Due to funding uncertainty, RFA will pause its editorial operations on Oct. 31, 2025.

These video testimonials for the series “We are RFA” were recorded in March 2025, in the days following the termination of RFA’s funding grant. Since then, more than 90% of the editorial staff was furloughed or laid off.

Truong Son, RFA Vietnamese

Truong Son, director of RFA Vietnamese, has not been able to return home since he began working at RFA. For him, this is not only a job but also a duty.

“We bear the responsibility to tell the truth and break the censorship and propaganda the Vietnamese authorities impose on the entire society,” he said, adding that some people have been imprisoned in Vietnam for writing for RFA.

Losing RFA would mean the communist regime in Vietnam gains total control over information for 100 million people, he said.

Hye Jun Seo and Jamin Anderson, RFA Korean

For decades, Radio Free Asia has been a critical source of uncensored news for North Koreans living under an authoritarian regime with extremely limited access to information.

“RFA’s mission is to protect the North Korean people’s right to know and their right to freedom of speech,” said RFA Korean reporter Jamin Anderson, who along with her colleague Hye Jun Seo have interviewed many North Korean escapees.

“We want our audience to hear their stories.”

Mamatjan Juma, RFA Uyghur

RFA Uyghur journalists and their families have faced ongoing intimidation tactics from the Chinese government for years.

“China arrested and sentenced at least 50 of our colleagues’ relatives and loved ones in an attempt to stop us from what we are doing,” said RFA Uyghur’s Mamatjan Juma.

Their job has been reporting on China’s treatment of the Uyghur people, which the United States government has designated as genocide and crimes against humanity.

Aye Aye Mon, RFA Burmese

RFA Burmese journalist Aye Aye Mon was forced to flee Myanmar after the military coup in 2021. She has risked her life and her freedom to return and report on the civil war and its impact on the people of Myanmar.

“It’s an honor to provide a voice for those who need it most,” she said.

Eugene Whong, RFA English

RFA podcast host and editor Eugene Whong has been the voice behind many video reports. In 2021, he reported on Mya Thwe Thwe Khaing, the first peaceful protester killed by the Myanmar junta following the coup in 2021.

“I realized that at that moment these were not just words that I was reading into a microphone,” he said. “It’s an actual account of events that happened to real people.”

Kitty Wang, RFA Mandarin

RFA Mandarin journalist Kitty Wang said that the Chinese government’s suppression of information about the Tiananmen Square massacre shaped her as a journalist, forging her commitment to protecting and upholding freedom of information.

“Without it [information], there can be no freedom of thought. Without it, people live in darkness. Through my work at RFA, I hope to bring them light,” Kitty said.

Win Ei San, RFA Burmese

Win Ei San arrived in the U.S. as a refugee and has been working as a graphic designer for RFA Burmese for a year and a half.

“I have learned so many things in such a short time,” said San, who has worked on projects related to the ongoing civil war in Myanmar and its casualties.

“I have so much more I want to do.”

Vuthy Huot, RFA Khmer

“If we don’t keep fighting, we won’t survive,” said RFA journalist Vuthy Huot who survived a genocide by the Khmer Rouge. As a journalist with RFA Khmer, he tells stories that matter to local people.

“The information is not filtered, not controlled, by the government. The information that helps them make the right decisions.”

RFA Cantonese journalist

“I have to hide my identity because all Hong Kong people are under the threat of the National Security Law,” said this RFA Cantonese journalist.

Threatened by China’s transnational repression, he had to leave his home in pursuit of a safe space to practice independent journalism.

“If I stay in Hong Kong and bow to the government, we have to sacrifice our principles as independent journalists.”

Tashi Wangchuk, RFA Tibetan

Radio Free Asia’s Tibetan Service has served as a bridge connecting people living under Chinese rule in Tibet with the outside world. However, this role comes with significant risks, said Tashi Wangchuk, a journalist for RFA Tibetan Service.

“For me personally, I have received threats from the Chinese government throughout my journalism career, and these have progressively gotten worse,” he said, adding that such intimidation will not deter him from delivering truthful reporting to his audience.

Souphatta, RFA Lao

RFA Lao journalist Souphatta has been reporting on human trafficking stories for three years. She began after a mother contacted her asking for help in rescuing her daughter.

In the years since, parents and younger people trapped in scam centers have told Souphatta that “without RFA, they would not have a future.”

Khet Mar, RFA Burmese

The ongoing civil war in Myanmar, which started after the 2021 coup, has killed tens of thousands of people. During that time, RFA journalists have shed light on the human cost of the war and brought global attention to the fight for democracy.

“While our voice has been diminished, our fight for human rights, press freedom, and a just future for Myanmar continues,” said Khet Mar, an RFA Burmese journalist.

Alim Seytoff, RFA Uyghur

For the past 26 years, Radio Free Asia’s Uyghur Service has exposed China’s atrocities against the Uyghur people in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. This includes mass detentions, the establishment of concentration camps, and the horrific treatment of Uyghur women, according to Alim Seytoff, the director of RFA Uyghur Service.

“As a result of our groundbreaking reports, the first Trump administration determined that China is committing genocide and crimes against humanity against the Uyghur people,” he said.

Thiri Min Zin, RFA Burmese

Thiri Min Zin, an anchor for RFA Burmese, was forced to leave Myanmar after a 2021 coup installed a ruling junta that has targeted journalists. Despite the hardships she has encountered, she remains committed to her work.

“It is my superpower—to tell the truth and help my people,” she said. “What I can do to help my country is to share true information.”

Ounkeo Souksavanh, RFA Lao

For RFA Lao journalist Ounkeo Souksavanh, leaving his home country wasn’t a choice — he was blacklisted by the communist government for his radio show. “In Laos, the truth is not often shared. Anyone who criticizes the government faces arrest.”

Ounkeo joined RFA to report accurate news to the people in his home country. “RFA was a lifeline to keep telling the truth,” he said.

Kim Ji Eun, RFA Korean

As a North Korean escapee, RFA Korean journalist Kim Ji Eun has used her reporting to reach residents still inside the country, where Kim Jong Un’s dictatorship tightly controls all access to information.

“RFA is truly a beacon of hope for those who are in deep despair,” Kim Ji Eun said, adding that she had talked to people who decided to escape North Korea after listening to RFA broadcasts.

RFA Tibetan journalist

Radio Free Asia has long been a lifeline for audiences in Tibet, according to an RFA journalist of two decades whose identity is being withheld for safety.

“RFA sheds light on the darkest corner of Tibet,” he said, “and serves as a window for Tibetans inside the region to see the world outside.”

He remains resolute, even though his work has come at a cost.

“My family members who remain in Tibet are constantly surveilled,” he said. “I am determined to continue to tell these stories that counter China’s false narratives.”

Zin Mar Win, RFA Burmese

RFA Burmese’s Zin Mar Win became a journalist after growing up listening to the radio for news. She fled Myanmar after realizing that the ruling junta was targeting journalists, herself included. She has continued to tell her country’s stories.

“While I have a voice, I will tell the truth. This story is not just mine. It’s the story of millions of Myanmar people who refuse to be silenced,” she said.

Chih-Te Lee, Asia Fact Check Lab

Chih-Te Lee is the Director of the Asia Fact Check Lab at Radio Free Asia, where he fact-checks false and misleading narratives, including comments from officials in totalitarian states like China.

“We believe that facts are the most powerful antidote to extremism, conspiracy theory and hearsay,” he said, adding that “fact-based free speech is the foundation of democracy.”

Vuthy Tha, RFA Khmer

Vuthy Tha worked for RFA Khmer’s newsroom in Cambodia before it was closed by Prime Minister Hun Sen’s authoritarian regime in 2017.

Vuthy knew he had to leave Cambodia because the government monitored his movements.

It took him seven years to obtain a work visa and rejoin RFA.

