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China, Philippines trade blame over “ramming” at disputed shoal

Editor1 week ago05 mins

China and the Philippines traded accusations of ramming each other’s vessels on Saturday at a disputed shoal in the South China Sea, marking an apparent escalation in an already tense situation in the area. Jay Tarriela, spokesperson for the Philippine National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea – part of South China Sea over which the Philippines claims jurisdiction – said that a Chinese coast guard vessel “deliberately rammed and collided” three times with a Philippine coast guard ship “despite no provocation” from the Philippine side. The Philippine vessel, BRP Teresa Magbanua, has been on deployment at Sabina Shoal, known in the Philippines as Escoda Shoal, since April to monitor what the Philippines fears is China’s plan to reclaim land at the shoal. Tarriela told a press briefing in Manila that the incident was the fifth case of harassment by China of Philippine ships operating in the area in August. He said there were no reports of any injuries to Philippine personnel. A Chinese coast guard spokesperson accused the Philippines of provocation at the shoal, which both sides claim but which lies entirely within the Philippine exclusive economic zone, or EEZ, where the Philippines holds rights to explore for natural resources. The Chinese coast guard ship 5205 “lawfully issued verbal warnings and conducted monitoring and control measures” against the Philippine ship which “continued its provocations at China’s Xianbin Jiao,” Chinese coast guard spokesperson Liu Dejun said, referring to the shoal by its Chinese name. At around midday, the Philippine ship “deliberately rammed into the Chinese ship 5205 in an unprofessional and dangerous manner, causing a collision for which the Philippines bears full responsibility,” Liu said. Sabina Shoal has in recent days become the latest flashpoint between the Philippines, a close U.S. ally, and China in the South China Sea, raising concerns about conflict between the neighbors. The U.S. has spoken in support of Manila, with Ambassador MaryKay Carlson saying in a statement that Washington “condemns the multiple dangerous violations of international law” by China, including Saturday’s incident. “We stand with the Philippines in upholding international law,” she added. Less than a week ago, Philippine officials said another ship – the BRP Datu Sanday – “encountered aggressive and dangerous maneuvers from eight Chinese maritime forces” while attempting to deliver diesel, food and medical supplies to Filipino fishermen operating near the shoal. China has repeatedly accused the Philippines of “illegally grounding” the BRP Teresa Magbanua in order to “forcibly occupy” the shoal. China on Friday released an ecological report to back its claim to the feature that officials said is a Chinese island. RELATED STORIES China releases report to fortify claim over disputed shoal in South China Sea Philippines, China clash near disputed shoal in South China Sea Manila accuses Beijing of island building in South China Sea Jason Gutierrez in Manila contributed to this story. Edited by RFA staff.

