Bangladesh is Poised for an Election...

Bangladesh’s Election Commission set the country on a familiar but gravely uncertain path last week when it announced Jan. 7 as the date for the 12th parliamentary elections. 

Hundreds of Myanmar Villagers Report Diseases...

Residents in northern Myanmar are contracting diseases from nearby chemical waste, residents told Radio Free Asia. In Kachin state, rare earth mining produces toxic chemicals that end up in water sources, they said.

Myanmar Junta Uses Pregnant Women and...

Nearly 100 civilians were caught in a battle in western Myanmar on Tuesday, locals told Radio Free Asia. As fighting in Rakhine state between the Arakan Army and junta forces continues over the disputed town of Pauktaw, residents report an increase in abductions and injuries across the region.  

Nanjing Dissident Journalist Sun Lin Dies...

Nanjing dissident journalist Sun Lin, who used the pen name Jie Mu, has died following a raid by state security police on his home last week, Radio Free Asia has learned.

North Korea Cracks Down on Unregistered...

North Korean authorities are cracking down on people who use unregistered laptops and tablets to keep them from watching foreign “anti-socialist” videos, residents in the country told Radio Free Asia.

Ongoing Conflict in Northern Myanmar Kills...

Residents in northeastern Myanmar are facing both a humanitarian crisis and intense conflict, people living in the area told Radio Free Asia. On Sunday night, airstrikes by junta forces killed two people, including a child, in Shan state.  

Myanmar Junta Attacks by Air,River During...

The latest clash in western Myanmar between the Arakan Army and junta troops drove 20,000 people from their homes, residents told Radio Free Asia. After the ethnic armed group seized a police station in Rakhine state Thursday morning, junta forces retaliated with airstrikes. 

4 Tibetans Sentenced to Prison for...

China has sentenced four Tibetans from Sertar county in Sichuan province to two years in prison each for engaging in religious activities — the second time they have been arrested and given jail time, said two Tibetans with knowledge of the situation. 

Myanmar’s Kunta Ambushes Rakhine Village at...

Four children were also injured in the surprise attack. By RFA Burmese Shrapnel from a shell explosion killed three villagers and injured several others in western Myanmar on Tuesday night, residents told Radio Free Asia. Four children were among the eight injured in Rakhine state as attacks escalate.  No fighting preceded the attack, locals said. …

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How Customary Laws Help an Indonesian...

Taufan Bustan/Sigi,Indonesia Every morning, Abter Tendesabu puts on his boots, grabs his machete and heads to his farm in the forest.  As he nears the edge of the woods, he hears the cicadas – their loud buzzing, chirping, squawking sounds. “They alert me that I have entered the forest,” Abter, of the Lindu tribe, tells …

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