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Tag: Daily Reports

Rights groups blast Skechers over new store in Xinjiang

Editor06 mins

Rights groups are condemning U.S. footwear and apparel company Skechers as it used the star power of martial arts actor Donnie Yen to open a new store in Xinjiang despite allegations that ethnic Uyghurs in China’s far west are used for forced labor. In a video Yen posted to Instagram, crowds inside a glitzy shopping mall in the regional capital of Urumqi clamored to catch a glimpse of the Hong Kong actor, who is a Skechers brand ambassador — and is known to have pro-China sympathies. The company promoted its Sept. 28 Urumqi store opening heavily on Chinese social media, and Yen encouraged his nearly 130 million followers on Weibo to visit the outlet and explore its “comfortable treasures,” Voice of America reported. The brand is big in China: Of Skechers 5,200 retail stores worldwide, China has the most with more than 940. But the big promotional event — and opening a story in Urumqi — showed that Skechers was “completely tone deaf” to concerns about the use of Uyghur forced labor in Xinjiang, said Jewher Ilham, the forced labor project coordinator at the Worker Rights Consortium. “Skechers isn’t yet taking seriously the need to extricate its business from the Uyghur region, even after it was previously linked to forced labor by U.S. Customs and other institutions,” Ilham said. The United States has taken a strict stance on the issue. Under the 2021 Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, imports from Xinjiang are banned from entering the United States unless they are certified as not made with forced labor. In June 2022, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security added Skechers supplier Dongguan Oasis Shoes Co., Ltd., to a list of companies suspected of using Uyghur slave labor. The Australian Strategic Policy Institute issued a 2020 report titled “Uyghurs For Sale which found that 83 global companies and brands, including Skechers, were directly or indirectly benefiting from the use of Uyghur forced labor in 27 factories in China from which they sourced products. ‘Distasteful’ Skechers has been identified as a company within that risk, said Henryk Szadziewski, research director at the Uyghur Human Rights Project in Washington. “For me, even if the question of forced labor is in dispute, the very fact that you’re opening a shop [and] profiteering in a region where there’s ongoing crimes against humanity, I’d have to question the decision of Skechers here and ask them what kind of ethical guidelines and clearance were made to make this decision,” he told Radio Free Asia.  “So, it’s not just the forced labor,” he said. “[In] this region are ongoing crimes against humanity, and [Skechers’] decision is to open a shop and make money. That’s very distasteful.” When we contacted Jennifer Clay, vice president of corporate communications at Skechers, for comment, her assistant said Clay was traveling and “too busy to deal with that right now.” Yen, whose breakout film in the West was “Ip Man” in 2008, is a controversial figure because of his pro-China comments. He most recently appeared in  “John Wick 4” in which he had a prominent role along with American actor Keanu Reeves. His appearance at the Oscars in Hollywood in March 2023 prompted protesters to gather outside the venue, criticizing him for his lack of support for Hong Kong’s 2019 pro-democracy movement, which he had called “a riot.” Some critics even called on event organizers to disinvite Yen. Many Hong Kongers have boycotted Yen’s movies over his pro-Beijing stance during the 2019 protests against the erosion of Hong Kong’s promised freedoms and judicial independence that saw pitched battles between protesters armed with bricks, Molotov cocktails and other makeshift weapons against fully equipped riot police who fired rubber bullets and tear gas. We are : Investigative Journalism Reportika Investigative Reports Daily Reports Interviews Surveys Reportika

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Did an American admiral claim the US will attack China in 2027?

