bloggers who met with U.N. human rights officials in Bangkok in July to report on rights violations in their home country. The group presented officials with a petition, titled Declaration 258, which calls for the removal from Vietnam’s penal code of Article 258, which prohibits “abusing democratic freedoms” and has been used to jail dissidents. Following the Bangkok talks, Thang went to Manila with a dozen other young activists for a training stint with Asian Bridge Philippines and then to a conference in Dublin, Ireland, before returning to the Thai capital for other meetings. 'Learned a lot' Thang said that he had “learned a lot” from the two-week training program in Manila and from his other talks held abroad, adding, “I will definitely write about that.” “There are many things I did not know before my trip. Now, I have learned many things about the operation of foreign organizations.” “Activities in civil society stem from the demands of the people,” Thang said, adding, “Through many aspects of these activities in different places, people gradually come to know their rights and roles, and their demands will be met.” “This is why the spread of such activities is irreversible, and will not be stopped by arrests or jail sentences,” he said. Family support Many of Thang’s family members, some of whom “hold important positions in society,” now support him in his work, he said. “At the beginning, many of them worried about my activities, but gradually they came to understand and support me because of the transparency in what I do.” “Freedom of expression is one of the most important human rights,” Thang said in a video sent to RFA last month. “If it is restricted, social development will be distorted because there will be no one to give feedback on public policies.” Thang has published two blog posts for RFA so far. More than 40 Vietnamese bloggers and activists have been imprisoned so far this year, rights groups say, with many jailed under vaguely worded security provisions. Paris-based media watchdog Reporters Without Borders ranks Vietnam 172nd out of 179 countries on its press freedom index and lists the country as an “Enemy of the Internet.” Reported by Mac Lam for RFA’s Vietnamese Service. Written in English by Richard Finney. View this story online at: <http://www.rfa.org/english/news/vietnam/released-10312013165407.html> http://www.rfa.org/english/news/vietnam/released-10312013165407.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.

11 years, 7 months

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RFA BREAKING NEWS: Vietnamese Blogger Held on Return from Trip Abroad

by Parameswaran Ponnudurai

Vietnamese Blogger Held on Return from Trip Abroad OCT. 30, 2013— An outspoken Vietnamese blogger has been detained at Hanoi’s Noi Bai airport upon his return from a three-month trip to the Philippines and Thailand, where he had met with U.N. human rights officials and advocacy and media groups, friends and fellow bloggers said Wednesday. Nguyen Lan Thang, who began blogging for RFA’s Vietnamese Service last month, told friends by telephone that he had been taken into custody Wednesday night Vietnamese time upon arrival from the Thai capital Bangkok, they said. A day before, he had posted on Facebook a brief video message indicating he expected to be arrested. “Hello my friends! When you see this video, it is certain I have been arrested by the security forces,” he said in the clip. “But don't worry, I will come home to be with you all soon,” said Thang, a fierce critic of Vietnam’s strict media controls. Whereabouts unknown Some 30 friends and fellow bloggers had been waiting for Thang at the airport, fellow blogger La Viet Dung said. “Thang had told us to come pick him up. At 8:15 p.m., he called us to let us know that he was detained,” Dung told RFA’s Vietnamese Service. Airport authorities, including immigration officials they were referred to, refused to tell them of Thang’s whereabouts or why he was being held, he said. “Now we don’t know where Thang is.” Meeting with right officials Thang lives in Hanoi with his wife, who is due to have the couple’s first child in a few months. He had been among a group of Vietnamese bloggers who met with U.N. human rights officials in Bangkok in July to report on rights violations in their home country. The group had presented the officials with a petition, known as Declaration 258, that called for a U.N. Human Rights Council review of Vietnam's treatment of activists and for the elimination of Article 258 of the country's penal code, which prohibits "abusing democratic freedoms" and has been used to jail dissidents. Bloggers Phuong Dung and Thao Chi, who also took part in the July meeting, were briefly detained on their return from Bangkok to Vietnam on August 5, sources said. Philippines trip Following the Bangkok talks, Thang went to Manila with a dozen other young activists for a training stint with a civil society organization in the Philippines before returning to the Thai capital for other meetings. His colleagues who attended the two-week 2013 Civil Society study program with rights organization Asian Bridge Philippines in Manila were held by the authorities for about a day on their return home amid suspicion in Hanoi that they might be involved in anti-government activities, according to friends and family. Asian Bridge Philippines slammed the Vietnamese government for the action, calling on Hanoi to respect the “basic rights” of all Vietnamese “to freely travel and learn about the development of civil society in other nations in the region.” The group said that as part of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) bloc of 10 nations, Vietnam should “encourage their citizens to learn about other nations’ history and society, instead of instilling fear, so that the mission of ASEAN can be soon achieved.” Aside from Vietnam, ASEAN comprises Laos, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand. Video message In a video Thang sent to RFA last month, he spoke out against limits Vietnamese authorities place on social media, describing controls placed on those who expose politically sensitive issues such as land grabs and corruption in the one-party communist state. “The social media network is an important tool for me to express my views. At the same time, it has gotten me and those who share my views in trouble,” he said in the video. “Freedom of expression is one of the most important human rights. If it is restricted, social development will be distorted because there is no one to give feedback on public policies.” Thang has published two blog posts for RFA so far. More than 40 Vietnamese bloggers and activists have been imprisoned so far this year, rights groups say, many of them imprisoned under vaguely worded security provisions. Paris-based media watchdog Reporters Without Borders ranks Vietnam 172nd out of 179 countries on its press freedom index and lists the country as an “Enemy of the Internet.” Reported by RFA’s Vietnamese Service. Written in English by Rachel Vandenbrink. View this story online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/vietnam/nguyen-lan-thang-10302013153752.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 <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org.

11 years, 7 months

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RFA BREAKING NEWS: Four Tibetans Shot Dead as Protests Spread in Driru County

by Parameswaran Ponnudurai

Four Tibetans Shot Dead as Protests Spread in Driru County OCT. 11, 2013— Chinese security forces have shot dead four Tibetan villagers and wounded 50 others in a continuing crackdown on protests in a Tibetan county opposing a government campaign of forced displays of loyalty to the Chinese state, sources said. The shooting deaths in Driru (in Chinese, Biru) county in the Tibet Autonomous Region’s Nagchu (Naqu) prefecture on Tuesday were the first reported fatalities since the authorities began a crackdown last month on Tibetans protesting against orders to fly the Chinese flag from their homes, the sources said, citing the tight security situation for the delay in transmitting the news. Last Sunday, security forces shot and wounded at least 60 Tibetans as they fired into a crowd demanding the release of a villager who had led protests against the Chinese orders. The latest shooting occurred as Chinese paramilitary police flooded the county to suppress the unrest. “On Tuesday morning, three Tibetans from Sengthang village and one Tibetan from Tinring village were killed when the Chinese opened fire on protesters,” a Tibetan source in exile told RFA’s Tibetan Service on Friday, citing sources in the region. “Around fifty Tibetans from Yangthang village were also injured,” he said, speaking on condition of anonymity. “Additional paramilitary forces have been sent to Driru from [the Tibetan capital] Lhasa and from Nagchu, and some have also been sent from the Karmo region,” he said. “Driru is now flooded with Chinese paramilitary police, and Tibetans are being stopped from traveling with no reason given.” Many detained Separately, a Driru resident confirmed the deaths of those killed in Sengthang, also speaking on condition of anonymity. “Today, I learned that three Tibetans were killed in the area of Sengthang,” he said. “I was also told that many Tibetans from Driru who now live in Lhasa are being detained.” The names of those killed in the shooting were not immediately available. Speaking from exile, a Tibetan with contacts in Driru said that Chinese police are confiscating the mobile phones of Lhasa residents with contacts in the county. “Some contacts told me that if no messages are received, I should assume they have been detained by the police,” the source, named Tashi Gyaltsen, said. 'Better to die' Many said that even if they are detained or killed, “it is better to die than to live under these conditions,” Gyaltsen said. “They say that now they cannot move from place to place, and are prisoners in their own homes.” On Sept. 3, an elderly Tibetan was detained and severely beaten for shouting slogans for Tibetan freedom at a Driru cultural show where Tibetans were required to wave Chinese flags, triggering protests. Dayang, 68, who is recovering in hospital with internal injuries resulting from alleged police torture, has been ordered jailed for two-and-a-half years. Sporadic demonstrations challenging Beijing’s rule have continued in Tibetan-populated areas of China since widespread protests swept the region in 2008. A total of 122 Tibetans have also set themselves ablaze in self-immolation protests calling for Tibetan freedom, with another six setting fire to themselves in India and Nepal. Reported by 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/shoot-10112013200735.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 <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org.

11 years, 8 months

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RFA BREAKING NEWS: Chinese Police Fire on Unarmed Tibetan Protesters in Driru

by Parameswaran Ponnudurai

Chinese Police Fire on Unarmed Tibetan Protesters in Driru OCT. 7, 2013— Chinese security forces shot and wounded at least 60 Tibetans as they fired into a crowd demanding the release of a villager who had led protests against orders to fly the Chinese flag from their homes, according to sources Monday. The incident Sunday in the Tibet Autonomous Region’s Driru (in Chinese, Biru) county of Nagchu (Naqu) prefecture was sparked when a crowd gathered to confront police attempting to search the home of Dorje Draktsel, who was detained last week after taking part in local protests, the sources said. At least 60 were wounded when the Chinese troops opened fire, with many of those hurt suffering gunshots to their hands and legs and others knocked unconscious when police fired tear gas into the crowd, they said. Many of the injured have still not received medical care, according to the sources. Tagged as a leader Draktsel, a resident of the township’s Yangthang village, had been tagged by authorities as one of the leaders of the protest by Driru-area Tibetans resisting orders to fly the Chinese flag from their homes. “He had escaped from Dathang township and was going to Driru town when he was taken into custody,” a Tibetan living in exile Tashi Dondrub told RFA’s Tibetan Service, citing contacts in the region. After Draktsel was detained, “[Chinese] armed police went to search his home, and when the villagers protested, more armed police arrived and fired into the crowd,” Dondrub said. At least two of the protesters were critically wounded. One of them, Tashi Gyaltsen, was sent to a hospital in the regional capital Lhasa, a local source in Driru said, speaking on condition of anonymity. “An elderly woman was also hit by gunfire and is now in critical condition,” an India-based exile source named Tenzin told RFA’s Mandarin Service on Monday, also citing sources in the area. “Other Tibetans suffered gunshots to their hands or legs, and many were knocked unconscious when police fired tear gas into the crowd,” Tenzin said. Brutally beaten Another protester—Tsering Gyaltsen, 25—was earlier detained and brutally beaten after being identified as a ringleader of last week’s protest against forced displays of loyalty to the Chinese state, Tenzin said. “He was rushed to a hospital in Lhasa on Oct. 5,” he said, adding, “Now his condition is very worrisome, but doctors refuse to provide details.” Because of “extremely strict” controls on information channels, it is impossible to obtain photos of those wounded in Sunday’s shooting, Tenzin said. “Chinese authorities have dispatched more than 200 paramilitary and police vehicles to villages [in Driru], setting up checkpoints on all the major roads,” he said. “They have confiscated Tibetans’ cell phones and blocked communications by phone and the Internet. Now people have to bring their ID cards even when they go out to shop, and police are taking away all Tibetans who cannot show their ID.” Driru-area Tibetans now living in Lhasa have been forbidden to return to their hometowns, a local source added. Sporadic demonstrations challenging Beijing’s rule have continued in Tibetan-populated areas of China since widespread protests swept the region in 2008. A total of 122 Tibetans have also set themselves ablaze in self-immolation protests calling for Tibetan freedom, with another six Tibetans setting fire to themselves in India and Nepal. Reported by RFA’s Tibetan Service and Dan Zhen for the Mandarin Service. Translated by Karma Dorjee and Ping Chen. Written in English by Richard Finney. View this story online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/tibet/unarmed-10072013172339.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 <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org.

11 years, 8 months

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RFA BREAKING NEWS: Sam Rainsy Warns of Protests If He's Not Allowed to Contest

by Parameswaran Ponnudurai

Sam Rainsy Warns of Protests if He's Not Allowed to Contest JULY 19, 2013— Cambodia's opposition leader Sam Rainsy said Friday that if he is continued to be barred from contesting the upcoming national elections, he will not recognize any victory by Prime Minister Hun Sen's party in the polls. This could set the stage for mass protests by his supporters and other Cambodians, Sam Rainsy told RFA's Khmer Service in an interview hours after he returned Friday to Phnom Penh from four years of self-imposed exile. The National Election Committee, which conducts and manages elections in Cambodia, has ruled out Sam Rainsy's participation in the July 28 elections although he has received a royal pardon for offenses which he says are politically motivated. The 64-year-old Sam Rainsy, who heads the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), believes the international community would also not endorse any victory by Hun Sen's dominant Cambodian People's Party (CPP) if the opposition leader's name is not on the ballot. He said it would be unfair if he is barred from contesting the parliamentary elections as he is the head of the main opposition party and a potential prime ministerial candidate. “If I can’t participate, after the elections all the Cambodian people will protest and the whole international community will condemn the result and regard this as a sham election," Sam Rainsy told RFA when asked about his options if he is not allowed to compete in the polls. "Then we will demand a real election to allow Cambodians to decide their true destiny,” said Sam Rainsy, who was greeted by tens of thousands of supporters on his arrival Friday. 'Rescue' He vowed in a speech to his supporters that he would "rescue" the country from corruption and harsh rule if his party wins the elections and ousts the CPP, which has held power for 28 years and at present holds 90 of the 123 seats in the National Assembly, the country's parliament. Sam Rainsy, who had been living in France since 2009 to avoid a 11-year prison term for politicized offenses, was granted a royal pardon by King Norodom Sihamoni at the request of Prime Minister Hun Sen a week ago. However, he cannot contest the elections because the registration of candidates has long been closed and his name has been removed from the electoral register, the NEC said. "In order to value this competition and for the election result to be recognized, there must be two competitors," Sam Rainsy said. "Now without me, Sam Rainsy, who must run as the prime ministerial candidate for the CNRP, the current prime minister [Hun Sen] doesn’t have any rivals and will not be competing with anyone. So even if he announces a victory, it is not a victory,” he said. Sam Rainsy has accused the NEC of being under the control of the CPP, which has won the last two polls by a landslide despite allegations of fraud and election irregularities. Hun Sen has said he will try to stay in office for another decade, until he is 74. Rights groups say his continued rule will only worsen human rights violations and corruption and further suppress political freedoms. Problems in electoral system Rights groups say Cambodia's electoral system is riddled with major problems, including issues over voter registration lists, the use of civil servants and army personnel to campaign for the CPP, government control of mass media to slant the news, and intimidation against opposition figures and civil society monitors. While Sam Rainsy's return has given a shot in the arm to the opposition, rights groups are concerned that Hun Sen's administration may move to thwart the opposition campaign. "The deck is heavily stacked every day in Cambodia against anyone who dares to oppose Hun Sen," Phil Robertson, the deputy director of Human Rights Watch's Asia division, told RFA. He said the CPP has openly said that if it loses the election, there will be civil war, suggesting possible CPP-instigated violence against the opposition and its supporters. Sam Rainsy said he and CNRP Deputy President Kem Sokha were united in their zeal to wrest victory following their decision to merge their parties. The CNRP is a merger between the Sam Rainsy Party (SRP) and Kem Sokha's Human Rights Party (HRP). “We want the people to win and become the owners of their country,” Sam Rainsy said. “We are uniting the whole nation." Kem Sokha said Hun Sen's party was trying to split the CNRP but their efforts would fail. “We have the same goal, we have a slogan to be united to make changes. We are holding hands to end the people's current plight,” Kem Sokha said. “This is a lesson [that we have already learned]. Nothing will split Sam Rainsy and Kem Sokha," he said. The two parties tried to forge a union before the 2008 national election but failed after they openly criticized each other. Reported by RFA's Khmer Service. Translated by Samean Yun. Written in English by Parameswaran Ponnudurai. View this story online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/cambodia/contest-07192013171936.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 <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org.

11 years, 8 months

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RFA BREAKING NEWS: Up to 12 Uyghurs Shot Dead in Raid on Xinjiang ‘Munitions Center’

by Parameswaran Ponnudurai

Up to 12 Uyghurs Shot Dead in Raid on Xinjiang ‘Munitions Center’ SEPT. 17, 2013 — Authorities in China's restive northwestern region of Xinjiang have shot dead up to a dozen Uyghurs and wounded 20 others in a raid on what they said was a "terrorist" facility, according to local officials and residents. Police confirmed the shooting in Poskam county (in Chinese, Zepu) near the Silk Road city of Kashgar in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, home to some 9 million ethnic minority Muslim Uyghurs who say they have long suffered discrimination and religious controls under Beijing’s policies. While police refused to give details of the incident, which had been kept under wraps for about three weeks, local officials and residents said it occurred in Jigdejay village around the Kuybagh township on Aug. 23 during a raid on an alleged training camp and munitions center operated by a group of about 30 Uyghurs. The raid came just three days after authorities in Kashgar's Kargilik (in Chinese, Yecheng) county gunned down 22 Uyghurs during another "anti-terrorism" operation on Aug. 20 while they were praying in a house at the edge of a desert area. Nurmemet Tunyaz, the Jigdejay village head and local ruling Chinese Communist Party official in charge of 'stability,' said he was informed by local officials that six Uyghurs were killed and 20 others wounded in the Aug. 23 raid but he and a senior local Islamic leader indicated that the death toll may be double the known figure. A resident of Kuybagh township, who witnessed the raid, said that 12 people had died in the operation conducted by up to 80 security forces. "I do not know the details but I have heard that they were making explosives and training in an excavated area," Nurmemet Tunyaz told RFA's Uyghur Service. "We did not hear that any police were killed in this shooting. The injured suspects were transported to the county hospital but those killed were buried on the spot." Security patrols Some of the explosives in the camp were detonated during the raid, he said, which had sparked round-the-clock security patrols in the area. Yasin Ahun-Karim, the leader of the Kuybagh central mosque, said he heard there were 30 Uyghurs in the group when the raid took place, 17 of them from Jigdejay village, suggesting that several others from neighboring villages may also have been gunned down. "I heard that terrorists or separatists dug up a place near the edge of a desert in Jigdejay," Imam Yasin Ahun-Karim said. "They were hiding inside there and practicing how to make some sort of explosives. Their activities were discovered by a police helicopter and police acted immediately to clean-up the place," he told RFA. He said he was given the information by Seypidin Ebey, the director of the village's United Front Work Department, an agency under the command of the Central Committee of the ruling Chinese Communist Party. Officers in at least four village police stations in Kuybagh township, incluidng one of them who was on duty on the day of the raid, confirmed the shooting with RFA but refused to provide details. Eyewitness A Kuybagh resident, who claimed he witnessed the raid but speaking on condition of anonymity, said that 12 people had died in the raid. "Uhuh, that's right, they killed 12 people," the Kuybagh resident said when asked about the police operation. "[They were] training. The police discovered them. It was daytime. We were just in front, standing there. We saw them firing their weapons," he said. He said the camp was run by local Uyghurs and raided by 70-80 armed police. "They had made a huge gun," he said. "The armed police went and raided them, and that was that...There were more than 20 of them, and 12 of them were killed. Those who died were buried [right there]." He said the camp had been discovered after the Uyghurs had made rocket launchers that exploded on testing, killing one of them. "One of them blew their own head off, or they wouldn't have been discovered," he said. "[We live] on the edge [of the county town]. The Gobi desert is right next door to us." An official who answered the phone at the county government offices declined to comment on the incident. Information blackouts A Han Chinese resident of the regional capital Urumqi surnamed Zhang said local authorities frequently imposed information blackouts on violent incidents in Xinjiang. "They want to whitewash things so they can say Xinjiang is peaceful and harmonious," Zhang said. "Also, if they reported all of these incidents of resistance, this could encourage other Uyghurs, and maybe we would see even more of them." Chinese authorities usually blame outbreaks of violence in Xinjiang on "terrorists" among the region's ethnic minority Muslim Uyghurs. But rights groups and experts say Beijing exaggerates the terrorism threat to take the heat off domestic policies that cause unrest or to justify the authorities' use of force against Uyghurs. Last week, the official news agency Xinhua reported that three ethnic Uyghurs had been sentenced to death for acts of "terrorism" in June in Xinjiang's Lukchun township of Pichan (in Chinese, Shanshan) county. The punishments came about a month after Beijing sentenced two Uyghurs to death for their alleged links to another bloody incident in April in Kashgar prefecture's Siriqbuya township in Maralbeshi (Bachu) county. Uyghur activists had blamed the Chinese government's "sustained repression and provocation" of the Uyghur community in Xinjiang for the two violent incidents. Reported by Shohret Hoshur for RFA's Uyghur Service and Qiao Long for the Mandarin Service. Translated by Dolkun Kamberi, Mamatjan Juma and Luisetta Mudie. Written in English by Luisetta Mudie and Parameswaran Ponnudurai. View this story online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/raid-09172013222650.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 <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org.

