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Dalai Lama talks about life in exile in first speech since surgery

Editor07 mins

In his first public speech since knee replacement surgery in June, the Dalai Lama spoke on Friday about how living in exile had brought awareness about Tibet and Buddhism to a global audience. “If I had not been a refugee, I may be sitting on a high throne in Lhasa, Tibet,” the Tibetan spiritual leader told over 100 Tibetans and other well-wishers gathered at the Dalai Lama Library and Learning Center in Ithaca, New York. “By coming into exile, I had an opportunity to travel around the world explaining the essence of Buddhism to a wider audience, building a human-to-human connection that has proved to be beneficial and connect with many people globally,” he said. “People around the world today feel a deep sense of closeness and unity with Tibet and Tibetans,” said the 89-year-old spiritual leader during his first visit to the center that was established by the Namgyal Monastery. RELATED RFA CONTENT Dalai Lama marks 89th birthday, allays concerns about his health China clamps down on social media ahead of Dalai Lama’s birthday Dalai Lama discharged from hospital after knee surgery Tibetans worldwide rejoice over Dalai Lama’s successful knee surgery Thousands welcome Dalai Lama’s arrival in US for knee surgery The center, which opened to the public in September 2023, includes a digital audio archive with 40,000 hours of the Dalai Lama’s teachings, about 4,000 books with translations of ancient texts on the evolution of Buddhist thought, and Buddhist artifacts from India and Tibet.   Clad in the finest Tibetan attire and holding white silk ceremonial scarves, Tibetans of all ages stood in long rows in the center’s premises to welcome the Dalai Lama. The Dalai Lama at the Dalai Lama Library and Learning Center in Ithaca, New York, Aug. 16, 2024. (RFA) The roughly 100-strong Tibetan community in Ithaca had spent weeks helping with the preparations at the center.  “We all took turns to volunteer at the center over the past month, doing everything from gardening to cleaning to hoisting prayer flags and other chores with the intention of making the center as beautiful and as clean and as ready as possible to receive His Holiness,’ said Tenzin Tsokyi, a resident.  Oneness of humanity In his address on Friday, the Dalai Lama reaffirmed his commitment to serving the Tibetan people and promoting the Buddhist tradition, and emphasized the importance of preserving their religious and cultural heritage. “Everyone has done their best, and I encourage you to keep doing so,” he told those gathered at the center.  “I was born in Amdo and have had good relationships with people since my childhood,” he said. “And now, even as I am aging, I have built relationships with people from all over the world.  “Under the concept of oneness of humanity, I have received compassion and care from others,” he said. “No matter where I go in the three provinces of Tibet, I never waver in my belief in our shared humanity.”  The Dalai Lama at the Dalai Lama Library and Learning Center in Ithaca, New York, Aug. 16, 2024. (RFA) The Dalai Lama, who celebrated his 89th birthday last month, has been in the United States since late June for medical treatment. After undergoing successful knee surgery at a top New York hospital, the Dalai Lama has been recovering and undergoing physical therapy in Syracuse, New York. Dr. David Mayman, chief of the adult reconstruction and joint replacement who performed the surgery, on June 28 said the Dalai Lama was progressing positively.  On Aug. 22, more than 10,000 Tibetans, Mongolians and people of Himalayan communities based in North America are scheduled to offer a collective long life prayer offering to the Dalai Lama at the UBS Arena in New York.  The Dalai Lama at the Dalai Lama Library and Learning Center in Ithaca, New York, Aug. 16, 2024. (RFA) The following day, the Dalai Lama is scheduled to depart for India via Switzerland.  The Dalai Lama arrived in New York on June 23, marking his first visit to the United States in over seven years and his first overseas trip since November 2018.  Translated by Tenzin Dickyi and Tashi Wangchuk. Edited by Tenzin Pema and Malcolm Foster.

