Cambodia’s Ream naval base to open in early April

The Chinese-developed Ream naval base in southwest Cambodia’s Sihanoukville province is slated to open early next month after three years of construction, a Cambodian commander has said. General Vong Pisen, commander-in-chief of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces, or RCAF, told the new Japanese military attaché in the kingdom that after the launch in early April, Cambodia would allow warships from his country to be the first to “historically” dock at Ream. Up until now, the main, new part of the base where China has built a deep draft pier capable of handling ships as large as aircraft carriers, a dry dock and other facilities, has been off limits to foreign vessels apart from Chinese ones. When a U.S. Navy ship visited Cambodia for the first time in eight years in December last year, it docked at Sihanoukville Autonomous Port some 20 kilometers (12 miles) away. Radio Free Asia reported last month that China sent two more warships to Ream, indicating that the construction may be near completion and the planned transfer of Chinese ships to Cambodia was imminent. This week, the naval base’s management announced that the inauguration ceremony for a Cambodia-China Logistics and Training Center would be held soon. RELATED STORIES Chinese defense company builds industrial estate in Cambodia Canadian warship visits Cambodia after drills in South China Sea Cambodia asks to renew joint drills with US amid Ream base concerns China’s foothold China and Cambodia began developing the Ream naval base with Beijing’s funding in June 2021 but a ground breaking-ceremony was held one year later in 2022. Last August, when visiting Ream, a RFA reporter witnessed the fast pace of development and was told that 100 Chinese naval personnel were “working day and night” on it. Together with the new facilities, Beijing is to give Cambodia two vessels, likely Type 056A missile corvettes, and has been training the Cambodian navy how to use them. Cambodia’s defense minister Tea Seiha (second left) inspects the Ream naval base on March 15, 2025. To his right is his cousin Tea Sokha, the new navy commander.(Facebook/Ream naval base) During the meeting on Tuesday between Gen. Vong Pisen and Japan’s military attaché, Takashi Hara, Vong said that the fact that Japanese vessels were to be given the first access showed “the high level of cooperation, communication and mutual trust” in the Cambodia-Japan comprehensive strategic partnership. Political commentator Kim Sok told RFA Khmer service that the gesture was designed to ease tensions surrounding the Chinese military presence at Ream because Japan is an ally of the United States and at the same time not considered a rival to China, therefore neutral. The U.S. has repeatedly expressed concerns over the lack of transparency in the Ream base’s development while Cambodia’s neighbors worry that a foothold at Ream would give China better control over the Indo-China peninsula and the South China Sea. Cambodia’s constitution does not allow foreign bases in the country but analysts say that China, having invested a large sum of money in the project, would have preferential access to Ream. Collin Koh, senior fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore, said that the arrangement was to give Beijing access to Ream’s facilities “predicated upon an on-demand basis, meaning they would have to be made available upon China’s request.” Edited by Mike Firn We are : Investigative Journalism Reportika Investigative Reports Daily Reports Interviews Surveys Reportika

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Junta troops forcibly recruit more than 70 young men in Myanmar town