Editor07 mins

A claim emerged in Chinese-language social media posts that U.S. Chief of Naval Operations Lisa Franchetti revealed during an internal meeting a U.S. plan to launch a war against China in 2027.  But this is misleading. Franchetti’s comments were part of a public statement in which she said it was important to ensure the U.S. is prepared for a potential conflict with China by 2027. The claim was shared on Douyin, Chinese version of TikTok in late September, 2024, alongside a 30-second video that shows U.S. Chief of Naval Operations Lisa Franchetti.  “A leaked video shows that Franchetti revealed U.S.’s plans to launch a war with China in 2027 during internal U.S. Navy operations meeting,” the claim reads in part. Chinese online users claim that in a leaked conversation Admiral Franchetti said the U.S. plans to go to war with China in 2027. (Screenshots /X, Douyin and Weibo) There are growing concerns about a potential U.S.-China war, particularly the assumption that such a conflict would be short and decisive.  War games and military novels often portray limited, quick engagements, such as battles over Taiwan, but history shows that wars between great powers are rarely brief. Instead, they tend to drag on, expanding across multiple regions and involving other nations.  Several factors could trigger a U.S.-China war, with Taiwan being the most significant. A Chinese attempt to invade or blockade Taiwan could prompt a U.S. response. Territorial disputes in the South China Sea, where China’s claims clash with those of U.S. allies like the Philippines, also pose risks. Additionally, alliances involving nations like Russia or North Korea could draw more countries into a broader conflict, turning a regional dispute into a larger war. The same claim about Franchetti was shared on X, formerly known as Twitter, and Weibo.  But the claim is misleading.  Original clip A combination of keyword searches and reverse image search on Google found that the clips of Franchetti were taken from a video released by the U.S. military on Sept. 18, titled: “CNO Release Navigation Plan 2024.” “Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti released her Navigation Plan (NAVPLAN) for America’s Warfighting Navy at the Naval War College, Sept. 18,” the caption of the video reads in part. “This strategic guidance focuses on two strategic ends: readiness for conflict with the PRC by 2027 and enhancing long-term advantage,” it reads further. Separately, the Navy’s navigation plan, the first update in two years, sets the year 2027 as a baseline for U.S. naval operations in response to goals stated by Chinese President Xi Jinping regarding target dates for China’s military modernization.   A review of the video and the navigation plan found no mention of a  U.S. plan to launch a war with China in 2027. Chinese military modernization China proposed  accelerating the modernization of its defense forces at a meeting of the Chinese Communist Party’s Central Committee in October 2020.  The meeting signaled that China’s armed forces should be prepared for the country’s great rejuvenation by 2027, a goal frequently mentioned by Chinese officials and reported in state-run media.  Since then, U.S. officials have debated and offered different viewpoints about whether China will attack Taiwan in 2027 or 2035.  When Chinese President Xi Jinping met U.S. President Joe Biden at a summit in San Francisco in November 2023, he denied that China planned to attack Taiwan in 2027 or 2035, according to media reports.  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. We are : Investigative Journalism Reportika Investigative Reports Daily Reports Interviews Surveys Reportika

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Young female Tibetan cricketer breaks into India’s cricket scene

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Read RFA coverage of this story in Tibetan. A 19-year-old has made history as the first Tibetan female cricketer to break into India’s highly competitive state-level cricket scene. Jetsun Narbu competes for the all-women’s Mumbai Cricket Association — the city’s top state-level team — and has her sights on the Indian national team. Narbu, who was born in Mumbai and has Indian citizenship, told Radio Free Asia that she hopes to use her platform to raise awareness about Tibetan identity and culture on the international stage. “I want to represent India and bring attention to my Tibetan heritage through cricket,” she said. “And If I could achieve that as a Tibetan cricketer, it would be a dream come true.” Narbu’s rise in cricket marks a significant milestone, both for her as an athlete and for the Tibetan community in India.  Indians are passionate about cricket. Played everywhere from crowded city streets to dirt lanes of rural villages, the sport unites people of all ages and backgrounds. Early seeds Narbu’s love for cricket developed during her childhood, when she first saw her father watching a match of female cricket players on TV. The image of women playing a traditionally male-dominated sport captivated her, fueling her ambition to become a cricketer.  Encouraged by her father, Narbu Chee, she started training to be a cricketer at the age of 13.  Jetsun Narbu at cricket practice in Mumbai, India, 2024. (Jetsun Narbu) Narbu developed her athletics skills with help from Indian coaches and strong family support, and has played in multiple tournaments, including Under-19 and T20 competitions, representing various teams at a state and national levels.  In 2021, Narbu represented the northeastern state of Sikkim during the Women’s Senior One-Day Trophy and the T-20 Women’s Senior Tournament. In 2023, Narbu represented Mumbai in the national T20 and under-19 ODI tournaments.  As a university student, Narbu studies finance at Jai Hind College in Mumbai and hopes to land a job in investment banking with the specialization in mergers and acquisitions. Ethnic background Narbu said she has never experienced discrimination based on her ethnicity, though she has occasionally noticed curious glances from Indian onlookers because of her different facial features.  “In sports, skills and dedication should matter more than your background or ethnicity,” she said, underscoring her belief in merit over identity. Her ambition, however, does come with challenges.  Competing in a sport where few Tibetan women are visible, Narbu is paving her path with little precedent, which can be both daunting and empowering, she says.  “Whatever sport you choose, focus on your training and commitment,” she said. “Through sports, we can not only showcase our talents but also bring attention to Tibet’s culture and cause.” Additional reporting by Tenzin Dickyi for RFA Tibetan. Translated by Dawa Dolma. Edited by Roseanne Gerin and Malcolm Foster. We are : Investigative Journalism Reportika Investigative Reports Daily Reports Interviews Surveys Reportika