“On my flight to America with my two children, all I could think about was how America was a safe place for us,” he said.

Wai Mar Htun, RFA Burmese

In war-torn Myanmar, “access to information is as important as food,” RFA Burmese journalist Wai Mar Htun said.

“Access to credible information allows people to make vital decisions,” she said. With news sources and VPNs restricted by the ruling junta, RFA serves a critical role.

Mekong reporter, RFA Lao

For the past 10 years, this Lao reporter has been covering the Mekong River, which is a vital source of food, drinking water, and livelihoods for more than 60 million people.

The river is under significant pressure due to the impact of hydropower dams, which are affecting both the local communities and wildlife, he said.

“It has meant everything to me to bring these stories of the Mekong to you,” he said.

RFA Tibetan journalist

Persecution. Harassment. Loss of contact with family members.

This RFA Tibetan journalist has risked it all to report accurate, independent news about the atrocities faced by Tibetans in Tibet. “My family members in Tibet were persecuted on account of my work. … They are still – to this day – being harassed by the Chinese government,” he said.

How has RFA’s journalism impacted Tibetans? “From the widespread Tibet protests of 2008 to the wave of self-immolations and China’s systemic efforts to erase Tibetan identity, RFA has been instrumental in providing a rare window into Tibet,” he said.

July Myo, RFA Burmese

Reliable news can be hard to come by for many in Myanmar, where internet access is often restricted and a civil war has claimed thousands of lives. Young people are being forcibly conscripted into the military, making independent reporting more crucial than ever.

“I am proud to share their stories, to give them a voice,” says July Myo, an RFA Burmese reporter from a town hit by airstrikes.

WHYNOT journalist

What would Chinese-language journalism look like in an open and free environment?

WHYNOT, a digital news magazine affiliated with Radio Free Asia, has an answer.

“Our uncensored reports not only inform our audience of events that are happening now, but also document our time so that history and the truth cannot be erased by the Chinese government,” a WHYNOT journalist said.

Ye Kaung Myint Maung, RFA Burmese

Ye Kaung Myint Maung, a journalist for RFA Burmese, has dedicated years to reporting on Myanmar and remains committed to uncovering the truth.

“Journalism doesn’t stop. The truth doesn’t disappear,” he said.

Due to uncertain funding, Radio Free Asia is not delivering news to our audiences for the first time in our history.

For RFA journalists who sacrificed so much in defying powerful and malignant forces, it’s an excruciating moment. And make no mistake, authoritarian regimes are already celebrating RFA’s potential demise.

When RFA Uyghur journalists first exposed the violent repression and mass detainment of Uyghurs in Xinjiang, China harassed and arrested their family members. Still, our journalists bravely continued the work of uncovering atrocities. With the world’s only independent Uyghur-language news service shuttered, China’s propaganda will fester without a potent and effective accountability check.

Without RFA Tibetan journalists, China’s campaign of forced assimilation and erasure of Tibetan culture and language will be underreported. As will China’s regime of intimidation and suppression of pro-democracy activism in Hong Kong, which RFA Cantonese journalists regularly exposed at great risk to their own personal safety. Without RFA Mandarin, WHYNOT and Asia Fact Check Lab, independent reporting and fact-checking in the most widely spoken of all Chinese dialects is severely diminished.

Without RFA journalism in Vietnam, where at least four RFA contributors remain imprisoned, the communist regime has a total monopoly on information disseminated to more than 100 million people.

In Myanmar, where later this year the military government is staging long-promised elections largely condemned as a sham, there will be no RFA Burmese journalists scrutinizing the junta’s promise of a free and fair vote. Those journalists were honored this month with two national Murrow Awards for their excellent reporting.

Without RFA Korean, 26 million North Koreans isolated by the repressive regime’s war on free speech and a free press will lack a critical link to independent information. RFA Korean journalists were celebrated earlier this year at the 50th annual Gracie Awards for their report on North Korean escapees.

RFA Lao journalists exposed the perils of the rush to dam the Mekong River. They also reported on the alarming rise of teenagers trafficked into scam centers in Myanmar, which the United Nations described as a human rights epidemic of exploitation, forced labor and torture. The absence of RFA journalism amputates that fearless reporting in Laos, where criticism of authorities can result in long prison sentences.

It was RFA’s Investigative Unit that laid bare the forced labor scam compounds perpetrated by the Prince Group. Just this month, the United States and the United Kingdom imposed sweeping sanctions against the Cambodian conglomerate, designating it a transnational criminal organization. Without our investigative journalists, the schemes that authoritarian regimes and corrupt organizations work so hard to conceal will likely remain hidden.

The journalists of RFA Khmer, including those who told heartbreaking stories of surviving the Cambodian genocide, worked tirelessly to expose the persistent corruption and cronyism within Cambodia’s authoritarian government. In response, the regime declared two of our journalists as “hostile to the state,” a broad legal designation used to suppress dissent, and deployed their online troll army to harass our journalists on social media. Even in the face of coordinated intimidation, RFA Khmer journalists never capitulated. Without their reporting, Cambodians lose an important spotlight on flagrant violations of basic human rights by the ruling Cambodian People’s Party.

When the initial funding disruption earlier this year forced RFA to furlough the majority of our editorial staff, the handful of journalists who remained launched RFA Perspectives, determined to fulfill RFA’s congressionally mandated mission to provide uncensored, accurate news and information in regions across Asia hostile to a free press. That program, too, will end.

Independent journalism is at the core of RFA. For the first time since RFA’s inception almost 30 years ago, that voice is at risk.

We still believe in the urgency of that mission — and in the resilience of our extraordinary journalists. Once our funding returns, so will we.

Stay tuned.

Rosa Hwang

Executive Editor

WASHINGTON - With the government shutdown and delay in receiving funding for the new fiscal year, effective Oct. 31, Radio Free Asia (RFA) will halt all production of news content for the time being. The move is part of a plan for the Congressionally-funded private corporation to implement cost-saving measures that can help sustain the organization should appropriated funding streams resume. President and CEO Bay Fang issued the following statement:

“Because of the fiscal reality and uncertainty about our budgetary future, RFA has been forced to suspend all remaining news content production - for the first time in its 29 years of existence. In an effort to conserve limited resources on hand and preserve the possibility of restarting operations should consistent funding become available, RFA is taking further steps to responsibly shrink its already reduced footprint.

“This means initiating a process of closing down overseas bureaus and formally laying off furloughed staff and paying their severance - many of whom have been on unpaid leave since March, when the U.S. Agency for Global Media unlawfully terminated RFA’s Congressionally appropriated grant.

“However drastic these measures may seem, they position RFA, a private corporation, for a future in which it would be possible to scale up and resume providing accurate, uncensored news for people living in some of the world’s most closed places.”

During its tenure, RFA’s groundbreaking reporting on the Uyghur genocide in Xinjiang, the CCP’s cover-up of COVID-19 fatalities, the unfolding crisis in Myanmar since the 2021coup, Chinese hydropower projects in the Tibetan regions, and the journeys of North Korean defectors has built a public record of transparency in some of the world’s most repressive places, holding autocrats and elites accountable to their people and internationally. Other measures to conserve resources on hand include ending leases of overseas offices and bureaus in Dharamsala, Taipei, Seoul, Istanbul, Bangkok, and Yangon.

In the last five years, RFA created new editorial units focused on China’s malign influence in the Indo-Pacific region and globally, investigating PRC secret police stations in the United States and Europe, election interference by the Chinese Communist Party in Taiwan and other Asian countries, and PRC influence operations in Pacific island countries. RFA’s incisive brand of journalism has made it and its journalists a constant target, with its reporters facing pressure and threats since its inaugural report in Mandarin was heard in China on Sept. 29, 1996. Authorities in China, Vietnam, Myanmar, and Cambodia have detained family members, sources, reporters, and contributors. Listeners in North Korea have been severely punished and reportedly executed for accessing RFA’s reports. Nevertheless, RFA’s journalistic operations have until now withstood government intimidation and attacks.