Hundreds of Taiwanese ‘disappear’ in China over past 10 years

Editor1 week ago017 mins

Read related stories in Mandarin: 10年来857名台湾人在中国被失踪或任意逮捕 and 强迫失踪在中国：纪念日背后的无尽悲痛与抗争 More than 800 nationals of democratic Taiwan have “disappeared” over the past 10 years in China, which has long used forced disappearances to silence and control its own dissidents and rights activists, rights groups said on Friday. Figures compiled by the Taiwan Association for Human Rights and several other non-government groups showed that 857 Taiwan nationals have been “forcibly disappeared or arbitrarily arrested” in China, activists told a joint news conference in Taipei. They include publisher Li Yanhe (pen name Fu Cha), detained in Shanghai since April 2023, democracy activist Lee Ming-cheh, who served a five-year jail term in Hunan province for “attempting to subvert state power,” and businessman Lee Meng-Chu, jailed for nearly two years for “espionage” after he snapped photos of People’s Armed Police personnel at a Shenzhen hotel at the height of the 2019 Hong Kong protests. Speaking on the United Nations’ International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances, Taiwan Association for Human Rights chief Eeling Chiu called on China to fulfill its obligations under international human rights law. “China should … immediately release those who have been forcibly disappeared or arbitrarily detained,” Chiu told journalists, calling on the Taiwan authorities to ratify United Nations conventions against torture and enforced disappearances as soon as possible. “[They should also] actively assist the families of those who have been arbitrarily arrested and detained in China and set up assistance mechanisms for them,” she said. Members of a support group for disappeared Taiwanese publisher Fu Cha hold up signs calling for his release to mark the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances, Aug. 30, 2024. (Huang Chun-mei/RFA) Activist Wang Chia-hsuan of a petition group in support of Li Yanhe, or Fu Cha, said Li was born in China but had permanent residency in Taiwan at the time of his disappearance, having lived in Taipei for more than a decade. He has been incommunicado for 527 days, and has been detained on suspicion of “incitement to secession,” Wang said. He called on Taipei municipal authorities to step up efforts to communicate with the Chinese authorities regarding Li’s case. Lee Ming-cheh told the news conference that his disappearance and subsequent jailing put huge pressure on his family back home. “Collaborators with the Chinese government in Taiwan warned my wife off talking to Taiwanese NGOs or speaking out publicly about my case, saying they would allow her to travel to China to visit me [if she complied],” he said. “If she spoke publicly about my case, she wouldn’t be allowed to go to China,” Lee said, accusing the Chinese government of abusing current crime cooperation agreements with Taiwan to persecute its residents. Negotiating is key Ruling Democratic Progressive Party lawmaker Puma Shen said the Taiwanese authorities could do a better job of negotiating in the early stages of such cases. “Government officials … should call on China for more appropriate handling of [such] cases,” Shen said. “If that doesn’t happen, then we should cut off communication [with China].” “If we continue to communicate past that point, there will be no deterrence at all … and it will send the message that it’s OK if our people keep disappearing,” he said. Taiwanese publisher Li Yanhe in an undated photo. (Fu Cha via Facebook) Meanwhile, Taiwanese lawmaker Hung Shen-han warned that it’s not only Taiwanese who are at risk of arbitrary arrest and “disappearance” in China. “The risk to individuals of being disappeared and prosecuted in China don’t just apply to Taiwanese,” Hung said, adding that some democratic countries have issued travel advisories to their citizens on the matter. “The Chinese government uses its laws, along with various undemocratic and unsupervised practices, to threaten the personal safety of people from all countries who go to China,” he said. “Chinese citizens themselves face the same problem.” Geng He, the U.S.-based wife of human rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng said it has been seven years since he “disappeared” on Aug. 13, 2017. “Gao Zhisheng has been missing for seven years and 17 days, with no news or explanation, neither verbal nor written,” she told RFA Mandarin in a recent interview. “They deploy the whole state apparatus in its entirety to target people like Gao Zhisheng who speak the truth and work on behalf of the people,” Geng said. The couple’s entire family has also been affected, she said. “My entire family’s ID cards have been confiscated for the past 15 years now,” Geng said. “This has caused great inconvenience to my family in terms of their ability to work, go about their lives, access medical treatment and travel.” “They’re being controlled to death,” Geng said. “Basically, they can’t leave their homes.” Gao’s sister died by suicide in May 2020, while his brother-in-law also took his own life after being forced to beg the authorities to “borrow” his own ID card so he can access his cancer medication. Disappeared Chinese rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng in an undated photo. (Weiquanwang) Veteran rights lawyer Bao Longjun said the authorities have also “disappeared” his wife Wang Yu, also a prominent rights attorney, on several occasions in recent years. She was incommunicado for several hours on Wednesday during the trial of rights lawyer Yu Wensheng and activist Xu Yan in Suzhou. “I feel like it’s about ruling the country through terror,” Bao told RFA Mandarin. “There is no legal basis for [enforced disappearances].” “If you are even slightly disobedient, they will immediately bring state power to bear, forcibly restricting your freedom, and controlling you to achieve what they think is stability,” he said. Uyghurs and Tibetans Chinese authorities have also forcibly disappeared Uyghurs and Tibetans in the far-western part of mainland China. An estimated 1.8 million Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslims have been detained in Xinjiang under flimsy pretexts during mass incarcerations that began more than seven years ago in an effort by Chinese authorities to prevent religious extremism, separatism and terrorism. Former Xinjiang University President Tashpolat Teyip, who himself vanished in 2017…

