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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.

11 years, 7 months

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.

11 years, 7 months

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.

11 years, 7 months

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.

11 years, 8 months

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

11 years, 8 months

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

11 years, 9 months

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.

11 years, 9 months

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.

11 years, 9 months

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.

11 years, 9 months

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.

11 years, 9 months

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