Read RFA coverage of this topic in Burmese. Authorities in Myanmar forcibly recruited more than 70 young men from a single town in the south-central Ayeyarwady region, residents said Monday, as the junta launched a new round of training for the country’s draftees. It’s the latest round-up under Myanmar’s military service law, which the junta began implementing last April as a way of shoring up its dwindling ranks amid mounting losses to rebel groups. On March 14, junta troops in Ayeyarwady’s Mawlamyinegyun township arrested more than 70 men — including some as young as 17 years old — and sent them to depots in the Yangon region to take part in the 11th round of military training, residents told RFA Burmese. The arrests were carried out by troops from the junta’s 534th Infantry Battalion based in Mawlamyinegyun, said one resident who, like others interviewed for this report, spoke to RFA on condition of anonymity due to security concerns. “Young people in the villages are too afraid to sleep at home at night due to fear of conscription,” he said. “Soldiers are forcibly arresting them. The local battalion is carrying out the arrests, and at times, parents have no idea where to look for their children [after they are taken].” The identities of the young men were not immediately clear, and RFA was unable to independently verify who was taken in the dragnet. Attempts by RFA to contact Khin Maung Kyi, the junta’s spokesperson and social affairs minister for the Ayeyarwady region, for comment on the situation went unanswered Monday. The forced recruitment comes after residents of Ayeyarwady’s Hinthada, Laputta, and Kangyidaung townships last month said that several young men fled the area after they were summoned by name for conscription, instead of an earlier used lottery system. Administrators targeted over draft Under the mandatory military service law, men aged 18 to 35 and women aged 18 to 27 must serve a minimum of two years in the military. Young people have been looking for ways to leave the country ever since the law was enacted. Many new recruits have been sent for training after being detained at gunpoint by junta troops. They face torture or execution if they are caught trying to escape. In late February, rebels in Myanmar’s Bago region assassinated two local administrators who forcibly recruited civilians for military service, residents and other sources said, bringing the number of officials killed for their involvement in carrying out the draft to at least 110. Prior to the incidents, the latest killing of an administrator for their involvement in military recruitment was that of Than Htwe, of Khwet Ma village in Magway region’s Minhla township, who was shot dead on Feb. 15. Between February and September 2024, anti-junta forces killed 108 ward and village administrators involved in recruiting, compiling name lists and extorting money for military service, according to data compiled by RFA. Translated by Aung Naing. Edited by Joshua Lipes and Malcolm Foster. We are : Investigative Journalism Reportika Investigative Reports Daily Reports Interviews Surveys Reportika

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UN chief: Discussing humanitarian aid corridor from Bangladesh to Myanmar

Read this story on BenarNews site. DHAKA, Bangladesh — The United Nations is discussing the possibility of a humanitarian aid corridor to Myanmar from Bangladesh in an effort to create equitable conditions for Rohingya refugees to eventually return, the U.N. chief said in Dhaka on Saturday. However, the Rohingya refugees sheltering in Bangladesh could not make and immediate, “dignified return to their homeland in Myanmar’s Rakhine state amid the continued fighting there, added U.N. Secretary General António Guterres at a media briefing. U.N. chief António Guterres at a photo exhibition in Dhaka for the 50th anniversary this year of Bangladesh joining the United Nations, March 15, 2025.(Chief Adviser GOB via Facebook) “The crisis in Myanmar demands urgent global attention and action,” said Ejaz Min Khant in a statement Wednesday. “A humanitarian corridor between Myanmar and Bangladesh would be a lifeline for civilians impacted by the conflict.” The statement said Bangladesh should also lift restrictions on border trade with Myanmar “to help ease access to basic commodities for civilians in Rakhine state.” The NGO noted that Bangladesh’s interim leader, Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus had said in an interview aired earlier this month on Sky News that his government was in ongoing negotiations with the Arakan Army to create a “safe zone” for Rohingya refugees to return to Rakhine. Bangladesh’s Foreign Adviser Touhid Hossain, who also spoke at the joint media briefing, said the establishment of a humanitarian channel was not discussed with the U.N. chief during his visit. “This is much more of an operational matter, which we will of course deal [on] with the local offices of the U.N.,” Hossain said. Nearly a million Rohingya, a persecuted minority Muslim community in Myanmar, live in refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar in southeastern Bangladesh. Almost 800,000 of them crossed into neighboring Bangladesh to flee a deadly Myanmar military crackdown in 2017. Their return to Rakhine has been prolonged after civil war broke out in Myanmar following the military coup of February 2021. RELATED STORIES UN chief Guterres breaks Ramadan fast with 100,000 Rohingya in Bangladesh ‘Deeper into hunger’: UN to halve food aid for Rohingya in Bangladesh Rubio allows humanitarian aid as Dhaka claims Rohingya funding will continue U.N. human rights experts had said on Thursday that the Myanmar junta had not been allowing in relief supplies, with the situation “particularly critical in Rakhine,” which is home to the Rohingya and other ethnic minorities. Rakhine State was “on the brink of famine,” with two million people at risk of starvation, the statement added citing another U.N. agency. Meanwhile, heavy fighting continues in Rakhine between the Myanmar military and the rebel Arakan Army, Guterres said on Saturday. “There is a consensus that it would be extremely difficult in such a situation for an immediate and dignified return of the Rohingya,” he told the mrdia in Dhaka on Saturday. Guterres further noted that in the past, the relationship between the ethnic Rakhine and the Rohingya has not been an easy one. “So I think it is important to engage with the Arakan Army in order for ensure full respect of the rights of the Rohingya population in Rakhine,” the U.N. chief said. U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres observes a traditional tool used by Rohingya to thresh rice, March 14, 2025.(Press Wing of the Chief Adviser) The Arakan Army founded in 2009 is fighting to “liberate” Rakhine towards its goal of self-determination. It has made significant gains over the past year to root out the military and now controls a majority of Rakhine’s townships, reported radio Free Asia, a news service affiliated with BenarNews. Comprising mainly Rakhine Buddhists, the Arakan Army claimed it respects the rights of Rohingya. But experts have said there was plenty of evidence that the Arakan Army carried out mass arson attacks on Rohingya villages in May and August last year. Guterres again made an impassioned plea to donor nations for more humanitarian aid for the Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, whose food ration is set to be cut by more than half starting next month due to a funds shortage. “With the announced cuts in financial assistance, we are facing the dramatic risk of having only 40% in 2025 of the resources available for humanitarian aid in 2024,” he said. “This would have terrible consequences starting with the drastic reduction of food rations. That would be an unmitigated disaster. People will suffer and people will die.” He said that by offering the Rohingya refuge, Bangladesh had shown its humanitarian spirit. “By offering Rohingya refugees sanctuary, Bangladesh has demonstrated solidarity and human dignity, often at significant social, environmental and economic cost,” he said. “The world must not take this generosity for granted.” BenarNews is an online news organization affiliated with Radio Free Asia. 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RFA operations may cease following federal grants termination