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Myanmar military transfers prisoners as insurgents advance

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Read RFA coverage of this topic in Burmese. Junta authorities in western Myanmar have transferred nearly 370 prisoners out of the town of Sittwe in anticipation of an attack by ethnic minority fighters of the Arakan Army, or AA, to free them, a politician and family of the detainees told Radio Free Asia. The AA is one of the most powerful guerrilla forces battling the Myanmar military and it has repeatedly announced its aim to capture the coastal town of Sittwe, capital of the western-most state, and one of the last important places the military holds there. The military is worried that the prisoners may escape or be released if the AA attacks Sittwe, said a Pe Than, a former member of parliament from the state. “Sittwe wouldn’t be controlled by the junta if the AA attacked so they don’t not want to see the inmates released after being prosecuted,” said the former member of the Arakan National Party. “That’s why, I think, those arrested in such incidents have been transferred to other prisons,” he said, referring to people imprisoned on charges of aiding or collaborating with the insurgents. RFA tried to contact Rakhine state’s junta spokesperson, Hla Thein, for information on the transfer but he did not answer calls. The AA has captured territory some 24 kilometers (15 miles) from Sittwe but it does not appear an immediate threat to junta forces there. However, AA fighters are advancing on the junta’s Western Command headquarters in Ann township, about 120 km (75 miles) southwest of Sittwe, capturing an important junta defensive position on a hill on the approach to Ann on Monday. The AA, battling for self-determination for the mostly Buddhist Rakhine people, has taken territory across Rakhine state and controls 10 of the state’s 17 townships, and one in neighboring Chin state. It would be the first Myanmar rebel group to take over a state if it seizes, as it has vowed to do, all territory in military control there. RELATED STORIES ‘Direct hit’ airstrike on homes kills 15 civilians in Myanmar’s Rakhine state Myanmar military court jails 144 villagers detained after massacre Myanmar junta arrests dozens for sending supplies to rebel zone ‘Transferred to Insein’ About 200 of the 366 people transferred from Sittwe’s prisons were detained during a bloody junta raid on Byain Phyu village, on the outskirts of Sittwe, in June for being suspected AA supporters, residents of Sittwe said. “He said that they were about to be moved to other prisons and gave a message for the family not to worry and to take care of each other,” said a woman whose husband was among those transferred. “He said they were being transferred to Insein and Pathein prisons,” said the woman, who declined to be identified for safety reasons. Insein is Myanmar’s most notorious prison, in the main city of Yangon. Pathein is a town to the west of Yangon. Dozens of people were killed in the sweep of Byain Phyu, human rights group said, by soldiers fearful that AA fighters would stage an attack on Sittwe from the village. Most of the Byain Phyu villagers held in the prison were jailed for three years for unlawful association. Rakhine-based reporter Htet Aung and an unidentified colleague from the Development Media Group news outlet, which has reported on human rights violations by junta troops, were among those transferred, family members said. The two had been jailed for five years under a counter-terrorism law. Translated by RFA Burmese. Edited by Kiana Duncan and Mike Firn.  We are : Investigative Journalism Reportika Investigative Reports Daily Reports Interviews Surveys Reportika

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Police question students of shuttered Vietnamese education company

