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Month: January 2025

Exiled Myanmar musicians find new voices after coup

Editor011 mins

Once a full-time musician who toured throughout Myanmar, indie-pop star Linnith now finds himself in vastly different circumstances –- just like so many other celebrities who fled the country after the 2021 military coup d’etat. From his new home in Maryland in the United States, Linnith told Radio Free Asia about working as an Uber driver and trying to experiment with new music, but also generally “feeling lost.” “In my country, I don’t have to work like this – 50 hours a week, or something like that,” he said last week. After the coup, Linnith and many other artists took to the streets in protest. They also wrote music and posted on social media against the military dictatorship. Subsequent crackdowns by the junta left hundreds dead and thousands in police custody as censorship and threats of violence forced many artists into hiding. (Rebel Pepper illustration/RFA) But the aftermath of the coup has also brought underground and ethnic artists into the spotlight, as widely popular anti-coup music proliferates both online and off and artists navigate a new music industry with unique challenges. “Everything is different now, it’s not only the production, literally everything,” Linnith said, adding that he’s had to transition from making music in a major studio with a team and professional equipment to working independently. “After the coup, I can make music in my bedroom with my laptop with one cheap mic. I don’t even have a soundproof room, you know? That’s it.” Others are embracing the new underground nature of the music industry, where online platforms have given rise to popularity of new artists. “My priority is politics, so I write down all these things that I think about politics that I think about in my rap,” said an underground rapper asking to be identified as T.G. “I talk about the military coup and how we should unite and fight them back to get democracy for our generation.” New challenges But addressing politics can be a matter of life and death. At least three hip-hop artists have been arrested for their role in anti-junta movements, two later dying at the hands of the junta. Yangon-based 39-year-old Byu Har was arrested in 2023 for criticizing the military’s Ministry of Electricity and Energy on social media, and later sentenced to 20 years in prison. But others have met worse fates. Rapper and member of parliament for the ousted National League for Democracy party Phyo Zayar Thaw was executed in 2022. Similarly, San Linn San, a 29-year-old former rapper and singer, died after being denied medical treatment for a head injury sustained in prison linked to alleged torture, according to a family member. Many others have been injured protesting the dictatorship. Like many fleeing the country to avoid political persecution and to find work, much of the music industry has also shifted outside of Myanmar. A former Yangon-based rapper who asked to be identified as her stage name, Youth Thu, for security reasons moved to Thailand when she saw her main job in e-commerce being affected by the coup and economic downturn. “When I came here, I was trying to stay with my friends because I have no deposit money to get a room because I need to get a job first,” said a singer asking to be identified as her stage name, Youth Thu, for security reasons. Now working at a bar in Bangkok, she’s starting to incorporate her experiences into music that will resonate with others in the Myanmar diaspora. “I never expected these things. I never expected to be broke as [expletive deleted]. I never expected to live in that kind of hostel,” she said. “Especially migrants from Myanmar who are struggling here, I’m representing that group so my songs will be coming out saying all my experiences.” For those left inside the country, economic factors are also taking a toll on music production, Linnith said. “Because of inflation, the exchange rates are horrible… All the gear, the prices are going so high, like two or three times what it was,” Linnith said. “So most people can’t upgrade their gear or if something is wrong, they can’t buy a new thing.” Starting again The challenges have also ushered in new music and different tastes from audiences, as well as a boom in the underground industry and in rap and grime, a type of electronic dance, artists told RFA. T.G. said he’s seen a new appreciation for ethnic music coming from the country’s border regions, where languages other than Burmese dominate the music scene and everyday life. He’s also seen a revival of revolutionary music popularized in 1988, when student protests across Myanmar ended in a violent military coup that has drawn comparisons to the junta’s 2021 seizure of power. “After the [2021] coup, a lot of people from the mainland, a lot of people are going to the ethnic places like Shan, Kachin, Karen and then, Karenni,” he said. “They started to realize there are a lot of people willing to have democracy, so they started to realize that ethnic people are also important for the country.” Artists are also dealing with new feelings on a personal level. Depressed, anxious and struggling to cope with changing realities, Linnith and others have found new feelings to draw from. “The lyrics are literally ‘I give everything, I don’t believe in anything. I’m lost.’ That’s the kind of feeling I’ve got at the moment…I wrote it in my head while I was driving, again and again and again,” he said. “This is perfect timing, a perfect song for me…. Not just a perfect song, but the best song. It came from real feelings, real pain.” Youth Thu says while her music isn’t inherently political, she is also writing about her new life in ways she hopes will resonate with her audience. “I got to meet with other girls who are coming to Thailand to survive too. We have different goals, but still we are sharing lunch, sharing rooms, sharing the…

