Radio Free Asia

Authorities in Hong Kong have vowed to keep pursuing thousands of people arrested for their part in the city’s 2019 pro-democracy protests, rejecting suggestions that charges against some 6,000 people arrested but not yet charged could be allowed to lapse, in a sign that a crackdown on the movement will likely continue indefinitely. https://bit.ly/4f6xYgx

People pose for photos at a Halloween party in Guangzhou, in China’s southern Guangdong province on Oct. 31, 2024.

Meanwhile in Shanghai, dozens defied rain and an official ban, donning Halloween costumes from Buddha to Batman 🎃 despite authorities cracking down on those using the fest to subtly protest or simply have fun. https://bit.ly/48oawJ4

📷: AFP

North Korea said on Friday its “milestone” test of a new Hwasong-19 intercontinental ballistic missile had secured it the “irreversible” status of developing the means to deliver nuclear weapons, South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency reported.

Read more: https://bit.ly/4hsk36c

Hotline unlikely to suffice in Mekong battle against dry season air pollution

Vietnamese prisoners call off hunger strike after demands met

A woman poses while attending a Halloween party in Guangzhou, in China’s southern Guangdong province, on Oct. 31, 2024.

In Shanghai, authorities were getting ready to clamp down on anyone dressing up for Halloween. https://bit.ly/48oawJ4



📷: AFP

North Korea says missile test shows ‘irreversible’ means to deliver nuclear bombs

The Chinese-flagged cargo ship Yu Zhou Qi Hang, which ran aground near Yehliu Geopark as a result of rough weather relating to typhoon Kong-rey, is seen in Yehliu on Nov. 1, 2024.
📷: AFP

Vietnam accuses China of ‘illegal detention’ of South China Sea fishermen

Military advances force evacuation of villages in Myanmar’s Shan state

A year after its launch, the ethnic rebel alliance that spearheaded the Operation 1027 offensive in Myanmar‘s northern Shan state has said it will not rest until the country’s military regime is removed from power.

On Monday, Lway Yay Oo, the spokesperson for the Ta‘ang National Liberation Army, or TNLA, told RFA Burmese that the operation will continue until Myanmar‘s military regime steps down, calling it the offensive’s “first priority.”

Read more: https://bit.ly/3YLIXqc

Vietnam has accused the Chinese coast guard of “seriously violating” its sovereignty in the Paracel islands, which both countries claim, by detaining a number of Vietnamese fishermen and their fishing boats in the area.
https://bit.ly/48y47Lq

North Korea said on Friday its “milestone” test of a new Hwasong-19 intercontinental ballistic missile had secured it the “irreversible” status of developing the means to deliver nuclear weapons.
https://bit.ly/4hsk36c

Two political prisoners in Vietnam have ended their hunger strike after authorities agreed to open "tiger cages" where inmates are held in solitary confinement and not allowed to visit the exercise yard or garden.
https://bit.ly/3YMzmiU

Dangerously poor air quality is likely to continue blighting the north of Thailand and neighboring countries during the dry season, experts said, despite the recent announcement of a “clear sky” plan including a hotline with Myanmar and Laos.
https://bit.ly/3YsfPmw

Over the past year, RFA & BenarNews documented cases of journalists facing retribution: assaults, abductions, and harsh prison sentences. In the most closed regimes, 2024 marked the year families learned the fate of loved ones silenced long ago. https://bit.ly/3Ap6bZN

💵 Cashing In

North Korea is sending more than 10,000 Korean People's Army troops to fight for Russia in Ukraine, with some 3,000 already moved close to the front in western Russia. The deployment, under a security partnership pact North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russia's Vladimir Putin signed in June, has raised concern among the U.S. and allies South Korea, Japan and Ukraine. Critics see mercenary motives in Pyongyang, which will receive cash and technology for the mission.

🎨: Rebel Pepper

British foreign secretary under fire for failing to raise Uyghur genocide in China

The Washington-based Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative, or AMTI, said in a new report there are indications Hanoi is developing airstrips on several of the artificial islands, and “signs of potential military structures” have also been spotted across a number of features.

Read more: https://bit.ly/3CjBZ2A

Authorities confine young monks in ‘prison-like’ conditions in government-run schools