Engnews

engnews@rfanews.org

440 discussions

PRESS RELEASE: Radio Free Asia Hosts Tibetan Karmapa -- 'It Is ... like a Dream' to Visit RFA: Karmapa

by Rohit Mahajan

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 15, 2011 Contact: Rohit Mahajan 202 530 4976 mahajanr(a)rfa.org <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> 'It Is Something like a Dream' to Visit Radio Free Asia: Tibetan Karmapa RFA Hosts 17th Karmapa during its 15th Anniversary Year WASHINGTON, DC - On the heels of the Dalai Lama's visit to RFA earlier in the week, Tibetan spiritual leader Ogyen Trinley Dorje, the 17th Karmapa, today visited RFA's headquarters in Washington, DC. During the Tibetan lama's visit, he met privately with RFA's leadership, gave an interview to RFA's Tibetan service, and met with RFA Tibetan's language service staff. He spoke about RFA's important role in its 15th anniversary year as a broadcaster for the Tibetan community both in Tibetan regions inside China and around the world. "It is something like a dream for me to be physically present at Radio Free Asia," the Karmapa said in his meeting with RFA's Tibetan staff. "When I was in Tibet and listened to RFA Tibetan service programs, I wished that I could personally meet you in person. I am extremely delighted to be present amongst you in person." "Through the programs of the RFA Tibetan language service, the audience both inside and outside Tibet are greatly benefited with the opportunity of receiving true stories on time for the Tibetan audience and others who are interested, and you promote freedom of expression through your broadcasts," he said in his address. "Your broadcasts are a crucial component for the Tibetan cause." In his interview, the Karmapa said, "I was brought up in Tibet by listening to RFA Tibetan programs." "You have completed 15 years of your service, and those 15 years signify extremely remarkable accomplishments," he stated. The Karmapa is the head the Karma Kagyu sect of Tibetan Buddhism. The Tibetan spiritual leader is in Washington with the Dalai Lama for the 11-day Buddhist Kalachakra ritual, which concludes this week. Voice of America also interviewed the Karmapa today. # # # 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 press releases, please send an e-mail to engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org <mailto:engnews-leave@rfanews.org> . To add your name to our mailing list, please send an e-mail to engnews-join(a)rfanews.org <mailto:engnews-join@rfanews.org> Rohit Mahajan Media Relations Manager Radio Free Asia Email: mahajanr(a)rfa.org Desk: (202) 530-4976 Cell: (202) 489-8021 www.rfa.org

13 years, 6 months

PRESS RELEASE: Radio Free Asia Hosts Dalai Lama on Anniversary Year

by Rohit Mahajan

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 11, 2011 Contact: Rohit Mahajan 202 530 4976 mahajanr(a)rfa.org <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> Radio Free Asia Hosts Dalai Lama on Anniversary Year His Holiness commends RFA for educating those who 'have no freedom of information' WASHINGTON, DC - Radio Free Asia (RFA) today hosted His Holiness the Dalai Lama at its Washington, DC headquarters. The Tibetan spiritual leader made remarks on RFA's 15th anniversary year to staff from all nine RFA language services, commending them for delivering a free press to closed societies. Also during the visit, the Nobel Peace Prize laureate was interviewed by RFA's Mandarin service, with questions submitted from RFA's Tibetan, Mandarin, Cantonese, and Uyghur services. In his address to RFA's staff, the Dalai Lama spoke about the value of democracy, freedom, and civil law, citing education as the key to ensuring those principles to endure. The Dalai Lama said RFA is "extremely helpful" and lauded its services for their contribution in working to "educate people who have no freedom of information." The spiritual leader also spoke about the crises and turmoil in recent years in mainland China facing Uyghurs, Tibetans, and more recently people living in Inner Mongolia, referring to them as "brothers" in their challenges. RFA's exclusive interview was webcast live on its Mandarin and Tibetan sites, and made available online and via shortwave and satellite to listeners in China. The Nobel laureate is in Washington for the 11-day Buddhist Kalachakra ritual, which concludes this week. # # # 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 press releases, please send an e-mail to engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org <mailto:engnews-leave@rfanews.org> . To add your name to our mailing list, please send an e-mail to engnews-join(a)rfanews.org <mailto:engnews-join@rfanews.org>

