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Skier Eileen Gu sparks uproar in China over U.S. 2030 Olympic bid involvement

Chinese-American freestyle skier Eileen Gu, who was lauded by Chinese fans for her patriotism after choosing to represent China at the 2022 Winter Olympics, has announced she will act as goodwill ambassador in support of Salt Lake City’s 2030 Olympics bid. Gu, who was born in the United States, said she was just 15 when she decided to embrace her Chinese heritage and represent the host nation at the Olympics, taking gold in the big air and halfpipe events, and a silver medal in slopestyle. Yet Gu, 18, has been unwilling so far to address the issue of patriotic allegiance head on, and has said she is American while in the U.S., and Chinese while in China. China doesn’t permit dual citizenship, at least not officially, and Gu has never clarified which passport, or passports, she actually now holds. China’s state-controlled media lauded her haul of medals to the skies, but never probed the issue any further. “Salt Lake specifically wants to become a global destination for athletes everywhere to come train there and they want to incorporate 15 new countries into the Winter Olympics,” Gu told Time Magazine in a recent interview. “I think that’s something that’s really beautiful and I’ve always stood for that and so I’m really honored to be a part of the whole thing,” she said, adding that it was a “beautiful example of globalism.” However, Time referred to her as “China’s Eileen Gu,” saying this showed the global influence of a top-level Chinese athlete. Gu’s involvement in the Salt Lake City bid comes at a time of heightened political tensions between Washington and Beijing. In April, she attended an assembly of Chinese Olympians at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, where she got a special mention from ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leader Xi Jinping, who ribbed her for her love of Chinese dumplings. 15 million views in China U.S. Olympic bid spokesman Tom Kelly confirmed to the Associated Press on Tuesday that Gu participated in the bid as an “athlete representative.” “She is working with us,” Kelly said, “but we haven’t chosen her exact title.” He said Gu wouldn’t be traveling with the bid’s delegation to Switzerland to meet with International Olympics Committee (IOC) officials, but that U.S. skier Lindsey Vonn would be going. The topic has blown up the Chinese internet, with more than 15 million views reported on the #EileenGu hashtag on China’s Weibo social media platform alone on Thursday. “As a sports figure, Eileen Gu is often seen through a screen of commercial hype … but being the U.S. ambassador for the Olympic bid doesn’t mean much,” the @dibaofficialweibo account commented. “Those who scold her for it make themselves look stupid and ignorant.” @CarShooter responded sarcastically to Gu’s comment in the Time Magazine interview that she had no regrets about representing China, commenting: “Ha ha Chinese athlete Eileen Gu, thank you, really!” adding a “Bye-bye” emoticon. Former Global Times editor-in-chief Hu Xijin, usually known for his hyper-nationalistic rhetoric, was unexpectedly supportive of Gu, however. He said Gu had “defined her identity” by choosing to represent China in 2022, and had done nothing yet to suggest she was trying to change that. User @SisterFei_talks_politics_and_economics took issue with Gu’s critics, who had slammed her as an “exquisite egoist.” “I can’t understand the disdain and even anger of many people towards Eileen Gu,” the user wrote. “They think she is a person who uses her privilege to have her cake and eat it. I find these ideas ridiculous and narrow-minded.” Nationality switching Gu had never claimed to love China, but only to spend some of her time there. She had never tried to tap into any kind of nationalistic rhetoric to win favor, but had instead relied on her own talents and efforts to bring gold and silver medals for China, the user wrote. “Do we need her more, or does she need us?” they asked. Weibo user @zhongdongzongzanfeng said China should never have let Gu compete on its Olympic team. “I have nothing against her, but I am against nationality changes just to get more gold medals; gold medals won in this way are worthless,” the user wrote. Sun Youkui, sports management lecturer at Towson University, said nationality switching is actually quite common among top athletes, and that Chinese athletes have previously served as ambassadors for foreign Olympic bids. “Naturally, everyone is talking about the question of her nationality again because she just represented China in competition, and now she is helping the United States to bid for the Olympics,” Sun told RFA. “The focus is all on her.” “But there have also been examples in the past of [bid teams] seeking out top or well-known international athletes to serve as ambassadors for an Olympic bid,” Sun said. “The fact that she isn’t an athlete from that country means nothing.” “It’s to demonstrate the international reputation of Salt Lake City.” Chinese diving star Gao Min has served as ambassador for New York’s Olympic bid, while Shen Xue and Zhao Hongbo played the same role for South Korea, Ding Junhui for London and Chen Lu for Sochi. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.

