South African police arrested freelance journalist Sandiso Phaliso while he was photographing a crime scene in the country’s legislative capital of Cape Town on April 25 and held him for about two hours, the journalist told CPJ.
Phaliso, who regularly writes for the non-profit news agency GroundUp, said that he went to a crime scene in Philippi, a suburb of Cape Town, after he received a news tip about the attempted robbery of a security vehicle. A police officer approached Phaliso and told him to stop photographing the scene or face arrest. Phaliso identified himself as a freelance journalist and continued to take photographs with his mobile phone.
“The crime scene was not cordoned off, so it was open to everyone,” Phaliso told CPJ.
Phaliso said that the officer confiscated his phone and took him in a police van to the nearby Nyanga police post where he was held on allegations of obstructing police work.
Phaliso handed over his belongings, including his belt, bank cards and 230 rand (about $12.35) in cash, to the arresting officer, the journalist said. After two hours, Phaliso was released on the condition that he deleted all photographs of the crime scene.
Upon his release, Phaliso learned that the police had given his belongings to his daughter, who visited him while he was detained,and found that 110 rand (about $5.89) of his money was missing.
On April 26, GroundUp editor Nathan Geffen wrote to the police, protesting the arrest. The letter was copied to the Independent Police Investigative Directorate,an oversight body that investigates allegations of police misconduct.
“It is unlawful to detain people for taking photographs. It is unlawful to force them to delete photographs,” Geffen wrote in the letter, reviewed by CPJ. “Please instruct your officers that they are not to arrest people taking photos of crime scenes.”
In the letter, Geffen said it was a breach of procedure that Phaliso’s money was given to his daughter and asked the police to pay the journalist the disputed money. On June 5, Geffen told CPJ that police had yet to respond to GroundUp’s protest letter.
National police spokesperson Athlenda Mathe did not respond to CPJ’s repeated requests for comments sent via messaging app. The public relations department of the Independent Police Investigative Director also did not respond to CPJ’s email query.
Western Cape provincial spokesperson Colonel Andrè Traut told CPJ via messaging app that the South African Police Service were aware of the incident and encouraged Phaliso to lodge an official complaint with the Nyanga police station management or the Independent Police Investigative Directorate before his office can comment further.
Editor’s note: CPJ Head of Africa program Angela Quintal is a member of the GroundUp board.
South Korean activists flew large balloons carrying propaganda leaflets towards North Korea on Thursday, a few days after the North threatened to send more trash-filled balloons across the border in response to such campaigns.
The group, Fighters for a Free North Korea, led by North Korean defector Park Sang-hak, said it floated 10 balloons tied to 200,000 anti-Pyongyang leaflets, USB sticks with K-pop songs and South Korean television dramas, and one-dollar U.S. bills, from a border town.
“We sent the truth and love, medicines, one-dollar bills and songs. But a barbaric Kim Jong Un sent us filth and garbage and he hasn’t made a word of apology over that,” Park said in a statement, referring to North Korea’s leader and balloons the North sent over the South last week.
“Our group, the Fighters for Free North Korea, will keep sending our leaflets, which are the letters of truth and freedom for our beloved North Korean compatriots.”
The group’s new balloon flights followed a South Korean announcement that it will resume all border military activities for the first time in more than five years, ending a 2018 inter-Korean military pact in response to the North sending trash-bearing balloons to South Korea and its jamming of GPS signals.
The South’s suspension of the pact could mean a resumption of South Korean propaganda broadcasts, blasted through giant speakers on the border into North Korea.
North Korea sent waves of trash-filled balloons into the South from last Thursday to Sunday in what it said was a tit-for-tat campaign against South Korean activists who sent balloons carrying propaganda material denouncing the North’s regime.
Separately, the North staged GPS jamming attacks in waters near South Korea’s northwestern border islands for the fifth straight day on Sunday.
The Fighters for Free North Korea last month sent 300,000 leaflets and 2,000 USBs containing K-pop music videos to the North suspended from 20 big balloons.