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Tide of Myanmar war refugees tests Thailand’s welcome mat for migrants

Editor07 mins

The threatened deportations from Thailand of a Vietnamese ethnic minority activist and 48 Uyghurs detained after trying to flee China have cast a harsh spotlight on Bangkok. But a flood of war refugees from Myanmar poses a bigger test for Thailand’s relatively generous policies toward migrants. The Uyghurs, held in Thailand since 2014 after attempting to use the Southeast Asian nation to escape persecution in China, have said they fear they are about to be repatriated and staged a hunger strike to highlight their plight. Vietnamese ethnic minority rights activist Y Quynh Bdap, who Hanoi wants to extradite and jail for terrorism, denies Vietnamese accusations that he committed 2023 attacks on government offices that resulted in nine deaths. A Thai Immigration Bureau spokesperson said Thailand has “no policy” to deport the Uyghurs, while enforcement of a Bangkok court ruling calling for Bdap’s extradition to Vietnam is still pending. These high-profile rights cases are playing out amid a bigger crackdown on hundreds of thousands of Myanmar citizens who have taken refuge in Thailand since a military takeover four years ago. The displaced Myanmar citizens include junta opponents, but are largely ordinary people who seek safety and work as the civil war at home grinds into its fifth year, say those who help migrants in Thailand. Many have been subject to arrest, involuntary repatriation and arrest again back in Myanmar as Thailand moves to regulate labor migration flows with stricter registration policies and stringent inspections. “While all nationalities face similar risks, Myanmar nationals face dual risks – both political opposition groups and ordinary workers uninvolved in politics. If deported, they might be drafted into military service, risking their lives,” said Roisai Wongsuban, policy advocacy advisor for the Migrant Working Group, an NGO in Thailand. Mecca for migrants Along with scrutiny from rights and labor groups, Thailand gets plenty of credit from the United Nations and others for hosting more than 5 million non-Thai nationals. “Because of its relatively prosperous and stable economy, Thailand has attracted millions of migrants from neighboring countries looking for a better standard of living,” said the International Organization for Migration, or IOM. However, Thailand is not a signatory to the 1951 UN Refugee Convention, meaning it doesn’t recognize refugees, and those who seek asylum can face detention and deportation. But it is a main base of humanitarian U.N. agencies and NGOs that help refugees in the region. “The country has also traditionally hosted hundreds of thousands of nationals from neighboring countries, who have fled their homelands due to war, internal conflict or national instability,” the IOM, a UN agency, said in a statement. Myanmar nationals cross over into Thailand at the Tak border checkpoint in Thailand’s Mae Sot district on April 10, 2024.(Manan Vatsyayana/AFP) Phyo Ko Ko, who works legally at a garment factory in Thailand, told RFA Burmese the military junta back in Myanmar is now collecting taxes on registered migrant workers’ earnings, in another hit to her income. “Workers only get a basic salary, so the money is spent on these visas and documents all year round,” said Phyo Ko Ko. Thai media have reported on some promising developments for migrants, such as cabinet approval in October of a plan to grant citizenship to nearly half a million people, including long-term migrants and children born in Thailand, and new visas for digital, medical and cultural pursuits. Despite the protests and crackdown of 2024, Wongsuban says the same economic priorities and necessities behind Thailand’s decision to accept migrant workers during the COVID-19 pandemic will ensure the flow of workers continues. Even critics and activists work with the understanding that “Thailand is the only country in the region that accepts a high number of migrant workers, war refugees, asylum seekers and immigrants,” he said. Reported by Nontarat Phaicharoen and Jon Preechawong for BenarNews, an RFA-affiliated online news service, RFA Burmese and Phouvong for RFA Lao. Translated by Aung Naing and Phouvong. Written by Paul Eckert. We are : Investigative Journalism Reportika Investigative Reports Daily Reports Interviews Surveys Reportika

