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Category: World

How challenging have you found adapting to cultural differences between your home country and the USA?

Editor07 mins

Download Complete Report: Click Here Very Easy China: 7% of participants found it very easy to adapt to cultural differences between China and the USA. They had prior exposure to diverse cultures, strong language skills, or personal traits that facilitated their adaptation process. India: 6% of participants found it very easy to adapt to cultural differences between India and the USA. They had prior exposure to diverse cultures, strong language skills, and personal traits that facilitated their adaptation process. South Korea: 5% of students felt that adapting to cultural differences was very easy. They mentioned their previous exposure to Western culture through media, travel, or education, which helped them adjust smoothly. They also cited the welcoming and diverse environment in the USA as a factor that eased their transition. Somewhat Easy China: 20% of participants indicated that they found it somewhat easy to adapt to cultural differences between China and the USA. They faced minor challenges but overall found the adjustment process manageable due to their openness to new experiences and willingness to adapt. India: 20% of participants indicated that they found it somewhat easy to adapt to cultural differences between India and the USA. They faced minor challenges but overall found the adjustment process manageable due to their openness to new experiences and willingness to adapt. They also pointed out that a large and helpful Indian diaspora in the USA assisted them in the process. South Korea: 17% of students found the adaptation process somewhat easy. They highlighted the support systems available at universities, such as international student offices and cultural exchange programs, which helped them navigate cultural differences. They also appreciated the openness and friendliness of American peers. Neutral South Korea: 31% of students expressed neutrality regarding the difficulty of adapting to cultural differences. They acknowledged both the challenges and the supports available, feeling that the process was neither particularly difficult nor easy. These students often cited a balanced mix of familiar and unfamiliar cultural aspects that made their experience neutral. India: 24% of participants reported feeling neutral about the challenge of adapting to cultural differences between India and the USA. They did not encounter significant difficulties or differences that stood out during their adaptation process, appreciating the blend of familiar and new experiences in both countries. China: 13% of participants reported feeling neutral about the challenge of adapting to cultural differences between China and the USA. They did not encounter significant difficulties or differences that stood out during their adaptation process. Somewhat Challenging India: 30% of participants found it somewhat challenging to adapt to cultural differences between India and the USA. They faced obstacles such as language nuances, cultural norms, and lifestyle adjustments. Most participants in this category missed their parents and family and found it challenging to accept the new culture. China: 28% of participants found it somewhat challenging to adapt to cultural differences between China and the USA. They encountered obstacles such as language barriers, unfamiliar social norms, and differences in daily routines. Additionally, they faced stereotypes or misconceptions about their culture, which contributed to their sense of challenge. South Korea: 27% of students mentioned finding the cultural adaptation somewhat challenging. They cited difficulties such as language barriers, different social norms, and the high-paced and individualistic nature of American society. These students often missed the communal and hierarchical aspects of South Korean culture and found it hard to adjust to the more informal and egalitarian interactions in the USA. Very Challenging China: 32% of participants reported finding it very challenging to adapt to cultural differences between China and the USA. They experienced significant barriers such as racism and discrimination. These factors heightened their feelings of isolation, stress, and difficulty in integrating into the new cultural environment. India: 20% of participants reported finding it very challenging to adapt to cultural differences between India and the USA. They encountered significant obstacles in navigating unfamiliar social customs, overcoming language barriers, and adjusting to different societal norms, which posed significant challenges to their integration into the new cultural environment. They missed helpful Indians back home and colorful festivals while adapting to the new place. South Korea: 20% of students felt that adapting to cultural differences was very challenging. They cited factors such as racism, stereotypes, and a lack of understanding or acceptance from peers as significant barriers. These students missed the culture and food of South Korea the most. They also struggled with homesickness and the stark contrast in educational and social systems between the two countries.

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How do you foresee studying in the USA impacting your future career compared to studying in your home country?

