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Category: ASEAN

Vietnam, Philippines sign defense cooperation agreement

Editor05 mins

Vietnam and the Philippines signed a defense agreement on Friday that would see the two South China Sea claimants strengthening their cooperation at sea, where both face an assertive China.  The agreement comes at a time of heightened tensions, especially between the Philippines and China, which are at loggerheads over some of the reefs and atolls in the waterway. Vietnamese defense minister Phan Van Giang is in Manila on a visit “to materialize the common understandings” achieved during the state visit by Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to Hanoi in January, according to the Vietnamese ministry’s Quan Doi Nhan Dan newspaper.  Giang and his counterpart, Gilberto Teodoro, signed a defense cooperation agreement to boost a strategic partnership between the two militaries, focusing on maritime cooperation. Coast guard forces from both countries are to set up a hotline to manage “non-traditional security challenges,” and share information, the Vietnamese minister told President Marcos during a courtesy call to the Malacañan Palace. Gen. Phan Van Giang, Vietnam’s Minister of National Defense pays a courtesy call on President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. of the Philippines on Aug. 30, 2024. (Vietnam News Agency) On Aug. 9, coast guard vessels from Vietnam and the Philippines conducted their first-ever joint drills. Marcos described Giang’s first visit to the Philippines as a “very significant point in the history between our two countries.” “The Philippines and Vietnam have enjoyed good relations … We now talk about defense cooperation, security cooperation, maritime cooperation, and certainly, on the area of trade as well,” Marcos was quoted by the official Philippine News Agency as telling Giang.  Giang said the two countries had “very good” interactions and dialogues, especially when it comes to “navy-to-navy discussions.” RELATED STORIES Vietnam’s coast guard to hold first drills with Philippines Philippines, Vietnam set to boost cooperation in South China Sea Philippine, Vietnamese coast guards sail together to bolster nautical cooperation While visiting the Philippine navy headquarters, the Vietnamese minister stressed that, as neighbors at sea, Vietnam and the Philippines shared interests in security and safety of navigation amid unpredictable challenges. However, the four-star general, who fought in a Sino-Vietnam border war in 1979, did not refer to China or its activities in disputed waters. Instead, he reiterated that Vietnam was pursuing a so-called Four Nos defense policy: no military alliances, no siding with one country  against another, no foreign military bases in the Vietnamese territory or using Vietnam as leverage to counteract other countries, and no force or threat of force in international relations. While a military alliance between Vietnam and the Philippines is unlikely, they can still bolster exchanges and joint activities. The Philippine navy has agreed to send a team to Vietnam’s 2nd Defense Expo in December. Edited by Mike Firn.

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Myanmar insurgents attack navy base as junta recruits militias

Editor05 mins

Insurgents in Myanmar’s Rakhine state are closing in on an important junta naval base, a spokesman for the group said on Thursday, as military authorities in neighboring regions rounded up people into civil defense teams in preparation for rebel advances. The Arkan Army ethnic minority force has made stunning gains in Myanmar’s westernmost state, capturing townships, military bases and an airport at Thandwe town, since going on the offensive late last year. Now AA fighters are attacking the last remaining junta positions protecting its Maung Shwe Lay naval base in Thandwe, AA spokesman Khaing Thu Kha told Radio Free Asia. He said eight naval vessels were supporting junta ground troops and the fighting was fierce. Junta spokesmen have not commented on the latest fighting. Myanmar’s military has been battling insurgencies since soon after independence from Britain in 1948 but the pressure its forces are under this year is unprecedented. Pro-democracy activists, outraged by the ouster of an elected government in 2021 and a bloody crackdown on protests that followed, have taken up arms, linking up in many parts of the country with ethnic minority rebels fighting long wars for self-determination. Junta forces have lost ground in Rakhine and Chin states in the west, Kachin state in the north, Shan state in the northeast and eastern areas along the border with Thailand.  In addition, central heartland areas that have been peaceful for decades have been rocked by clashes as anti-junta People’s Defense Forces go on the attack.  Junta officials told administrators on Aug. 16 it would begin setting up militias, or public security committees,  to arm people to defend their communities, according to information leaked on social media.  Residents in the Ayeyarwady region, near a conflict zone in southern Rakhine state, said on Thursday that authorities there had begun recruiting people into the militias, drawing names through a lottery system in five townships.  “They’re recruiting us for their militia,” said one resident of a township that borders Rakhine state. “Local administrators are recruiting people between the ages of 35 and 65 under the pretext of serving public security in the neighborhoods and villages,” said the resident, who declined to be identified. “They even tried to recruit some disabled people and when they refused, they had to pay a fine.” RFA tried to telephone Ayeyarwady region’s junta spokesperson, Khin Maung Kyi, for information but he did not answer. Political parties in the area have also been told to help fill the ranks, said one party member. “Political parties have been called up for recruitment in some towns,” said the party worker who declined to be identified. “The junta asked us to contribute 50 people.” Recruits would be asked to carry weapons and do some short military training, he said. Translated by RFA Burmese Edited by Kiana Duncan and Mike Firn. 

