Day: February 26, 2024

An American official expressed deep concern about the arrest of over 1,000 Tibetans protesting a dam project in central China that would destroy several Buddhist monasteries, saying the United States “stands with Tibetans in preserving their unique cultural, religious, and linguistic identity.” 

Tibetan advocacy groups condemned China’s actions, calling for the immediate release of those detained.

On Feb. 23, police arrested more than 1,000 Tibetans, including monks and residents, in Dege county in Kardze Autonomous Tibetan Prefecture, who had been peacefully protesting against the dam, which would also force two villages to be relocated, sources told Radio Free Asia. 

Over the weekend, police began interrogations, beating some detainees so badly that they required medical attention, sources told RFA. 

Uzra Zeya, U.S. under secretary for civilian security, democracy and human rights and U.S. special coordinator for Tibetan Issues, said on X on Feb. 25 that she was deeply concerned by reports of the “mass arrests of Tibetans protesting the construction of a dam that threatens displacement of villages & destruction of monasteries.”

“China must respect human rights & freedom of expression and include Tibetans in the development & implementation of water and land management policies,” she tweeted. 

“These centuries-old monasteries are home to hundreds of Tibetan Buddhist monks and contain irreplaceable cultural relics,” she wrote. “The U.S. stands with Tibetans in preserving their unique cultural, religious, and linguistic identity.”  

‘Wiping out culture and religion’

The arrests “should be a reminder to the world of how brutal daily life under China’s occupation is for the Tibetan people,” a  statement issued Monday on X from the International Campaign for Tibet by its president, Tencho Gyatso.

“China tries to hide its forced relocation of Tibetans, its destruction of their environment, and its attempts to wipe out their culture and religion,” the statement said.

Saying the protesters demonstrated “incredible courage,” Gyatso said they needed the support of the international community. 

“We call on the Chinese government to free these Tibetans at once,” she said. “We also call on the U.S. and other governments to step up pressure on China to end its vicious occupation of Tibet.”

Four Tibetan NGOs based in Dharamsala, India, home to the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, issued a statement of solidarity with the Tibetan community in Dege county.

They said that the displacement of Tibetan communities is “not new phenomena,” just one of many examples.

“The continued disregard for the rights and well-being of Tibetans in the face of such development projects is unacceptable and demands immediate attention from the international community,” said the statement by the Tibetan Women’s Association, National Democratic Party of Tibet, Regional Tibetan Youth Congress and Students for a Free Tibet. 

Environmental disruption

The four groups went on to say that the construction of the dam not only threatens the local Tibetan community but also poses a risk to the fragile ecosystem of the Tibetan plateau. 

“Any disruption to Tibet’s rivers and a diversion of the rivers could have far-reaching consequences for the environment, biodiversity, and livelihoods of millions of people downstream,” they said. 

William Nee, research and advocacy coordinator at Chinese Human Rights Defenders, or CHRD, told RFA that his organization was concerned about the situation of the detainees, whether they are being maltreated and if they have sufficient food. 

RFA reported earlier that authorities told those who were arrested to bring bedding and food, suggesting they would not be released soon.

CHRD was also concerned whether authorities were giving those arrested access to relatives and lawyers, and whether they were being detained according to Chinese Criminal Procedure Law. 

“But beyond that, there are also concerns about the livelihood of the potentially affected communities by the dam and whether this has been taken into consideration,” Nee said. “And also the cultural rights, given that this might impact monasteries – some having ancient murals going back to the 13th century.”   

Khenpo Sonam Tenphel, speaker of the Tibetan parliament-in-exile, tweeted on X that Tibetans worldwide condemned the crackdown. 

“We urge China to promptly release those detained and to cease the dam construction,” he tweeted. “It is crucial for China to acknowledge the peaceful protests of Tibetans, addressing their concerns about preserving historic monasteries and safeguarding their homes.”

Translated and edited by Tenzin Pema. Edited by Roseanne Gerin and Malcolm Foster.