Editor07 mins

Download Complete Report: Click Here Significantly Positive China: 27% of respondents expressed optimism regarding the significantly positive impact that studying in the USA could have on their future career prospects. They cited factors such as access to diverse academic programs, advanced research opportunities, and a global network of professionals as contributing factors to their positive outlook. India: 25% of respondents expressed optimism regarding the significantly positive impact that studying in the USA could have on their future career prospects. They cited factors such as access to cutting-edge technologies, diverse career opportunities, and exposure to global markets as contributing factors to their positive outlook. South Korea: 19% of students believed that studying in the USA would have a highly positive impact on their future careers. They highlighted the benefits of access to advanced research facilities, diverse academic programs, and the prestige of American universities. They also appreciated the opportunity to build a global network of professional contacts and gain exposure to innovative practices and ideas. Somewhat Positive South Korea:  37% of students anticipated a somewhat positive impact on their careers. They recognized the advantages of an American education, such as enhanced critical thinking skills and a global perspective. However, they also acknowledged potential challenges, such as adjusting to a different cultural and professional environment. China: 29% of students anticipate a somewhat positive impact on their future careers as a result of studying in the USA. While acknowledging the potential benefits of an American education, they remained cautious about the challenges they face, such as cultural adaptation and competition in the job market. India: 28% of students anticipate a somewhat positive impact on their future careers as a result of studying in the USA. While acknowledging the potential benefits of an American education, they remained cautious about the challenges they face, such as cultural adaptation and competition in the job market. Neutral South Korea: 29% of students felt neutral about the impact of studying in the USA on their future careers. While they acknowledged the quality of education and opportunities available in the USA, they were uncertain about how these factors would translate into tangible career benefits. They believed that career success would depend more on individual effort and adaptability rather than the location of their education. India: 18% of respondents expressed neutrality regarding the impact of studying in the USA on their future careers. They acknowledged the advantages of an American education but remained uncertain about how it would directly translate into their career trajectories. China: 14% of respondents expressed neutrality regarding the impact of studying in the USA on their future careers. They acknowledged the advantages of an American education but remained uncertain about how it would directly translate into their career trajectories. Somewhat Negative China: 20% of students foresee a somewhat negative impact on their future career prospects due to studying in the USA. They expressed concerns about potential challenges such as visa restrictions, cultural barriers, or difficulties in finding employment post-graduation. India: 17% of students foresee a somewhat negative impact on their future career prospects due to studying in the USA. They expressed concerns about potential challenges such as visa restrictions, cultural barriers, or difficulties in finding employment post-graduation. South Korea: 11% of students foresaw a somewhat negative impact on their careers from studying in the USA. They expressed concerns about potential challenges, such as visa restrictions, cultural differences, and difficulties in re-integrating into the South Korean job market. Significantly Negative India: 12% of respondents believe that studying in the USA will have a significantly negative impact on their future career prospects compared to studying in India. They expressed concerns about potential obstacles such as limited job opportunities for international students, visa constraints, and difficulty adjusting to the American work culture. China: 10% of respondents believe that studying in the USA will have a significantly negative impact on their future career prospects compared to studying in China. They expressed concerns about potential obstacles such as racism against Chinese students leading to limited job opportunities, visa constraints, and difficulty integrating into the American workforce. South Korea: 4% of students believed that studying in the USA would have a significantly negative impact on their future careers. They cited reasons such as potential discrimination, the high cost of education, and the fear of not finding suitable employment in the USA or South Korea after graduation. They were concerned that the time and resources invested in an American education might not yield the expected returns.

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From your experience, how would you rate the academic environment in the USA compared to your home country?

