Radio Free Asia

09/12/2021

China has entered a period of “deep aging,” as nearly 150 cities across the country are home to populations in which nearly one in every seven people is over the age of 65. The fastest-aging regions are mostly locted around the Yangtze River, the southwestern cities of Chongqing and Chengdu, and the urban industrial northeast, the report said, while seven provinces are home to 10 or more “aging cities.”

Alternatively, China’s coastal regions are seeing a bigger influx of younger people from elsewhere in the country, resulting in comparatively low rates of aging, the new report by China Business News said. "The real rate of aging in China is much more serious than current announcements suggest," Yi Fuxian, a senior researcher at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, told RFA.

Read more at https://bit.ly/ChinaAging

China has entered a period of “deep aging,” as nearly 150 cities across the country are home to populations in which nearly one in every seven people is over the age of 65. The fastest-aging regions are mostly locted around the Yangtze River, the southwestern cities of Chongqing and Chengdu, and the urban industrial northeast, the report said, while seven provinces are home to 10 or more “aging cities.”

Alternatively, China’s coastal regions are seeing a bigger influx of younger people from elsewhere in the country, resulting in comparatively low rates of aging, the new report by China Business News said. "The real rate of aging in China is much more serious than current announcements suggest," Yi Fuxian, a senior researcher at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, told RFA.

Read more at https://bit.ly/ChinaAging

09/11/2021

North Korean authorities have ordered soldiers to shoot citizens who steal produce from farmland amid a nationwide food shortage. The directive was issued amid an extensive investigation into the recent unprecedented theft of antibiotics from a government warehouse. Together, the incidents lead analysts to believe the country’s food and medicine crisis is worsening.

“If the authorities do nothing to prevent this, harvest yields will be greatly reduced,” a military source told RFA. Following the break-in at the warehouse, the price of 100 milligrams of penicillin jumped from 1,500 won (U.S. $0.25) to about 3,000 won, a second source said.

Read more at https://bit.ly/NKFoodShortage

North Korean authorities have ordered soldiers to shoot citizens who steal produce from farmland amid a nationwide food shortage. The directive was issued amid an extensive investigation into the recent unprecedented theft of antibiotics from a government warehouse. Together, the incidents lead analysts to believe the country’s food and medicine crisis is worsening.

“If the authorities do nothing to prevent this, harvest yields will be greatly reduced,” a military source told RFA. Following the break-in at the warehouse, the price of 100 milligrams of penicillin jumped from 1,500 won (U.S. $0.25) to about 3,000 won, a second source said.

Read more at https://bit.ly/NKFoodShortage

09/11/2021

As the Vietnamese government continues to enforce strict lockdowns amid an outbreak of COVID-19, Hanoi is being divided into “zones” that indicate various levels of restrictions. Only in “green zones,” where there’s no known COVID cases, can people still move about freely.

But in “red zones” with COVID cases, like the one where Ngoc Ha lives, nearly every aspect of daily life is restricted. She can only go out to shop for food three times a week and says her block has now become “a kind of prison camp.” A double barrier now blocks the main entrance to her residential ward of a dozen households.

The 50-year-old mother of two is at her wit’s end. “What happens if there is a fire? Or an emergency?” she asks her ward manager. “Do you expect people to get off a stretcher and jump themselves over the barricade?”

One veteran doctor who spoke to RFA on condition of anonymity said the nation had become “too complacent” after dealing with outbreaks last year. “The government thought it was easy to contain the virus this time, too. We have had a whole year, but did not make any preparation in terms of medical resources and procurement of vaccines.”

Read more at https://bit.ly/VietnamCOVIDChaos

As the Vietnamese government continues to enforce strict lockdowns amid an outbreak of COVID-19, Hanoi is being divided into “zones” that indicate various levels of restrictions. Only in “green zones,” where there’s no known COVID cases, can people still move about freely.

But in “red zones” with COVID cases, like the one where Ngoc Ha lives, nearly every aspect of daily life is restricted. She can only go out to shop for food three times a week and says her block has now become “a kind of prison camp.” A double barrier now blocks the main entrance to her residential ward of a dozen households.

The 50-year-old mother of two is at her wit’s end. “What happens if there is a fire? Or an emergency?” she asks her ward manager. “Do you expect people to get off a stretcher and jump themselves over the barricade?”

One veteran doctor who spoke to RFA on condition of anonymity said the nation had become “too complacent” after dealing with outbreaks last year. “The government thought it was easy to contain the virus this time, too. We have had a whole year, but did not make any preparation in terms of medical resources and procurement of vaccines.”

Read more at https://bit.ly/VietnamCOVIDChaos

09/11/2021

Taliban Tells China No Sign of Banned Uyghur Outfit in Afghanistan

A shadowy Uyghur Islamic group that China has used as justification for increasingly harsh rule over the Muslim ethnic minority in its far-western Xinjiang region is not present in Afghanistan and won’t be allowed to return, a Taliban spokesman told Chinese state media.