13 years, 6 months

RFA BREAKING NEWS: Diplomat Seeks Asylum in US

by Joshua Lipes

Diplomat Seeks Asylum in US July 3, 2011 - The number two diplomat at the Burmese Embassy in Washington, D.C. has defected and is now seeking political asylum in the United States. Deputy Chief of Mission Kyaw Win, 59, told RFA he made the decision to leave the government because he saw little hope for Burma's future and because he fears "my life and those of my family are in danger." Kyaw Win said that after Burma held historic elections last November, he expected the government to begin a transition to democracy. Instead, he said, nothing has changed and "the military continues to hold uncontested power." "Senior military officials are consolidating their grip on power and seeking to stamp out the voices of those seeking democracy," he said, adding that war with the country's ethnic groups is imminent. Recent fighting between government troops and the ethnic Kachin army near the border with China has escalated, causing thousands of refugees to flee the conflict. He also warned of threats made by the Burmese government against Nobel laureate and opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, which he said "must be taken seriously." Suu Kyi, who turned 66 in June, recently announced plans for her first tour of Burma since 2003 when her visit to Depayin in the north was marred by what many believed was an assassination attempt against her by groups linked to the military junta. Her motorcade was attacked by pro-junta thugs, resulting in the death of at least 70 of her supporters in what is known today as the Depayin massacre. Burma's state media warned Suu Kyi in a commentary last week that her tour could trigger riots. Career diplomat Kyaw Win is a career diplomat who has worked for the Burmese Foreign Ministry for 31 years. During that time he served in Madrid, Geneva, New Delhi, Brasilia, and Washington. But now, he says, the army of Burma's late national hero and father of Suu Kyi, General Aung San, "has been corrupted" and has become "an oppressor of the people, not a defender of the people." The Burmese government has been accused of numerous human rights violations, including murder, torture, rape, forced labor, and the use of child soldiers. Kyaw Win says he now supports an international inquiry into those violations. He is also calling for "highly targeted financial sanctions against the government and their cronies that serve to keep them in power." Deputy Chief of Mission is the highest posting a non-military person can hold in Burmese embassies. Kyaw Win has held the position in Washington since 2008. But he said that his work reaching out to the diplomatic, governmental, and NGO communities in the U.S. capital may have made him a target of the regime he represents. "My reports questioning the actions of the military and urging dialogue and reconciliation ... resulted in my being deemed dangerous by the government," he said, adding that he fears persecution should he return to Burma. His message for Burma's military is "not to fear democracy, but embrace it as the only way forward." Kyaw Win is not the first high-ranking Burmese diplomat to defect from the country. In March 2005, former Major Aung Lynn Htut resigned as deputy chief of mission at the Burmese embassy in Washington and requested political asylum in the U.S. for himself, his wife, a son, two daughters and a sister. At the time, he said that he feared for his life because of an ongoing purge of the associates of former Prime Minister Khin Nyunt, who was ousted in 2004 following a power struggle with more hard-line officials in the military junta. Several other Burmese diplomats defected from the country following a brutal crackdown on student-led protests opposing the rule of military dictator Ne Win in 1988. Little progress In November of 2010, the Burmese government held its first elections in 20 years, but blocked Suu Kyi, who had spent 15 of the last 21 years under house arrest, from participating and disbanded her opposition party, the National League for Democracy. She was released by the ruling generals on Nov. 13 just after elections which were heavily criticized as a sham by the local opposition and Western nations. The new quasi-civilian government, largely comprised of retired military officers, has not introduced any real reforms since then and is still holding some 2,200 political activists in prisons throughout the country. Suu Kyi addressed U.S. lawmakers for the first time in June, asking them to help push for the release of Burma's political prisoners and for a UN probe into human rights abuses in her country. The United States and other Western governments have made freedom for Burmese political prisoners a key prerequisite for any easing of tough sanctions against Burma. U.S. President Barack Obama's administration abandoned a previous policy of diplomatically isolating Burma and has attempted to engage the government over the past 18 months, but has achieved little progress. Reported and translated by Khin Maung Soe for RFA's Burmese service. Written in English by Joshua Lipes. Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA's broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to "seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers." RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org <mailto:engnews-leave@rfanews.org> . To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to engnews-join(a)rfanews.org <mailto:engnews-join@rfanews.org> ##### All media inquiries may be sent to Rohit Mahajan at mahajanr(a)rfa.org <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> Rohit Mahajan Media Relations Manager Radio Free Asia 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300 Washington, DC Email: mahajanr(a)rfa.org <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> Desk: (202) 530-4976 Cell: (202) 489-8021 www.rfa.org <http://www.rfa.org>

