(Washington, DC — Aug. 1, 2014) Radio Free Asia broadcast the following stories, and more, in July:
RFA Reports on Cambodian man’s death in land dispute
July 31 – RFA Khmer aired story [text in English/Khmer] on a soldier in Cambodia's army shooting and killing a teenager while attempting to seize farmland. Try Chamroeun, a 19-year-old student, was planting soybeans on Sunday along with fellow villagers on a plot in Preah Vihear province when soldier Poeun Tash demanded that he stop, claiming the land belonged to his military boss.
RFA Reports on murder of Uyghur imam in XUAR violence
July 30 – RFA Uyghur aired story [text in English/Uyghur] on the stabbing of the head of the largest mosque in China, who has been highly critical of violence by ethnic minority Muslim Uyghurs in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. Jume Tahir, the Uyghur imam of the Id Kah mosque in Kashgar, was found dead outside the prayer house.
RFA Reports on formal charging of jailed Uyghur scholar
July 30 – RFA Uyghur aired story [text in English/Uyghur] on the announcement of formal charges for jailed ethnic minority Uyghur scholar Ilham Tohti for “inciting separatism” in China. The announcement of his indictment was made in a brief online statement by prosecutors, who had filed documents to back their case at the court without his or his lawyer’s presence.
RFA Reports on Vietnamese bloggers blocked from attending foreign media meeting
July 30 – RFA Vietnamese aired story [text in English/Vietnamese] on authorities in Vietnam preventing several dissident bloggers and activists from attending a social media conference held at the Australian Embassy in the capital Hanoi. The Australian Foreign Ministry had invited an equal number of civil society and government representatives to attend the seminar on “Modern Non-State Media in Vietnam.”
RFA Reports on Chinese forced sterilization couple gaining U.S. asylum
July 30 – RFA Mandarin aired story [text in English/Mandarin] on the granting of refugee status to a couple who fled mainland China with their three children after years of persecution under the country's draconian family planning policies. Before coming to the United States, Hu Hanmin and Zhou Xiaoping were repeatedly targeted by officials in their home province of Hunan after giving birth to a second and third child.
RFA Reports on Vietnamese party members calling for democracy, China push back
July 30 – RFA Vietnamese aired story [text in English/Vietnamese] on 61 distinguished members of the ruling Communist Party of Vietnam urging their top leadership to embrace democratic reforms. They also urged party leadership to stand up to territorial encroachment and political bullying by powerful neighbor China.
RFA Reports on at least dozens of Uyghur deaths in Yarkand uprising
July 29 – RFA Uyghur aired story [text in English/Uyghur] on Chinese police in northwestern China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region killing dozens of knife and axe-wielding ethnic minority Uyghur Muslims. The Uyghurs in the Yarkand area had rioted, apparently in part, over restrictions during the Islamic fasting month of Ramadan and the killing of a family of five.
RFA Reports on shuttering of Hong Kong pro-democracy news site
July 28 – RFA Cantonese and Mandarin aired story [text in English/Cantonese/Mandarin] on the closure of a pro-democracy news website in Hong Kong amid an escalating campaign of intimidation against political activists and outspoken journalists. Tony Tsoi Tung-ho, founder of pro-democracy website House News, announced he was closing down the site amid growing political pressure and intimidation he described as a "white terror" campaign.
RFA Reports on Vietnam banning dissidents from leaving homes during U.N. envoy’s visit
July 25 – RFA Vietnamese aired story [text in English/Vietnamese] on Vietnam's authoritarian government placing dissidents under virtual house arrest in an apparent attempt to prevent them from meeting with a visiting U.N. envoy on human rights. Some of the dissidents said they were prevented from leaving their homes in Ho Chi Minh city, while others said they were harassed or threatened by government security agents when they went out to do daily chores.
RFA Reports on opposition leader joining Cambodian parliament
July 25 – RFA Khmer aired story [text in English/Khmer] on Cambodia's election body accepting opposition leader Sam Rainsy as a lawmaker. The move paves the way for Rainsy’s party to enter parliament as part of a political settlement with Prime Minister Hun Sen.
