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North Korea refused China’s rescue offer for Yalu River island residents

Editor07 mins

North Korea declined China’s offer to rescue residents on islands in the Yalu River–some of whom later died in flooding–because Pyongyang was afraid that those rescued would try to escape to China permanently, officials in the country told Radio Free Asia. As heavy rains caused rising waters in the Yalu River, which divides the two countries, it became apparent that opening floodgates at hydropower dams would be necessary. But doing so would submerge inhabited islands near the northwestern city of Sinuiju, which lies across the river from China’s Dandong. “The heavy flood damage in Sinuiju, which occurred between the noon of the 27th and the early morning of the 28th, occurred when the floodgates of the Taepyongman Hydropower Station were opened,” an official from Sinuiju’s surrounding province of North Pyongan told RFA Korean on condition of anonymity to speak freely. “An evacuation order was issued to Sinuiju residents before opening the floodgates around 2 a.m. on the 28th.” China’s ambassador to North Korea Wang Yajun led a delegation of over 40 people to pay respects at the Unsan Chinese People’s Volunteer Army Martyrs’ Cemetery amid pouring rain, July 25, 2024, in Unsan county, North Korea. (The Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea via Reuters) By then, the waters were so high that people didn’t dare try to escape on their own, he said, adding that many people on one of the islands died when the floodgates were opened. A South Korean government official told reporters that up to 1,500 residents have died or are missing as a result of the floods. That number hasn’t been verified by North Korea. North Korean state media, meanwhile, reported that 4,100 homes and 7,000 acres of land have been submerged. State media has also used the disaster to boost the profile of the country’s leader Kim Jong Un by featuring him in photos that apparently show him personally leading rescue operations. The deaths could have been prevented, as China had offered to save the residents before the waters got too high, another North Pyongan official told RFA on condition of anonymity for security reasons.  “The police in Dandong conveyed their intent to rescue the island residents to the North Pyongan Province’s Social Security Bureau,” he said. “However, Kim Jong Un refused China’s offer and so many residents who were stranded on the island became victims.” China’s ambassador to North Korea Wang Yajun led a delegation of over 40 people to pay respects at the Unsan Chinese People’s Volunteer Army Martyrs’ Cemetery amid pouring rain, July 25, 2024, in Unsan county, North Korea. (The Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea via Reuters) On July 27, when heavy rains showed no signs of stopping soon, representatives from both cities discussed opening the floodgates, the official said. “They only open if China agrees,” he said. “It was obvious that if the water gates of the power plant were opened while the Yalu River was very swollen, the islands in the estuary would be submerged.” It was then that the Dandong police said that they could safely move the island residents to China, but were rejected by Kim, the official said. China’s ambassador to North Korea Wang Yajun led a delegation of over 40 people to pay respects at the Unsan Chinese People’s Volunteer Army Martyrs’ Cemetery amid pouring rain, July 25, 2024, in Unsan county, North Korea. (The Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea via Reuters) “Kim Jong Un did not allow the islanders to evacuate to China under the pretext that they could flee to South Korea. Meanwhile, it got dark and a helicopter deployment became impossible,” he said, adding that North Korean rescue teams couldn’t start evacuations until the next day and they were staying at a nearby hotel. After the rescue was completed, Kim Jong Un arrived on the scene to lead and direct the rescue. “Kim Jong Un arrived in Sinuiju around 8 a.m. on the 28th. The rain had already stopped and the water in the Yalu River was decreasing.” South Korean outlet Yonhap News reported that Kim Jong Un told North Korean media that there were no casualties and accused South Korean media of “fabricating” the scale of flood damages.  Translated by Claire S. Lee. Edited by Eugene Whong.