In the months since the USAGM illegally terminated its Congressionally appropriated grant to RFA, and despite layoffs and furloughs that diminished editorial staff by more than 90%, the private grantee has continued to fulfill its Congressional mandate to provide accurate, timely news to people living in some of the most closed media environments in Asia thanks to a preliminary injunction issued by the United States Federal District Court for the District of Columbia, which USAGM has appealed. RFA has also continued to win awards for its reporting, including two national Edward R. Murrow awards in August and a Gracie Award in March. While many services, including RFA Uyghur and Tibetan, have already gone dark, others have continued to produce limited output, including RFA Burmese, Khmer, Korean, Mandarin Chinese, and Vietnamese. But these will cease on Oct. 31.

Myanmar government media The Global New Light of Myanmar said the military “conducted operations in KK Park near Myanmar-Thai border” and had “seized 30 sets of Starlink receivers and accessories,” according to the AFP news agency.

AFP said that number is only a fraction of the Starlink devices they identified using satellite imagery and drone photography. On the roof of one building alone in KK Park, images showed nearly 80 of the internet dishes.

(Lillian Suwanrumpha/AFP)

The Global New Light of Myanmar also said junta troops had occupied around 200 buildings and found nearly 2,200 workers at the site, while 15 “Chinese scammers” had been arrested for involvement in “online gambling, online fraud and other criminal activities” around KK Park.

A crackdown by Thai, Chinese and Myanmar authorities starting in February saw thousands of suspected scammers repatriated, with experts saying some in the scam industry participate willingly while others are forced to by organized criminal groups.

(Lillian Suwanrumpha/AFP)

The U.S. Congress’ Joint Economic Committee told the AFP news agency they have begun an investigation into Starlink’s involvement with the centers. While it can call owner Elon Musk to a hearing, it cannot compel him to testify.

Starlink parent company SpaceX did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Monday.

(Lillian Suwanrumpha/AFP)

Online scamming centers have proliferated across Southeast Asia in recent years, especially in some of the more lawless parts of Myanmar, as well as in neighboring Laos and Cambodia.

The centers are often run by Chinese gangs and are notorious for luring unsuspecting people into jobs that entail going online to contact and defraud people, many in China.

Chinese authorities are keen to get the rackets based over the border in Myanmar shut down, and so action against them has become a key factor for rival factions in Myanmar, from the junta to its insurgent enemies and other militias, as they vie for China’s favor.

(Yin Gang, Xinhua via Getty Images)

With reporting by AFP.

It follows Myanmar junta chief Min Aung Hlaing admitting on Wednesday that the military-backed administration will be unable to conduct an upcoming general election across the entire country, as a civil war triggered by a 2021 coup rages on.

(Ye Aung Thu/AFP)

Critics - including many Western nations - have described the election scheduled for late December as a sham exercise aimed at legitimizing the Myanmar junta’s rule after it overthrew a civilian democratic government in 2021.

“I would call them regime-sponsored elections. And if they’re regime-sponsored, they can only lead to one outcome,” Ollogren told reporters in Kuala Lumpur.

The remarks by Min Aung Hlaing were his first public admission that the polls cannot be fully inclusive.

“We can’t hold the election everywhere 100%,” Min Aung Hlaing said in a speech broadcast on state TV from the capital Naypyidaw on Wednesday, adding that by-elections would follow in some areas after a new government is formed.

Myanmar’s last multi-party elections were held on November 8, 2020, with Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) party winning in a landslide victory. The results were not honored and a military coup took place in February 2021.

(Myanmar Ministry of Information via AFP)

The military doesn’t control all of Myanmar. Vast swaths are administered by a range of armed militias, ethnic groups and pro-democracy fighters, some in open, armed conflict with the ruling junta.

The junta has invited ASEAN countries to send observers for the election, due to start on December 28 and to continue in phases into January.

With reporting by Reuters

More than 1,000 South Koreans are believed to be among about 200,000 people of various nationalities involved in the scam compounds in Cambodia, South Korea’s National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac told reporters.

RFA Korean’s Jaewoo Park reports for RFA Perspectives: Why has Southeast Asia — especially Cambodia and Myanmar — become a “scam haven”?

It’s not just about crime. It’s the result of corruption, lawlessness, and economic desperation.

Across the region, hundreds of thousands of people are trapped inside cyber scam compounds.

They are lured by fake job ads, kidnapped, and forced to commit online fraud under brutal conditions.

Earlier this year, Chinese actor Wang Xing made international headlines after being rescued from Myanmar’s notorious KK Park.

He had flown to Thailand for an acting job — but was kidnapped and sold into a scam operation.

His rescue was extremely rare.

In August, a South Korean college student was tortured to death in Cambodia after being deceived by a fake job offer.

The case shocked the Korean public — but it’s only one part of a much larger criminal network.

Recently released footage even showed a man believed to be that student, forced to inhale drugs and explain to his captors how he ended up in Cambodia.

So why Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar?

Because they sit where lawlessness and capital meet.

A decade ago, Cambodia became an early hotspot for Chinese and Taiwanese phone scams, thanks to cheap internet and loose regulations.

When China banned online gambling in 2019, those same networks didn’t vanish — they simply moved their operations to Cambodia’s casinos.

Special Economic Zones (SEZs) in countries like Laos have become hotbeds of criminal activity due to lax regulations, while in Myanmar, a coup and civil war have made enforcement virtually impossible

Add corrupt officials, weak law enforcement, and accessible internet, and you get a perfect breeding ground for organized crime.

The United Nations estimates that over 100,000 people have been trafficked into Cambodia for cyber scam operations — victims from China, Korea, Kenya, and across the world.

As crackdowns intensify in Myanmar and Laos, more of these criminal networks are shifting into Cambodia.

This isn’t just about online scams. It’s a new form of human trafficking — hidden behind a screen.

The U.S. Treasury Department said it had targeted 146 people in the Prince Group, a multibillion-dollar Cambodian conglomerate, including its 38-year-old leader Chen Zhi.

“The rapid rise of transnational fraud has cost American citizens billions of dollars, with life savings wiped out in minutes,” U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a statement. U.S. citizens lost $10 billion to Southeast Asian scammers in 2024 alone, the statement said.

Chen was charged with wire fraud conspiracy and money laundering in an indictment unsealed Tuesday in a federal court in Brooklyn. The U.S. seized around $15 billion in bitcoin allegedly used in money laundering operations. In a statement, the U.S. Justice Department called the move its largest-ever forfeiture action.

British officials say they have frozen Prince Group assets that include a mansion, an office building and other properties in London, with a goal of “locking Chen and his network out of the UK’s financial system,” the U.K.’s foreign office said in a statement.

“The masterminds behind these horrific scam centres are ruining the lives of vulnerable people and buying up London homes to store their money,” U.K. Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said.

An email sent to the Prince Group’s press inbox requesting comment was returned as undeliverable.

An RFA investigation last year detailed allegations of brutal treatment of workers at the Golden Fortune Science and Technology Park, a Prince Group-linked compound in Chrey Thom, a border town in southeast Cambodia.

Employees and former employees described workers enticed with promises of high-paying jobs who were allegedly confined and beaten if they underperformed or tried to escape.

RFA reporters charted the rise of Chen from his emigration from China to Cambodia, his founding of the Prince Group in 2015, its role in growing the coastal city of Sihanoukville into a haven for Chinese casinos, its deepening political connections and allegations of criminality.

The investigation also found that Prince Group moved millions of dollars around the world in a way that experts said bears hallmarks of money laundering.