RFA Reports on Myanmar government considering controversial electoral system
July 24 – RFA Myanmar aired story [text in English/Myanmar] on Myanmar's ruling party-dominated parliament agreeing to debate plans for a controversial electoral system in next year's polls. The ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party is pushing for the system in a bid to prevent a likely landslide win by Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy in the 2015 general elections.
RFA Reports on firing of North Korean officers after shooting incident
July 24 – RFA Korean aired story [text in English/Korean] on the firing of top officers of one of North Korea’s crack army brigades after the shooting death of a member of a military unit tasked with providing security to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. The shooting incident in June has exposed serious discipline problems among the ranks of the 43rd Infantry Brigade, a special forces unit under North Korea’s Ministry of the People’s Armed Forces.
RFA Reports on Myanmar opposition eyeing 10 million signatures for charter petition
July 23 – RFA Myanmar aired story [text in English/Myanmar] on Myanmar’s opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) party anticipating 10 million signatures for its petition to amend the country’s constitution. The petition, organized jointly by the NLD and the 88 Generation students group, calls for amendments to Article 436 of the charter, which allows effective veto power by Myanmar’s military over proposed constitutional changes.
RFA Reports on jailing of Chinese blogger after criticism of local officials
July 23 – RFA Mandarin and Cantonese aired story [text in English/Mandarin/Cantonese] on authorities in the Chinese province of Yunnan sentencing a well-known blogger to six and a half years in prison after he criticized local officials online. Dong Rubin, a businessman and blogger with 50,000 followers online, was convicted of “fabricating and spreading online rumors for economic gain” and of conducting “illegal business operations” by a court in Kunming.
RFA Reports on daughter of jailed Chinese pastor coming to U.S.
July 21 – RFA Mandarin aired story [text in English/Mandarin] on the daughter of jailed Chinese Protestant pastor Zhang Huixin arriving in the United States to raise awareness of government persecution of her father's church. Her father, a former president of the government-sanctioned Protestant association and adviser to the county People's Political Consultative Conference, was recently sentenced to 12 years' imprisonment by a court in Nanle county.
RFA Reports on rising education costs in North Korea sending drop-out rate soaring
July 18 – RFA Korean aired story [text in English/Korean] on rising education costs in primary and secondary schools in North Korea leading to a high dropout rate across the country, with some parents turning to private tutors for their children. Limited professional opportunities and mandatory conscription upon graduation are also causing North Korean families to question the value of an education.
RFA Reports on fears of secret trial and conviction for Chinese anti-graft activist
July 17 – RFA Mandarin aired story [text in English/Mandarin] on the possible secret trial and sentencing of one of three Chinese anti-graft activists detained by authorities in the southern province of Guangdong. Rights attorney Zheng Jianwei came across a court judgment sentencing Huang Wenxun to four years' imprisonment for "incitement to subvert state power" while searching court records for information on a different activist.
RFA Reports on ‘plainclothes’ cops attacking well known Chinese activist
July 17 – RFA Mandarin and Cantonese aired story [text in English/Mandarin/Cantonese] on Chinese activists criticizing a late-night attack on Beijing-based veteran rights campaigner Hu Jia that he said was carried out by "plainclothes cops."
RFA Reports on Tibetan hanging himself in protest of Beijing’s restrictions
July 17 – RFA Tibetan aired story [text in English/Tibetan] on the hanging death of a young Tibetan enrolled at a large monastery in northwest China’s Gansu province. Local sources told RFA that the 24-year-old monk hanged himself in protest over official restrictions from China’s government on monastic life, citing hardships in the daily life of Tibetan monks and nuns.
RFA Reports on attempted suicide of 12 Chinese petitioners
July 16 – RFA Mandarin and Cantonese aired story [text in English/Mandarin/Cantonese] on the hospitalization of 12 people in Beijing after two mass suicide attempts apparently triggered by authorities’ failure to look into their grievances, including forced evictions. China's army of petitioners frequently report being held in "black jails," beaten, and harassed if they persist in a complaint beyond its initial rejection at a local level.
RFA Reports on Myanmar lawyer appealing reporters’ convictions over chemical weapons claim
July 15 – RFA Myanmar aired story [text in English/Myanmar] on a Myanmar lawyer appealing the convictions of reporters sentenced to 10 years of hard labor for compromising national security after publishing articles about an alleged chemical weapons factory. The weekly newspaper published an article in late January alleging that the military had confiscated more than 3,000 acres of farmland to build a chemical weapons factory in Magway’s Pauk town under the instruction of former junta strongman Than Shwe.