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Taiwan says 85% of national security cases involve retired army, police

Editor06 mins

Updated Jan. 24, 2025, 4:25 a.m. ET TAIPEI, Taiwan – Taiwan said 85% of its national security cases were found to involve retired military and police officers, adding China “systematically and organically cultivated” these forces in the island. Taiwan’s national security law is a set of legal provisions aimed at safeguarding its sovereignty and democratic system from internal and external threats. It includes measures against espionage, subversion, and activities threatening national security, with a particular focus on countering external interference, including from China. China regards Taiwan as a renegade province that should be reunited with the mainland, by force if necessary. The democratic island has been self-governing since it effectively separated from mainland China in 1949 after the Chinese civil war. “85% of current incidents related to national security are involved with retired military and police. We are very concerned about this situation,” said Liang Wen-chieh, spokesperson of Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council, which oversees relations across the Taiwan Strait. “China has been systematically and methodically cultivating these forces on the ground in Taiwan … it has become very difficult to secure evidence in espionage and national security-related cases,” Liang added without elaborating. The number of individuals in Taiwan prosecuted for Chinese espionage increased from 16 in 2021 to 64 in 2024, Taiwan’s main intelligence agency, the National Security Bureau, or NSB, said in a report this month. In 2024, 15 military veterans and 28 active service members were prosecuted, accounting for 23% and 43%, respectively, of all Chinese espionage cases. “Chinese operatives frequently try to use retired military personnel to recruit active service members, establish networks via the internet, or try to lure targets with cash or by exploiting their debts,” said the NSB. “For example, military personnel with financial difficulties may be offered loans via online platforms or underground banks, in return for passing along secret intelligence, signing loyalty pledges or recruiting others,” the agency added. Lin Ying-Yu, an assistant professor at Tamkang University’s Graduate Institute of International Affairs and Strategic Studies in Taiwan, said retired officers’ connections made them a great target for China. “Retired military and police personnel may have connections from their previous deployments, or they may have colleagues still serving in the armed forces, military, or law enforcement agencies,” said Lin. “This makes retired individuals excellent intermediaries for accessing classified information through active-duty personnel.” RELATED STORIES Taiwan warns internet celebrities on collusion after video uproar EXPLAINED: What is China’s United Front and how does it operate? Beijing says Taipei behind anti-China hackers Operational base for Chinese attack The Taiwan government’s announcement on national security cases came days after Taiwanese prosecutors sought a 10-year prison sentence for a retired military officer for leaking classified information to China. The Taiwan High Prosecutors Office on Monday indicted retired Lt Gen. Kao An-kuo and five others for violating the National Security Act and organizing a pro-China group. Prosecutors claim that Kao, leader of the pro-unification group “Republic of China Taiwan Military Government,” along with his girlfriend, identified by her surname Liu, and four others, were recruited by China’s People’s Liberation Army, or PLA. The group allegedly worked to establish an organization that would serve as armed internal support and operational bases for the Chinese Communist Party, or CCP, in the event of a PLA invasion of Taiwan. This effort reportedly included recruiting active-duty military personnel to obtain classified information and monitor strategic deployments. Additionally, they are accused of using drones to simulate surveillance on mobile military radar vehicles and other combat exercises, subsequently relaying the results to the CCP. China has not commented on Taiwan’s announcement on national security cases. Edited by Mike Firn. Updated to include comments from an expert. We are : Investigative Journalism Reportika Investigative Reports Daily Reports Interviews Surveys Reportika