The balloons from the south infuriate the North and have long been another source of tension between the two Koreas, which are still technically at war since the 1950-53 Korean War ended in a truce, not a peace treaty.
On Sunday, North Korea said it would temporarily suspend its cross-border balloon campaign, though it also threatened to resume it if anti-Pyongyang leaflets were sent from South Korea.
Edited by Mike Firn.
This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by By Taejun Kang for RFA.
South Korea will restore all border military activities for the first time in more than five years, after it suspended a 2018 inter-Korean military pact, the defense ministry said Tuesday.
Seoul suspended the Comprehensive Military Agreement until mutual trust is restored in response to the North’s recent sending of trash-filled balloons to South Korea and its jamming of GPS signals.
“This measure is restoring to normality all military activities by our military, which had been restricted by the 2018 pact,” Cho Chang-rae, deputy defense minister for policy, said in a press briefing.
“All responsibility for causing this situation lies with the North Korean regime and if the North attempts to stage additional provocations, our military will sternly retaliate based on a firm South Korea-U.S. combined defense posture,” he added.
The agreement, signed on Sept. 19, 2018, was aimed at defusing tension and avoiding war. It was implemented after a meeting between South Korea’s then-president, Moon Jae-in, and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
The deal included setting up a land buffer zone, where artillery drills and regiment-level field maneuvers were suspended, and maritime buffer zones, where artillery firing and naval drills were banned.
It also designated no-fly zones near the border to prevent accidental aircraft clashes.
The suspension of the pact will allow South Korea to carry out drills to bolster front-line defenses and draw up training plans near land and island borders.
South Korea will also be able to resume loudspeaker propaganda broadcasts into the North.
“Fixed loudspeakers need to be connected to power and installing them could take hours to a few days. Mobile loudspeaker operations can be conducted right away,” South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff spokesperson Lee Sung-jun told a regular briefing, without elaborating on when the broadcasts might resume.
The loudspeakers are considered a key psychological warfare tool and involve blaring various messages over the border including criticism of the Kim Jong Un regime’s human rights record, news and K-pop songs, to the fury of North Korea.
North Korea sent waves of trash-filled balloons into the South from Thursday to Sunday in what it said was a tit-for-tat campaign against South Korean activists who sent balloons carrying propaganda material denouncing the North’s regime.
Separately, the North staged GPS jamming attacks in waters near South Korea’s northwestern border islands for the fifth straight day on Sunday.
On Sunday, North Korea said it would temporarily suspend its cross-border balloon campaign, though it also threatened to resume it if anti-Pyongyang leaflets were sent from South Korea.
The group Fighters for a Free North Korea, a Seoul-based organization that floated anti-Pyongyang balloons over the North last month, said on Monday that it would consider stopping its airborne leaflets only if the North apologized for sending its trash-bearing balloons to the South.
Edited by Mike Firn.
This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by By Taejun Kang for RFA.
South Korea decided on Monday to suspend a 2018 inter-Korean tension reduction pact until “mutual trust is restored” in a response to North Korea’s sending of nearly 1,000 trash-filled balloons to the South.
The 9/19 Comprehensive Military Agreement, signed on Sept. 19, 2018, aimed at defusing tension and avoiding war, was implemented after a meeting between South Korea’s then-president Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
The presidential National Security Council held a meeting to evaluate North Korea’s recent behavior and agreed to propose a motion suspending the agreement at a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday.
“The attendees decided to submit a proposal to suspend the entire effectiveness of the September 19 Military Agreement until mutual trust between the two Koreas is restored,” the presidential office said in a release.
North Korea has sent waves of trash-filled balloons into the South since Thursday in what it said was a tit-for-tat campaign against South Korean activists sending balloons carrying propaganda material denouncing the North’s regime.
South Korea’s National Security Adviser Chang Ho-jin said on Sunday the government would take “unbearable” measures against the North in response to its balloons and its jamming of GPS signals last week.
