East Asia Archives - Page 5 of 120 - Investigative Journalism Reportika

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.

Olympics fans in Laos watch events through social media, Thai broadcasts

Editor4 weeks ago04 mins

Sports fans in Laos have been watching the Paris Olympic games through online video platforms or through television broadcasts from neighboring Thailand. Four athletes representing Laos competed in Paris, but there was little expectation they would bring home a medal. So viewers in Laos have also taken an interest in Thai athletes and other Southeast Asian competitors. “I know well that Lao athletes have very little chance to win a medal,” a Vientiane resident told Radio Free Asia. “But I’m still closely following the Olympic games.” She cheered on Panipak Wongpattanakit from Thailand, who won a gold medal in the taekwondo women’s flyweight division. “I remember that she also won a gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics too,” she said, referring to the games held in 2021. “I would say ‘congratulations’ to her.” Steven Insixiengmay of Laos competes in the Men’s 100m Breaststroke Heats on July 27, 2024 in Nanterre, France. (Al Bello/Getty Images) Laos’ television channels didn’t have enough advertising sponsors to show a live broadcast of the Paris games, an official from Laos’ Olympic committee said. Instead, committee officials who are in France have been posting results from Lao athletes on social media platforms and have also done a few Facebook Live broadcasts to talk about the events, he said. Fans in Laos have also just been enjoying the track and field, soccer and gymnastic events no matter who is competing, another Lao citizen told RFA. “I watch almost everything,” he said. Laos hasn’t won a medal since it first sent athletes to the Olympics in 1980, when the games were held in Moscow. Praewa Misato Philaphandeth of Laos performs a rhythmic gymnastics routine, Aug. 8, 2024 . (Mike Blake/Reuters) Four athletes represented Laos in Paris: Silina Pha Aphay, a Lao-born 100-meter sprinter; Praewa Misato Philaphandeth, a rhythmic gymnast who is of Lao, Thai, and Japanese descent; and Ariana Southa Dirkzwager and Steven Insixiengmay, both of whom are Lao-American swimmers. Pha Aphay was briefly in the spotlight during a preliminary heat of the women’s 100-meter race. She was seen helping another sprinter, Lucia Moris of South Sudan, who fell to the ground during the race after an apparent injury. After crossing the finish line in sixth place, Pha Aphay ran back to Moris as she lay on the track in pain. She stayed with her as medics strapped her onto a stretcher. “Once I saw her on the ground in pain, it was in my mind that I must finish my race first,” she told RFA. “Then I asked permission from the referee if I could help her. The referee said yes, then I rushed to help her.” Translated by Phouvong. Edited by Matt Reed.