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China fires into Myanmar after junta airstrike on border, group says

Editor07 mins

China opened fire across the border into Myanmar apparently as a warning to Myanmar military aircraft that attacked an ethnic minority insurgent base, an insurgent force spokesman and residents told Radio Free Asia. Myanmar junta forces attacked the headquarters of the Kachin Independence Army, or KIA, at Lai Zar, close to Myanmar’s northern border with China on Thursday after Kachin fighters captured two junta force positions in Hpakant township earlier in the day. Chinese forces on their side of the border then opend fire across the border, said Col. Naw Bu, a KIA Information Officer. “We assume the Chinese fired shots because of their security concerns,” Naw Bu said. “I don’t know what they fired but the sound was quite loud. There were explosions in the sky. They fired more than 10 times from the Chinese side. They weren’t firing flares.” Naw Bu did not say whether the earlier junta airstrikes on the KIA headquarters caused any casualties or damage. The Chinese embassy in Myanmar did not respond to a request from Radio Free Asia for comment on the incident. The junta’s spokesman for Kachin state, Moe Min Thein, did not answer telephone calls seeking comment. The KIA, one of Myanmar’s most powerful insurgent groups, has made significant gains against junta forces this year, as have allied rebel groups in other parts of Myanmar. The KIA and its allies have captured more than 200 junta camps in Kachin state since the beginning of the year, Naw Bu said. China has been alarmed by the fighting on its border, in Myanmar’s Kachin state and Shan state in northeast Myanmar, and the threat the turmoil poses to its economic interests in Myanmar, which include energy pipelines, ports and natural resources. China maintains close relations with the junta but also has links with ethnic minority forces, especially those that operate along its border. China has repeatedly called for Myanmar’s rivals to settle their differences through dialogue and even managed to broker two short-lived ceasefires in Shan state this year.   RELATED STORIES China top diplomat meets Myanmar leader, junta denies coup rumors Northern Myanmar cut off by state-wide communications blackout China’s frustration with the Myanmar junta’s incompetence is mounting China hopes for stability A Lai Zar resident who did not want to be identified for safety reasons said Chinese planes had also been in the sky on Thursday, after the junta planes bombed the Kachin rebel base. “I don’t know which side of the border the bombs fell. It was a bit far from Lai Zar,” the resident said of the junta attack that triggered the Chinese response. “There were also Chinese planes and the Chinese side fired more than 10 warning shots,” the resident said. Earlier on Thursday, the KIA seized control of La Mawng Kone, a strategic hill held by junta troops, along with a military camp in Taw Hmaw village, both in Hpakant,  Naw Bu said. Hpakant is famous for its jade mines, and since the beginning of the year Kachin fighters have been closing in on the town and the junta forces stationed there. The Chinese fire into Myanmar came a day after its foreign minister, Wang Yi, was in Myanmar for talks with junta leaders. Wang raised China’s concerns with junta leader Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing at a meeting in the capital Naypyidaw, according to China’s foreign ministry. “Wang Yi expressed his hope that Myanmar will earnestly safeguard the safety of Chinese personnel and projects in Myanmar, maintain peace and stability along the China-Myanmar border, step up joint efforts to crack down on cross-border crimes and create a safe environment for bilateral exchanges and cooperation,” the ministry said. Analysts say China is also keen to limit the influence of Western countries and India in Myanmar and is becoming increasingly frustrated with Min Aung Hlaing and the junta’s failure to end the conflict. It is pressing for an “all-inclusive” election as a way to resolve the crisis, they say.  Wang also had talks this week with a former Myanmar military leader, Than Shwe, who called on China to help Myanmar restore stability, the Chinese ministry said.  Translated by RFA Burmese. Edited by Mike Firn.

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In Senegal, a rare look inside an abandoned North Korean Embassy

Editor03 mins

Facing a money crunch due to international sanctions, North Korea closed seven of its embassies around the world last year, including one in Dakar. RFA Korean Service reporters who were in Senegal’s capital for another story got an unexpected tour of the now-abandoned embassy that offered a rare look at the lives of North Koreans abroad.   Life is often hard for overseas North Korean workers. As much as 80% of their earnings are thought to be handed over to their government. They are forced to surrender their passports, leaving the workers vulnerable to abuse. They spend long stretches away from their families.  But in some instances living beyond North Korea’s borders can bring comparatively greater freedoms and luxuries, although workers are still closely monitored, according to Ryu Hyun-woo, a former North Korean ambassador to Kuwait who now lives in South Korea.  SEE RELATED STORIES 100,000 North Korean work abroad, earning $500 million a year North Korean companies scrambling to send workers to Chinese factories North Korea orders return of workers in China stranded by the pandemic The white, two-story embassy in Dakar had a pool, a rooftop deck and a large room for hosting guests. Among the litter left were wrappings for Chinese noodles and an empty DVD box.  One poster still on the wall warned of a potential threat: mixing the wrong type of foods. Beef and spinach can cause a stomach ache; pork and ginger a sore throat. Hyun-woo said he created a similar list when he was in Kuwait before he defected.  “Since we’re not always familiar with the types of food in a place like Senegal, or whether they suit our tastes, it’s sensible to be aware of food that shouldn’t be eaten together,” Hyun-woo said in an interview with RFA Korean. Edited by Jim Snyder.

