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Category: East Asia
Moveable feasts: Asia offers many ways – and dates – to celebrate the New Year
Hundreds of millions of people in China and other parts of East Asia are on the move this week to celebrate New Year’s with family gatherings, feasts and traditional activities honoring ancestors and hoping to bring good fortune. Colloquially known as “Chinese New Year,” the Lunar New Year falls on Jan. 29 this year, but it can come as early as Jan. 21 or as late as Feb. 20. In 2026, the holiday falls on Feb. 17. The variation is the result of using a lunar calendar based on the phases of the moon, modified into a lunisolar calendar that addresses leap years to keep it roughly in line with the solar year of the Western, or Gregorian, calendar. Most East Asian nations adopted the Gregorian calendar in the late 19th or early 20th centuries, and the lunisolar calendar is used for cultural events, religious ceremonies, and for some people, birthdays. A Chinese woman lights a prayer candle during a service at Dhanagun Vihara in Bogor, West Java, Jan. 28, 2025, on the eve of the Lunar New Year of the Snake.(ADITYA AJI, Aditya Aji/AFP) The reason “Chinese New Year” is a misnomer is that the holiday is also observed on the same date in South Korea and Vietnam –- two neighbors of China that were heavily influenced by Chinese culture centuries ago. Like China, they will ring in the Year of the Snake on Wednesday. In South Korea, the holiday is called Seollal and features a return to hometowns, the wearing of traditional hanbok attire, playing folk games, and performing rites and offering food to deceased relatives to honor the family lineage. Young people bow deeply before their elders and receive gifts and money, and rice cake soup is a main treat for the holiday, which is a three-day affair. Kim Dynasty and Tet North Korea, separated from the South in the wake of World War II in a division cemented by the 1950-53 Korean War, returned to the practice of celebrating the Lunar New Year in 1989, and made it an official holiday in 2003. But the most important holidays in North Korea focus on the birthdates of founder Kim Il Sung and his son Kim Jong Il, the father of current leader Kim Jong Un. Even Lunar New Year is observed mainly by visits to statues of the two elder Kims. Tibetan women prepare for a ritual dance as they celebrate the Losar, or Tibetan New Year in Kathmandu, Nepal, Feb. 23, 2023.(Bikram Rai/AP) The ceremony Monlam (“Wish Path”) held at major monasteries of the Gelug sect of Tibetan Buddhism entails monks chanting and praying to bring peace and good fortune to their Himalayan region. The Uyghurs of the Xinjiang region, annexed by China in 1949-50, celebrate Nowruz, the Persian New Year. It falls on or near the Spring Equinox and will be observed on March 20 this year. The holiday is observed by various ethnic groups in countries along the Silk Road, including Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, India, Iran, Iraq, central Asian states and Turkey. For the Uyghurs, facing repression under Chinese rule and heavy-handed assimilation policies, there is a strong emphasis on preserving cultural identity through gatherings, feasts of special food, music and dance. RELATED STORIES Cash-strapped Chinese take the slow train home for Lunar New Year China swamped with respiratory infections ahead of Lunar New Year travel rush In song and dance, Uyghurs forced to celebrate Lunar New Year Splashing water, Buddhist rites In Southeast Asia, while Vietnam follows the Chinese-inspired calendar and traditions, the traditionally Buddhist nations of Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar mark the solar new year in mid-April, when the sun enters the sign of Aries the Ram. Revelers take part in mass water fights on the first day of Songkran, or Thai New Year, in Bangkok on April 13, 2024.(Lillian Suwanrumpha/AFP) The people of Myanmar celebrate the Burmese New Year, called Thingyan, or Water Festival, by throwing buckets of water on each other and on Buddha images as an act of prayer to wash away misfortunes to welcome the new year. It falls on April 13-16 this year. Edited by Malcolm Foster. We are : Investigative Journalism Reportika Investigative Reports Daily Reports Interviews Surveys Reportika
Arakan Army captures junta camp on road to central Myanmar
, one of the few places left under junta administration, residents said. The other main area under junta control in the state is the Kyaukpyu economic zone on the coast, where China aims to build a deep-sea port, and has energy facilities including natural gas and oil pipelines running to southern China. Translated by Kiana Duncan. Edited by RFA Staff. We are : Investigative Journalism Reportika Investigative Reports Daily Reports Interviews Surveys Reportika
I was 10 when my father paid a smuggler to take me out of Tibet
When my editor asked me to report on the secret journey Tibetans take to escape into exile, I did not think that there was much worth writing about. It is the story of almost everyone in my community. It is not news, and we are in the news business. But as I reported the story, I could feel its power – and it reminded me of details of my own journey that I hadn’t thought about in years. I was born in Kham, in eastern Tibet, my parents’ first born. A brother and sister followed, and the five of us lived with two cousins in a home that sat in a valley where the Salween River flows, surrounded by farm fields and mountain peaks. My mom sold produce in a town closer to the border with China, and I remember her taking me with her to pick the fruit to sell, teaching me a little Chinese as we worked. When she sold the fruit, she would bring back Chinese toys. All the neighborhood kids would gather around to play with me and my new plastic guns and cars. I loved the attention the gifts from my mother brought me. Lobsang Gelek and his housemates at Kempty Falls in Mussoorie, India, during summer vacation in 2006.