The anger over the balloons has raised speculation that South Korea might resume propaganda campaigns via loudspeakers along the border. The loudspeakers used to air criticism of the Kim Jong Un regime’s human rights abuses, as well as news and K-pop songs, to the fury of the North.
To resume the front-line broadcasts, it would be necessary to nullify the 2018 inter-Korean military agreement.
Hours after South Korea’s warning, North Korea said it would suspend its cross-border balloon campaign, though it also threatened to resume it if anti-Pyongyang leaflets were sent from South Korea.
The North said its balloon campaign was launched purely in response to leaflets sent by South Korean activists.
Fighters for a Free North Korea, a Seoul-based organization that floated anti-Pyongyang balloons over the North last month, said on Monday that it would consider stopping sending leaflets only if the North apologized for sending its trash-bearing balloons to the South.
“We send facts, loves, medications, one-dollar bills, dramas and trot music to the North, but how come they send us waste and trash?” the organization said in a statement, referring to a type of Korean music.
“North Korea leader Kim Jong Un should immediately apologize.”
Edited by Mike Firn.
This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by By Taejun Kang for RFA.
The music of a South Korean singer who once performed at the request of former North Korean leader Kim Jong Il – a big fan of hers – has been suddenly banned in the reclusive country, residents told Radio Free Asia.
The reasons behind the ban on Kim Yeon-ja’s music aren’t entirely clear, but the order came directly from supreme leader Kim Jong Un, a resident of the northeastern province of North Hamgyong told RFA Korean on condition of anonymity for security reasons.
“This is the first time that a singer’s name has been specified in a ban,” he said. “A few days ago, I heard from a friend who works at the provincial social security bureau that the general secretary’s order has been issued to block (her) songs.”
The decision is “shocking” because Kim Jong Il – Kim Jong Un’s father – was known to have been a huge fan, the resident said, and her music is popular among the public, making a ban nearly impossible to enforce.
“Her songs are famous for being loved not only by the general secretary’s father, but also by most residents,” he said. “Kim Yeon-ja’s music is deeply entrenched in the hearts of the people here as her lyrics and singing style fit well with the sentiments of North Koreans.”
Kim Yeon-ja. (duckleavepics via Wikimedia Commons)
Kim Yeon-ja, now 65, has been a stalwart of South Korea’s “trot” genre of music, characterized by repetitive rhythm and vocal inflection. It saw its heyday in the 1970s and 80s and is favored by older Koreans. She has also been successful in Japan as an enka singer.
Debuting in South Korea in 1974 at age 15, she became wildly popular in the North in 2001 and 2002 when she traveled to North Korea for two concerts, the latter of which was at the personal request of then-leader Kim Jong Il.
At that time, photos of her alongside the late “Dear Leader” circulated widely in state media, which lauded her performances.
Exception to the rule
Until now, Kim Yeon-ja’s music has been a rare exception to a blanket ban on South Korean music, movies, and TV shows, which are condemned in the North as “capitalist” trash.
North Koreans secretly consume South Korean songs and shows, which are smuggled in from China SD cards and USB thumb drives, but listening to K-pop or watching dramas from the South can lead to stiff punishments.
But most people assumed the ban did not apply to Kim Yeon-ja’s music because Kim Jong Il liked her, a resident of the northwestern province of North Pyongan.
But the ban was not just on her music. There are specific songs that make reference to South Korea included in Kim Jong Un’s orders, the sources told RFA.
“‘Morning Dew,’ and ‘Our Wish is Unification,’ were also designated as banned songs,” the second resident said.
The ban on the latter song is striking. “Our Wish is Unification,” has been an unofficial inter-Korean anthem since Korea was divided at the end of World War II, and has been sung by both North and South Koreans during cultural exchange events and even when teams from both Koreas face each other in international sports competitions.
But all these songs, including Kim Yeon-ja’s, will continue to be played and sung in North Korea, the second resident predicted.
