(Washington, DC — Dec. 1, 2012) Radio Free Asia broadcast the following stories, and more, in November:
RFA Reports on self-immolations reaching 90
Nov. 30 – RFA Tibetan aired story [text in English/Tibetan] on another Tibetan burning himself to death in Sichuan, bringing the self-immolation toll to 90, with 28 occurring in November. This has triggered calls for multilateral action to pressure Beijing to ease the clampdown in Tibet.
RFA Reports on sentencing of Chen nephew to 39 months
Nov. 30 – RFA Mandarin and Cantonese aired story [text in English/Mandarin/Cantonese] on authorities in the eastern Chinese province of Shandong handing a 39-month jail term to the nephew of activist Chen Guangcheng. The sentence came after a trial that lasted four-and-a-half hours, and the family was informed only by telephone after the sentence was passed.
RFA Reports on Buddhist leader critical of religious decree in Vietnam
Nov. 30 – RFA Vietnamese aired story [text in English/Vietnamese] on a prominent Vietnamese Buddhist leader criticizing a new religious decree. The decree, which was introduced in early November, spells out directives and measures for implementing the ‘Ordinance on Beliefs and Religion’ governing religious practice in Vietnam.
RFA Reports on calls for apology over Burmese mine crackdown
Nov. 30 – RFA Burmese aired story [text in English/Burmese] on Burmese democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi demanding an apology from local authorities for a violent crackdown against a group of villagers and monks protesting a controversial China-backed copper mine in northwestern Burma. Speaking in Monywa city, near the site of the Letpadaung Copper Mine, she condemned the pre-dawn raid by police to disperse protest camps.
RFA Reports on inequality in treatment of China’s Muslims
Nov. 30 – RFA Uyghur aired story [text in English/Uyghur] on China claiming its laws provide equal religious freedom for Uyghurs and the country’s other main Muslim group, the Hui. But analyses show Uyghurs face stricter controls on religious education, worship, and dress because of Islam’s links to their political identity.
RFA Reports on confiscation of North Korean ex-general’s images
Nov. 29 – RFA Korean aired story [text in English/Korean] on North Korean authorities ordering the public to hand over images of a former military official who fell from political grace. The move comes amid reports that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has named a hard-liner general, Kim Kyok Sik, to the post of Armed Forces Minister as part of a broad reshuffle of the military.
RFA Reports on Cambodian opposition threatening election boycott
Nov. 29 – RFA Khmer aired story [text in English/Khmer] on Cambodia’s leading opposition party saying it would boycott general elections in 2013 unless electoral reforms are made. The opposition also called on the Cambodian government to allow its presiding leader, Sam Rainsy, to return to Cambodia, where he has been barred from running on the grounds of his criminal conviction.
RFA Reports on Uyghur unrest after veil-lifting incident
Nov. 29 – RFA Uyghur aired story [text in English/Uyghur] on the injury of at least 50 ethnic Muslim Uyghurs in clashes with police in central China's Henan province after the authorities dispersed protests by an estimated 1,000 Uyghurs. The unrest was prompted by allegations that a Han Chinese man had lifted a Uyghur girl's veil.
RFA Reports on jailing of men for holding Chinese petitioners
Nov. 28 – RFA Cantonese aired story [text in English/Cantonese] on a Beijing court ordering the jailing of 10 men, believed to have been working for local authorities, for "illegally detaining" a group of petitioners. In a move that was cautiously welcomed by rights activists, the Chaoyang District People's court found the men guilty of holding 12 petitioners in the central province of Henan last May.
RFA Reports on Tibetan student protests spreading
Nov. 28 – RFA Tibetan aired story [text in English/Tibetan] on Tibetan student protests against Chinese rule spreading in Qinghai province, as another Tibetan burned himself to death to signal opposition to Beijing's policy. Students from the Tsolho Technical School in the Tsolho Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture stormed out of their campus shouting for freedom and Tibetan language rights in front of the area’s government center.
RFA Reports on Obama raising concerns over jailed Cambodian radio chief
Nov. 27 – RFA Khmer aired story [text in English/Khmer] on President Barack Obama raising concerns over the jailing of an independent Cambodian radio station owner during his visit to the country. During Obama’s visit, the wife of 71-year-old Mam Sonando pleaded with the Cambodian government to release the independent broadcaster following his recent conviction for plotting a revolt of villagers over a land dispute.