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India pledges $300m loan to boost Vietnam’s maritime security

Editor05 mins

India has offered to provide Vietnam with US$300 million to strengthen its maritime security amid rising tensions in the Asia-Pacific region and increasing wariness in both countries about China’s growing military might and assertiveness. India’s pledge was made during a visit to India this week by Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, during which he and his host, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, virtually inaugurated a military software hub in the city of Nha Trang in central Vietnam. The Army Software Park is being developed with India’s assistance and is expected to produce software solutions as well as provide information technology services. Modi said at a welcome ceremony for Chinh at Hyderabad House on Thursday that Vietnam was an important partner in India’s Act East Policy and Indo-Pacific vision.  The Act East Policy is a diplomatic initiative to promote economic, strategic and cultural relations with the vast Asia-Pacific region at different levels.  Both countries would “continue cooperation for a free, open, rules-based and prosperous Indo-Pacific,” Modi said. This visit from July 30 to Aug. 1 was Chinh’s first trip to India as head of government. RELATED STORIES Vietnam’s PM visits India to reaffirm strategic partnership Vietnam mulls law that may open market to foreign arms firms Vietnam hosts its first international defense expo The leaders said in a joint communique at the end of the visit that Vietnam and India “agreed to strengthen further their defense cooperation based on common priorities and interests, and to contribute to the stability in the Indo-Pacific region.” A package of preferential loans worth US$300 million would be offered for two projects to improve Vietnam’s maritime security, they said. They  did not specify details but Indian media said the money would  be spent on procuring two types of patrol boats for the Vietnamese navy. In June 2023, India donated to Vietnam a missile corvette, the INS Kirpan, and also sold it 12 high-speed guard boats. Rule-based South China Sea Maritime security is seen as one of the most important elements of Vietnam-India bilateral relations and they have held regular maritime security dialogues since 2019. The joint communique emphasized the importance of “maintaining peace, stability, security and freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea.” Both countries are committed to finding peaceful solutions to maritime disputes in accordance with international law, in particular the 1982 U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea, or UNCLOS, they said. They stressed that UNCLOS is the legal framework for all maritime activities in the region and the basis for all claims over jurisdiction. Vietnam, together with other ASEAN countries, and China are negotiating  a code of conduct for parties in the South China Sea.  India and the United States are not involved in those talks but the two leaders called in their communique for a rule-based and effective code of conduct that “does not affect rights and jurisdictions of other countries, including those not taking part in the negotiation process.” China has warned against what it sees as the “intervention” of outside countries in South China Sea disputes. Edited by Taejun Kang.

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State media shows North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un leading flood rescue