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Myanmar junta bombs rebel-held town in Shan state killing 8

Editor06 mins

Read RFA coverage of this topic in Burmese. Myanmar’s military bombed a town in Shan state under rebel control killing eight people days after striking a ceasefire with an allied group that also operates in the northeastern state, the group in control of the bombed town said. The junta that seized power in a 2021 coup has been under major pressure from its insurgent enemies over the past year losing large areas of territory, military bases and major towns. The military has repeatedly called for talks over the past few months while at the same time unleashing its air force in devastating attacks on insurgents and the towns and villages they control, killing numerous civilians, rights group says. The latest junta air raid to inflict heavy casualties was in the town of Nawnghkio, which is under the control of the Ta’ang National Liberation Army, or TNLA, in Shan state. “Near Parami Teashop, the junta dropped two bombs back to back from a jet at around 11 a.m.,” the TNLA said in a statement after the strike on Wednesday. At least three women were among the dead and two houses and a police station were destroyed, it said. RFA tried to contact Shan state’s junta spokesperson, Khun Thein Maung, by telephone for comment but he did not respond. Destruction from an airstrike in Myanmar’s Nawnghkio town, seen on Jan. 22, 2025.(Thein Aung- Facebook) A resident of Nawnghkio, which is 90 kilometers, or 55 miles, northeast of the city of Mandalay, told Radio Free Asia the tea shop was obliterated and staff, customers and passers-by were among the dead. “The bomb hit right on the teashop as the family was cleaning up,” said the resident, who declined to be identified for safety reasons, referring to the people who ran the shop. “There were some people sitting around and a girl who works there was torn to pieces.” The military then fired artillery at Nawnghkio from the direction of the junta-controlled town of Pyin Oo Lwin, residents said. RELATED STORIES Myanmar military regime enters year 5 in terminal decline Two-thirds of residents flee Myanmar beach town as rebels battle junta troops Myanmar junta kills 28, including its own soldiers, in prison attack It was the second airstrike on the town in about 24 hours. One person was killed and two were wounded in a strike on an administrative office and the town hall on Tuesday, the TNLA said earlier. The TNLA, fighting for autonomy for the Ta’ang, or Palaung, people has emerged as a powerful force in Shan state and was part of a three-group alliance that went on a coordinated offensive in October 2024, scoring major victories against junta forces, including the capture of Nawnghkio. Another member of the Three Brotherhood alliance, the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army, or MNDAA, struck a ceasefire with the junta on Saturday after talks brokered by China. While calling for talks, the junta chief also vowed late last year to re-capture territory lost in Shan state. Many insurgent groups have rejected the calls for talks, saying it is a ploy by the military which is trying to secure more areas in preparation for an election expected late this year that the generals hope will bolster their legitimacy. Translated by Kiana Duncan. Edited by RFA Staff. We are : Investigative Journalism Reportika Investigative Reports Daily Reports Interviews Surveys Reportika

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Vietnamese man fined for social media comments on new hefty traffic fines