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Myanmar’s rivals compete to win over young hearts and minds

Editor05 mins

Both sides in Myanmar’s civil war are trying to win over young people, offering opportunities in education to the third of the population who have faced disruption and disappointment since a 2021 military coup triggered bloody turmoil. Myanmar society, strictly regimented over decades of military rule, went through an unprecedented opening up from 2011, with young people, especially in towns and cities, plugging into the world via social media as civilian politicians looked to a more prosperous, stable future. But the coup shattered those hopes and young people were at the forefront of nationwide protests against the military takeover that the army crushed. Now the junta, struggling with an economy in crisis, is trying to win back the disaffected youth, promising eight new universities across the country to “nurture science and technological human resources,” state-run media reported this week. “It is necessary to organize youths to play a crucial role in digital transformation and meeting the sustainable development goals,” the junta leader, Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, told an event marking International Youth Day on Aug. 12. Myanmar possesses “a massive workable force of youths” who make up 33% of the population, the state-run Global New Light of Myanmar newspaper reported Min Aung Hlaing as saying. The new polytechnic universities, to open through 2024 and 2025, would encourage research, “beefing up science, technology and innovation,” as well as “nurturing science and technological human resources,” the newspaper added. University students across the country boycotted classes after the coup as part of their protest against military rule. The junta later reopened at least 250 universities and training colleges but those institutions had lost 90% of their students by early this year, according to statistics from the junta’s education department. With their dreams shattered, and a military regime looking to draft young people into its embattled army, many young people have left the country to places like Thailand, hoping to find work or continue their education. The junta has responded to the exodus with travel restrictions, preventing young people from leaving by air and creating new bureaucratic hurdles for prospective overseas workers and students.   ‘Nourish the skills’ Myanmar’s civilian shadow National Unity Government, or NUG, which opposes the junta, says it sees education as key to ending military rule once and for all and fulfilling the dream of a democratic Myanmar. The NUG said on Wednesday it had opened 21 online and in-person universities, in addition to an existing 16 educational institutions it already supported, attracting more than 20,000 students. “The purpose of vocational education is to contribute to the future federal, democratic Myanmar where we would work to nourish the skills of the public,” the NUG’s deputy minister of education, Sai Khaing Myo Tun, told an online press conference.  Colleges have been opened in areas under the control of anti-junta insurgent forces, offering degrees in the social sciences, political science, teacher education, arts and sciences degrees, he said. “Educational access for many students has been improved.” Editing by Taejun Kang

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China top diplomat meets Myanmar leader, junta denies coup rumors