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Read this story in Vietnamese A non-profit organization that offered courses aimed at fostering independent thinking among Vietnamese citizens still has the attention of government investigators almost a year after it was forced to shut down.  Authorities have summoned some 50 students and teachers for questioning in the 10 months since FreeHub Education Solutions Company Ltd., or FreeHub, was closed, according to Nguyen Ho Nhat Thanh, the company’s founder. FreeHub opened in 2022 with the goal of giving learners the ability to think from multiple perspectives and make sound decisions in their personal lives. It offered courses – both online and in person – in philosophy, psychology, sociology, economics, history, culture and art.  Even though the classes didn’t discuss Vietnamese politics, authorities still viewed FreeHub as a threat, Thanh told Radio Free Asia on Monday. “It worried security agencies, who accused us of having toppling schemes,” he said. “The current regime is an ideological dictatorship. Therefore, different thinking flows are seen as threats.” Students sit inside a stadium ahead of celebrations of the 70th anniversary of the 1954 Dien Bien Phu victory over French colonial forces in Dien Bien Phu city on May 7, 2024. (Nhac Nguyen/AFP) Vietnamese courts have sentenced numerous journalists, boggers and activists over the last decade in an ongoing campaign to crush dissent.  Additionally, more than 60 people have been convicted and jailed for long terms for suspected links to a self-proclaimed government-in-exile that was founded in the U.S. in 1991. The Ministry of Public Security listed the group – known as the Provisional National Government of Vietnam – as a terrorist organization in 2018.  Summoned for questioning Thanh, also known as Paulo Thanh Nguyen, said he closed FreeHub in late 2023 in response to police harassment of its students in several locations. In the announcement posted on his personal Facebook page, Thanh wrote that trouble with authorities began after FreeHub offered a course on community development. Since then, FreeHub’s Facebook page has been taken down and its service provider has blocked access to its website. Security forces have continued to target students anyway, going to their homes or summoning them to government offices where they have been told to write personal reflections or reports, Thanh said, citing discussions with students. Security officers forced them to hand over their cellphones and laptops and to provide passwords, he added.  “Teachers have also been summoned,” Thanh said. “Security officers said the program was run by a reactionary organization, distorting many things and warning them they were not allowed to continue participating.” RELATED STORIES Vietnamese Authorities Raid a Civil Society Training Class Vietnamese Authorities Beat Dissident Bloggers on Human Rights Day The Ministry of Public Security seems to want to make FreeHub into a major case by linking it with overseas organizations already labeled as “hostile forces,” Thanh added.  Police have only summoned FreeHub students and teachers so far. Thanh said he believes authorities are collecting evidence for his eventual arrest. RFA called the Ministry of Public Security’s Security Investigation Agency to seek comment on Thanh’s accusations. The officer who answered the phone suggested that RFA’s reporter come to headquarters in person or send in a written request in order to receive a response. Thanh previously organized human rights events like “Human Rights Coffee” – a space for activists to meet following anti-China protests in Hanoi in 2014. He has also conducted training programs for young activists in various cities and provinces. Translated by Anna Vu. Edited by Matt Reed and Malcolm Foster. We are : Investigative Journalism Reportika Investigative Reports Daily Reports Interviews Surveys Reportika

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French Polynesian president asks UN to bring France into decolonization talks