“Even the police officers who crack down on the songs are passing around the recovered SD cards to friends and family members to listen to or sing along to,” he said.
Translated by Claire S. Lee and Leejin J. Chung. Edited by Eugene Whong and Malcolm Foster.
This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by By Kim Jieun for RFA Korean.
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on Monday called for the international community to “respond decisively” if North Korea launches a satellite.
“Any launch using ballistic missile technology is a direct violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions and undermines regional and global peace and stability,” Yoon said.
Yoon’s warning came after media reports that North Korea notified the Japanese government of its plans on the eve of a trilateral summit between South Korea, Japan and China on Monday.
According to Kyodo News Agency and Japanese public broadcaster NHK, Japan’s Cabinet Secretariat said on Sunday that North Korea had informed it of plans to launch a rocket carrying a satellite before June 4.
The North designated three areas where debris will fall — two west of the Korean Peninsula and the other east of the Philippine island of Luzon, according to the reports.
Last week, the South Korean military said it had detected signs of Pyongyang preparing for a military spy satellite launch at a site on its west coast.
North Korea launched its first military reconnaissance satellite in November and has made public a plan to launch three more this year.
Yoon, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Chinese Premier Li Qiang will sit down for a trilateral summit on Monday, the ninth such meeting and the first since December 2019, following a hiatus due to COVID-19 and historical disputes among the Asian neighbors.
Although security issues like North Korea’s nuclear program are not among the official agenda items, South Korean officials told reporters that final negotiations were underway to decide whether and how much they would address the North Korean issue in a joint statement.
Edited by Mike Firn.
This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by By Taejun Kang for RFA.
Photos emerged in Korean-language social media posts that claim they show a Chinese man arrested in Seoul’s Daerim-dong area for heckling a conservative candidate during South Korea’s April local election.
But the claim is false. The photos were taken from a 2016 documentary. Keyword searches found no credible reports to show that there was an arrest of a Chinese citizen in Daerim-dong area during the April election.
The claim was shared on South Korea’s popular Band social media platform on April 24, 2024.
“A Joseonjok man was arrested after heckling a candidate from [conservative] People’s Power Party in Daerim-dong,” read one post.
Joseonjok refers to ethnic Korean citizens of the People’s Republic of China, one of its recognized ethnic minority groups.
The claim was shared alongside three images that show South Korean police arresting a man whose face is blurred.
Screenshot of the Band post, taken on May 14, 2024.
Daerim-dong is a neighborhood-level subdistrict of Yeongdeungpo district in Seoul, where many Joseonjok immigrants live.
Multiple South Korean media outlets report that Joseonjok immigrants are frequent targets of discrimination and are often stereotyped as contributing to a rise in violent crime.
There have been claims that voters in areas with high Joseonjok populations in South Korea have a tendency to support political parties with pro-China and anti-U.S. stances, which has allegedly put the ruling People’s Power Party at a disadvantage, given its pro-U.S. position.
An identical claim that the photo shows a Joseonjok man’s arrest in April was shared on another Band group.
But the claim is false. The images were in fact taken from an old documentary.
2016 documentary
Keyword and reverse image searches on Google found the images were included in the documentary series “In the Line of Fire”, aired by South Korea’s public education broadcaster EBS.
The images came from the episode “Police Patrol Unit: Guardians of the Night”, aired in 2016 and published on the broadcaster’s official YouTube channel.
The images in the false posts were stills taken at the episode’s 11:35, 11:30 and 21:35 marks.
The episode followed the activities of a mobile police unit in Daerim-dong on an evening in September 2016.
According to the documentary, the first two images show police subduing and arresting men involved in a fight, while the third image shows other officers detaining a man for carrying a knife.
The documentary made no mention of elections or political candidates.
Keyword searches found no credible reports to show that there was an arrest of a Chinese citizen in Daerim-dong area during the April election.
Edited by Malcolm Foster and Eugene Whong.