Editor013 mins

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Myanmar ruler Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing on Wednesday and highlighted Beijing’s continued support for the military regime, even as the junta had to dispel rumors of a coup. Pro-junta media reported that the two men held a closed-door meeting in the capital Naypyidaw during which Wang expressed China’s hope for Myanmar’s stability and development, expressed appreciation for Myanmar’s continued endorsement of China’s claim to sovereignty over the democratic island of Taiwan, and pledged China’s steadfast support in international forums. The meeting came amid calls from junta supporters for the removal of Min Aung Hlaing over his failure to eliminate the armed opposition and rumors circulating on social media that he had been deposed by a fellow general, which the military regime’s True News Information Team denied. During Wednesday’s talks, Wang emphasized the need for all stakeholders to be represented in an election that the junta has promised for next year, but which critics say will be an illegitimate sham. Wang also offered China’s assistance with election-related matters and technical support for a census in preparation for the vote, media reports said. Myanmar’s military ousted an elected government led by Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi in early 2021, jailing her and hundreds of party colleagues and supporters, dissolving her party and banning other parties. The coup touched off a nationwide civil war as the junta sought to cement its control, pitting it against various paramilitary groups and ethnic armies on multiple fronts in the country’s remote border regions. The junta has promised to hold elections but critics say a vote would be meaningless with Suu Kyi and so many pro-democracy politicians and activists behind bars. At Wednesday’s meeting, Wang expressed Beijing’s opposition to attacks by ethnic armed groups on towns and villages in northern Shan state, which borders China. Junta officials responded by saying that Myanmar would not permit any actions that could harm China’s interests and is placing special attention on China’s stability, development and security, reports said. Beijing has not released any information regarding the meeting or discussions with the junta and details of Wang’s statement were not carried by pro-junta media. ‘Push for broad dialogue’ Speaking to RFA Burmese, Kyaw Zaw, the spokesperson for the presidential office of Myanmar’s shadow National Unity Government, or NUG, suggested that “China’s statements were misrepresented by the junta” to align with its interests and stabilize the border region. “The Chinese Embassy has also issued a statement [ahead of the meeting],” he said. “Their primary concern seems to be the border areas of Shan state and aiming to halt the fighting in Myanmar – particularly due to fears about the impact on their own border regions.” Attempts by RFA to contact junta spokesman Maj. Gen. Zaw Min Tun for his response to the NUG’s claims went unanswered Wednesday. In this Kokang online media provided photo, fighters of Three Brotherhood Alliance check an artillery gun, claimed to have been seized from Myanmar junta outpost on a hill in Hsenwi township, Shan state on Nov. 24, 2023. (The Kokang online media via AP) Hla Kyaw Zaw, an expert on China-Myanmar affairs, said that Wang met with Min Aung Hlaing as part of a bid by the Chinese government to “maintain a positive relationship” with the junta. “The situation [in northern Shan state] won’t be resolved by a ceasefire alone,” he said. “There is a push for a broad dialogue that includes all stakeholders involved in the Myanmar issue to find a comprehensive solution. But the junta appears to be displeased with this approach.” RFA sources in Naypyidaw said that Wang Yi’s visit to Myanmar was also scheduled to include meetings with retired Senior Gen. Than Shwe and former President Thein Sein, who led Myanmar’s quasi-civilian government prior to the November 2020 elections that brought Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy party to power. Wang Yi’s meeting with Min Aung Hlaing follows talks he held in June with Myanmar’s former President Thein Sein at the State Guesthouse in Beijing. The Chinese foreign minister’s visit to Myanmar is his second since the military coup, following one in June 2022. Rumors of coup The talks in Naypyidaw came amid rumors swirling on social media that Min Aung Hlaing had been detained as part of an internal coup orchestrated by a military adjutant general on Tuesday evening. The claims, which originated from a social media account called “Captain Seagull,” were quickly dismissed by the junta’s True News Information Team as “baseless rumors spread by fake accounts aimed at destabilizing the country.” The information team also said that military officials, including Min Aung Hlaing, were continuing to perform their duties as usual. RELATED STORIES Myanmar rebels claim capture of town on road to China Resistance forces take control of two Chinese-backed joint ventures in Myanmar Top Myanmar army officers seized by insurgents in Shan state, junta says Myanmar rebel group vows to protect China’s interests A former military officer, speaking anonymously due to security concerns, told RFA that the disinformation is part of a broader effort to create social and political instability in Myanmar. “The notion of a military disintegration due to an internal coup is creating false hope among the public,” he said. “In reality, the political situation remains stagnant. The military, having been built up over decades, cannot be expected to collapse in just three years.” The rumors come amid frustration from junta supporters over Min Aung Hlaing’s handling of the conflict, which has seen the armed opposition make substantial gains in recent months. Market shelled Myanmar’s military has increasingly turned to airstrikes and artillery fire as its troops suffer battlefield defeats, often with deadly results for the country’s civilian population. During busy hours on Tuesday, at least 11 civilians were killed and 10 others injured when junta troops in Sagaing region’s Monywa township fired a 60-millimeter rocket that landed in a market in Hta Naung Taw village, residents told RFA. Those killed in the attack included eight…

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Does a video show Israeli intelligence reaction to Haniyeh’s death?