World

Big Brother trumps Lipstick Brother

Editor3 years ago01 mins

Beauty e-commerce influencer Austin Li (Li Jiaqi), part of a generation of younger Chinese people who know little of the June 4, 1989, Tiananmen massacre, displayed a tank-shaped ice-cream dessert on his livestream on Jun. 3, one day ahead of the 33rd anniversary of the crackdown. Censors pulled the plug immediately, and the cosmetics pitchman known to 40 million followers as “Lipstick Brother” hasn’t returned. Li was not any kind of activist and his predicament shows how successfully Beijing has suppressed knowledge of the watershed event.

WHO driver shot dead in Mawlamyine

Editor3 years ago04 mins

The World Health Organization says one of its employees was shot dead in Mawlamyine city, Mon State, on Wednesday. Myo Min Htut was killed near a statue of General Aung San close to Than Lwin Park at around 5:45 p.m., the WHO said today. Myo Min Htut worked as a driver for the WHO Myanmar Office for nearly five years. He was shot dead on his way home from work by motorcycle. The WHO statement offered condolences to his family but gave no further details. People’s Defense Organization Mawlamyine (PDOM) said on its Facebook page yesterday that it was behind the shooting. A statement said that Myo Min Htut used to take the lead in conducting searches for the military junta based on the family’s household registration. It said Myo Min Htut had threatened members of the anti-regime Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM) and their families. It said the victim was also a relative of Lt. Gen. Aung Lin Dway, one of the top Military Council leaders. The statement said he was shot five times. RFA has not yet been able to confirm the PDOM’s claims. A local militia said they shot Myo Min Htut five times. CREDIT: Citizen journalist Ramanathan Balakrishnan, the UN Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator ad interim in Myanmar, condemned the killing in a statement issued today. “The United Nations appeals to all parties and stakeholders to respect the neutrality of the United Nations and humanitarians and further calls for all parties to protect the rights and safety of civilians and strongly condemns acts of violence against civilians,” the statement said. “The United Nations expects an impartial investigation into the incident and the perpetrators to be held accountable.” “During these difficult times, against significant odds, the United Nations continues to stay and deliver essential humanitarian and development support for the people of Myanmar,” the statement added. This is not the first attack on humanitarian workers in Myanmar since the military coup on February 1 last year. On December 24, two Save the Children staff members were among 35 people killed in a terrorist attack near Moso village, in Hpruso Township, Kayah State.

