Radio Free Asia (RFA) journalists operate under conditions of extreme personal risk and sacrifice, driven by a sense of duty to deliver uncensored news to populations under authoritarian regimes.
Due to uncertain funding, Radio Free Asia will pause its editorial operations on Oct. 31, 2025.
These video testimonies for the series “We are RFA” were recorded in March 2025, in the days following the termination of RFA’s Congressionally appropriated grant. Since then, more than 90% of the editorial staff was furloughed or laid off.
Truong Son, RFA Vietnamese
Truong Son, director of RFA Vietnamese, has not been able to return home since he began working at RFA. For him, this is not only a job but also a duty.
“We bear the responsibility to tell the truth and break the censorship and propaganda the Vietnamese authorities impose on the entire society,” he said, adding that some people have been imprisoned in Vietnam for writing for RFA.
Losing RFA would mean the communist regime in Vietnam gains total control over information for 100 million people, he said.
Hye Jun Seo and Jamin Anderson, RFA Korean
For decades, Radio Free Asia has been a critical source of uncensored news for North Koreans living under an authoritarian regime with extremely limited access to information.
“RFA’s mission is to protect the North Korean people’s right to know and their right to freedom of speech,” said RFA Korean reporter Jamin Anderson, who along with her colleague Hye Jun Seo have interviewed many North Korean escapees.
“We want our audience to hear their stories.”
Mamatjan Juma, RFA Uyghur
RFA Uyghur journalists and their families have faced ongoing intimidation tactics from the Chinese government for years.
“China arrested and sentenced at least 50 of our colleagues’ relatives and loved ones in an attempt to stop us from what we are doing,” said RFA Uyghur’s Mamatjan Juma.
Their job has been reporting on China’s treatment of the Uyghur people, which the United States government has designated as genocide and crimes against humanity.
Aye Aye Mon, RFA Burmese
RFA Burmese journalist Aye Aye Mon was forced to flee Myanmar after the military coup in 2021. She has risked her life and her freedom to return and report on the civil war and its impact on the people of Myanmar.
“It’s an honor to provide a voice for those who need it most,” she said.
Eugene Whong, RFA English
RFA podcast host and editor Eugene Whong has been the voice behind many video reports. In 2021, he reported on Mya Thwe Thwe Khaing, the first peaceful protester killed by the Myanmar junta following the coup in 2021.
“I realized that at that moment these were not just words that I was reading into a microphone,” he said. “It’s an actual account of events that happened to real people.”
Kitty Wang, RFA Mandarin
RFA Mandarin journalist Kitty Wang said that the Chinese government’s suppression of information about the Tiananmen Square massacre shaped her as a journalist, forging her commitment to protecting and upholding freedom of information.
“Without it [information], there can be no freedom of thought. Without it, people live in darkness. Through my work at RFA, I hope to bring them light,” Kitty said.
Win Ei San, RFA Burmese
Win Ei San arrived in the U.S. as a refugee and has been working as a graphic designer for RFA Burmese for a year and a half.
“I have learned so many things in such a short time,” said San, who has worked on projects related to the ongoing civil war in Myanmar and its casualties.
“I have so much more I want to do.”
Vuthy Huot, RFA Khmer
“If we don’t keep fighting, we won’t survive,” said RFA journalist Vuthy Huot who survived a genocide by the Khmer Rouge. As a journalist with RFA Khmer, he tells stories that matter to local people.
“The information is not filtered, not controlled, by the government. The information that helps them make the right decisions.”
RFA Cantonese journalist
“I have to hide my identity because all Hong Kong people are under the threat of the National Security Law,” said this RFA Cantonese journalist.
Threatened by China’s transnational repression, he had to leave his home in pursuit of a safe space to practice independent journalism.
“If I stay in Hong Kong and bow to the government, we have to sacrifice our principles as independent journalists.”
Tashi Wangchuk, RFA Tibetan
Radio Free Asia’s Tibetan Service has served as a bridge connecting people living under Chinese rule in Tibet with the outside world. However, this role comes with significant risks, said Tashi Wangchuk, a journalist for RFA Tibetan Service.
“For me personally, I have received threats from the Chinese government throughout my journalism career, and these have progressively gotten worse,” he said, adding that such intimidation will not deter him from delivering truthful reporting to his audience.
Souphatta, RFA Lao
RFA Lao journalist Souphatta has been reporting on human trafficking stories for three years. She began after a mother contacted her asking for help in rescuing her daughter.
In the years since, parents and younger people trapped in scam centers have told Souphatta that “without RFA, they would not have a future.”
Khet Mar, RFA Burmese
The ongoing civil war in Myanmar, which started after the 2021 coup, has killed tens of thousands of people. During that time, RFA journalists have shed light on the human cost of the war and brought global attention to the fight for democracy.
“While our voice has been diminished, our fight for human rights, press freedom, and a just future for Myanmar continues,” said Khet Mar, an RFA Burmese journalist.
Alim Seytoff, RFA Uyghur
For the past 26 years, Radio Free Asia’s Uyghur Service has exposed China’s atrocities against the Uyghur people in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. This includes mass detentions, the establishment of concentration camps, and the horrific treatment of Uyghur women, according to Alim Seytoff, the director of RFA Uyghur Service.