11 years, 8 months

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RFA BREAKING NEWS: Death Toll in Xinjiang Police Shootout Climbs; Exile Group Blasts Raid

by Parameswaran Ponnudurai

Death Toll in Xinjiang Police Shootout Climbs; Exile Group Blasts Raid AUGUST 27, 2013—Authorities in China's Xinjiang region said Tuesday that they had shot dead 22 Uyghurs accused of terrorism last week, revising higher an initial death toll in one of the biggest crackdowns on the ethnic minority Muslim group. They said they have also arrested four Uyghurs in a raid on a house where the 22 were gunned down on Aug. 20 at the edge of a desert area in the Yilkiqi township in Kargilik (in Chinese, Yecheng) county in Xinjiang's southwestern Kashgar prefecture. The death toll was revised upward after police and other sources had said at the weekend that based on initial reports, 15 Uyghurs and one Han Chinese policeman were killed in the "anti-terror" operation. The Yilkiqi shooting follows a spate of violence across Xinjiang in recent months that has led to massive arrests, with hundreds of Uyghurs taken into custody for interrogations by the authorities in the troubled northwestern region of China. "Two days after the incident, the township government informed us at a meeting that 22 people had died and four others were arrested," Mahmut Han, the chief of Islamic Association of Yilkiqi Township, told RFA's Uyghur Service. Helicopter hunt According to officials, he said, the shootout was ordered after police, backed by a helicopter, closely monitored "suspicious activity" for about a week around the house where the Uyghurs had been living. "The township's [ruling Chinese Communist] Party secretary criticized us [the township's officials] for not being alert in detecting such activities," Mahmut Han said. The deputy chief of Yilkiqi township, Alim Hamid, said that he was at the scene of the shootout, following which "22 bodies in black bags were carried out by police to an unknown destination." "Police informed us that those who were killed were terrorists," he told RFA. "But they didn't specify what wrong they did." "Now we have strengthened security in the township in line with orders from the government and we are on the lookout for people from out of town," Alim Hamid said. "They will be identified and their particulars given to the police." Chinese authorities usually blame outbreaks of violence in Xinjiang on "terrorists" among the region's ethnic minority Muslim Uyghurs. But rights groups and experts say Beijing exaggerates the terrorism threat to take the heat off domestic policies that cause unrest or to justify the authorities' use of force against Uyghurs. Immediate burial Mahmut Han said four of the dead were from Yilkiqi while the rest were believed to be from a neighboring township but their identities had not been revealed. Sources said the 22 were believed to have been buried immediately without their next of kins being informed. "I heard that the bodies were taken and buried together in a hill top in a neighboring township," a Yilkiqi resident told RFA, speaking on condition of anonymity. He cited contacts as telling him that the police killed the 22 while they were performing their prayers. Six knives and axes were recovered from the scene, police had said earlier. "When they gathered for prayers, police surrounded them and fired at them," the resident said. He said that he used to pass by the house at which the 22 were gunned down while on his way to work daily. He believed the house owner may have been among those shot dead and the others had been working for him at a nearby farm. "They work in the day and pray at night at the house," the resident said. Condemnation The Munich-based World Uyghur Congress (WUC), a Uyghur exile group, condemned the Yilkiqi killings, saying "the authorities were intent on killing those present rather than allowing them to stand before a court to defend themselves against these allegations on which little has been disclosed." WUC President Rebiya Kadeer said the Chinese authorities "continue to use the same banal rhetoric for such incidents which fails to adequately address the longstanding issues underlying the bubbling tensions in East Turkestan [Xinjiang]." She said the Yilkiqi incident "only serves to exacerbate increasing distrust in the authorities due to the pervasive impunity of their actions.” Rebiya Kadeer called on the international community to "keep a watchful eye upon developments in East Turkestan, and ensure that they do not fall foul to the erroneous and leaky narrative of the Chinese authorities.” The latest violence came nearly two weeks after a Uyghur religious leader was stabbed to death after returning home from leading evening prayers at a mosque in Turpan city in Xinjiang's Turpan prefecture. The imam was targeted by members of his own community for branding Uyghurs as "terrorists" and backing a government crackdown against them, residents and officials said. In early August, police opened fire on a crowd of Uyghurs protesting prayer restrictions in Akyol town in Aksu prefecture ahead of the festival marking the end of Islam's holy month of Ramadan, killing at least three and injuring about 50 others. In June, up to 46 people were killed in Lukchun township of Pichan county in Turpan prefecture after police opened fire on "knife-wielding mobs" who had attacked police stations and other sites in the county, in the bloodiest violence since the July 5, 2009 unrest in Xinjiang's regional capital Urumqi that triggered a massive crackdown. Also in June, in Hotan prefecture's Hanerik township, police fired on hundreds of Uyghurs protesting the arrest of a young religious leader and closure of a mosque, officials said, acknowledging that up to 15 people may have been killed and 50 others injured. Uyghurs in Xinjiang say they have long suffered ethnic discrimination, oppressive religious controls, and continued poverty and joblessness, blaming their hardships partly on a massive influx of Han Chinese into the region. Reported by Shohret Hoshur for RFA's Uyghur Service. Translated by Dolkun Kamberi. Written in English by Parameswaran Ponnudurai View this story online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/crackdown-08272013212441.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 <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org.

11 years, 9 months

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RFA BREAKING NEWS: At Least 15 Uyghurs Killed in Police Shootout in Xinjiang

by Parameswaran Ponnudurai

At Least 15 Uyghurs Killed in Police Shootout in Xinjiang AUGUST 25, 2013 — Chinese authorities have shot dead at least 15 ethnic Uyghurs in a desert area in Xinjiang, accusing them of terrorism and illegal religious activity, in the latest violence to rock the troubled northwestern region of China, according to police sources. They were among a group of more than 20 Uyghurs surrounded and fired upon by police in a lightning raid last week in the Yilkiqi township in Kargilik (in Chinese, Yecheng) county in Kashgar prefecture, the sources said. "We conducted an anti-terror operation on August 20th, successfully and completely destroying the terrorists," Yilkiqi township police chief Batur Osman told RFA's Uyghur Service. He refused to give the number of Uyghurs killed in the shootout, saying many of them were from out of town and some were not carrying identification documents. Chinese authorities usually blame outbreaks of violence in Xinjiang on "terrorists" among the region's ethnic minority Muslim Uyghurs but rights groups and experts say Beijing exaggerates the terrorism threat to take the heat off domestic policies that cause unrest or to justify the authorities' use of force against Uyghurs. One of the police assistants at the Yilkiqi police station told RFA that among those killed were at least 15 Uyghurs and one Han Chinese policeman. "We police assistants were not sent to the scene but I heard from others who were there that 16 people had been killed, among them a Han Chinese policeman," said the police assistant, identifying himself only as Alimjan. He said that six knives and axes had been recovered from the scene. Buried on the spot An RFA listener, citing contacts in Yilkiqi, his hometown, said he was told that police opened fire at a group of 28 Uyghurs they believed were undergoing terrorism training and those killed at the scene were buried on the spot using escavators. A Yilkiqi resident said that police on Saturday searched the house of his neighbor whose brother was implicated in the incident and that he overheard that 26 Uyghurs had been killed. The figure could not be independently confirmed. "From what I heard, those killed were the ones who were renting [my neighbour] Memet Emey's brother's house in Seriq Ata village," the Yilkiqi resident said, speaking on condition of anonymity. "When they gathered in the desert and were praying together, they were surrounded and fired at. There were 26 people there and all of them were killed. The police, instead of carrying the bodies to the village, buried them all in the desert using a bulldozer," he said. Yilkiqi local government officials said security has been beefed up to prevent what they call retaliatory attacks from Uyghurs angered by the shooting. "Since what happened on August 20th, we have been standing on guard at the government buildings," Ablet Abdulla, a government official told RFA. Akber Imin, another official involved in the additional security measures, said those shot dead were believed to be involved in illegal religious activities and bomb-making in a bid to launch a "terrorist attack." "The police found out and dealt with the situation immediately," he said. "Right now, our police are being deployed to search and capture the other members of the group who were not at the scene." Increasing violence The Yikkiqi incident follows a spate of violence across Xinjiang in recent months that has led to a crackdown with hundreds of Uyghurs detained for questioning by the authorities. Nearly two weeks ago, a Uyghur religious leader was stabbed to death after returning home from leading evening prayers at a mosque in Turpan city in Turpan prefecture. He was targeted by members of his own community for branding Uyghurs as "terrorists" and backing a government crackdown against them, residents and officials said. In early August, police opened fire at a crowd of Uyghurs protesting prayer restrictions in Akyol town in Aksu prefecture ahead of the festival marking the end of Islam's holy month of Ramadan, killing at least three and injuring about 50 others. In June, up to 46 people were killed in Lukchun township of Pichan county in Turpan prefecture after police opened fire at "knife-wielding mobs" who had attacked police stations and other sites in the county, in the bloodiest violence since the July 5, 2009 unrest in Xinjiang's regional capital Urumqi that triggered a massive crackdown. Also in June, in Hotan prefecture's Hanerik township, police fired at hundreds of Uyghurs protesting the arrest of a young religious leader and closure of a mosque, officials said, acknowledging that up to 15 people may have been killed and 50 others injured. Uyghurs in Xinjiang say they have long suffered ethnic discrimination, oppressive religious controls, and continued poverty and joblessness, blaming their hardships partly on a massive influx of Han Chinese into the region. Reported by Shohret Hoshur for RFA's Uyghur Service. Trranslated by Mamatjan Juma. Written in English by Parameswaran Ponnudurai. View this story online at : http://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/shootout-08252013134303.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 .

11 years, 9 months

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RFA BREAKING NEWS: Chinese Security Forces Crack Down on Tibetan Mine Protesters

by Parameswaran Ponnudurai

Chinese Security Forces Crack Down on Tibetan Mine Protesters AUGUST 16, 2013 — Several hundred security forces violently dispersed Tibetan protesters blocking mining work in a Tibetan-populated area of China’s Qinghai province on Friday, injuring dozens and detaining eight, local sources said. Among those injured and held in the crackdown in the Gedrong area of Qinghai’s Dzatoe (in Chinese, Zaduo) county in the Yulshul (Yushu) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture was a man who some sources claimed had inflicted injuries upon himself in protest. Police stormed two of the three mining sites in the mountainous area where demonstrators had been in a standoff with Chinese mine workers since early this week, and were expected to target the third site over the weekend, the sources told RFA’s Tibetan Service. One source in Dzatoe said at least 500 armed police had carried out the operation at the Atod Yultso and Dzachen Yultso sites, firing tear gas on protesters and intimidating them with “threats.” “Several army vehicles suddenly arrived at the sites,” he said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Another source in the area said one of the protest leaders, identified as Ketso Sodor, had gone missing, while eight others—including men and women—were detained and 15 were taken to the hospital. Sources said dozens were wounded in the crackdown. A Tibetan living in exile, citing local contacts, had said that about 1,000 Tibetans had gathered to protest against the mining activities in each of the three sites since early this week. The numbers could not be independently confirmed. Villagers are concerned that the mining activities are not sanctioned by national authorities and that they could trigger pollution and other problems. Suicide claims In the crackdown Friday, one man, identified as Sogpo Choedrup, was seriously injured after he “tried to kill himself with two knife cuts,” and was taken away by police, the source said. “His present condition, whether he is alive or dead, is not clear,” he said. Another source inside Tibet but outside the Dzatoe area claimed that he had killed himself. “The situation is extremely tense and sad,” another source in Dzatoe said after the crackdown. “Tomorrow [Saturday], the paramilitary and police teams are planning to attack those sitting in protest at the Chidza site.” Security forces had first arrived in the area on Tuesday after the standoff began when large numbers of Chinese mine workers went to the three sites to start excavation. The protesters have rejected assurances given by the mine operators that they have a national permit to begin work at the mines, saying they will only stop if Chinese President Xi Jinping gives a public television address authorizing the work, a local source said earlier this week. Mining operations in Tibetan regions have led to frequent standoffs with Tibetans who accuse Chinese firms of polluting the environment and disrupting sites of spiritual significance as they extract local wealth. In March, operations at the Gyama mine in Tibet’s Maldro Gongkar (Mozhugongka) county near Lhasa caused a catastrophic landslide that killed 83 miners. And in January, Tibetan sources told RFA that Chinese-operated mines in Lhundrub (Linzhou) county, also near Lhasa, have caused “severe” damage to local forests, grasslands, and drinking water. Reported by Lobsang Choepel, Lumbum Tashi, and Yangdon Demo for RFA’s Tibetan Service. Translated by Karma Dorjee. Written in English by Rachel Vandenbrink. View this story online at : http://www.rfa.org/english/news/tibet/mine-08162013183325.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 .

11 years, 9 months

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RFA BREAKING NEWS: Rohingya Leader Calls for Talks with Myanmar Government, Rakhines

by Parameswaran Ponnudurai

Rohingya Leader Calls for Talks with Myanmar Government, Rakhines AUGUST 16, 2013— A leader of the minority Rohingya Muslim community in western Myanmar’s restive Rakhine state has called for a meeting between representatives of his group, local ethnic Buddhists and the government to put an end to deadly clashes in the region. Abu Tahay, chairman of the Union Nationals Development Party (UNDP), said the three groups should include an international arbitrator to independently judge on issues that have led to clashes between members of his minority group and ethnic Rakhine Buddhists, which last year left nearly 200 dead and 140,000 displaced. “We need a group that can exert influence on both communities, such as an international intermediation group,” Abu Tahay told RFA’s Myanmar Service in an interview in Washington on Tuesday. “If so, this group could decide on the arguments. It would create a situation in which the two communities can live together if the government, ethnic Rakhine leaders and Rohingya leaders sit together and discuss these issues.” Abu Tahay arrived in the U.S. on Aug. 10 as one of eight religious and civil society leaders selected by the American Embassy in Myanmar to participate in a three-week program to learn about the role that community leaders play in addressing ethnic and religious differences. The program includes stops in Washington, Boston, New Orleans, and Los Angeles, and visits to the U.S. Department of Justice, as well as institutes that deal with conflict management and human rights. Abu Tahay said that addressing the issues of Rohingya citizenship and identity are essential to ending the violence in Rakhine, where tensions between Buddhists and Muslims remain high. “There are two issues that are not very difficult to solve,” the UNDP chairman said. “One is identity for the Rohingyas and the other is citizenship for the Rohingyas,” he said, referring to a long-held conviction in Myanmar that members of the ethnic minority—commonly referred to as “Bengalis”—have illegally immigrated from neighboring Bangladesh. Around 800,000 Muslim Rohingyas live in Rakhine state but most of them, according to rights groups, have been denied citizenship and the social benefits that go with it. The U.N. considers the Rohingyas to be among the world’s most persecuted minorities. Citizenship law Myanmar’s government has said that it will grant citizenship to any Rohingya “who meets legal requirements according to the 1982 citizenship law,” which only recognizes those families which had settled in the country before independence from Britain in 1948. But Abu Tahay said that the Rohingyas had been officially recognized as a nationality in Myanmar before the law was introduced during the era of the former military junta, which ceded power to reformist President Thein Sein’s nominally civilian government in 2011. “We cannot say that Rohingyas are not citizens because of the 1982 citizenship law. According to the citizenship law before 1982, Rohingyas had lived in Myanmar as citizens,” he said. “We can’t amend this retroactively.” Abu Tahay said that according to previous censuses “there is no proof that Rohingyas came into Myanmar from other countries” and that the government likely assumes that members of the group are from Bangladesh because of cultural similarities that overlap the border region. He also called on the government of Rakhine state to abolish laws that specifically target his minority, including restrictions on the number of children in Rohingya families, required permission for travel, blocks preventing Rohingyas from certain studies and special approval for marriages, which he said were relics of the junta regime. Violence between Myanmar’s Buddhist majority and the country’s Muslim minority, which accounts for some 4 percent of the country's 60-million population, have threatened to derail Thein Sein’s plans for national reconciliation and democracy following nearly five decades of military rule. Earlier this week, ethnic Rakhines protested against a visit by U.N. Special Rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar Tomas Ojea Quintana, calling his reports on ethnic violence in the region “one-sided” in favor of Rohingyas. Quintana, who is in the middle of a 10-day trip to Myanmar that includes tours of areas that were among the worst hit by the communal fighting, responded that he remains impartial and that his work was based on a balanced approach. Rights groups maintain that the Rohingyas suffered the brunt of last year’s deadly clashes. Reported by Khin Maung Soe. Translated by Khet Mar. Written in English by Joshua Lipes. View this story online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/myanmar/meeeting-08162013182952.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 <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org.