Golden Fortune Resorts World is among the companies that were impacted by the U.S. and U.K. sanctions Tuesday. Also impacted were the Jin Bei Group, an entertainment and hospitality business that owns a casino in Sihanoukville and is alleged to also operate scam centers, and Byex Exchange, a cryptocurrency platform.

Includes reporting from Reuters.

Jin Mingri, who founded Zion Church, a house of worship not sanctioned by the Chinese government, was arrested at his home in the city of Beihai in the southern region of Guangxi on Friday evening, his daughter, Grace Jin, and a church spokesperson, Sean Long, told reporters.

Grace Jin said she was concerned for her 56-year-old father’s health and his access to legal representation.

“He’s been hospitalized in the past for diabetes. We’re worried since he requires medication,” she told Reuters. “I’ve also been notified that lawyers are not allowed to meet the pastors, so that is very concerning to us.”

Jin was detained on “suspicion of the illegal use of information networks,” according to a detention notice viewed by Agence France-Presse. Since Thursday, police have arrested church leaders and members in Shanghai, Beijing, Zhejiang, Guangxi, Shandong, Sichuan and Henan, according to a list compiled by church members that was seen by AFP.

(Thomas Peter/Reuters)

“House” churches like Zion Church generally operate without official registration documents and without the involvement of local religious affairs bureaus. Zion Church has about 5,000 regular worshippers across nearly 50 cities who attend sermons on Zoom and in small in-person gatherings, Long told Reuters.

The arrests come a month after Beijing’s top religion regulator issued new rules banning unauthorized online preaching, as well as a broader crackdown on online content that expresses views contrary to the Chinese Communist Party’s goals. Supporters fear the pastors could soon be indicted under these new rules.

In a statement released Sunday, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio condemned the arrests and called on Beijing to release the pastors.

“This crackdown further demonstrates how the CCP exercises hostility towards Christians who reject Party interference in their faith and choose to worship at unregistered house churches,” Rubio said.

House churches have long drawn Beijing’s scrutiny. In 2009, RFA spoke with pastors including Jin Mingri about signs then that the government was looking to better understand the role of underground houses of worship. In the years since, Beijing has cracked down on house churches and has put pastors at some Protestant churches through intensive training sessions as part of a “sinicization” campaign. According to the U.S. State Department, China continues to arrest thousands of people per year for worshipping in ways not approved by the CCP.

Includes reporting by Agence France-Presse and Reuters.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un oversaw the large military parade displaying its new intercontinental ballistic missile in front of visiting international dignitaries.

(KCNA via Reuters)

The parade, which began late on Friday, marked the 80th anniversary of the foundation of its ruling Workers’ Party.

The Hwasong series of ICBMs has given North Korea the capacity to target anywhere on the U.S. mainland, but questions remain over the sophistication of its guidance system to reach a target, and the ability of a warhead it carries to withstand atmospheric re-entry, according to the Reuters news agency.

(KCNA via Reuters)

Chinese Premier Li Qiang, Russia’s former President Dmitry Medvedev, as well as Vietnam’s Communist Party chief To Lam were seen at Kim’s side at the parade.

“The Hwasong-20 represents, for the moment, the apotheosis of North Korea’s ambitions for long-range nuclear delivery capabilities. We should expect to see the system tested before the end of this year,” Ankit Panda of the U.S.-based Carnegie Endowment for International Peace told the Reuters news agency.

“The system is likely designed for the delivery of multiple warheads... Multiple warheads will increase stresses on existing U.S. missile defense systems and augment what Kim sees as necessary to achieve meaningful deterrence effects against Washington.”

(KCNA via Reuters)

(KCNA via Reuters)

(KCNA via Reuters)

Reporting by Reuters

The soldiers marched to the Russian patriotic song “To Serve Russia,” a rare and symbolic display of solidarity between Pyongyang and Moscow.

According to estimates, around 2,000 North Korean soldiers were killed while supporting Russia’s war in Ukraine.

And reports say that under a new deployment plan, North Korea recently sent another 1,000 combat engineers to Russia.

Although the event marked the 80th anniversary of the founding of the Workers’ Party, it was also a display of military cooperation between the two countries.

Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, attended the celebrations in Pyongyang.

(KCNA via Reuters)

He thanked North Korea for what he called its “steadfast support” for Russia’s ongoing military operation in Ukraine.

At Pyongyang’s May Day stadium Russian singer Shaman performed a tribute to the soldiers who fought in Kursk.

Kim Jong Un and the audience rose from their seats to honor the soldiers.

The parade highlighted the partnership between Moscow and Pyongyang.

As the song “To Serve Russia” played across the square, the message was clear: an old alliance is being reshaped for today.

(Huang Jingwen, Xinhua via Getty Images)

(Shen Hong, Xinhua via Getty Images)

In a new edition of a report released every two years, the defense ministry said that Beijing is sharpening its ability to stage a surprise attack against the democratically governed island, which China claims as its territory.

The report cited seven rounds of major Chinese war games around the island since 2022 and other non-combat operations — known as grey zone tactics — as forms of military pressure on Taiwan.

“The Chinese communists have adopted grey zone harassment tactics, combined with joint combat readiness patrols, targeted military exercises and cognitive warfare, posing a comprehensive threat to us,” the report said.

Among the Chinese operations reported earlier this year were a live-fire exercise off the coast of the Taiwanese port city of Kaohsiung, amphibious landing exercises in the South China Sea, and a series of sorties in the Taiwan Strait.

Online, China is using artificial intelligence tools to search for security vulnerabilities and employing a “professional cyber army” to spread disinformation and sow discord, the report said.

Earlier this year, RFA’s Asia Fact Check Lab reported on Chinese digital influence campaigns in Taiwan and groups that communicated through online polls, influencers and cross-strait collaborations.

(Chris McGrath/Getty Images)

For its part, Taiwan has toughened its language about China this year, with President Lai Ching-te in March calling Beijing a “foreign hostile force” intent on “absorbing” the island. Taiwan’s own military exercises were broadened this year and included simulating a response to an amphibious invasion of the Penghu Islands.

Includes reporting by Reuters.

The attack killed at least 20 people, according to a Reuters report that cited an eyewitness, the human rights group Amnesty International, and members of the shadow National Unity Government and an armed resistance group in the area. An event organizer told Agence France-Press that 40 people were killed, including children, while 80 others were wounded.

Screams for help could be heard in bystander video taken at nighttime after the attack, which also showed a burning fire. Another video, recorded in daylight, shows a building that was destroyed and a young man who said he was collecting body parts in the attack’s aftermath.

Hundreds of people had been gathered for the event when the bombs struck after 7 p.m., a member of the committee that organized the event said. She was not at the scene, but she attended funerals on Tuesday.

“The committee alerted people and one-third of the crowd managed to flee,” she told AFP. “But immediately, one motor-powered paraglider flew right over the crowd,” dropping two bombs in the middle of the gathering.

“Children were completely torn apart,” she said.

(Yebaw Hlyat Cee, Facebook via AFP)

Paramotors, or motor-powered paragliders, are used by one or two soldiers to drop explosives, to fire weapons, or to conduct low-altitude surveillance, according to the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project. The junta has expanded their use this year, the group said.

Amnesty International said that Myanmar’s ruling junta is taking advantage of reduced international scrutiny “to carry out war crimes with impunity.”

“As the military attempts to solidify power with a stage-managed election later this year, it is intensifying an already brutal campaign against pockets of resistance,” Joe Freeman, Myanmar researcher for Amnesty International, said in a statement.

Myanmar’s military leaders, who have ruled the country since the 2021 coup that overthrew the last elected government and kicked off a brutal civil war against rebel groups, have framed the upcoming election, set for Dec. 28, as a transition point. Critics say the election is a sham aimed to keep the military in power.