Notable Cambodian businessman detained, charged in embezzlement case

Editor1 week ago03 mins

A prominent Cambodian businessman has been detained for questioning by an investigating judge following accusations he stole millions of dollars from an investment company. Kuy Vat, the former chairman of the Cambodian Investors Corporation, was arrested on Aug. 24. The Phnom Penh Municipal Court on Tuesday charged him with “non-compliance with traded instruments.” The fraud and embezzlement charges follow allegations from several people that Kuy Vat has bounced large checks and otherwise misappropriated money invested in the Cambodian Investors Corporation, or CIC, according to CamboJA News. CIC collected US$100 million from investors but allegedly hasn’t allowed people to make withdrawals and hasn’t paid out interest, as promised, since August 2023, CamboJA News reported earlier this year. Kuy Vat is the owner of the Park Cafe chain of restaurants, which has 11 locations across Phnom Penh, the capital. Among the alleged victims in the case is Kouch Mengly, a Cambodian-American who told Radio Free Asia in April that he lost US$300,000 to the company. “If justice isn’t sought and this is allowed to continue, the people will lose faith in the government and the justice system, and the government will lose the faith of the international community, which will lead to the destruction of the Cambodian economy,” he said. CIC board member Som Sambath told RFA that he was unaware of allegations that Kuy Vat had transferred money from CIC to his personal accounts. “I don’t know what to say until I know the truth – then I can answer your question,” he said. “I don’t know how to answer now.” RFA was unable to reach a spokesman for Phnom Penh prosecutors, Chhay Chhay Hong, to ask about the charges. CIC board member Khim Sokheng was also unavailable for comment on Wednesday. Translated by Sum Sok Ry. Edited by Matt Reed.

Top White House official in Beijing for talks with foreign minister

Editor2 weeks ago04 mins

U.S. President Joe Biden’s national security adviser Jake Sullivan arrived in China on Tuesday on a three-day trip that includes talks with Foreign Minister Wang Yi, and comes after complaints from China’s neighbors about what they see as its territorial intrusions. Sullivan and Wang “will hold a new round of China-U.S. strategic communication,” according to China’s foreign ministry, exchanging views on bilateral relations, “sensitive issues” and “major international and regional hotspots.” A senior White House official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told reporters on Friday that Sullivan and Wang would discuss a range of topics including areas of disagreement, such as Taiwan, Ukraine and the Middle East. RELATED STORIES Top White House official to visit China Philippines, China clash near disputed shoal in South China Sea Philippines joins US-led allies in multilateral maneuvers in South China Sea The visit comes amid protests by U.S. allies Japan and the Philippines about what they say are Chinese incursions. Japan said a Chinese Y-9 reconnaissance plane entered Japanese airspace for two minutes on Monday, which Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi described as “utterly unacceptable.” Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian said on Tuesday China was trying to verify the report, adding that its military had “no intention of intruding” into any country’s airspace. Meanwhile, Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. said on Tuesday that China was “the biggest disrupter” of peace in Southeast Asia. His comments came after a clash on Sunday between Philippine and Chinese vessels near a disputed reef in the South China Sea. US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan is welcomed by Director General of the Department of North American and Oceanian Affairs of the Foreign Ministry Yang Tao (C) and US Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns (L) upon arriving at the Beijing Capital International Airport in Beijing on Aug. 27, 2024. (Ng Han Guan/POOL/AFP) Sullivan was greeted at Beijing’s Capital Airport by the Chinese Foreign Ministry’s North American and Oceanian department head Yang Tao, and U.S. ambassador Nicholas Burns. His trip is the first official visit to China and the first by a national security adviser since Susan Rice went to Beijing under the Obama administration in 2016. Sullivan and Wang have met in Washington, Vienna, Malta and Bangkok over the past 18 months. Edited by Mike Firn.

Cambodia announces fundraising effort for ‘border infrastructure’