11 years, 9 months

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RFA BREAKING NEWS: Imam Stabbed to Death After Supporting Crackdown Against Uyghurs

by Parameswaran Ponnudurai

Imam Stabbed to Death After Supporting Crackdown Against Uyghurs AUGUST 16, 2013— A Uyghur Muslim religious leader in China’s restive western Xinjiang region has been stabbed to death after calling members of his ethnic minority community involved in June violence "terrorists" and backing a government crackdown against them, residents and officials said. Authorities have deployed extra police and security forces following Wednesday night’s attack on the imam in Turpan city, which comes after a slew of deadly clashes in the Muslim Uyghur region in recent months, including deadly June 26 clashes in Lukchun township also in Turpan prefecture. Abdurehim Damaolla, 74, deputy chairman of Turpan city’s government-affiliated Islamic Association and linked to a powerful national political advisory body, was stabbed in front of his home after returning home from leading evening prayers at Kazihan Mosque, according to local residents and officials. Police have apprehended two suspects in the killing and are searching for a third, according to officials at the city’s United Front Work Department, an agency under the command of the Central Committee of the ruling Chinese Communist Party. Police have not issued a report or made any announcement about the assassination of the Abdurehim Damaolla, the officials said, but had told them that three men were involved in the incident. One Turpan resident told RFA’s Uyghur Service that Abdurehim Damaolla had likely been targeted by his attackers because he had helped police apprehend suspects wanted in connection with the Lukchun violence. The imam had given police “key information” about their whereabouts while they were hiding in Turpan that had led to their arrest, the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity. 'Pro-state and pro-party' Local officials at the United Front Work Department—which is tasked with guiding religious and ethnic policy—said Abdurehim Damaolla had been targeted because of his support for strict policies in the wake of the Lukchun crackdown. “He was a pro-state and pro-party senior religious figure in our city,” Alim Ablimit, a United Front Work Department official in charge of religious affairs in the district where the Kazihan Mosque is located. “He was targeted simply because of his firm stance against the ‘three forces,’” he said, referring to the “three evils” of separatism, extremism, and terrorism that the Xinjiang government has vowed to crack down on. Chinese authorities blame outbreaks of violence in the region on Uyghur "terrorists," but rights groups and experts say Beijing exaggerates the terrorism threat to take the heat off domestic policies that cause unrest or to justify the authorities' use of force against Uyghurs. Local anger Abdurehim Damaolla had angered some members of the local community by referring to those involved in the Lukchun violence as “terrorists,” according to Alim Ablimit. State media have said the Lukchun incident occurred after police opened fire on Uyghurs who had attacked local police stations with knives as part of a planned “terrorist attack.” Chinese authorities said 35 people were killed in the violence in a predominantly Uyghur township but officials and residents said the death toll was at least 46. Uyghurs in Turpan were also angry that the imam had advocated a government-introduced policy discouraging Uyghurs from wearing beards or headscarves as part of curbs on traditional and Islamic dress, Alim Sattar, another United Front Work Department official said. The city had stepped up political education propaganda efforts, including strict enforcement of policies discouraging beards and headscarves in the wake of the Lukchun unrest, he said. Toeing the party line Abdurehim Damaolla had taken on a strong role in such efforts and received warnings from unknown persons and had been involved in disputes with those who disagreed with his toeing the party line. "Just two weeks ago he was in a dispute with some young guys who were disappointed with his praising CPP policies at a funeral ceremony,” Alim Ablimit said. “The youths’ anger was only stopped [from boiling over] that day because of the police’s warnings and intervention in the dispute,” he said. Last month officials had had to cancel one public meeting on the beards and headscarves policy planned at the Kazihan Mosque “out of concern for Abdurehim Damaolla’s safety” after he received warnings from unknown persons not to speak there, Alim Sattar said. Abdurehim Damaolla, who had eight children, was known as an outspoken imam who was experienced in defusing conflicts, according to Alim Sattar. Three years ago, he had prevented a riot in nearby Chatqal village where tensions were running high after 25 people died in a dynamite explosion linked to official negligence, Ablim Sattar said. His death follows a slew of violence across Xinjiang that over the past two months has left about 70 dead, including the Lukchun incident, the worst in the region since July 5, 2009 ethnic unrest in the capital Urumqi triggered a massive crackdown. Last week, at least three Uyghurs were killed in Aksu prefecture’s Aykol town when security forces opened fire at a crowd trying to stop police from arresting suspects outside a mosque on the eve of the Eid al-Fitr festival. Uyghurs in Xinjiang say they have long suffered ethnic discrimination, oppressive religious controls, and continued poverty and joblessness, blaming their hardships partly on a massive influx of Han Chinese into the region. Reported by Shohret Hoshur for RFA’s Uyghur Service. Translated by Shohret Hoshur. Written in English by Rachel Vandenbrink. View this story online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/imam-08162013200309.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 <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org.

11 years, 9 months

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RFA BREAKING NEWS: Sam Rainsy Claims His Party Won Enough Seats to Form Government

by Parameswaran Ponnudurai

Sam Rainsy Claims His Party Won Enough Seats to Form Government July 30, 2013 - Opposition leader Sam Rainsy said Tuesday that his party had won at least 63 of the 123 seats that were at stake in Cambodia's weekend parliamentary elections, enough to form a government with a simple majority, disputing victory claims by Prime Minister Hun Sen's ruling party. "Based on calculations by activists at polling stations, the CNRP [Cambodia National Rescue Party] won at least 63 seats" in the National Assembly, the country's parliament, Sam Rainsy told RFA's Khmer Service. "I hope that we won more, because that would allow the CNRP to easily form its own government," he said, revealing for the first time his own estimate of the number of seats the CNRP grabbed in Sunday's elections based on his feedback. Sam Rainsy's announcement came as he threatened to hold mass protests against the victory claimed by Hun Sen's Cambodian People's Party (CPP) and if the government refuses to hold investigations into election irregularities. Hun Sen's CPP claimed a narrow victory of 68 parliamentary seats on election night, down from 90 in the previous elections in 2008, citing its own assessment of initial results. It also acknowledged that the CNRP had nearly doubled its number of seats from 29 to 55. The National Election Committee (NEC), which manages Cambodia's elections, has virtually endorsed the CPP findings although it has not announced the official results yet, an NEC official said. Sam Rainsy said that his party has also been robbed of a firm victory because of irregularities that had marred the vote. The CNRP claims that more than 1 million names had been removed from the voter lists, with a similar number of "phantom" voters added to them along with what it calls the duplication of about 200,000 names. Sam Rainsy was barred from voting or running in the election by the NEC despite receiving a royal pardon for politicized criminal charges that got him an 11-year jail sentence and had kept him in self-exile in France. The pardon came about two weeks before the July 28 election and the NEC-which the opposition accuses of lacking independence from the ruling party-said it was too late for him to register as a voter and contest in the polls. Sam Rainsy's appeals had been rejected. Threat of protests Sam Rainsy on Tuesday posted a video on Facebook warning the CPP of a "massive demonstration on a nationwide scale" if it "doesn't respect the election results." He asked his supporters to reject the CPP's election count. The opposition politician told RFA that the "only option to avoid a demonstration" would be for the government to establish an independent committee to investigate the election irregularities. "I would like to announce that the CNRP-(Deputy President) Kem Sokha and I-don't want any demonstration that would lead to the participation of millions of people, but this is our last option," he said. "If we are facing a deadlock there must be a demonstration, but if we can avoid that we would be happier." CNRP spokesman Yim Sovann stressed that Sam Rainsy's announcement of a demonstration wasn't aimed at inciting his supporters, but to inform the government that if it failed to resolve the election irregularities, Cambodia would see a mass movement of people speaking out against the results. "The people are angry because their names were missing," he said. "Some people couldn't vote because others had already voted in their names." Sam Rainsy said the CNRP would not be responsible for any turmoil if the CPP refused to allow a probe into the election irregularities. Also on Tuesday, he wrote an official request to the NEC requesting permission to participate in any investigation committee that it sets up. The United States and the European Union have both expressed concerns over reports of election irregularities and have called for a full and open probe by the NEC despite an earlier call by the opposition for an inquiry involving the United Nations. 'Not afraid' But the government appeared to reject calls for any such probe. NEC Secretary General Tep Nytha told RFA that his committee would "resolve any complaints" filed with it but would have nothing to do with an investigation panel. He said that he didn't expect any complaints would affect the election results as they had already been announced. Reuters news agency quoted a senior Foreign Affairs Ministry official as rejecting allegations of irregularities in the vote. Ouch Borith, secretary of state at the Foreign Affairs Ministry, said the elections had been labeled "free and fair" by more than 10,000 national observers and 100 international monitors. "The opposition party should be asked to show clearly what evidence it has about the irregularities it alleges," he said, adding that there was no proof of any missing names. "The National Election Committee has already said 'please bring up evidence, don't just say it, so we can work together to solve things'." CPP senior party member Chheang Von lashed out at the opposition statement, saying the ruling party is "not afraid" of any threat of a mass demonstration. He warned that if a demonstration took place, "the people would suffer." Long-ruling Hun Sen, who suffered his most serious political setback in years following the poor showing at the polls, has not spoken in public since the election. CNRP Deputy President Kem Sokha said any protests against the election results would be peaceful. "The CNRP will hold a nonviolent demonstration. If the government decides to crack down on us, they must be responsible," he said. "We don't want to hold a demonstration, so if the government and NEC want to avoid it, there must be a solution. The CNRP already introduced one option, but they have refused . so we can't guarantee anything." Reported by RFA's Khmer Service. Translated by Samean Yun. Written in English by Joshua Lipes. 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

11 years, 10 months

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RFA BREAKING NEWS: Lao Activist Sombath May Not Be Alive

by Parameswaran Ponnudurai

Lao Activist Sombath May Not Be Alive: Diplomats JULY 9, 2013—More than six months after his disappearance, some foreign diplomats in Vientiane think it is very unlikely that respected Lao civil society leader Sombath Somphone is still alive. Sombath was driving on the outskirts of the Lao capital Vientiane on Dec. 15 last year when he was stopped in his vehicle by police and then transferred into another vehicle, as surveillance video from that day showed. No one has seen him since. Based on private discussions with officials from the Lao government, ruling Communist Party and the military as well as other well-connected sources in the country, several foreign diplomats told RFA's Lao Service that the 60-year-old community worker's chances of being alive are very slim. Lao authorities have reported little or no progress in their investigations since Sombath's disappearance on the night of Dec. 15, 2012, when police-recorded surveillance video showed him being stopped at a police post. Amid the impasse, many in the foreign diplomatic community in Laos think it is most unlikely that Sombath is still alive, one diplomat said, speaking on condition of anonymity. The diplomat indicated that Sombath may have been killed by government-linked groups, saying that one "highly placed source" told him bluntly that Sombath was "finished" and "planted," using jargon to exemplify that he may have been murdered and buried in an undisclosed location. Lack of trust Another diplomat quoted an unnamed member of the Lao Communist Party's central committee as saying that the party leadership did not trust Sombath, who has been campaigning to upgrade youth training, improve the rights of the poor rural population and to protect the environment. His attempt to plant the seeds of “freedom” in Lao youth minds was perceived as a clear challenge to the Communist party leadership, which has ruled Laos with an iron fist since 1975, the diplomat said, also speaking on condition of anonymity. The Lao authorities have also been concerned over Sombath’s role in organizing the Asia Europe People's Forum— where various "sensitive" issues such as corruption, land rights and environmental threats were discussed— ahead of the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) summit that took place in Vientiane in November 2012, he said. One particular concern of the authorities was that Sombath had allegedly written a letter to Myanmar's opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi inviting her to attend the forum, he said. Aung San Suu Kyi did not attend the forum. The Communist Party’s suspicion was further inflamed by Sombath’s close contact with Thai and international environmentalist groups fiercely opposed to the construction of dams on the Mekong River and which had organized demonstration against the Xayaburi Dam project during the ASEM Summit, the second diplomat said. The diplomat felt that the Lao government’s current strategy is to "drag its feet" over the Sombath's case, hoping that the issue will fade away like all past arbitrary arrests, imprisonments, and forced disappearances in the country. International community's concerns The United Nations, the United States and the European Parliament have all raised concerns about Sombath's disappearance while human rights groups expressed fears he may have been abducted by security groups linked to the government. London-based Amnesty International and U.S.-based Human Rights Watch had said that Sombath was a victim of "enforced disappearance"—defined under international law as the arrest or detention of a person by state officials or their agents followed by a refusal to acknowledge the deprivation of liberty, or to reveal the person’s fate or whereabouts. “Based on the evidence, the most plausible conclusion is that Sombath Somphone is a victim of an enforced disappearance, for which Lao officials are responsible,” Rupert Abbott, Amnesty International’s Researcher on Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam said recently. “The fact that Sombath was taken from a police post in the center of Laos’ capital city and that the police there did nothing to resist raises very serious concerns,” he said. Human Rights watch had said that the authorities in Laos have "failed to seriously investigate or credibly explain the enforced disappearance" of Sombath. It said there was no indication that the Lao authorities had made any follow-up inquiries into the actions recorded on the police security video. “After six months, the Lao government’s failure to explain the abduction of a prominent social activist at a police checkpoint or account for his whereabouts raises the gravest concerns for his safety,” said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch. Sombath was the former director of the Participatory Development Training Centre (PADETC), a nongovernmental organization he founded in 1996 to promote education, training, and sustainable development. He was the recipient of the 2005 Ramon Magsaysay Award for Community Leadership for his work in the fields of education and development across Asia. Reported by RFA's Lao Service. Translated by Viengsay Luangkhot. Written in English by Parameswaran Ponnudurai. View this story online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/laos/sombath-07092013214754.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 <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org.

11 years, 11 months

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RFA BREAKING NEWS: Cambodian Government Bans Airing of Foreign Radio Programs

by Parameswaran Ponnudurai

Cambodian Government Bans Airing of Foreign Radio Programs JUNE 28, 2013— The Cambodian government has ordered local radio stations to stop broadcasting foreign programs ahead of general elections in a move widely seen as a major setback to media freedom in the country and aimed at stifling the voice of the opposition. Prime Minister Hun Sen's administration on Tuesday asked all FM stations to cease rebroadcasting Khmer-language radio programs by foreign broadcasters in the run-up to the July 28 elections, saying the move was aimed at "forbidding" foreigners in Cambodia from campaigning for any group in the polls. Local stations who flout the order face legal action. "Upon receiving this directive, I would like to ask that all the directors of FM station to implement it accordingly," acting Information Minister Ouk Pratna said in issuing the order."If any station doesn't follow this directive, the Ministry of Information will take legal action against it according to the existing law." Khmer programs of at least three foreign broadcasters—U.S.-based Radio Free Asia (RFA) and Voice of America (VOA), as well as Radio Australia—will be barred from being aired under the directive. Three other foreign broadcasters—the state-run Voice of Vietnam and China Radio International and French public radio station RFI—will not be affected as they operate their own stations in Cambodia. Move 'questions legitimacy' of elections The U.S. government immediately lodged a protest with the Cambodian authorities over the directive, saying it will throw in doubt the legitimacy of the elections, in which Hun Sen's Cambodian People's Party (CPP) is widely expected to win, enabling him to extend his 28 years in power. The CPP has won the last two polls by a landslide despite allegations of fraud and election irregularities. "The directive is a flagrant infringement on freedom of the press and freedom of expression, and is yet another incident that starkly contradicts the spirit of a healthy democratic process," John Simmons, spokesman for the U.S. Embassy, said in a statement. "While Royal Government officials at the highest levels have publicly expressed an intention to conduct free and fair elections, these media restrictions, and other efforts to limit freedom of expression, will seriously call into question the legitimacy of the electoral process," he said. About 10 local FM stations carry Khmer programs by RFA, which also broadcasts on shortwave in Cambodia. RFA said in a statement that it "remains committed to bringing objective, accurate, and balanced election coverage to the people of Cambodia at this critical time" and vowed that it "will do so on every delivery platform available." "The Ministry of Information's directive doesn't stem from complaints of programming irregularities, but rather is a blatant strategy to silence the types of disparate and varied voices that characterize an open and free society," it said. Beehive Radio Mam Sonando, a Cambodian activist who runs the independent Beehive Radio and an ardent critic of Hun Sen's administration, called the ban "illegal" and "childish" but added that he would comply with the order. He said the order would hurt political parties scrambling to convey their messages to the people ahead of the elections. Mam Sonando, who owns Beehive Radio, told RFA earlier this week that the Information Ministry is restricting overseas groups from buying airtime at Beehive Radio and had turned down requests to set up relay stations to beam to the provinces. U.S.-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) said it was puzzled by the Cambodian government's suggestion of foreign meddling in the elections. "There has been no history in Cambodia of foreigners participating on a partisan basis in elections," said Brad Adams, executive director of Asia Division. "What this is really about is they don't want foreigners coming in and observing the elections and then doing their job independently and professionally and then reporting their results." He said the Hun Sen government was trying to prevent reporting of events leading up to the elections. "It's about the fact that they know the elections are going to be very poor—they are structurally poor, they are poor in implementation and poor in practice and they don't want this reported," Adams said. "The problem is that the world doesn't work like that anymore. They can't keep the eyes and ears of the world out. So, the reality is going to be reported." The Cambodian government has ordered local radio stations to stop broadcasting foreign programs ahead of general elections in a move widely seen as a major setback to media freedom in the country and aimed at stifling the voice of the opposition. Prime Minister Hun Sen's administration on Tuesday asked all FM stations to cease rebroadcasting Khmer-language radio programs by foreign broadcasters in the run-up to the July 28 elections, saying the move was aimed at "forbidding" foreigners in Cambodia from campaigning for any group in the polls. Local stations who flout the order face legal action. "Upon receiving this directive, I would like to ask that all the directors of FM station to implement it accordingly," acting Information Minister Ouk Pratna said in issuing the order."If any station doesn't follow this directive, the Ministry of Information will take legal action against it according to the existing law." Khmer programs of at least three foreign broadcasters—U.S.-based Radio Free Asia (RFA) and Voice of America (VOA), as well as Radio Australia—will be barred from being aired under the directive. Three other foreign broadcasters—the state-run Voice of Vietnam and China Radio International and French public radio station RFI—will not be affected as they operate their own stations in Cambodia. Move 'questions legitimacy' of elections The U.S. government immediately lodged a protest with the Cambodian authorities over the directive, saying it will throw in doubt the legitimacy of the elections, in which Hun Sen's Cambodian People's Party (CPP) is widely expected to win, enabling him to extend his 28 years in power. The CPP has won the last two polls by a landslide despite allegations of fraud and election irregularities. "The directive is a flagrant infringement on freedom of the press and freedom of expression, and is yet another incident that starkly contradicts the spirit of a healthy democratic process," John Simmons, spokesman for the U.S. Embassy, said in a statement. "While Royal Government officials at the highest levels have publicly expressed an intention to conduct free and fair elections, these media restrictions, and other efforts to limit freedom of expression, will seriously call into question the legitimacy of the electoral process," he said. About 10 local FM stations carry Khmer programs by RFA, which also broadcasts on shortwave in Cambodia. RFA said in a statement that it "remains committed to bringing objective, accurate, and balanced election coverage to the people of Cambodia at this critical time" and vowed that it "will do so on every delivery platform available." "The Ministry of Information's directive doesn't stem from complaints of programming irregularities, but rather is a blatant strategy to silence the types of disparate and varied voices that characterize an open and free society," it said. Mam Sonando Mam Sonando, a Cambodian activist who runs the independent Beehive Radio and an ardent critic of Hun Sen's administration, called the ban "illegal" and "childish" but added that he would comply with the order. He said the order would hurt political parties scrambling to convey their messages to the people ahead of the elections. Mam Sonando, who owns Beehive Radio, told RFA earlier this week that the Information Ministry is restricting overseas groups from buying airtime at Beehive Radio and had turned down requests to set up relay stations to beam to the provinces. Election reporting U.S.-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) said it was puzzled by the Cambodian government's suggestion of foreign meddling in the elections. "There has been no history in Cambodia of foreigners participating on a partisan basis in elections," said Brad Adams, executive director of HRW's Asia division. "What this is really about is they don't want foreigners coming in and observing the elections and then doing their job independently and professionally and reporting their results." He said the Hun Sen government was trying to prevent reporting of events leading up to the elections. "It's about the fact that they know the elections are going to be very poor—they are structurally poor, they are poor in implementation and poor in practice and they don't want this reported," Adams said. Cambodian Center for Independent Media Director Pa Nguon Teang said the ban was aimed at curbing the views of the opposition in the country. Freedom of the press has increasingly declined in the country, with reporters exposing government corruption and other illegal activity coming under deadly attack and facing death threats, including from the authorities, according to a rights group and local journalists. Stifling 'opposition radio' Pa Nguon Teang felt the directive was specifically aimed at RFA and VOA. “The ban intends to stifle the voice of RFA and VOA because the government has regarded the two stations as opposition radio stations,” he said, adding that by preventing local stations from carrying programs by the two entities, the government believes it can "silence" the opposition parties. Local rights group Adhoc's chief investigator Ny Chakriya said the ministry's ban is "not based on any applicable laws," pointing out that "it is illegal and can’t be enforced." “The ban is against the constitution because the constitution guarantees freedom of expression,” he said. Moeun Chhean Nariddh, director of the Cambodia Institute for Media Studies, also called the move a violation of the constitution. “Any order preventing media dissemination is against the constitution,” he said. Reported by RFA's Khmer Service. Translated by Vuthy Huot and Samean Yun. Written in English by Parameswaran Ponnudurai. View this story online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/cambodia/radio-06282013140700.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 <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org.

