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Tibetan Mother of Five Burns to Death to Protest Chinese Rule

by Richard Finney

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

8 years, 8 months

RFA Hosts Banned Film on Murdered Cambodian Rainforest Activist on Website

by Rohit Mahajan

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

8 years, 8 months

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

by Rohit Mahajan

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

8 years, 9 months

RFA Breaking News: Tanzania Shutters Two North Korean Medical Clinics

by Paul Eckert

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

8 years, 9 months

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

by Paul Eckert

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

8 years, 9 months

RFA Launches Investigative Series on North Korean Labor Overseas

by Rohit Mahajan

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

8 years, 9 months

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

by Rohit Mahajan

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

8 years, 10 months

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

by Paul Eckert

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

8 years, 10 months

RFA Breaking News: Bomb Explosion Kills Two Chinese in Laos

by Paul Eckert

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

8 years, 11 months

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

by Rohit Mahajan

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

9 years

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