Editor06 mins

A video of a man in a suit dancing has been shared in Chinese-language social media posts with a claim that it shows the Israeli intelligence agency’s reaction to the death of Ismail Haniyeh, a political leader in the Palestinian militant organization Hamas. But the claim is false. The video in fact shows the men’s basketball team of the University of North Carolina following a victory over their archrival Duke University in March 2016.   The claim was shared on X, formerly known as Twitter, on July 31, 2024. “Israeli Intelligence is in a state of euphoria because of the killing of Hamas leader Haniyeh,” the claim reads in part.  It was shared alongside a seven-second clip that shows a man in a suit dancing excitedly while entering a room before walking towards a group of men dressed in blue gym suits in what appears to be a locker room. Haniyeh, a political leader within the Palestinian militant organization Hamas, was assassinated in Tehran on July 31. While Israel is widely suspected of orchestrating the attack, it has not officially commented on the death as of press time.   The same video with similar claims was shared on X here and here.  But the claim is false.  Keyword searches found a longer version of the video posted on YouTube on March 6, 2016. The clip shows a locker room celebration of the men’s team of the University of North Carolina after it held on to beat Duke University on March 5, 2016, and lock up the top seed in the ACC men’s basketball tournament.  The caption of the two-minute and one-second video reads: “This locker room celebration has been a long time coming for the Tar Heels as the team gets its first win at Duke since 2012. The win also secured the regular season ACC championship for the squad.” The clip shared on China’s Weibo social media platform was taken from about 35 seconds into the original video.  Chinese influencers on X posted a short video with a caption saying that the Israeli intelligence agency celebrated Haniyeh’s death (left). However, the footage was taken from a celebration video shot by an American men’s basketball team in 2016 (right). (Screenshots/ X and YouTube) Separately, social media users also claimed that the Israeli intelligence agency responded to Haniyeh’s death, citing a post by “Mossad Commentary” on X on July 31, 2024. “He was killed in the shower like the dog he is,” the post reads.  But the X account “Mossad Commentary” is not the official account of the Israeli agency.  The posts attached a screenshot of a post from an X account named Mossad Commentary as evidence of the claim.  Chinese social media influencers claimed that an Israeli secret service organization had commented on the death of Haniyeh in a post on X. (Screenshots/Weibo and NetEase) The account has previously spread misinformation regarding the Israel-Hamas conflict, as reported by the BBC, Associated Press and Euronews. Translated by Shen Ke. Edited by Shen Ke and Taejun Kang. Asia Fact Check Lab (AFCL) was established to counter disinformation in today’s complex media environment. We publish fact-checks, media-watches and in-depth reports that aim to sharpen and deepen our readers’ understanding of current affairs and public issues. If you like our content, you can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram and X.

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Relatives urge prison officials to move environmental activists to capital