13 years, 6 months

PRESS RELEASE: Radio Free Asia Wins at 2011 New York Festivals

by Rohit Mahajan

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 21, 2011 Contact: John Estrella 202 530 4900 estrellaj(a)rfa.org <mailto:estrellaj@rfa.org> Rohit Mahajan 202 530 4976 mahajanr(a)rfa.org <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> Radio Free Asia Wins at 2011 New York Festivals RFA Korean, Mandarin Broadcasters Take Gold, Earn Finalist Spots WASHINGTON, DC - Radio Free Asia (RFA) Korean service broadcaster John Hyun-Ki Lee won a gold medal and RFA Mandarin service broadcasters Zhang Min and April Wang were named finalists at this year's New York Festivals (NYF). "Radio Free Asia delivers trustworthy, informative news and information to millions living in closed societies," said Dan Southerland, Executive Editor for RFA. "For RFA's broadcasters and services, this high recognition at the New York Festivals encourages us to build on our efforts to fulfill an important mission." Information about RFA's winner and finalists, and their entries follows. * RFA Korean service broadcaster John Hyun-Ki Lee won a gold medal in the NYF category of Human Relations for his piece "New Year Celebrations Thousands of Miles from Home." Lee interviewed North Korean defectors living in Virginia, New York, Australia, and Canada as they reminisced about their families, friends, and lives they left behind. The program was aired on Feb. 4, the day after the Korean diaspora marked the new lunar year, with the hope that long-lost relatives of these defectors would be able to listen. * RFA broadcaster Zhang Min of the Mandarin service was named a finalist in the category of Best Human Interest Story for her piece titled, "Blind Barefoot Lawyer Freed but not Free." For the story, which aired on Sept. 9, 2010, Zhang was able to get an exclusive telephone interview with freed Chinese activist Chen Guangcheng on the day of his release from prison. Despite international concerns, Chen remains under virtual house arrest with little access to the outside world. * RFA Mandarin service broadcaster April Wang's series "One Hundred Million People Shunned: The Stigma and the Reality of Hepatitis B in China" also earned recognition as a finalist in the category of Social Issues/Current Events. The series, which aired consecutively on Sept. 28 and 29, 2010, focused on those suffering in China from discrimination over longstanding misconceptions of the transmission of Hepatitis B. # # # Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA's broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to "seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers." RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors.