Prominent Tibetan writer confirmed detained after year-long disappearance

Editor3 years ago04 mins

Prominent Tibetan writer and scholar Rongwo Gangkar, who went missing more than a year ago, has been confirmed arrested by Chinese authorities, RFA’s Tibetan Service has learned. Gangkar, the 48-year-old author of such popular works as “The Knot” and “An Interview with Gendun Choephel,” was likely detained in early 2021, a Tibetan source living in Tibet told RFA, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal. “He was unexpectedly arrested by the Chinese police and right now his whereabouts and condition remain unknown,” said the source. “He was missing since the beginning of 2021, but we only later learned from a few of his friends and acquaintances that he was suddenly taken into custody on the orders of the Chinese government. Few were aware of his arrest, due to tight restrictions in place because of COVID-19 at the time.” Another source in the region, who also declined to be named, told RFA he was saddened to learn of Gangkar’s arrest and is concerned for his well-being. “Rongwo Gangkar is a well-known Tibetan writer known for many of his popular works,” he said. “He is from Rebkong (in Chinese, Tongren) [county in the Malho (Huangnan) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture] and belongs to Rongwo monastery. … I haven’t seen him for so long.” Crackdown on Tibetan leaders Gangkar, who is also celebrated for his skill as a translator, is the latest confirmed victim of a crackdown by Chinese authorities on Tibetan intellectuals and cultural leaders. Last month, RFA learned that Tibetan writer and poet Gendun Lhundrub, who was held incommunicado for more than a year after his arrest in 2020, is being detained in a prison in Siling (Xining). The former monk at Rongwo monastery had been monitored by authorities for signs of political dissent before being detained and was arrested in western China’s Qinghai province while he was on his way to attend a religious debate in Rebgong. Lhundrub is reportedly undergoing political re-education and must translate Tibetan Buddhist scripts into Mandarin Chinese, which the Chinese Communist Party requires be used to teach Tibetan Buddhist studies. Chinese authorities have frequently detained Tibetan writers and artists who promote Tibetan national identity and culture — with many sentenced to lengthy prison terms — following region-wide protests of Chinese rule that swept Tibet and Tibetan areas in western provinces of China in 2008. Language rights have become a particular focus for Tibetan efforts to assert national identity in recent years, with informally organized language courses typically deemed “illegal associations” and teachers subject to detention and arrest, sources say. Translated by Tenzin Dickyi. Written in English by Joshua Lipes.

Myanmar junta forces attack villages in Sagaing region, killing 11, residents say

Editor3 years ago015 mins

Eleven civilians were shot dead or burned to death by military junta troops in northwestern Myanmar’s Sagaing region after the soldiers found a weapon in a pagoda compound where the displaced villagers had sought shelter, local residents said Wednesday. Junta forces shot six of the civilians from Kan Pyar village in Myinmu township in the back on Monday after they ordered them to run. Another three were shot to death after they were told to place their hands on their heads when soldiers found the homemade pistol during a raid on the Myat Saw Nyi Naung pagoda, the sources said. Two other villagers were trapped in a burning Buddhist monastery and burned to death, they said. Soldiers also torched more than 100 motorcycles inside the pagoda compound where the residents were sheltering. Sagaing has been the site of some of the fiercest fighting between the junta troops and opposition forces since the military seized power in a February 2021 coup. Villagers have said junta forces have also indiscriminately attacked communities, killing civilians, torching homes and forcing thousands to flee in search of safety. An estimated 336,600 people have fled Sagaing since the coup, according to the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees. The ages of those who were executed ranged from 17 to over 60 years old, locals said. Ten of the 11 victims have been identified: Myint Oo, Nay Zar Aung, Yupar, Aung Min Khaing, Hla Soe, Paing Paing, Mae Gyi, Thura, Tin Htwe and