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French Polynesia’s president and civil society leaders have called on the United Nations to bring France to the negotiating table and set a timetable for the decolonization of the Pacific territory. More than a decade after the archipelago was re-listed for decolonization by the U.N. General Assembly, France has refused to acknowledge the world’s peak diplomatic organization has a legitimate role. France’s reputation has taken a battering as an out-of-touch colonial power since deadly violence erupted in New Caledonia in May, sparked by a now abandoned French government attempt to dilute the voting power of indigenous Kanak people. Pro-independence French Polynesian President Moetai Brotherson told the U.N. Decolonization Committee’s annual meeting in New York on Monday that “after a decade of silence” France must be “guided” to participate in “dialogue.” “Our government’s full support for a comprehensive, transparent and peaceful decolonization process with France, under the scrutiny of the United Nations, can pave the way for a decolonization process that serves as an example to the world,” Brotherson said. Brotherson called for France to finally co-operate in creating a roadmap and timeline for the decolonization process, pointing to unrest in New Caledonia that “reminds us of the delicate balance that peace requires.” In August he warned France “always had a problem with decolonization” in the Pacific, where it also controls the territories of New Caledonia and Wallis and Futuna.  The 121 islands of French Polynesia stretch over a vast expanse of the Pacific, with a population of about 280,000, and was first settled more than 2,000 years ago.  Often referred to as Tahiti after the island with the biggest population, France declared the archipelago a protectorate in 1842, followed by full annexation in 1880. France last year attended the U.N. committee for the first time since the territory’s re-inscription in 2013 as awaiting decolonization, after decades of campaigning by French Polynesian politicians. French permanent representative to the U.N. Nicolas De Rivière responds to French Polynesia President Moetai Brotherson at the 79th session of the Decolonization Committee, pictured on Oct. 7 2024. (UNTV) “I would like to clarify once again that this change of method does not imply a change of policy,” French permanent representative to the U.N. Nicolas De Rivière told the committee on Monday. “There is no process between the state and the Polynesian territory that reserves a role for the United Nations,” he said, and pointed out France contributes almost 2 billion euros (US$2.2 billion) each year, or almost 30 percent of the territory’s GDP. After the U.N. session Brotherson told the media that France’s position is “off the mark”. French Polynesia was initially listed for decolonization by the U.N. in 1946 but removed a year later as France fought to hold onto its overseas territories after the Second World War. Granted limited autonomy in 1984, with control over local government services, France retained administration over justice, security, defense, foreign policy and the currency. Seventeen pro-independence and four pro-autonomy – who support the status quo – speakers gave impassioned testimony to the committee. Lawyer and Protestant church spokesman Philippe Neuffer highlighted children in the territory “solely learn French and Western history.” “They deserve the right to learn our complete history, not the one centered on the French side of the story,” he said. “Talking about the nuclear tests without even mentioning our veterans’ history and how they fought to get a court to condemn France for poisoning people with nuclear radiation.” France conducted 193 nuclear tests over three decades until 1996 in French Polynesia. “Our lands are contaminated, our health compromised and our spirits burned,” president of the Mururoa E Tatou Association Tevaerai Puarai told the U.N. denouncing it as French “nuclear colonialism.” “We demand justice. We demand freedom,” Puarai said. He said France needed to take full responsibility for its “nuclear crimes”, referencing a controversial 10-year compensation deal reached in 2009. Some Māʼohi indigenous people, many French residents and descendants in the territory fear independence and the resulting loss of subsidies would devastate the local economy and public services. Pro-autonomy local Assembly member Tepuaraurii Teriitahi told the committee, “French Polynesia is neither oppressed nor exploited by France.” “The idea that we could find 2 billion a year to replace this contribution on our own is an illusion that would lead to the impoverishment and downfall of our hitherto prosperous country,” she said. BenarNews is an RFA-affiliated online news organization. We are : Investigative Journalism Reportika Investigative Reports Daily Reports Interviews Surveys Reportika

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China Exporting Police Forces to the world a Report by Ij-Reportika