China brands Uyghur activists East Turkestan Islamic Movement ‘terrorists,’ but the US says the group hasn’t existed in a long time.

09/11/2021

Mytel Co. Towers Blown Up in Myanmar

At least 42 military-run Mytel Co. telecommunications towers have been destroyed in Myanmar since Sept. 4, according to local witnesses and RFA’s data. Two-thirds of them were located in Sagaing region and were destroyed by local People’s Defense Force (PDF) militias that formed in opposition to the Feb. 1 military coup.

Boh Nagar of the Pale Township PDF said that the towers were targeted to prevent revenue from the military-owned telecommunications company from being used to buy ammunition to kill civilians. Days ago, Myanmar’s shadow government of lawmakers ousted by the military called for a nationwide state of emergency and declared war on the junta.

Mytel Co. is 49 percent owned by Viettel, a business run by the Vietnamese military, with the remaining shares split between the Myanmar military’s Myanmar Economic Corporation and Myanmar National Telecoms Holdings Public Company Ltd. As many as 11 Mytel towers were destroyed on Sept. 7 alone in Sagaing region’s Butalin township.

Read more at https://bit.ly/MyanmarTelecom

09/11/2021

Anti-Junta Militias Destroy Four Dozen Towers of Telecom Run by Military

"They were blown up mainly because they were businesses run by [junta leader] Min Aung Hlaing’s family. They are earning revenue from phone bills.”

The groups want to cut off revenue they say is used to purchase weapons to kill civilians.

09/10/2021

Above Our Price Range

The price of Pyongyang's signature Naengmyeon, a savory buckwheat noodle dish served cold, jumped more than twentyfold after state restaurants lifted controls in the face of severe food shortages in North Korea. The sharp price hike turned a popular light summer meal into a luxury beyond the means of ordinary residents of a country that is slipping into food insecurity brought on by the early 2020 shutdown of all border trade with China to fight the coronavirus pandemic.

Illustration by RFA's Rebel Pepper

Above Our Price Range

The price of Pyongyang's signature Naengmyeon, a savory buckwheat noodle dish served cold, jumped more than twentyfold after state restaurants lifted controls in the face of severe food shortages in North Korea. The sharp price hike turned a popular light summer meal into a luxury beyond the means of ordinary residents of a country that is slipping into food insecurity brought on by the early 2020 shutdown of all border trade with China to fight the coronavirus pandemic.

Illustration by RFA's Rebel Pepper

09/10/2021

Third Vietnamese Charged For Facebook Connections With US-Based Exile Group

Le Thi Kim Phi, 62, used a Facebook profile under the name “Phi Kim” to connect with members of the Provisional Government of Vietnam, a U.S.-based opposition group, said the investigation division of the An Giang Police.

Le Thi Kim Phi used the social media platform to connect with other members of the Provisional Government of Vietnam, authorities say.

09/10/2021

US President Biden, Xi Jinping Speak by Phone, With Beijing Saying US ‘Needs Cooperation’

US President Joe Biden and China's President Xi Jinping speak by phone on Thursday night in a move toward outreach that Beijing says was prompted by the United States' need for China's cooperation on a range of global issues.

The phone call comes amid growing tensions over Chinese actions in Tibet, Hong Kong, Xinjiang, and the South China Sea.

09/10/2021

Anti-Coup Militias Blow Up Telecom Towers in Northwestern Myanmar

Anti-coup militias blow up telecom towers in northwestern Myanmar. One militia member told RFA that the towers were targeted to halt money from flowing into Mytel, the military-owned telecom company.

09/10/2021

Cambodian Migrant Workers Complain of Extended Quarantines Amid COVID Surge

Cambodian migrant workers returning from neighboring Thailand amid the coronavirus pandemic say authorities are keeping them in quarantine facilities near the Thai border more than twice as long as required, resulting in the spread of COVID-19 infections in the centers.

Some say that close confinement and poor hygiene in isolation facilities are making the situation worse.

09/10/2021

Taiwan is bracing for a strong typhoon that appears to be heading directly to the island after it skirted past the Philippines on Friday. Authorities began preparations for high waves hitting Taiwan’s southern coast and agencies issued warnings to citizens to shelter during the storm. The Philippines announced that the typhoon was moving with sustained winds of 215 kilometers per hour in its core and accompanied by gusts of up to 265 kph.

Photos: Reuters

09/10/2021

China's Gas Shortage Boosts Central Asia's Role

"Russia and China have been reconciling any differences or rivalry over Central Asia ever since the creation of the SCO was announced in 2001... What's happening in Afghanistan only pushes their cooperation and coordination closer."