“As a result of our groundbreaking reports, the first Trump administration determined that China is committing genocide and crimes against humanity against the Uyghur people,” he said.
Thiri Min Zin, RFA Burmese
Thiri Min Zin, an anchor for RFA Burmese, was forced to leave Myanmar after a 2021 coup installed a ruling junta that has targeted journalists. Despite the hardships she has encountered, she remains committed to her work.
“It is my superpower—to tell the truth and help my people,” she said. “What I can do to help my country is to share true information.”
Ounkeo Souksavanh, RFA Lao
For RFA Lao journalist Ounkeo Souksavanh, leaving his home country wasn’t a choice — he was blacklisted by the communist government for his radio show. “In Laos, the truth is not often shared. Anyone who criticizes the government faces arrest.”
Ounkeo joined RFA to report accurate news to the people in his home country. “RFA was a lifeline to keep telling the truth,” he said.
Kim Ji Eun, RFA Korean
As a North Korean escapee, RFA journalist Kim Ji Eun has used her reporting to reach residents still inside the country, where Kim Jong Un’s dictatorship tightly controls all access to information.
“RFA is truly a beacon of hope for those who are in deep despair,” Kim Ji Eun said, adding that she had talked to people who decided to escape North Korea after listening to RFA broadcasts.
RFA Tibetan journalist
Radio Free Asia has long been a lifeline for audiences in Tibet, according to an RFA journalist of two decades whose identity is being withheld for safety.
“RFA sheds light on the darkest corner of Tibet,” he said, “and serves as a window for Tibetans inside the region to see the world outside.”
He remains resolute, even though his work has come at a cost.
“My family members who remain in Tibet are constantly surveilled,” he said. “I am determined to continue to tell these stories that counter China’s false narratives.”
Zin Mar Win, RFA Burmese
RFA Burmese’s Zin Mar Win became a journalist after growing up listening to the radio for news. She fled Myanmar after realizing that the ruling junta was targeting journalists, herself included. She has continued to tell her country’s stories.
“While I have a voice, I will tell the truth. This story is not just mine. It’s the story of millions of Myanmar people who refuse to be silenced,” she said.
Chih-Te Lee, Asia Fact Check Lab
Chih-Te Lee is the Director of the Asia Fact Check Lab at Radio Free Asia, where he fact-checks false and misleading narratives, including comments from officials in totalitarian states like China.
“We believe that facts are the most powerful antidote to extremism, conspiracy theory and hearsay,” he said, adding that “fact-based free speech is the foundation of democracy.”
Vuthy Tha, RFA Khmer
Vuthy Tha worked for RFA’s newsroom in Cambodia before it was closed by Prime Minister Hun Sen’s authoritarian regime in 2017.
Vuthy knew he had to leave Cambodia because the government monitored his movements.
It took him seven years to obtain a work visa and rejoin RFA.
“On my flight to America with my two children, all I could think about was how America was a safe place for us,” he said.
Wai Mar Htun, RFA Burmese
In war-torn Myanmar, “access to information is as important as food,” RFA Burmese journalist Wai Mar Htun said.
“Access to credible information allows people to make vital decisions,” she said. With news sources and VPNs restricted by the ruling junta, RFA serves a critical role.
Mekong reporter, RFA Lao
For the past 10 years, this Lao reporter has been covering the Mekong River, which is a vital source of food, drinking water, and livelihoods for more than 60 million people.
The river is under significant pressure due to the impact of hydropower dams, which are affecting both the local communities and wildlife, he said.
“It has meant everything to me to bring these stories of the Mekong to you,” he said.
RFA Tibetan journalist
Persecution. Harassment. Loss of contact with family members.
This RFA Tibetan journalist has risked it all to report accurate, independent news about the atrocities faced by Tibetans in Tibet. “My family members in Tibet were persecuted on account of my work. … They are still – to this day – being harassed by the Chinese government,” he said.
How has RFA’s journalism impacted Tibetans? “From the widespread Tibet protests of 2008 to the wave of self-immolations and China’s systemic efforts to erase Tibetan identity, RFA has been instrumental in providing a rare window into Tibet,” he said.
July Myo, RFA Burmese
Reliable news can be hard to come by for many in Myanmar, where internet access is often restricted and a civil war has claimed thousands of lives. Young people are being forcibly conscripted into the military, making independent reporting more crucial than ever.
“I am proud to share their stories, to give them a voice,” says July Myo, an RFA Burmese reporter from a town hit by airstrikes.
WHYNOT journalist
What would Chinese-language journalism look like in an open and free environment?
WHYNOT, a digital news magazine affiliated with Radio Free Asia, has an answer.
“Our uncensored reports not only inform our audience of events that are happening now, but also document our time so that history and the truth cannot be erased by the Chinese government,” a WHYNOT journalist said.
Ye Kaung Myint Maung, RFA Burmese
Ye Kaung Myint Maung, a journalist for RFA Burmese, has dedicated years to reporting on Myanmar and remains committed to uncovering the truth.
“Journalism doesn’t stop. The truth doesn’t disappear,” he said.
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