13 years, 6 months

RADIO FREE ASIA Breaking News: EU Delegation to Visit Burma

by Rohit Mahajan

EU Delegation to Visit Burma <http://www.rfa.org/english/news/burma/eu-06162011154933.html> June 16, 2011 - The European Union is sending a senior delegation for talks with Burmese leaders and democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi this weekend, the highest ranking team to visit the Southeast Asian state since Burma's generals seized power 22 years ago, officials said. the visit marks a shift in EU policy, a change that was initiated in response to last year's Burmese elections and the introduction of a quasi-civilian government. The team from the European Commission in Brussels is headed by the Director General for Political Affairs, Robert Cooper. He will be accompanied by the EU's special envoy for Burma, the Italian politician Piero Fassino. They are due to arrive in Burma's former capital Rangoon on June 19, when Aung San Suu Kyi will celebrate her birthday, the first time she has been able to mark the event with supporters in eight years following her release from house arrest in November. In April, the EU lifted its visa ban on certain Burmese senior government officials, including the Burmese foreign minister, but decided to maintain its economic sanctions against Burma. "We want to engage with the regime at the highest level," the EU representative for the region, David Lippman, told RFA last week. "To help facilitate that, we reduced the visa restrictions on some ministers-especially the foreign minister, Wunna Maung Lwin, who is expected to be the main interlocutor in any future dialogue," he said. Sham elections Although the elections in November last year were regarded by rights groups and opposition leaders as a sham, many diplomats in Europe believe that small changes have occurred and that the process needs to be encouraged. Lippman was at pains to point out that the lifting of the visa ban on nonmilitary ministers and a suspension of an asset freeze-for the next 12 months-represents only a small change in policy, introduced in order to engage the authorities. "Any future changes will depend on the new government's performance," he said. Not unexpectedly, the release of political prisoners and economic reform are high on the agenda, he confided. About 2,200 political prisoners still languish in Burmese prisons, and Burma's new government has not responded to a deluge of calls from foreign governments and rights groups to show seriousness in introducing political reforms. Lippman insisted that the EU policy is not a carrot-and-stick approach. Humanitarian aid and other financial assistance will continue and increase on the basis of need, he said, adding that political and economic changes will certainly improve the relationship. Well received Cooper, a veteran British diplomat who knows the region well, is expected to be well received in Naypyidaw, Burma's capital. More than a decade ago, Cooper made a relatively secret visit to Burma where he met Aung San Suu Kyi while he still worked as diplomat for the British government. During the upcoming trip, he is expected to meet the opposition leader, representatives of the national minorities, and government ministers. The Burmese foreign minister is likely to be his host, but he hopes to meet a range of other ministers including those responsible for commerce and planning. Whether he will make a call on Burmese President Thein Sein is still unclear. If he does, this may be a sign that the visit will be more successful than many European diplomats believe. Thein Sein and his hard-line vice president Thira Aung Mying Oo are believed to be locked in a personal power struggle, and experts believe that Burma's political opposition and the international community should look for ways to strengthen the president's hand without tipping their own. "Nothing will come out of this trip," said a central European diplomat based in Bangkok who is also responsible for Burma. "The best we can hope for is that it is the start of a process of dialogue and engagement." New EU special envoy? It is also unclear if the EU will replace Fassino with a new envoy now that the United States has appointed an envoy and the U.N. is considering a top-level envoy of its own. This will be Fassino's first trip to Burma-and possibly his last, as he is set to become mayor of the Italian city of Turin. At present, Lippman, the EU representative in Bangkok, seems to be running the show, eager to visit Burma once a month and meet Aung San Suu Kyi on those occasions. Although Aung San Suu Kyi may be free and able to celebrate her birthday with family friends and supporters, this is a critical time for her. She plans to make her first trip up-country to Mandalay in the coming days, and all eyes will be on how Burma's government reacts and what kind of reception she gets. Aung San Suu Kyi's youngest son Kim Aris is also due in Rangoon from Britain in the next few days to be with her on her birthday. He has already picked up his visa. This will be his third visit to Burma since his mother was released from house arrest nearly seven months ago. Reported by Larry Jagan for RFA's Burmese service. 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 <mailto:engnews-leave@rfanews.org> . To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to engnews-join(a)rfanews.org <mailto:engnews-join@rfanews.org> ##### All media inquiries may be sent to Rohit Mahajan at mahajanr(a)rfa.org <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> Rohit Mahajan Media Relations Manager Radio Free Asia Email: mahajanr(a)rfa.org Desk: (202) 530-4976 Cell: (202) 489-8021 www.rfa.org