Gymnastics silver medalist Nairman Kurbanov thrills Kazakhs and Uyghurs

Editor4 weeks ago07 mins

Kazakhstanis turned out in large numbers to welcome home gymnast Nariman Kurbanov from the Paris Olympics, where the 26-year-old ethnic Uyghur won a silver medal in the Men’s Pommel Horse – the first gymnastics medal for the Central Asian nation in the 30 years it has competed as an independent country. Kurbanov, who has been a gymnast since the age of six and holds degrees in coaching and law, was met at Almaty airport Wednesday by Kazakhstani sports officials and community leaders and activists representing the nearly 300,000 Uyghurs in Kazakhstan. “It’s been a few days since the finals of the Olympics, but I still can’t fully grasp the significance of my medal,” he told Radio Free Asia Uyghur. “My fans and sports enthusiasts from all over the country and abroad are not only congratulating me, but also expressing their gratitude for the joy I’ve brought them,” he added. “My parents and relatives were overjoyed to see my success. In particular, my father, who has always been by my side, is delighted by this blessing and feels as if he is in seventh heaven,” said Kurbanov, whose father coached him for much of his early career. Kazakhstan’s Nariman Kurbanov poses with his silver medal during the podium ceremony for the artistic gymnastics men’s pommel horse during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at the Bercy Arena in Paris, Aug. 3, 2024. (Lionel Bonaventure/AFP) In the Aug. 3 finals in Paris, Kurbanov scored 15.433 points, falling by a tenth of a point to gold medalist Rhys McClenaghan from Ireland with 15.533 points. “The entire population of Kazakhstan, including the Uyghurs, expected and believed that Nariman would earn a medal at the Olympics. Now, Nariman has won the silver medal and justified our confidence,” Bahar Rejapova, a Uyghur youth activist from Kazakhstan, told RFA. He noted that Kurbanov had become widely known in Kazakhstan since started competing in international competitions in 2018 or earlier and winning world titles. “I am not exaggerating when I say that his efforts and determination will serve as a great role model for us, the youth,” Bahar said. Veteran Kazakhstani trainer Tursun Sadirov told RFA Kurbanov’s silver medal was “a great honor for our country and our people” which called to mind the earliest medalists, including many Uyghurs, from the days when Kazakhstan was part of the Soviet Union and competed under the USSR flag. Independent Kazakhstan competed in its first summer games in Atlanta in 1996. “When I saw and heard Nariman carrying the blue flag of Kazakhstan, I was very happy and I thanked him, his parents, and coaches,” Tursun told RFA. “I express my gratitude to our young people like Nariman, who are introducing Kazakh sports to the world, and wish them great success.” Take a moment to read more Taiwanese boxing gold medal hopeful heads to final match in Paris Soaring price of shuttlecocks ruffles feathers in China Chinese police arrest Beijing woman for ‘defaming’ Olympic athletes Tibetan athlete fails to medal in her latest Olympics but is ‘happy’ Chinese state TV pulls plug on Taiwan’s badminton victory Chinese social media users slam athletes over failure to deliver gold Silver medallist Kazakhstan’s Nariman Kurbanov celebrates after the artistic gymnastics men’s pommel horse final during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at the Bercy Arena in Paris, Aug. 3, 2024. (Paul Ellis/AFP) The performance in Paris by Kurbanov, who is credited with inventing the difficult pommel move called “the Kurbanov,” has also reverberated among the Uyghur diaspora. “His silver medal achievement brings great joy to us all. For the Uyghur community, this is especially significant,” said Alimjan Hamrayev, a Uyghur professor and head of the Euro-Asia Uyghur Academy in Almaty. “Nariman Kurbanov’s success has greatly contributed to strengthening Uyghur-Kazakh friendship. His accomplishment has reinforced our historic bonds,” he told RFA. Kurbanov told RFA in an telephone interview Friday that support from Uyghurs around the world is “very nice.” “When I go on the world stage, I represent Kazakhstan, our entire country, but since I am a Uyghur, I feel the Uyghurs’ concern about me in Kazakhstan, and in Europe, and in America, and in Australia,” he said. “Everyone is sending me greetings from all over the world. All the Uyghurs are rooting for me, congratulating me, and it is very nice. It makes me very proud of our entire nation.” Translated by Alim Seytoff. Edited by Paul Eckert.