RFA Reports on controversy over Rohingya resettlement plan
Nov. 27 – RFA Burmese aired story [text English/Burmese] on Buddhist Rakhines in western Burma opposing plans to set up a refugee camp for Muslim Rohingyas who fled recent deadly violence between the two communities.
RFA Reports on Hun Sen comments drawing ire
Nov. 26 – RFA Khmer aired story [text in English/Khmer] on Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen causing a furor by saying he forbids political parties and nongovernmental organizations from intervening in land disputes. He later toned down his policy following a public outcry.
RFA Reports on tweet landing Chinese netizen in jail
Nov. 22 – RFA Mandarin and Cantonese aired story [text in English/Mandarin/Cantonese] on Chinese netizens launching a signature campaign for the release of a detained Beijing-based Twitter user. He has been held since tweeting about the ruling Chinese Communist Party Congress.
RFA Reports on threats to cut Chinese aid for Tibetans over burnings
Nov. 22 – RFA Tibetan aired story [text in English/Tibetan] on Chinese authorities threatening to block aid to families and villages of Tibetans who burn themselves to death in protest against Chinese rule. Authorities appear to have become increasingly concerned over the burnings.
RFA Reports on beating of Vietnamese blogger
Nov. 21 – RFA Vietnamese aired story [text in English/Vietnamese] on the beating of a Vietnamese dissident blogger at the hands of police after an appeals court upheld his six-year jail term for anti-state propaganda. It was not immediately clear why the police beat Dinh, who had been sentenced in August for “conducting propaganda against the state,” a charge rights groups have said the one-party communist state routinely uses to silence dissent.
RFA Reports on criticism of inquiry into Cambodian reporter’s murder
Nov. 21 – RFA Khmer aired story [text in English/Khmer] on a provincial court in northeastern Cambodia concluding its investigation into the murder of a journalist who had exposed corruption involving local elites. A local rights group said the probe was not far-reaching enough.
RFA Reports on clashes over Chinese power plant plans
Nov. 21 – RFA Mandarin and Cantonese aired story [text in English/Mandarin/Cantonese] on the hospitalization of more than 10 people after a clash between police and residents. The residents were protesting plans to run high-voltage power transmission cables above their homes in the eastern Chinese city of Wenzhou.
RFA Reports on arrests of human traffickers in Laos
Nov. 20 – RFA Lao aired story [text in English/Lao] on Laos filing charges against 20 suspected human traffickers, including foreigners, who forced teenage girls into prostitution after luring them from rural areas. The suspects were involved in 12 cases of human trafficking investigated over a three-month period.
RFA Reports on outcry over deaths of Chinese migrant children
Nov. 20 – RFA Mandarin aired story [text in English/Mandarin] on authorities in the southwestern Chinese province of Guizhou taking disciplinary action against eight officials and teachers in connection with the deaths of five children of migrant workers. The individuals’ bodies were found in a dumpster where they apparently had been living.
RFA Reports on historic talks with Burmese president, Obama
Nov. 19 – RFA Burmese aired story [text in English/Burmese] on Burmese President Thein Sein indicating to President Barack Obama that he will push ahead with democratic reforms in landmark talks. In a move that coincided with Obama’s trip to the once-pariah state, Burma released scores of political prisoners in a government amnesty following U.S. calls for their freedom.
RFA Reports on economic punishment for Chinese dissident poet
Nov. 19 – RFA Cantonese and Mandarin aired story [text in English/Cantonese/Mandarin] on a court in the southwestern Chinese province of Sichuan handing a 12-year jail term to dissident poet Li Bifeng for "contract fraud." Chinese rights activists say it is increasingly common for the authorities to fabricate various economic crimes as a way of limiting dissent.
RFA Reports on release of activists after CCP Congress meeting
Nov. 16 – RFA Mandarin and Cantonese aired story [text in English/Mandarin/Cantonese] on authorities across China releasing rights activists held in detention centers and hotels or under house arrest during the November meeting of the CCP’s 18th Congress. Some individuals remain missing, however.
RFA Reports on call for changes to Burma’s charter
Nov. 16 – RFA Burmese aired story [text in English/Burmese] on opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi calling for all parties in Burma, not just parliament, to make efforts to amend the country’s constitution. She warned that the current charter cannot ensure credible elections in 2015.
RFA Reports on silence on Bo Xilai case
Nov. 14 – RFA Cantonese aired story [text in English/Cantonese] on lawyers for fallen political star Bo Xilai saying there has been little movement on their bid to represent him. In October, China's parliament expelled Bo from its ranks following accusations of corruption and sexual misconduct, removing the former Chongqing Communist Party chief's parliamentary privilege and paving the way for a trial.