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Lawyers and family members of five imprisoned environmental activists said the activists are still being held at separate remote prisons, making it time-consuming and costly to visit them. The mother of Phoun Keo Raksmey told Radio Free Asia that she visited her daughter at Pursat Provincial Prison on Aug. 9 and found her to be much thinner compared to a month ago. She complained of cramped and isolated living conditions, no electricity and bad food. “It is difficult to eat there and everything is much more expensive,” said Raksmey’s mother, Kong Manit, who said it costs her between US$100 and US$200 to travel to Pursat.  Several relatives told RFA they have been working with lawyers to submit transfer requests in writing to have the five activists from the Mother Nature group moved on humanitarian grounds to Prey Sar Prison in Phnom Penh. Such a move would make it easier to meet with the lawyer who is defending the activists and is organizing their appeal.  “They are far away, and we need to meet them one by one,” the lawyer, Sam Chamroeun, told RFA.  Ten Cambodian environmental activists receive prison sentences of six to eight years each, July 2, 2024, in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. (AP) A Phnom Penh Municipal Court judge sentenced a total of 10 activists in the case to between six and eight years in prison after they were convicted on July 2 for conspiring against the state. Five of the 10 defendants are either in hiding or live outside of the country and were tried in absentia, including the Khmer-speaking founder of the Mother Nature group, Spanish environmentalist Alejandro Gonzalez-Davidson, who was deported from Cambodia in 2015. Intended to demoralize The other five were immediately transported from Phnom Penh to different prisons – some of them in remote provinces. Raksmey is imprisoned at the foot of the Cardamom Mountains in Pursat, which is about 220 km (136 miles) from Phnom Penh. Long Kunthea is being held in northern Preah Vihear province near the Thai border. Thon Ratha is at Trapeang Thlong Prison in Tbong Khmum province near Vietnam.  Ly Chandaravuth is imprisoned in Kandal Provincial Prison in Takhmau, just a few kilometers south of Phnom Penh, while Yim Leang Hy is being held in Kampong Speu Provincial Prison, about 52 km (32 miles) west of the capital. Hong Srey Mao, the wife of Yim Leang Hy, said she just delivered their second child and hasn’t been able to visit her husband. Their 5-year-old often asks about his father’s whereabouts. “I am sad and lack harmony because the government arrested my husband unjustly,” she said.   The government has sent other high-profile prisoners to remote locations, including Cambodian-American lawyer Theary Seng, who was convicted of treason in 2022 in another case that was criticized as politically motivated. She was held at first at Preah Vihear Prison before her eventual transfer to Prey Sar. RELATED STORIES Cambodian prison officials stop family from visiting environmental activists Why environmental activism survives Cambodia’s destruction of civil society 10 Cambodian environmental activists sentenced to prison Prosecutors play videos of environmental activists at Cambodian trial Sending the five activists to different prisons was intended to demoralize them and their families, said Ny Sokha, the president of human rights group Adhoc. The charges against the environmental activists – first filed in 2021 – were also widely condemned as politically motivated. The case stemmed from several instances of activism, including the 2021 filming of sewage draining into the Tonle Sap River in front of Phnom Penh’s Royal Palace.  Three of the 10 were also convicted of insulting King Norodom Sihamoni.  The activists can submit a transfer request to the Ministry of Interior, according to prisons spokesman Nuth Savana. In the meantime, inspectors will be sent to Pursat to look into conditions at the prison there, he told RFA. Translated by Yun Samean. Edited by Matt Reed.

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PNG jolts donors over power grid roll-out as China sale dismissed

