TIBETAN REVIEW
Nov. 29 “17 more held in Tibet villages defying Chinese flag dicta”
Chinese police in Driru (Chinese: Biru) County of Nagchu Prefecture, Tibet Autonomous region, have detained a total of 17 Tibetans from two villages this month, giving no reason for doing so, reported Radio Free Asia (RFA, Washington) Nov 27. The county has remained under severe Chinese repression since late September when Tibetans angrily trashed Chinese national flags when ordered to fly them over the rooftops of their homes and monasteries.
FOREIGN POLICY
Nov. 26 “Chinese Officials Ask Muslim Women to Unveil in the Name of Beauty”
In the Chinese region of Xinjiang, home to a large population of the country's Muslim Uighur minority, government workers are encouraging women to cast off their headscarves in the name of good looks. … In 2013, Radio Free Asia reported that a Uighur woman in the Xinjiang capital, Urumqi, was evicted from her rental apartment for wearing a veil. Chinese authorities haven't been particularly forthcoming about the state's anti-veiling policies, often claiming to be are unaware of such edicts, or declining to comment on the matter altogether.
SHANGHAIIST
Nov. 25 “Shanghai mother faces charges for forcing 12-year-old daughter into prostitution”
A woman living in Shanghai was charged for forcing her 12-year-old daughter into prostitution to support her family, Shanghai Daily reports. … According to a report by Radio Free Asia: Before 1997, sex with a person under 14 was deemed to be rape, regardless of whether or not consent was given, as children of that age were deemed incapable of giving consent.
TIBETAN REVIEW
Nov. 24 “China jails Tibetan monk for separatism, eulogizing self-immolators”
China has jailed a Tibetan monk writer in Dzamthang (Chinese: Rangtang) County of Ngaba (Aba) Prefecture, Sichuan Province, involved in various kinds of philanthropic and social work for having allegedly sought Tibet’s independence and supported the ongoing Tibetan self-immolation protests, reported Radio Free Asia (Washington) Nov 22.
YONHAP
Nov. 23 “N. Korean students studying in Britain, Sweden: report”
North Korean students from the Pyongyang University of Science and Technology (PUST) are studying in Britain and Sweden, Radio Free Asia said Saturday. The report, citing administrative officials at the university, said three graduate students are at Britain's University of Westminster where they are studying electronics and computer science.
MASHABLE
Nov. 23 “Iran Blocks Encrypted Chat Service Despite Claims of Internet Freedom”
Iranian officials have promised more Internet freedom since Hassan Rouhani was elected in June. However, many websites and social networks, like Facebook an Twitter, remain blocked. … Cryptocat, which is available as an app for Mac computers as well as a plugin for Chrome and Firefox, is the most well-known of the slew of new apps that bring encrypted communications to the masses. Kobeissi has received $186,000 in funding from Radio Free Asia's Open Technology Fund to develop the app.
NEW YORK TIMES
Nov. 19 “Chinese Nobel Winner Appeals Subversion Conviction”
Liu Xiaobo, the imprisoned Chinese dissident who won the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize, will seek to challenge in court the subversion verdict imposed on him almost four years ago, a lawyer for Mr. Liu said on Tuesday. … Mr. Liu’s decision to appeal again was first reported by Radio Free Asia, a service based in Washington that receives funding from the United States government.
YONHAP
Nov. 19 “Gov't taking diplomatic steps to handle arrested N.K. escapees in China: source”
South Korea is pursuing diplomatic steps to handle North Korean escapees arrested in China late last week, a government source said Tuesday. … A report by Radio Free Asia, citing a U.S. State Department insider, said Washington opposes the deportation of the escapees. The official pointed out that Beijing is a signatory to the 1951 refugees convention and the 1967 protocol protecting people who have fled their home countries.
NEW YORK TIMES – SINOSPHERE Blog (Also in TIBETAN REVIEW)
Nov. 18 “Tibetan Monastery’s Prayer Hall Lost in Fire”
The main prayer hall of a 16th-century Tibetan Buddhist monastery burned to the ground in a fire set off by a short circuit in an electrical appliance, according to Xinhua, the state-run news agency. … Earlier, Radio Free Asia, which is partially financed by the United States government, quoted sources as saying that at least two monks had been injured in the blaze.