Editor06 mins

Download Complete Report: Click Here Much better in the USA China: 42% of participants rated the academic environment in the USA as much better. They cited factors such as greater academic freedom, more diverse opportunities, and advanced resources as reasons for their preference. India: 39% of participants expressed that they perceive the academic environment in the USA to be significantly superior to that in India. They based this opinion on factors such as better infrastructure, more advanced research facilities, higher quality of education, and greater opportunities for academic and professional growth in the USA. South Korea: 13% of respondents emphasized the diverse range of academic programs, research opportunities, and resources available in American institutions. They appreciated the emphasis on critical thinking, creativity, and interdisciplinary learning in the USA. Somewhat better in the USA China: 25% of participants rated the academic environment in the USA as somewhat better. They acknowledged some advantages in the USA such as more innovative teaching methods or better facilities but didn’t see a substantial difference.  India: 19% of participants indicated that they believe the academic environment in the USA is somewhat better than that in India. While they acknowledge some advantages in the USA, they still see room for improvement or recognize certain strengths in the Indian academic system. South Korea: 15% of respondents acknowledged the strengths of the US academic environment but also recognized areas where improvements could be made, such as affordability and student support services. They appreciated the competitive nature of education in the USA. About the same in both countries South Korea: 47% of respondents viewed the academic environments in the USA and South Korea as comparable. They noted similarities in teaching methodologies, research standards, and academic rigor, recognizing that both countries have strengths and weaknesses in different areas. India: 11% of participants perceive the academic environments in both the USA and India to be relatively similar. They have observed comparable standards of education, research opportunities, or overall academic experiences in both countries. China: 10% of participants felt that the academic environments in both the USA and China were about the same. They noted similarities in the quality of education or academic experiences in both countries. Somewhat better in Home Country India: 18% of participants expressed the opinion that the academic environment in India is somewhat better than that in the USA. They value aspects of the Indian academic system such as cultural familiarity, lower costs of education, or specific strengths in certain academic disciplines. South Korea: 15% of respondents believed that South Korea offers certain advantages in its academic environment, such as a strong emphasis on STEM fields, technological innovation, and rigorous academic standards. They also cited the high global rankings of South Korean universities in certain disciplines. China: 13% of participants rated the academic environment in China as somewhat better. They pointed out aspects such as a stronger emphasis on discipline or more rigorous academic standards as reasons for their preference. Much better in Home Country India: 13% of participants believe that the academic environment in India is significantly superior to that in the USA. They base this opinion on factors such as a preference for Indian teaching methods, closer proximity to family and cultural roots, or better career prospects in the Indian context. China: 10% of participants rated the academic environment in China as much better. They cited reasons such as cultural familiarity, closer relationships with professors, or specific academic strengths in China’s educational system. South Korea: 10% of respondents expressed a preference for the academic environment in South Korea, citing factors such as high-quality education, advanced research facilities, and a culture of academic excellence prevalent in South Korean universities.

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North Korea recalls documentary about Kim Jong Un’s mother