Editor010 mins

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has been spotted in state media leading flood relief efforts after heavy rains caused the Yalu River to swell, inundating sections of nearby towns, residents in North Korea and China told Radio Free Asia. More than 5,000 people who were stranded by the floodwaters were saved by on-site instructions relayed by Kim, the state-run Korea Central News Agency reported, complete with photos showing him leading the rescue effort. The South Korean government said that there was a high possibility of casualties given that North Korea was reporting about the rescue effort in such detail. Some of the residents were trapped when they did not heed warnings to evacuate and stayed in their homes, residents said. Meanwhile, North Koreans who have been dispatched to work in China are being forced to donate to a flood relief fund from their pay. A resident who requested for security reasons only to be identified as living near the Yalu, told RFA Korean that residents in and around Hyesan, in the northern province of Ryanggang, were facing “life threatening” moments since the river’s waters began to overflow.  A view of a flooded area near the country’s border with China, which has been hit by heavy rainfall from Tropical Storm Gaemi, in North Pyongan Province, North Korea, July 28, 2024. (KCNA via Reuters) “The water level of the Yalu River fluctuated by up to two meters (more than 6 feet) within an hour,” he said, adding that a vehicle equipped with a loudspeaker went from village to village along the river, instructing people to urgently move to higher ground. “Despite this, the residents just stood on the levee of the Yalu River, unsure of what to do, and did not evacuate,” the resident said.  Most did not want to evacuate because they did not want to leave their belongings behind for opportunistic thieves, he said. “The area around the Yalu River has high property prices, and people with a higher standard of living in Hyesan City reside there,” he said. “Because they could not suddenly move their expensive belongings, such as refrigerators, televisions, and sewing machines, they were unable to evacuate despite knowing the danger.” He said that most North Koreans cannot afford things like televisions and sewing machines even after working hard for decades. “If the house was left empty, thieves would rush in and steal all the property in an instant, so the people felt they could not evacuate even when the water rose.” The Yalu floods have also affected Dandong, China, which lies across the river from North Korea’s Sinuiju, a resident in Dandong told RFA, on condition of anonymity for personal safety. “The Yalu River overflowed, causing water to rise up to sidewalks in Dandong,” she said. “On the other side of the river in Sinuiju, North Korean soldiers were stacking sandbags all day.” An island in the river located 2 kms (1.24 miles) upstream from Sinuiju was submerged according to reports.  Relief payments When the flooding began, the North Korean government began asking workers it dispatched to China to donate to relief efforts. But just one day later, the government stopped asking and ordered them to donate, residents in China said. According to a report by the UN Expert Group on North Korea Sanctions published early this year, there are about 100,000 North Korean workers in over 40 countries, but mostly in China and Russia. Their presence is a violation of UN sanctions that required all dispatched workers to return to North Korea by the end of 2019 with no new worker visas issued. North Korea has been known to get around sanctions by sending the workers on student or tourist visas.  “An order to raise funds for flood recovery was issued today at the Dandong Branch of the Consulate General in Shenyang,” a resident of Dandong told RFA on condition of anonymity for personal safety. He said that news reports showing Kim Jong Un leading rescue efforts kept coming in to companies in Dandong, so they convened an emergency meeting for each work unit and ordered them to contribute to the relief effort personally. “However, most of the workers dispatched to China were passive about providing financial support, even though they were saddened by the reality of their country suffering from heavy flood damage,” he said. “Through the meeting, some workers decided to donate 10 yuan (US$1.30) from their monthly salary, while others decided to donate up to 30 yuan ($4.15).” The purpose of their being overseas is to raise foreign currency for the cash-strapped government, so they are already forced to donate the lion’s share, and are paid only a fraction. To have to donate even more increases their hardship, the Dandong resident said. “The reason North Korean workers are reluctant to participate in support projects is because it is difficult to live on only 300 yuan ($41.50) each month,” he said. “They’re out here saying that flood recovery should be something that the government should take care of.” North Korean leader Kim Jong Un walks up an embankment towards a train during a visit to a flood-affected area near the border with China, in North Pyongan Province, North Korea, in this undated photo released July 31, 2024. (KCNA via Reuters) A Chinese citizen of Korean descent in Dandong said that the North Korean consulate in Shenyang later required that each worker donate 200 yuan ($27). “Workers were initially expected to contribute 10 yuan ($1.38) each, with officials donating 50 yuan ($6.92),” he said.  “When this failed to raise the necessary amount, they upped it to 200 yuan.” He said the workers are angered that they are being made to donate so much. “It is unfortunate that three days of heavy rain led to flood damage, but the people are complaining, wondering if they will lose all of their already tiny salary.” Translated by Leejin J. Chung and Claire S. Lee. Edited by Eugene Whong.

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Vietnamese activist on trial from prison cell in Thailand