Editor07 mins

Please read a version of this story in Vietnamese A Vietnamese man has been fined US$200 for posting a question on social media about a hugely unpopular law allowing for hefty fines for traffic violations. The government mandate, called Decree 168, which went into effect in the new year, has prompted police to crack down on seemingly minor traffic violations, arousing widespread anger among Vietnam’s millions of drivers and motorcycle riders A truck driver known as N.V.D. posted a comment on TikTok in October asking anyone who “opposes draft Decree 168, please share your thoughts.” His comments were about a draft form of Decree 168, which was proposed last year, approved in December and implemented on Jan. 1, People’s Public Security reported. “Is this law for the people, or someone else?” he asked. Police ordered him to pay 5 million Vietnamese dong (US$200) for “the act of providing, sharing fabricated information, causing confusion among people about Decree 168,” according to the People’s Public Security newspaper, which noted that N.V.D. has over 17,500 followers. The Cyber Security and High-tech Crime Prevention Division in central Dak Nong province also ordered N.V.D. to delete three other posts about the decree. Screenshot of N.V.D.’s TikTok video in which he states “please share your thoughts” and is being used by the police as a basis for punishment for opposing draft Decree 168.(CAND) He is the second person to be fined for perceived criticism of the law. Last week, Hanoi resident Dang Hoang Ha was questioned by Ministry of Public Security officials for critical comments he made on his Facebook page and was fined 7.5 million Vietnamese dong (US$300). The ministry said the comments included “Saigon people took to the streets to protest because of Decree 168” and “Traffic police are out in force, blocking the streets.” Ha admitted to criticizing the new fines using provocative and misleading words and promised not to do it again, according to the ministry. In recent years the government has cracked down on social media posts it saw as a threat, jailing critics for “propaganda against the state,” under Article 117 of the criminal code and “abusing democratic freedoms,” under Article 331. Unpopular fines The effort over the last few weeks to discipline drivers who run red lights or ride their motorbikes on sidewalks has changed driver behavior for the better but has also led to more traffic jams, a Hanoi taxi driver told Radio Free Asia earlier this month. The initiative has also proven to be unpopular with social media commentators, many of whom have complained about the higher fine amounts. Fines for car drivers running red lights, for example, have risen from 4 million Vietnamese dong (US$157) to 18 million Vietnamese dong ($709), while fines for the same offense for motorcyclists went from 1 million Vietnamese dong ($39) to 4 million Vietnamese dong ($157). RELATED STORIES Vietnam punishes social media poster for complaining about traffic rules Tough new traffic fines anger Vietnamese In bid to reduce traffic jams, Vietnam mulls congestion fees N.V.D.’s comments in October included a remark that said anyone who committed a violation could lose half a year’s salary, which was “nothing short of strangling people,” according to a screenshot published by People’s Public Security. A source familiar with the matter, speaking to RFA on condition of anonymity for safety reasons, said N.V.D. was offering feedback on the draft decree because of his experience as a long-haul truck driver who transported agricultural products from the Mekong Delta to various provinces and cities. However, since Decree 168 took effect, N.V.D. has stopped accepting long-haul jobs because one of its regulations requires drivers to take a break after every four hours and limits drivers to a maximum of 10 hours per day and 48 hours per week. Many drivers told RFA that Decree 168’s restrictions on driving hours were unreasonable and would lead to increased transportation costs and reduced driver income. Translated by Anna Vu. Edited by Matt Reed and Malcolm Foster. We are : Investigative Journalism Reportika Investigative Reports Daily Reports Interviews Surveys Reportika

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China, Mekong countries agree to combat scam centers, arms trafficking