A Uyghur activist disrupted a Lunar New Year event hosted by the Chinese Embassy in the Netherlands on Saturday, storming on stage and shouting “China, stop genocide!” before organizers subdued him, a video on social media shows.

The activist, Abdulrahman Uyghur, posted a video of the protest on his Facebook page, writing that he held a sign saying, “East Turkistan is not part of China!,” the Uyghurs’ preferred name for their homeland, which China calls Xinjiang. 

He said the moment he disrupted the event was at the end, when Chinese officials were taking photos.  “Then I was tackled and led out of the venue,” he wrote. “Police took me to the police station, fined me and let me go.”

RFA attempted to contact Abdulrahman Uyghur for comment, but he did not want to speak with the media.

، اليوم هو عيد 元宵节في تقويم الصين “. عندما اجتمع المسؤولون الصينيون على المسرح لالتقاط الصور، قمت برفع لافتة تقول #تركستان_الشرقي_ليست_جزءًا_من_الصين و صرخت في وجوه الصينيين #StopUyghurGenocide
بعدين أعتقلت و أعطاني غرامة pic.twitter.com/2Su3NCyuBx

— ئابدۇراھمان م. الأويغوري(عبدالرحمن بن محمد ) (@abdulrahman_uyg) February 24, 2024

But Abdurehim Gheni, a fellow activist who was in the building at the same time, told RFA Uyghur that he and other activists were upset because the event was “pushing propaganda” about Uyghurs.

“We learned that they were going to portray the Uyghurs as living happily in China during this celebration,” said Gheni. “They were going to dress up Chinese girls as Uyghurs and dance in order to cover up the genocide.”

“We’re obviously against it,” he said. “We used our freedom and peacefully exposed China’s shameful deception to the world.”

RFA attempted to contact the Chinese Embassy oin the Netherlands, but calls went unanswered.

Since 2017, China has imprisoned an estimated 1.8 million Uyghurs and other Turkic minorities in “re-education camps,” where they are subjected to forced labor. Those not in camps – which China said are vocational centers that have been closed – are subjected to surveillance, religious restrictions, forced sterilizations and forced labor. 

The United States and other governments have branded China’s persecution of the Uyghurs and other Turkic minorities a genocide, and an exhaustive United Nations investigation concluded that China’s treatment of the Uyghurs may amount to crimes against humanity.

On X, observers expressed their outrage at the event, which they said showed Han Chinese dancers in Uyghur dress.

“#ChineseNewYear festivities in #DenHaag City Hall last Saturday included Chinese girls in Uyghur dresses, dancing happily ?!?,” wrote Ardi Bouwers, part of an organization called China Circle at the University of Amsterdam. “@GemeenteDenHaag, why help promote China’s ethno-nationalist agenda? An Uyghur disrupted the event.”

The Dutch Uyghur Human Rights Foundation said on X that the event featured “fake Uyghur children,” and called Abdulrahman Uyghur “courageous.”

Translated by Alim Seytoff. Edited by Malcolm Foster.

Fighting between the rebel Kachin Independence Army and the junta’s military over control of Myanmar’s largest jade mine – an important source of wealth – has intensified since the beginning of the year, according to local residents and political observers.

Since the February 2021 military coup d’etat, both the junta and the KIA have relied on natural resources to fund their operations, and Hpakant is a particularly important area, said Aung Hein Min, a Kachin political analyst.

“The armed groups are trying to control these areas as it is strategically important for both military and financial support,” said Aung Hein Min, an elected parliamentarian for Hpakant township in 2020. “It is an important point to control jade production.”

The area produces about 70% of the world’s jade, which is popular in neighboring China, according to researchers and gem experts.

On Jan. 20, anti-junta People’s Defense Forces and the Kachin Independence Army, or KIA, together attacked and seized Hway Hkar, a strategic hill, from the junta’s 33rd Military Division, a major gateway for Hpakant township in northern Myanmar’s Kachin state. 

The joint KIA and PDF forces also took control of the junta’s nearby Nam Tein military camp on Feb. 2, local residents told Radio Free Asia.