RFA Reports on detentions of opposition MPs following Phnom Penh clashes
July 15 – RFA Khmer aired story [text in English/Khmer] on the detention of four top lawmakers from the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) following clashes which erupted when CNRP supporters moved to end the government blockade of Freedom Park in Phnom Penh. The clash between the CNRP supporters, numbering around 200, and security guards marked the worst violence in Cambodia since a deadly crackdown on opposition-backed striking garment workers in January, which led to the closure of the site to the public.
RFA Reports on Dalai Lama calling for ‘realistic’ approach to break Tibet impasse
July 15 – RFA Tibetan aired story [text in English/Tibetan] on Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama calling for a “realistic” approach to resolving the Tibet question. The Tibetan leader warned that viewing the dispute solely through the prism of history could only worsen the situation.
RFA Reports on stabbing of six Han Chinese farmers in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region
July 14 – RFA Uyghur aired story [text in English/Uyghur] on the stabbing of six ethnic majority Han Chinese farmers in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. Local authorities did not say what triggered the bloodshed, which came as Chinese authorities pushed ahead with a relentless anti-terrorism crackdown following several high-profile attacks blamed on militants in the region.
RFA Reports on Laos warning Facebook users for ‘disruptions’
July 14 – RFA Lao aired story [text in English/Lao] on authorities in Laos warning Facebook users that their accounts will be blocked if they post information that “disrupt[s] social order and undermine[s] security.” The warning was made at the National Assembly, the country’s rubber stamp parliament, amid reports that the one-party Communist government is drafting at least three new laws to regulate online information.
RFA Reports on Cambodian court ordering probe into U.S.-based dissident
July 10 – RFA Khmer aired story [text in English/Khmer] on a Phnom Penh court weighing more serious charges against a U.S.-based Cambodia dissident, accused of instigating an armed revolt against Prime Minister Hun Sen. Sourn Serey Ratha, who leads the Khmer People Power Movement (KPPM), was initially charged with “incitement to commit a crime” based on leaflets distributed to the public in August last year calling on the Cambodian armed forces to turn their guns against the “dictator” instead of against people protesting over disputed general elections.
RFA Reports on silencing of Chinese minority dissident during Kerry visit
July 9 – RFA Cantonese and Mandarin aired story [text in English/Cantonese/Mandarin] on the house arrest of Tibetan poet and writer Tsering Woeser as U.S. and Chinese officials began a high-profile round of annual talks in Beijing. She said the move came after she posted on Twitter and Facebook that she had received an invitation from U.S. officials.
RFA Reports on Myanmar activist getting another jail term in pursuit of justice
July 9 – RFA Myanmar aired story [text in English/Myanmar] on the sentencing of Myanmar activist Htin Kyaw, who has been sentenced to jail at least six times under President Thein Sein’s rule. Htin Kyaw was ordered by a court to serve an additional three months in prison on a charge that his attempt to meet with opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi over a land rights case constituted an illegal protest.
RFA Reports on Khmer Krom monks clashing with Cambodian police over Hanoi claim
July 8 – RFA Khmer aired story [text in English/Khmer] on more than a hundred monks and students from Vietnam’s Khmer Krom ethnic minority living in Cambodia clashing with riot police and security guards in front of the Vietnamese embassy in Cambodia’s capital Phnom Penh. The demonstrators marched to demand an apology for statements by Hanoi claiming historic ownership of a disputed territory.
RFA Reports on Laos preparing charges against deported Hmong resistance leader
July 7 – RFA Lao aired story [text in English/Lao] on Lao authorities investigating longstanding charges against a former ethnic minority Hmong resistance leader facing prosecution after being deported from neighboring Thailand. A Lao security official, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed that Moua Toua Ter was deported home on June 23 from Thailand and was “under investigation” for charges Lao authorities had leveled against him years ago.
RFA Reports on armed Cambodian villagers’ standoff with police over land dispute
July 7 – RFA Khmer aired story [text in English/Khmer] on a standoff between Cambodian police and a group of villagers in central Cambodia involved in a long-running land dispute with a company belonging to the wife of Mines Minister Suy Sem. The villagers used machetes and sticks to protect their leaders from being arrested by about 200 policemen.