NEW YORK TIMES (Also in ASSOCIATED PRESS, GUARDIAN, DEUTSCHE WELLE, DAILY MAIL)
Nov. 17 “9 Attackers and 2 Officers Reported Killed in Tense Western China”
Nine assailants were shot and killed Saturday night after they tried to storm a police station in the restive western province of Xinjiang, the state-run Xinhua news agency and Radio Free Asia said. … Radio Free Asia, which is financed by the American government, reported that the shootout had attracted a large number of Uighur onlookers, angry at what they described as the highhanded actions of the police. The deputy chief of the police station at Selibuya, Hesen Ablet, told Radio Free Asia that when he got to the station after being summoned to assist, “there were already four or five bodies lying on the ground.”
TIBETAN REVIEW
Nov. 15 “Flagpoles mandating Tibetan kowtow to China repeatedly destroyed”
In a continuing extension of China’s campaign in Tibetan areas, mandating that all Tibetans make a manifest display of loyalty to the communist ruled China by flying its red flag over their homes, monasteries and community structures, and a growing Tibetan resistance to it, concrete flagpole structures constructed in several villages in Kardze (Chinese: Ganzi) County of Kardze Prefecture, Sichuan Province, have been repeatedly demolished. The flagpole stands were constructed at several newly built community halls in several villages in a township in the county and they were rebuilt by the Chinese authorities each time they were destroyed, reported Radio Free Asia (Washington) Nov 13.
YONHAP
Nov. 14 “N. Korea classified as 'humanitarian crisis' country by NGO: report”
North Korea has been classified as a country facing serious "humanitarian crisis" by an international non-government organization (NGO) for the second year in a row, a media report said Thursday.
According to Radio Free Asia, the Belgium-based Assessment Capacities Project (ACAPS) said the communist country suffers from chronic food shortage that affects at least 16 million people. The report monitored in Seoul added that 2.4 million people must receive foreign food aid.
CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR
Nov. 12 “Preah Vihear ruling hailed as 'win-win' for Thailand, Cambodia”
Thai and Cambodian troops are staying put, but the peace around the disputed Preah Vihear border temple appears to be holding a day after a United Nations court ruled that the immediately surrounding territory belongs to Cambodia and Thai forces must withdraw. … Radio Free Asia reports that the ruling caused no tensions between the Thai and Cambodian forces around Preah Vihear, which has been a flashpoint in recent years between the two nations.
AGENCE FRANCE PRESSE
Nov. 12 “Tibetan monk sets himself on fire in China”
A Tibetan monk has reportedly set himself on fire in an act of protest in China, as top Communist Party leaders hold a key gathering. Tsering Gyal, 20, set himself alight on Monday in Guolou, a Tibetan area of Qinghai province in northwestern China, according to the US-based International Campaign for Tibet (ICT) and Radio Free Asia (RFA), which is funded by the US government.
EURASIA REVIEW
Nov. 11 “Myanmar: Nationwide Ceasefire – Analysis”
A lull in the civil war that has ravaged the country for the last six decades seems to be in sight. … In a different context he also said that the “Government could not accept the idea of breaking up the army as reports suggested that the rebel groups had proposed an army combining all ethnic communities, including those who have been fighting Burman-dominated government troops for decades” – (Radio Free Asia – 06 November, 2013).
TIBETAN REVIEW
Nov. 10 “China’s mining conditions probe in Yushu, Tibet, manipulated”
China’s central government had sent journalists and researchers to investigate conditions in the Tibetan populate Dzatoe (Chinese: Zaduo) County of Yushu Prefecture, Qinghai Province, following reports of environmentally destructive mining in the area, but apparently only under the guidance or supervision of the local authorities, according to a Radio Free Asia (Washington) report Nov 7. “Some groups of reporters tried to visit the mines, but they were not taken to places where Chinese miners are actually extracting minerals,” the report quoted a source with contacts in Dzatoe as saying.