U San. A villager who requested anonymity for safety reasons said soldiers committed the “heinous crime” after they arrived in the pagoda compound on Monday. The villager repeated accounts he had heard from those who witnessed the killings. He did not see them himself because he fled the area when the soldiers arrived. He later returned and saw the dead bodies. “They interrogated the [internally displaced persons] who are taking shelter [and] found a handmade pistol,” he said. “Then, they ordered the men to run on the count of three and shot them in the back. Six of them got shot and killed. All are local villagers. They got murdered for a small pistol.” “Now, people are fearful,” he said. “They are too afraid to live in the village. It is heinous crime that they told the villagers to flee and shot them in the back.” The soldiers ordered about 30 men to flee, killing six. They also detained and took away another 10, the villager said. RFA could not contact the villagers who witnessed the incident because the soldiers had confiscated their mobile phones. After the villagers buried the bodies on Wednesday, more residents left, too afraid to remain there, the source said. ‘More than an atrocity’ A second local who also requested anonymity for safety reasons said soldiers left behind dead bodies and devastated family members. “I haven’t got the words to comfort them. I’m aghast,” he told RFA. “The soldiers made them watch their family members being shot and killed. This is more than an atrocity. I am heartbroken to see them crying their hearts out.” A member of the Myinmu township People’s Defense Force (PDF) said members of the militia are providing medical treatment to villagers who were injured by the gunfire. “They have contacted PDF troops and requested medical attention,” he said. “We went as far as they could come and gave them medical treatment. These civilians are fearful. This is like a scene from a movie. It was very brutal.” RFA contacted junta spokesman, Maj. Gen. Zaw Min Tun, for comment, but he did not return the calls. He has repeatedly denied claims that Myanmar soldiers were raiding villages and terrorizing residents. Nay Zin Latt, a former National League for Democracy lawmaker in the Sagaing regional parliament, said the most recent incident constituted a war crime. “This is a brutal crime in which local civilians were murdered, and it has further frightened them on purpose,” he said. “It did not come about by accident because the village is closed to the conflict area. This was intentional. “They are burning villages and murdering civilians while there are not armed conflicts,” he added. “I think this could even mean they are attempting a genocide.” The dead bodies of civilians from Kan Pyar village, Myinmu township, in northwestern Myanmar’s Sagaing region, lay covered on the ground, June 6, 2022. Credit: Citizen journalist Two other villages attacked Junta soldiers also targeted Sagaing’s Kanbalu township on Monday, burning more than 250 houses and 65 granaries with at least 6,500 bushels of rice paddy during a raid of two villages, said residents who watched the destruction as they hid nearby when troops entered their community. More than 80 soldiers from Light Infantry Battalion No. 367, stationed in the township’s Koe Taung Boet village, raided Hnaw Kone village at about 4 a.m. and began burning down houses seven hours later before moving on to Shaw Hpyu Kone village, where they also set houses ablaze, residents said. A Shaw Hpyu Kone resident who lost both his home and his harvested rice paddy said the soldiers fired guns as they entered the community. “We were half asleep and had to run for our lives,” he said. “They fired heavy artillery as they entered. They cooked and ate their meals before they started burning the houses around 11 a.m. “They burned all houses in the village and granaries,” he said. “We’ve lost both food supplies and seeds for the coming season. It happened right before the time for sowing the seeds. Some people were not able to carry anything as they fled. All the villagers had to flee and left their belonging to be burned down.” Junta troops torched 52 houses and 30 granaries holding at least 3,000 bushels of paddy in Hnaw Kone village and 200 houses and 35 granaries with at least 3,500 bushels of paddy in Shaw Hpyu Kone, said the resident, who requested anonymity for safety reasons. Villagers in the two communities told RFA…