Editor010 mins

North Korea has recalled a 2011 documentary that sang the praises of Kim Jong Un’s mother, two sources inside the country told Radio Free Asia, but the move is prompting people to wonder why the country has always maintained a level of secrecy about her identity and background. “Since her biographical information has never been officially stated, the recall on the film is actually raising suspicions,” a resident of the northeastern province of North Hamgyong told RFA Korean on condition of anonymity for security reasons.  Most North Koreans don’t know her name – Ko Yong Hui – or that she was born in Osaka, Japan, or that her father, Ko Gyon Taek, managed a military factory in the city prior to the end of World War II.  The documentary, titled “Mother of Great Songun Korea,” leaves out all those facts, the sources said. In lieu of her name, the film referred to her as “respected mother” and showed many scenes of her at Kim Jong Il’s side during his official appearances.  Screenshot of the North Korea-produced documentary ‘Mother of Great Songun Korea’. (lovepink4200 via Youtube) It was distributed internally to high-ranking officials, government agencies, and the military on VCD, or video compact disc, in 2011, the same year that Kim Jong Il died. “Recently, judicial agencies such as the Provincial State Security Department and the Social Security Department have begun rounding up copies of propaganda materials,” the resident said. “Instructions were given to retrieve and delete documentary films related to the general secretary’s biological mother,” he said, explaining that “Mother of Great Songun Korea” was on the undisclosed list of now-banned materials. The recall was also confirmed by a resident of the northern province of Ryanggang, who told RFA in the now-banned documentary that “Ko Yong Hui, is touted as having ‘accumulated great achievements that brought about a bright future’” for North Korea. Made in Japan Ko was raised in Japan as part of the Korean minority in the country, and in 1962, the family moved to North Korea as part of a repatriation program.  In the early 1970s, Ko appeared as a dancer in the Mansudae Art Troupe – a popular group of musicians known for propaganda performances that glorify the state and its leaders. It is not known when she got together with Kim Jong Il, but she is believed to have met him in the early 1970s, and she bore him three children in the 1980s, including Kim Jong Un. Though most sources describe her as having been his mistress, some suggest she may have been his third wife. The government has never acknowledged any marriage between them, however. Screenshot of the North Korea-produced documentary ‘Mother of Great Songun Korea’. (lovepink4200 via Youtube) According to North Korea’s songbun caste system, Ko would be of the lowest caste because she was born in Japan, her father’s job supported the Japanese war effort, and her occupation as a dancer – which would tarnish Kim Jong Un’s image. Ko’s background does not neatly fit the nation’s founding myth that its leaders are descended from the so-called Paektu Line, named after the Korean peninsula’s tallest mountain, which is the setting of many of the Korean nation’s founding myths, including the lore of the Kim Dynasty. Kim’s grandfather, national founder Kim Il Sung is the progenitor of the line, and his first wife Kim Jong Suk – Kim Jong Il’s mother – fought alongside her husband in his guerilla army against Japanese rule prior to and during World War II, giving Kim Jong Il near mythical status as the legitimate son of two popular national heroes. “In the past, previous leaders inherited power based on the purity of the Paektu bloodline and the legitimacy of revolutionary traditions,” the North Hamgyong resident said.  “Details about the birth and lives of the leaders as well as their siblings, parents, grandparents and great-grandparents, were made public and promoted as patriotic examples.” Erasing sensitive information? In contrast, Kim Jong Un, due to his mother’s background, could be seen not as a third-generation revolutionary leader, but the illegitimate son of Kim Jong Il’s Japan-born mistress whose father supported the imperialist war effort. Screenshot of the North Korea-produced documentary ‘Mother of Great Songun Korea’. (lovepink4200 via Youtube) If it becomes widely known, that support of imperial Japan could cause problems for Kim Jong Un, Bruce Bennett, a senior researcher at the California-based RAND Corporation, told RFA. “Kim is trying to wipe out anything that would potentially challenge his control of the country,” said Bennett. “So the issue of his maternal grandfather having supported the Japanese I mean that’s something that could really hurt him potentially.  “And so that’s part of the history he wants to get rid of,” he said. Bennett said erasing facts about his mother might marginally help his case to stay in power, but it would be more helpful were he to improve the economy and his people’s lives. Screenshot of the North Korea-produced documentary ‘Mother of Great Songun Korea’. (lovepink4200 via Youtube) The lack of available information about Ko is causing residents to question what they have been told about their leader, Kim Jong Un, the Ryanggang resident said. “As the biography of the leader has not been made public even after him having been in power for 12 years, some are raising doubts about the identity of his mysterious birth mother,” he said. “The argument is that if there is no dishonorable family history in the pure Paektu bloodline, there is no reason not to disclose details about her.” Kim Jong Il was able to claim that his hereditary succession was legitimate because of the purity of his lineage to the Paektu bloodline, the second resident said.  Kim Jong Un claims the same lineage, but the secrecy appears to be giving people doubts. “Given the actions of the authorities, who are ordering the recall and destruction of copies of the already released documentary film about his mother, people are questioning whether his…

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Five dead, 20 missing in Myanmar landslide

Editor04 mins

Updated June 5, 2024, 06:18 a.m. ET. Rescue workers in northern Myanmar recovered the bodies of five mine workers, including one Chinese national, on Wednesday and were searching for missing victims of a landslide at a rare earths mine, residents told Radio Free Asia. The landslide in Kachin State’s Chipwi township trapped 25 people in a shaft early on Tuesday, they said. Resource-rich Kachin State, which has rare earth and jade mines, has been the site of  of a surge in clashes between the junta and an ethnic minority insurgent force, the Kachin Independence Army, since early this year. The landslide occurred during regular operations at the rare earth mine near Chinese Border Post No. 3, about eight km (five miles) from Pang War village, said one witness who declined to be identified for security reasons.  “There was a landslide when I was working and around 20 people were in there, including a Chinese site manager,” he said. “These landslides are a continuous problem lately because it is rainy season.” Rescue officials were searching for 20 people still missing, residents and mine workers said.  Three Chinese nationals were believed to be among the missing, the witness said, adding that junta forces had tightened security at the site and forbidden photographs, threatening a fine of 5,000 Chinese yuan (US$ 703) for anyone taking a picture. RFA telephoned Kachin State’s junta spokesperson, Moe Min Thein, for more information but calls went unanswered. The Chinese embassy did not respond to an emailed request for comment by the time of publication. Rescue operations had been complicated because the land was still collapsing at the mine, said another resident, who asked to remain anonymous because of the junta’s media blackout. A woman aged 19 who had been selling things at the mine was among the missing, said the resident. “The rest are all men,” he said. “It’s difficult to search even now because the mountain is still collapsing.” Two landslides occurred in a nearby rare earth mine near Pang War village on May 27 and 29, killing two workers, he said. The environmental group Global Witness said in a report last month that rare earth mining production increased by 40% in Pang War between 2021 and 2023. The area is under the control of junta-led militias and pro-junta border guards, and more than 300 mining sites have been developed there since the military seized power in a coup in early 2021, Global Witness said. Translated by RFA Burmese. Edited by Kiana Duncan and Mike Firn.  Updates number of missing.

