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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

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

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, 1 month

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, 1 month

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, 1 month

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, 1 month

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, 1 month

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, 1 month

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, 1 month

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, 1 month

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