The federal grants that fund Radio Free Asia and partner networks were terminated Saturday morning, according to a grant termination notice received by RFA. An executive order issued by U.S. President Donald Trump late Friday calls for the reduction of non-statutory components of the United States Agency for Global Media, or USAGM, the federal agency that funds RFA and several other independent global news organizations. The U.S. Congress appropriates funds to USAGM, which disburses the monies to the grantee news outlets. The brief order calls for the elimination “to the maximum extent consistent with applicable law” of USAGM and six other unrelated government entities that work on museums, homelessness, minority business development and more. While the order addresses “non-statutory components” of USAGM, RFA is statutorily established, meaning it was congressionally established by a statute in the International Broadcasting Act . But a letter sent to the president of RFA Saturday and signed by USAGM special adviser Kari Lake, whose title is listed as “Senior Advisor to the Acting CEO with Authorities Delegated by Acting CEO,” notes that the agency’s federal grant has been terminated and that RFA is obliged to “promptly refund any unobligated funds.” It says that an appeal can be made within 30 days. It was not immediately clear how and when operations would cease, but RFA is solely funded through federal grants. In a statement issued Saturday, RFA President Bay Fang said the outlet planned to challenge the order. “The termination of RFA’s grant is a reward to dictators and despots, including the Chinese Communist Party, who would like nothing better than to have their influence go unchecked in the information space,” the statement says. “Today’s notice not only disenfranchises the nearly 60 million people who turn to RFA’s reporting on a weekly basis to learn the truth, but it also benefits America’s adversaries at our own expense.” An editorially independent news outlet funded through an act of Congress, RFA began its first Mandarin language broadcasts in 1996, expanding in subsequent years to a total of nine language services: Cantonese, Uyghur, Tibetan, Korean, Khmer, Vietnamese, Burmese and Lao. RFA news programming is disseminated through radio, television, social media and the web in countries that have little to no free press, often providing the only source of uncensored, non-propaganda news. Because RFA covers closed-off countries and regions like North Korea, Tibet and Xinjiang, its English-language translations remain the primary source of information from many of these areas. Its parent agency, USAGM, oversees broadcasters that work in more than 60 languages and reach an audience of hundreds of millions. These include Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, which reported Saturday that its grants had also been terminated. Voice of America and the Office for Cuba Broadcasting, which are directly run by USAGM, put all staff on paid administrative leave Saturday. In a post on Facebook, VOA Director Michael Abramowitz wrote: “I learned this morning that virtually the entire staff of Voice of America—more than 1300 journalists, producers and support staff—has been placed on administrative leave today. So have I.” Committee to Protect Journalists Program Director Carlos Martinez de la Serna urged Congress to restore funding to USAGM, “which provides uncensored news in countries where the press is restricted.” “It is outrageous that the White House is seeking to gut the Congress-funded agency supporting independent journalism that challenges narratives of authoritarian regimes around the world,” he said in a statement. China watchers cautioned that cuts to RFA in particular could impact Washington’s ability to counter Beijing. “Radio Free Asia plays a vital role in countering China’s influence by providing accurate and uncensored news to audiences facing relentless propaganda from the People’s Republic of China,” Rep. Ami Bera, a California Democrat, wrote in a post on X. “RFA helps advance American values amidst our ongoing Great Power Competition with China and exposes egregious human rights abuses like the Uyghur genocide and Beijing’s covert activities abroad.” Former U.S. Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul called the dismantling of RFA and its sister publications “giant gifts to China,” while Human Rights Watch’s Maya Wang posted that in places like Xinjiang and Tibet: “Radio Free Asia has been one of the few which can get info out. Its demise would mean that these places will become info black holes, just as the CCP wants them.” In a statement issued by USAGM Saturday evening and posted to X by Lake, the agency deemed itself “not salvageable” due to a range of alleged findings of security violations and self-dealing, though few details were provided. “From top-to-bottom this agency is a giant rot and burden to the American taxpayer — a national security risk for this nation — and irretrievably broken. While there are bright spots within the agency with personnel who are talented and dedicated public servants, this is the exception rather than the rule,” the statement read. We are : Investigative Journalism Reportika Investigative Reports Daily Reports Interviews Surveys Reportika