(Provided by Lobsang Gelek/RFA Investigative) I haven’t spoken to my family since then, though I occasionally get word through relatives also in exile that they are safe and healthy. I hope that sometimes they see videos I do for RFA or read articles I write and know that I am well. Back in Nepal and India reporting for RFA last year, I felt nostalgia and emotion I did not expect after one of the people I interviewed shared a similar story of having walked in the snow with little food. In just a few weeks, I’ll become a parent myself. As I approach fatherhood, I admit that sometimes I feel anger toward my father for his decision. But I try not to blame him because I know he did what he thought was best for me. And I think he did give me a brighter future – I would never have been here in the U.S., or met my beautiful wife, who, like me, was also smuggled out of Tibet as a child, if I had stayed back. Like all expecting parents, we’re anxious and excited for what’s to come. One thing I know for sure: I will never send my child far away from me. The pain of separation is something that lingers in your soul, until the moment you can be finally reunited. I still hope for that day. Edited by Jim Snyder and Boer Deng. We are : Investigative Journalism Reportika Investigative Reports Daily Reports Interviews Surveys Reportika
North Korea tests cruise missile; warns US, South Korea on ‘provocation’
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un oversaw the successful test of a cruise missile system, North Korea’s state media reported, as it accused the United States and South Korea of provocations and vowed the “toughest counteraction” to defend itself. The underwater-to-surface strategic cruise guided weapons traveled for 1,500 kilometers between 7,507 and 7,511 seconds in the Saturday test before “precisely” hitting targets, the North’s KCNA news agency reported. “The test was conducted as a link in the whole chain of efforts for carrying out the plan for building up the defence capability of the country, aimed at improving the effectiveness of the strategic deterrence against the potential enemies in conformity with the changing regional security environment,” KCNA reported. Kim was cited as noting that the North armed forces were perfecting ”the means of war deterrence.” On Sunday, North Korea accused the United States and South Korea of “staging serious military provocations” with their military exercises. “The U.S. and the ROK will never evade the responsibility for the aggravation of regional situation to be entailed by an increase in the visibility of military provocations”, a senior foreign ministry official said in a statement, referring to South Korea by the initials of its official name, the Republic of Korea. “The DPRK Foreign Ministry is closely watching the military provocations of the U.S. and the ROK escalating the tension on the Korean peninsula and seriously warns them that such moves will entail a reflective counteraction,” the official said, referring to North Korea by the initials of its official name, the People’s Democratic Republic of Korea. “The DPRK will not permit the imbalance of strength imposed by the military nexus between the U.S. and the ROK and take the toughest counteraction to defend the sovereign right, security and interests of the state and thoroughly ensure peace and stability in the region.” RELATED STORIES Interview: Trump would like to resume personal diplomacy with Kim Jong Un North Korea reiterates it has ‘no intention’ of abandoning nuclear program ‘Smart balloons’ drop leaflets, loudspeakers into North Korea The inauguration of President Donald Trump has led to speculation about an improvement in ties between the old foes. During his first term, Trump embarked on unprecedented but ultimately unsuccessful engagement with North Korea to try to get it to abandon its nuclear weapons in exchange for sanctions relief and he has suggested he would be open to a new effort. Last week, North Korea reiterated that it had no intention of giving up its nuclear program, blaming the United States for creating tensions. North Korea has drawn closer to Russia since Trump’s first term and has sent large volumes of arms and ammunition, as well as some 12,000 soldiers, to help Russia in its war against Ukraine. Neither Russia nor North Korea has acknowledged the North Korean support. Edited by RFA Staff. We are : Investigative Journalism Reportika Investigative Reports Daily Reports Interviews Surveys Reportika
Tide of Myanmar war refugees tests Thailand’s welcome mat for migrants
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
Exiled but Unyielding: Interview with Carmen Lau on Hong Kong’s Fight for Democracy
Discover how exiled advocate Carmen Lau navigates challenges and opportunities as a voice for Hong Kong’s democracy movement. From cultural initiatives like the Hong Kong March to global advocacy at the World Liberty Congress, Lau shares her resilience and vision for the future.
Taiwan says 85% of national security cases involve retired army, police
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
Nearly 3 million Chinese restaurants, cafes shut down
China has seen nearly 3 million restaurants, cafes and other catering outlets shut down in the past year with many going bankrupt.
Myanmar junta bombs rebel-held town in Shan state killing 8
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
China, Mekong countries agree to combat scam centers, arms trafficking
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