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Notable Cambodian businessman detained, charged in embezzlement case

Editor03 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.

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Did Taiwanese ships fly the Chinese flag while passing through the Red Sea?

Editor09 mins

A video and photograph of a cargo vessel have been shared in Chinese-language social media posts that claim they show vessels from  the Evergreen Group – Taiwan’s shipping and transportation conglomerate – flying a Chinese flag while passing through the Red Sea in July. But the claim is false. Evergreen vessels have not passed through the Red Sea since December 2023. A video of a cargo ship was posted on Chinese social media Bilibili on Aug. 17. “A cargo ship belonging to China’s Taiwan-based Evergreen Group passed through the Red Sea flying the five-star red flag without incident. Previously, the Houthis have repeatedly attacked passing ships in the Red Sea, but ships flying the Chinese and Russian flags have usually been able to pass through safely,” the video’s caption reads.  The 12-second video shows multiple scenes, including China’s national flag, the Five-star Red Flag, and a cargo ship with an “EVERGREEN” sign on it.  Separately, a photo of what appears to be Evergeen’s cargo vessel was shared on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Aug. 18, alongside a caption that reads: “The Evergreen Hotel refused to fly the Chinese flag, but Evergreen Marine flew the Chinese flag when it passed through the waters under the jurisdiction of the Houthis in the Red Sea.” A number of influencers posted photos of Evergreen ships purportedly flying China’s flag (Screenshots/X, Weibo and Bilibili) The claim began to circulate online after Chinese social media users criticized a decision by a branch of the Taiwanese Evergreen Laurel Hotel in Paris to refuse to fly China’s national flag during the Olympics. Some users further criticized the Evergreen Group, the hotel’s parent company, for what they said was double standards after several of its ships passed through the Red Sea in July while flying the Chinese flag for protection.  Evergreen Group is a Taiwan conglomerate with businesses in shipping, transport and associated services such as energy development, air transport, hotels and resorts. Taiwan has been self-governing since it effectively separated from mainland China in 1949 after the Chinese civil war, but China regards Taiwan as a renegade province that should be reunited with the mainland, by force if necessary. However, the claim about the Evergreen vessels flying the flag is false.  Vessels in question Reverse image searches found the two vessels seen in the Bilibili video and the photo on X are Evergeen’s EVER ALP and EVER BUILD.  A comparison of the EVER ALP and the EVER BUILD with the respective Chinese influencers’ content. (Photo/AFCL) According to the ship tracking service Marine Traffic, both vessels are under the jurisdiction of Panama.  Since the internationally recognized United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea stipulates that a ship must sail under the flag of the state to which it is registered, those ships should fly Panama’s flag.  Information on the EVER ALP and EVER BUILD. (Screenshot/Marine Traffic)  According to a contingency plan issued by Evergreen in December 2023, all of its cargo vessels originally scheduled to pass through the Red Sea  between Asia, Europe and the eastern United States would be rerouted around the Cape of Good Hope due to the threat of attacks on merchant ships. Since the release of the contingency plan by Evergreen, the EVER ALP has not passed through the Red Sea, while the EVER BUILD has only sailed between northeast China and Thailand, nowhere near the Red Sea. Records from the ship tracking service Marine Traffic also show that neither the EVER ALP nor the EVER BUILD has sailed through the Red Sea since the group issued its contingency plan.  The respective routes of both vessels recorded on Marine Traffic show that they have not entered through the Red Sea in the last 9 months.  (Screenshots/Marine Traffic) A representative of Evergreen told AFCL that it had not changed its company-wide shipping reroute around the Cape of Good Hope, and the company required its vessels to follow the international and industry practice of flying the flags of the country under whose jurisdiction they sail.  Hoisting a different country’s flags A former Taiwanese Coast Guard official told AFCL that, in practice, there are cases when a ship might fly a different country’s flags.  It is common for ships to fly another country’s flag alongside their own registered state flag to show goodwill when passing through that country’s territorial waters, the official said.  In disputed waters, ships from one country involved in the dispute might fly the flag of the other country to reduce the risk of interference from the rival state’s authorities or militias. Lastly, ships from smaller or less powerful nations often fly the flag of a more powerful country when passing through pirate-infested waters to create a deterrent, the official explained, adding that Taiwan did not legally permit ships under its jurisdiction to engage in the second or third scenarios. Translated by Shen Ke. Edited by Shen Ke and Taejun Kang. Asia Fact Check Lab (AFCL) was established to counter disinformation in today’s complex media environment. We publish fact-checks, media-watches and in-depth reports that aim to sharpen and deepen our readers’ understanding of current affairs and public issues. If you like our content, you can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram and X.