Before it was shuttered in May, RFA’s Burmese Service reported daily on a steady drumbeat of bombings by the junta. Among the service’s final stories in English were bombings of a rebel-controlled village in western Myanmar that killed more than a dozen people; a school in central Myanmar, killing at least 20 students; four insurgent-controlled villages in northern Myanmar; and a strike on villages in southeast Myanmar that destroyed a hospital and forced 8,000 people to flee their homes.

Includes reporting from Agence France-Presse and Reuters.

Commuters pushed motorbikes through calf-deep water in some areas. Several schools closed or moved classes online. Some flights from Noi Bai International Airport have been rescheduled or delayed.

For many, it’s an unpleasant return to the flooding just last week from Typhoon Bualoi, which killed at least 51 people in Vietnam and caused around $600 million in damage.

(THINH TIEN NGUYEN/Reuters)

“It’s a loop — rains come, streets flood and people desperately try to get by," Hanoi resident Nguyen Ngoc Long told Reuters. “I fear this will soon become a norm for us.”

Meanwhile, local media reported that a storm-swelled section of the Bac Khe 1 hydropower dam burst in northern Vietnam in mid-afternoon Tuesday, raising flood potential for nearby villages.

Includes reporting from Reuters.

Lim Kimya, 74, a former legislator and member of the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) as well as an outspoken critic of veteran Cambodian leader Hun Sen, was shot dead by Aekaluck Paenoi, a former Thai Marine, in footage captured on closed circuit television in the afternoon of Jan. 7 on a busy street in Bangkok.

Two Cambodian suspects remain wanted by Thai authorities for their alleged involvement. Arrest warrants and Interpol “red notices” were issued in January.

(RFA)

Cambodian opposition figures have accused the country’s powerful former leader Hun Sen of ordering the shooting, and Lim Kimya’s widow called this week for a full accounting of who was behind it.

Aekaluck faced a potential death sentence in Thailand for premeditated murder, but a judge said Friday that the Bangkok court reduced his sentence to life imprisonment since he confessed. A man who provided Aekaluck with transportation during the escape was acquitted.

Lim Kimya’s widow Anne-Marie Lim, also known as Lim Ani, who was called as a witness at the trial opening on Tuesday, was not present at the verdict. The judges also ruled that the Aekaluck pay 1.7 million baht (US$52,452) compensation to Lim Kimya’s family.

“Anne-Marie is probably satisfied with today’s verdict, but she is still questioning who ordered the crime,” her lawyer Nadhthasiri Bergman told reporters outside the court on Friday. “She wants authorities to get to the bottom of it.”

Thai police in January identified two Cambodian suspects they believe to be involved in the killing: Ly Ratanakrasksmey, accused of having recruited the gunman, and Pich Kimsrin, the alleged lookout who local media has reported was on the bus alongside the victim and his wife.

(Pich Kimsrin via Facebook, inset, and Amarin TV)

Days after the killing, following media reports that Ratanakrasksmey was a former adviser to Hun Sen, Cambodia’s ruling party released a statement saying he was dismissed from the role in March 2024.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet, who is the eldest son of Hun Sen, and other government officials have denied any official involvement.

(Pimuk Rakkanam/RFA)

“I still also feel that there is something the police could do in investigating and try to get the additional two people that (are) already identified into a justice process,” Bergman told reporters.

In February, Lim Ani told RFA Khmer that her husband’s killing was “definitely political.”

“He exposed the injustices that happened in Cambodia,” she said.

Thai officials earlier this year issued arrest warrants for two suspected Cambodian accomplices in the shooting. A Ministry of Interior spokesman told RFA Khmer that the Cambodian constitution doesn’t allow for the extradition of Cambodian nationals.

Am Sam Ath, operations director of Cambodian rights group Licadho, told the AFP news agency that the life sentence for the Thai gunman offered partial justice for Lim Kimya, who was a dual French and Cambodian citizen.

“Since Lim Kimya is also a Cambodian, we want to see that Thai authorities and the Thai court conduct further investigations in order to render full justice for him,” Am Sam Ath said.

“We want to see an investigation into people involved (in the killing).”

With reporting by AFP and Reuters.

A web of around 4,000 closed-circuit television cameras already scans Hong Kong, part of a police crime-fighting program. And the city already uses artificial intelligence to monitor crowds and read license plates.

Photo Gallery: 2019 Hong Kong protesters vs. surveillance cameras

(Billy H.C. Kwok/Getty Images)

(Anthony Kwan/Getty Images)

(Billy H.C. Kwok/Getty Images)

(Billy H.C. Kwok/Getty Images)

(Anthony Kwan/Getty Images)

(Anthony Kwan/Getty Images)

(Billy H.C. Kwok/Getty Images)

(Billy H.C. Kwok/Getty Images)

(Anthony Kwan/Getty Images)

(Billy H.C. Kwok/Getty Images)

Under the city’s new plan, the number of cameras will balloon to 60,000 by 2028, according to documents submitted to the legislature. And AI technology “will naturally be applied to people, such as tracking a criminal suspect,” Hong Kong security chief Chris Tang told lawmakers.

The exact timing of these upgrades is unclear, and Tang said that authorities are still considering issues such as which technology to use and how to allocate resources. The South China Morning Post reported in July that police could begin using real-time facial recognition as early as the end of this year.

Police say the surveillance network has helped to hasten arrests and solve cases. Critics say such networks allow the government to invade privacy and target dissidents — and that false matches can lead to wrongful arrests.

The increase in surveillance mirrors similar efforts in mainland Chinese cities. Areas like the northwest Xinjiang region, home to ethnic Uyghurs, have experienced even tighter surveillance.

Surveillance has been a flashpoint in Hong Kong for years. In 2019, protesters damaged some of the camera-bedecked “smart lampposts” that had been newly installed. In 2023, police said cameras should be installed in classrooms to enhance safety, which critics said would allow the government to monitor the content of teacher instruction and student conversations.

Hong Kong residents’ digital lives are also being more aggressively monitored, according to RFA Mandarin reporting from March.

Includes reporting from Agence France-Presse.

Lim Kimya’s widow, Lim Ani, told reporters outside the courthouse that she wanted to know why her husband was murdered.

“I want to know the story behind the case. Who the masterminds were. I believe the judicial system here could help,” she said through a translator.

“His death has turned everything upside down in my daily life,” she said.

(Tang Chhin Sothy/AFP)

Lim Kimya, 74, a former legislator and member of the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party as well as an outspoken critic of veteran Cambodian leader Hun Sen, was shot in the afternoon of Jan. 7 on a busy street in Bangkok’s old quarter. He died at the scene.

Authorities arrested Aekaluck Paenoi, a former Thai marine who worked as a motorcycle taxi driver, in Cambodia’s Battabang province the following day. He was extradited to Thailand three days later and charged with premeditated murder. He later confessed to the crime.

One of Lim Ani’s lawyers, Nadthasiri Bergman, said outside the courthouse Tuesday that she believed the alleged gunman would be convicted because he had already confessed. “But our concern is that we might not get to the bottom of why the assassination happened, and we hope to find that answer today during the witness examination.”

In February, Lim Ani told RFA Khmer that her husband’s killing was “definitely political.”

“He exposed the injustices that happened in Cambodia,” she said.

In February, Thai officials issued arrest warrants for two suspected Cambodian accomplices in the shooting. A Ministry of Interior spokesman told RFA Khmer that the Cambodian constitution doesn’t allow for the extradition of Cambodian nationals.

Cambodian opposition figures have accused Hun Sen of ordering the shooting. Cambodian leader Hun Manet has denied that his government or Hun Sen, his father, were involved in the killing. Other officials have also denied allegations of involvement.

The trial is expected to conclude in March.

Includes reporting by Pimuk Rakkanam in Bangkok and Agence France-Presse.

Recently, South Korea’s cybersecurity firm Genians revealed that a North Korean hacking group used AI-generated deepfake military IDs to impersonate defense agencies and launch phishing attacks.