11 years, 11 months

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RFA BREAKING NEWS: Xinjiang Violence More Serious Than Reported

by Parameswaran Ponnudurai

Xinjiang Violence More Serious Than Reported JUNE 27, 2013—The violence this week in a remote township in China's troubled Xinjiang region is believed to have been more serious than reported, with at least 46 people killed following an attack on police and government establishments by disgruntled ethnic minority Uyghurs, according to local officials and residents. The official Xinhua news agency, quoting regional-level officials of the ruling Chinese Communist Party, had said that 27 people were killed in the "terrorist incident" Wednesday sparked by an attack on police stations and other government establishments by a "knife-wielding mob" in Pichan (in Chinese, Shanshan) county. But based on accounts given to RFA's Uyghur Service by officials and residents as well as an "imam"— a local Muslim elder who helped conduct the burial rites for security personnel who perished in the clashes—at least 46 were killed in the violence in Lukchun township, whose residents are mostly minority ethnic Uyghur Muslims. Imam Urayim Haji, 62, said based on pieces of burial cloth used at the funeral, he believed at least 35 security personnel consisting of policemen, police assistants and security guards had died in the incident. “I saw and and counted a total of 35 pieces of burial cloth, so I believe the death toll from the side of the authorities is 35,” Urayim Haji said. Between 15 and 20 of them belonged to the Han Chinese ethnic majority, he said. Urayim Haji said the 11 assailants who were shot and killed by police had not been buried yet following the violence, some of the bloodiest since unrest in the Xinjiang capital Urumqi killed nearly 200 on July 5, 2009. "Police are still keeping them. We don’t know whether or not the bodies will be returned to their families,” he said. Local officials said all the 11 assailants were Uyghurs although they were unable to cite the reason for the attack. 'Repression' Uyghur activists blamed the Chinese government's "sustained repression and provocation" of the Uyghur community for the violence. According to Xinhua, the assailants attacked police stations, a government building and a construction site, and stabbed victims and set fires, killing 17 people including nine police or security officials, before officers shot and killed them. Xinjiang is home to some 9 million ethnic minority Uyghurs, who say they have long suffered ethnic discrimination and oppressive religious controls under Beijing’s policies, blaming the problems partly on the influx of Han Chinese into the region. A resident of Lukchun township, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed that the death toll was "over 40." "I have received calls from our relatives in Pichan and they said they witnessed many of the injured being moved from Lukchun to Pichan county hospitals." "They said they heard that the death toll had passed 40 (Wednesday night).” Among the security personnel killed were people identified as Uyghur police officers Jappar Osman, 30, and Adil Abliz, 27, and police assistant Yehya Israpil, 21, according to a local ruling Chinese Communist Party official Alimjan Reqip. He said one of three attackers shot and captured was identified as Abdulla Israpil, 28, who has been working as a taxi driver in Urumqi for several years and came to Lukchun just four days before the incident. All four were residents of Muqam village in Lukchun township, a formerly sleepy melon-growing area. Security Residents said security has been bolstered in Lukchun following the incident. “I saw two helicopters flying as high as the tree tops. I've never seen helicopters so close," one resident said, suggesting that the aircraft had targeted a riverbed where some suspects might have been hiding. The Lukchun incident came nearly a month after at least 12 Uyghurs were killed in a blast apparently triggered by explosive devices they were carrying while being pursued by police in Xinjiang's Aksu prefecture, local officials had told RFA. The group was killed when they were cornered by police after they eluded a house-to-house search by police in Ghorachol town in Awat county, local town official Adil Semet said. His account could not be independently confirmed. Residents of Ghorachol were reluctant to speak about the alleged explosion, saying that they feared for their safety. A week ago, authorities in Xinjiang sentenced 19 Uyghurs to jail for alleged crimes linked to "religious extremism," Chinese media reported. Rights groups said the sentences were meant to send a message to Uyghurs in the lead-up to the upcoming Urumqi violence anniversary. In April this year, a clash left 21 people dead after authorities allegedly uncovered a “terrorism plot” during a house search in Xinjiang's Maralbeshi county and squared off with a group of Uyghurs they said were armed with knives. Rights groups say that the Chinese authorities are indiscriminately jailing Uyghurs in Xinjiang in the name of fighting terrorism, separatism, and religious extremism, and are intensifying the influx of Han Chinese in the region. Reported by Shohret Hoshur for RFA's Uyghur Service. Translated by Shohret Hoshur. Written in English by Parameswaran Ponnudurai. View this story online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/violence-06272013230950.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 <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org.

11 years, 11 months

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RFA BREAKING NEWS: Tibetans Allowed to Openly Revere Dalai Lama in Two Chinese Provinces

by Parameswaran Ponnudurai

Tibetans Allowed to Openly Revere Dalai Lama in Two Chinese Provinces JUNE 26, 2013—Chinese authorities in Tibetan-populated areas of Qinghai and Sichuan are allowing monks to openly venerate the Dalai Lama as a religious leader but not as a “political” figure, according to sources citing official statements introducing the “experimental” new policy. The move appears to be confined only to the two provinces but still reverses a longstanding Chinese policy of forcing Tibetan monks and nuns to denounce the exiled spiritual leader, whom Beijing has described as a dangerous separatist seeking to “split” Tibet away from China. In Sichuan’s Kardze (in Chinese, Ganzi) prefecture, “an announcement has been made stating that photos of the Dalai Lama may be displayed, and that the Dalai Lama should not be criticized by name,” a resident of the area told RFA’s Tibetan Service on Wednesday. “Similar announcements will be made in all the monasteries in the Kardze area,” the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Separately, a Tibetan living in neighboring Qinghai province said, “There is no order [now] from senior leaders to criticize the Dalai Lama.” Quoting a June 14 announcement by Tsepa Topden, a political studies instructor at Kumbum monastery’s Qinghai Buddhist Institute, the source said, “Buddhist believers can have faith and show respect to the Dalai Lama.” “At the same time, he cannot be followed for political reasons,” he quoted Topden as saying. “Religion and politics should be kept separate,” Topden said, according to the source. Earlier policies 'wrong' Official statements introducing the new policy, which the source described as “experimental,” also criticized as "wrong" an earlier Chinese practice in which monks and nuns were forced to harshly criticize the Dalai Lama, the source said. “From now on, anyone who is a believer in Buddhism has no need to criticize the Dalai Lama,” he said. A similar announcement was made at a June 19 meeting held in Qinghai’s Tsigorthang (Xinghai) county and attended by “lamas, monks, and others,” a third source said, also speaking anonymously. At the meeting, two Tibetan officials read from a government document declaring that “from now on, photos of the Dalai Lama can be displayed, and no one is permitted to criticize him by calling him names,” the source said. Reports of these policy changes have not been officially confirmed, Columbia University Tibet scholar Robbie Barnett told RFA in an interview. “But they fit with the underlying reality that Tibet policy was frozen for some 20 years after [former Chinese president] Hu Jintao was promoted from [Communist Party chief in] Lhasa to the central leadership in the early 1990s.” “For bureaucrats in Tibetan areas, this means they are now in a different era, and some may have received permission to test policy adaptations in two or three localities,” Barnett said. Photographs of the Dalai Lama were never formally banned in eastern Tibetan areas in any case, Barnett said. “It is the reports of other changes that are significant, such as an end to denigrating the Dalai Lama.”' 'Premature to speculate' While it would be “premature to speculate” about the extension of these policy changes to other areas, Barnett said, "the fact that these reports coincide with criticism by important scholars in Beijing of Tibet policy during the Hu Jintao era is striking.” Speaking to RFA, Indiana University Tibet scholar Elliot Sperling said that in Tibetan-populated areas of Chinese provinces outside the Tibet Autonomous Region, there has already been a "tacit understanding" allowing discreet displays of the Dalai Lama's photo "so long as there are no other overtly political activities." "Numerous travelers have noticed this," he said. As a sign that Chinese leaders may be exploring new policy approaches to Tibet, Sperling noted that a director of ethnic and religious affairs at China’s Central Party School recently called for Beijing to begin a new dialogue with the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader, and perhaps to allow him to visit Hong Kong. Even as these ideas were being proposed, though, “harsh measures continue to be implemented, including increasing the level of surveillance in Tibet,” Sperling said. China's stepped-up controls in Tibetan areas come amid continuing protests against Beijing's rule, with 120 Tibetans self-immolating since the wave of fiery protests began in February 2009. The 77-year-old Dalai Lama, who fled from Tibet into India after a failed 1959 national uprising against Chinese occupation, has been the face and symbol of the Tibetan struggle for more than five decades. The Nobel laureate handed over political power in 2011 to Harvard law scholar Lobsang Sangay, who was chosen head of the Tibetan government in exile in open elections, but the Dalai Lama retains the more significant role of spiritual leader. Reported by RFA’s Tibetan Service. Translated by Karma Dorjee. Written in English with additional reporting by Richard Finney. View this story online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/tibet/allowed-06262013180033.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 <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org.

11 years, 11 months

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RFA BREAKING NEWS: Suu Kyi Blasts Proposed Law on Marriage Restrictions

by Parameswaran Ponnudurai

Suu Kyi Blasts Proposed Law on Marriage Restrictions JUNE 20, 2013— Myanmar's opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi has criticized a proposed law by a group of nationalist Buddhist monks restricting Muslim men and those of other faiths from marrying Buddhist women, saying it was discriminatory and violated human rights. Under the proposal, non-Buddhist men wishing to marry Buddhist women in Myanmar have to convert to Buddhism. They also have to gain permission from the parents of the Buddhist women and local government officials before tying the knot. The proposed law was circulated at a conference of Buddhist monks recently amid continuing tensions following anti-Muslim violence since last year in Buddhist-majority Myanmar. Aung San Suu Kyi told RFA's Myanmar Service that the proposal discriminated against women, violated human rights and the country's laws and was contrary to Buddhism itself. "This is one-sided. Why only women? You cannot treat the women unfairly," the 68-year-old Nobel laureate said. "There should not be any discrimination between the men and women." "I also understand that this is not in accordance with the laws of the country and especially that it is not part of Buddhism," said Aung San Suu Kyi, who heads the opposition National League for Democracy. "It is a violation of women's rights and human rights," said Aung San Suu Kyi, who is barred by the country's constitution from becoming the president because she had married a foreigner and her children are foreign citizens. She and her husband, the late British academic Michael Aris, had two sons who are British. Signature campaign The controversial proposal on marriage restrictions was led by nationalist monk Wirathu who, according to reports, wants to collect signatures to pressure the country's parliament to adopt the law. Wirathu heads Burma's so-called "969" movement, which represents a radical form of anti-Islamic nationalism that urges Buddhists to boycott Muslim-run shops and services following sectarian violence since last year which has left about 200 people dead and displaced 140,000, mainly Rohingya Muslims. He said the law would be modeled along regulations restricting interfaith marriage in other countries, such as those in neighboring Malaysia which forbids Muslims from marrying non-Muslims unless the non-Muslims embrace Islam. Burmese women's rights groups plan to launch a public campaign to stop the contentious draft law, which also stipulates that those who flout the rule could face up to 10 years in prison and have their property confiscated. Earlier this week, eight women's rights groups based in Myanmar's commercial capital Yangon issued a joint statement condemning Wirathu’s proposed draft law, which he had claimed would “protect Buddhist women’s freedom,” Myanmar's online Irrawaddy journal reported. “Buddhist women are the target of this draft law, and we know nothing about it all. The ones who drafted the bill are monks. That means it doesn’t represent women,” Zin Mar Aung, a founder of the Rainfall Gender Studies Group and a well-known women’s rights activist, was quoted saying. Reported by Khin Maung Soe for RFA’s Myanmar Service. Translated by Khin Maung Soe and Khet Mar. Written in English by Parameswaran Ponnudurai. View this story online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/myanmar/marriage-06202013231513.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 <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org.

11 years, 11 months

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Radio Free Asia Wins at New York Festivals

by Rohit Mahajan

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 18, 2013 Contact: Rohit Mahajan 202 530 4976 mahajanr(a)rfa.org Radio Free Asia Takes Silver, Bronze at New York Festivals WASHINGTON, DC - Two Radio Free Asia (RFA) reporters were named winners of silver and bronze medals at this year's New York Festivals <http://www.newyorkfestivals.com/worldsbestradio/2013/> radio awards ceremony last night. RFA's Uyghur Service reporter Shohret Hoshur won silver in the international contest's category of best coverage of an ongoing news story for his investigation into the enforced disappearance of Uyghurs after deadly ethnic unrest in China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in July 2009. RFA Korean reporter Jinkuk Kim took bronze in the category of best human interest story for his piece on the mixed emotions of North Korean refugees who watched the U.S.-North Korea women's soccer match in the 2012 London Olympics. "So much of Radio Free Asia's coverage strikes at the heart of emotions felt by people in difficult situations," RFA President Libby Liu said. "Whether reporting on North Korean refugees watching their former countrymen and women compete in the Olympics or the stories of missing Uyghurs, RFA shares the personal stories that would otherwise go unreported. "We are thrilled to be recognized at the New York Festivals again this year and hope this puts a spotlight not just on our work as a news organization, but also the people we feature in our reports." For the silver medal entry, titled, "Lost but Not Forgotten: Justice Sought for Missing Uyghurs," RFA's Hoshur interviewed the Uyghur families of 38 individuals whose whereabouts remain unknown after they were detained by Chinese authorities. They have remained missing without official explanation for almost four years since the 2009 riots in Urumqi. The three-part series, which named the missing individuals, led to the World Uyghur Congress publishing a report on the enforced disappearances and Amnesty International urging Beijing to disclose more information. RFA's "The Ties that Bind: North Korean Defectors at the Olympics" showcases 15 former North Korean residents who cheered for the team representing the country from which they had fled. Their feelings of homesickness were not for the regime but for the families and people they left behind. RFA Korean Service's Kim interviewed the refugees who traveled to the town of New Malden, outside of London, to watch the North Korean women's soccer team, which was defeated by the United States. Finalists this year included ABC Radio National, BBC World Service, Australian Broadcasting Company, Radio France, and Radio Taiwan International, among others. # # # 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. For more information, visit www.rfa.org and follow us on Twitter @RadioFreeAsia.

11 years, 11 months

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RFA BREAKING NEWS: Tibetan Nun Sets Herself Ablaze in New Self-Immolation Protest

by Parameswaran Ponnudurai

Tibetan Nun Sets Herself Ablaze in New Self-Immolation Protest JUNE 11, 2013— A Tibetan nun set herself ablaze on Tuesday during a large religious gathering in China’s Sichuan province in protest against Beijing’s rule in Tibetan areas, sources said. The woman, who has not been identified, self-immolated near Nyatso monastery in Tawu (in Chinese, Daofu) county, which is also close to a police facility, a Tibetan living in Nepal told RFA’s Tibetan Service, speaking on condition of anonymity. “The area has now been clamped down on by a huge security force,” the source said, citing contacts in the region. The woman’s condition is not known though “it is confirmed that she was moved to a hospital,” he said. The burning brings to 120 the number of self-immolations by Tibetans challenging Chinese rule since the wave of fiery protests began in February 2009. The nun set herself ablaze at about 5:00 p.m. local time “to protest China’s harsh policy” in Tibetan-populated areas, Yama Tsering, a monk living in southern India, told RFA’s Mandarin Service on Tuesday. “The nun was immediately taken to the Kangding county hospital,” Tsering said, citing local sources. “After the protest, authorities cut off all phone and Internet connections to the area, and there is no way now to get more detailed information about the nun’s name or age, or what slogans she may have shouted before she set herself on fire,” he said. Chinese authorities are now restricting the movements of Tibetans living in the area, he added. Calls seeking comment from Tawu county police and Nyatso monastery rang unanswered Tuesday. Large religious gathering The nun’s self-immolation took place a day after the beginning of Jang Gunchoe, an annual gathering of monks at the Nyatso monastery, another source told RFA’s Tibetan Service. “It began on June 10, with over 3,000 monks from 50 monasteries in the Kham area participating in Buddhist debates and other activities for ten days,” Tashi, an India-based Tibetan monk, said. Kham is one of the three historical regions of Tibet and is divided today between western Sichuan and the eastern part of what is now the Tibet Autonomous Region. Tuesday’s self-immolation protest comes less than a month after the burning death of Tenzin Sherab, 31, who set himself ablaze in Chumarleb (Qumalai) county in Qinghai’s Yulshul (Yushu) prefecture on May 27. A few days before his protest, Sherab had complained to friends about China’s “discriminatory” policies and “destruction” of Tibetan religion and culture, saying he could no longer tolerate Beijing’s “repressive measures in Tibet,” Jampa Yonten, a monk living in southern India, had said. Chinese authorities have tightened controls in Tibet and in the Tibetan prefectures of Chinese provinces to check the self-immolations, cutting communication links with outside areas and jailing Tibetans they believe to be linked to the burnings. More than a dozen have been jailed so far, with some handed jail terms of up to 15 years. Reported by Lumbum Tashi and Kunzang Tenzin for RFA’s Tibetan Service and by Dan Zhen for the Mandarin Service. Translated by Karma Dorjee and Feng Xiaoming. Written in English by Richard Finney. View this story online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/tibet/protest-06112013161828.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 <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org.