Editor2 weeks ago04 mins

Cambodians are being asked to pay for infrastructure projects in a remote border area where an economic cooperation agreement with Vietnam and Laos has recently sparked criticism and protests from opposition activists. The projects would be aimed at developing four provinces in northeastern Cambodia that are part of the Cambodia-Laos-Vietnam Triangle Development Area, or CLV. Prime Minister Hun Manet’s Cabinet announced the creation of a Foundation for Border Infrastructure Development on Monday in a statement that included the names of six banks where people could send money. It was unclear what infrastructure projects would be funded by the foundation. The provinces – Kratie, Stung Treng, Ratanakiri and Mondulkiri – are thinly populated. Money raised under the initiative would help the government “in the spirit of national unity, peace, sovereignty and territorial integrity, [to] promote stronger and more sustainable border development,” Hun Manet said. “Cambodians of all backgrounds, both inside and outside the country” are encouraged to contribute, the prime minister said. Several high-profile Cambodian businessmen have already posted messages on social media that showed their donation to the foundation. The 1999 CLV agreement between the three countries was aimed at encouraging economic development and trade between the four northeastern provinces and neighboring provinces across the border. But some activists recently began expressing concerns that the CLV could cause Cambodia to lose territory or control of its natural resources to Vietnam. Overseas Cambodians held protests in South Korea, Japan, France, Canada and Australia on Aug. 11. Planned demonstrations in Cambodia on Aug. 18 were never held after the government deployed security forces and arrested more than 30 people. The fundraising effort appears to be aimed at harnessing some of the nationalistic sentiment sparked by CLV critics, according to Oum Sam An, a former lawmaker for the former main opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party. “This is demagogic politics to deceive the people,” he told Radio Free Asia. “He is trying to show that his family is patriotic and didn’t cede any land to Vietnam.” RFA was unable to reach a government spokesperson for comment on the new foundation. Translated by Sum Sok Ry. Edited by Matt Reed and Malcolm Foster.

Rohingya refugees drown fleeing Myanmar’s war as concerns mount

Editor2 weeks ago08 mins

Twenty-six members of Myanmar’s persecuted Rohingya minority drowned when their boat capsized as they were trying to flee to Bangladesh, witnesses said, an accident likely to compound fears that the largely Muslim community is facing a new round of genocide. Rohingya living in Rakhine state in western Myanmar have been caught in crossfire between ethnic minority insurgents fighting for self-determination against Myanmar’s military, with both sides accused of killing them. Some analysts have warned that the latest attacks are worse than those inflicted on the community in 2017, when a Myanmar military crackdown against Rohingya militants triggered an exodus of some 700,000 people to Bangladesh. As then, Rohingya are again fleeing the violence to Bangladesh, many crossing a border river in small boats. On Monday, a crowded boat crossing the Naf River to Bangladesh sank killing 26 of those onboard, witnesses said, the latest in a spate of deadly accidents on the river. “There were 30 people on the boat including 18 children. Only four survived. The rest died,” said one of the witnesses who declined to be identified because of security fears. Rescue workers searching for bodies had found seven victims, including four children and a pregnant woman, he added. Aung Kyaw Moe, deputy minister of human rights for Myanmar’s shadow National Unity Government, said the boat was heading to Bangladesh because of intense fighting in Maungdaw township on the border between junta troops and the Arakan Army, or AA, insurgent group. “They fled for their lives. They were worried about where the heavy artillery would fall,” he said. “The Naf River is dangerous because of the ebb and flow of the tide. They had to risk their lives.” Aung Kyaw Moe said the situation in Rakhine state was confusing because some areas were controlled by junta forces while others were in the hands of the AA, with tens of thousands of Rohingya caught up in the conflict. The AA draws its support from the largely Buddhist ethnic Rakhine community, the majority in the state. The rebels are fighting Myanmar’s military for greater autonomy, in alliance with ethnic minority forces from other areas and democracy activists who took up arms after the army overthrew an elected government in 2021. Both sides have been accused of killing Rohingya, with AA fighters blamed for attacking people believed to be supporting junta forces. On Aug. 5, dozens of Rohingya people were killed by fire from heavy weapons as they waited for boats to cross to Bangladesh, survivors told Radio Free Asia. Some survivors said the AA was responsible though the insurgents denied that. RELATED STORIES Arakan Army seizes key town in southern Myanmar Attacks against Rohingyas ‘now worse than 2017 Rebels evacuate 13,000 Rohingyas amid battle for Myanmar’s Maungdaw Torched homes On Aug. 12, Human Rights Watch said both the junta and the AA had committed extrajudicial killings and widespread arson against Rohingya, Rakhine and other civilians in Rakhine state. “Ethnic Rohingya and Rakhine civilians are bearing the brunt of the atrocities that the Myanmar military and opposition Arakan Army are committing,” said the group’s Asia director Elaine Pearson. “Both sides are using hate speech, attacks on civilians, and massive arson to drive people from their homes and villages, raising the specter of ethnic cleansing.” The recent attacks on Rohingya were “worse than in 2017” and represents a “second wave of genocide”, two experts told a press briefing in the United States this month. There were about 60,000 displaced people in Rakhine state before the latest round of fighting resumed late last year but now there are more than 500,000, aid groups there say. Echoing growing concerns about the Rohingya, the U.K.-based Burma Human Rights Network, or BHRN, called on Wednesday for the international community to protect Rohingya, particularly those in Maungdaw. It cited witnesses as saying many Rohingya had been killed in boat accidents or from bombs on the banks of the Naf River. The group cited witnesses as saying AA fighters had torched Rohingya homes in Maungdaw. “These problems started when the junta forcibly recruited Rohingya for military service,” Kyaw Win, director of Burma Human Rights Network, told RFA. “If there are violations by AA troops on the ground, the AA needs to be exposed and action needs to be taken.” The AA, in an Aug. 18 statement, accused “Muslim armed forces” of setting fire to homes and it warned that rights activists making accusations could affect harmony between ethnic groups. The AA said it had evacuated nearly 20,000 people, including Rohingya, from embattled Maungdaw town and would move more to safety. Kyaw Win said forces opposed to the junta throughout the country, including the National Unity Government and other insurgent groups, had been reluctant to criticize the AA, their anti-junta ally. But he said the international community should investigate the AA’s actions and take measures, including sanctions, if necessary. Translated by RFA Burmese. Edited by Mike Firn.