Their targets? Officials, journalists, human-rights activists, and researchers.

This isn’t new.

North Korean IT workers have long used AI and deepfakes to build fake identities—sometimes even stealing U.S. identities to apply for jobs.

They appear in video interviews with AI-made faces and voices.

Cybersecurity expert Dawid Moczadło, co-founder of Vidoc, shared a video on LinkedIn that experts believe shows these workers in action.

At first glance it looks real, but if you watch closely—something feels off.

If these workers get hired, they don’t just collect a paycheck.

They can plant malware, steal company data, and funnel money back to North Korea’s weapons programs—helping the regime dodge sanctions.

AI can make life easier for everyone.

But in North Korea’s hands, it becomes a weapon—one that threatens your personal data, private companies, and even national security.

For more on North Korea hackers, watch RFA Korean’s three-part series “Whack a Mole”:

Part One: Kim Jong Un’s secret soldiers — the hackers

Part Two: Cryptocurrency heist

Part 3: Are you a North Korean worker?

“Despite challenges and uncertainty besetting our organization this year, one thing remains clear: RFA is committed to its Congressionally mandated mission and work,” Fang said. “RFA’s incisive brand of journalism, shining a light into the darkest corners of the world, is needed more than ever as the Chinese Communist Party and other autocrats race to cement the global narrative to suit their own ends.

“It is RFA’s job to rise above obstacles, exposing propaganda and lies, in pursuit of freedom and courage in reporting.”

In the months since the U.S. Agency for Global Media terminated its Congressionally appropriated grant to RFA, and despite layoffs and furloughs that diminished editorial staff by more than 90%, RFA has continued to fulfill its Congressional mandate of providing accurate, timely news to people living in some of the most closed media environments in Asia. It has also won several awards, including two national Edward R. Murrow awards in August, and a Gracie Award in March. While many services, including RFA Uyghur and Tibetan, have gone dark, some continue, including Burmese, Khmer, Korean, Mandarin Chinese, and Vietnamese.

New content, formats drive growth

Although USAGM ended radio broadcasts, RFA continues to reach millions online: on the web, through mobile apps, and on platforms like Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and X. Even some shuttered language services continue to see millions of views of archived content. Meanwhile new kinds of programming have been added to utilize resources and talent on hand. Some highlights include:

• RFA Perspectives | With limited staffing, RFA editors have focused on bringing RFA’s decades of expertise to video-first content like explainers that unpack a news event and interviews with experts to provide analysis and chart where a story might go next. 
• China’s crackdown on dissent | A human rights lawyer imprisoned for seven years for criticizing the government. A Xinjiang history buff who was tortured for speaking out on a livestream. These men told RFA Mandarin their stories this summer, adding to our essential reporting on Beijing’s brutality.
• The Thailand/Cambodia border clash | Long-simmering tensions catalyzed into armed conflict between Thailand and Cambodia over a disputed border in July, killing dozens and displacing more than 300,000. RFA had reporters on both sides, with stories in Khmer for locals and in English for the world.
• The deadly Myanmar earthquake | In March, a devastating 7.7-magnitude earthquake hit civil-war-torn Myanmar, an impoverished country of rickety structures. More than 3,300 people died; millions are food insecure. RFA’s on-site coverage told citizens’ stories, showcasing where aid was needed.
• Remaking Vietnam’s government | Vietnamese leader To Lam is reinforcing his power: consolidating 63 provinces to 34, appointing relatives to key posts, and crafting policies to benefit select private firms. Local media faces state censorship. RFA’s unvarnished reports provide an unobstructed view.

# # #

Authorities urged residents to stay in their homes, where people taped up windows to protect against high winds. Supermarket shelves emptied in some areas as panicked residents stocked up on supplies.

(Tyrone Siu/Reuters)

Packing winds of up to 220 km per hour, or 137 miles per hour, Ragasa is expected to pass around 100 km to the south of Hong Kong on Wednesday, the Hong Kong Observatory reported just before 1 a.m. local time.

Residents should prepare for “heavy squally showers and thunderstorms” and “overtopping waves over the shoreline,” particularly on the eastern and southern coasts, the Observatory said.

A reporter for Agence France-Presse saw waves nearly five meters high crash into the seaside promenade of the city’s Heng Fa Chuen residential district around nightfall.

The storm is expected to make landfall from midday to late Wednesday along the coast of Guangdong, where authorities evacuated more than 770,000 people, according to state broadcaster CCTV.

On Monday, Ragasa tore through the northern Philippines, where thousands sought shelter in schools and evacuation centers. In Taiwan, officials said that 30 people were missing in the eastern county of Hualien, where a barrier lake in the mountains burst as Ragasa stormed through.

Includes reporting from Agence France-Presse and Reuters.

Video from state TV showed dozens of dancing, flower-waving celebrants on the airport tarmac as Xi disembarked. State media reports say he met with representatives of ethnic groups and “expressed the hope that everyone would join forces and move forward together to build a beautiful Xinjiang.”

The friendly tableau stood in stark contrast to widespread allegations of abuses against ethnic Uyghurs in Xinjiang carried out by Beijing.

In 2021, the U.S. State Department labeled as genocide what it called a “systematic attempt to destroy Uyghurs by the Chinese party-state.” It alleged the Chinese Communist Party had arbitrarily imprisoned more than a million civilians, created a regime of torture and forced sterilization and drastically curtailed freedoms of speech, religion and movement among Uyghurs.

(Shen Hong/Xinhua via Getty Images)

In June, a human rights group reported that major producers of Chinese minerals were using state-backed forced-labor programs to meet increasing demand.

RFA teams earlier this year reported on increasing online censorship in the Xinjiang region, building on the already tight restrictions on digital expression across China.

Earlier this month, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the latest version of a bipartisan bill that would direct the State Department to oversee policies to protect Uyghur human rights and preserve Uyghur language and customs. The measure is awaiting consideration by the U.S. Senate.

Includes reporting by Agence France-Presse.

Photo Gallery: Xi Jinping visits Urumqi, Xinjiang Autonomous Region

(Xinhua News Agency/Xinhua News Agency via Getty Images)

(Xinhua News Agency/Xinhua News Agency via Getty Images)

(Xinhua News Agency/Xinhua News Agency via Getty Images)

(Xinhua News Agency/Xinhua News Agency via Getty Images)

(Xinhua News Agency/Xinhua News Agency via Getty Images)

(Xinhua News Agency/Xinhua News Agency via Getty Images)

(Xinhua News Agency/Xinhua News Agency via Getty Images)

(Xinhua News Agency/Xinhua News Agency via Getty Images)

Kim made the remarks during a recent session of the Supreme People’s Assembly, state-run Korean Central Television (KCTV) reported Monday. He said he has “good memories” of President Trump from their previous summits and would consider talking if the United States changes its stance.

The statement marked Kim’s first public response to Trump’s recent overtures and underscored the gulf between the two sides. Dropping the U.S. goal of North Korean denuclearization would represent a major shift in American policy and a significant concession to Pyongyang.

Photo Gallery: Trump meets Kim

(Handout/Getty Images)

(Handout/Getty Images)

(Handout/Getty Images)

(Handout/Getty Images)

(Handout/Getty Images)

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(Handout/Getty Images)

(Handout/Getty Images)

(Linh Pham/Getty Images)

(Linh Pham/Getty Images)

Trump has continued to tout his personal rapport with Kim, but the White House told Reuters in July that the ultimate objective of U.S. policy remains the complete denuclearization of North Korea.

The two leaders surprised the world with an impromptu meeting at the Demilitarized Zone in 2019, when Trump briefly stepped across the border into North Korea to shake Kim’s hand — a symbolic moment that underscored their unconventional diplomacy.