11 years, 12 months

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RFA BREAKING NEWS: Myanmar's Speaker Shwe Mann Says He'll Contest Presidency

by Parameswaran Ponnudurai

Myanmar's Speaker Shwe Mann Says He'll Contest Presidency JUNE 10, 2013— Myanmar's parliamentary speaker Shwe Mann announced Monday that he will run for president in 2015, probably facing opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who has also expressed interest in the top government post. Shwe Mann, who took over last month from incumbent President Thein Sein as head of the ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), said he wants the most powerful post in the country because he feels he is in a better position to unite the various ethnic groups, achieve peace and national reconciliation, and defend the rule of law in the country. "I will run for president because it is the key post to work for the betterment of the country and the people’s interest," he told RFA's Myanmar Service during a visit to Washington. "If there were a position higher than or more important than the president, I would want that post," said Shwe Mann, who was previously the third-highest-ranking member of Myanmar's military junta, which had ruled the country for nearly five decades until 2010. "I believe that if I became president, I could do more than the others to achieve unity among ethnic groups, national reconciliation, rule of law, regional stability, and peace." Shwe Mann's announcement came as little surprise, as many had expected the ambitious politician to throw his hat into the ring for the presidential race, but this is the first time he had spoken at length about his political ambitions. Hotly contested race Thein Sein, who took office in March 2010 after landmark elections, has left open the possibility of seeking another term in office in the 2015 election, saying his choice will depend “on the needs of the country.” If Thein Sein retires, many expect the presidential race to be hotly contested between Shwe Mann and Aung San Suu Kyi, who last week also confirmed she wants to run for president. But Aung San Suu Kyi said that Myanmar’s constitution, written in 2008 during the military junta regime that held the Nobel laureate under house arrest for years, has to be amended for her to bid for the presidency. The charter has a provision blocking anyone whose spouse or children are foreign citizens from becoming president. Aung San Suu Kyi's two sons with her late British husband hold U.K. citizenship, and the clause is widely believed to be targeted at her. Amending the constitution But Shwe Mann told RFA that Myanmar's parliament will set up a commission soon to review the constitution, and that if it feels the charter should be amended to pave the way for Aung San Suu Kyi to run for president, the legislature would back the change. "Three committees in parliament have submitted a proposal to establish a commission to amend the constitution, and this proposal was approved. So, we will establish a commission soon," he said. "According to this report, we will have to amend, scrap, or replace some points in the 2008 constitution. If the commission submits proposals, including the possibility of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi being able to contest as president, then parliament will support work on it," he said, using an honorific with Aung San Suu Kyi's name. He said any revision of the constitution will have to take into consideration not only Aung San Suu Kyi's case but the interest of all citizens. Aung San Suu Kyi had said last week that she also wants the constitution amended to do away with the military’s mandatory 25 percent quota in parliament. A constitutional amendment requires at least 75 percent approval in parliament. But together, the military and Shwe Mann's military-backed USDP control more than 80 percent of the seats. Shwe Mann sidestepped a question on whether he thought Myanmar's future would be brighter under Aung San Suu Kyi. "Everybody works for the betterment of the country when he or she becomes a leader. I believe that Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has much goodwill and she wants to develop the country, but we should wait and see and consider her plans and the political situation." Biggest challenge to reforms Shwe Mann, together with Thein Sein, has been a driving force for reforms in Myanmar. The two were top generals in the junta, but though Thein Sein was prime minister at the time, he was subordinate to Shwe Mann. Asked what was the biggest challenge to reforms, Shwe Mann said the mindset of the people has to be changed so that they could use democracy as a vehicle for progress. "The biggest challenge is changing the mindset and attitude. If people do not understand the essence of democracy, there will be more disadvantages than advantages." Shwe Mann, speaker of the Pyithu Hluttaw—the lower house of Myanmar's parliament—arrived in Washington on Sunday for a nine-day visit during which he will hold talks with U.S. House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner, among other leading legislators. Reported by Kyaw Kyaw Aung for RFA's Myanmar Service. Translated by Khet Mar. Written in English by Parameswaran Ponnudurai. View this story online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/myanmar/shwe-mann-06102013161202.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 <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org.

11 years, 12 months

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RFA BREAKING NEWS: Dalai Lama Seeks Halt To Fighting Over Prized 'Caterpillar Fungus'

by Parameswaran Ponnudurai

Dalai Lama Seeks Halt To Fighting Over Prized 'Caterpillar Fungus' JUNE 7, 2013— Tibet's spiritual leader the Dalai Lama has expressed regret over deadly clashes among Tibetan groups in China over access to areas of a parasitic fungus that is prized for its purported medicinal properties. The Dalai Lama made the rare plea this week following the latest violence over the harvesting of “caterpillar fungus" between two main rival groups in northwest China's Qinghai province that left at least two people dead and three others wounded on May 30. The fungus, indigenous only to the 1,000-mile-long Tibetan plateau running from western China to Nepal, enters the larva of the caterpillar moth, mummifies its prey and eventually grows out of the head of the caterpillar. It is highly valued for its purported medicinal benefits and as a libido booster in China. The Dalai Lama called for a halt to the disputes among Tibetans over access to areas where the fungus grows, saying these quarrels have become a "crisis." "We have heard that when such incidents occur, some thoughtless and ignorant persons, acting on excuses or on whatever comes to their mind, take up guns and knives to harm others in disregard of a sense of loyalty to the brotherhood of all Tibetans," he said. "Likewise, in some area in which fungal caterpillar is harvested, there have recently been cases of conflicts and of some places joining together against others, causing crisis situations. I feel sad when I hear of these things." Reminding the Tibetans that "violence is contrary to the beliefs and conduct of all who believe in karma and in Buddhism," he said, "these acts also obstruct the efforts I have been making all my life to turn Tibet into a peaceful and violence-free land." "Therefore, out of sheer care and concern, I appeal to all of you—monks and laypeople both—to immediately cease these actions that bring disgrace to the Tibetan people. When similar disputes occur in the future, you must resolve them." Rebgong The May 30 clash over the caterpillar fungus occurred in Rebgong [in Chinese, Tongren] county in Qinghai's Malho (Huangnan) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, sources told RFA's Tibetan Service. "Villagers from Shadrang shot at those from Lonchen, killing two of them and wounding three, one of them in critical condition," one source said. "On May 31, villagers from Lonchen gathered to go to Shadrang to 'take revenge' but other local people led by monks from Rebgong monastery persuaded them not to go," the source said. "Chinese authorities sent security forces on the same day to suppress the disturbances." The incident came after a fight among the same groups about two weeks earlier on May 17 in which one villager was cut in the face and another repeatedly hacked in the neck and back. "The fight started out with shoving and hitting, but knives were then brought out, and one villager was cut in the face. Another villager was repeatedly hacked in the neck and back, and was taken to hospital in the provincial capital Xining," the source said. Local people had described the incidents as “shameful,” the source said. Reported by Lumbum Tashi for RFA's Tibetan Service. Translated by Benpa Topgyal. Written in English by Richard Finney and Parameswaran Ponnudurai. View this story online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/tibet/fungus-06072013220245.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 <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org.

12 years

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Radio Free Asia Releases e-Book on 1989 Tiananmen Crackdown

by Rohit Mahajan

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 3, 2013 Contact: Rohit Mahajan 202 530 4976 <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org Radio Free Asia Releases Interactive e-Book on 1989 Tiananmen Crackdown WASHINGTON, DC - On the eve of the 24th anniversary of the June 4, 1989, crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrators in Beijing, Radio Free Asia released an interactive e-book in Mandarin Chinese, titled <http://www.rfa.org/mandarin/jiaodianzhuizong/liusi> Tiananmen Incident in Historical Perspective. Consisting of multimedia content and eyewitness accounts, the digital-format publication recounts the demonstrations and the eventual dead-of-night crackdown near Tiananmen Square that left an unknown number of people dead in China's capital. "Almost a quarter century later in China, government censors have all but blotted out the memory of Tiananmen in the mainland," RFA President Libby Liu said. "For those fortunate enough to have access to uncensored information, that's as tragic as it is unimaginable. "With this e-book, we hope to restore for our Chinese audience the real-life stories and accurate information that is simply missing from China's official version of what happened in Beijing on June 4, 1989." The e-book comprises rare video footage, audio recordings, photographs, and a timeline of events, as well as a detailed account by RFA Executive Editor Dan Southerland, then the Beijing bureau chief for The Washington Post, who covered the events on the ground with a team of reporters. Also included are interviews with surviving student leaders, who discuss the demonstrations that began in mid-April and grew to about a million people in May. The lives of these leaders since the 1989 crackdown, as well as some of its central figures, are the subject of the publication's section "Where Are They Now?" The e-book may be accessed and downloaded from RFA's website for iPads and tablets, and will be made available on Apple iTunes in the near future. # # # 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

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RFA BREAKING NEWS: Three Tibetans Die in Burning Protests

by Parameswaran Ponnudurai

Three Tibetans Die in Burning Protests APRIL 24, 2013— Three Tibetans—two monks and a woman—set themselves ablaze and died Wednesday in Sichuan province’s Ngaba (in Chinese, Aba) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in one of the worst fatal self-immolation protests to date against Chinese rule, sources in the region and in exile said. The burnings bring to 119 the number of Tibetan self-immolations since the wave of fiery protests began in February 2009. The two monks from the Tagtsang Lhamo Kirti monastery in Dzoege [in Chinese, Ruo’ergai] county set themselves alight and died near the monastery, a Tibetan living in India told RFA’s Tibetan Service, citing sources in the region. They staged “a fiery protest against Chinese policy in Tibet,” the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity. “They died at around 6:30 p.m. local time near the main assembly hall of the monastery.” Sources identified the monks as Lobsang Dawa, 20, and Konchog Woeser, 23. Lobsang Dawa came originally from Dzaru Menma village in Dzoege country, while Konchog Woeser was a native of Tsakho village in the Kirti Kangchu township in Ngaba (Aba) county, one source said. Monks hold prayers Their bodies were moved to the monastery, where monks held prayers for them, said India-based monks Kanyag Tsering and Lobsang Yeshe, citing contacts in the region. Lobsang Dawa, 20, was the son of Dorje Khandro, 62, while Konchog Woeser, 23, was the son of Tsering Norbu and Samdrub Drolma, according to Tsering and Yeshe. They will be cremated on Thursday, the two monks said. Also on Wednesday, at about 2:00 p.m., a 23–year-old Tibetan woman set herself on fire and died in a protest against Chinese rule in Sichuan’s Dzamthang (Rangtang) county, Tibetan sources said. The woman’s name and other details of her protest are still unknown. Well-known Tibetan poet and blogger Woeser confirmed the woman’s protest, describing her in a blog entry as a “shepherdess.” No options? Tibetans resort to self-immolations because they are left with no options in their demand for better rights, according to rights groups Though self-immolation protests by Tibetans under Chinese rule are no longer unexpected, “each individual’s choice to undertake this most extreme form of protest remains deeply important,” said Eleanor Byrne-Rosengren, director of the London-based advocacy group Free Tibet. “All the Tibetans who resort to self-immolation do so because they feel they have no other way to make China and the rest of the world listen to their country’s call for freedom,” Byrne-Rosengren said in a Wednesday statement. “As yet, China is still turning a deaf ear, but the rest of the world must not,” Byrne-Rosengren said. The last time a triple Tibetan self-immolation protest occurred on the same day was on Nov. 7, 2012, when three teenage monks from Ngoshul monastery, also in Ngaba, set themselves on fire to protest Beijing’s rule in Tibetan areas. Chinese authorities have tightened controls in Tibet and in Tibetan prefectures in Chinese provinces to check the self-immolations, cutting communication links with outside areas and jailing Tibetans they believe to be linked to the burnings. More than a dozen have been jailed so far, with some handed jail terms of up to 15 years. Reported by Lumbum Tashi and Yangdon Demo 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/three-04242013160540.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 <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org.

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RFA BREAKING NEWS: Myanmar to Reexamine Divisive Birth Rule

by Parameswaran Ponnudurai

Myanmar to Reexamine Divisive Birth Rule MAY 31, 2013—Myanmar on Friday said it will reexamine a controversial two-child policy in restive Rakhine state after rights organizations and the international community said the law unfairly targets members of the Muslim Rohingya ethnic group. “We are reexamining this order,” President Thein Sein’s spokesman Ye Htut told RFA’s Myanmar Service, adding that the policy which bans Rohingya families from having more than two children was regionally implemented and had not been developed in tandem with the central government. Ye Htut’s statement marked the first time Thein Sein’s office has publicly commented on the policy which, according to Rakhine state spokesperson Win Myaing, was initially introduced in 2005 and reaffirmed earlier this month for Rohingyas in Buthidaung and Maungdaw townships along the Bangladesh border. Rights groups say the two-child regulation was an addition to longstanding discriminatory marriage restrictions on Rohingyas in Rakhine, which required them to obtain advance permission before tying the knot and which limited Rohingya men to one wife. Flouting the two-child restriction is punishable with fines and imprisonment, they say. Though they are a small, unrecognized minority in Myanmar and Rakhine state, Rohingyas make up most of the population in Buthidaung and Maungdaw, which are also home to a small number of Buddhist Rakhines. Buddhists are not subject to the two-child policy in the two townships, which were hotspots for ethnic violence in Rakhine state last year. Ye Htut said that laws requiring Rohingyas to inform and apply for permission from the authorities before getting married were aimed at preventing abuse against women. “The reason for this is that [Rohingya] girls who are not old enough to get married are often married by force.” The age of consent for marriage in Myanmar is 18 years of age. He said community leaders and husbands in Rohingya society also prevent women from using reproductive health services. “Women are harassed when they make personal decisions about their health,” he said. “Because of this, the authorities have encouraged and directed [Rohingya] women to make use of birth control and reproductive health programs.” Allegations of discrimination Ye Htut noted that Myanmar’s Ministry of Health and Mother and Child Welfare Association are overseeing reproductive health programs across the country. But he admitted that “I’m not very well informed about the Rakhine state government’s policy on child limits,” adding "we have to have a look at this policy." When asked to address criticism from rights groups and the international community that the policy was discriminatory towards Rohingyas, Ye Htut said that the central government was aware of the charges but declined to comment until carrying out an investigation. “Some other countries have birth policies in effect to control the nation’s population, such as China. We will study those policies,” he said. He said the government would also review advice from the Rakhine Inquiry Commission, a panel which in April probed last year’s clashes between Buddhists and Muslims and which recommended family planning education be provided to Rohingyas, saying their “rapid population growth” had been a factor fueling the unrest. “We will be able to comment on the policy after we review all information,” Ye Htut said. Recent criticism Violence in June and October last year left nearly 200 people dead and some 140,000 displaced in Rakhine state. Most of the victims were Rohingya, many of whom remain in camps they are not allowed to leave. Earlier this week, Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi slammed the two-child policy, voicing rare comments defending the rights of the Muslim minority group. The National League for Democracy (NLD) leader, who faced criticism from international rights groups for not speaking up for Rohingyas’ rights following the violence last year, called the policy “discriminatory and … not in line with human rights.” The policy also drew condemnation from rights groups such as New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW), which this week called on Myanmar to immediately revoke it. “Implementation of this callous and cruel two-child policy against the Rohingya is another example of the systematic and wide ranging persecution of this group, who have recently been the target of an ethnic cleansing campaign,” said Brad Adams, Asia director at HRW. “President Thein Sein says he is against discrimination. If so, he should quickly declare an end to these coercive family restrictions and other discriminatory policies against the Rohingya.” The United Nations deputy spokesman Eduardo del Buey on Thursday said the decision to restore the two-child limit on Rohingyas would be discriminatory and called on authorities in Rakhine state “to remove such policies or practices.” Reported by RFA’s Myanmar Service. Translated by Khet Mar. Written in English by Joshua Lipes View this story online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/myanmar/children-05312013171333.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 <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org.

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RFA BREAKING NEWS: Laos Admits Handing Over North Korean Defectors to Pyongyang

by Parameswaran Ponnudurai

Laos Admits Handing Over North Korean Defectors to Pyongyang MAY 31, 2013— Laos broke its silence Friday over its much-criticized deportation of nine North Korean defectors, saying it had handed them directly to North Korea and not to China as widely reported. News reports, some quoting South Korean officials, had said that Laos had deported the defectors, some as young as 14 years old, to China which then repatriated them to North Korea this week without having their asylum claims assessed. North Korean defectors face harsh punishment, including the death penalty, on their return home. The Lao Foreign Ministry said in a two-paragraph statement sent to RFA's Lao Service that the Lao government had handed the nine North Koreans to the North Korean Embassy in Vientiane. It said that the nine North Koreans, aged between 14 to 18 years, and two South Koreans were detained by police in Oudomxay province in Laos bordering China. It accused the South Koreans of committing human trafficking. Lao statement "On 10th May 2013, the police of Oudomxay Province of the Lao PDR detained 11 Koreans and had subsequently transferred them to Vientiane for investigation," the statement said. "As a result of the investigation, it has been identified that nine of them are the citizens of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) aged between 14 to 18 years who have illegally entered into the Lao PDR, while the other two are the citizens of the Republic of Korea (ROK) who have committed human trafficking." "In accordance with the Law of the Lao PDR, particularly the Prime Minister’s Decree No. 136 on Immigration and Foreigners Control, and after coordination between the Lao authorities concerned and the concerned Embassies in Vientiane, the Lao side has handed over the nine citizens of the DPRK and the two citizens of the ROK to their respective Embassies on 27th May 2013 and 28th May 2013, respectively," the statement said. There was no reference to China in the statement or whether the defectors had been sent to North Korea or China. Reports had said the nine were returned to China on Monday and flown back to North Korea the following day. Beijing has not commented on the issue so far. International obligations International law requires that a person be allowed to apply for asylum and not be expelled to a country where his life or freedom may be under threat. The U.N. refugee agency UNHCR had expressed concern that the deported individuals did not have a chance to have their asylum claims assessed. “We have received credible information that the nine young North Korean defectors were subsequently returned to DPRK via China,” a spokesperson for the U.N. human rights office (OHCHR), Rupert Colville, said, according to a statement issued by the Geneva-based office. Colville added that OHCHR was “extremely concerned” about the protection of the group members “who are at risk of severe punishment and ill-treatment upon their return.” "We are dismayed that the Governments of Laos and China appear to have abrogated their non-refoulement obligations, especially given the vulnerability of this group, all of whom are reported to be orphans." "We urge the Chinese and Laotian authorities to publicly clarify the fate of the nine young North Koreans, as well as the conditions under which they were returned, and request the Government of DPRK to provide immediate access to the group by independent actors to verify their status and treatment," the statement said. The U.N. General Assembly, in successive resolution, has expressed serious concern about the situation of refugees and asylum-seekers expelled or returned to North Korea and the sanctions imposed on those repatriated from abroad. On Friday, South Korean activists criticized Laos during a rally outside its embassy in Seoul. "We are here to call on Laos not to deport North Korean defectors because there is concern they may be tortured when sent back," the Associated Press quoted Lee Ho-taek, head of a group that provides refugees with support, as saying. Defectors' plight Close to 25,000 North Koreans have come to South Korea since the end of the Korean War. The vast majority of them hid in China and Southeast Asian countries including Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam before flying to Seoul. China, North Korea's key ally, does not recognize defectors as asylum seekers and has been known to return them to Pyongyang. "North Korea has to come clean on where these nine refugees are and publicly guarantee that they will not be harmed or retaliated against for having fled the country," said Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director of Human Rights Watch. "As a result of their return, they are at dire risk." Reported by RFA's Lao Service. Written in English by Parameswaran Ponnudurai. View this story online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/laos/defectors-05312013155247.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 <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org.

