KOREA TIMES
Oct. 31 “N. Korea to offer Chinese, Korean-Chinese residents free trip to Pyongyang”
… An informed source in the North's North Pyongan Province told U.S.-based media Radio Free Asia (RFA) that the North is holding a commemorative event in its capital for Chinese people residing across the country.
YONHAP
Oct. 28 “N. Korea runs 9 merchant ships under foreign flags: report”
… The Institute of Shipping Economics and Logistics told U.S.-based media Radio Free Asia (RFA) via an e-mail that the nine ships out of the North's ships with a displacement tonnage of 300 tons or higher are running under other countries' flags, a practice called flag of convenience.
PHNOM PENH POST
Oct. 24 “It’s real exile now, says Rainsy”
… He also told Radio Free Asia on Friday that he might attempt to enter “by sea or by land” next year.
HONG KONG FREE PRESS
Oct. 22 “‘Shocking’ sentence: Hebei man who killed village chief after house demolition to be executed”
… His lawyer Wei Rujiu told US-backed Radio Free Asia that he received the verdict from the Supreme People’s Court.
UPI
Oct. 21 “U.S., South Korea reach new agreement on 'extended deterrence'”
… "North Korea will likely face many failed launches [but may] make at least 5 to 10 additional attempts to test-fire ballistic missiles," Schiller said, according to Radio Free Asia.
KOREA HERALD
Oct. 21 “NK expected to test-fire at least 5 more Musudan missiles: report”
… Citing Markus Schiller, an aerospace engineer at Munich-based ST Analytics, US-based media Radio Free Asia reported the North's launch the previous day of a Musudan missile following last week's failed launch appears to be an attempt to upgrade its engine.
MYANMAR TIMES (Also in INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS TIMES)
Oct. 21 “As 96 refugees prepare to return from Thailand, Karen groups say it is too early for repatriation”
… Radio Free Asia (RFA) reported on October 18 that some of the 96 refugees will stay in housing provided by the Nippon Foundation near the Myawady border, but the foundation denied this to The Myanmar Times, saying their housing is still under construction.
UPI
Oct. 20 “North Korea restarts construction on Mount Paektu railroad”
… Construction had been suspended due to a shortage of railroad material, but is recently picking up owing to the availability of key components imported from China, Radio Free Asia reported Thursday.
NEWSER
Oct. 20 “How Escape From N. Korea Leads to Online Sex Work in China”
… Life in China is impoverished and dangerous for these North Korean nationals: They can be deported back to their home country if they're caught, per Radio Free Asia.
INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS TIMES
Oct. 20 “Tibetan monk beaten up in Sichuan for shouting anti-China slogans”
… The incident happened in Sichuan's Ngaba county this week, Radio Free Asia reported.
KOREA HERALD
Oct. 18 “N. Korean 'songi' mushrooms distributed as Chinese ones in S. Korea: report”
… Citing an informed source, US-based media Radio Free Asia reported the top-notch mushrooms selling at a price of $200 per 1 kilogram in China fetched $350 at an unspecified South Korean department store and their prices topped $700 during this year's Chuseok fall harvest holiday.
INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS TIMES (Also in PHNOM PENH POST)
Oct. 17 “Why rising dependence on China unnerves Cambodian opposition”
… "Hun Sen's government is borrowing enormous money from China, billions of dollars. I am very concerned about this loan because [we] do not know what the loans have been used for, and there is no monitoring," Sam Rainsy, exiled leader of the opposition Cambodia National Renewal Party, told Radio Free Asia.
CAMBODIA DAILY
Oct. 17 “Procession Closes 100-Day Ceremony for Slain Analyst”
… “Kem Ley knew the situation; he knew about corruption,” she said, adding that she listened to his regular appearances on Radio Free Asia. “Many people did not dare to talk, but he dared to talk and he criticized the government so that it would fix the problems.”
JOONGANG DAILY
Oct. 14 “King encourages nations to sanction North Korea”
… He added that Washington is “looking into various ways at how we can increase the flow of information into North Korea,” adding it has “spent considerable amounts of money” on programs such as Voice of America and Radio Free Asiaand cooperated with Seoul and other governments to get information into Pyongyang.