Kim also stressed he has no intention of resuming dialogue with South Korea, a key U.S. ally that helped arrange the earlier Trump-Kim summits during Trump’s first term. Tensions on the peninsula have deepened as Kim accelerates weapons development and strengthens ties with Russia amid the war in Ukraine.

In a separate interview with the BBC, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said he would support a deal in which North Korea freezes production of its nuclear weapons rather than fully dismantling them, if such an agreement could be reached between Trump and Kim.

Monday’s notice from the Cyberspace Administration of China did not specify when the content crackdown would begin. It follows an announcement on Saturday saying the CAC would would take “disciplinary and punitive measures” against Weibo, a micro-blogging platform, and Kuaishou, a short-form video service — and a similar action taken on Sept. 11 against Xiaohongshu, the Instagram-like social-media service known in English as Rednote. The CAC hasn’t specified what those disciplinary measures are.

The CAC said that it would target posts that include rumors about China’s economy — which has struggled this year — as well as fabricated information and “sensational conspiracy theories.”

China’s restrictions on social media are typically much tighter than the moderation methods common on Western social platforms. Last year, the CAC began a crackdown on slang and abbreviations on social media, on top of the database of “sensitive words” censors already ban from use on the internet.

Officials in Xinjiang last year banned ethnic Uyghurs from using social media apps. Censors tightened restrictions on posts by Tibetans ahead of the Dalai Lama’s birthday last year. Pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong say scrutiny of social media and police action based on social posts have intensified since the Article 23 national security law went into effect.

Includes reporting from Agence France-Presse and Reuters.

On July 5, Zhang Yadi, 22, who has been studying in France, returned to Changsha, Hunan province, to visit family. On July 30, she disappeared in Shangri-La, Yunnan province.

Zhang is an editor for the digital platform Chinese Youth Stand for Tibet (CYST) that emerged after the “white paper protests” in 2022. According to the group, it aims to “share the hidden truth about Tibet among the Chinese-speaking community.”

CYST says Zhang may have been taken by state security on suspicion of “endangering national security.”

🚨【URGENT】22-year-old Chinese student Zhang Yadi missing for 47 days after returning home, suspected of “endangering national security” 🚨

📌 Zhang Yadi (22, online name Tara @TaraFreesoul), from Changsha, Hunan, had long studied and lived in France. In 2025, she was awarded… https://t.co/q4T0y6ypXm

— 华语青年挺藏会 ChineseYouthStand4Tibet (@CYS4T) September 16, 2025

Also known as Tara and online as @TaraFreesoul, Zhang focused on promoting dialogue between ethnic groups in China, particularly between Han and Tibetan communities. In September, she was scheduled to begin her studies at the School of Oriental and Asian Studies in London.

“This is a case of transnational repression,” Maya Wang, associate Asia director at Human Rights Watch, told RFA. “The fear is that students’ activism abroad is being closely watched. The impact here is to make everyone very worried about everything they say and do, including outside of China.”

Before her disappearance, Zhang kept close contact with friends and family, but communication was abruptly cut off after July 30, according to CYST. Afterwards, contradictory statements appeared on her WeChat account, raising further concern.

(Changsha Intermediate People's Court via AFP)

Prominent Chinese human rights lawyer Jiang Tianyong traveled to Changsha to provide legal assistance to Zhang’s mother. According to CYST, while Jiang was meeting her mother at a cafe on Sept. 16, he was taken away by three unidentified men and brought to the police station. He has since been released.

“Her activism took place in France,” Wang told RFA. “It is important for the French government also to protect the rights and freedom of expression of its residents in France and press the Chinese government to release her.”

Ginger Duan, Chinese Youth Stand for Tibet (CYST) founder and Zhang’s best friend, told RFA that in their last direct contact after July 30, Zhang said she was in the hospital, but when asked by Duan, she could not confirm it with a selfie or a doctor’s note. “I didn’t believe her,” Duan told RFA.

Duan said CYST represents a new generation of young Chinese committed to peacefully mediating ethnic conflicts.

“Yet, when these youths attempt to foster grassroots exchanges and dispel longstanding misunderstandings about Tibet among the Mandarin-speaking public, the Chinese Communist Party responds with arrests,” Duan told RFA.

“This action clearly exposes the true nature of Beijing’s Tibet policy: they neither want genuine mutual understanding between Han and Tibetan people, nor do they want a real resolution to the Tibetan issue.”

“We therefore urge the international community to pay close attention to this case. Only through sustained global awareness and pressure can the CCP be compelled to release Tara and finally confront the Tibet question,” Duan said.

According to Duan, Zhang now faces a heavy sentence, with charges tied to national security, particularly concerning the highly sensitive issue of Tibet and China’s ethnic minority policies.

“It’s quite alarming that her arrest is a sign of the Chinese government’s increasing repression, tightening of ideological control, which means that there is increasingly heavy repression in places like Tibet and Xinjiang, where even expressing solidarity for the rights of Tibetans and Uyghurs is often now treated quite harshly,” Maya Wang of Human Rights Watch said.

The clash took place at a disputed frontier settlement, which Thailand says is part of its Ban Nong Ya Kaew village in Sa Kaeo province, but Cambodia says is part of Prey Chan village in Bantheay Meanchey province.

On Wednesday, Cambodia’s information minister Neth Pheaktra accused Thai officials of encroaching across the border, and said they used “tear gas, rubber bullets and noise-making devices against Cambodian civilians.”

According to Cambodian government spokesperson Pen Bona, Thai forces used violence to suppress unarmed Cambodian civilians and monks who were protesting peacefully.

Cambodian officials said more than two dozen Cambodians were injured in the clash.

Thai Army spokesperson Maj. Gen. Winthai Suvaree described the situation as a Cambodian mob encroaching on Thai territory, obstructing operations and destroying official property. He said Thai authorities regarded the incident as a provocation and an intentional violation of the ceasefire agreement.

(Royal Thai Army via AFP)

In late July, Thailand and Cambodia engaged in five days of combat that killed dozens of people and displaced more than 260,000. The two countries agreed on a ceasefire only after mediation fostered by Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump, who threatened to withhold trade privileges unless they agreed on a truce.

Tensions remain high after the ceasefire, especially since Thai soldiers have been wounded by land mines while patrolling the no-man’s land between the two countries.

Thailand charges that the mines are newly planted in violation of the ceasefire, an accusation vehemently denied by Cambodia.

(Agence Kampuchea Presse via AFP)

On Wednesday, Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Manet called for international intervention, urging pressure on Thailand to respect the ceasefire and fully adhere to Cambodia-Thailand agreements.

The two nations’ competing territorial claims stem largely from a 1907 map drawn when Cambodia was under French colonial rule, which Thailand has argued is inaccurate.

The International Court of Justice in 1962 awarded sovereignty to Cambodia over an area that included the 1,000-year-old Preah Vihear temple, which still riles many Thais.

The court has since reaffirmed its judgement. In June, Cambodia proposed returning to the international court to sort out the border in the disputed areas, a proposal Thailand firmly rejected.

With reporting by Pimuk Rakkanam, RFA Khmer, Reuters and AP.

The address, which reaffirmed a 2% to 3% economic growth target for 2025, comes amid a broader push from Beijing to resuscitate China’s flagging economic growth and emerge from a longstanding real estate crisis. Last year, the Chinese Communist Party called on Hong Kong’s elite to boost China’s overall fortunes.

The Northern Metropolis project would create housing for around 2.5 million people and plant a new business district between Shenzhen and Hong Kong.

(China News Service via Getty Images)

The project had been a focus of former leader Carrie Lam, announced in 2021. It’s also likely to be integrated into Beijing’s broader Greater Bay Area plan to link Hong Kong, Macau and cities around the Pearl River delta region.

RFA Cantonese reported in February that nearly a third of contracts linked to Northern Metropolis and other Hong Kong projects were going to Chinese state-owned companies.

Activists and some locals have pushed back on the project, citing concerns about impacts on the environment and the city’s finances.