13 years, 7 months

RFA BREAKING NEWS: Uyghur Repatriation Imminent

by Rohit Mahajan

Uyghur Repatriation Imminent May 27, 2011 – An ethnic Uyghur, once acknowledged by the U.N. as a refugee, is set to be deported to China after a Kazakh court refused to grant him political asylum, according to his brother. Ershidin Israil, 38, fled to Kazakhstan in the aftermath of deadly riots in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region and has been held by Kazakh authorities since June last year amid Chinese accusations he was involved in "terrorism." Experts say the court ruling on Wednesday called into question Kazakhstan's adherence to international obligations in the face of increased pressure from neighboring China where Israil could be severely punished on his return. Seeking political asylum in Kazakhstan may have been Israil’s last bid to stay out of China, whose anti-terrorism policy, according to rights groups, deliberately targets activists among ethnic minority communities such as Uyghurs and Tibetans. If repatriated to his home country, he is likely to face harsh punishment in a specific case of informing RFA about the death in custody of a fellow Uyghur held by authorities for alleged involvement in July 2009 riots in Xinjiang’s capital Urumqi. His brother Enver Israil, who arrived in Kazakhstan three months ago, said he heard from his brother's lawyer that he was accused of being a terrorist by the Chinese police and that they had demanded his return. "[The Chinese police] tortured a jailed protester to death and nobody is calling the Chinese terrorists, but my brother is accused of terrorism just because he told the media about the killing," he said in a phone interview Thursday from Almaty, the country’s largest city. "Where is the justice?" he asked. Seeking refuge On Sept. 24, 2009, Israil fled on foot to Almaty from the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR), crossing the border without a passport after four nights of walking. Chinese authorities in Ghulja, in Qorghas (in Chinese, Huocheng) county, Ili prefecture were searching for Israil for allegedly releasing details of the Sept. 18 beating death of Shohret Tursun, according to Israil’s sister-in-law. Tursun was detained among a group of 40 Uyghurs in July 2009 around the time of ethnic riots in Urumqi that left some 200 dead. His badly bruised and disfigured body was released to his relatives nearly two months later, prompting a standoff between authorities who wanted him buried immediately and family members who refused and demanded an inquiry into whether he had been beaten to death. The family was forced to hold a burial for Tursun the following day. In a previous RFA interview with Israil, he said he fled his hometown fearing harsh punishment from Chinese authorities as a two-time offender. Israil had previously served a six-year jail sentence in 1999 for "separatism." After meeting with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Almaty, Israil was granted refugee status in March 2010 and accepted for resettlement in Sweden that April. But while making final preparations to leave Kazakhstan, a UNHCR official informed Israil that Kazakh authorities had refused to supply him with the necessary documents to leave the country. On April 3, Israil was moved into an apartment guarded around the clock by Kazakh police officers while the UNHCR investigated the delay in his resettlement. In June 2010, he was detained by local authorities and has since attended a total of five hearings on his application for refugee status, all of which rejected his bid and ruled that he must be returned to China. ‘A terrible track record’ Exiled Uyghur dissident Rebiya Kadeer, president of the Munich-based World Uyghur Congress (WUC), said the Kazakh government is disregarding international law by moving to repatriate Israil. She called the Chinese charges against him “an obvious abuse of the Geneva Convention rules,” adding that he had committed no crime aside from revealing how Uyghurs have been treated in the aftermath of the 2009 riots. “I urge the U.N. and EU to take  action," she said. “I would ask the  Kazakh government to not forget our blood relations and to take  into consideration the one million Uyghurs who are living in Kazakhstan." Memet Tohti, the WUC representative in Geneva, said China is desperate to take Israil back to prevent him from talking about the abuses he had witnessed and in order to show other Uyghurs that they cannot defy the government and escape punishment. "Ershidin was in jail for six years and he is aware of a number of tragic stories that have taken place in China's black jails," he said, referring to the country's growing number of unofficial detention centers which serve as holding camps for petitioners seeking redress against official wrongdoing. "Secondly, Chinese authorities want to discourage Uyghurs in East Turkestan from taking part in the Uyghur freedom movement by showing them that they can get to them no matter in what part of the world they seek refuge." Uyghur groups use the term “East Turkestan” to refer to a short-lived Uyghur government that existed before the communist takeover of Xinjiang or to assert their cultural distinctiveness from China proper. Nury Turkel, a Uyghur American attorney based in Washington, said Kazakhstan’s refusal to grant Israil political asylum is the latest example of the country bowing to Chinese pressure. “Kazakhstan has a terrible track record of repatriating or forcibly removing Uyghurs to China who were suspected of being involved in any political activities, and history certainly will not be kind to Kazakhstan,” he said. “Kazakhstan—being under the Soviet Union for several years and knowing how it feels to be oppressed—I think it’s time for Kazakhstan to enjoy their sovereignty and make a decision based on their international obligations, not on the pressure by neighboring countries.” An uncertain future Sharon Hom, executive director of Human Rights in China, a New York- and Hong Kong-based group, said that as a member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), a regional group for security and economic cooperation in Eurasia, Kazakhstan has a number of obligations to fellow SCO states, particularly China. “These include forcible returns to China of any individual or group suspected of terrorism, separatism, or extremism, including individuals who may have been granted refugee status by UNHCR,” Hom said. “China has designated Central Asia as a source of what it terms the 'East Turkestan' threat and has exerted intensified pressure on its neighbors, and most recently on Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.” Hom noted that Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan—both SCO member states—obstructed travel of Uyghur activists to attend a recent conference in the U.S., apparently to preserve their relationship with China. Hom said that Israil could “disappear” if he is deported to China, like many others forcibly returned to the country. “If he is subjected to any Chinese legal process, it will be within a system that is politicized, corrupt, nonaccountable, and marked by the complete absence of due process. The international community needs to act immediately to protect him and demand respect for his refugee status.” Uyghurs say they have long suffered ethnic discrimination, oppressive religious controls, and continued poverty and joblessness despite China's ambitious plans to develop its vast northwestern frontier. Xinjiang is a vast strategically crucial desert territory that borders Russia, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. The region has abundant oil reserves and is China's largest natural gas-producing region. Reported by Shohret Hoshur for RFA’s Uyghur service. Translated by Shohret Hoshur. Written in English by Joshua Lipes. http://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/repatriation-05262011192244.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 <mailto:engnews-leave@rfanews.org> . To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to engnews-join(a)rfanews.org <mailto:engnews-join@rfanews.org> ##### All media inquiries may be sent to Rohit Mahajan at mahajanr(a)rfa.org <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> Rohit Mahajan Media Relations Manager Radio Free Asia Email: mahajanr(a)rfa.org Desk: (202) 530-4976 Cell: (202) 489-8021 www.rfa.org