Editor05 mins

A court in Bangkok on Thursday began hearing a Vietnamese request for the extradition of a Montagnard activist who Vietnam accuses of terrorism but who rights groups say will be tortured if sent back. Y Quynh Bdap, 32, a campaigner for ethnic minority people, is wanted in Vietnam where he was sentenced in absentia in January to 10 years in prison after being convicted of involvement in 2023 attacks on public agencies in Dak Lak province in which nine people were killed. The co-founder of the Montagnards Stand for Justice indigenous rights group has been in Thailand since 2018 and denies involvement in the 2023 violence. He was not allowed to attend Wednesday’s hearing and had to take part by teleconference from remand detention after Vietnamese officials cited security concerns. “It’s hard to inquire and translate on teleconference,” defending lawyer Nadthasiri Bergman told Radio Free Asia. “It is also a disadvantage being unable to meet a lawyer in the courtroom.” The case has shone a spotlight on Vietnam’s stand on dissent and also on what rights groups say is growing cooperation between states in the region to crack down on each other’s dissidents. “The hearing must be transparent,” said Pornpen Khongkachonkiet, director of the Bangkok-based rights group Cross Cultural Foundation, describing Bdap as a rights defender at risk of deportation. Bdap is from the Ede minority, one of about 30 groups known as Montagnards, the French term for hill people, in Vietnam’s Central Highlands. The mainly Christian groups have suffered years of persecution from authorities over religion and land rights. ‘Swap mart’ On June 11, Thai authorities arrested Bdap for “overstaying” his visa following an extradition request from Vietnam.  Thailand does not recognize refugee status but the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees has recognized him as a refugee and he is awaiting resettlement to a third country. Bdap met Canadian authorities on June 10 to discuss resettlement there. U.S. embassy officials and representatives of international organizations observed Thursday’s hearing, as did Vietnamese security officials. As well as the hearing on Vietnam’s extradition request, Bdap will also stand trial for the immigration offense on Aug. 5. It is unclear when the court will hand down its ruling, Bergman said, adding that Bdap would fight the two-tier proceedings. She said she was hopeful that if a recently enacted Thai law on forced disappearances was taken into account, he “would not be sent back into harm’s way.”Thailand and Vietnam do not have an extradition treaty but have cooperated on a reciprocal cross-border basis in recent years when dealing with dissidents, right groups said. New York-based Human Rights Watch accused Thailand of acting like a “swap mart” to exchange dissidents, and disregarding international norms. Independent experts have called on Thailand to respect the obligation of non-refoulement, which prohibits returning a person to a country where they would face a risk of persecution or torture, the U.N. rights office said last month More than 160 people are incarcerated in Vietnamese prisons for criticizing the government, among them environmental activists and campaigners for  press freedom, according to Human Rights Watch. Edited by Mike Firn.

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China sanctions US lawmaker for criticizing Beijing’s human rights record

Editor07 mins

China on Wednesday sanctioned U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern, accusing him of “interfering in China’s internal affairs,” though the congressman said it would not deter him from continuing to speak out against the Chinese government’s poor human rights record in Tibet. The sanctions against McGovern, a Massachusetts Democrat, prohibit him from engaging in any transactions or other activities with organizations and individuals in China. They also bar him and his family from entering the country, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.  The sanctions took effect on Wednesday as a “countermeasure” against McGovern’s actions and statements that “interfere in China’s internal affairs and undermine China’s sovereignty, security and development interests,” the ministry said.  McGovern told Radio Free Asia that the sanctions’ timing suggests they are a reaction to a U.S. bill on Tibet that President Joe Biden signed into law earlier this month and to McGovern’s meeting with the Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, at his home in Dharamsala, India, in June.  “If PRC [People’s Republic of China] leaders don’t like it when people speak out against their horrific human rights record, maybe they should improve their horrific human rights record,” he said. “They can start by ending their oppression of Tibetans, ending their genocide in Xinjiang, and ending their crackdown on democracy in Hong Kong.”   RELATED STORIES Biden signs bill urging China to resume talks over Tibet     Defying China, US lawmakers meet with Dalai Lama Two Americans sanctioned by China say they don’t care US Congress passes bill on reciprocal travel to Tibet   McGovern introduced and was among the key sponsors of the Promoting a Resolution to the Tibet-China Dispute Act, also known as the Resolve Tibet Act, that supports Tibetan self-determination and urges China to resume dialogue with the Dalai Lama or his representatives to reach a peaceful resolution to the dispute between Tibet and China.  It also empowers the U.S. State Department to counter China’s disinformation about Tibet and encourages the Chinese government to “address the aspirations of the Tibetan people regarding their distinct historical, cultural, religious and linguistic identity.” A vocal critic McGovern has been a vocal critic of China’s human rights record and a firm Tibet supporter, having spoken out openly in the past on several humanitarian issues, particularly on China’s human rights violations in Tibet and Xinjiang and the impact of Beijing’s assimilation policies on Tibetan cultural, religious and linguistic identity.  Asked whether Beijing’s latest move will result in any change in his stance on Tibet, McGovern responded, “Absolutely not.” The Tibetan Buddhist spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, sips tea at the Tsuglakhang temple in Dharamsala, India, Feb. 28, 2023. (Ashwini Bhatia/AP) McGovern was also the author of the Reciprocal Access to Tibet Act which former U.S. President Donald Trump signed into law in December 2018. The law denies Chinese government officials access to the United States if they are responsible for creating or implementing restrictions on American government officials, journalists, independent observers and tourists seeking access to Tibet. China has also imposed sanctions and other restrictions on prominent U.S. citizens. In 2022, Beijing sanctioned U.S. historian Miles Yu and Todd Stein, a deputy staff director of the U.S. Congressional-Executive Commission on China who previously worked as a lobbyist for the International Campaign for Tibet. They were banned from traveling to China or contacting anyone there.  Last year, China also imposed sanctions against Rep. Michael McCaul, a Texas Republican, one of the key sponsors of the Resolve Tibet Act who led a U.S. bipartisan congressional delegation to Dharamasala to meet with the Dalai Lama in June.  Prior to the visit, China warned the delegation against making the trip. Later, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian criticized the trip and said the U.S. must not sign the bill into law.  At the time, Lin said China would take steps to “firmly defend its sovereignty, security and development interests.”  Edited by Tenzin Pema for RFA Tibetan and by Roseanne Gerin and Matt Reed.