Lee also said Hong Kong would earmark HK$1 billion to create a hub to research artificial intelligence — and that the government would use AI to improve its efficiency.

Includes reporting from Agence France-Presse and Reuters.

The Philippine Coast Guard said that two Chinese ships used water cannons while pursuing the BRP Datu Gumbay Piang, a fisheries vessel, as it delivered food to Filipino fisherman near the Scarborough Shoal, a triangular set of rocks and reefs that both countries claim.

“This aggressive action lasted for about 29 minutes, resulting in significant damage, including shattered glass from the aft window of the bridge,” said Commodore Jay Tarriela, a coast guard spokesperson. A crew member was injured by the shattered glass, Tarriela said.

China’s Coast Guard fired water cannons after the Philippine ship had “disregarded solemn warnings from the Chinese side and deliberately rammed a Chinese coast guard vessel,” Chinese coast guard spokesperson Gan Yu said.

Yu said the encounter on Tuesday involved more than 10 Philippine ships; the Philippines said nine Chinese ships were involved. Both sides have released video showing a Chinese ship and a Philippines ship colliding.

(Philippine Coast Guard via AFP)

The Scarborough Shoal sits within the Philippines’ United Nations-defined exclusive economic zone. China claims much of the South China Sea as part of its historical maritime territory despite a 2016 ruling from an international arbitration court denying that claim.

Tuesday’s incident came nearly a week after China announced it would create a nature reserve on the Scarborough Shoal. Philippine officials condemned that plan, calling it a “clear pretext for occupation.”

Includes reporting from Agence France-Presse and Reuters.

Many expected Kim Ju Ae to appear at Beijing’s iconic sites, similar to how Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko’s son, Nikolai, appeared at China’s Tiananmen military parade 10 years ago.

But that didn’t happen.

During Kim Jong-un’s 54-hour stay, Kim Ju Ae was never seen at official events.

According to the South Korean spy agency, she mainly stayed at the North Korean embassy, avoiding public exposure.

Still, the agency believes Kim Ju Ae is a likely future leader.

(KCNA via Reuters)

Her visit to China is seen as part of signaling her succession, and she is thought to have gained enough “revolutionary reputation” to strengthen her position.

At just 12 years old, her official succession role may still be seven to eight years away.

One expert noted that in North Korea’s closed, male-dominated society, a female leader would face unique challenges — but ultimately, bloodline matters more.

Meanwhile, Kim Jong Un’s sister, Kim Yo Jong, was observed at a luncheon reception, asserting her presence and demonstrating her continued prominence.

(Reuters)

“I’ve always believed since we heard news about the daughter of Kim Jong-un, that being a member of this family with the Paektu lineage would be more important than the gender,” Jean H. Lee, a North Korea expert and Presidential Chair of the East-West Center.

“And similarly, if you look at monarchies of the past in a very. I think male-dominated eras, countries that being a member of that family, whether you’re male or female, have been more important.”

In Vietnam, the youth are watching closely, because Nepal’s story feels eerily familiar.

Why Vietnam cares

So why are Vietnamese youth paying attention to what’s happening in Nepal?

Because Nepal’s uprising highlights struggles they know all too well.

Censorship, corruption, unemployment, and the communist party - these challenges echo in both societies. For Vietnam’s younger generation, Nepal’s story is not only a warning, but also a source of reflection and, perhaps, inspiration.

Social media control

The protest in Nepal was triggered by the state’s decision to block social media platforms, including Facebook, WhatsApp, and YouTube.

In Vietnam, social media is tightly monitored, with posts taken down and activists punished. For both countries, digital spaces aren’t just entertainment; they are lifelines for free expression and e-commerce.

When governments try to silence them, the youth push back.

(Prabin Ranabhat/AP)

Corruption everywhere

Corruption is another shared wound.

In Nepal, corruption fuels anger at leaders who enrich themselves while ordinary citizens struggle.

In Vietnam, despite its rapid growth, scandals involving high-ranking officials remind young people that power often protects the few, not the many.

Youth unemployment

In both societies, unemployment and underemployment weigh heavily on the younger generation.

Education is prized, but diplomas don’t guarantee jobs. For Gen Z in Nepal and Vietnam, frustration grows when hard work isn’t rewarded with opportunity.

In Nepal, a fragile democracy is heavily influenced by entrenched elites from the Communist movement.

In Vietnam, the Communist Party holds complete control and often emphasizes the superiority of its ideology.

That’s why what happens in Nepal matters to people in Vietnam.

(Niranjan Shrestha/AP)

When a fellow communist party-led system shows cracks, it challenges the narrative that Vietnamese citizens have heard for decades.

In both countries, young people feel decisions are made without them, and often at their expense.

In closing

As Nepal’s protests unfold, Vietnamese youth are watching with interest. The events in Nepal may not predict Vietnam’s future, but they highlight questions many young people across Asia are asking today.

The 14-page report, published by the U.N.’s Human Rights Office, covers developments in the country since 2014 and draws detail from interviews with more than 300 witnesses and victims who had left the country.

Interviewees said that government control had seeped into “all parts of life,” the report said.

“To block the people’s eyes and ears, they strengthened the crackdowns. It was a form of control aimed at eliminating even the smallest signs of dissatisfaction or complaint,” one escapee said, according to the report.

The death penalty is “more widely allowed by law and implemented in practice,” the report said. State policies have exacerbated food scarcity. Access to information is more restricted than it was a decade ago, with severe new punishments including the death penalty for acts including the sharing of foreign media. Forced labor has increased, and people are less able to bribe their way out of arbitrary punishments.

The report also listed a few improvements, including a strengthening of fair-trial guarantees and increased engagement with international human rights bodies.

The North Korean government told investigators that it rejected the U.N. Human Rights Council resolution that authorized the report.

Reports from RFA Korean earlier this year detailed some of the circumstances described in the report. In May, sources told RFA that North Korean authorities had distributed high-performance handheld radio signal detectors to border security agents in an effort to block residents from making phone calls to South Korea.

Supply shortages and surging inflation caused some residents to need to carry a backpack full of cash just to go shopping, RFA Korean reported in April. In March, residents said that North Korean soldiers were so cash-strapped that they were selling their gear to buy food.

In May, two North Korean escapees described for the U.N. General Assembly experiences like watching family members die from starvation or seeing friends publicly executed for watching and sharing South Korean TV dramas.

Increased government controls were believed to be behind a sharp decline in defections last year, according to a U.N. report in March.

Includes reporting from Reuters.

At a news conference in Naypyidaw, Myanmar’s capital, election officials said that six parties would run for nationwide seats, while another 51 others would compete in individual states or regions. The vote is scheduled to be held in three phases beginning on Dec. 28, with two weeks between each phase, officials said.

The military announced the election regime in July, the first national vote since the 2021 coup that ousted Myanmar’s democratically elected government and plunged the country into civil war. It also set up an interim government with military chief Min Aung Hlaing retaining power as interim president.

The military doesn’t control all of Myanmar. Vast swaths are administered by a range of armed militias, ethnic groups and pro-democracy fighters, some in open, armed conflict with the ruling junta. At the press conference, election council member Khin Maung Oo noted 63 areas “which have security risks.”

“We will continue working until we can hold [the vote],” he said.

The military has framed the election as a way to end the conflict. Critics have called the election a sham, saying the military would retain power regardless of the vote.

However, criticism of the election is illegal in Myanmar. State-run media reported on Wednesday that a 36-year-old man in eastern Shan state was sentenced to seven years of hard labor for a Facebook post that contained surveillance video of a robbery and criticized the military junta for prioritizing the election over public safety.

It was the first known conviction under a new law, enacted in July, that criminalized speech or actions that might disrupt the election or the tools used to conduct it.

Includes reporting from Agence France-Presse and the Associated Press.