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RFA BREAKING NEWS: Tibetan Activist Freed in Critical Condition After 25 Years in Prison

by Parameswaran Ponnudurai

Tibetan Activist Freed in Critical Condition After 25 Years in Prison MAY 2, 2013— Chinese authorities in Tibet have released one of the region’s longest-serving political prisoners and sent him home in critical condition following a quarter century of torture and abuse in prison, according to Tibetan sources. Lobsang Tenzin, who was serving a 25-year term, was released in June 2012, former prison cellmate Penpa Tsemonling told RFA’s Tibetan Service on Thursday, speaking from New York and citing several sources in the region. News of Tenzin’s release, which sources said came just months before his 25-year sentence was due to expire in April 2013, was apparently withheld by persons close to him to prevent unwanted publicity that might result in his being returned to jail. “The release was purposely kept secret and I did not tell anybody,” Tsemonling said, adding, “Now, more details are coming out about his release, so I am speaking out to the media.” Tenzin was likely released because his health conditions had badly deteriorated, Tsemonling said. “The Chinese have done that many times,” he said. “But prisoners can be put back in jail if their condition improves.” The Central Tibetan Administration, Tibet’s India-based government in exile, confirmed in a May 1 statement that Lobsang Tenzin "has been sent back to his home,” quoting a “reliable source.” “Because he had been tortured over a long period in prison, his health has badly deteriorated. And because he suffers from kidney damage and diabetes, he is now almost blind. He has been undergoing medical treatment at home since the end of last year,” the CTA said. Active in protests Tenzin had been jailed for his role in anti-China protests in the Tibetan capital, Lhasa, in 1988. He was one of five Tibetans charged in the death of a Chinese police officer who was beaten and thrown from a window after being detected photographing protest participants. Tenzin’s role in the killing was never clearly established, with one long-time Tibet expert describing the trial in a September 2011 interview as “completely unfair.” Frequently tortured and beaten during his years in prison, Tenzin was at first sentenced to death following his conviction. The sentence was later commuted to a life term following “strong international pressure on China,” the Dharamsala-based Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy said in an earlier report. Tenzin remained politically active while incarcerated, organizing a protest in Lhasa’s notorious Drapchi prison and founding a group called Snow Lion Youth for Independence. In 1991, Tenzin and another prisoner attempted to pass a list containing the names of Tibetan political prisoners to then-U.S. Ambassador to China James Lilley, who was visiting Tibet. The attempt led to further beatings and a term in solitary confinement. 'Committed to his cause' “Lobsang Tenzin is a person who has no vices, only virtues,” Penpa Tsemonling said. “He is a man committed to his cause.” Tsemonling said the two had been in prison together for three years. “I was first jailed in Drapchi, where we shared a cell together. >From Drapchi we were transferred to Powo Tramo prison in Kongpo, and we were together there until I was released.” Tsemonling said that a high-ranking Chinese judicial official once visited Tenzin in prison and asked him if he was not afraid that he would die if he continued his activism. “'There is no one who does not fear death,'” Tenzin replied, according to Tsemonling. “'But if I die for my country and my people, I will have no regrets … So do whatever you want to do with my life,'” Tenzin said. Others released Tibetan dissident Tanak Jigme Zangpo, who was released in 2002 after 32 years in prison, holds the record of being the longest serving Tibetan political prisoner. Two other long-serving Tibetan prisoners were freed in March. Activist Jigme Gyatso, 52, was freed after serving 17 years in prison with hard labor for seeking independence for Tibet and calling for the long life of Tibet's spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama. Another activist, Dawa Gyaltsen, a former bank accountant and believed to be about 47, was released after 17 years with a limp in one of his legs having worsened due to ill-treatment and torture in prison. Reported by Yangdon Demo and Nyima Namseling for RFA’s Tibetan Service. Translated by Benpa Topgyal and Karma Dorjee. Written in English by Richard Finney. View this story online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/tibet/freed-05022013170737.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 <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org.

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Radio Free Asia Responds to Freedom of the Press Findings

by Rohit Mahajan

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE : May 1, 2013 Contact: Rohit Mahajan 202 530 4976 mahajanr(a)rfa.org Radio Free Asia Responds to Freedom of the Press Findings All Six RFA Countries ‘Not Free,’ Cambodia, Hong Kong Decline WASHINGTON – Radio Free Asia (RFA) President Libby Liu today responded to the findings of Freedom House’s Freedom of the Press 2013 report, which designated all six RFA broadcast countries – China, Burma, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, and North Korea – as “not free” while citing some recent improvements in Burma. “Sadly, there are no surprises here,” Liu said. “Especially troubling in this year’s survey is the noticeable decline in Hong Kong’s media environment, which may be interpreted as a distressing indicator of things to come. “It is also clear that Cambodia is approaching a free speech crisis, with its legal system used as an effective tool of repression of independent journalists and dissenting voices. “Burma’s recent progress in media and political reforms offers fragile hope – but only time can tell if those changes stay permanent.” Freedom House’s survey found that despite general improvement of media freedoms in Asia, trends in the vast majority of RFA countries have worsened. Cambodia, which declined in its ranking, saw an increase of journalists behind bars, including independent radio station owner Mam Sonando, who was convicted of sedition and sentenced to 20 years in prison (he was later released), and the first murder of a reporter since 2008. Burma’s dissolution of its censorship body and release of imprisoned bloggers and journalists led to it receiving the largest numerical improvement in score worldwide. In China, the report observes the growing use of microblogs in sharing uncensored news among citizens, but also notes a crackdown on newspaper journalists and editors, as well as bloggers, especially during the November Party leadership transition. Hong Kong received a worse score than last year due to “ growing government restrictions on journalists’ access to information and several violent and technical attacks against reporters, websites, and media entities” there. North Korea remains at the bottom of the list, tied this year with Turkmenistan. The report comes out just two days before World Press Freedom Day on May 3. RFA’s mission is to provide accurate and timely domestic news and information to Asian countries whose governments prohibit access to a free press. Guided by the core principles of freedom of expression and opinion, RFA serves its listeners by providing information critical for informed decision-making. Radio Free Asia has nine language services delivering content online and via the airwaves and satellite television into its six target countries (China, North Korea, Burma, Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia). # # # 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 Media Relations Manager Radio Free Asia Desk: 202.530.4976 Cell: 202.489.8021 www.rfa.org

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Radio Free Asia Wins Regional Edward R. Murrow Award

by Rohit Mahajan

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 18, 2013 Contact: Rohit Mahajan 202 530 4976 <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org Radio Free Asia Wins Regional Edward R. Murrow Award Winning Entry Documents Story of Former Tycoon Targeted by Bo Xilai WASHINGTON - Radio Free Asia (RFA) today won a regional Edward R. Murrow Award in the reporting category for hard news. The winning entry, "Billionaire Flees China <http://www.rfa.org/cantonese/91cd5e865bcc8c6a674e4fca63ed9732858471996765-1 ?encoding=simplified> 's Modern Day Red Terror," submitted by RFA's Cantonese Service, consists of an on-camera interview with former Chinese real-estate mogul Li Jun who fled China in 2010. He was one of the highest-profile victims of the anti-mob and corruption campaign orchestrated by disgraced Chongqing politician and former Politburo member Bo Xilai and ex-police chief Wang Lijun. The award, sponsored by the Radio Television Digital News Association (RTDNA), will compete for a national award expected to be announced in June. "Li Jun's amazing story gets to the heart of the Bo Xilai scandal and the larger issue of abuse of power and corruption among China's party leaders," said Libby Liu, President of RFA. "For our listeners in China, who wouldn't get the whole story otherwise, this epitomizes RFA's brand of journalism - informative and up close. "This award speaks to the hard work of our reporters who went to tremendous lengths to interview Li Jun." RFA's Cantonese Service tracked down the fugitive businessman who lives in hiding in Asia and interviewed him. Li recounted his experience of becoming the victim of one of China's most tumultuous political dramas in years - a situation he characterized as a kind of "red terror" recalling incidents of the Cultural Revolution. In RFA's interview <http://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/campaign-04032012163029.html?searchte rm=Li+Jun> , the penniless former tycoon talked about the detentions of his family, including his wife, and associates, as well the confiscation of his company's assets, estimated at $700 million. The saga of ambition, intrigue, and abuse of political power is presented through this personal account of one of the campaign's highest-profile victims. The two-part interview was aired in April 2012. Other regional Edward R. Murrow award winners <http://rtdna.org/content/2013_regional_edward_r_murrow_award_winners> include Bloomberg News, World Radio Switzerland, Siren FM, KQED, WAMU, and WNBC. # # # 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 Media Relations Manager Radio Free Asia Email: mahajanr(a)rfa.org Desk: (202) 530-4976 Cell: (202) 489-8021 www.rfa.org

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RFA BREAKING NEWS: Thousands Gather After Young Tibetan Mother Self-Immolates

by Parameswaran Ponnudurai

cid:image001.png@01CCE405.460E1840 Thousands Gather After Young Tibetan Mother Self-Immolates APRIL 16, 2013— A young Tibetan mother burned herself to death on Tuesday in Sichuan province to protest Chinese rule in Tibetan areas, drawing thousands of villagers and monks to her home and a monastery near which she self-immolated, according to sources in the region and in exile. Chugtso, 20, self-immolated at about 3:00 p.m. local time near Dzamthang (in Chinese, Rangtang) county’s Jonang monastery, a Tibetan living in India and with contacts in the county told RFA’s Tibetan Service. “Her self-immolation was in protest against China’s repressive policies in Tibet,” Tsangyang Gyatso said, citing sources in the region. Chugtso’s burning brings to 116 the number of Tibetans who have burned themselves to protest Chinese rule and policies, with many also calling for the return of exiled spiritual leader the Dalai Lama. Chugtso died at the scene and was brought to the nearby Jonang monastery, where monks performed prayers. Afterward, her remains were taken to her home, Gyatso said. “Following this, local government officials and security forces pressured the family to cremate her remains during the night,” Gyatso said, adding, “This has been the usual practice of the government in handling self-immolation incidents.” Show of support The incident brought "thousands" of area residents out in support, Gyatso said. "Thousands of local Tibetans and monks are gathering at the monastery and her home to show solidarity with the deceased and her family," he said. Chugtso, a native of Dzamthang's Barma Yultso village, is survived by her husband and a three-year-old child. Her father’s name is Tenkho and her mother’s name is Dronkyi, Gyatso said. Separately, the London-based Free Tibet advocacy group confirmed Chugtso’s death, noting that Jonang monastery has been the scene of other self-immolation protests in the past. On March 24, Kalkyi, 30, a mother of three sons and one daughter and also from Barma village, torched herself near Jonang to protest Chinese rule, while another Tibetan woman, Rikyo, 33 and a mother of three, burned herself to death near the monastery in May 2012. Two cousins self-immolated at the same site about a month before in a separate protest, sources said. 'Protest, not suicide' In a statement, Free Tibet spokesperson Alistair Currie said that though the pace of self-immolation protests in Tibetan areas has slowed in recent months, “the death of [Chugtso] shows that even the full force of the Chinese state cannot deter some Tibetans from this act.” “Self-immolation is a protest, not a suicide, and until China addresses the grievances of the Tibetan people, protests of all forms will continue in Tibet,” Currie said. Meanwhile, the U.S. State Department on Monday said Washington is “very concerned by the self-immolations, detentions, [and] arrests of family members and associates of those who have self-immolated.” “We call on the Chinese Government to engage in substantive dialogue with the Dalai Lama [and with] his representatives, and without preconditions,” acting deputy spokesperson Patrick Ventrell said. Chinese authorities have tightened controls in Tibet and in Tibetan prefectures in Chinese provinces to check the fiery protests, cutting communication links with outside areas and jailing Tibetans they believe to be linked to the burnings. More than a dozen have been jailed so far, with some handed jail terms of up to 15 years. Reported by Chakmo Tso for RFA’s Tibetan Service. Translated by Dorjee Damdul. Written in English by Richard Finney. View this story online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/tibet/gather-04162013140411.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 <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org.

12 years, 1 month

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RFA BREAKING NEWS: North Korean Hackers Target Foreign Currency

by Parameswaran Ponnudurai

cid:image001.png@01CCE405.460E1840 North Korean Hackers Target Foreign Currency APRIL 11, 2013— Hackers trained by North Korea’s military have expanded their repertoire from cyberwarfare to financial fraud as part of a bid to skirt international sanctions following weapons tests by Pyongyang, according to a well-informed source. “Pyongyang has expanded the dossier of the Reconnaissance Directorate General of the North Korean Armed Forces Department from hacking enemy computer networks to ‘earning’ foreign currency on the Internet,” the source, who has first-hand information about the North’s military cybersquads, said Wednesday. Speaking to RFA’s Korean Service on condition of anonymity, the source said that the North Korean hackers access banking networks in “hostile” countries and disable their security software to steal money from individual or corporate accounts. The source said that regime leader Kim Jong Un had recently brought hackers of the North Korean military’s special Unit No. 3 back from China, where they had been operating, posing as researchers and businessmen in major cities like Beijing, Dalian, Tianjin and Shanghai. The source said he was informed that the Reconnaissance Directorate General “had achieved success in sourcing foreign currency for the revitalization of the economy.” “The Reconnaissance Directorate General is being tasked with making money directly.” The source said that young leader Kim, who has made threats to attack U.S. bases and South Korea, had expressed great confidence in the North’s cyberespionage capabilities, saying, “I am not afraid of the U.S. sanctions against North Korea.” “As long as I have the Reconnaissance Directorate General, building a strong country is not a problem.” Last month, the United Nations imposed sanctions in response to Pyongyang's defiant third nuclear test in February, targeting the illicit activities of North Korea's diplomats, banking relationships, and illicit transfers of bulk cash. “Kim has expressed self-confidence because the Reconnaissance Directorate General earned a lot of foreign currency online last year,” the source said. “The North Korean government rewarded several cybercombatants with luxury homes and U.S. dollars, while promoting regular operatives to the ranks of lieutenant colonel or colonel,” he said. Source of pride The source said that North Koreans are proud of their cyberespionage units, which they consider to be just as important as nuclear weapons and rocket technology in fighting against South Korea and the U.S. He said that the North Korean hackers also feel pride because they see their illicit financial activity as an essential contribution to sustaining the impoverished North Korean economy. A source in China’s Shenyang city, located in Liaoning province along the border with North Korea, said that the North’s cyberhackers also believe that they are taking revenge on hostile countries, such as South Korea and the U.S., rather than committing illegal acts. He called the cyberunits “well-organized” and said they had “significantly increased their range of activities.” “In the past, North Korea was under observation internationally due to drug-trafficking and counterfeiting, but now they can safely make money via their computers,” he said. On Wednesday, a spokesman for South Korea’s Internet and Security Agency said an official investigation into a cyberattack in March traced the malicious codes used to six computers in the North. The March 20 attack on around 48,000 PCs and servers severely affected several broadcasters and operations at the Shinhan, Nonghyup and Jeju banks. Last month, James Lewis, Director of the Technology and Public Policy Program at the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies, told RFA that North Korea is among a handful of Asian nations that is developing its cyber infrastructure for military capabilities and doctrine. Reported by Jung Young for RFA’s Korean Service. Translated by Goeun Yu. Written in English by Joshua Lipes. View this story online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/korea/hackers-04112013162328.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 <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org.

12 years, 1 month

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RFA BREAKING NEWS: Tibetans Detained for Protesting Destruction of Their Homes

by Parameswaran Ponnudurai

cid:image001.png@01CCE405.460E1840 Tibetans Detained for Protesting Destruction of Their Homes APRIL 11, 2013— Chinese security forces have detained 21 Tibetans following clashes with police over the forced demolition of recently rebuilt homes in an earthquake-hit region of northwest China’s Qinghai province, according to Tibetan sources. At least six Tibetans and four policemen were injured in the clashes Tuesday after a protest by over 100 area residents angered by the demolition of Tibetan homes in the town of Kyegudo in the Yulshul (in Chinese, Yushu) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, a local source told RFA’s Tibetan Service, speaking on condition of anonymity. “When the police cracked down on the Tibetan protesters, the Tibetans clashed with police, and six Tibetans and four policemen were injured in the clash,” he said. “So far, the authorities have detained 21 Tibetans and taken them away,” he said. Kyegudo was hit by a devastating earthquake on April 14, 2010, that largely destroyed the town and killed almost 3,000 residents by official count. Now, Chinese authorities have begun to demolish rebuilt Tibetan homes, saying their occupants are not officially registered to live in the town, sources said. Many of the houses were built by families on their own land and with their own resources, sources said. Woman self-immolates In late March, a Tibetan woman set herself on fire to protest the demolition of her home in the Kyegudo area, sources said last week. “Around 1,000 Tibetan houses in Kyegudo have now been forcibly demolished,” a U.S.-based Tibetan told RFA last week, citing contacts in the region. “Many Tibetans could not even gather up their belongings before the houses were bulldozed,” he added. Separately, a Tibetan living in India with sources in the region confirmed Tuesday’s protest, saying that over 100 Tibetans had taken part. “They demanded that the government stop the forced demolitions and return land that had been confiscated,” Choenyi Woeser, editor of the online Tibet Express, said. “The authorities dispatched armed police to quell the protest, and clashes ensued,” Woeser said, adding, “Six Tibetans and four policemen were injured, and 21 Tibetan protesters were detained.” “The government also announced that a further 200 houses were to be demolished,” he said. Information blockade Woeser said that following the April 14, 2010 earthquake in Yulshul, authorities have also demolished all houses deemed “unsafe” in the name of reconstruction. “Tibetans have been detained for protesting the forced demolition by authorities.” “Some of them have jumped off buildings or committed self-immolation as a form of protest,” he said. Confirmation and details of reported incidents are difficult to obtain because of an “information blockade” erected by authorities, he added. Reported by Lobsang Sherab for RFA’s Tibetan Service and by Dan Zhen for the Mandarin Service. Translated by Karma Dorjee and Jennifer Chou. Written in English by Richard Finney. View this story online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/tibet/homes-04112013153745.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 <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org.