Spike in arrests leaves Chinese detention centers overflowing

Editor09 mins

Detention centers in China are overflowing amid a sharp rise in the number of arrests in the first half of this year, according to defense lawyers and recent government figures. In the six months to June 30, prosecutors approved the formal arrest of 367,000 suspects, up 18.5% from the same period in 2023. They also prosecuted 761,000 people nationwide, a rise of 6.8% year-on-year, according to an article on the official website of the Supreme People’s Procuratorate dated July 29. The formal arrest figures don’t include people being held under criminal detention pending investigation by police, “residential surveillance at a designated location,” or administrative detention. The spike in criminal proceedings has led to overcrowded detention centers, prompting the authorities to build new facilities to hold the newly arrested, criminal defense attorney Wang Rui said in video footage uploaded to social media. “Detention centers are already overcrowded, with plans for expansion in a lot of places this year,” Wang said. “A few days ago, I met with a client who said there were more than 20 people in a cell that was designed to hold 12. Some people had to sleep on the floor.” “It was hot weather, but not only was there no air-conditioning; they didn’t even have an electric fan,” he said.  Criminal defense attorney Wang Rui. Undated. Unknown social media account. (Video screenshot/provided by Qianlang) A second lawyer from the central province of Henan who gave only the surname Sun for fear of reprisals confirmed Wang’s claim. “Usually you would have 12 or 14 people in a cell, but now that number has risen to more than 20,” he said.  According to January figures from the Ministry of Public Security, China has more than 2,300 detention centers, which are generally used to house people awaiting investigation, trial or appeal, while prisons are used to house those serving out their time. Minor rule-breaking Lawyers said that the likely reason for the sudden rise in the number of arrests was a nationwide clampdown on minor rule-breaking like irregularities in the accounts of small business owners, as well as on ordinary people lodging formal complaints about official wrongdoing. “Some people are being intercepted for petitioning, and may be charged with obstructing a public official in the performance of their duties, or picking quarrels and stirring up trouble,” Sun said. “They are finding reasons to arrest people even if no crime has been committed — that really is the situation right now.” Criminal defense attorney Wang Kui. Undated. Unknown social media account. (Video screenshot/provided by Qianlang) Another lawyer, Wang Kui, had a similar story, saying officials seem to have zero tolerance for any kind of rule-breaking these days. “In the past, they would turn a blind eye to a lot of stuff, but that’s longer possible now,” he said in a video uploaded to his social media account. “For example, if you run a small business and don’t complete the right paperwork, you could be accused of illegal business operations.” “If you have poor turnover and default on some payments, you could be charged with fraud or breach of contract,” Wang Kui said. “It’s becoming clearer and clearer that heavy sentences are being handed down for minor crimes.” The current economic downturn is stepping up pressure on people who are heavily indebted due to their mortgages, car loans, kids’ education or who have black or gray-market income streams, the lawyers said. Pyramid schemes, fraud and money laundering are also rampant, due to falling corporate revenues, they said. Salaries down Meanwhile, cash-strapped local governments are slashing public servants’ salaries and imposing fees and fines in every area of people’s lives, including new highway tolls and roadside parking fees on quiet residential streets. Guo Min, a former deputy police station chief at the Zhuzhou city police department in the central province of Hunan, said the authorities have been steadily building new detention centers and prisons in his home province for a few years now. “The expansion of detention centers, jails and prisons began several years ago, probably under the guidance of the central government,” Guo told RFA Mandarin. “Take Zhuzhou for example. They started building jails and detention centers several years ago, and they have been coming into use over the past couple of years.” “It appears that the government has long anticipated the current situation and made arrangements accordingly,” he said. The number of people arrested in China increased by nearly 20% in the first half of this year, causing overcrowding in detention centers across the country. (Reuters file photo) According to the Supreme People’s Procuratorate article, law enforcement agencies are currently targeting “Taiwan independence diehards” accused of “splitting the country and inciting others to secession,” although no figures were supplied.  China warned earlier this year that nationals of democratic Taiwan could be tried in absentia and even sentenced to death for supporting formal independence for the country, but Taipei said Beijing has no jurisdiction over acts and speech on its territory. Meanwhile, the authorities are also vowing to get tough on organized crime, prosecuting 28,000 people for gang-related offenses in the first half of the year, and on drugs-related offenses, which yielded 26,000 prosecutions over the same period, the article said. It said “more than 85% of criminal suspects confessed and pleaded guilty during the prosecution stage.” We are : Investigative Journalism Reportika Investigative Reports Daily Reports Interviews Surveys Reportika

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Over 100 Myanmar political prisoners have died since coup, group says