IOC: North Korean athletes never received sanctions-violating smartphones

Editor1 month ago04 mins

The 14 North Korean Olympic athletes in Paris have not received the smartphones that were gifts to all athletes, the games’ authority told Radio Free Asia in a revised statement after it was questioned whether such gifts would be a sanctions violation. The International Olympic Committee previously told RFA Korean on Wednesday that the phones – manufactured by South Korean maker Samsung – were picked up by the North Korean delegation, but said on Thursday that “We can confirm that the athletes of the NOC of DPRK have not received the Samsung phones.” The DPRK, or Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, is the official name of North Korea. If the phones were to be brought back from Paris into North Korea, they would violate sanctions that prohibit import of industrial machinery, Lee Jaewoong, spokesperson for the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told a news conference. A participant films Samsung Electronics’ Galaxy Z Flip 6 during the Galaxy unpacked products media preview in Seoul, South Korea, July 8, 2024. (Lee Jin-man/AP) “In accordance with Paragraph 7 of Resolution 2397, the UN Security Council prohibits the direct or indirect supply, sale, or transfer of all industrial machinery to North Korea,” he said. “Smartphones are prohibited goods under this resolution.” The IOC did not respond to an additional RFA inquiry as to whether the phones were simply not distributed to the athletes by the North Korean Olympic Committee or if they were returned. IOC spokesman Mark Adams also did not clearly answer related questions at the press conference on Thursday, saying that he would have to find out more information about the subject. Ashley Hess, a former member of the UN Security Council’s North Korea Sanctions Committee panel of experts, pointed out to RFA Thursday that the smartphones could also violate sanctions on luxury goods. “It could fall under the luxury goods ban (UNSCR 1718) – a list of which is up to Member States to define for their own implementation purposes, but my reading of the EU luxury goods list is that smartphones are explicitly included, so if the Samsung phones are smartphones, as is reported by the media, then they would likely fall under the luxury goods ban, given that the Olympics are in France,” she said. There has been controversy in the past regarding North Korean athletes receiving Samsung smartphones at the Olympics. At the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics, the Olympic organizing committee was concerned about violating sanctions and offered to provide North Korean athletes with Samsung phones under the condition that they return them before returning home. The North Korean delegation refused to receive them. Translated by Claire S. Lee. Edited by Eugene Whong.

Myanmar junta bombs sleeping village killing seven, rebels say

Editor1 month ago04 mins

The Myanmar junta’s air force bombed a village in a strife-torn central region killing seven people as they slept, an insurgent group said on Thursday, the latest deaths in what opponents of the junta say is a deliberate campaign to target civilians in areas under rebel control. Forces of the junta that seized power in a 2021 coup are increasingly relying on air power to strike back at insurgent forces who have made significant gains on the ground in several parts of the country since late last year. In the central Mandalay region, pro-democracy fighters in the Mandalay People’s Defense Force and allied Ta’ang National Liberation Army, or TNLA, ethnic minority insurgents have captured dozens of junta positions, including the gem-mining town of Mogoke, over recent months. But the junta has responded with deadly retaliation from the air, in a campaign the junta’s enemies say is aimed at killing civilians in a bid to warn the population off support for the rebels. In the dead of night on Tuesday, the junta’s air force launched an attack on Mandalay region’s Payaung Taung village in a strike that appeared to be timed to catch villagers asleep in their beds to maximize casualties, the Mandalay force said in a statement. “Seven people were killed when a bomb was dropped at night, four women and three men,” said a resident of the area who declined to be identified for safety reasons. “There were also many injured people but we don’t know the details yet.” Radio Free Asia could not reach the junta main spokesperson, Maj. Gen. Zaw Min Tun, by telephone to ask about the incident. The Mandalay People’s Defense Force released photographs of the victims but it said it could not identify them. The junta’s air force launched strikes on two villages in the Mandalay region’s Singu township on Aug. 4, killing 13 people and wounding 19, the group said. Junta spokesmen have denied targeting civilians. A three-party alliance of insurgent forces, including the TNLA, this week called on neighboring China to intervene with the junta to press it to stop attacking civilians. The insurgents have little in the way of anti-aircraft weapons to defend against junta jets. According to data compiled by the RFA, airstrikes and heavy weapon attacks by junta troops have killed about 2,000 civilians and wounded nearly 4,000 since the 2021 coup, up to May. RELATED STORIES Myanmar rebels rack up more gains as Operation 1027 enters new phase Junta military preparations point to brutal next phase of Myanmar conflict Myanmar still getting jet fuel despite call to cut supply: rights group Translated by RFA Burmese. Edited by Kiana Duncan.