Vietnam arrests 3 disgraced Communist Party officials for corruption

Editor3 years ago09 mins

Vietnamese authorities on Tuesday arrested three disgraced former Communist Party officials for a kick-back scheme involving COVID test kits, as part of an anti-graft campaign some observers think has been too slow to punish high-level government offenders. Police at the Ministry of Public Security arrested former Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long, former Hanoi Mayor Chu Ngoc Anh and former Deputy Minister of Science and Technology Pham Cong Tac, all of whom were expelled from the Communist Party and removed from their positions Monday. The three were implicated in a U.S. $172 million scandal in which the Viet A Technologies Company bribed officials to get its test kits made and distributed nationwide at inflated prices. They are the latest casualties of the one-party state’s years-long crackdown on corruption, referred to as “furnace burning” by its architect, Secretary General Nguyen Phu Trong. The crackdown, intended to restore public confidence in the Communist Party, has seen several high-profile arrests of government and private sector officials over the past few months. But it has drawn mixed reviews among observers of the government. Le Hoa, a lawyer based in Hanoi, praised the effort in an interview with RFA’s Vietnamese Service. “This is a very positive signal giving ordinary people more faith in the Communist Party of Vietnam’s fight against corruption,” he said. “The fight, led by General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, is on the right track and is bearing fruit. Those are my thoughts, and I believe many others would have the same view.” Hoa said that he hoped authorities don’t declare this the end of the Viet A scandal. He said that if police investigate further and bring in even higher ranking party officials, it would show that the party is serious about its tough stance on corruption. Throwing mud in a pond Justice is happening too slowly, Pham Dinh Long, a former officer in Vietnam’s military who cancelled his membership in the Communist Party in 2009, told RFA via text message. “If the law is really strict and transparent and for the sake of justice, they should have been arrested right at the beginning of the Viet A scandal,” said Long, who lives in the central highland province of Lam Dong. “It’s not only too late, but it is a disregard for justice that these two ringleaders weren’t arrested until this stage,” he said. Nguyen Thong, a blogger, wrote on his Facebook account that it had taken too long for Vietnam to discipline Long and Anh. He said that a democratic regime that respects for the rule of law would have been quicker to act and that the furnace burning campaign was largely a public relations effort to boost confidence in government and downplayed the campaign’s effectiveness. “Some praise this anti-corruption furnace, but I despise it. It can’t undo the rottening nature of this country’s system,” he said. “Arresting a thousand guys then replacing them with a thousand of the same kind of guys is just throwing stones, throwing mud to the pond.” A Hanoi lawyer, who spoke with RFA under condition of annonymity for security reasons, wondered whether the replacements to the three arrested officials would be any better. The lawyer also noted that party leaders, including Nguyen Phu Trong, supported the re-election of Long and Anh to the Central Committee at last year’s 13th Party Congress. More arrests to come? Uncovering corruption can be a tool for those hoping to discredit political rivals, but Vo Van Tao, a journalist from the coastal city of Nha Trang, told RFA that he doubted the arrests were political infighting. He expects further arrests. “There are a lot of rumors on social media, saying that [Long and Anh] might not be the last catch. Perhaps even higher ranking leaders [could be arrested],” he said. Vietnam’s agreements to buy Chinese vaccines at a higher price than Pfizer’s during the height of the pandemic last September looked suspicious, he said. “As you may recall, the first batch consisted of 20 million doses of Pfizer vaccine and each dose cost 127,000 dong [U.S. $5.50]. However, just more than 10 days later, the prime minister agreed to the Ministry of Health’s proposal to import 20 million doses of Chinese Verocell vaccine and the price for each dose was 160,000 dong (around $7). I think something’s abnormal here.” Hospital official implicated As part of the same scandal, police in the northwestern province of Son La arrested Lo Van Chien, the head of the Son La General Hospital’s Pharmaceutical Department, for accepting bribes from the Viet A Technologies Company, state media reported. According to the police investigation, Chien received kickbacks from Viet A when the hospital signed contracts worth 1.05 billion dong (about $45,000) to buy COVID-19 test kits. Son La General bought each test kit for between 185,000 and 200,000 dong (around $8-9), considerably higher than similar test kits sold for about 140,000 dong ($6) to hospitals and medical facilities in other provinces and Ho Chi Minh City. The State Audit of Vietnam recently announced that among the 32 provinces and cities it audited, 30 had purchased Viet A’s test kits. Vietnam has 63 provinces and centrally administered cities. The 30 audited provinces and cities that bought Viet A test kits spent well over 2.1 trillion dong ($91.3 million) in total. In early January this year, Lt. Gen. To An Xo, the spokesperson of the Ministry of Public Security, said that Viet A Director Phan Quoc Viet had admitted to inflating the price of a COVID-19 test kit by 45% and sending almost 800 billion dong ($35.2 million) in kickbacks to the company’s partners. Translated by Anna Vu. Written in English by Eugene Whong.