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Read RFA coverage of this topic in Burmese. More than 100 political prisoners arrested by Myanmar’s junta have died in custroy in the three and a half years since the military seized power, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, or AAPP.  Junta authorities have arrested tens of thousands of activists, union leaders, rebel soldiers, journalists and people suspected of supporting insurgent groups.  Among those detained and sentenced to decades in jail are members of the ousted National League for Democracy, or NLD, administration, including former State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi and other high-profile politicians detained hours after the early 2021 coup. Prisoners allowed out speak of appalling conditions in Myanmar’s numerous prisons and detention centers, including crumbling infrastructure, brutal treatment, sexual harassment and limited access to adequate food and medical care.  Of the 103 political prisoners who have died in prison since the coup, at least 63 people were denied medical treatment, the AAPP, a rights group based outside Myanmar, said in a statement on Monday following the death of a top NLD member. Mandalay region chief minister and NLD Vice Chairman Zaw Myint Maung had been diagnosed with leukemia before being sentenced to 29 years in prison on various of charges, including election fraud and other charges largely dismissed by pro-democracy activists. He was 73 when he died on Monday in hospital, where military authorities allowed him to go in his final days. Activists said he did not receive proper medical care in prison. “If Dr Zaw Myint Maung had proper outside medical treatment we wouldn’t have lost his life,” said Aung Myo Kyaw of the AAPP. “He didn’t really get proper medical care since he was arrested. Like Nyan Win, there are many more,” he said, referring to a long-time NLD  central executive committee member and Suu Kyi’s personal lawyer, who died in Yangon’s infamous Insein Prison from COVID-19 a few months after the coup.  “If these people were not in prison but outside, they wouldn’t have died.” Radio Free Asia could not reach junta spokesman Maj. Gen. Zaw Min Tun for comment on the AAPP’s statement. Military authorities say prisoners are treated according to the law. ‘Malicious’ Other activists who have died include Pe Maung, a filmmaker killed by tuberculosis shortly after being released from prison, and rapper-turned-rebel soldier San Linn San, who died from head trauma after being tortured in prison,  a human rights monitoring group said.   Pe Maung and Zaw Myint Maung were both released by junta authorities when it was too late to get treatment, effectively sentencing them to death, said AAPP secretary Tate Naing.  “This kind of announcement, that they’ll be released when the inmates are about to die, has been done before by previous military dictators,” he said. “This is routine for the military regime – it’s a malicious and deliberate execution of political prisoners.” Other prisoners have been tortured to death or shot during prison riots, said Aung Myo Kyaw.  More than 20,000 people have been detained on political charges since the 2021 coup, of whom more than 9,000 have been sentenced to prison, the AAPP said.  The U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights also denounced conditions in Myanmar’s prisons and detention centers, saying in a report last month that at least 1,853 people have died in military custody, including 88 children and 125 women, since the coup – many after being tortured. As ethnic minority insurgents and pro-democracy fighters make advances in several parts of the country, the military routinely detains villagers suspected of supporting the rebels, residents and rights groups say. On Monday, five women in Magway region’s Myaing township were arrested on suspicion of supporting an anti-junta militia, or People’s Defense Force, residents of the area said. They denied that the women were involved with any insurgent group.  RELATED STORIES: Senior Myanmar pro-democracy politician dies in custody at 73 A Myanmar revolutionary battles an old enemy with new allies Women account for 1 in 5 deaths in Myanmar since coup Translated by RFA Burmese. Edited by Kiana Duncan and Mike Firn.  We are : Investigative Journalism Reportika Investigative Reports Daily Reports Interviews Surveys Reportika

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North Korean farmers risk penalties if too many potatoes left in the ground

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Read a version of this story in Korean North Korean farm managers who are not carefully harvesting their potato crops – leaving some behind – are getting in trouble with authorities, residents with links to the agricultural sector told Radio Free Asia. Inspectors recently swooped down on several collective farms in the northern potato-growing region of Ryanggang province to check the fields. “The inspectors drove around in cars and dug up every nook and cranny of the potato fields on the farm,” a resident who works in agriculture said on condition of anonymity for security reasons. “If the inspectors conclude that the fall harvest was not done properly, the farms must redo it until they pass the inspection,” another provincial resident said. The reason behind the checks appears to be that farmers are spending more time tending their personal fields than the collective farm’s lots, the sources said. In North Korea’s collective farming system, farmers are paid the standard government salary to work the land, and then all crops are collected by the state and distributed to the people. But since the collapse of the country’s economy in the 1990s, that salary is nowhere near enough to live on.  Bales of straw in North Korean fields after the rice harvest, as seen from the Ganghwa Peace Observatory across the border in South Korea, Sept. 23, 2024. (Yonhap News)   So the farmers, like everyone else, must support themselves by other means – and are planting their own personal potato patches–usually on land surrounding their homes. The potatoes grown there are either eaten or sold for extra income. When harvest time comes around, citizens are mobilized to provide free labor to the farm managers, who order them to quickly dig up the collective farms just to make quota by the Sept. 30 deadline. The farm managers have a tendency to not to watch the collective farms too, and they acknowledge that they are mostly going through the motions, the first resident said. “They are working so irresponsibly to the point that they joke that the mobilized workers are ‘digging for potatoes with their eyes closed,’” he said. Farmers beware But the government wants them to be more thorough, so it is sending inspection teams to check. “The Cabinet Agricultural Commission dispatched a 20-member harvest inspection team in Hyesan City on Sept. 26,” the second Ryanggang resident said, referring to a city in the province. Punishments for farm officials who fail inspections can be harsh, he said. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspects potato fields and agricultural machinery warehouses while touring a farm in Samjiyon county, Ryanggang province, in July 2018. (Yonhap News) Last year, many farm officials in the province were expelled from the Workers’ Party, and they lost all the housing and employment privileges that go with membership, and some were even sent to prison because they were sloppy in their management of the harvest. “Farm officials can’t sleep at night because they think something like that could happen to them right now,” the first resident said. At a farm in the city of Hyesan, the harvest was completed on Sept. 27, but then the workers were remobilized, that is, called to provide unpaid labor once again, when they heard that the inspection team had arrived. “They even mobilized middle and high school students to complete the harvest again,” he said. “The farm officials would rather miss the deadline than fail the inspection.” Translated by Claire S. Lee. Edited by Eugene Whong and Malcolm Foster. We are : Investigative Journalism Reportika Investigative Reports Daily Reports Interviews Surveys Reportika