North Korea punishes students and officials for watching banned Korean War film

Editor1 month ago09 mins

North Korea has kicked four university students out of school, sentenced another to eight months of hard labor, and fired government officials because they secretly watched a big budget North Korean propaganda film that was banned only five months after its release, residents and officials in the country told Radio Free Asia. The blockbuster “72 Hours,” directed by the country’s leader Kim Jong Un, tells the story of the opening moments of the 1950-53 Korean War – which it says South Korea started – and it details how the North Korean army captured Seoul in only three days. In reality, it was the North that attacked first, but Pyongyang maintains that the first sacking of Seoul during the conflict – it changed hands four times – was part of a counteroffensive. RFA reported that the film, which debuted in February, was banned last month without explanation. Residents told RFA Korean that the film remains immensely popular and people are confused by the ban, because the film is made in North Korea and glorifies the military. “The son of the deputy chairman in charge of food administration at the People’s Committee who secretly stored the movie on a USB stick was expelled from the Workers’ Party,” a college student in the northern province of Ryanggang told RFA Korean on condition of anonymity for security reasons. The deputy chairman’s son was a student at Hyesan Medical University and last month he and some other students watched the film together, he said. RELATED STORIES In new movie, the South started the Korean War, as Pyongyang has always claimed North Korea bans hit war movie 5 months after release In a separate incident, the chairman and a group of colleagues watched the film together. “The deputy chairman … and four staff of the food administration department who watched the movie were fired from their positions,” he said. “Four students from the University of Agriculture and Forestry of Hyesan Medical University were punished by expulsion.” The son was sentenced to eight months labor because he purchased the film and was responsible for showing it to the others, the student said. During the trial it was found that he bought the USB flash drive that contained the film in the local marketplace in the city of Hyesan for 12 yuan (US$1.68). There are likely hundreds of people in Ryanggang who have either been punished or are under investigation over the film, a government official told RFA on condition of anonymity for safety reasons. “As the number of people subject to punishment increases, resentment among residents is also increasing, so they’re out here saying, ‘Why did the authorities make a movie that you can be punished for watching?’” Keeping up with the Chinese Kim Jong Un commissioned the film in 2021 after watching the Chinese-made Korean War blockbuster “The Battle at Lake Changjin,” which depicts one of the conflict’s pivotal battles – fought between Chinese and U.N. forces – that resulted in heavy casualties for the Chinese but forced the U.N. to retreat from the northern half of the Korean peninsula. Kim was so moved by that film, that he “strongly scolded” the country’s propaganda filmmakers, clamoring for them to make a similar film, the official said. Kim even provided $10 million for production costs. “Kim Jong Un himself carefully guided the content of the movie and every facial expression of the actors on site. But the movie became caught up in controversy and was eventually banned,” the official said. When it was released in February it was an instant hit, and theaters were still showing it months later.. Despite its popularity though, “72 Hours” did not have the desired effect. People began to wonder how North Korea was able to capture Seoul in only three days if South Korea started the war with a surprise attack on the North as Pyongyang claims, the official said. “Does it make sense that the United States, which had prepared for a long time and started the war by surprise, lost Seoul in three days?” he said. “The movie only deepens the suspicion that the Korean War was not started by the United States but by a North Korean surprise attack.” The official said that this logical gap is the reason why the film was banned. In a previous RFA report, other sources suggested that the ban was because the film made references to places in South Korea, or because it uses the word “unification,” which does not jive well with North Korea’s recent policy toward South Korea that defines it as a separate hostile country, rather than part of the same race of people. Whatever the reason, people did not take the ban seriously, the official said. “They thought it was not a big deal because it’s made by us. It’s not a film from South Korea,” he said. “Also, Kim Jong Un himself directed it.” Because the film was so widely distributed on portable media after the ban, “the director of the Ryanggang Province Film Distribution Center, cell secretary, technical manager and the head of the city and county film distribution department were also arrested,” he said. Translated by Claire S. Lee. Edited by Eugene Whong.