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Thailand’s offer of aid to Myanmar gets mixed reaction

Editor06 mins

A Thai pledge to donate millions of baht to help alleviate a humanitarian crisis in neighboring Myanmar has met with a mixture of gratitude and skepticism from Myanmar’s pro-democracy government in exile. The kingdom will give nine million baht (US$250,000) to the humanitarian center of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, known as ASEAN, Thai Foreign Affairs Minister Maris Sangiampongsa told a regional meeting in Laos on the weekend.  But Kyaw Zaw, spokesperson for the president’s office of the National Unity Government, or NUG, said that while they greatly appreciated Thailand’s gesture, coordinating with the junta alone was not enough to ensure the aid would reach those most in need. “Since most of the desperately in need internal [displaced people] are living in resistance-controlled areas, not the junta,” he told Radio Free Asia on Wednesday. “The coordination with the junta will just give them the photo opportunities and not effectively reach out to the desperately in-need people on the ground.” ASEAN has been struggling to help fellow member Myanmar resolve a bloody crisis triggered by a 2021 military coup, pressing all sides to accept a plan aimed at ending the violence and initiating talks.  But Myanmar’s military has largely ignored the plan and fighting between junta forces and various allied insurgent groups has intensified this year, with the number of internally displaced rising to more than 3 million civilians, according to the United Nations. Since forming its humanitarian corridor into eastern Myanmar in March, ASEAN’s Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on disaster management, or AHA Centre, has overseen a Thai shipment of 4,000 aid packages into Kayin state to assist civilians affected by fighting. The AHA Centre has also distributed nearly US$2 million worth of food and hygiene supplies to communities in Myanmar’s Sagaing and Magway regions, as well as southern Shan state and Mon states, ASEAN said in a statement on Saturday.  The earlier Thai aid was initially sent over the border into a part of Myanmar under the control of junta forces and was then transported deeper into the interior.  Thai officials at the time declined to be drawn into a debate on whose territory the aid ended up in but the NUG believes such donations have failed to target populations that are the most seriously affected by conflict. Political analyst Panitan Wattanayagorn shared that view. He told RFA that Thailand’s initiatives regarding Myanmar were not as clear as they were in the past, including the potential use of the humanitarian corridor, because the delivery of aid had become more complicated as the control of territories changed as the course of the war unfolded. “More and more areas are under control of groups that can deliver the support, like the Karen and others,” Panitain said. “Thailand’s participatory role is changing. It’s adopting a more maybe wait-and-see approach, unlike the previous administration.” Parts of western Myanmar have seen critical food and healthcare shortages as junta blockades as part of its effort to battle the Arakan Army insurgent force, which has captured at least nine townships in Rakhine state and one in neighboring Chin state.  RELATED STORIES Myanmar’s civil war has displaced 3 million people: UN ASEAN special envoy to meet Myanmar junta leader ASEAN should admit defeat over Myanmar  Edited by Taejun Kang.