Climate and security pressures raise questions for military ties with Russia and regional control.

09/10/2021

Tiananmen Vigil Organizers Denied Bail As Rights Groups, U.K. Slam Subversion Charges

Chow Hang-tung, vice chair of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, was returned to custody on Friday after the hearing, the contents of which are not allowed to be reported by the media under Hong Kong law.

Dozens of supporters showed up to support Chow outside the court building wearing T-shirts bearing the words "Never forget June 4," "Overturn the June 4 verdict" and, simply "Truth."

One supporter, who gave only the surname Law, said it was important not to cave in to attempts by the authorities to silence people through fear.

"We shouldn't take on the fear inflicted by the regime, and become terrified ourselves," Law told RFA. "Chow Hang-tung has already been brave enough to argue against the absurdity of the national security law from her prison cell."

Hong Kong's national security law is being used to dismantle civil society and stifle dissent, the UK says.

09/10/2021

China Hauls in Tech Giants Over Underage Gaming Rules, Shares Tumble

China tightens restrictions on video games, suspending the registration of new offerings, as government authorities criticize what they call the 'spiritual o***m' of addiction to gaming.

The government also temporarily suspends approvals for new video games coming to market.

09/10/2021

China's Population Enters 'Deep Aging' in Many Major Cities

China's population enters 'deep aging' in many major cities, with experts saying official figures hide the true number of people over 65.

Experts say official figures mask the true proportion of people over 65, and call for changes to household registrations.

09/10/2021

Mainland Chinese Dissidents Hit Out at Police Raid on Hong Kong Alliance

Political dissidents in mainland China hit out at the arrests of Hong Kong democracy activists, saying the group is 'worthy of respect.'

Veterans of the Tiananmen massacre and mainland Chinese pro-democracy activists say Hong Kong's Alliance is worthy of 'great respect.'

09/10/2021

Hong Kong Police Raid Tiananmen Museum, Charge Founders With 'Subversion'

Police from Hong Kong's National Security Department charge the founders of the city's June 4th Museum with "incitement to subversion" for their work keeping memories of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre in Beijing alive.

Police haul away exhibits and boxes of materials after the organizers of a candlelight vigil refuse to comply with a request for evidence.

09/09/2021

Myanmar’s Students Sacrifice Books For Bullets in ‘Fight For Future’ Against Junta

“It is true that I am underage according to international law and laws against child soldiers, but [the military is] killing people whether they are underage or not. International law doesn’t mean anything to the military.”

A growing number of children are leaving school and picking up arms out of desperation.

09/09/2021

North Korean Restaurants Abandon Price Controls Amid Food Shortages

"A bowl of naengmyeon is more than two months’ wages, so how can ordinary citizens afford that?”

Pyongyang’s Okryu-gwan restaurant can no longer carry out its state-sponsored mission to serve naengmyeon noodles to the masses.

09/09/2021

Cambodian Court Sentences Seven Opposition Activists to Prison in Absentia For ‘Incitement’

“I will continue to speak out against the government,” Ron Chanthy said, adding that he believes it is “useless to appeal” the verdict. “There is no justice for me because the court is being influenced by Hun Sen.”

The seven had criticized Prime Minister Hun Sen for his response to the coronavirus.

09/09/2021

China Slams Second Session of Uyghur Tribunal Investigating Human Rights Abuses

China has denied widespread and documented allegations that it has subjected Muslims living in Xinjiang to severe rights abuses. Beijing has condemned the Uyghur Tribunal and smeared its participants ahead of the start of the second round of hearings on Friday.

The panel, which has no state backing, aims to galvanize international action to hold China accountable for alleged maltreatment of the minority group.

09/09/2021

Vietnam Indicts Five Journalists From Facebook-Based Outlet

“If you want to impose a lighter penalty, go with Article 331 and if you want a more serious one, go with Article 117.”

A legal expert explains that Articles 331 and 117 of the penal code are basically the same.

09/09/2021

North Korea recently held a nighttime “Labor and Peasants Red Guard” parade outside of its normally scheduled timeline, focusing heavily on showcasing the country’s stature. Some South Korean experts who spoke to RFA said that by highlighting workers rather than soldiers, the government was likely trying to send a message of self-reliance despite the challenges it faces in the COVID-19 pandemic and international sanctions.

The parade saw students marching in groups with weapons and leader Kim Jong Un being embraced by children. Observers said it is unusual for North Korea to hold military anniversary parades at night and in between typical five-year intervals.

Unlike those designed to send messages to the United States, the Labor and Peasants Red Guard parade did not showcase new weapons, missiles, or military capabilities. Analysts said that North Korea held the parade in order to bolster internal support for the regime amid COVID-19, sanctions, and recent natural disasters.

Photos: @afpphoto