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China arrests 15 North Korean escapees near Laos

Editor06 mins

Under cover of darkness, the 15 North Koreans – 13 women and two children – approached the river, where they expected to catch a speedboat out of China to Laos, bringing them one step closer to freedom. They had traveled more than 2,500 kilometers (1,500 miles) across China to get to that point, hoping eventually to fly from Southeast Asia to Seoul.  Suddenly, Chinese police appeared and arrested all of them. Instead, they will likely be repatriated – a fate that awaits nearly all North Korean escapees in Chinese police custody – and will likely be punished for fleeing. The incident occurred on the night of Aug. 21, according to a South Korean human rights group, Korea Unification Solidarity, that had been helping the escapees. The Chinese guide leading the group had sent a video clip to update their status to some of their family members who had already made the journey to South Korea. They were arrested moments later. According to Korea Unification Solidarity, the escapees were on their way to South Korea – in a roundabout route.  After first fleeing North Korea to China, they were divided into two groups to avoid detection. Each group took a different route across China to the southern city of Kunming, and once reunited they planned to cross the border to a Southeast Asian country.  “The two groups arrived safely in Kunming and merged, but when they sent a video of their arrival at the riverside, the police raid started,” Jang Se-yul, a representative of Korea Unification Solidarity, told RFA Korean. “When I asked another guide, he said that they were all caught at the riverside.” An escapee living in Seoul identified by the pseudonym Lee for safety reasons told Jang that his younger sister was among the group of 15 arrested escapees. “Ten days ago, my younger sister and her group of 15 people left Yanji, Jilin Province, to go to Kunming and they were arrested by the Chinese police.” Lee said, according to Jang. “Their whereabouts became unknown after the video clip was sent by the Chinese guide.” The three-second-long video clip provided to RFA by Lee via Jang shows several women, presumed to be among the 15 escapees, moving toward a river in pitch darkness to board a boat. RFA has not been able to independently confirm which river is shown in the video or any of Jang’s statements about the incident. According to Jang, the group consists of 13 North Korean women and two children who had lived temporarily in the northeastern Chinese provinces of Heilongjiang and Jilin. Illegal migrants? Although many in the international community are critical of China for forcibly repatriating North Korean escapees, Beijing maintains that they are not refugees, but illegal economic migrants, and that it must repatriate them because it is bound by two diplomatic agreements with Pyongyang. The arrests come about a month after South Korea celebrated its first-ever North Korean Defectors’ Day, a new holiday that will henceforth fall on July 14 and celebrate the stories and struggles of North Koreans who have resettled in South Korea. During the holiday events, South Korean President Yoon Seok-yeol pledged to make “every diplomatic effort to prevent our compatriots who escaped North Korea and are living overseas from being forcibly repatriated.” During the COVID-19 pandemic, repatriations temporarily halted as the border between China and North Korea were closed down, but now that the border is open again, repatriations have resumed. When RFA contacted South Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs for comment on the arrests, the ministry’s spokesperson Lee Jae-woong said that there was nothing that could be confirmed. But he said that South Korea maintains that North Koreans residing overseas should not be forcibly repatriated under any circumstances. South Korea’s Ministry of Unification told RFA that it reiterated that position and that it is currently verifying the facts.  Translated by Jay Park. Edited by Eugene Whong and Malcolm Foster.

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Top White House official in Beijing for talks with foreign minister

Editor04 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.

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Cambodia announces fundraising effort for ‘border infrastructure’

Editor04 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.

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Vietnam’s parliament appoints new ministers after To Lam takes top job