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Food shortages reported in rebel-controlled areas of Myanmar’s Chin state

Editor04 mins

Food and medicine shortages in two townships in Myanmar’s Chin state have worsened in the six months since the Arakan Army took control, causing most residents to leave the area, aid workers and residents said. The ethnic rebel Arakan Army, or AA, drove junta forces out of Paletwa and Samee townships on Jan. 14.  A Paletwa resident, who requested not to be named for security reasons, told Radio Free Asia that people in the township’s urban area have been trading pigs and cattle for rice and other consumer goods over the last several months. “People living in the urban areas can’t travel at all,” he said. “They have no salt, cooking oil or fish paste. They are facing many difficulties in traveling and living.” The AA has been fighting the military junta as it seeks self-determination for the Buddhist ethnic Rakhine population in western Myanmar. Bags of rice are donated to Kaki Swar Refugee Camp in Palatwa township, June 19, 2024. (Paletwa IDPs and Humanitarian Supporting via Facebook) In Paletwa, ethnic Chin residents have had to seek permission from the AA to travel from their homes to their farms in the township’s rural areas, residents told RFA. That has created difficulties for residents trying to make a living, they said. RFA was unable to contact AA spokesperson Khaing Thukha for comment on the shortages.  For the last seven years, Paletwa and Samee township residents have been importing fuel and basic consumer goods from India’s Mizoram state through the Kaladan River, which flows into Myanmar. But last month, an influential Indian civil society organization – the Central Young Lai Association – called for a halt to the transport of goods from Mizoram state to AA-controlled areas in Chin state, citing the AA’s treatment of ethnic Chin people. That has caused a severe shortage of fuel and basic foodstuffs in northern Rakhine state and in some areas of Chin state, residents said. Since January, many residents have since taken refuge in Mizoram state, while others have moved through neighboring Rakhine state to Myanmar’s commercial capital, Yangon. Due to unstable phone lines and internet communication, the exact number of residents left in Paletwa and Samee townships was unknown. But relief workers said only one-third of residents are still living in the urban areas of the two townships. Translated by Aung Naing. Edited by Matt Reed.

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Philippines to get US$500M in defense infusion from Washington