RFA Reports on rights group alleging ‘culture of impunity’ in Cambodia
Nov. 13 – RFA Khmer aired story [text in English/Khmer] on an international rights watchdog charging that Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen’s iron-fisted rule has led to hundreds of political killings. More than 300 people have been killed in the past two decades in politically motivated attacks that have gone unpunished.
RFA Reports on detentions for two in China after U.S. election party
Nov. 13 – RFA Mandarin and Cantonese aired story [text in English/Mandarin/Cantonese] on authorities in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong detaining two rights activists after attending a U.S. election-night party run by the American Chamber of Commerce.
RFA Reports on former prosecutor speaking out on internal CCP probes
Nov. 11 – RFA Mandarin and Cantonese aired story [text in English/Mandarin/Cantonese] on police harassment of a former state prosecutor who published a book detailing rights abuses in the ruling Chinese Communist Party's own disciplinary system. Shen's book details the inner workings of the Party's "shuanggui" disciplinary process, which was recently undergone by former Chongqing Party boss Bo Xilai.
RFA Reports on Tibetan student protests
Nov. 9 – RFA Tibetan aired story [text in English/Tibetan] on several thousand Tibetan students taking to the streets in Qinghai province and demanding greater rights following a record number of self-immolation protests against Chinese rule in Tibetan-populated areas. Speaking to RFA, protesters described area streets filled with Chinese security forces, plainclothes police, and military vehicles.
RFA Reports on food shortages hampering North Korean reforms
Nov. 9 – RFA Korean aired story [text in English/Korean] on reversals to North Korea’s much-touted economic reform plans. In-country sources blame the postponement to food shortages and other hardships.
RFA Reports on Cambodian land activist monk vowing to continue fight
Nov. 8 – RFA Khmer aired story [text in English/Khmer] on Cambodia’s technology-savvy activist monk Loun Sovath calling on authorities in his country to end the use of violence in land eviction cases. In an interview with RFA, the monk who recently won an international human rights award vowed to continue his struggle to protect victims of land grabs.
RFA Reports on calls to beef up security in Burma’s Rakhine state
Nov. 8 – RFA Burmese aired story [text in English/Burmese] on opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi and lawmakers from ethnic minority groups calling on the Burmese government to increase security in the restive Rakhine state. They urged all parties in the region to “respect human rights,” regardless of religion and race.
RFA Reports on record five Tibetan burnings in one day
Nov. 7 – RFA Tibetan aired story [text in English/Tibetan] on five Tibetans, including a young mother and three teenage boys, setting fire to themselves in protest against Chinese rule in the largest number of self-immolations in a single day. The burnings came just before the ruling Chinese Communist Party's Congress and leadership transfer in Beijing.
RFA Reports on North Korea plans for political prison
Nov. 6 – RFA Korean aired story [text in English/Korean] on North Korea planning to convert a notorious political prison camp into a coal mining hub after transferring the remaining prisoners to another facility. The plan is to use the facilities of the former camp to step up production at the Chungbong mine.
RFA Reports on potential delay for ban on Chinese organ harvesting
Nov. 5 – RFA Mandarin aired story [text in English/Mandarin] on expectations that China's plans to ban the use of organs harvested from executed prisoners could take two decades to implement. Rights groups have long charged China with a deliberate policy of linking the criminal justice system and local hospitals in an attempt to meet the growing demand for transplants.
RFA Reports on Laos breaking ground on controversial dam
Nov. 5 – RFA Lao aired story [text in English/Lao] on Laos beginning construction of the controversial Xayaburi dam project on the Mekong River despite objections from environmental groups and neighboring countries.
RFA Reports on disappearance of Tibetan filmmaker
Nov. 5 – RFA Tibetan aired story [text in English/Tibetan] on the disappearance of a Tibetan monk who assisted in the filming of a 2008 documentary on the lives of Tibetans under Chinese rule. He is believed to be in the custody of Chinese authorities who also have destroyed his home in Gansu province.
RFA Reports on UN calling on China to ease restrictions on Tibetans
Nov. 2 – RFA Tibetan aired story [text in English/Tibetan] on U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay calling on China to address the grievances of Tibetans amid reports of new security clampdowns, travel restrictions, and disruption of communication links in Tibetan areas. The U.N. human rights chief also urged an end to Tibetan self-immolation protests.