Uyghurs sentenced to cumulative 4.4 million years in prison: study

Editor3 weeks ago010 mins

All told, Uyghurs imprisoned by China in the far-western region of Xinjiang have been sentenced to a cumulative 4.4 million years, a report by Yale University’s Genocide Studies Program says. And the true tally is probably far higher, researchers said. The figure highlights the scale and severity of the Chinese government’s crackdown on the mostly Muslim Uyghurs since 2017, when thousands of Uyghurs and other Turkic minorities were herded into re-education camps and prisons. The 25-page report, “Uyghur Race as the Enemy: China’s Legalized Authoritarian Oppression & Mass Imprisonment,” frames the massive incarceration not only as a crime against humanity and genocide, but also as a form of “dangerous lawfare” designed to erode the Uyghurs’ future prospects for dignity, prosperity and freedom. The study drew on information from the Xinjiang Victims Database, which has data on nearly 62,700 Uyghurs detained in Xinjiang, based on leaked Chinese police documents and other records. Researchers also studied records from the Xinjiang High People’s Procuratorate from 2017 to 2021. It does not include numbers from years since then, after the court stopped publishing data, meaning the true number is much higher. They found 13,114 cases that included a prison sentence, with an average term of 8.8 years, and multiplied the figure by 500,000, which they called a “conservative” figure based on the 540,000 individuals prosecuted by court from 2017 to 2021, to get 4.4 million years. “This is happening on a scale that the world has not seen,” said Uyghur human rights lawyer and advocate Rayhan Asat, principal author of the report. “And if China is allowed to fulfill the 4.4 million years of a cumulative imprisonment it has sentenced the Uyghur people to, it will mean a total ethnic incapacitation for the Uyghur people.” RELATED STORIES UN rights chief calls on China to protect human rights in Tibet and Xinjiang Rights groups blast UN for inaction on China’s repression in Xinjiang Call for debate on rights violations in Xinjiang rejected by UN Human Rights Council UN human rights chief issues damning report on Chinese abuses in Xinjiang This data is crucial for understanding the profound human rights violations and the long-term impacts on the Uyghur community. ‘Legalized human rights abuse’ The Chinese government uses “legalized authoritarianism” to extend the reach of the authoritarian state by weaponizing its legal system against people critical of state policies, the report said. In the case of Xinjiang, Beijing has recognized the Uyghur identity as an enemy and has used laws such as Article 120 of the Criminal Law governing terrorist crimes, the Counter-Terrorism Law, and the Xinjiang Implementing Measures for the Counter-Terrorism Law “to legitimize human rights abuses,” it said. “The involvement of laws as a means of carrying [out] human rights abuses sufficiently characterizes Uyghur incarceration as a legalized human rights abuse,” it said. The study also noted that while the Chinese authorities make public criminal records in other parts of the country, records from almost 90% of cases in Xinjiang are not public. Asat told Radio Free Asia that she wanted to contextualize the consequences of China’s actions for the entire Uyghur population given that the mass incarceration of Uyghurs without due process and with disproportionately harsh imprisonment is already horrific in isolation. She has publicly campaigned on behalf of Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities in China, including her brother Ekpar Asat, who has been held in detention in Xinjiang since 2016. “With a cumulative imprisonment of 4.4 million years — a conservative estimate — it’s nearly impossible for the population to carry on their culture and community — our culture and community,” she said. Human toll The analysis comes before the second anniversary on Aug. 31 of a report by former U.N. human rights chief Michelle Bachelet who visited Xinjiang in May 2022 and said China’s mass detentions of Uyghurs and other Turkic minorities in the region may constitute crimes against humanity. Her successor, Volker Türk, this March urged China to carry out recommendations from his office to protect human rights in Xinjiang, Tibet and across the country, but Beijing ignored his call. “[In] the context of mass imprisonment, it gives an idea of just how much, human capital is lost to the Uyghur community, the Uyghur population in China as a result of what is arguably a political and arbitrary, punitive, ethnically-based system of mass imprisonment,” said David J. Simon, director of the university’s Genocide Studies Program. “The one other thing I will add about that figure is that the authors of the report have stressed to me that it is a conservative estimate — that the real number, the number of years that Uyghur political prisoners may actually be facing under these laws, could actually be substantially higher,” he told RFA. The report makes several recommendations to address the issue. It says Türk, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, or OHCHR, and U.N. member states must trigger all accountability mechanisms to pressure China to free innocent detainees and to use diplomatic tools to collectively push for the release of all imprisoned Uyghurs. It also recommends that individual states declare they are not willing to do business with China and to impose targeted sanctions like those already imposed by the United States, Britain, the European Union and Canada. The report also recommends that the U.N.’s Human Rights Commission and the OHCHR jointly condemn Beijing’s actions and establish a Commission of Inquiry in China to investigate atrocity crimes. “It’s been nearly a decade after China rolled out its extensive atrocity campaigns against the Uyghurs, and the world’s attention is slowly waning due to other crises emerging,” Asat said. “But the horrors in the Uyghur region have not ceased.” With additional reporting by RFA Uyghur. Edited by Malcolm Foster.

