Cambodia will begin conscripting civilians into its military beginning next year, Prime Minister Hun Manet said on Monday, amid simmering tensions along its border with Thailand. Hostilities between the neighbors spiked in recent weeks after a Cambodian soldier was killed in a shooting incident on May 28 along a contested border area. Since then, some border areas have seen closures, Cambodia has petitioned the International Court of Justice and banned some Thai imports, and Thailand has suspended its prime minister, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, amid negative reaction to a leaked phone call…
Category: RFA
Vietnam to ban gas-powered motorbikes in central Hanoi next year
Vietnam will ban fossil-fuel-powered motorcycles and mopeds in the heart of Hanoi starting in July 2026 in an effort to reduce air pollution, state media reported on Monday, curbing the main mode of transport for many of the city’s 8 million residents. Issued by Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, the directive applies to the area within the main ring road around central Hanoi, home to much of the city’s business activity. The city has nearly 7 million motorbikes and a million cars. vietnam-motorcycle-ban A man transports orchids on his motorcycle…
Video: U.S. Secretary of State Rubio meets Chinese Foreign Minister Wang at ASEAN
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Friday that he had “positive and constructive” talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, amid tensions over tariffs and trade. Rubio was in Malaysia on his first Asia trip since taking office, looking to stress U.S. commitment to the region at the East Asia Summit and ASEAN Regional Forum, as countries received notices of U.S. tariffs announced by U.S. President Donald Trump this week. Video: Rubio meets Wang at sidelines of ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur.At a Thursday photo-op before the start…
Constitutional amendment allows Cambodian government to revoke citizenship
Cambodian lawmakers on Friday voted unanimously to pass a constitutional amendment that would allow the government to create legislation that would revoke the citizenship of Cambodians found guilty of conspiring with foreign nations to harm the national interest. The change would apply to people who were born Cambodian citizens, people with dual citizenship in Cambodia and another country, and people from other nations who have been granted Cambodian citizenship. All 125 members of the National Assembly voted for the resolution, which legally amends Article 33 of the Cambodian constitution. The…
PERSPECTIVE: Why Vietnam’s To Lam moved so quickly to restructure the government
Read about this topic in Vietnamese In less than a year as general secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam, To Lam has made moves likened to the drastic cuts that U.S. President Donald Trump and Elon Musk have implemented to U.S. federal agencies through the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). To Lam has merged ministries and central government agencies, reduced the number of provinces and cities by half, and dismantled district-level administrative units. Why did To Lam move so fast with reforms, and what are the political, social, and…
Proposed law would give Cambodia’s government power to revoke citizenship
A proposed amendment to Cambodia’s constitution would allow the government to revoke the citizenship of Cambodian dissidents — a step that critics say would suppress internal dissent and eliminate political competition. Hun Sen, the former Cambodian prime minister who now leads the country’s Senate, has framed the legislation as part of a call for public unity amid a border dispute with neighboring Thailand. cambodia-citizen-amendment-proposed Cambodian Senate President Hun Sen speaks in Preah Vihear on June 27, 2025. (Hun Sen via Facebook) “There may be a need to amend the constitution…
PHOTOS: Dalai Lama celebrates 90th birthday, says he hopes to live beyond 130 years
Updated at 11:02 p.m. ET DHARAMSALA, India — Amid the sound of drums, music, and applause, the Dalai Lama stepped into Dharamsala’s main temple courtyard on Sunday, his 90th birthday. Welcomed by Tibetan cultural performers, the Tibetan spiritual leader was greeted by schoolchildren dressed in uniforms, monks, and residents, both young and old, in their finest traditional attire. Video: The Dalai Lama celebrates his 90th birthday with thousands at his home-in-exile.The stage featured a backdrop proclaiming a “Year of Compassion” with images of Nelson Mandela, Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr.,…
Dalai Lama succession: China warns India against interfering in Tibet-related matters
China warned India on Friday against interfering in Tibet-related matters after an Indian minister supported the Dalai Lama’s statement that his successor should be chosen by a Tibetan nonprofit group, rejecting moves by China to steer his succession. Video: China warns India against interfering in Tibet-related matters“No one has the right to interfere or decide who the successor of His Holiness the Dalai Lama will be,” said Kiren Rijiju, India’s minister for minority affairs. China’s foreign ministry urged India to be prudent in its words and actions. “We hope the…
At 90, Dalai Lama still charts an uncertain future
The Dalai Lama turns 90 years old on Sunday, a milestone birthday for the spiritual leader who transformed from humble origins in the then-remote, inaccessible “Roof of the World” to global statesman and Buddhist leader helming one of history’s longest non-violent resistance movements. As he had promised more than a decade ago, the Dalai Lama announced ahead of his 90th birthday that the institution of the Dalai Lama will continue on to a successor — one that he said would be selected by his non-profit, not the Chinese government. Beijing,…
Censor-busting dissident shines light on overworked Chinese students
An 8th grader from Hunan province was “extremely stressed” — for good reason. His top-ranking middle school demanded he study 85 hours a week, with just two days off a month. “Teachers threatened us that if we reported it, we would be expelled from school,” the student wrote. His story and more than 4,000 like it have been submitted anonymously to a crowd-sourcing website that is shining a light on overworked Chinese students who are nervous about speaking about their plight to authorities. china-teacher-li-icu-611 Students study in the evening ahead…