FREE MUSE
Oct. 14 “China: Two Tibetan singers released after serving out four-year prison terms”
On 3 October 2016, Tibetan singers Chakdor and Pema Trinley were released from prison after serving out their four-year sentences in a prison in China’s southwestern Sichuan province and have returned to their hometown, reported Radio Free Asia on 6 October 2016.
STRAITS TIMES (Also in JAPAN TIMES)
Oct. 14 “China vows to treat ex-soldiers better after rare protest”
… Singing In Unity Is Our Strength and other Chinese military choruses, the veterans sat outside the ruling party's military wing, the Central Military Commission, calling for basic pensions and healthcare in their old age, reported the Radio Free Asia website.
FRONTIER MYANMAR
Oct. 13 “Home Affairs Ministry walks back civil service 'reforms'”
… “We just wanted to change the wording of that memo, cancelling the phrase that says we are putting these five departments under regional and state ministries, and replacing it with ‘regional or state chief ministers can coordinate, negotiate and supervise [along with the home ministry] according to the law,” U Maung Maung Myint, assistant secretary of the ministry was quoted as saying by Radio Free Asia.
CHOSUN ILBO
Oct. 11 “N.Korean Flood Victims Flee to China”
… North Korean concentration camps are teeming with defectors who have been repatriated from China recently, Radio Free Asia quoted a source in North Hamgyong Province as saying.
DAILY MAIL
… While in 2015, Radio Free Asia reported that Uygur imams in Kashgar were forced to tell children that prayer was harmful for the soul and to declare that 'our income comes from the Chinese Communist Party, not from Allah.'
KBS
Oct. 10 “RFA: China Forcibly Sending back N. Korean Escapees”
Radio Free Asia (RFA) said Monday that Chinese authorities are forcibly sending back North Korean escapees in violation of the international refugee convention as the North tightened border controls to block mass defections.
CAMBODIA DAILY
Oct. 7 “Opposition Ends Boycott Of National Assembly”
… Radio Free Asia ran a story on Wednesday with Australian lawmaker Hong Lim, who was born in Cambodia, saying the local Cambodian community would protest the visit. Mr. Chhay Eang said he feared the protest in Australia would spark an anti-opposition demonstration in Cambodia.
KBS
Oct. 6 “Swedish Travel Agency Sells Walk-around Tour in Pyongyang”
… Separately, Radio Free Asia reported Thursday that the Australian travel agency “Tallis Journeys” is selling a trip to North Korea, which will be guided by a former British military officer.
DONG-A ILBO (Also in UPI)
Oct. 6 “Wanxiang is largest importer of N.K. minerals: Radio Free Asia”
Radio Free Asia (RFA) reported Wednesday that the Wanxiang Group is the largest importer of North Korean mineral resources, not the Hongxiang Group, which is under investigation for illegal trading with the North.
COMMITTEE TO PROTECT JOURNALISTS
Oct. 5 “Blogger's prison sentence reduced, news site shuttered in Vietnam”
… Gia also reported frequently for the U.S. government-funded Radio Free Asia's Vietnamese language service.
KBS
Oct. 5 “N. Korea Ranks Bottom in Internet Usage”
Radio Free Asia reported Wednesday that North Korea has ranked at the bottom among countries around the world in terms of Internet usage.
YONHAP (Also in UPI, AQUA NOW)
Oct. 5 “N.K. says U.N. agencies to provide aid after massive floods”
… North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho had appealed for help during his closed-door meetings with U.N. officials when he visited New York for a General Assembly meeting last month, according to a report by U.S.-based media Radio Free Asia (RFA).
SHANGHAIIST
Oct. 4 “80% of data in Chinese clinical trials is fabricated, government study finds”
"Clinical data fabrication was an open secret even before the inspection," one hospital chief told Radio Free Asia.
HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH
Oct. 2 “Vietnam: Free Prominent Blogger”
He writes about social and political issues relating to democracy and human rights for the Vietnamese page of Radio Free Asia, and on politically independent websites including Dan Luan, Dan Lam Bao, and Dan Chim Viet.
