WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump offered a new rationale Sunday for threatening to veto the annual defense policy bill that covers the military’s budget for equipment and pay raises for service members: China. He did not outline his concerns. Republican and Democratic lawmakers say the wide-ranging defense policy bill, which the Senate sent to the […]
Month: November 2020
COVID Closures, Embassy Intervention Strands Hundreds of Lao Fishermen in Malaysia
Hundreds of Lao migrant fishermen are stranded in Malaysia after the Lao Embassy in Kuala Lumpur took control of their return travel plans to arrange pricier flights, which had already been complicated by coronavirus restrictions, the fishermen told RFA. Drawn by the prospect of well-paid work at sea, around 700 Lao migrants traveled overland through […]
Vietnam’s Crackdown on Freedom of Expression Intensifies in 2020
Vietnam has stepped up arrests and harsh gag orders on activists, independent journalists, bloggers and Facebook commenters who raise concerns or criticism of their government in 2020, rights groups said. One-party Vietnam’s already low tolerance of dissent has deteriorated sharply this year with a steady drumbeat of arrests in the run-up to the ruling Communist […]
Lao Christians Evicted From Their Village Return, But Can’t Build Homes
Seven Lao Christians evicted from their homes in southern Saravan province in October for refusing to renounce their faith have returned to their village, but are being refused permission to rebuild homes demolished by authorities when they were first thrown out, RFA has learned. The seven, who are members of two families in the Pasing-Kang […]