Philippines joins US-led allies in multilateral maneuvers in South China Sea

Editor1 month ago09 mins

The Philippines joined the United States, Australia and Canada in a two-day “maritime cooperative activity” from Wednesday to press for freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea amid maritime tensions with China. The navies and air force units of the four nations will operate alongside each other to enhance “cooperation and interoperability” in the disputed waterway, a joint statement said. “We stand together to address common maritime challenges and underscore our shared dedication to upholding international law and the rules-based order,” it said. “The activity will be conducted in a manner that is consistent with international law and with due regard to the safety of navigation and the rights and interests of other States.” The statement was signed by Gen. Romeo Brawner, the military chief of the Philippines, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command chief Adm. Samuel Paparo, Australian Defence Force chief Admiral David Johnston and Gen. M. A. Jennie Cargian, the chief of Canada’s Defence Staff. “Australia, Canada, the Philippines, and the United States uphold the right to freedom of navigation and overflight, other lawful uses of the sea and international airspace, as well as respect for maritime rights under international law, as reflected in the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS),” they said. The aim of the multilateral sail was to demonstrate a “collective commitment” to boosting international cooperation. The statement did not specifically say where the drills would be held, only that the maneuvers would take place “within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone” in the South China Sea. The Philippines last week carried out similar joint sails with Japan and with the U.S. separately in Philippine areas of the South China Sea. Coast guards from the Philippines and Vietnam meanwhile are scheduled to hold their own joint drills on Friday. In related news, China on Wednesday conducted air and sea patrols near Scarborough Shoal, a flashpoint in territorial tensions between Beijing and Manila, according to a report by Agence France-Presse. Analysts praise multinational maneuvers Chester Cabalza, president of International Development and Security Cooperation, a Philippine think-tank, hailed the defense deals with various allies. He noted that prior to this, Manila had also signed a groundbreaking Reciprocal Access Agreement (RAA) with Japan, another country with a territorial dispute with China. That deal would allow the exchange of troops for joint training with each other. He said the multilateral sails this week show the “global recognition” of Manila’s international arbitration award in 2016 in its territorial dispute with China over Scarborough Shoal. “It shows the legitimacy of its sovereignty rights in the disputed maritime domains of the South China Sea,” Cabalza told BenarNews. “It reaffirms the bone of contention that China alone is not the sole owner of these important sea lanes of communications and trade,” he said. He said the joint sails should work to “solidify” the belief that countries should follow the rules-based order in the disputed sea region, a key shipping route where experts say more than 60% of global maritime trade passes. Geopolitical analyst, Don McClain Gill at the De La Salle University in Manila, said the joint sails affirm the 2016 ruling but he emphasized that such activities need to be done on a regular basis. “Patrols and exercises are very important in ensuring the freeness and openness of the maritime domain, but it must be supplemented by other activities as well, such as capacity building and more robust and permanent deterrence posture in our area in the West Philippine Sea,” Gill told BenarNews, referring to South China Sea waters within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone. “This is a very good indication that like-minded countries, three of which are part of the exercise, recognize that the Philippines is legitimately entitled to its sovereign rights and sovereignty based on UNCLOS and the 2016 arbitral ruling,” Gill said, alluding to the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea. “This is significant in that regard and must be continued,” he said. “As we can see, the Philippines has become a fulcrum for maritime cooperation.” Countries such as Canada, which are far removed from the conflict, are also concerned because they are worried it may affect global trade and affect the stability in a “very critical maritime space,” he said. While global partnerships like the joint sail are important, he said this had not deterred Beijing from continuing with its activities in the South China Sea. But this should not be taken negatively by the Philippines, but rather as an “opportunity to explore what else could be done.” Last week, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken met their Filipino counterparts in Manila and announced a U.S. $500 million infusion to help Manila defend its shores from threats posed by China. The funds would go towards strengthening Manila’s defenses in the South China Sea, and the monies came shortly after tensions and confrontations surrounding Ayungin Shoal or Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea. Manila maintains a rusting World War II-era ship in Ayungin, and a violent confrontation there in June saw a Filipino serviceman lose a thumb. Both sides have subsequently worked towards de-escalating the tensions, but it remains unclear how China would react to the joint sails this week. Jeoffrey Maitem contributed to this report from Manila. BenarNews is an RFA-affiliated online news organization.