12 years, 1 month

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RFA BREAKING NEWS: Vietnamese Dissidents Attacked by Police-Linked Thugs

by Parameswaran Ponnudurai

cid:image001.png@01CCE405.460E1840 Vietnamese Dissidents Attacked by Police-Linked Thugs APRIL 9, 2013—Unidentified assailants believed to be connected to the police on Tuesday ambushed and severely beat a Vietnamese dissident a day after he tried to shield a prominent woman land rights activist from harassment and attack by suspected government agents, according to the victims. Five or six men appeared suddenly from a bush and beat dissident Nguyen Chi Duc with heavy sticks, knocking him off his motorbike, as he was on his way for lunch near his office at Thang Long industrial park in Hanoi, Duc said. The attack appeared to be in retaliation for his protection of land-rights activist Bui Minh Hang from harassment by suspected agents working for government security forces who had followed her on Monday from her hometown of Vung Tau to Hanoi over a lawsuit she had filed. “I am 100 percent convinced that it was policemen who attacked me,” Duc told RFA’s Vietnamese Service, adding that his attackers kicked him in the face and struck repeatedly at his head, which he covered with his arms. After the assault, Duc rode on his motorbike “to another place,” lay down to rest, and called a friend for help. “I ache very much, especially my back,” Duc said. “I can still walk, but my face is swollen.” Lawsuit over detention On Monday, Duc had accompanied Bui Minh Hang, a frequent critic of Vietnam’s one-party communist state, when she arrived in Hanoi in response to a letter sent by the Hanoi People’s Court. The letter concerned a lawsuit she had filed against Nguyen The Thao, chairman of the Hanoi People’s Committee, over his role in what she called her “illegal” detention the year before in a reeducation center. “Nguyen Chi Duc and some friends in Hanoi went with me because they were worried about my safety,” Hang told RFA’s Vietnamese Service on Tuesday. “People had followed me from 10:00 a.m. until about 2:00 p.m,” said Hang, who at one point took a picture of her pursuers. When they arrived at the Hang Da market in the center of Hanoi, three men from the group tried unsuccessfully to provoke Nguyen Chi Duc into starting a fight, Hang said. “After that, Chi Duc drove me to my place, but when I got there I was shocked to see a man I had photographed earlier standing right in front of me. I called out, and he started his motorbike and tried to run away.” Alerted by Duc, a crowd pursued the man and stopped him, Hang said. “When I got there, he attacked me even though two people were holding his hands, and some young men witnessed this, became upset, and beat him.” The man then took out a piece of paper that identified him as working for the police, Hang said. “They then released him, but he was very aggressive, and he called 10 other men over to join him.” Later, Hang said, the men followed her to a café where she was sitting with friends. “He and the others were searching for Chi Duc,” she said. Blogger and family victimized The attacks on the two dissidents came after a prominent Vietnamese blogger said that he and his family in central Vietnam were victimized Monday by unidentified men believed to be agents of local security forces angered by his online writings. Huynh Ngoc Tuan, 50, told RFA’s Vietnamese Service that two men pulled up at his home in Quang Nam province on a motorbike just after midnight on Monday and threw a rank liquid containing fish heads and human waste at his house. “We wrote essays and articles that they don’t like, so they attacked our family and harassed us,” Tuan said. “This is not the first time. They have done the same thing to other dissidents,” he said. Vietnamese authorities have jailed and harassed dozens of activists, bloggers, and citizen journalists since stepping up a crackdown on protests and freedom of expression online in recent years. Many have been imprisoned under Article 88 of the Vietnamese Criminal Code for “conducting propaganda against the state,” and international rights groups and press freedom watchdogs have accused Hanoi of using the vaguely worded provision to silence dissent. Reported by Mac Lam for RFA’s Vietnamese Service. Written in English by Richard Finney. View this story online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/vietnam/dissidents-04092013182514.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 <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org.

12 years, 2 months

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RFA BREAKING NEWS: Tibetan Political Activist Freed After 17 Years in Jail

by Parameswaran Ponnudurai

cid:image001.png@01CCE405.460E1840 Tibetan Political Activist Freed After 17 Years in Jail APRIL 1, 2013— A popular Tibetan political activist has been freed after serving 17 years in prison with hard labor for seeking independence for Tibet and calling for the long life of Tibet's spirtual leader, the Dalai Lama, according to a Tibetan source. Jigme Gyatso, 52, a former monk, appeared "very weak" when he returned Monday to his home in Sangchu (in Chinese, Xiahe) county in Gansu province's Kanlho (Gannan) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture after being released from Chusul prison near Tibet's capital Lhasa on Saturday, the source told RFA's Tibetan Service. Jigme Gyatso, who was the leader of the Association of Tibetan Freedom Movement, was sentenced in 1996 to 15 years in prison on charges of being a "counter-revolutionary ring leader" and endangering national security. The Chinese authorities added three more years to his sentence in 2004 for "inciting separatism" when he shouted in prison for the long life of Dalai Lama, who lives in exile in India's Dharamsala hill town. Jigme Gyatso was due to be released in March 2014. Many international human rights groups had protested his jailing or campaigned on his behalf, including Amnesty International which designated him a prisoner of conscience after accusing the Chinese authorities of beating and torturing him in prison. He was also hospitalized for a unknown period during his imprisonment. A year after he was sentenced, he was beaten so badly that he could barely walk afterwards, Amnesty had said in one of its reports. "After he was released from prison, Jigme Gyatso was ordered to leave for his hometown and reached his hometown on April 1 with a police escort," the Tibetan source said. “Those who saw him reported that he was very weak. He was limping and reported having heart problems and high blood pressure. His vision was also weak,” Jigme Gyatso's friend, Jamyang Tsultrim, who is living in exile in India, told RFA, citing local contacts. Violent response In May 1998, Jigme Gyatso was among a group of prisoners in Lhasa’s Drapchi prison who began shouting pro-Dalai Lama slogans, prompting a violent response from prison staff, resulting in the death of nine inmates, reports had said. The protest coincided with a European Union delegation's visit to the prison. The U.N. Special Rapporteur on Torture met with Jigme Gyatso during his mission to China in November 2005 and appealed to the Chinese authorities for his release. Following that, the U.N. Working Group on Arbitrary Detention stated that his detention was arbitrary and violated his rights to freedom of expression, association and assembly. The World Organisation Against Torture, a large coalition of non-governmental organizations fighting against arbitrary detention, torture, extrajudicial executions, and other forms of violence, reported in 2009 that Jigme Gyatso had become "very frail", suffered from kidney dysfunction, and could "only walk with his back bent." Amnesty said in 2011 than he was suspected to be "seriously ill as a result of torture and ill-treatment in custody." Reported by Lumbum Tashi for RFA's Tibetan Service. Translated by Karma Dorjee. Written in English by Parameswaran Ponnudurai. View this story online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/tibet/prisoner-04012013215019.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 <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org.

12 years, 2 months

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RFA BREAKING NEWS: Tibetan Monk Dies in Burning Protest Against 'Ruthless' Rule

by Parameswaran Ponnudurai

cid:image001.png@01CCE405.460E1840 Tibetan Monk Dies in Burning Protest Against 'Ruthless' Rule MARCH 28, 2013— A Tibetan monk has burned himself to death near a monastery in northwestern China's Gansu province in the latest self immolation protest challenging Chinese rule, exile sources said Thursday, citing local contacts. Kunchok Tenzin, 28, torched himself at a major road intersection near his Mori monastery in Luchu (in Chinese, Luqu) county in the Kanlho (Gannan) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture on Tuesday, the sources said. News of the burning protest was relayed only two days later due to communication difficulties, they said. "He set himself on fire at 7 p.m. at a major crossroads in close proximity to the monastery in protest against the ruthless Chinese policy in Tibet and died," India-based Tibetan exile monks Kanyak Tsering and Lobsang Yeshi said in a statement. "Fearing they may lose custody of the body to the Chinese security forces, the Tibetans in the area managed to move his body to the monastery first and then cremated him late at night," they said. “After the fiery protest, security forces were deployed in all the neighboring towns located in the neighborhood of Mori monastery and restrictions were imposed on the locals," according to Kanyak Tsering and Lobsang Yeshi, who are based in the Indian hill town of Dharamsala, where Tibet's exiled spiritual leader the Dalai Lama lives. They said that Kunchok Tenzin was enrolled in the monastery at a young age and known for his "accomplishments in the study of Tibetan Buddhist philosophy.” His burning raised the number of Tibetan self-immolation protests challenging Chinese rule in Tibetan-populated areas and calling for the return of the Dalai Lama to Tibet to 114. Updated toll Earlier Thursday, it was confirmed for the first time that a Tibetan monk and his niece had died nearly a year ago in a self-immolation protest against Chinese rule and not due to a home accident as reported previously. Tulku Athup and niece Atse self-immolated at his Dzogchen monastery in Sichuan Province on April 6 last year, the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), the official name of the India-based exile government, said on its website on Wednesday. But fearing closure of the monastery, officials at the institution had told Chinese police then that they had died due to an "accidental fire," the CTA said. The police then withdrew from the monastery. On the day of his burning protest, he told his family by phone: “Today I feel at ease and [am] ending my life by offering butter lamps for all those Tibetans who have set themselves on fire for the cause of Tibet," according to the CTA. "Immediately after making the call, he and his niece set themselves on fire." Tulku Athup was 47 years old when he died and Atse was 25. Kate Saunders, London-based spokesperson for the International Campaign for Tibet (ICT), said that though Tulku Athup and Atse are already referenced in an ICT database of self-immolators, they were never listed in the advocacy group's final count. "Shortly, we may include them in our total of Tibetans who have self-immolated in China," Saunders said. 13 'unlawful behaviors' in Malho Chinese authorities have recently tightened controls in Tibetan-populated areas to check the self-immolation protests, arresting and jailing more than a dozen Tibetans who they accused of being linked to the burnings. Some were jailed up to 15 years. In the latest move, sources told RFA's Tibetan Service this week that Chinese authorities are circulating a new list of 13 “unlawful” behaviors in a protest-hit Tibetan county in China’s northwestern Qinghai province, warning Tibetans against involvement in self-immolation protests and a range of other activities deemed supportive of challenges to Chinese rule. An undated document listing the restricted behaviors, including filming self-immolation protests and seeking welfare donations, has been disseminated in all towns and villages of Rebgong (in Chinese, Tongren) county in Qinghai’s Malho (Huangnan) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, the sources said. A typed copy of the document was received on Wednesday by RFA’s Tibetan Service. Prohibitions listed in the document are aimed at “strengthening the protection of social stability and maintaining discipline by cracking down on unlawful activities in the relevant areas,” the document, written in Tibetan, says. Activities now forbidden include fundraising “in the name of social welfare,” urging protection of the environment or the Tibetan language, and conducting prayer rituals or other religious ceremonies if these carry “overtones” of support for Tibetan independence. Other unlawful activities listed as unlawful include “intimidating” government officials, inciting self-immolation protests, obstructing the “rescue” of self-immolators by Chinese security forces, and sending images or information about self-immolations to “outside separatist forces.” The list particularly bars Tibetans from “taking pictures and filming the actual scene of self-immolation and mass gatherings” and “providing secret information to separatist forces,” apparently referring to Tibetan exile groups. Some reports said the new list was based on points made by an unnamed senior Chinese official at a recent provincial-level meeting. Reported by RFA's Tibetan Service. Translated by Karma Dorjee and Dorjee Damdul. Written in English by Parameswaran Ponnudurai and Richard Finney. View this story online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/tibet/self-immolation-03282013190858.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 <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org.

12 years, 2 months

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RFA BREAKING NEWS: Tibetan Mother of Four Dies in Burning Protest

by Parameswaran Ponnudurai

cid:image001.png@01CCE405.460E1840 Tibetan Mother of Four Dies in Burning Protest March 24, 2013 — A Tibetan mother of four burned herself to death on Sunday in protest against Chinese rule in Sichuan province's Ngaba (in Chinese, Aba) prefecture, bringing the number of Tibetan self-immolations so far to 110. Kalkyi, 30, torched herself near a monastery in Dzamthang (Rangtang) county "to highlight the Chinese policy of violent rule in Tibet and Tibetan populated areas," a source inside Tibet told RFA's Tibetan Service. Local Tibetans took her body into the Jonang monastery immediately after the burning protest at about 3.30pm local time before Chinese security forces arrived, sources said Tibetan monks and laymen are conducting funeral prayers at the monastery, they said. Kalkyi, a mother of three sons and one daughter, all below 15 years old, was from Barma township in Dzamthang in the Ngaba Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture. She is the 16th woman to self-immolate since the fiery protests began in February 2009, questioning Chinese rule in Tibetan populated areas and calling for the return of Tibet's spiritual leader the Dalai Lama. Restrictions tightened So far, 110 Tibetans have burned themselves in the desperate protests which are not petering out despite tighter restrictions imposed by Chinese authorities. Ninety of them have died, Ngaba has been the epicenter of the Tibetan self-immolation protests. On March 13, a Tibetan woman, Konchog Wangmo, 31, burned herself to death in Dzoege (Ruo'ergai) county in Ngaba but news of the burning was hushed up by Chinese police who had grabbed her body, cremated it, and handed over the remains to her family, according to sources. Her husband, Drolma Kyab, was detained when he refused to comply with an order by the Chinese authorities who wanted to blame the self-immolation on a family squabble, the sources had said. Three days later, a Tibetan monk from the restive Kirti monastery in Ngaba burned himself to death to mark the fifth anniversary of a bloody Chinese crackdown on Tibetans in the area. Lobsang Thogme, 28, torched himself at the monastery to highlight a March 16, 2008 crackdown on Ngaba in which Chinese police fired on a crowd of Tibetans, killing at least 10, including one monk. 'Heroes Street' The main road in Ngaba county was renamed last year by Tibetans as "Heroes Street" after it became a constant venue of the burnings. Chinese authorities have recently tightened controls in Tibetan-populated areas to check the self-immolation protests, arresting and jailing more than a dozen Tibetans who they accused of being linked to the burning protests. Some were jailed up to 15 years. Human rights groups have criticized the Chinese authorities for criminalizing the burning protests. The authorities have also deployed paramilitary forces and restricted communications in the areas where self-immolations have occurred. Reported by Lumbum Tashi and Yandon Demo for RFA's Tibetan Service. Translated by Karma Dorjee. Written in English by Parameswaran Ponnudura i. View this story online at : http://www.rfa.org/english/news/tibet/burning-03242013122241.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 .

12 years, 2 months

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RFA BREAKING NEWS: Armed Burmese Monks Threaten Journalists in Meikhtila

by Parameswaran Ponnudurai

cid:image001.png@01CCE405.460E1840 Armed Burmese Monks Threaten Journalists in Meikhtila MARCH 22, 2013—A group of young armed Buddhist monks on Thursday held and threatened several journalists who witnessed them damaging a mosque and a house in Burma's riot-torn Meikhtila city, according to eyewitnesses. The monks destroyed the memory cards seized from digital cameras of the journalists before letting them go. The monks spotted the journalists, including a reporter from Radio Free Asia, taking photographs from a car and surrounded the vehicle, demanding that they give up their memory cards. A monk held a knife to the throat of one reporter and pulled the journalists out of the car. Some of the journalists said they were just doing their job and knelt before the monks in obeisance while others gave up their SD [secure digital] cards. As they let them go, the journalists ran into a monastery where they were given refuge for several hours before police arrived. "We saw a group of monks destroying a mosque and a house near Thiri Street as we were in a car taking some pictures in town," Kyaw Zaw Win, the RFA reporter in the media group, said. "The monks saw us. Suddenly, they surrounded our car and forced us out. They put a knife to a reporter’s throat," he said. "We begged for our lives saying we didn't do anything wrong. They said that they would destroy our cameras. We refused to give them our cameras. Two reporters in our group gave their memory cards." The monks smashed the memory cards into pieces. The Associated Press said in a report that one monk, whose faced was covered, shoved a foot-long dagger at the neck of its photographer and demanded his camera. The photographer defused the situation by handing over his camera's memory card. It said the group of nine journalists took refuge in a monastery and stayed there until a police unit was able to escort them to safety. The communal violence between Buddhists and Muslims in Meikhtila is a top news story in the local and international media as well in social media. It is the worst violence since a wave of Buddhist-Muslim clashes in the western state of Rakhine last year left at least 180 people dead and more than 110,000 displaced. Burmese President Thein Sein on Friday declared a state of emergency in Meikhtila after police failed to contain three days of violence that has left more than 20 dead and dozens injured. In the city Friday, angry mobs armed with knives and sticks roamed the streets, while houses and mosques burned and charred bodies lay in the streets. Thein Sein issued an order the same day, asking the military to rein in the violence. A lawmaker and a resident told RFA that up to 26 people may have died in the riots. “What I saw with my own eyes was 26 dead bodies,” local resident San Hlaing said. Win Htein, a parliamentarian for Meikhtila township from opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD), said he had learned that “three were killed on the first day, about 10 on the second day and eight today.” Many of the city’s Muslim residents have fled their homes amid the violence, which sources said was triggered by a quarrel on Wednesday morning between a Buddhist couple and the Muslim owner of a goldsmith's shop in the city's main bazaar. The authorities have converted a stadium and a monastery into temporary relief centers for victims and are helping those trapped in their homes, sending them to stay in the “safe” areas, San Hlaing said. “About 1,000 Buddhist victims are staying at a monastery. About 3,600 Muslim victims were sent to a stadium,” he said. San Hlaing said he saw “four blocks” of buildings burning in western Meikhtila and that some 1,000 victims of both communities from the city are now staying under trees and in open fields. One mostly Muslim block, Thiri Mingalar, was “totally destroyed.” MP Win Htein said authorities have begun arresting people behind the violence, such as those carrying weapons and breaking into and looting houses left behind by fleeing victims. “The situation after this evening should be better,” he said on Friday. More than a third of the 100,000 people in Meikhtila—a garrison city located halfway between Mandalay and the capital Naypyidaw—are Muslim. Reported by Kyaw Zaw Win for RFA’s Burmese Service. Translated by Win Naing and Khin Maung Nyane. Written in English by Parameswaran Ponnudurai. View this story online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/burma/meikhtila-03222013191441.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 <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org.