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US Defense Secretary visits Cambodia amid concern about China

Editor09 mins

U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin arrived in Phnom Penh on Tuesday for a brief visit, days after Cambodia and China wrapped up their biggest ever military exercise. During his one-day visit, Austin will meet top Cambodian officials “to discuss defense issues with the new Cambodian leadership,” the U.S. Embassy in Phnom Penh said in a statement.   “This is the first bilateral visit by a U.S. Secretary of Defense, and it is the second for Secretary Austin following his attendance at the ASEAN Defense Ministers Meeting-Plus in November 2022,” it said. Austin arrived in Cambodia from Singapore where he attended the annual Shangri-La Dialogue security forum. During the conference, the secretary sought to reassure U.S. allies of Washington’s “iron-clad” commitment in the region in the face of growing rivalry with China. China and Cambodia have just held a 15-day military exercise, both on land and at sea, with the participation of three Chinese warships, two of which have been in Cambodia for six months at the Ream naval base. The two corvettes were still seen docked at the base in Sihanoukville on Monday. The U.S government has said it has “serious concerns” about China’s plans for exclusive control over portions of the Ream Naval Base. Cambodia has repeatedly denied handing the base over to China. U.S.-Cambodian relations have become strained during the past decade partly over U.S. concerns about the suppression of Cambodia’s political opposition. In 2017, the Cambodian government suspended the joint Angkor Sentinel exercises between the two militaries and in 2018, the U.S. government suspended military assistance to Cambodia in response to its suppression of the  opposition. Cambodia under veteran leader Hun Sen rejected U.S. criticism of its domestic political conditions and built closer relations with China. Hun Sen stepped down as prime minister last year with his son, Hun Manet, taking over Turning a new page? Soon after arriving in Phnom Penh, Austin paid a courtesy call on Hun Sen, who is now president of the Senate. Hun Sen was accompanied by former defense minister Tea Banh in  the meeting. Austin also met  Prime Minister Hun Manet, a West Point military academy graduate, and Defense Minister Tea Seiha. Hun Manet and Tea Seiha are Hun Sen’s and Tea Banh’s sons, respectively. Chhengpor Aun, research fellow at The Future Forum, a Cambodian think-tank, said Austin’s visit gave Cambodia’s new leaders the opportunity to highlight more balance in their country’s diplomacy. “Secretary Austin will be much welcomed in Phnom Penh in general because his presence will help back up the Cambodian government’s attempt to prove it is still on the course of its promised neutrality in foreign relations,” said Chhengpor Aun. “The Ream naval base, the ever-growing Sino-Cambodian defense relations, and strained military-to-military ties between Phnom Penh and Washington will highly likely dominate Secretary Austin’s meetings with senior Cambodian officials.” Sailors stand guard near petrol boats at the Cambodian Ream Naval Base in Sihanoukville, Cambodia, July 26, 2019. (Reuters/Samrang Pring) Another analyst – Nguyen Khac Giang, visiting fellow at Singapore’s ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute – said that Austin’s decision to visit Cambodia instead of the close ally the Philippines or newly elevated strategic comprehensive partner Vietnam, “reflects the U.S.’s attempt to reconcile deteriorating U.S.-Cambodia relations.” “With Phnom Penh successfully transitioning leadership from Hun Sen to his son Hun Manet, Washington likely views this as a good moment for rapprochement,” Giang told Radio Free Asia, adding that while sensitive topics such as Chinese influence and the Ream naval base are likely be discussed, he thinks both sides “will focus more on potential cooperation and common interests, particularly as Cambodia will serve as the coordinator of the U.S.-ASEAN Dialogue Relations from 2024 to 2027.” The state-aligned Khmer Times newspaper said that with Hun Manet’s “outward-looking policies,” there’s a unique prospect to recalibrate any misunderstanding and to start a new chapter in the two countries’ relationship, provided that both sides “are genuinely sincere with each other.” The article by Pou Sothirak, senior advisor to the Cambodian Center for Regional Studies, and Him Raksmey, executive director of the Cambodian Center for Regional Studies suggested that the first thing for the U.S. to do wais to rethink its policy of targeted sanctions on Cambodian officials and members of the business elite, and restrictions on trade preferences “which are ineffective and counterproductive, compelling Cambodia deeper into economic reliance on China.” The Future Forum’s Chhengpor Aun agreed that the new generation of Cambodian leaders “presents a window of opportunities for improvement of U.S. relations” as Cambodia wants to secure a stable state of relations with the U.S., now its biggest export destination. Cambodia sold US$8.89 billion worth of goods to the U.S. in 2023, about 40% of its total exports, according to the Cambodian General Department of Customs and Excise.  However, “if the visit aims to woo Cambodia away from China or to push political reforms in Phnom Penh, Secretary Austin can be disappointed,” said Chhengpor Aun. “Sino-Cambodian ties are important for Phnom Penh political elites – be it the old guards or the new princeling generation – in terms of political and regime security,” he said. Edited by Mike Firn.