Dalai Lama talks about life in exile in first speech since surgery

Editor3 weeks ago07 mins

In his first public speech since knee replacement surgery in June, the Dalai Lama spoke on Friday about how living in exile had brought awareness about Tibet and Buddhism to a global audience. “If I had not been a refugee, I may be sitting on a high throne in Lhasa, Tibet,” the Tibetan spiritual leader told over 100 Tibetans and other well-wishers gathered at the Dalai Lama Library and Learning Center in Ithaca, New York. “By coming into exile, I had an opportunity to travel around the world explaining the essence of Buddhism to a wider audience, building a human-to-human connection that has proved to be beneficial and connect with many people globally,” he said. “People around the world today feel a deep sense of closeness and unity with Tibet and Tibetans,” said the 89-year-old spiritual leader during his first visit to the center that was established by the Namgyal Monastery. RELATED RFA CONTENT Dalai Lama marks 89th birthday, allays concerns about his health China clamps down on social media ahead of Dalai Lama’s birthday Dalai Lama discharged from hospital after knee surgery Tibetans worldwide rejoice over Dalai Lama’s successful knee surgery Thousands welcome Dalai Lama’s arrival in US for knee surgery The center, which opened to the public in September 2023, includes a digital audio archive with 40,000 hours of the Dalai Lama’s teachings, about 4,000 books with translations of ancient texts on the evolution of Buddhist thought, and Buddhist artifacts from India and Tibet. Clad in the finest Tibetan attire and holding white silk ceremonial scarves, Tibetans of all ages stood in long rows in the center’s premises to welcome the Dalai Lama. The Dalai Lama at the Dalai Lama Library and Learning Center in Ithaca, New York, Aug. 16, 2024. (RFA) The roughly 100-strong Tibetan community in Ithaca had spent weeks helping with the preparations at the center. “We all took turns to volunteer at the center over the past month, doing everything from gardening to cleaning to hoisting prayer flags and other chores with the intention of making the center as beautiful and as clean and as ready as possible to receive His Holiness,’ said Tenzin Tsokyi, a resident. Oneness of humanity In his address on Friday, the Dalai Lama reaffirmed his commitment to serving the Tibetan people and promoting the Buddhist tradition, and emphasized the importance of preserving their religious and cultural heritage. “Everyone has done their best, and I encourage you to keep doing so,” he told those gathered at the center. “I was born in Amdo and have had good relationships with people since my childhood,” he said. “And now, even as I am aging, I have built relationships with people from all over the world. “Under the concept of oneness of humanity, I have received compassion and care from others,” he said. “No matter where I go in the three provinces of Tibet, I never waver in my belief in our shared humanity.” The Dalai Lama at the Dalai Lama Library and Learning Center in Ithaca, New York, Aug. 16, 2024. (RFA) The Dalai Lama, who celebrated his 89th birthday last month, has been in the United States since late June for medical treatment. After undergoing successful knee surgery at a top New York hospital, the Dalai Lama has been recovering and undergoing physical therapy in Syracuse, New York. Dr. David Mayman, chief of the adult reconstruction and joint replacement who performed the surgery, on June 28 said the Dalai Lama was progressing positively. On Aug. 22, more than 10,000 Tibetans, Mongolians and people of Himalayan communities based in North America are scheduled to offer a collective long life prayer offering to the Dalai Lama at the UBS Arena in New York. The Dalai Lama at the Dalai Lama Library and Learning Center in Ithaca, New York, Aug. 16, 2024. (RFA) The following day, the Dalai Lama is scheduled to depart for India via Switzerland. The Dalai Lama arrived in New York on June 23, marking his first visit to the United States in over seven years and his first overseas trip since November 2018. Translated by Tenzin Dickyi and Tashi Wangchuk. Edited by Tenzin Pema and Malcolm Foster.