Asia Fact Check Lab (AFCL) was established to counter disinformation in today’s complex media environment. We publish fact-checks, media-watches and in-depth reports that aim to sharpen and deepen our readers’ understanding of current affairs and public issues. If you like our content, you can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram and X.
This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by By Taejun Kang for RFA.
A group of 20 Taiwanese lawmakers is set to arrive at disputed Taiping island in the South China Sea on Saturday on a visit likely to provoke protests from some of Taiwan’s neighbors.
Taiwan has occupied the island, also known as Itu Aba since 1956, but it is also claimed by Vietnam, the Philippines and China.
The group of legislators from the opposition Kuomintang (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party plans to spend a morning on the island to declare sovereignty, inspect newly developed facilities such as a harbor and typhoon shelter, and greet troops stationed there, according to the head of the delegation, Ma Wen-chun.
Ma, who co-chairs the legislature’s Foreign and National Defense Committee, wrote on her Facebook page on Thursday that the Republic of China (Taiwan) “has always stood firm in protecting Taiping island” and that its sovereignty was irrevocable.
She criticized the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) for failing to support calls for President Tsai Ing-wen to visit Taiping island before she leaves office.
No DPP legislator has registered to join Saturday’s trip.
Message to DPP
The Taiping visit takes place just two days before Tsai’s successor, Lai Ching-te, is sworn in as president on May 20.
The trip is aimed at sending a defiant message about Taiwan’s sovereignty to the DPP, said Lin Ying-yu, an assistant professor at Tamkang University’s Graduate Institute of International Affairs and Strategic Studies.
“The opposition wants to convey the criticism that the DPP’s stance is too weak in defending the sovereignty over our islands,” Lin told Radio Free Asia.
(Google Maps)
Taiping – the largest of the naturally formed features within the Spratly archipelago – is 1,600 km (994 miles) from Taiwan’s Kaohsiung city, 380 km (205 miles) from Palawan island in the Philippines and 580 km (360 miles) from Vietnam’s central coast.
As both Vietnam and the Philippines also claim the island, they are likely to protest the visit, Lin said.
Vietnam’s ministry of foreign affairs did not immediately respond to RFA’s inquiries.
A Vietnamese political scientist, Huynh Tam Sang from Vietnam National University, said that the KMT was trying to put pressure on the DPP and incoming President Lai.
“The fact that the DPP has remained muted over this contentious territorial issue opens the door for the KMT to boost its profile at home,” Sang told RFA.
The visit by Taiwanese lawmakers would “undoubtedly be met with some protests from Vietnam,” the analyst said, adding that it would be more symbolic and diplomatic rather than an angry resolute response as Hanoi “has no interest in fueling this issue”.
“Due to the mutual benefits of strong economic ties, increasing investments from Taiwan, and an influx of Vietnamese migrant workers to Taiwan, Hanoi has a vested interest in keeping relations amicable with Taipei,” Sang added.
The Philippines may adopt a similar approach amid China’s increased aggression in the South China Sea, analysts said. There are 155,000 Filipino migrant workers in Taiwan, accounting for 21% of the total foreign workforce.
Taiwan’s then-president Ma Ying-jeou visited Taiping island on Jan. 28, 2016. (Taiwan Presidential Office)
President Tsai has not been to Taiping during her two terms in office but Presidents Chen Shui-bian and Ma Ying-jeou visited the island in 2008 and 2016, respectively. Vietnam protested strongly both times, calling the visits “serious violations of Vietnam’s sovereignty” and demanding Taiwan “immediately stop its wrongful actions”.
Edited by Mike Firn and Taejun Kang.
This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by By RFA Staff.
The Philippine coast guard has sent ships to monitor what Manila suspects to be China’s illegal island building in the South China Sea, the Presidential Office said.
The office of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said in a statement that since April, the coast guard vessel BRP Teresa Magbanua had been operating near Sabina Shoal, known in the Philippines as Escoda Shoal, to keep a watch on China’s “supposed illegal activities.”