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Thailand’s power and fuel cuts hurting ordinary Myanmar residents

Thailand’s move to cut off electricity, fuel and internet service to an area across the border in Myanmar rife with scam centers is hurting ordinary people more than the crime syndicates it was trying target, residents told Radio Free Asia. The shutoff of the grid since Feb. 4 has resulted in many turning to electric generators, and that’s doubled the price of gas in Myawaddy in just five weeks. Described by some as it’s “most decisive action ever,” Bangkok said the move was aimed at closing down the scamming operations, where hundreds of trafficked workers have been trapped and often tortured. Thailand also banned the export of 12 items, including mobile phones and electrical appliances, to Myanmar. But the criminal organizations are finding their way around the blockade, including often illegal ways to acquire the fuel needed to power their generators and continue their operations, residents told RFA Burmese. Instead of its intended targets, the shutdown is taking a much larger toll on residents in the area, which is controlled by the Karen Border Guard Force and the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army. “Ordinary people are suffering the most from the Thai government’s fuel cuts,” said a Myawaddy resident who used the pseudonym Thura for fear of reprisals. “Meanwhile, scam call center gangs continue to receive fuel supplies with the help” of region rebel groups. Fuel is hard to buy because demand is high and supply is low. Gas has nearly doubled to 7,000 kyats per liter ($12.64 per gallon), Thura said. In Myawaddy, across from the Thai town of Mae Sot, gas stations are all closed, and residents instead have to buy fuel from residents on the Thai side of the border. The criminal gangs, by relying on their connections with these local armed groups, can get what they need without much difficulty. “In contrast, ordinary people are struggling due to fuel shortages caused by illegal traders.” Attempts by RFA to contact the Karen Border Guard Force spokesperson Lt. Col. Nai Maung Zaw and the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army DKBA chief of staff General Saw San Aung, on March 10, for comment on these situations went unanswered. Illegal trade routes Kyaw Naing, a Myawaddy merchant who used a pseudonym for security reasons, told RFA that despite the Thai government’s bans on 12 types of products — which also include batteries, inverters and generators — are still being smuggled in. “Fuel is filled in cars from Mae Sot to be sold in Myawaddy,” Kyaw Naing said. “Buying fuel can be somewhat challenging, but it is still possible since the border routes are not completely closed all the time.” The banned Thai items can also be imported instead from China, to the point that the ban is almost ineffective, he said, adding that the Thai government should reopen the fuel market considering it is a basic need for the people. RFA attempted to contact Thin Thin Myat, chairman of the Myawaddy Border Trade Chamber of Commerce for comment, but she did not respond. With people buying fuel in Thailand to sell in Myanmar, sellers in Mae Sai, far to the north of the Mae Sot-Myawaddy border crossing are now requiring that buyers fill up only the gas tanks of their vehicles, not portable containers. Workers repatriated Meanwhile, the Karen Border Guard Force on Tuesday handed nearly 250 Indian and Malaysian workers who had been trafficked and held in Chinese gambling dens and scam centers in Myawaddy to authorities from their respective countries via the Mae Sot-Myawaddy Friendship Bridge. Among those freed were 226 Indian nationals and 24 Malaysians. “Plans are in place to repatriate more foreign nationals in the coming days,” a spokesperson for the Border Guard Force told RFA. Between Monday and Tuesday, 509 Indian nationals had been sent over the bridge to Indian authorities working alongside their Thai counterparts. The Karen Border Guard Force claims to have been conducting anti-scam and anti-human trafficking operations for nearly a month. According to a source at their Investigation Office, around 3,000 scam workers from China, Indonesia, India and Malaysia have been repatriated via Thailand. Translated by Aung Naing and Thane Aung. Edited by Eugene Whong and Malcolm Foster. We are : Investigative Journalism Reportika Investigative Reports Daily Reports Interviews Surveys Reportika