12 years, 2 months

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Radio Free Asia's Water Project Utilizes Citizen Journalism, Investigative Resources to Stress Crisis

by Rohit Mahajan

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 22, 2013 Contact: Rohit Mahajan 202 530 4976 <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org Radio Free Asia's Water Project Utilizes Citizen Journalism, Investigative Resources to Stress Crisis WASHINGTON, DC - As the global community marks World Water Day, Radio Free Asia (RFA) focuses coverage and multimedia content on the state of freshwater sources and its availability in RFA broadcast countries. Coordinating efforts among its nine language services and using direct input from listeners, RFA, through The Water Project <http://www.rfa.org/english/news/special/thewaterproject/home.html> , aims to raise awareness among its audience and provide an accurate picture of the situation for governments, NGOs, and international humanitarian groups and foundations. "For many of Radio Free Asia's listeners, fresh, clean drinking water is simply out of reach," said Libby Liu, RFA President. "Lacking access to this vital resource spells disaster in the forms of catastrophic health threats and widespread, lasting poverty. "We hope our coverage, which harnesses the power of both our own team of reporters and citizen journalism, sparks discussion and greater attention to this crisis impacting millions in Asia." Despite U.N. Millennium Development goals to improve access to safe drinking water around the world, most of RFA's listeners live in places where obtaining clean water remains a struggle. In Cambodia, arsenic contamination is pervasive in its groundwater accessed by wells; in Laos, water sanitation is rare; in China, about 90 percent of cities' underground water is reported to be seriously polluted; and in North Korea, about a quarter of children under age 5 die of dysentery due to a lack of clean water. As the situation nears crisis level, some of its causes are revealed: global warming, water-intensive agriculture, and explosive population growth, but also large-scale mismanagement. Many governments in RFA broadcast countries use water as a weapon, allowing rivers and lakes to be polluted and drained to displace unwanted local residents while seizing land for their own purposes. RFA is now collecting our language services' coverage onto one English language hub Web page <http://www.rfa.org/english/news/special/thewaterproject/home.html> , launching a series of slideshows <http://www.rfa.org/english/multimedia/getting-clean-water-03212013124704.ht ml?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter> documenting the issue in our countries, and producing videos <http://www.rfa.org/english/video?param=value&storyId=Burma-water-shortage> on water scarcity affecting farmers, fishermen, and ordinary people, as well as an animated promotional video <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cLU_HDbpepw> illustrating the issue among our wider audience. In April, the project will launch a mobile app for citizens to photograph and chart water issues pertaining to the state of local fresh water sources upon which villages, towns, and communities depend. Interviews with experts will also be made available on the hub page. In addition, a series of investigative videos of original content will be unveiled this spring. # # # 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 Media Relations Manager Radio Free Asia Email: mahajanr(a)rfa.org Desk: (202) 530-4976 Cell: (202) 489-8021 www.rfa.org

12 years, 2 months

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RFA BREAKING NEWS: Curfew Declared as Riots Erupt in Burmese City

by Parameswaran Ponnudurai

cid:image001.png@01CCE405.460E1840 Curfew Declared as Riots Erupt in Burmese City MARCH 20, 2013— Authorities have imposed a curfew in central Burma's Meikhtila city after two people were killed and 20 others injured in riots triggered by a quarrel in a Muslim goldsmith's shop in the city's main bazaar, according to police and hospital sources. Several shops in the bazaar were destroyed or burned down in the riots Wednesday believed to involve hundreds of residents in the city, located on the banks of Lake Meikhtila in Mandalay division, the sources said. A 26-year-old male driver, identified as Than Myint Naing, and an unidentified monk were confirmed dead in the clashes, which broke out around 10:00 a.m. in the goldsmith shop, a city police officer told RFA's Burmese Service. Police said at least one mosque was destroyed in the violence, some of the worst since ethnic clashes last year between Rohingya Muslims and Buddhist Rakhines in Rakhine state left at least 180 dead and thousands homeless. It was not immediately clear whether the clashes in Meikhtila city were between Muslim and Buddhist communities. "The fight began after a villager and his wife tried to sell a golden hair pin at the goldsmith's shop," a police source said. "An argument broke out over the price offered and the shop owner beat the customers, causing an uproar in the bazaar as the news of the argument spread quickly," the source said. The villager was wounded and his sympathizers burned the goldsmith shop, according to the source. Rights activists criticized the local police for standing idle as the riots broke out. "According to witnesses, riot police just stood by as the clashes took place," said Min Ko Naing, a member of the 88 Generation democracy movement. He asked whether some officials in charge of security turned a blind eye to the clashes in an attempt to create disorder and pave the way for a return to military rule. "I guess there are people who do not want to see stability. We cannot afford to have military rule again," he said, referring to the decades of harsh rule under the previous military junta which gave up power two years ago to the nominally civilian government of President Thein Sein. Reported by RFA's Burmese Service. Translated by Khin Maung Soe. Written in English by Parameswaran Ponnudurai. View this story online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/burma/riots-03202013191111.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 <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org.

12 years, 2 months

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Crosscurrents in Burma's ICT Signal Hopes, Pitfalls, for Openness and Modernization: RFA Report

by Rohit Mahajan

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 18, 2013 Contact: Rohit Mahajan 202 530 4976 <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org Crosscurrents in Burma's ICT Signal Hopes, Pitfalls, for Openness and Modernization: RFA Report WASHINGTON, DC - International development in Burma should be tied to measurable technology progress that advances freedom of expression, a report issued today by Radio Free Asia's Open Technology Fund (OTF) advises. "Internet Access and Openness: Myanmar 2012" evaluates Burma's existing ICT environment in light of recent political and media reforms. These developments have inspired the desire for greater transparency and sharing of information among its citizens. The report finds Burma "undecided" at this historic juncture, "in which a precarious ICT framework holds both the legacy of autocratic conditions and yet also clear efforts to modernize and democratize." "The findings show Burma at a 21st century technological crossroads that pits its authoritarian past against the gleaming promise of recent reforms," said Libby Liu, Radio Free Asia (RFA) president. "This report is an example of the kind of baseline data-collection and analysis needed to enable informed investments and sound policies for countries in transition, like Burma. "For RFA, Internet freedom is an essential part of our mission to provide people with the tools and information needed to make their own decisions and express their opinions freely." Even as Burma's citizens demand greater Internet access and transparency from their government, the country's limited digital infrastructure is still out of reach for the vast majority of the population. In addition, concerns continue as to whether the government will relinquish operational control of the communications industry as outside investors and technologists are poised to seek opportunities in the country's emerging telecommunications market. Widespread poverty makes inaccessible many technologies, including owning a mobile phone or acquiring a SIM card for the majority of Burmese. These are among the many hurdles and challenges Burma faces as it seeks to reach 80 percent telecom coverage by 2016 (from 9 percent at present). Using information gathered during an RFA-led technology delegation's visit to Burma in 2012, the report provides a technical analysis of Internet access, performance and GSM security, and information on obtaining access to smartphones and the mobile Internet. The report identifies a baseline of media and communications indicators during Burma's current transition, helping policymakers, investors, and civil society and human rights groups assess the country's progress in establishing communications infrastructure and freedom of expression. Key findings include: . The detection of deep packet inspection (DPI) software that could be used for Internet filtering and web censorship with Blue Coat, Cisco, and Huawei equipment, which were present. . Of the country's 60 million inhabitants, only 5.1 percent (about 3 million) have mobile service. . Only 6.7 percent of Myanmar's population has landline and wireless Internet capable subscriptions. . 95 percent of voice calls and text messages in Burma are completely unencrypted. . The cost of acquiring and activating an average smartphone in Burma is 563 $U.S. (The average monthly salary is close to 70 $U.S.) . The most popular smartphone brand is Huawei, followed by Samsung and then imitation iPhones. The dominant smartphone operating system is Android. . Internet penetration is less than 1 percent and mobile subscription is approximately 2 percent. . Myanmar has three Internet service providers: MPT, which is completely government-owned; Yatanarpon Teleport, ownership split with 51 percent government and 49 percent privately held; and Red-link Group, owned by family members of government officials. The full report may be accessed here <https://dl.dropbox.com/u/69715760/reports/otf_myanmar_access_openness_publi c.pdf> . # # # 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 Media Relations Manager Radio Free Asia Email: mahajanr(a)rfa.org Desk: (202) 530-4976 Cell: (202) 489-8021 www.rfa.org

12 years, 2 months

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RFA BREAKING NEWS: Freed Cambodian Activist Vows to Push Democracy

by Parameswaran Ponnudurai

cid:image001.png@01CCE405.460E1840 Freed Cambodian Activist Vows to Push Democracy MARCH 15, 2013—Cambodian activist and independent radio chief Mam Sonando walked out of prison Friday after a court quashed his conviction for alleged involvement in a secession plot, pledging to continue his efforts to promote democracy but vowing to stay clear of politics. “I will not establish any political party and I will not become involved in politics,” he told RFA’s Khmer Service after throngs of jubilant supporters greeted him when he stepped out of Prey Sar Prison in Phnom Penh. “I will educate the people about their rights, the law, and democracy so that voters will be better informed,” said the 71-year-old director of the popular Beehive Radio station and president of Cambodia’s Democrats Association, an active nongovernmental organization. Upon his release at around 9:00 a.m. local time Friday, supporters carried him on their shoulders through a crowd of some 1,000 people playing drums and shouting “three cheers for the president.” A day earlier, Cambodia’s Court of Appeal ordered his release after prosecutors sought to drop two of the most serious charges against him—insurrection and incitement to take up arms against the state. He was arrested in July last year, convicted of the charges three months later, and sentenced to 20 years in prison. The Appeals Court on Thursday, however, convicted Mam Sonando on a new charge of illegal logging under the Forestry Law and reduced his sentence to five years, with eight months—or time served—in prison and the rest suspended. “I would like to say thank you very much for your support,” he told the crowd of supporters who came to greet him. “It’s been almost one year since I have met with the people. When I spend time with the villagers, I get so excited that I feel like I am in paradise.” He traveled to his home from the prison in an open car and was greeted by additional supporters who streamed out of their homes to celebrate his release. Local monks blessed him on arrival at home in Kandal province just outside the capital Phnom Penh. Back to work Mam Sonando told RFA that despite the widespread support he enjoys for his work advancing democracy and human rights, he plans to refrain from politics in the lead-up to Cambodia’s national polls in July. He said he plans to continue his active role in his NGO. “I am committed to the Democrats Association—I don’t do politics,” he said. But he added that he would maintain close contact with all of the country’s political parties in a bid to improve the living standards of the Cambodian people. Mam Sonando also said that he hopes to increase the range of his radio station to reach more remote areas of the country, although the Ministry of Information has so far prevented him from doing so. The rights activist expressed mixed feelings about his release, saying he was glad to be free, but unhappy that he had been convicted for a crime he didn’t commit. “I am happy that I have been released, but I am also sad because I didn’t commit any crime. The court convicted me of a crime that I never could have conceived of,” he said. “A sentence of 20 years in prison makes me seem like a vicious kind of person.” Mam Sonando was accused and convicted of plotting to establish an autonomous region in Cambodia’s eastern Kratie province following a mass occupation of land that triggered a security crackdown and bloody clashes in May. The clashes occurred after some 1,000 village families refused a government order to vacate state land they had used for farming and which activists said had been awarded as a concession to a Russian firm planning to set up a rubber plantation. A 14-year-old girl, Heng Chantha, was shot dead by government forces during the clashes. International reaction Cambodian authorities had faced intense international and domestic pressure to release Mam Sonando, who has Cambodian-French dual citizenship, with U.S. President Barack Obama and French Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault among those who called for his freedom. The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Cambodia, Surya Subedi, welcomed Mam Sonando’s release in a statement Friday, saying he was glad that the appeals court had considered some of his recommendations about the original trial during his last visit to the country in December. “The Court of Appeal found that there was no evidence to support many of the charges, after first instance sentences of periods up to 20 years on charges including instigating insurrection,” Subedi said. “Some of the significant defects in the original trial, which were highlighted by some of my interlocutors with whom I met during my last mission to the Kingdom in December 2012, were remedied on appeal.” But he expressed concern that some of the original convictions remained against Mam Sonando, and that other new charges and convictions had been introduced without an opportunity for the rights activist to defend himself. “I have followed the case of Mam Sonando closely, and I visited him in prison last December to hear his own views on the process. The link between the prosecution of Mam Sonando and freedom of expression in Cambodia is of concern to me,” he said. “As I noted in my last report to the [U.N.] Human Rights Council, genuine freedom of expression is essential to any well-functioning democratic society.” Subedi urged the Cambodian government, civil society, the U.N., and Cambodia’s donor countries to be “vigilant” in promoting and protecting the right to freedom of expression in the lead-up to July’s elections. Reported by RFA’s Khmer Service. Translated by Samean Yun. Written in English by Joshua Lipes. View this story online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/cambodia/release-03152013124940.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 <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org.

12 years, 2 months

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RFA BREAKING NEWS: Many Chinese Sympathetic to Tibet: Poll

by Parameswaran Ponnudurai

cid:image001.png@01CCE405.460E1840 Many Chinese Sympathetic to Tibet: Poll MARCH 11, 2013—Mainland Chinese are largely sympathetic to the cause of Tibet but do not necessarily support self-immolation protests challenging Beijing’s rule in Tibetan-populated areas, according to a random survey carried out by RFA. Chinese living in Tibetan-populated areas meanwhile are guarded in their comments on the more than 100 burning protests that have occurred so far, according to the survey by RFA’s Tibetan Service, which polled about 30 Chinese citizens over the last few months. “The oppression of Tibetans and the persecution by one race of another, aimed at eliminating their culture, is unacceptable in today’s world,” said a woman living in China’s northeast province of Jilin. “It is unacceptable that one race should oppress the rights of another,” she said amid Tibetan concerns that their religion, culture, and language are being eroded under Chinese government policies aimed at clamping down on monasteries and other Tibetan institutions. A Chinese man living in the south-central province of Guizhou said that he “wholeheartedly” supports and prays for those Tibetans who have self-immolated “for the cause of the Tibetan people.” “I wish them success. May their aspirations be fulfilled!” Expression of suffering Some 107 Tibetan men and women so far have set themselves ablaze challenging Beijing’s rule in Tibetan regions and calling for the return from exile of Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama. These fiery protests are an expression of “suffering in Tibet,” said another Chinese man, who works as a tour guide in eastern Anhui province. “China’s policy on Tibet has resulted in the death of many local people,” he said, adding, “It is a policy of bullying the Tibetan people.” “I believe they have the right to express their thoughts,” he said. Most of those interviewed spoke on condition of anonymity, and not all expressed support for Tibetan protests. “If Tibetans have a choice, it is best for them not to set themselves on fire,” said one woman, a hotel receptionist in the eastern Chinese city of Nanjing. “When people hear of such incidents, their first impression is that [the self-immolators] have no regard for their lives.” “The extreme step of taking one’s own life by burning cannot be justified,” she said, “but I am not the one who set herself on fire, so it is difficult to comment on it.” 'Not an easy task' Others cited the risks involved in confronting China’s government on the sensitive issue of Tibet. “Challenging the Chinese communist dictatorship is not an easy task,” said a student at a university in the western province of Sichuan. “You live in constant fear of risk to your own life. For the slightest transgression, you could be arrested,” she said. Chinese courts have jailed more than a dozen Tibetans, including monks, in connection with the self-immolation protests in the last few weeks. Some were given jail terms of up to 15 years. Human rights groups have criticized the Chinese authorities for criminalizing the burning protests. Chinese authorities have also deployed paramilitary forces and have restricted communications in the areas where self-immolations have occurred. A worker in Inner Mongolia—where many resent Chinese rule and hold protests against China's land, language, education, and environmental policies in the region—observed that Chinese censorship of the news has kept many ethnic Mongolians “in the dark” on the issue of self-immolations. “[T]herefore, it is not appropriate for me to comment on the issue,” he said. 'Scared to talk' A Chinese schoolteacher living in China’s far western province of Qinghai, a Tibetan-populated region where large numbers of self-immolations have occurred, meanwhile said he is too “afraid” to openly discuss the issue. “If what I say does not toe the official line, and the relevant officials are displeased, I will be at their mercy because they have all the power and the money,” he said. “Our society doesn’t have a system that protects the poor and helpless, and we are always on the receiving end of official anger.” “So I am scared to talk about this,” he said. Reported by Lobsang Choephel for RFA’s Tibetan Service. Translated by Dorjee Damdul. Written in English by Richard Finney. View this story online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/tibet/poll-03112013171553.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 <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org.

12 years, 3 months

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RFA BREAKING NEWS: Three Lao-Americans Reported Missing in Savannakhet

by Parameswaran Ponnudurai

cid:image001.png@01CCE405.460E1840 Three Lao-Americans Reported Missing in Savannakhet FEB. 27, 2013— Three Lao-Americans have been reported missing while on a visit to southern Laos, with relatives concerned for their safety in the wake of the prolonged disappearance of prominent local activist Sombath Somphone. The three men, Souli Kongmalavong, Bounthieng Insixiengmai, and Bounma Phannhotha, U.S. citizens from Minnesota, disappeared in early January after traveling to a funeral in Savannakhet province, sources said. Local police contacted by RFA’s Lao Service confirmed that they were looking for the three men. During the investigations, they said they had recovered a burned van with three bodies—those of two men and one woman—but the remains could not be identified. Souli’s wife in Minnesota, Khammanh Kongmalavong, reported his case to the U.S. Embassy in Vientiane on Tuesday. "We ask the Lao authorities for their help. If Souli is still alive, we want him to come home to the U.S. If he has passed away, please send his remains home,” she told RFA this week. News on the missing Lao-Americans came as Lao authorities came under pressure to provide information about leading social activist Sombath, who has been missing since December 2012 after he was stopped at a police checkpoint in Vientiane. Some rights groups believe Sombath, one of Laos’s most prominent civil society figures, was forcibly disappeared by the authorities. Traveling for a funeral A close friend of Souli’s in Savannakhet city, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Souli had been missing since Jan. 6 after leaving Savannakhet city to drive to Kengkok village in Champon district for the funeral of Bounthieng’s brother-in-law. Souli, who owns land in Savannakhet and frequently visited the area, had traveled to Laos in September with plans to return to Minnesota in early March. The friend said she had expected him to return from Kengkok within a few days. Other sources said that Bounthieng and Bounma, who had arrived in Laos from Minnesota a few months later than Souli, were driving with him to the funeral. Police in Champon district told RFA Tuesday that Bounthieng’s relatives had reported him missing since Jan. 5. Police asked about the case in Sonburi district, which neighbors Champon, said they had found a burned van on Jan. 6, but that the passengers’ remains could not be identified because of their condition. The police officer who spoke to RFA added that the license number of the van could not be identified and that police believe the vehicle caught fire after running off the side of the road. Safety concerns Philip Smith, executive director of the Washington-based Center for Public Policy Analysis, which advocates on Lao issues, said the case was “very troubling,” particularly in light of Sombath’s recent disappearance. He expressed concern the three men “may have been abducted” suggesting a link to possible reasons for Sombath’s disappearance. He said that Lao-Americans returning to Laos have faced danger in the face of financial scams and corrupt officials. The United Lao for Democracy and Human Rights, Inc. (ULDHR), a Lao-American group, said it was also concerned over the whereabouts of the three men. “We are deeply worried that, based upon some reports, they may have been wrongly detained or arrested by the Lao military or secret police, said Boon Boualaphanh, President of the ULDHR in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Smith called for a “full investigation” by the U.S. Embassy. Reported by RFA’s Lao Service. Written in English by Rachel Vandenbrink. View this story online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/laos/disappearance-02272013181425.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 <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org.

12 years, 3 months

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