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…
Category: RFA
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…
Dalai Lama says he will have a successor who won’t be picked by China
DHARAMSALA, India — The Dalai Lama on Wednesday affirmed that he should have a successor and said the next Dalai Lama should be chosen by the Gaden Phodrang Trust, a non-profit group that he set up — rejecting moves by China to steer his succession. The decision, he said in a statement that he read aloud during the opening day of a three-day conference of spiritual leaders in Dharamsala, came after years of appeals from Tibetan religious and secular leaders, as well as people and organizations from around the world.…
Dalai Lama’s expected announcement might impede Chinese control of his succession
As the Dalai Lama approaches his 90th birthday on July 6, the world awaits the Tibetan spiritual leader’s decision on whether there will be a next Dalai Lama – an announcement the head of Tibetan Buddhism promised to unveil when he is 90 in what may serve as a definitive move to thwart the Chinese government’s efforts to exert control over his succession. The announcement is set to be the most consequential in modern Tibetan history, one that will shape the future of Tibetans’ seven-decade-long struggle to preserve their religious…
Event kicks off celebration of Dalai Lama’s 90th birthday
DHARAMSALA, INDIA — The Dalai Lama said there would be a “structured framework” for his succession and reflected on a “profoundly purposeful and deeply fulfilling” life as spiritual and administrative leaders gathered on Monday to begin celebrations for his 90th birthday. “Throughout my life, I have worked for the welfare of the Tibetan people, preservation of the Dharma, and for the happiness of all,” he said. “I believe this human life of mine has served the whole of mankind and I remain committed to dedicating the rest of it, too,…
Hong Kong pro-democracy party to disband under pressure from Beijing
The League of Social Democrats, a pro-democracy party with a 19-year history, has announced it will hold a press conference Sunday to announce its disbandment, signaling the disappearance of pro-democracy parties from Hong Kong’s political landscape. “Next year would have marked the 20th anniversary of our founding, but we will not make it to that day,” LSD said in a media notice on Friday. “We are announcing our dissolution.” A source told RFA Cantonese that LSD was warned several times, beginning in April, that it must dissolve before July 1…
Chinese ship conducts survey off Vietnam but Hanoi’s state media stays silent
A Chinese survey ship has been repeatedly circling within Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in the South China Sea since mid-June, raising concerns of a potential maritime standoff. The vessel, named Bei Dao 996, was first tracked by SeaLight, which uses commercially available technology to monitor and expose so-called “gray zone” activities — meaning coercive activities at sea that stop short of triggering a military response. China is often accused of adopting such tactics to assert its sweeping claims over the disputed waters in the South and East China Seas.…