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North Korea publicly executes 3 men for trying to escape by boat to South Korea

Read a version of this story in Korean North Korea publicly executed three men — shooting each one with 90 rounds from a machine gun — for attempting to flee to democratic South Korea, a witness and a resident who heard about the execution told Radio Free Asia. Authorities then burned their corpses in front of horrified residents of the town, who were forced to watch, the sources said. The three men, all in their 30s, had been caught in January when trying to escape to the South by boat. Lost in fog on the sea, they thought they had crossed the border when they saw what they assumed was a South Korean fishing vessel. They called out for help, but it turned out to be a North Korean patrol boat that caught them in the act, and they were promptly arrested, the two sources told RFA Korean. A North Korean navy ship, top right, patrols near fishing boats at South Korea-controlled Yeonpyeong island, May 31, 2009.(Byun Yeong Wook/AFP) By publicly executing the men — and telling villagers they would face a similar fate — authorities sought to scare anyone who might be thinking about fleeing themselves, the sources said. The incident reflects harsher punishment for escapees. In past years they would have been sent to reeducation camp for a maximum of 15 years. But now they will be killed by firing squad, with residents in the area forced to watch, the sources said. Public executions are a common occurrence in North Korea, for crimes like murder or human trafficking, or even distribution South Korean videos. Tied to stakes The three men — two brothers surnamed Kim and their friend surnamed Ri — were from South Hwanghae province, which borders South Korea on the peninsula’s west coast. A resident from the northwestern province of North Pyongan, who witnessed the execution while on a trip to South Hwanghae, described it in detail to RFA Korean, saying that it occurred in the the village of Songjong-ri in February, and the three men were tied to stakes. “We witnessed the young men being dragged out with black cloths over their eyes and gagged, being shot dozens of times and their bodies being torn to pieces,” he said. “Usually those who are to be executed are tied to the stake in three places: the neck, the torso, and the legs,” he said. “But this time, they were so weakened by severe torture that they had to be bound in six sections because they could not support their own bodies.” He said authorities yelled, “Traitors to the nation must be punished!” as the executioners emptied the entirety of their 90 round-magazines into each man. The execution was corroborated by another North Pyongan resident who heard about it from his friend from South Hwanghae –a witness himself — who had visited the northern province on business. He was told village authorities ordered everyone in nearby factories, farms and schools to attend. “It was an attempt to instill fear in the residents that this is what happens when you try to escape,” the second source said. “Most of the residents gathered without knowing what was happening, and they were made to witness such a horrific sight.” The first source said the authorities made of point of treating the dead men’s bodies with disrespect. “They said, ‘There is no place to bury the bodies of defectors in in this land!’ and they burned their scattered remains,” the resident said. Many children and young students in attendance were screaming in terror, and some residents collapsed and fainted, he said. Botched escape Since the end of the 1950-53 Korean War, more than 34,000 people have escaped North Korea and resettled in the South. The most common route involves escaping first to China then avoiding captured and forcibly repatriated by Chinese authorities as they try to reach Southeast Asia. Once there, they can arrange with the help of a South Korean embassy to arrange a flight to Seoul. Crossing directly into the South is rare. But the Kim brothers and their friend Ri had hoped to defy the odds. According to the residents, prior to the execution the authorities announced that the trio had been planning their escape for months. They pooled their money to buy a small boat and set sail on the night of Jan. 6, hoping to cross the maritime border in waters west of the peninsula. “Unfortunately they found themselves in a difficult situation where they could not see an inch in front of them because of the fog in the middle of the sea,” the second source said. “However, they blindly headed south, navigating with a compass. As they continued southward, another vessel appeared within sight. “They thought it was a South Korean fishing boat and shouted, ‘We are people who have escaped to South Korea! Please spare us!’” But it was a North Korean patrol boat, and the three men were immediately arrested, he said. “Now if anyone’s caught trying to go to South Korea, they will be executed in public without exception.” Translated by Eugene Whong and Leejin J. Chung. Edited by Eugene Whong and Malcolm Foster. We are : Investigative Journalism Reportika Investigative Reports Daily Reports Interviews Surveys Reportika