Editor08 mins

The chairman of Papua New Guinea’s national power provider has called for a faster U.S. and foreign donor roll-out of promised electricity infrastructure while saying there is absolutely no plan to sell critical grid assets to China.  At APEC’s Port Moresby meeting in 2018, the U.S, Australia, New Zealand and Japan pledged to fund new electricity infrastructure in the Pacific country with the goal of connecting 70% of PNG’s population by 2030.  The deal was announced against a backdrop of growing concern in Washington and Canberra about China’s inroads with Pacific island nations, especially as an economic partner. But six years later, there is little to show in terms of electricity connectivity, according to analysts and industry insiders, with one donor admitting the “2030 target remains ambitious.” “It could be faster, and there are a lot more discussions that need to be made between the parties,” Moses Maladina, the chairman of PNG Power, told RFA affiliate BenarNews on the sidelines of an investment conference in the Australian city of Brisbane. Moses Maladina gestures in this photo posted to Facebook by PNG Power on March 8, 2022. (PNG Power/Facebook) “There is room for improvement. We just have to work closely and make sure we achieve the target.” Maladina, who is also the chairman of Kumul Consolidated Holdings, the government’s investment arm in state-owned infrastructure, ports, logistics and financial services, batted away reports that the power grid was for sale.  Australian broadcaster Channel 7 claimed last week that management from PNG Power had traveled to China seeking investment in its power grid, triggering a furious denial from Port Moresby which accused the station of inflaming geopolitical tensions. Maladina said that legally and officially there had been no talks about any potential sale to Chinese investors.  “From a shareholders point of view, there has been no discussion on it and absolutely no interest on our part to sell our transmission lines or our distribution lines in any way,” he said. Papua New Guinea is the most populous Pacific island country with an estimated 11.7 million people, but its economy is small, underdeveloped and plagued by infrastructure problems. Only about 13% of the population is estimated to have access to electricity, and even then it is unreliable and confined primarily in urban areas, according to the Asian Development Bank. In 2018, the Trump White House touted the Papua New Guinea Electrification Partnership (PEP) as a “principles-based, sustainable infrastructure development that is transparent” – in an apparent rebuke of what it frequently said was China’s secrecy-shrouded development financing to poor nations. Papua New Guinea’s Prime Minister Peter O’Neill (center), flanked by the leaders of Australia, New Zealand, Japan and U.S. Vice President Mike Pence (far right), during the signing of a joint electricity deal at the APEC Summit in Port Moresby Nov. 18, 2018. (Reuters) Australia committed A$25 million in the first year of the multi-year PEP project. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade did not provide figures on overall investment by the time of publication.  New Zealand has invested NZ$41 million (US$24.7 million) to date towards electrification in PNG under the partnership, including rural grid extension and renewable generation projects. “The constraints to broad based grid connection in Papua New Guinea are significant, including geography, land ownership structures and the regulatory environment, so a 2030 target remains ambitious,” said a spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.  The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) launched a five-year US$57 million electrification program under the PEP in November 2020, but did not reply to a request for comment about its continued involvement. Mihai Sora, director of the Pacific islands program at the Lowy Institute, said the partnership’s 2030 target was looking increasingly out of reach.  “The PEP was designed as a multi-party flagship development initiative that was intended to present an alternative to the BRI for PNG,” he told BenarNews, using the acronym for China’s globe-spanning infrastructure program, the Belt and Road Initiative. “But progress has been slow, complicated by the deep governance challenges in PNG’s domestic power sector, the rugged geography of PNG, the difficulty of coordinating so many separate partners, and low capacity among domestic stakeholders in PNG.” Sora said the strategic context during which the deal was signed in 2018 has become more pronounced today, as China vies for influence in PNG with the U.S. and its allies. However, it would be difficult for PNG to “pivot to China for the same kind of support in the power sector, given the work that is already underway on this project.” PNG’s Minister for State Enterprises William Duma demanded an apology from Channel 7 over its report, calling it “ridiculous.” But the broadcaster said it stood by the story.  Duma’s demand was not the first time he has squared off with Australian media. He successfully sued the Australian Financial Review last year for defamation over claims that he acted corruptly in granting a petroleum license and won A$545,000 (US$340,000).  BenarNews is an RFA-affiliated online news organization.

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Hun Sen warns of more arrests related to Vietnam-Laos cooperation deal

Editor05 mins

Cambodia’s Senate President Hun Sen on Monday again threatened to arrest anyone who tries to organize a demonstration in the country against an economic cooperation agreement with Vietnam and Laos that has been a subject of online debate over the last month. The 1999 agreement between the three countries was aimed at encouraging economic development and trade between Cambodia’s four northeastern provinces and neighboring provinces across the border. Last month, three activists were arrested on incitement charges after they spoke of concerns that the Cambodia-Laos-Vietnam Triangle Development Area, or CLV, could cause Cambodia to lose territory or control of some of its natural resources to Vietnam. The activists made the comments in an 11-minute Facebook video. An angry Hun Sen ordered the arrests and has spoken publicly about the CLV several times since then. On Monday, Hun Sen warned in a Facebook post of more arrests after overseas Cambodians set up a chat group on the Telegram app where plans for an Aug. 18 demonstration in Phnom Penh against the CLV were being discussed. The Telegram group was created following a weekend of protests against the CLV among overseas Cambodians living in South Korea, Japan, Canada and Australia. “My message to all brothers and sisters in this group, I listened to your conversation in the group long enough,” he said. “You are being incited by overseas people.” ‘Try it’ Hun Sen said he has spies in the Telegram group who have sent conversations and names to his private account. He added that he wouldn’t order the arrests for anyone who left the group. “We cannot let a few people destroy the peace of 17 million people. Some have seen the events in Bangladesh and compared the events in Cambodia,” he said. “Try it. If you consider yourself a strong person, please try.” Hun Sen stepped down as prime minister last year but remains a powerful force in the country. His son, Hun Manet, succeeded him as prime minister.  Last week, Hun Manet warned Cambodians against protesting against the government, citing Bangladesh’s recent demonstrations in its capital that turned into deadly clashes and caused that country’s leader to resign. RELATED STORIES Cambodia’s prime minister warns against Bangladesh-like demonstrations Police arrest activists after Facebook video angers Cambodia’s Hun Sen Hun Manet has also tried to reassure Cambodians about the CLV, saying that the agreement won’t result in the loss of any territory. Soeung Senkaruna, the former spokesman for human rights group Adhoc, said Cambodians both inside and outside the country have the full right to freedom of expression, which is guaranteed by the Constitution and international law.  Using force to keep people from expressing their opinions shouldn’t happen in a country “that the government claims enjoys democracy and peace,” he said. Translated Sun Sok Ry. Edited by Matt Reed.