Nearly 600 properties seized by junta over alleged ties to armed resistance

Editor3 years ago08 mins

Myanmar’s junta has confiscated nearly 600 homes and other buildings owned by people it claims are members or supporters of the armed resistance, according to a report by independent research group the Institute for Strategy and Policy (ISP Myanmar). The report found that, between the military’s Feb. 1, 2021, coup and May 20 this year, authorities seized 586 properties, mostly from people who have alleged ties to the shadow National Unity Government (NUG), Pyidaungsu Hluttaw Committee of Representatives (CRPH), and anti-junta People’s Defense Force (PDF) paramilitary group — all of which the regime considers “terrorist organizations.” Several other confiscated properties belonged to people the military regime said had a role in bombings of junta targets, anti-coup protests, and the nationwide anti-junta Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM). Among the seizures were the homes of NUG acting President Duwa Lashi La and Prime Minister Mahn Winn Khaing Thann, the report said. The largest number of properties, 159, were confiscated from owners in embattled Sagaing region, where the military has faced some of the strongest resistance to date. Myint Htwe, a former lawmaker for the deposed National League for Democracy (NLD) party representing Ye-U township in the Sagaing Regional Parliament, called the military’s seizures “arbitrary” and illegal. “These confiscations are entirely arbitrary, according to the law,” the former MP, whose home was among those confiscated, told RFA’s Burmese Service. “The junta is a terrorist organization that has violated all the ethics of how soldiers should act and how civilians should be treated. I know they will never abide by the laws, and I don’t expect anything different.” According to ISP Myanmar’s findings, 373 properties, or nearly two-thirds of those seized, belonged to civilians. Another 147 properties belonged to lawmakers, while 66 were owned by the NLD or its members. Kyaw Htet Aung, senior researcher at ISP Myanmar, said the confiscations had taken an emotional, social and economic toll on the victims. “Especially, the family members and victims of home confiscations have had their lives disrupted and ruined,” he said. “When someone loses their home, they can live with relatives or shelter at a camp for internally displaced people,” he added. “But often it becomes difficult to maintain one’s regular social, economic, educational and medical activities after a home is lost. Owning a home is central part of one’s life.” Attempts by RFA to contact junta deputy information minister, Maj. Gen. Zaw Min Tun, for comment on the confiscations went unanswered Wednesday. A photo shows the exterior of the home of Moe Ma Kha, a former NLD lawmaker for the Bago Regional Parliament, which was sealed off by junta authorities in Taungoo city on Feb. 12, 2022. Credit: Citizen journalist Targeting the NLD NLD Central Committee member Kyaw Htwe said the junta is illegally targeting members of his party. “The military regime is jealous of the NLD party for achieving landslide victories in every free and fair election. They know they cannot achieve a monopoly on power while the NLD is around, and that’s why they are targeting the party,” he said. “They destroyed the party headquarters, sealed party member’s homes, and arrested the party members. They even arrest and intimidate the family members of NLD members and supporters. They are taking away the rights of the people.” The junta says voter fraud led to the NLD’s landslide victory in the country’s November 2020 election but has yet to provide evidence for its claims. It has instead violently suppressed nationwide protests calling for a return to civilian rule, killing 1,909 people and arresting 14,046 in the 16 months since, according to the Bangkok-based Assistance Association for Political Prisoners. Most detainees from the NLD were charged for alleged crimes that carry heavy sentences, including rebellion, corruption, unlawful association and incitement. The NLD said in January that more than three-quarters of its members arrested by the junta remained in detention more than 11 months after the military seized power. Since the Feb. 1 coup, junta security forces have arrested hundreds of NLD members, including leader Aung San Suu Kyi and former President Win Myint. Political Analyst Than Soe Naing said the junta is using every means at its disposal to crush the resistance movement and drive away its supporters. “They intend to make NLD supporters and proponents of the NUG suffer and become homeless,” he said. “There are no laws or constitutional provisions that support such actions. The junta is now using unprecedented and inhumane tactics to suppress the resistance and its supporters.” Translated by Ye Kaung Myint Maung. Written in English by Joshua Lipes.