North, South Korean boxers become first to medal in their sport on same day

Editor1 month ago010 mins

It’s been a weird and wacky few days for North Korea at the Olympics as North and South Korean boxers both became the first Korean women to medal in their sport and a Kim Jong Un impersonator showed up to cheer the North Korean on. Additionally, it was revealed that North Korea had to negotiate Paris 2024 broadcast rights directly with the International Olympic Committee, rather than getting the feed from South Korea as usual. North Korean boxer Pang Chol Mi and her South Korean counterpart Im Ae-ji were both part of the Women’s 54-kilogram tournament, and they both won bronze by losing in their respective semifinals on Aug. 4. Boxing, like other fighting sports, awards two bronzes at the Olympics, but unlike judo or taekwondo, the bronzes are not won with victories in a “second chance” repechage tournament, but with losses in the semifinals. Technically, Pang is the first Korean woman to medal in boxing, because her semifinal was played earlier, but had both Pang and Im won, they would have faced each other in the finals. That fact was not lost on the athletes ahead of the semifinal, Im told reporters from South Korea’s Yonhap News. “I met Pang Chul Mi at the weight room in the athletes’ village and she said ‘fighting.’” said Im. South Korea’s Im Ae-ji celebrates after winning in the women’s 54kg preliminary round of 16 boxing match during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at the North Paris Arena, in Villepinte, July 30, 2024. (Mohd Rasfan/AFP) The English word “fighting,” is a slang word meaning “do your best” in the variety of the Korean language spoken in South Korea. RFA reported in December 2023 that North Korean authorities were cracking down on citizens who use the word in text messages. “So, I told [Pang] to push hard together to meet each other in the finals, but we both lost,” said Im. Both boxers will recieve their bronze medals in a ceremony after the final on Aug. 8. Prior to the Olympics, Pang and Im faced each other at the Asian Games in Hangzhou, China in 2022. Pang emerged victorious from their early torunament bout and went on to win gold. Observers in South Korea told RFA they were worried upon hearing Im’s account of their encounter in Paris. “If it is true that Pang said ‘fighting,’ she could be pointed out as someone who watched a lot of South Korean dramas,” a North Korean who escaped the country in the second half of 2023, identifying himself by the pseudonym Ri Jong Sik for safety reasons, told RFA Korean. “I am concerned that she will be subject to punishment when she returns to North Korea,” said Ri. Lee Kyu-Chang, the director of the Human Rights Research Division at the Seoul-based Korea Institute for National Unification, told RFA that it was important to first determine how Pang’s words of encouragement were nuanced. “I’m not sure if there were any records, such as photos or videos taken,” said Lee. “But when considering only the word ‘fighting,’ I am concerned about the possibility of punishment after she returns.” Lee predicted that if it is confirmed that Pang cheered for the South Korean athlete it would be difficult for the North Korean authorities to approve such an act, given leader Kim Jong Un’s recent stance of hostility toward the South. Fake Kim photobombing North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was present during the semifinals, or at least his lookalike was. Howard X, a Hong Kong-born Australian who has gained notoriety online for impersonating Kim in public situations, was in the stands in costume when Pang lost to win bronze. He told RFA that he did not have the opportunity to shake hands with Pang or any other North Korean athlete at the games, but he stood behind Pang and her opponent, China’s Chang Yuan, when they were interviewed following their semifinal. Howard X, a Kim Jong Un impersonator at the 2024 Paris Olympics. (@KimJongUnDouble via X) “They were giving interviews. I was trying to meet them and I was right behind them, you can see.” he said. “I was standing there waving to the camera the whole time.” He wasn’t sure if the footage made it back to North Korea, but if it did, he imagined that the people there would be surprised. “I’m hoping by being there, you know, North Korea’ll go ‘Hey, how come Kim Jong is in the Olympics? He’s supposed to be looking after us with our floods,’” Howard X said, referring to the natural disaster that struck the country last week when heavy rains caused waters in the Yalu River to rise, damaging river towns and submerging inhabited islands. A Kim Jong-un impersonator holds a Korean unification flag during the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympics at the Kwandong Hockey Centre, Gangneung, South Korea, Feb. 14, 2018. (Lucy Nicholson/Reuters) Paris is not Howard X’s first Olympics. He was spotted at the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics at a hockey match between Japan and a unified Korean team. When he tried to interact with the North Korean cheering squad, South Korean security guards dragged him away. Howard X’s brand of humor is not intended to make fun of North Koreans, he said. “We don’t have a problem with the people of North Korea. What we have a problem with is the government of North Korea,” he said, adding that he was there to remind people that North Korea is not a normal country, and that they use the games for propaganda. Befuddling broadcast rights North Korea this year acquired broadcast rights from the International Olympic Committee directly instead of negotiating broadcast rights with a South Korean outlet. South Korea’s Seoul Broadcasting System had been awarded the rights for the whole peninsula for the 2018, 2020, 2022 and 2024 Games, in an agreement inked in 2011. Normally, North Korea would simply use the South Korean feed, but an agreement was reached with the IOC this year to get the…