“These are strategic hills where military forces have been stationed for about a decade,” a resident said on condition of anonymity. “The military council has lost these hills after serious attacks by rebel forces.”

The KIA and the junta both typically collect about 20 percent of jade production in exchange for giving permission to miners to extract in their areas of control, according to an April 2023 report from the Kachin State Accountability Resource Governance group. 

The Kachin Independence Organization, or KIO – the political wing of the KIA – has clashed with the Myanmar military for decades.

The KIO sometimes works with Chinese companies in mining rare earth minerals in Kachin state, where successive governments have failed to regulate illegal mining for gold, jade and other rare metals for generations. 

Junta troops and the KIA have fought about 35 battles in the area since early February, according to Col. Naw Bu, the KIO’s news and information officer. The KIA has captured a total of 10 military camps since last month, he said.

“We can’t talk about military strategy to the media,” he said to RFA. “We have nothing to say about significant developments until now despite the escalation of battles.”

RFA tried to contact Social Affairs Minister Thant Zin Koko, the spokesperson of the junta’s Kachin state government, to ask about the recent fighting in Hpakant, but he couldn’t be reached.

Translated by Aung Naing. Edited by Matt Reed and Malcolm Foster.

A hotel official apologized for a ring-toss game captured on video in which Chinese guests tossed hoops around Lao female hotel employees, sparking public outrage.

The short video of the Feb. 14 Lunar New Year activity  at the Chinese-owned Vientiane Mekong Hotel went viral after it was posted on Facebook, prompting thousands of angry comments saying the women were treated as animals or toys.

On Feb. 22, the hotel’s deputy manager, identified only as A. Li, apologized in writing in Vientiane Mai, a state-controlled newspaper.

“I, the deputy manager of the hotel, am issuing this statement taking responsibility for the degrading offense and would like to apologize to the Lao people and promise that our hotel will comply with all the rules and laws of the Lao P.D.R.,” he wrote.

The deputy manager went on to say that the hotel would not allow such games to be played again and that it would not do anything that would insult Lao culture. 

“If the hotel [engages in] any activity degrading Lao culture again, the hotel management will be ready to be punished, such as the hotel being permanently shut down,” the apology read. “Once again, the hotel is begging for your forgiveness.”

The video obtained by Radio Free Asia shows a dozen young Lao women in short uniforms standing on steps outside the hotel as a group of Chinese men take turns tossing hoops at them, hoping to ring their bodies for the prizes they held — cans and bottles of beer, wine or spirits. 

The video was posted on the Facebook page of Joseph Akaravong, whose online profile says he is from Luang Prabang, Laos, but lives in Paris. 

A former hotel employee, who like other sources in this report requested anonymity to speak freely about the incident without retribution, told Radio Free Asia on Monday that the hotel initially believed the game would attract more customers. 

“The hotel conducted this activity only once and for entertaining customers during the Chinese New Year only,” the former worker said.

But a tourism expert said Lao authorities should take strict measures against the wrongdoers. 

“I’ve seen the apology, but the hotel hasn’t done anything to compensate the victims,” the person said. “This kind of act disparaged women, made our hotels in Laos look bad, degraded the female employees and violated Lao culture.”

An operator of another hotel in Vientiane said all hotels, especially Chinese-owned ones, should learn from the incident. 

“Although the hotel thought that this was just for fun, it was actually a severe violation of our culture,” the person said. “To prevent this incident from happening again, the authorities should take strict measures against the person [responsible].”

Though the activity may have offended Lao culture, those responsible for it did not break any laws, said a Lao lawyer.

“If one of the employees complains to the police, then the police should legally take action,” the lawyer said. “This is just an act of throwing hoops on the women, not an act of abusing them. Yes, abusing women is against the law.”

Translated by Phouvong for RFA Lao. Edited by Roseanne Gerin and Malcolm Foster.

The leader of Myanmar’s ethnic Shan rebel group has denied any connections to the Japanese yakuza leader who was charged in New York with attempting to traffick weapons-grade nuclear materials.