Editor05 mins

Updated Aug. 26, 2024, 06:45 a.m. ET. Vietnam has announced a shakeup of ministers as To Lam shores up power and continues his predecessor’s anti-corruption campaign, following his elevation to general secretary of the Communist Party this month. National Assembly members replaced two deputy prime ministers and appointed another – the country’s fifth – at an extraordinary meeting in Hanoi attended by Lam and Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh.  Supreme Court Chief Justice Nguyen Hoa Binh, 66, Finance Minister Ho Duc Phoc, 60, and Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son, 61, became deputy prime ministers. The shakeup comes after Le Minh Khai was removed from his position as deputy prime minister by the Politburo on Aug. 3 to take responsibility for a land-use scandal in Lam Dong province. The Politburo also announced this month it was moving Tran Luu Quang from a deputy prime ministerial role to head up the Central Economic Commission. Parliament also appointed new justice and environment ministers in Monday’s one-day session.  ‘Blazing furnace’ continues National Assembly Secretary General Bui Van Cuong said parliament would elect a new state president during its October session, Vietnamese media reported. Lam has held the post for three months. Lam, a former public security minister was elected general secretary – the country’s most powerful position – on Aug. 3, following the death two weeks earlier of his predecessor, Nguyen Phu Trong. Trong had championed an anti-corruption drive known as the “blazing furnace” to tackle graft among party officials and business leaders. The campaign claimed the jobs of several senior government members, including Vo Van Thuong, who was forced to step down as president in March after just one year in office. Lam, 67, took over the presidency on May 22 and had already assumed the general secretary’s role on an interim basis the day before Nguyen Phu Trong’s death. RELATED STORIES Analysts: Vietnam’s new leader promises reform, but it won’t be easy To Lam elected as Vietnam’s top leader Nguyen Phu Trong left Vietnam’s Communist Party ripe for strongman rule Carl Thayer, emeritus professor at the University of New South Wales Canberra, said it would be unusual for Lam to remain both party secretary general and president. “Since reunification of Vietnam and the adoption of the 1992 constitution, Vietnam’s party leaders have consistently rejected the idea of merging the office of party general secretary and state president,” said Thayer.  He said if Lam was able to concentrate on a single role it would give him more time to oversee the selection of the next generation of leaders at the party congress scheduled for early 2026 and continue Trong’s “blazing furnace” campaign. “No doubt To Lam will be vigorous in opposing any potential candidate involved in corruption or who fails to meet party ethical standards,” he added. “But the process of vetting must be viewed as fair and balanced across the entire Vietnam Communist Party and not a particular faction or region.” Edited by Mike Firn and Taejun Kang. Updated to note election for state president will take place in October.

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Bicycle built for who?

Editor01 mins

To Lam made his first foreign trip as general secretary of Vietnam’s Communist Party to China, where President Xi Jinping gushed about the two countries’ “shared future.”  But the goals of the neighboring nations with similar political systems don’t always align, including on matters of sovereignty in the South China Sea, where China’s sweeping territorial claims have earned rebukes from Hanoi and sparked widespread public protests in Vietnam. While both leaders are pedaling forward, they appear to be headed in opposite directions.

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Two Myanmar reporters among four killed in raid by junta forces

Editor05 mins

Myanmar junta forces hunting insurgents raided a reporter’s home killing him, another reporter and two other people, one of whom was a member of a rebel group, associates of the victims, including a former employer, told Radio Free Asia.  The troops raided reporter Htet Myat Thu’s home in Mon state on Wednesday after receiving a tip-off that insurgents were meeting there. Since the military seized power and toppled a civilian government more than three years ago, junta officials have closed independent media outlets and arrested and tortured some reporters, victims and rights groups say. Junta soldiers opened fire on the home of Htet Myat Thu in Kyaikto township on suspicion the people there were members of a pro-democracy insurgent group called the Kyaikto Revolutionary Force, the associates of the men said.  The second reporter killed in the raid was Win Htut Oo, 28, a freelance journalist who worked for the Democratic Voice of Burma and The Nation Voice, one of his employers told RFA.  About 30 soldiers raided the home, said a source close to one of the victims who declined to be identified for security reasons.  “Htet Myat Thu was shot first when he opened the door. Another man, Kyin Wak, was shot in the leg when he jumped out of a window,” said the source.  “Win Htut Oo and another man, Ah Win, were shot at the back of home while they were trying to flee.” Ah Win was a member of the Kyaikto Revolutionary Force but the other man, Kyin Wak, just lived in the house and had no militia affiliations, associates said. Authorities did not return the bodies to their relatives but cremated them, they added.  Twenty-six-year-old Htet Myat Thu worked for the Voice of Thanbyuzayat news outlet. He was arrested once before while reporting on protests that followed the 2021 coup but continued his work as a journalist after being released. Nay Aung, chief editor of The Nation Voice, dismissed any suggestion that either of the reporters was a member of an insurgent group.  “The journalists are just trying to report the right information in a timely way while they’re out in the field,” he said. “But the junta viewed this as an attack on the military and retaliated against them, step by step.” Pro-junta channels on messaging app Telegram reported that four Kyaikto Revolutionary Force soldiers were killed in a shootout during a raid on a home where rebel soldiers were gathering.  RFA tried to contact Mon state’s junta spokesperson Saw Kyi Naing for comment but he did not respond.  According to data from the Independent Myanmar Journalists Association, 176 journalists have been arrested since the 2021 coup. Of these, five have been killed and 52 remain in custody. Myanmar ranks ninth for number of journalists killed and second for the number of jailed journalists worldwide, according to the 2023 Global Impunity Index released by the Committee to Protect Journalists press freedom group. RELATED STORIES Myanmar filmmaker Pe Maung Same dies after release from prison  Former reporter for independent new outlet dies in Myanmar prison On World Press Freedom Day, journalists across Asia continue to face threats Translated by RFA Burmese. Edited by Kiana Duncan and Mike Firn. 

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