PNG jolts donors over power grid roll-out as China sale dismissed

Editor4 weeks ago08 mins

The chairman of Papua New Guinea’s national power provider has called for a faster U.S. and foreign donor roll-out of promised electricity infrastructure while saying there is absolutely no plan to sell critical grid assets to China. At APEC’s Port Moresby meeting in 2018, the U.S, Australia, New Zealand and Japan pledged to fund new electricity infrastructure in the Pacific country with the goal of connecting 70% of PNG’s population by 2030. The deal was announced against a backdrop of growing concern in Washington and Canberra about China’s inroads with Pacific island nations, especially as an economic partner. But six years later, there is little to show in terms of electricity connectivity, according to analysts and industry insiders, with one donor admitting the “2030 target remains ambitious.” “It could be faster, and there are a lot more discussions that need to be made between the parties,” Moses Maladina, the chairman of PNG Power, told RFA affiliate BenarNews on the sidelines of an investment conference in the Australian city of Brisbane. Moses Maladina gestures in this photo posted to Facebook by PNG Power on March 8, 2022. (PNG Power/Facebook) “There is room for improvement. We just have to work closely and make sure we achieve the target.” Maladina, who is also the chairman of Kumul Consolidated Holdings, the government’s investment arm in state-owned infrastructure, ports, logistics and financial services, batted away reports that the power grid was for sale. Australian broadcaster Channel 7 claimed last week that management from PNG Power had traveled to China seeking investment in its power grid, triggering a furious denial from Port Moresby which accused the station of inflaming geopolitical tensions. Maladina said that legally and officially there had been no talks about any potential sale to Chinese investors. “From a shareholders point of view, there has been no discussion on it and absolutely no interest on our part to sell our transmission lines or our distribution lines in any way,” he said. Papua New Guinea is the most populous Pacific island country with an estimated 11.7 million people, but its economy is small, underdeveloped and plagued by infrastructure problems. Only about 13% of the population is estimated to have access to electricity, and even then it is unreliable and confined primarily in urban areas, according to the Asian Development Bank. In 2018, the Trump White House touted the Papua New Guinea Electrification Partnership (PEP) as a “principles-based, sustainable infrastructure development that is transparent” – in an apparent rebuke of what it frequently said was China’s secrecy-shrouded development financing to poor nations. Papua New Guinea’s Prime Minister Peter O’Neill (center), flanked by the leaders of Australia, New Zealand, Japan and U.S. Vice President Mike Pence (far right), during the signing of a joint electricity deal at the APEC Summit in Port Moresby Nov. 18, 2018. (Reuters) Australia committed A$25 million in the first year of the multi-year PEP project. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade did not provide figures on overall investment by the time of publication. New Zealand has invested NZ$41 million (US$24.7 million) to date towards electrification in PNG under the partnership, including rural grid extension and renewable generation projects. “The constraints to broad based grid connection in Papua New Guinea are significant, including geography, land ownership structures and the regulatory environment, so a 2030 target remains ambitious,” said a spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) launched a five-year US$57 million electrification program under the PEP in November 2020, but did not reply to a request for comment about its continued involvement. Mihai Sora, director of the Pacific islands program at the Lowy Institute, said the partnership’s 2030 target was looking increasingly out of reach. “The PEP was designed as a multi-party flagship development initiative that was intended to present an alternative to the BRI for PNG,” he told BenarNews, using the acronym for China’s globe-spanning infrastructure program, the Belt and Road Initiative. “But progress has been slow, complicated by the deep governance challenges in PNG’s domestic power sector, the rugged geography of PNG, the difficulty of coordinating so many separate partners, and low capacity among domestic stakeholders in PNG.” Sora said the strategic context during which the deal was signed in 2018 has become more pronounced today, as China vies for influence in PNG with the U.S. and its allies. However, it would be difficult for PNG to “pivot to China for the same kind of support in the power sector, given the work that is already underway on this project.” PNG’s Minister for State Enterprises William Duma demanded an apology from Channel 7 over its report, calling it “ridiculous.” But the broadcaster said it stood by the story. Duma’s demand was not the first time he has squared off with Australian media. He successfully sued the Australian Financial Review last year for defamation over claims that he acted corruptly in granting a petroleum license and won A$545,000 (US$340,000). BenarNews is an RFA-affiliated online news organization.