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Opponents of Myanmar junta skeptical on any Thai help for census, vote

Editor07 mins

Opponents of military rule in Myanmar have criticized the possibility that Thailand will help conduct a census in preparation for an election that the Myanmar junta has promised but which critics say will be an illegitimate sham. The possibility of Thai support for Myanmar’s Oct. 1-15 census and for an election next year was discussed by the Thai  ambassador, Mongkol Visitstump, and the head of Myanmar’s Election Commission, Ko Ko, and Immigration and Population Minister Myint Kyaing in Myanmar’s capital of Naypyidaw on Aug. 7, junta-backed media reported. Myanmar’s military ousted an elected government led by Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi in early 2021, jailing her and hundreds of party colleagues and supporters, dissolving her party and banning other parties.  The junta has promised to hold elections but critics say a vote would be meaningless with Suu Kyi and so many pro-democracy politicians and activists in jail. A spokesman for a civilian shadow government largely made up of politicians from Suu Kyi’s party told Radio Free Asia the international community, including Thailand, should focus on restoring human rights and stability, not supporting any “illegitimate” junta plan. “I would request the international community not to support and help this illegitimate Myanmar military junta against the will of the people,” said Kyaw Zaw, spokesperson for the Office of the President of the National Unity Government, or NUG. “This is a time for the international community to support Myanmar people and Myanmar people’s resistance against the fascist military and prepare for the post-military era,” he said.  Thailand’s embassy in Myanmar and its Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not respond to requests for comment.  Thailand has been at the forefront of efforts to press Myanmar’s rivals into resolving their differences peacefully.  RELATED STORIES Myanmar junta orders its workers to pay it part of their Thai wages Thailand should end Myanmar junta’s control over migrants: NUG Thailand’s offer of aid to Myanmar gets mixed reaction It says that it is the country that shares the longest border with Myanmar, and which has for decades served as home for hundreds of thousands refugees fleeing conflict  in Myanmar, it has a particular interest in seeing stability restored. But despite the efforts of Thailand and its neighbors in the Association of South East Asian Nations, fighting has escalated as  junta forces face battlefield setbacks in several parts of the country. ‘Step up attacks’ Kyaw Zaw said the junta had no ability to conduct a “meaningful, useful census,” and that the international community should focus on other human rights and development efforts.  The junta has not set a date for an election but the earliest would be early next year. Under the constitution, an election must be held within six months of a state of emergency being lifted. A state of emergency in effect since the early 2021 coup was extended for another six months on Aug. 1.  The junta chief, Sen. Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, has said an election will be held in 2025 but acknowledged that voting in some places may not be possible in the absence of “peace and stability”. Insurgents control 73 towns across the country, according to data from the Myanmar Peace Monitor.  A political observer close to one of Myanmar’s most powerful ethnic minority insurgent groups, the Arakan Army, dismissed the possibility of an effective census and election given the amount of territory the insurgents control, adding that attempts by the junta to organize a vote would likely only exacerbate the fighting. “It is very likely that [they] will step up attacks on the liberated areas, especially targeting the civilians as collective punishment,” said the political observer, who declined to be identified given the sensitivity of the issue. The Arakan Army controls nine townships in Rakhine state in western Myanmar as well as territory in neighboring Chin state. “Neighboring countries should speak out, that the SAC needs to stop attacks on civilians and initiate dialogue and only then can genuine elections come out of these,” he said, referring to the junta, which is officially known at the State Administration Council. Edited by Taejun Kang.

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