Editor09 mins

The United States on Tuesday announced an “unprecedented” $500 million infusion to help the Philippines defend its shores amid increasing territorial threats from China, as the American and Filipino defense and diplomatic chiefs met in Manila. U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken made the announcement after meeting with their Filipino counterparts, Gilbert Teodoro and Enrique Manalo, at a so-called “2+2” meeting in the Philippine capital. It was the first time the meeting was held in the Southeast Asian country, a key U.S. ally in the region that has opened nine military bases to American troops. “[W]e are taking bold steps to strengthen our alliance,” Austin told a press briefing after nearly four hours of closed-door talks. “We are poised to deliver a once-in-a-generation investment to help modernize the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine Coast Guard. We are working with the U.S. Congress to allocate 500 million dollars in foreign military financing into the Philippines,” he said. The Pentagon chief described this level of funding as “unprecedented,” saying “it sends a clear message of support for the Philippines from the Biden administration, the U.S. Congress and the American people.” Separately, the U.S. was looking to double its investment in Philippine military sites where American troops have access to under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, Austin said. “President Biden’s budget request this year includes more than 128 million dollars to fund important EDCA infrastructure projects and U.S. government investment in these locations,” he said. “During our meeting we also reaffirmed that the Mutual Defense Treaty remains the bedrock of our alliance,” Austin said. “And let me be clear: the Mutual Defense Treaty applies to armed attacks on either of our armed forces, aircraft or public vessels anywhere in the South China Sea.” Signed in 1951, the treaty calls on the allies to come to each other’s aid in times of foreign aggression. The Philippines maintains an old, rusting World War II-era ship, the BRP Sierra Madre, in Second Thomas (Ayungin) Shoal, to serve as its military outpost in the disputed South China Sea reef. Marcos meets with Austin, Blinken President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. set the tone for Tuesday’s 2+2 meeting when he met Austin and Blinken at the Malacañang presidential palace earlier in the day. He said he was pleasantly surprised that both secretaries had taken time out to visit Manila despite the political transition in the U.S. “And I am always happy that these communication lines remain very open – all the things we are doing together in terms of alliance, in terms of the specific context of our situation here in the West Philippine Sea … are constantly examined and re-examined so we are agile in terms of our responses,” Marcos said, referring to South China Sea waters within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone. Blinken said the meeting was evidence of a “steady drumbeat of very high-level engagements” between the longtime allies. Austin underscored that both nations were “more than allies” and practically family.  “We have common interests, common values,” he told Marcos, according to transcripts released by the presidential palace. “And so I think we’ve done a lot over the last three and a half years to continue to strengthen our alliance, and we look forward to continuing to work with you and your team to move even further.” (From left) U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Philippine Foreign Secretary Enrique Manalo and National Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro pose for the cameras after holding foreign and defense ministerial meetings at Camp Aguinaldo in Manila, July 30, 2024. (Jason Gutierrez/BenarNews) Last week, the Philippines and China agreed on an arrangement on Filipino missions to Ayungin to “de-escalate” tensions in the sea region after an incident last month during which a Filipino serviceman lost a thumb during a violent encounter with Chinese coast guard and navy forces. Following the agreement, the Philippines last Saturday transported a fresh batch of Filipino forces to the BRP Sierra Madre. It went ahead without any incident, but the Chinese subsequently said it allowed the mission to go through after confirming on the scene that the Filipino vessel only carried “humanitarian living necessities.” The details of the arrangement have not been made public, but the Philippines disagreed with China’s version of events. Geopolitical analyst Julio Amador IIII said China was playing up to an international audience that the Philippines had “acquiesced” to its demand but that in truth, “it was purely a diplomatic spin.” “Beijing cannot help itself in this regard because it has to show that it did not bend to a weaker competitor,” Amador told RFA affiliate BenarNews, stressing that Manila was right in responding quickly to any Chinese claims. He said the “2+2” meeting indicated how serious the U.S. was in addressing what it sees as a security threat posed by China. “The 2+2 is the ministerial level alliance management mechanism that provides direction to both countries in working together as security and defense allies,” he said, adding that the U.S. $500 million funding would likely go towards supporting the Philippine military’s modernization program. “This is the single biggest support that the Philippines will receive from the U.S. in FMF [foreign military financing]. It will address previous comments from Manila that non-U.S. allies actually get more support than actual allies.” BenarNews is an RFA-affiliated online news organization.

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Authorities in Xinjiang rearrest son of prominent Uyghur businessman

Editor05 mins

Authorities in Xinjiang rearrested the son of a prominent Uyghur businessman two days after he was released from “re-education” in March and days before before his wedding, two relatives with knowledge of the situation told Radio Free Asia. Abuzer Abdughapar, 24, who worked at a car dealership in Xinjiang’s capital Urumqi, was rearrested on March 25 by public security authorities, said his uncle Abdusattar Abdurusul, citing information from other relatives in Almaty, Kazakhstan. He was supposed to get married on May 11, an event to which his relatives in Almaty had been invited, Abdusattar said. The reason for Abuzer’s arrest is unknown, and authorities have not informed Abuzer’s family about his whereabouts. Abuzer was first arrested and detained in 2017 in his hometown of Ghulja – or Yining in Chinese – after spending a year studying Turkey. He was sent to a “re-education” camp and released nearly a year later.   His rearrest is an example of how authorities are apprehending Uyghur detainees, who have already served time in “re-education” camps or prisons, under various pretexts to eliminate what Chinese authorities deem “threats to national security.”  Among those rearrested are entrepreneurs and philanthropists, and Uyghurs who have traveled abroad, especially to Muslim countries. Abdughapar Abdurusul in an undated photo. (Courtesy of Abdusattar Abdurusul) “I heard there [was] a 100-day clearance going on which entailed the rearrest of people who were arrested and released before,” Abdusattar said. “The Chinese government is trying to erase us.”   Mutallib, the Almaty-based older brother of Abuzer’s grandmother, confirmed the young Uyghur’s rearrest. “We heard he was arrested on March 25 and that he has not been released,” he said. “The wedding was paused as well. Up to now, we don’t know his whereabouts or the reason for his arrest.” Chinese police officers at the Public Security Bureau in Urumqi refused to answer questions about Abuzer’s rearrest when contacted by RFA. Father arrested in 2018 His father tried to bribe authorities in Urumqi to release Abuzer, but they lied to him and disappeared after receiving the money, Abdusattar said. In 2018, authorities also arrested Abuzer’s father, Abdughapar Abdurusul, a prominent philanthropist and owner of a multimillion-dollar import-export company in Ghulja that does business with Kazakhstan, for taking an unsanctioned Muslim pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia and “tax evasion,” Abdusattar said. They also detained Abuzer’s mother, Merhaba. The family’s fixed assets, companies and houses worth more than several hundred million dollars were confiscated, he said. Merhaba later died in a “re-education” camp. Abdughapar had been sentenced to death, but was released in 2020, said his older brother Abdusattar, a businessman who lives in Europe. Abdusattar said he believes that Abuzer and Abdughapar were released after he went public about their detentions via Western media, including RFA. Authorities re-arrested Abdughapar a second time in summer 2021, but released him a few months later, his brother said. The cause of his arrest is unknown. Translated by RFA Uyghur. Edited by Roseanne Gerin and Matt Reed.