13 years, 7 months

PRESS RELEASE: Radio Free Asia Launches 15th Anniversary Website Detailing History, Impact

by Rohit Mahajan

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 3, 2011 Contact: John Estrella 202 530 4900 estrellaj(a)rfa.org <mailto:estrellaj@rfa.org> Rohit Mahajan 202 530 4976 mahajanr(a)rfa.org <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> RFA Launches 15th Anniversary Multimedia Website Detailing History, Impact Site Features Aung San Suu Kyi Video Praising RFA's Contribution to Freedom WASHINGTON, DC - Today, on World Press Freedom Day, Radio Free Asia (RFA) launched a website <http://www.rfa15.org/> commemorating RFA's 15 years of bringing news and information to people without access to a free press. Featured on the homepage is a video greeting by recently freed Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi thanking RFA for keeping her informed during her house arrest and praising the broadcaster for making an "invaluable contribution" to freedom and democratic ideals. Visitors to the multimedia site can view images, video, and timelines that tell the story of RFA from its beginnings in 1996 to the present. The site also takes visitors behind the scenes through a special section that details the creation and continuation of RFA's nine language services, which deliver objective, timely news and information to people living in countries that restrict press freedoms and censor free speech. "While much has changed at Radio Free Asia since we began in 1996, our mission continues to be imperative: to advance the principles and the universal right to seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any medium and regardless of frontiers," said Libby Liu, President of RFA. "We hope this website marking RFA's 15 years as a news organization shows how our staff's work has made a tremendous impact on the lives of our listeners." In addition to sections devoted to RFA's listener comments, awards in journalism, and praise from global opinion leaders, the site also informs visitors about the journalistic climate of the countries into which RFA broadcasts in nine languages (Mandarin, Cantonese, Uyghur, Burmese, Vietnamese, Korean, Lao, Khmer, and Tibetan in three dialects) through an interactive map. # # # 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 press releases, please send an e-mail to engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org <mailto:engnews-leave@rfanews.org> . To add your name to our mailing list, please send an e-mail to engnews-join(a)rfanews.org <mailto:engnews-join@rfanews.org> . Rohit Mahajan Media Relations Manager Radio Free Asia Email: mahajanr(a)rfa.org Desk: (202) 530-4976 Cell: (202) 489-8021 www.rfa.org

13 years, 8 months

PRESS RELEASE: Radio Free Asia Hosts First Interview with Exile Tibetan Prime Minister-Elect Lobsang Sangay