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Myanmar junta troops massacre 11 villagers, most too old to flee, residents say

Read RFA coverage of this topic in Burmese. Myanmar soldiers on a sweep through a central village known for its support of anti-junta forces killed 11 civilians, most of them too old to flee, residents of the area who saw the bodies told Radio Free Asia on Monday. The Myanmar military has had an appalling human rights record for decades in its wars against ethnic minority guerrillas in remote frontier regions, independent investigators have said. But violence over the past couple of years has been particularly brutal in central areas dominated by members of the majority Barmar community who, since a popular government was overthrown in a coup in 2021, have for the first time risen up in opposition to military rule. All of those killed in Magway region’s Myay Sun Taw village were elderly apart from two, residents said. “My father was left behind and didn’t escape the village. He’s elderly, so he’s attached to his home and didn’t run away. We were urging and calling for him but he didn’t follow us,” said the son of one of the victims. “As far as I know, he was shot in the head. I feel devastated. This is my village, my people and my parents,” said the son, who declined to be identified for safety reasons. Soldiers from the 101st Infantry Division Headquarters and three other battalions were involved in the sweep through the region that began on March 2, villagers said. There was no battle to explain the soldiers’ actions as they raided the village, though the area is known to support pro-democracy fighters in militias called People’s Defense Forces that have sprung up across the country since the coup, especially in the central Magway and Sagaing regions, residents said. “They were all just civilians,” said one witness of the aftermath of the raid. RFA called the junta’s spokesperson, Maj. Gen. Zaw Min Tun, to ask about the incident but he did not respond by the time of publication. Destruction after a raid by Myanmar soldiers on Myay Sun Taw village, Magway region, taken on March 6, 2025.(Yesagyo Township Info Committee/Facebook) RELATED STORIES Myanmar junta chief says election to be held by January 2026 Nearly 30,000 civilians displaced by fighting in Myanmar’s heartland Fighting in Myanmar’s Sagaing region prompts thousands to flee to India border Residents identified the victims as a man over 70 named Han Tin, a man in his 60s named Htay Myint, 88-year-old woman Than Ma Ni, 60-year old woman Than Pyae, 86-year-old woman Hla Ngwe, 67-year old man Kyi Htay, 69-year old man Aung Myaing, 35-year old man Thant Zin, 40-year-old man Aung Lin Naing, 70-year-old man Nyunt Wai, and 50-year-old man San Win. Soldiers also burned down nearby Thar Gaung and Za Yat Ni villages, destroying about 600 homes and forcing some 10,000 people to flee. “Soldiers have launched a lot of offensives in this region. Most villages are carrying out actions with armed groups to protect themselves,” said a representative of the anti-junta Yesagyo Township Information Committee, who also declined to be identified in fear of reprisals. “The people killed in Myay Sun Taw were elderly and innocent. The military is malicious and extremely cruel.” Translated by Kiana Duncan. Edited by RFA Staff. We are : Investigative Journalism Reportika Investigative Reports Daily Reports Interviews Surveys Reportika

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