BANGKOK – The Vietnamese government says it is expecting a sizable U.S. presence when it marks the 50th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War on April 30, despite media reports that the Trump administration told diplomats to stay away from events. Ceremonies in Ho Chi Minh City will be attended by “delegations led by high-level leaders, political parties, international organizations, peace movements and anti-war movements, including those from the U.S.,” according to Vietnam’s foreign ministry spokesperson Pham Thu Hang. The New York Times cited four anonymous U.S. officials…
Category: RFA
China forces Weibo account for gay community to drop ‘comrade’ from name
A popular account on Chinese microblogging platform Weibo was forced to change its name from “Voice of Comrade” as the term refers to homosexuality, prompting intense criticism of Chinese regulators, known for censoring content with gay themes. The word “tongzhi” or “comrade” – widely used by China’s Communist Party to address cadres – has in recent decades been embraced by the country’s gay community to refer to homosexuals in an effort to replace derogatory words that previously defined them. On Tuesday, the account name “Voice of Comrade” was suddenly deleted…
Vietnamese monk forced to cut short his walk through Sri Lanka, heads to India
Authorities have barred a Vietnamese Buddhist monk from continuing a barefoot pilgrimage through Sri Lanka so he’s departing instead for his final destination, India, a source told Radio Free Asia. Thich Minh Tue, who departed on a multi-nation journey from Vietnam four months ago, was stopped in his tracks by Sri Lankan police last week who cited a letter from Vietnam’s state-sanctioned Buddhist sangha – or Buddhist religious association – describing him as posing a threat to public order. His group, which also includes 10 volunteers, has since been provided…
PHOTOS: Mementos of fallen children recovered from the rubble in quake-hit Myanmar
Four weeks after a devastating earthquake in central Myanmar, a local charity has retrieved dust-covered backpacks, water bottles and lunch boxes from the rubble of “Bright Kids” pre-school in Sagaing city and returned those belongings to tearful parents. Bright Kids had about 20 children attending when the 7.7 magnitude quake struck on March 28, killing more than 3,700 people. Seven children and one teacher died when the school collapsed. myanmar-earthquake-school Workers retrieve children’s belongings at a destroyed pre-school in Sagaing city, Myanmar, on April 24, 2025, four weeks after Myanmar’s…
China’s DeepSeek transferred South Korean user info overseas: Seoul regulator
TAIPEI, Taiwan – Chinese generative AI service DeepSeek transferred Korean users’ personal information to companies in China and the United States without proper consent during its brief operation in the country, South Korea’s data protection watchdog said on Thursday. DeepSeek’s chatbot app once became the most downloaded on Apple’s iPhone, surpassing U.S. company OpenAI’s ChatGPT. While praised for efficiency, it raised concerns over censorship of sensitive topics, data privacy and ties to the Chinese government, with some governments, including South Korea, banning the app. DeepSeek transferred user data to three…
InDrive ride-hailing app faces deletion in Laos
Ride-hailing app inDrive is under risk of being scrapped in Laos after recent reports of sexual assaults by drivers that raised concerns over a lack of safety provisions for users, state media say. A 15-year-old girl reported to police that she was sexually assaulted by an inDrive operator after she booked a journey on Saturday in the capital, Vientiane, from the bus terminal to her workplace. Screen from InDrive rideshare app Screen from InDrive rideshare app (InDrive) Police in Vientiane told RFA that they are aware of the complaint. It…
In a break with precedent, Taiwan’s president won’t attend pope funeral
Taiwan wanted to send its President Lai Ching-te to Saturday’s funeral of Pope Francis but after negotiations with the Vatican, the Foreign Ministry said a former vice president will attend instead. Analysts say the Vatican may be concerned about angering China, which views self-ruling Taiwan as part of its territory. The Vatican is one of only 12 countries to maintain formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan. Taiwanese presidents have attended the most recent papal inauguration in 2013 and funeral in 2005. Taiwan’s Vice Foreign Minister Wu Chih-chung said on Tuesday that…
Peppa Pig, children’s animated series, now in Tibetan language
Peppa Pig – the beloved character in the children’s animated series – now speaks Tibetan. U.S.-based non-profit Tibet Fund on Wednesday announced the launch of the popular children’s cartoon show in the Tibetan language. The New York-based fund says the effort is aimed at strengthening Tibetan language education for young learners and preserving their cultural and linguistic identity – something that’s increasingly precarious within Tibet itself, where Chinese authorities require children to learn in Mandarin language instead. tibetan-peppa-pig Tibetan version of the British cartoon series Peppa Pig is dubbed into…
Cambodian PM thanks Thailand for suppressing dissidents
BANGKOK – The Cambodian prime minister on Wednesday thanked Thailand for not allowing its territory to be used to “interfere” in Cambodian affairs as a human rights group accused the two governments of running a repressive “swap mart” to silence each other’s dissidents. Prime Minister Hun Manet offered his thanks during an official visit to Phnom Penh by Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra marking the 75th anniversary of modern diplomatic ties, which began in 1950. Manet and Paetongtarn signed cooperation agreements on labor and workforce skill development, road maintenance, cross-border…
Myanmar junta announces ceasefire extension
Myanmar’s junta announced that it will extend its 20-day ceasefire until April 30 to aid in the country’s earthquake recovery, state-run broadcaster MRTV reported. A devastating magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck near Mandalay on March 28, resulting in over 3,700 deaths and injuring more than 5,000 people. In response to the disaster, the junta announced a temporary ceasefire to facilitate relief efforts. The exiled civilian National Unity Government, or NUG, and several ethnic armed groups declared similar pauses in hostilities. However, such ceasefires have offered little protection to civilians as military…