by Rohit Mahajan

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 27, 2011 Contact: John Estrella 202 530 4900 estrellaj(a)rfa.org <mailto:estrellaj@rfa.org> Rohit Mahajan 202 530 4976 mahajanr(a)rfa.org <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> Radio Free Asia Hosts First Interview with Exile Tibetan Prime Minister-Elect Lobsang Sangay WASHINGTON, DC - Today, the declared winner of the Tibetan exile government elections, Lobsang Sangay, gave Radio Free Asia's Tibetan service his first interview since being named prime minister-elect. During his interview at RFA's headquarters in Washington, Sangay commented on the Dalai Lama's recently announced intention to retire and hand political power to the next prime minister of the exile government. "The Dalai Lama ... has decided to transfer political power to the Tibetan people by entrusting whom they have magnanimously chosen as the head of their exile government," Sangay said during an interview that was webcast on RFA's Tibetan service's website. "We must respect the wishes and wisdom of His Holiness and find ways to implement his decision." Sangay, 43, is a law researcher at Harvard University. He won 55 percent of the vote in the March 20 election held around the world, defeating two candidates, Tenzin Namgyal Tethong and Tashi Wangdu. Sangay will relocate in May to Dharamsala, India, the seat of the Tibetan government-in-exile, to begin establishing his cabinet before the current office holder, Samdhong Rinpoche steps down on Aug. 14. Many expect Sangay will play a more visible role, as the Dalai Lama this year announced his intention of stepping down as political leader of the Tibetan exile community. RFA's Tibetan service provided extensive coverage of the exile elections beginning last year in May with broadcasts via Internet, satellite television, and shortwave radio on March 13 of a Kalon Tripa candidates forum. Tibetans living within China's Tibetan regions also posed pre-recorded questions to the candidates during the forum. The event was part of a series of seven town-hall style debates in Dharamsala and Bylakuppe, India, with general exile candidates, capping off eight months of interviews, profiles, and discussions about the race. # # # 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 press releases, please send an e-mail to engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org <mailto:engnews-leave@rfanews.org> . To add your name to our mailing list, please send an e-mail to engnews-join(a)rfanews.org <mailto:engnews-join@rfanews.org> Rohit Mahajan Media Relations Manager Radio Free Asia Email: mahajanr(a)rfa.org Desk: (202) 530-4976 Cell: (202) 489-8021 www.rfa.org

13 years, 8 months

Press Release: Radio Free Asia Hosts Tibetan Exile Prime Minister Live Debate

by Rohit Mahajan

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 11, 2011 Contact: John Estrella 202 530 4900 estrellaj(a)rfa.org <mailto:estrellaj@rfa.org> Rohit Mahajan 202 530 4976 mahajanr(a)rfa.org <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> Radio Free Asia Hosts Tibetan Exile Prime Minister Live Debate Forum Comes as Dalai Lama Announces Wish to Hand over Political Reins to Next PM WASHINGTON, DC - On the heels of the Dalai Lama's announcement of his intention to hand over political leadership of the Tibetan government in exile to the next prime minister, Radio Free Asia's (RFA) Tibetan service will host a live debate with the three final candidates vying to be elected the head (or "Kalon Tripa") of the Central Tibetan Administration on Sunday, March 13. The debate will be broadcast live via shortwave radio, satellite television, and webcast from 7 to 10 a.m. EDT (Sunday, March 13). This is part of RFA Tibetan's series of seven town hall-style events being held in Tibetan exile settlements in India and featuring parliamentary candidates ahead of the March 20 general exile government elections. At RFA's March 13 forum, one of the three Kalon Tripa candidates - Lobsang Sangay, Kasur Tenzin Namgyal Tethong, and Tashi Wangdu - will be in Washington, with the others at two debate sites with live audiences in India: in Dharamsala, the seat of the Tibetan government in exile, and at India's largest Tibetan refugee settlement in the southern town of Bylakuppe. Candidates will answer questions from RFA's on-site moderators, as well as those from audience members in attendance, in addition to prerecorded ones from Tibetans worldwide including those living inside the Tibetan area in China. "Through this debate, Radio Free Asia provides a means for the Tibetan exile community worldwide to participate in a unique, democratic process that will affect the future of Tibetan affairs," said Libby Liu, President of RFA. The debate culminates RFA Tibetan's extensive, ongoing coverage of the March 20 elections to replace Samdhong Rinpoche, the current, outgoing Kalon Tripa. This includes: * Hosting one-hour programs that focus on Kalon Tripa candidates, members of the Tibetan exile parliament, and candidates vying to replace them, and the exile government political process, every week since May 2010; * Regularly featuring interviews with Kalon Tripa candidates; * Conducting the first live debate on the day of the official announcement of primary elections to choose the final Kalon Tripa candidates; * Providing listeners with thorough coverage of the Oct. 3 primary elections at all the major stations in India, Nepal, Australia, Europe, and North America; * Interviewing almost all of the candidates for the Central Tibetan Administration; * Holding seven town hall debates in Tibetan refugee settlements in Dharamsala and Bylakuppe; and * Covering all Tibetan exile candidates' debates organized by NGOs and media in North America, Europe, and India. The Web address for the site on which the debate can be watched is http://www.rfa.org/tibetan/. # # # Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA's broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to "seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers." RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. If you no longer wish to receive RFA press releases, please send an e-mail to engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org <mailto:engnews-leave@rfanews.org> . To add your name to our mailing list, please send an e-mail to engnews-join(a)rfanews.org <mailto:engnews-join@rfanews.org> Rohit Mahajan Media Relations Manager Radio Free Asia Email: mahajanr(a)rfa.org Desk: (202) 530-4976 Cell: (202) 489-8021 www.rfa.org