Myanmar rebels claim capture of town on road to China

Editor1 month ago05 mins

An insurgent group fighting the Myanmar military has captured a northeastern town on a main road to China, seizing the last junta military bases after weeks of fighting, a senior official of the rebel group said on Tuesday. The Ta’ang National Liberation Army, or TNLA, is a member of the Three Brotherhood Alliance, which is battling the junta that seized power in a 2021 coup across Shan state. The group captured the headquarters of two junta battalions and the Operation Command Headquarters No. 1 in Kyaukme, a town on the road between the cities of Mandalay and Lashio on Monday, the TNLA official who wished to remain anonymous told Radio Free Asia. He said the TNLA now had complete control of Kyaukme. RFA tried to contact Shan state’s junta spokesperson, Khun Thein Maung, to ask about the situation in Kyaukme but he did not respond by the time of publication. If confirmed, the capture of Kyaukme by the TNLA would be another major setback for the forces of the junta, coming just days after another member of the insurgent alliance captured the headquarters of the military’s Northeast Regional Command in Lashio. Lashio is about half-way between Myanmar’s second city of Mandalay and the Chinese border. RELATED STORIES Myanmar rebel group vows to protect China’s interests Myanmar’s junta extends state of emergency for another six months China’s frustration with Myanmar junta’s incompetence is mounting Mines and bombs A Kyaukme resident who witnessed the fighting confirmed that the TNLA had captured the junta’s positions that were defended by trenches, bunkers and mine fields. “The junta dug trenches around all of the bases, including their Operation Command Headquarters, and built concrete bunkers everywhere,” said the resident, who declined to be identified, in fear of reprisals. TNLA fighters had used drones to drop bombs on the junta’s defenses, the resident said. “The whole hill has been turned into a bunker. The TNLA troops had to first clear mines slowly and the junta had the upper hand.” Neither the TNLA nor the junta released estimates of casualty figures. Kyaukme residents said junta forces had fled to a position about 6 km (4 miles) away. While some civilians who had fled earlier were returning to their homes, others were staying away in fear of junta airstrikes, said another resident. Junta forces have launched numerous airstrikes in Shan state and elsewhere, inflicting a heavy toll on civilians. “We can’t hear any shooting and the TNLA have been securing the area,” the resident said. “The morning market is even operating normally. The only thing people are worried about is airstrikes. Everyone is afraid, the whole country is afraid of planes.” The Three Brotherhood Alliance launched the second round of an offensive begun late last year, codenamed Operation 1027, in June after two China-brokered ceasefires between the junta and rebel groups broke down. Translated by RFA Burmese. Edited by Kiana Duncan and Mike Firn.