CONTENT+TECHNOLOGY
Nov. 10 “Radio Free Asia Wins at AIBs for Tiananmen e-Book”
Radio Free Asia (RFA) won a top award for its e-book on the Tiananmen Square crackdown in 1989 in the category of innovative production technology at this year’s International Media Excellence Awards, held by the Association of International Broadcasters (AIB). The award was announced at a ceremony, also known as the AIBs, in London.
KOREA TIMES
Nov. 10 “NK tablet PCs sells on eBay for $200”
A tablet PC produced by North Korea went on auction sale on eBay for just $4.15 on Nov. 7 but the product was selling steadily at $200 the following day. The tablet, carrying the brand Samjiyon, will continue being on sale until Nov. 17 and will be available for shipment to all corners of the world except Africa, Radio Free Asia said in a broadcast.
GUARDIAN
Nov. 9 “Tiananmen blast shows China faces rise in violent dissent – and repression”
First came the car crash and explosion in Tiananmen Square, Beijing. Then came multiple blasts outside Communist party offices in a northern city. … Radio Free Asia has reported that Usmen Hesen, the Uighur man who ploughed the car carrying his wife and mother into crowds at Tiananmen Square, may have sought revenge for a raid on a mosque in his hometown in Xinjiang.
WALL STREET JOURNAL
Nov. 8 “In New Myanmar, Junta's 'Evil Prince' Wants to Offer His Help”
When Lt. Gen. Khin Nyunt was a leader in the junta that formerly ruled Myanmar, the spy apparatus that he ran was capable of punishing ordinary citizens for even uttering the word “democracy.”… “Every morning I’d wake up, pay respect to the image of the Buddha, meditate, and walk around my compound. Most of my time was spent gardening, reading the news—the New Light of Myanmar—and listening to the radio, including the BBC, the Voice of America, Radio Free Asia,” he said.
ASIA RADIO TODAY
Nov. 8 “Taiwan radio documentary ‘highly commended’ at AIBs”
Two Asia-based international radio broadcasters received ‘highly commended’ accolades at the Association of International Broadcasting Awards (AIBs) on Wednesday night. … Other winners were Radio Free Asia for Remembering Tiananmen in the Innovative Production Technology category and BBC World Service as Best Specialist Programme for My City, where several correspondents described the global cities they report from.
GUARDIAN
Nov. 8 “Tiananmen blast shows China faces rise in violent dissent – and repression”
First came the car crash and explosion in Tiananmen Square, Beijing. Then came multiple blasts outside Communist party offices in a northern city. … Radio Free Asia has reported that Usmen Hesen, the Uighur man who ploughed the car carrying his wife and mother into crowds at Tiananmen Square, may have sought revenge for a raid on a mosque in his hometown in Xinjiang.
NEW YORK TIMES – SINOSPHERE BLOG (Also in QUARTZ)
Nov. 7 “Tiananmen Attack Linked to Police Raid on a Mosque in Xinjiang”
Could the attackers responsible for a deadly assault on the heart of the Chinese capital on Oct. 28 have been motivated by revenge? … In a telephone interview with Radio Free Asia on Wednesday, Hamut Turdi, the former chief of Yengi Aymaq village in southwestern Xinjiang, described a police raid last year during which the authorities demolished parts of a new mosque that Mr. Hasan had helped finance.
KOREA HERALD
Nov. 7 “N. Korea to open embassy in Spain: media report”
North Korea is expected to open an embassy in Spain, a media report said Thursday. According to a report by Radio Free Asia, Madrid's foreign ministry recently gave North Korea the green light to set up a diplomatic mission there.
KOREA HERALD (Also in KOREA TIMES, KOREAM)
Nov. 6 “Stanford medical school to help N.K. doctors treat TB”
The Stanford University School of Medicine plans to send a team of doctors and healthcare providers to North Korea this month to help the country diagnose and treat tuberculosis, a media report said Wednesday. The team will arrive in the North next Tuesday and plans to stay for two weeks to pass on know-how on how to combat TB to local doctors and nurses, Radio Free Asia said.
INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS TIMES
Nov. 6 “Made in China: Top 5 Fake, Gross Chinese Products – Gutter Oil Viral Video”
Decades ago, the Chinese were known for selling counterfeit bags that had Louis Vuitton labels. It was later followed by other counterfeit items such as mobile phones displaying the Apple logo and were sold not only in China but in other parts of Asia. … Gutter oil is recycled cooking oil taken from Chinese sewers. The video expose of Radio Free Asia has gone viral on various social media sites as RFA shows how China's black market recycles cooking oil from Chinese gutters. The recycled gutter oil is later repacked and sold.
MACAU DAILY TIMES (Also in BLOOMBERG, HINDUSTAN TIMES)
Nov. 6 “Beijing boosts security as Tiananmen attack overshadows plenum”
China faces a “grim” fight against terrorism following an Oct. 28 attack near Tiananmen Square, the public security minister said, as authorities stepped up safeguards before a Communist Party gathering in Beijing. … This week, people who have come to Beijing to petition leaders have been stopped by police, Radio Free Asia reported on its Chinese-language website yesterday.
TIBETAN REVIEW
Nov. 6 “China released detained Tibetan in fragile health”
After detaining him for more than a year, during which they initially threatened to sentence him to death and later to life imprisonment, China has released a Tibetan man in such conditions that he is unable to speak properly or move freely, reported Radio Free Asia (Washington) Nov 4. The man, Yonten Sangpo, was taken into custody after Chinese security forces raided his home in a hail of bullets in early Feb 2012 in the course of looking for leaders of a protest held a month earlier in Draggo (Chinese: Luhuo) County of Kardze (Ganzi) Prefecture, Sichuan Province.
EPOCH TIMES
Nov. 5 “Villagers Protest Evictee’s Death From Shock”
Villagers in Hunan Province protested Monday over the death of a neighbor who came home to find that authorities had demolished his home, and died shortly afterward, apparently of shock.
Xiao Qi, resident of the small village, was enraged at the illegal demolition of his home to make way for a hydroelectric project, a neighbor told Radio Free Asia (RFA).
NEW YORK TIMES (Also in AGENCE FRANCE PRESSE, BLOOMBERG, ASAHI SHIMBUN)
Nov. 3 “China Strips Army Official of Position After Attack”
A senior military commander in China’s restive far west has been stripped of his position on a powerful Communist Party governing body after an attack in the nation’s capital last week that claimed five lives and deeply unnerved the Chinese leadership. … On Saturday, Radio Free Asia, which is financed by the American government, quoted a former classmate of Mr. Hasan’s who suggested that Mr. Hasan might have been motivated by vengeance for a brother killed in a mysterious traffic accident several years earlier.
KOREA TIMES
Nov. 3 “North learns South's lingo”
A growing number of North Koreans are picking up words and phrases used in South Korean TV dramas, RFA (Radio Free Asia) reported Saturday. South Korean TV dramas are popular among young North Koreans, and many try to use the South Korean words, especially university students in Pyongyang, the alleged hipsters of the North, it reported.
JERUSALEM POST
Nov. 2 “Behind The Lines: Assad’s North Korean connection”
Reports have emerged this week indicating the presence of North Korean military personnel in Syria. They note that 15 North Korean helicopter pilots are operating there on behalf of President Bashar Assad’s regime. … In an October 3 interview with Radio Free Asia, former Defense Intelligence Agency analyst Bruce Bechtol noted that North Korea has been supplying weaponry, including chemical weapons, to Syria since the early 1990s.
TIBETAN REVIEW
Nov. 1 “China tightens control on vehicles in Tibetan county after Tiananmen crash”
The authorities in a Tibetan county in Sichuan Province of China have launched a drive to closely monitor the ownership and drivers of all the motor vehicles belonging to Tibetans after an SUV crashed into visitors on Beijing’s landmark Tiananmen Square in an alleged terrorist strike by Uyghurs on Oct 29. Officials described the Tiananmen crash as a “politically motivated incident” and called on village leaders to be alert to plots to carry out similar actions in Kardze (Ganzi) county, Radio Free Asia (RFA, Washington) Oct 30 cited a source as saying.