13 years, 10 months

RFA BREAKING NEWS: Vietnamese Police Attack U.S. Official

by Rohit Mahajan

Vietnamese Police Attack U.S. Official Jan. 5, 2011 - The United States has lodged a "strong protest" with the Vietnamese government after policemen attacked an American diplomat while barring him from meeting with a dissident Catholic priest in central Vietnam. Christian Marchant, a political officer with the U.S. embassy in Hanoi, was roughed up outside the home for retired priests in Hue where Nguyen Van Ly, 63, is being held under house arrest after being released from jail on medical parole last year. "We are aware of and deeply concerned by the incident and have officially registered a strong protest with the Vietnamese government in Hanoi," a State Department official told RFA. "We plan to raise the issue with (Vietnamese) Ambassador Phung in Washington today as well," the official said. "Diplomats are entitled under international law to special protection against attack. The government of Vietnam has a responsibility to take appropriate steps to prevent any attack on the person, freedom, or dignity of diplomats," the official explained. Ly, One of Vietnam's high-profile human rights activists, told RFA that the incident Wednesday was witnessed by hundreds of people. "They all saw police's brutality toward Mr. Marchant," he said. "They reported that he was wrestled down to the ground right in the middle of the road. His clothes got dirty. He stood back up and flicked off the dust." Asked for his account of the incident, Ly said, "I saw him standing, not lying on the ground but he looked really strenuously tired." Ly, who was released from prison in March, 2010, five years before the end of his eight-year sentence for disseminating anti-government propaganda, said the six-foot tall Marchant raised his camera high to take a picture but a policeman prevented him. "I heard him say that I was a prisoner, he could not allow (the) visit." Ly said Marchant was bundled into a police car and taken away. "The embassy officer exchanged words loudly with the police and they pushed and pulled him to a police car...he yelled out very loud and resisted hard but they put him in the car, closed the doors and drove away." Citizen journalists told RFA about 30 to 40 policemen blocked the entrance to Ly's home as Marchant, accompanied by a Vietnamese interpreter, went to meet with Ly at about 10 a.m. Ly had suffered two strokes in 2009 when he was in solitary confinement that left him partly paralyzed, and Western governments had repeatedly demanded to the Vietnamese government that he be freed. Nguyen Van Ly, 63, suffered two strokes in 2009 that left him partly paralyzed, and Western governments had demanded repeatedly that he be freed. His trial grabbed world headlines as he tried to read out a poem criticizing Vietnam's communist authorities and was muzzled by police. He has spent more than 15 years in prison since 1977. His release from prison last year came after a group of US senators wrote to Vietnam's President Nguyen Minh Triet, calling for his freedom. The Roman Catholic Father Ly, a founding member of Bloc 8406, a pro-democracy movement, was a thorn in the side of the ruling Communist Party, as he advocated greater human rights in the one-party state. Reported by Thao Dao of RFA's Vietnamese service and Richard Finney. Translated by Viet Nguyen. Written in English by Parameswaran Ponnudurai. 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 Rohit Mahajan Media Relations Manager Radio Free Asia 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300 Washington, DC Email: mahajanr(a)rfa.org Desk: (202) 530-4976 Cell: (202) 489-8021 www.rfa.org

14 years

← Newer
1
...
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
Older →

Jump to page:

2025

2024

2023

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015

2014

2013

2012

2011

2010

2009

2008

Engnews