Resistance forces take control of two Chinese-backed joint ventures in Myanmar

Editor1 month ago06 mins

An anti-junta militia seized two Chinese-invested joint ventures in two regions of Myanmar amid fighting between junta soldiers and resistance forces, throwing the future of the operations into uncertainty. In July, two separate People’s Defense Forces took control of the Alpha Cement factory in Mandalay region and the Tagaung Taung nickel mine in Sagaing region. Junta troops attacked the cement factory, about 30 kilometers (19 miles) north of the junta’s Central Command, and tried to burn down buildings inside the compound while fleeing a successful assault by the Mandalay People’s Defense Force militia, Myanmar Now reported. The military has conducted daily airstrikes on the cement plant, owned by Myanmar’s Myint Investment Group and and China’s Anhui Conch Cement Co., since militia forces capturing it, the report said. RELATED STORIES Myanmar rebel group vows to protect China’s interests Rebels vow to protect Chinese investment in Myanmar As China expands investment in Myanmar, experts warn of public backlash A People’s Defense Force in northwestern Myanmar’s Sagaing region took over a major Chinese-backed nickel-production plant from junta forces in July without a fight on the border between Mandalay region’s Thabeikkyin township and Sagaing region’s Tigyaing township, Myanmar Now said in another report. About 60 junta soldiers and police abandoned 64 weapons and ammunition at the Tagaung Taung mine compound and left, Nay Phone Latt, spokesman of the Prime Minister’s Office of the shadow National Unity Government, or NUG, told Radio Free Asia. The NUG is now responsible for the safety of the factory and its employees, he said. The seizure of the cement factory and nickel mine comes as the junta continues to lose ground to People’s Defense Forces, or PDFs, loyal to the NUG and allied ethnic armed groups — almost four years into a civil war that shows no sign of abating. A satellite image of the location of the Tagaung Taung nickel mine and processing plant in Tigyaing township, northwestern Myanmar’s Sagaing region, December 2019. (The Irrawaddy/Google Earth) The incidents also indicate that the junta cannot fully safeguard Chinese-invested projects in Myanmar and that increased discussions between Beijing and the NUG may be forthcoming, said political analyst Than Soe Naing. “China will need to decide whether to rely on the military council or the PDFs and ethnic armed forces to protect its interests in Myanmar,” he said. The NUG has not issued instructions for the two factories to cease operations, and they are able to continue normal operations, despite the fighting, said Nay Phone Latt. The Chinese Embassy in Myanmar said it may investigate the situation of the factories seized by the PDFs, but it did not respond to RFA’s request for comment. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told a regular press conference in Beijing on July 25 that conflicts in Myanmar should not interfere with domestic Chinese projects, businesses or the security of Chinese citizens. The Alpha Cement plant burns after being set ablaze by retreating junta troops in a screenshot from a video posted on July 14, 2024. (@mandalaypeopledefenceforce via Telegram) The NUG will not recognize businesses established under contracts signed with the State Administration Council, the formal name of the ruling junta, but will accept those that operated under contracts signed by previous governments, Nay Phone Latt said. International companies operating in Myanmar must pay taxes to the NUG instead of to the military council, he added. The NUG said its policy is to protect all legal foreign investments in Myanmar, not just those from China. Junta spokesman Maj. Gen. Zaw Min Tun and spokesmen for Mandalay and Sagaing regions did not respond to requests for comment. Translated by Kalyar Lwin by RFA Burmese. Edited by Roseanne Gerin and Matt Reed.

Category: East Asia