(Washington, DC — Aug. 1, 2017) Radio Free Asia broadcast the following stories, and more, in July:
RFA Reports on arrest of four pro-democracy activists in Vietnam
July 31 – RFA Vietnamese aired story [text in English/Vietnamese] on authorities in Vietnam arresting four members of a pro-democracy group. The four men—all members of the online group Brotherhood for Democracy—were charged with “carrying out activities aimed at overthrowing the people’s administration” under Article 79 of Vietnam’s Penal Code and could face the death penalty if convicted.
RFA Reports on Lao compensation package clearing hurdle in high-speed railway project
July 31 – RFA Lao aired story [text in English/Lao] on Lao government determining final compensation amounts for residents who will lose land and crops to make way for the Lao-Chinese high-speed railway. The move is expected to clear the way for the 6 billion USD project.
RFA Reports on ban on Uyghur language in Xinjiang schools
July 28 – RFA Uyghur aired story [text in English/Uyghur] on authorities in a key prefecture in northwest China’s Uyghur region issuing a directive completely banning the use of the Uyghur language at all education levels up to and including secondary school.
RFA Reports on three Burmese reporters on trial in Shan State
July 28 – RFA Myanmar aired story [English/Burmese] on a Myanmar court trying three journalists from independent domestic news outlets for violating a statute of a colonial-era law in northeastern Shan state. The three journalists — Lawi Weng of the online journal The Irrawaddy, and Aye Nai and Pyae Phone Aung of the Democratic Voice of Burma — were arrested by the military on June 26.
RFA Reports on North Korea luring defectors from South with ‘no punishment’ guarantee
July 27 – RFA Korean aired story [text in English/Korean] on North Korea’s Ministry of State Security ordering local agencies to inform the families of defectors to South Korea that they will face no punitive measures if they return home.
RFA Reports on Tibetan self-immolation in India
July 31 – RFA Tibetan aired story [text in English/Tibetan] on a Tibetan man setting himself on fire and dying in the northwest Indian hill town of Dharamsala in protest of Beijing’s rule of Tibet. It was the second Tibetan self-immolation in July.
RFA Reports on jailed Cambodian analyst demanding PM testify at trial
July 26 – RFA Khmer aired story [text in English/Khmer] on jailed political analyst Kim Sok demanding that Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Sen be made to testify at his defamation trial in Phnom Penh. Kim Sok has been in jail since Feb. 17 after Hun Sen accused him of implying that his ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) orchestrated the murder of popular political pundit Kem Ley during an interview with RFA’s Khmer Service, but Kim Sok has said he was simply repeating what many Cambodians believe.
RFA Reports on dissidents voicing fears over China helming Interpol
July 25 – RFA Cantonese aired story [text in English/Cantonese] on concerns in China among the dissident community as China's vice minister of public security Meng Hongwei takes the presidency of international police organization Interpol. Veteran democracy activist Wei Jingsheng and fellow Chinese dissidents and journalists demonstrated outside Germany's federal police bureau over concerns that Interpol will be co-opted by authoritarian member states to pursue peaceful activists.
RFA Reports on Apple taking down web circumvention apps in China
July 21 – RFA Mandarin aired story [text in English/Mandarin/Cantonese] on Apple's removal of apps from its Chinese app store enabling internet users to get around the country's censorship regime sparking criticism from users and service providers alike, who called the step "disappointing."
RFA Reports on online censorship crackdown in wake of Liu Xiaobo’s death
July 18 – RFA Mandarin and Cantonese aired story [text in English/Mandarin/Cantonese] on China's internet censors blocking the sharing of anything but text on the popular WhatsApp social media app, amid a nationwide clampdown on mentions of late Nobel peace laureate Liu Xiaobo.
RFA Reports on China ordering Xinjiang Android users to install app deleting ‘terrorist’content
July 14 – RFA Mandarin aired story [text in English/Mandarin] on authorities in the northwestern region of Xinjiang ordering local residents to install an app on their cell phones that will monitor their activity for "terrorist content."
RFA Reports on Cambodians marking first anniversary of murdered government critic
July 10 – RFA Khmer aired story [text in English/Khmer] on Cambodians holding services in the capital Phnom Penh and elsewhere in the country marking the first anniversary of the death of prominent government critic and scholar Kem Ley. The United States embassy and rights groups called for a full and impartial reinvestigation of his murder in Phnom Penh.
RFA Reports on Cambodian legislation restricting party’s association with former leader
July 7 – RFA Khmer aired story [text in English/Khmer] on lawmakers from Cambodia’s National Assembly considering an amendment to ban the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) from associating with its former leader Sam Rainsy.
