Australia’s top diplomat urged ASEAN on Wednesday to be vigilant in upholding the territorial rights of member-states that have claims in the South China Sea as the bloc negotiates with China for…
For Uyghurs seeking justice, UN panel confirms loved ones’ rights have been violated
Uyghurs seeking justice for loved ones imprisoned in China have turned to a little-known United Nations body for help. Over the past year, the U.N. Working Group on Arbitrary Detention has issued…
Police probe stand-up comedian who likened Chinese soldiers to feral dogs
Beijing police launched an investigation Wednesday into stand-up comedian Li Haoshi – who goes by the stage name House – after he sparked public ire with a joke that some said likened…
Myanmar’s oldest ethnic armed group rejects junta’s offer for peace talks
The Karen National Union, Myanmar’s oldest ethnic armed group that has allied itself with the anti-junta People Defense Forces and the shadow government made up of junta opponents, has rejected peace talks…
Overseas Skype callers lose access to China
Microsoft said changes made by “local telecom operators” in China have blocked calls into the country on Skype, the tech giant’s internet communicationsservice. RFA’s Mandarin Service reported on overseas Skype calls failing…
Death toll seen rising in Myanmar’s Rakhine state in aftermath of Cyclone Mocha
Cyclone Mocha killed about 460 Rohingya villagers in Myanmar’s Rakhine – deaths that humanitarian workers said could have been prevented if so many people hadn’t been living in restricted camps near the…
Vietnam denies UN inquiries about alleged repression of Khmer Krom minority
The Vietnamese government has denied allegations from United Nations experts that it represses the Khmer Krom minority living in the Mekong Delta region. The nearly 1.3-million strong ethnic group live in a…
Asia’s heatwaves 30 times more likely due to climate change, scientists say
The record-breaking humid heat wave that hit India, Bangladesh, Laos, and Thailand in April was made at least 30 times more likely as a result of human-induced climate change, while the next…
Myanmar’s junta shuts down 3 Mandalay hospitals
The junta has revoked the business licenses of three private hospitals in Myanmar’s central Mandalay region, it announced this week. Palace, City and Kant Kaw hospitals had already been told to stop…
China showcases weapons during Lao war games
Lao troops got firsthand experience using modern Chinese weapons during joint China-Laos military exercises, which analysts say neighboring Vietnam is watching warily. The three weeks of drills – Friendship Shield 2023 –…