Editor06 mins

Read RFA coverage of this topic in Burmese. The six Mekong River countries are working together to combat online scamming and arms dealing in the interests of their security, China’s embassy in Myanmar said, as authorities renew efforts to tackle a problem that is causing growing alarm across the region. The rescue of a Chinese actor and several other victims this month from an online scam center in eastern Myanmar has shone a spotlight on the criminal gangs running fraud, money-laundering and human trafficking operations from some of the more lawless corners of the region. The scam centers proliferated in Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos after the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted casinos. Thousands of people have been lured by false job offers and then forced to work defrauding victims online in complexes often run by ethnic Chinese gangsters, human rights groups say. China, which is also home to many of the victims of the scammers, has been organizing action to tackle the problem with its southern neighbors, most recently at a meeting in the city of Kunming, in China’s Yunnan southern border province. “The operation brings together the law enforcement resources of various countries and is an effective cooperative force in the fight against telecommunications fraud and arms smuggling in the region,” China’s embassy in Myanmar said in a statement on Tuesday. “All parties unanimously agreed that regional security and stability were effectively protected,” it said. In 2025, members of the Lancang-Mekong Integrated Law Enforcement and Security Cooperation Center – China, Myanmar, Thailand Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam – will begin the second phase of an operation against the criminals, the embassy said. It did not give details of what it would entail. The Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army hands over 337 telecom and internet fraud suspects to Chinese police on Oct. 7, 2023.(Kokang News) RELATED STORIES Scammers lure jobseeking Hong Kongers to Myanmar from Japan, Taiwan Is Laos actually tackling its vast scam Industry? Myanmar border militia emerges as nexus in regional scam network From August to December, Operation Zin Yaw resulted in a collective 160 cases cracking down on telecommunications fraud, in which more than 70,000 criminals were arrested and 160 victims were rescued, the embassy said. Myanmar authorities have said the large majority of suspects detained in raids are from China. China can provide “effective protection” against both arms smuggling and online fraud, the embassy said. The recent abduction and rescue from an eastern Myanmar enclave on the Thai border of Chinese actor Wang Xing, and model Yang Zeqi, has attracted media attention across the region and raised public alarm about safety. Thailand has seen a rash of group tour cancellations for the upcoming Lunar New Year and its government has promised action to protect its economically important tourist industry. The leaders of militias loyal to Myanmar’s junta and the operators of online scam centers announced this month that they had agreed to stop forced labor and fraud after coming under pressure from Thailand and the Myanmar military, sources close to the militia groups said. “The threat posed by the scam gangs is large – if you read the newspapers you know – so something needs to be done,” said Aung Thu Nyein, a member of the Institute for Strategy and Policy Myanmar think tank. Myanmar’s exiled parallel National Unity Government said in a statement on Monday it and other anti-junta groups would work with neighboring countries to suppress the scam centers. Translated by Kiana Duncan. Edited by RFA Staff. We are : Investigative Journalism Reportika Investigative Reports Daily Reports Interviews Surveys Reportika

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Hundreds block Cambodian highway to protest irrigation water shortage

Editor04 mins

Hundreds of people in southern Cambodia used tractors and motorcycles to block a major national highway for three hours on Tuesday to demand that provincial authorities address severe water shortages that have damaged rice fields. Protesters tied tractors and other vehicles together across National Road 2 and used loudspeakers to rally farmers and other residents of Takeo province and to plead for help from Prime Minister Hun Manet and other government officials. Takeo resident Aob Ratana said in a Facebook live video from the protest that authorities could solve the water shortage by opening a dam in the province’s Bati district to allow water to flow into the Bati River, which runs alongside rice fields. Residents were angry that this particular request had gone unfulfilled, which was a major reason behind the blockage of National Road 2, which runs between Phnom Penh and the Vietnamese border. “The rice fields are dying and will be gone if they do not help solve the problem,” he said. “The district and provincial governments are not helping to solve the problem for the people.” Minister of Agriculture Dith Tina, Minister of Water Resources Tho Jetha and Minister in charge of Disaster Management Kun Kim met with the demonstrators at the site of the road blockage and promised to work on the issue. Im Rachana, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Agriculture, didn’t answer when asked by Radio Free Asia how the government planned to solve the lack of water in the area. A hard time this year Cambodian farmers have faced several droughts over the last 20 years. At least 1.1 million hectares of rice crops were affected and more than 30,535 hectares were seriously damaged by drought during the 2023-2024 dry season, which typically runs from November to April, according to the National Disaster Management Committee. The national government should work to restore natural irrigation systems, such as existing lakes and canals, and should also look into building new canals, said Dy Kunthea, a board member of the Cambodian Farmers Solidarity Organization. Aob Ratana warned on his Facebook live video that Cambodia’s overall economy would face trouble if too many rice fields fail this year. “There is water,” he said. “But it is not being distributed to the people, and they say that the people will have a hard time this year.” Translated by Yun Samean. Edited by Matt Reed. We are : Investigative Journalism Reportika Investigative Reports Daily Reports Interviews Surveys Reportika

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