Filipino fishermen, boat owner ‘compensated’ for South China Sea ramming incident

Editor3 years ago05 mins

Filipino fishermen whose boat sank in 2019 after a Chinese trawler rammed into it in disputed South China Sea waters have received six million Philippine pesos (U.S $113,421) in compensation, the Department of Justice said Wednesday. However, a fishers’ association criticized the settlement for the 22 fishermen and the owner as too little and coming too late. Justice Undersecretary Adrian Sugay told reporters that the owner of the F/B Gem-Ver 1 boat and the fishermen had received the compensation on May 16, with officials adding that the settlement amount was half of what the victims sought. “Full compensation has already been made in favor of the vessel owner and the fishermen,” Sugay said in his message. The original amount demanded by the fishermen represented repair costs, other damages, and income lost due to the incident. Fernando Hicap, head of Pamalakaya, a fisherman’s group, called the compensation to the 22 fishermen and the owner of the boat that sank “long overdue and insufficient.” “The 22 victimized fishermen have been enduring the loss of their traditional livelihood after the tragic incident in Recto Bank. It took three years before they were improperly compensated.” Hicap told BenarNews. “Our demand is that the compensation should cover not only the cost of the fishing vessel and their supposed income on the night of the incident, but also the aftermath wherein their livelihood activities have not returned to normal.” Hicap also demanded an “immediate end to Chinese aggression” in the sea region. “The government should give full justice to all the Filipino fisherfolk who are victims of Chinese harassment and hostility in our territorial waters,” he said. The incident occurred on June 9, 2019 in an area within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ). After their boat sank, the 22 Filipino fishermen were left floating at sea until a Vietnamese boat rescued them. On June 15, the Chinese embassy in Manila confirmed that a Chinese trawler, Yuemaobinyu 42212, “bumped into” the Filipino fishing boat, but denied that it was a “hit and run” incident, as Philippine officials claimed. The incident came mid-way into the term of President Rodrigo Duterte, who had taken steps to appease Chinese leader Xi Jinping, whose government has ignored a 2016 international arbitral verdict on the South China Sea that ruled against Beijing in favor of Manila. At the time, Duterte played down the incident as a “little maritime accident” that should not get in the way of friendly bilateral relations. China and five other governments – Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam – have territorial claims in the disputed waterway. While Indonesia does not regard itself as a party to the South China Sea dispute, Beijing claims historic rights to parts of the sea overlapping Indonesia’s EEZ. Duterte’s friendly policy towards Beijing is expected to be tested when President-elect Ferdinand Marcos Jr. assumes office at the end of June. Two weeks ago, Marcos said he would implement the arbitral ruling and assert the Philippines’ territorial rights in the sea region. “Our sovereignty is sacred and we will not compromise it in any way,” he said. “We are a sovereign nation with a functioning government, so we do not need to be told by anyone how to run our country.” BenarNews is an RFA-affiliated online news service.

Lao police seize major haul of drugs, arrest 2

Editor3 years ago05 mins

Police in northern Laos have seized 12 million methamphetamine pills and arrested two suspects in the fourth major drug haul in the region this year, Lao sources say. The June 4 operation in Bokeo province’s Huayxi district blocked delivery of the drugs to the Lao capital Vientiane, with police also seizing guns and cell phones from the suspects, police sources told RFA on Tuesday. Arrested were a member of the Lao Hmong ethnic group, age 30 and a resident of Bokeo, and a 29-year-old Lao resident of the northern province of Luang Namtha, one source told RFA, speaking on condition of anonymity for security reasons. Both are citizens of Laos and told police they had been hired by a dealer in Bokeo’s Tonpheung district to move the drugs for around $70,000 U.S. dollars in cash, RFA’s source said. “Everything is now being handled by officials, and we are carrying out an investigation to find out where these drugs came from. Nothing is clear at the moment,” he said. Also declining to be named, a second police official in Bokeo said the suspects’ attempt to take the drugs to Vientiane in pickup trucks had failed because of the many police checkpoints set up along the road. “Most of the drugs we seize come from the northern part of Laos, but we can’t say for sure yet whether these drugs also came from the north. This is still under investigation,” he said. “The suspects are Lao citizens and will be punished according to the law.” Methamphetamine pills seized in Bokeo province in northern Laos are shown in a June 4, 2022 photo. Photo: Lao Security News A villager in Bokeo’s Tonpheung district told RFA on Tuesday that police have been unable to end the drug trade in the area, where many young people become addicted and then turn to selling drugs themselves, he said. “If the police let things go on like this, our own children and grandchildren will also become bad people someday. I want the authorities to crack down on this problem,” he said. Police involvement with drugs has also slowed efforts to control the trade, another Tonpheung villager said, speaking on condition of anonymity for security reasons. “If the police were really serious about solving this problem, all of it would be gone,” he said. “The problem still exists because sometimes the police will get drugs from the dealers and then sell them themselves.” The June 4 seizure of drugs in Bokeo was the fourth major haul reported in the province this year, with large quantities of amphetamine pills also seized in January and March, according to Lao media sources. On May 30, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) reported that the trade in synthetic drugs continues to expand in East and Southeast Asia, “with production and trafficking hitting record levels in 2021.” Drug labs in the Golden Triangle area of Thailand, Laos and Myanmar are the major sources of production, “and the supply continues to surge,” the UNODC said. Translated by Phouvong for RFA’s Lao Service. Written in English by Richard Finney.