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Myanmar democracy champion Thura Tin Oo, dead at 98

Editor08 mins

Thura Tin Oo, the patron of Myanmar’s National League for Democracy party, which was overthrown by the military in a 2021 coup d’etat, has died at the age of 98, according to family and party members. He was admitted to Yangon Hospital’s cardiac care unit on May 29 due to deteriorating health and later transferred to the hospital’s intensive care unit, where he passed away on Saturday morning, his grandson Thet Thut Oo told RFA Burmese. “We will be keeping grandpa at Windermere House No. 30 for the next five days” for funeral proceedings, Thet Thut Oo said, referring to the family’s estate. Sai Nyunt Lwin, another champion of democracy and the chairman of the Shan Nationalities League for Democracy Party, told RFA that he and Thura Tin Oo had “shared a strong bond.” “We knew each other since our early days working in the NLD,” he said, using an acronym for the National League for Democracy. “His passing on a day when the NLD is facing significant challenges adds to our grief.” Born on March 12, 1927, in Ayeyarwady region’s Pathein township, Thura Tin Oo served as the fourth Commander-in-Chief of the Myanmar army from 1974-1976, and was awarded the country’s prestigious Zayya Kyawhtin and Thura Medals. He joined the NLD party in 1988 at its inception, alongside former state counsellor and democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi, who was jailed by the junta along with other party leaders in the aftermath of the military’s Feb. 1, 2021 coup. The junta refused to allow Aung San Suu Kyi to attend Thura Tin Oo’s funeral, although she was permitted to send flowers via junta officials, NLD members told RFA. Suu Kyi, 78, was initially sentenced by the junta to 33 years on 19 charges, a sentence that was later reduced to 27 years. The Nobel Peace Prize laureate is believed to be in solitary confinement in Naypyidaw Prison, in the capital, but her exact whereabouts are unknown. A previous junta imprisoned Thura Tin Oo for eight months and kept him under house arrest for five years following the Depayin massacre in May 2003, when a junta-backed mob killed dozens of NLD members in Sagaing region. He suffered a stroke in 2017 after falling at his home and had difficulty speaking because of his condition. Dedicated to serving others But writer Htin Lin Oo, who cared for Thura Tin Oo during his hospitalization, said that despite his health problems, the politician had remained dedicated to serving others up until his passing. “If we were to liken him to cranes that risk their lives for the survival of their descendants, then Thura Tin Oo was a crane that flew relentlessly from the front lines until his last breath,” he said. Myanmar’s pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, right, flanked by vice-chairmen Tin Oo, left, of the National League for Democracy, makes her weekend speech to her supporters from her residential gate in Yangon Sunday, July 7, 1996. (Richard Vogel/AP) NLD members told RFA that the junta refused to allow Aung San Suu Kyi to attend Thura Tin Oo’s funeral, although she was permitted to send flowers via junta officials. Suu Kyi, 78, was initially sentenced by the junta to 33 years on 19 charges, a sentence that was later reduced to 27 years. The Nobel Peace Prize laureate is believed to be in solitary confinement in Naypyidaw Prison, in the capital, but her exact whereabouts are unknown. Nay Phone Latt, the spokesperson of the Prime Minister’s Office of Myanmar’s shadow National Unity Government, or NUG, expressed sadness that Thura Tin Oo had died before the junta was removed from power. “During a period when there is significant potential to completely eliminate the military dictatorship, we want leaders like Thura Tin Oo to remain with us until the rebellion’s conclusion,” he said. “It saddens me deeply that he passed away before reaching the end of the journey, as he was instrumental in leading the struggle for democracy.” The NLD also suffered the loss of Nyan Win, a top party official and former advisor to Suu Kyi, when he died from COVID-19 in prison in July 2021. A resident of Yangon told RFA that the loss of leaders like Thura Tin Oo and Nyan Win is “truly disheartening” for the country. “Thura Tin Oo made significant sacrifices for the country throughout his life,” said the resident, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to security concerns. “Losing such an esteemed patron is akin to Suu Kyi losing one of her pillars of support … My sole concern now is for Suu Kyi’s well-being.” Translated by Kalyar Lwin. Edited by Joshua Lipes and Malcolm Foster.