RFA Reports on Tibetans in China ‘covertly’ celebrating Dalai Lama’s birthday
July 7 – RFA Tibetan aired story [text in English/Tibetan] on Tibetans in China observing the birthday of the Dalai Lama by holding celebrations “covertly” in spite of new restrictions, including a cut-off in communications in some areas. Activities in the Tsolho Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in northwestern China’s Qinghai province included hoisting prayer flags, going on picnics, holding horse races, and burning juniper branches as offerings at sacred mountain sites.
RFA Reports on arrests over Tiananmen memorial events
July 4 – RFA Mandarin and Cantonese aired story [text in English/Mandarin/Cantonese] on Chinese authorities arresting at least 17 people in connection with public attempts to mark the 25th anniversary of the military crackdown on pro-democracy protests in Tiananmen Square. The ruling Chinese Communist Party bans public memorials marking the event, although police have escorted the relatives of those who died from house arrest to cemeteries to pay their respects to loved ones in private.
RFA Reports on detention of four Tibetans over mine protest
July 3 – RFA Tibetan aired story [text in English/Tibetan] on authorities in northwestern China’s Qinghai province releasing all but four of 27 Tibetans detained for opposing a Chinese mining operation that had run beyond its leasing contract and had begun to encroach on sacred sites. Relatives of the four still in custody for protesting against the mining of white marble in Qinghai have not been told the exact location of the prison where they are held.
RFA Reports on North Korea expanding jamming, surveillance of Chinese mobile devices
July 3 – RFA Korean aired story [text in English/Korean] on North Korea stepping up measures to counter the use of illegal cell phones operating on neighboring China’s telecommunications networks. Measures include the deploying of jamming and wiretapping equipment along the common border.
RFA Reports on hundreds of arrests during Hong Kong democracy march
July 2 – RFA Cantonese and Mandarin aired story [text in English/Cantonese/Mandarin] on Hong Kong police arresting more than 500 protesters during an all-night sit-in following a mass pro-democracy march that drew up to half a million people. The arrests prompted immediate criticisms from rights groups and activists, who said the protesters shouldn't have been detained for "peaceful and legitimate" actions.
RFA Reports on rights group slamming Cambodia at U.N. review
July 2 – RFA Khmer aired story [text in English/Khmer] on rights group urging foreign donors to push Cambodia’s government to end its human rights abuses after Phnom Penh allegedly snubbed recommendations by foreign governments to improve the country’s rights record. Representatives of foreign governments proposed several areas of improvement for Cambodia during the country’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR) session on June 26 at the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva—a rights review mechanism through which all U.N. member states are examined every four years.
RFA Reports on Mandalay anti-Muslim riots turning deadly
July 2 – RFA Myanmar aired story [text in English/Myanmar] on anti-Muslim riots in Myanmar’s second largest city Mandalay leaving two people dead and about a dozen wounded, and motor vehicles and shops ablaze. The two men were killed when Buddhist mobs attacked minority Muslim homes in Chan Aye Thar Zan township, triggering clashes.
RFA Reports on former Vietnamese political prisoner blaming HIV infection on prison conditions
July 2 – RFA Vietnamese aired story [text in English/Vietnamese] on a former Vietnamese political prisoner blaming his HIV infection on inhumane conditions during his imprisonment.
RFA Reports on Myanmar group challenging government probe of journals’ business
July 1 – RFA Myanmar aired story [text in English/Myanmar] on a Myanmar media group launching a campaign over the legality of a police investigation into the internal operations of the country’s news publications. In June, the country’s police intelligence unit summoned editors of news publications to inquire about their business procedures, including financial records, though the government insists the meetings are merely “discussions” to gather “basic information.”
RFA Reports on email, Internet ban for overseas North Korean officials
July 1 – RFA Korean aired story [text in English/Korean] on North Korea issuing an order preventing its trade officials abroad from using the Internet, apparently to stop them from sending “outside information” to the reclusive country. The government-linked officials, whose job is to generate revenue for the cash-starved government by trading in goods or services, have also been asked not to use emails to contact their parties back home but to fax messages to them instead.