Shanghai, Beijing residents give lie to claims that COVID-19 lockdowns have eased

Editor3 years ago06 mins

Despite the government’s claims that a two-month lockdown in Shanghai has been relaxed, residents of some districts of the city said they have yet to regain their freedom, amid ongoing shortages of food and other daily necessities. A resident of Shanghai’s Jing’an district surnamed Feng said some residential areas of her district, as well as some of Xuhui and Huangpu districts, remain under “closed-loop” management, while the lockdown in Yangpu district has yet to ease at all. “We are still locked down due to the pandemic,” Feng said. “Anywhere that somebody tests positive is still being locked down.” “The lockdown never ended in Yangpu district, where they were still installing barriers on May 29,” she said. Shanghai resident Wang Ning many factories are now unable to operate due to shortages of supplies and road closures, while many restaurants are still only offering takeout. “Some people are back at work one day, then take three days off,” Wang said. “We are doing PCR tests nearly every day.” “There are rumors that there will be another lockdown from June 20, so we laid in a lot of supplies yesterday, so as to be prepared if that happens,” Wang said. A worker padlocks fencing securing a residential area under Covid-19 lockdown in the Xuhui district of Shanghai on June 8, 2022. Credit: AFP PCR tests But any trip outside one’s home, even in districts where this is now allowed, must be preceded by hours of lining up to get a PCR test, Wang said. “There are PCR testing booths at the entrance of our community, saying that we need to show a negative test from the past 48 hours to leave,” Wang said. “I did one last night, so I can go run a few errands today.” A resident surnamed Ma said that standing in line for PCR tests is the bane of people’s existence now in Shanghai. “It’s a constant sword hanging over people’s heads … because you can’t go anywhere without a negative PCR test from the past 48 or 72 hours,” she said. “The fact that the results don’t usually come out till the next day is very troublesome for people, and creates anxiety,” Ma said. “We are constantly lining up to do PCR tests,” she said. “Anyone who tests positive will be put in isolation or lockdown at home.” “All of this is a disaster for ordinary people … these tests cost 20 yuan a time, and they have to do one every couple of days, so how will they afford it?” Residents line up for COVID-19 tests outside the Sihang Warehouse War Memorial Hall in Shanghai, June 7, 2022. Credit: Reuter Limits in Beijing A Shanghai resident surnamed Chang said the city isn’t back to normal yet. “You can only say that the lockdown has been partially lifted,” Chang said. “Some places haven’t gotten back to normal yet.” While authorities in Beijing also announced the easing of weeks of restrictions in the early hours of Tuesday, public transportation in the city remains suspended, and people are being told to work from home. A resident of Beijing’s Fangshan district surnamed Guo said people without private cars can’t easily get around. “We can only walk around the Fangshan area, as we don’t have a car,” Guo said. “There are parts of the subway where the trains aren’t stopping, and Fengtai district is still under lockdown.” Guo said people are being asked to pay high fees for documentation allowing them to leave their residential compounds. “It costs 240 yuan to get an exit pass in our compound now,” she said. A man surnamed Guo from Haidian district said parts of the district remain under tight restrictions, with several PCR tests required from residents ever week. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.

Category: World