Hun Sen warns of more arrests related to Vietnam-Laos cooperation deal

Editor4 weeks ago05 mins

Cambodia’s Senate President Hun Sen on Monday again threatened to arrest anyone who tries to organize a demonstration in the country against an economic cooperation agreement with Vietnam and Laos that has been a subject of online debate over the last month. The 1999 agreement between the three countries was aimed at encouraging economic development and trade between Cambodia’s four northeastern provinces and neighboring provinces across the border. Last month, three activists were arrested on incitement charges after they spoke of concerns that the Cambodia-Laos-Vietnam Triangle Development Area, or CLV, could cause Cambodia to lose territory or control of some of its natural resources to Vietnam. The activists made the comments in an 11-minute Facebook video. An angry Hun Sen ordered the arrests and has spoken publicly about the CLV several times since then. On Monday, Hun Sen warned in a Facebook post of more arrests after overseas Cambodians set up a chat group on the Telegram app where plans for an Aug. 18 demonstration in Phnom Penh against the CLV were being discussed. The Telegram group was created following a weekend of protests against the CLV among overseas Cambodians living in South Korea, Japan, Canada and Australia. “My message to all brothers and sisters in this group, I listened to your conversation in the group long enough,” he said. “You are being incited by overseas people.” ‘Try it’ Hun Sen said he has spies in the Telegram group who have sent conversations and names to his private account. He added that he wouldn’t order the arrests for anyone who left the group. “We cannot let a few people destroy the peace of 17 million people. Some have seen the events in Bangladesh and compared the events in Cambodia,” he said. “Try it. If you consider yourself a strong person, please try.” Hun Sen stepped down as prime minister last year but remains a powerful force in the country. His son, Hun Manet, succeeded him as prime minister. Last week, Hun Manet warned Cambodians against protesting against the government, citing Bangladesh’s recent demonstrations in its capital that turned into deadly clashes and caused that country’s leader to resign. RELATED STORIES Cambodia’s prime minister warns against Bangladesh-like demonstrations Police arrest activists after Facebook video angers Cambodia’s Hun Sen Hun Manet has also tried to reassure Cambodians about the CLV, saying that the agreement won’t result in the loss of any territory. Soeung Senkaruna, the former spokesman for human rights group Adhoc, said Cambodians both inside and outside the country have the full right to freedom of expression, which is guaranteed by the Constitution and international law. Using force to keep people from expressing their opinions shouldn’t happen in a country “that the government claims enjoys democracy and peace,” he said. Translated Sun Sok Ry. Edited by Matt Reed.

Category: Americas