Yakuza leader Takeshi Ebisawa was charged with attempting to sell confirmed weapons-grade uranium and plutonium to a man he believed was part of Iran’s nuclear weapons program, but who was in fact an undercover agent working for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency.

Ebisawa and a group of associates allegedly transported the minerals out of Myanmar and into Thailand, holding them at one point at a hotel on the tropical island of Phuket. On video, he told the agent he was selling the materials on behalf of a rebel group leader in Myanmar.

The indictment issued by the U.S. Department of Justice did not identify the rebel group, but media speculation last week identified Shan state. However, the group said on Sunday that while it has discussed trafficking uranium, it never went further than that.

According to a post by Tai Freedom, a mouthpiece for the rebel group, Shan state leader Yawd Serk said a “foreigner” had once approached him looking to buy uranium “heard to be available in Shan state.” 

“However, he said that he had never heard of any place where uranium was produced,” Tai Freedom said in the post. “He simply replied that he would have to learn more about it because he didn’t even know about uranium. He has never discussed any transaction with anyone.”

Yawd Serk called the claims he was connected to the current trafficking case “just an act of discredit without any source, as he had previously been accused of being involved in the drug trade,” the post said.

Last week’s indictment did not confirm how the unnamed rebel leader – referred to only as “co-conspirator 1” – allegedly came to possess the materials, but did say he had claimed his group was “mining uranium in [its] territory in Burma,” and could mine “as much as 5 tons” of it.

Edited by Malcolm Foster.

Smugglers are sneaking into a Cambodian national park to harvest so-called “yellow vine,” possibly to sell in Laos as raw materials for illegal drug manufacturing, residents told Radio Free Asia.

Virachey National Park in northeastern Cambodia is already threatened by illegal logging, but yellow vine, which can be used for herbal remedies but is also believed to be a precursor for making the drug ecstasy or MDMA, is another valuable commodity. 

Those collecting it often don’t even know what it is for, but those who run the yellow vine trade seem to want to keep things quiet.

In 2012, Chut Wutty, a prominent Cambodian environmentalist was shot to death after taking photos of harvested vines near a processing factory.

According to Cambodia’s forest law, which went into effect in 2002, those convicted of processing yellow vine, which is the commonly used name of the woody climber Coscinium fenestratum, can be sentenced to between five and 10 years in prison.

Sometimes smugglers will drive trucks into the forest to harvest the vines. They also buy yellow vine from residents who live near the national park, a resident who refused to be named for safety reasons told RFA Khmer.

Baing Chhreap, a villager who himself has harvested vines, said he can sell them for 500 riel per kilogram (5 U.S. cents per pound). He said that harvesting in the national park is not punished because local authorities are colluding with businesses.

But he also said that those who harvest have no idea who their buyers are selling to.

‘Too busy to worry about it’

Chan Srouy, chief of the Sekong Commune near the national park, said he was aware that the vines are harvested but has no idea who the ringleaders are.

“I am very busy with the election,” he said, referring to weekend Senate elections. “I haven’t got time to visit the villages. You can talk with authorities.”

Ly Chandaravuth, an activist with the Mother Nature environmentalist group, said he is concerned that the middlemen sell the vines for illegal drug production. He urged authorities to immediately take action against the vine smuggling.

“I am concerned that yellow vines are smuggled to Laos,” he said. “I suspect the vines are being used to produce illegal drugs and will be imported back to Cambodia. We have wasted millions of dollars and human resources on drug related issues.”

Stung Treng Provincial spokesman Meng Kong said authorities have constantly cracked down on illegal smuggling and are investigating suspects to be brought to justice.

“We have detained many trucks and taken action according to the law,” he said. “In case there are more suspects we will take actions against them. I’ve received the information and are investigating.”

Am Sam Ath of the Cambodian League for the Promotion and Defense of Human Rights said the government should take immediate action against the illegal yellow vine trade.

Translated by Samean Yun. Edited by Eugene Whong and Malcolm Foster.