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South Korea to suspend inter-Korean military pact over trash balloons

Editor04 mins

South Korea decided on Monday to suspend a 2018 inter-Korean tension reduction pact until “mutual trust is restored” in a response to North Korea’s sending of nearly 1,000 trash-filled balloons to the South.  The 9/19 Comprehensive Military Agreement, signed on Sept. 19, 2018, aimed at defusing tension and avoiding war, was implemented after a meeting between South Korea’s then-president Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. The presidential National Security Council held a meeting to evaluate North Korea’s recent behavior and agreed to propose a motion suspending the agreement at a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday. “The attendees decided to submit a proposal to suspend the entire effectiveness of the September 19 Military Agreement until mutual trust between the two Koreas is restored,” the presidential office said in a release.  North Korea has sent waves of trash-filled balloons into the South since Thursday in what it said was a tit-for-tat campaign against South Korean activists sending balloons carrying propaganda material denouncing the North’s regime. South Korea’s National Security Adviser Chang Ho-jin said on Sunday the government would take “unbearable” measures against the North in response to its balloons and its jamming of GPS signals last week.  The anger over the balloons has raised speculation that South Korea might resume propaganda campaigns via loudspeakers along the border. The loudspeakers used to air criticism of the Kim Jong Un regime’s human rights abuses, as well as news and K-pop songs, to the fury of the North. To resume the front-line broadcasts, it would be necessary to nullify the 2018 inter-Korean military agreement. Hours after South Korea’s warning, North Korea said it would suspend its cross-border balloon campaign, though it also threatened to resume it if anti-Pyongyang leaflets were sent from South Korea. The North said its balloon campaign was launched purely in response to leaflets sent by South Korean activists. Fighters for a Free North Korea, a Seoul-based organization that floated anti-Pyongyang balloons over the North last month, said on Monday that it would consider stopping sending leaflets only if the North apologized for sending its trash-bearing balloons to the South.  “We send facts, loves, medications, one-dollar bills, dramas and trot music to the North, but how come they send us waste and trash?” the organization said in a statement, referring to a type of Korean music.  “North Korea leader Kim Jong Un should immediately apologize.” Edited by Mike Firn.

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Tiananmen – 35 years later

Editor01 mins

Download the poster here   June 4 marks the 35th anniversary of the Tiananmen massacre, in which the People’s Liberation Army killed hundreds, possibly thousands of civilians, stamping out weeks of protests in the heart of China’s capital. The government still suppresses mention and memorializing of the 1989 killings in Beijing.

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