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Floods force 20,000 people from homes in Myanmar’s Bago

Editor05 mins

Flooding triggered by torrential downpours has forced about 20,000 people from their homes in the Myanmar city of Bago and they now face a dire shortage of water and food with more rain expected, aid workers and residents said on Monday. A child was swept away and drowned near Bago, which is famous for its Buddhist temples, about 80 km (50 miles) north of the former capital of Yangon, after days of relentless rain, residents said. The flooding has compounded misery for many people struggling to get by in an economic crisis in the wake of a 2021 military coup that plunged the country into bloody turmoil. “The flood hasn’t subsided. I don’t know how to express the hardships, the flooding amidst the political crisis. We’re facing shortages of food and medicine,” a Bago resident, who declined to be identified for fear of reprisals for talking to the media, told Radio Free Asia. Floods in Bago in Myanmar on July 29, 2024. (RFA) Aid groups said 20,000 people have been forced from their homes since Friday, with residents of the Ah Htet Zaing Ga Naing Gyi, Kyun Tharyar, Kyauk Gyi Su and Pon Nar Su neighborhoods particularly hard hit. “Those neighborhoods are flooded up to the height of bamboo,” said an official with a Bago-based social aid group, who also declined to be identified. “There’s an urgent need for clean drinking water and food for the evacuees,” said the official, adding that some people who had sought shelter in a relief camp were forced to move again when the waters kept rising. The junta that seized power in 2021 said in a notice in the state-owned Myanmar Alin newspaper that 27 flood relief camps had been opened and military authorities in Bago had helped 18,210 people evacuate and were providing assistance to them. A child from a family already displaced by fighting was killed in the town of Mone, to the north of Bago, when fast-flowing flood waters washed away a river bank, residents said. “They were fleeing the war and were sheltering in the forest when the child was washed away. The body was found near Kyaung Su village,” said the first Bago resident. Meteorological officials said early on Monday that the flood waters in Bago could rise by another six inches over the next day and would remain above the danger level for some time.  Floods in Bago on July 29, 2024. (RFA) To the east of Bago, the Sittaung River, one of the main rivers flowing south through central Myanmar to the ocean, had overflowed and flooded communities along its banks, residents of the area said. Even further to the east, flooding in Myawaddy township on the border with Thailand killed three people – a child and two men – on Saturday when a border river burst its banks, residents said. Flooding in northern Myanmar’s Kachin state displaced thousands of people early this month. The military council’s Meteorological Department and the Hydrological Directorate announced on Sunday that 12 cities across Myanmar faced flooding.  Editing by RFA staff.

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Investigative Journalism Reportika © March 2022 by Ij-Reportika is licensed under CC BY 4.0