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China, North Korea mark 75th anniversary of ties in muted tone

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Chinese President Xi Jinping and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un have marked the 75th anniversary of their countries’ relations but the messages they exchanged were less effusive and shorter than in the past, hinting at cooler ties. Xi’s message to Kim this year, published by China’s Xinhua News Agency, was 309 characters long, compared with 435 characters in 2019, for the 70th anniversary. Similarly, Kim’s message to Xi, published by the Korean Central News Agency, was 497 characters this year, down from 809 characters in 2019. But it wasn’t just the length of the messages that was different. Xi told Kim that relations between their countries had “stood the changes of the times and the trials of an ever-changing international situation and become a precious asset common to the two countries and the two peoples.” Xi added that China was ready to further develop relations “through strengthened strategic communications and coordination, and deepened friendly exchange and cooperation.” But Xi did not use the phrases he used in the 70th anniversary celebration, such as “the traditional friendship between China and the DPRK has grown stronger over time and gone deep into the hearts of the people.” DPRK stands for the North’s official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. Kim referred to Xi in 2019 as his “esteemed” comrade but he dropped that salutation this year.  “Our Party and the government of the Republic will steadily strive to consolidate and develop the friendly and cooperative relations between the DPRK and China as required by the new era,” Kim said.  This year, the messages between Xi and Kim were published on page four of North Korea’s state-run Rodong Sinmun daily. In 2019, they were splashed across the newspaper’s front page. RELATED STORIES Xi’s latest message to North Korea’s Kim hints at cooling ties North Korea bans more TV and movies. Surprise! They’re Chinese North Korea orders return of workers in China stranded by pandemic Since North Korea and China established diplomatic ties on Oct. 6, 1949, their relationship has often been described as being “as close as lips and teeth.”  However, there have been signals that China, by far North Korea’s largest trading partner, has become more distant towards its northeastern neighbor. In September, Xi, in his first message to Kim in eight months, marking the anniversary of North Korea’s founding, was also less effusive in tone on the friendship between the countries than he had been the previous year. South Korea’s main security agency has raised the possibility of cooler ties between China and North Korea while media has reported that China is hesitant to form a three-way, anti-West alliance with North Korea and Russia.  North Korea and Russia have moved significantly closer amid widespread suspicion that North Korea has supplied conventional weapons to Russia for its war in Ukraine in return for military and economic assistance.  This year, North Korea and Russia the two countries signed a strategic treaty that includes mutual defense elements. China Beijing appears to prioritize a stable regional security environment to address its economic challenges and maintain relationships with Europe and its Asian neighbors. China’s foreign ministry has dismissed any suggestions that relations with North Korea have cooled. While North Korea largely sealed itself off during the COVID-19 pandemic, this year it has been building up its diplomatic ties, apart from those with Russia. A top Vietnamese defense official visited Pyongyang last month and in August, North Korea took steps to patch up ties with old ally Cuba. In April, a North Korean delegation visited Iran.  Edited by Mike Firn.  We are : Investigative Journalism Reportika Investigative Reports Daily Reports Interviews Surveys Reportika

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