The military-backed election commission in Myanmar set Dec. 28 for the initial phase of long-promised elections, the first since the 2021 coup that overthrew the country’s last elected government and kicked off a still-raging civil war. Junta leadership nominally transferred power to an interim government last month in preparation for the elections. Last week, Min Aung Hlaing, the military chief and acting president, called for increased security to protect politicians and voters, warning of a rise in attacks on civil servants, according to the state-run Global New Light of Myanmar…
Category: RFA
Hong Kong court hears closing arguments in Jimmy Lai trial
Closing arguments began Monday in the trial of Jimmy Lai, the pro-democracy media chief who founded the now-shuttered Apple Daily newspaper in Hong Kong. The 77-year-old Lai is charged with illegal foreign collusion and conspiring with others to issue seditious publications under Hong Kong’s restrictive National Security Law, which was imposed by Beijing in 2020. He could face life in prison if convicted. Lai has denied the charges. china-hong-kong-jimmy-lai-trial Members of the Police Counter Terrorism Response Unit stand guard as they escort a prison van believed to be carrying Jimmy…
Photos: A look back at jailed Hong Kong pro-democracy media tycoon Jimmy Lai
The founder of Hong Kong’s now shuttered Apple Daily newspaper, Lai, 77, who is also a British citizen, has been in jail since December 2020. Lai is currently standing trial for “collusion with foreign forces” under Hong Kong’s National Security Law. Jimmy Lai’s son Sebastien has warned that “time is running out” for his father’s health, and called on Britain and the United States to push for his release. Human rights groups say Lai’s trial is a “sham” and part of a broad crackdown on dissent in Hong Kong. The…
China pressures Bangkok gallery to remove Uyghur, Tibetan, Hong Kong artwork
A Bangkok gallery is pressured — at China’s request — to remove and redact artwork about Beijing’s treatment of Uyghurs, Tibetans and Hong Kongers from an exhibit on authoritarian governments, according to a report by the Reuters news agency. Video: China pressures Bangkok gallery to remove Uyghur, Tibetan, Hong Kong artworkIn what the artists called the latest attempt by Beijing to silence critics overseas, the Bangkok Arts and Cultural Center changed multiple works by artists in exile in the exhibit on authoritarian governments collaborating across borders. According to Reuters, works…
Myanmar junta forms new government ahead of elections
The military junta that controls Myanmar nominally transferred power to an interim government on Thursday ahead of a planned election in December and January. A state of emergency that was due to expire Thursday after seven extensions was lifted, Zaw Min Tun, a government spokesman, told state media. The decree had given legislative, judicial, and executive powers to Min Aung Hlang as head of the ruling military council. But state media reported late Thursday that martial law and a state of emergency would be imposed in more than 60 townships…
Cambodian migrant workers in Thailand attacked amid border tensions
As border tensions between Thailand and Cambodia erupted to five days of fighting before a ceasefire was declared, reports of Cambodian migrant workers being beaten by Thai gangs were on the rise. Thai government and police officials have both issued public statements condemning the attacks on Cambodian migrant workers. RFA Khmer service’s Poly Sam speaks with Bangkok-based rights and labor activist Phil Robertson of Asia Human Rights Labour Advocates (AHRLA) about what’s being done. Below is a transcript of the interview for RFA Perspectives: cambodia-migrant-workers-attacked-thailand This image made from video…
Thai, Cambodian militaries chart path forward after deadly border fight
BANGKOK, Thailand – Military leaders from Thailand and Cambodia met on Tuesday to agree on details of a ceasefire, brokered amid pressure from the U.S., that halted five days of deadly skirmishes along their disputed border. Regional military commanders along the 800-kilometer border agreed to halt gunfire, refrain from moving troops and establish direct bilateral communications, according to a Thai army spokesman and a spokesperson from the Cambodian defense ministry. cambodia-thailand-ceasefire Thai soldiers hold flowers received from supporters at army headquarters in Bangkok, July 29, 2025. (Chalinee Thirasupa/Reuters) Acting Thai…
Cambodia, Thailand agree to a truce in border conflict
BANGKOK, Thailand – Thai and Cambodian leaders on Monday agreed to an “unconditional” ceasefire that would end five days of fierce fighting in a disputed border area that has killed at least 35 people and displaced more than 200,000 others. The truce, which is scheduled to take effect at midnight local time, came during negotiations hosted by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim of Malaysia, the current chair of the ASEAN regional bloc. The meeting came amid pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump, who warned over the weekend that the border conflict…
Photos: Civilians displaced on both sides of Thai and Cambodian border conflict
Cambodia and Thailand traded accusations Saturday of fresh attacks as deadly border clashes entered a third day, leaving at least 33 people dead and more than 168,000 displaced, as international pressure mounted on both sides to reach a ceasefire. As of Saturday, Thailand said seven soldiers and 13 civilians had been killed in the clashes, while in Cambodia five soldiers and eight civilians had been killed, said Defense Ministry spokesperson Maly Socheata. cambodia-thailand-fighting-border Juam, 50 sits next to her dog “Krati” inside a temporary shelter in Sisaket province,Thailand, July 26,…
Evacuees seek safety as Cambodia and Thailand clash
BANGKOK, Thailand — Evacuees fled by the thousands from the border of Thailand and Cambodia on Friday as the two countries’ militaries traded fire for a second day, an escalation in a long-running conflict that threatened to grow wider. Video: Fighting and evacuations continue in Thailand Cambodia conflictRocket attacks and shelling started near the Ta Muen Thom temple, which was also the flashpoint for the initial skirmish on Thursday. Clashes were reported in 12 locations, up from six on Thursday, according to Thailand’s military. More than 130,000 people have been…