Sabina Shoal is a low-tide elevation in the Spratly Islands, well inside the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ) but also claimed by China, Taiwan and Vietnam. It is only 75 nautical miles (140km) from the Philippine island of Palawan.
An EEZ gives the coastal state exclusive access to natural resources in the waters and in the seabed.
Philippine coast guard spokesman Jay Tarriela said in the statement that crushed corals had been dumped on the reef – an indication of land reclamation. However, the suspected island building appeared to be at an initial stage, he said.
Tarriela also said that besides the BRP Teresa Magbanua, two more coast guard vessels had been deployed on a rotating basis to monitor the area.
“We are alarmed by this,” said Jonathan Malaya, assistant director general of the Philippine National Security Council.
Malaya told a press conference on Monday that similar “crushed corals” were detected earlier on Sandy Cay, another group of low-lying reefs near Philippines-occupied Thitu island, also known as Pag-asa island.
“These were crushed corals and it was obvious that they came from another place,” Malaya said.
Suspected dumped corals on Sabina Shoal (Philippine Coast Guard)
The Philippines in March launched a scientific research mission on Sandy Cay, prompting China to protest.
Beijing has yet to respond to the latest allegations regarding Sabina Shoal.
Monitoring procedure
Tarriela explained in a post on the social platform X, formerly Twitter, that the Philippine coast guard had implemented a “standard operating procedure” to inspect Sabina Shoal for any dumped crushed corals.
After more than three weeks of monitoring, the coast guard discovered that “crushed corals were dumped and it is highly likely that the maritime features were altered.” The force has released some photo evidence of the damaged corals.
“We must stay vigilant and not lose sight of the illegal activities and aggressive behavior exhibited by China in Escoda (Sabina) Shoal,” Tarriela wrote in his post.
“Not only does this pose a threat to our sovereignty, but it also causes significant damage to our marine environment,” the coast guard spokesman wrote.
Sabina Shoal. (Google Maps)
In a report released last December, the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative (AMTI) and the China Ocean Institute – both based in the United States – said that competing states in the South China Sea had caused “the largest active man-made reef destruction in human history.”
The organizations named China as the most egregious actor by far, having wiped out roughly 4,648 acres (19km2) of reefs in four years between 2013 and 2017. Most destruction was due to dredging and landfill to construct infrastructure on artificial islands.
Beijing carried out most of its island building activities during that period and by 2022 had fully militarized the three largest reefs – Subi, Mischief and Fiery Cross.
Jason Gutierrez in Manila contributed to this report.
Edited by Mike Firn.
This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by By RFA Staff.
Gaza solidarity encampments, which started on U.S. college campuses, have now spread worldwide as students call on their educational institutions to divest from companies profiting from Israeli apartheid and occupation. The uprising echoes the anti-apartheid movement of the 1980s, when many in civil society called for divestment from companies that profited from South Africa’s system of racial domination. Democracy Now! explored the parallels this week with South African-born novelist and playwright Gillian Slovo, whose parents were legendary anti-apartheid activists Joe Slovo and Ruth First. “I have been to the West Bank, and I had a childhood in South Africa. I knew what apartheid looked like,” Slovo says. “When I went to the West Bank, what I saw was apartheid in action.”
This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.
Lusaka, May 6, 2024 — The Committee to Protect Journalists on Monday expressed alarm that South Africa’s spy agency wants to subject Moshoeshoe Monare, the editor-in-chief of the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC), to additional security vetting and an invasive lie-detector test ahead of the country’s crucial May 29 general election.
A senior official at the State Security Agency (SSA) telephoned Monare, who is also the public broadcaster’s Group Executive of News and Current Affairs, on April 18 and said he had to undergo top-level security vetting, including apolygraph test, according to anSABC TV interview with Monare on April 29, a City Pressnews report, and a joint statement by local media freedom organizations condemning the request as intimidatory and a threat to press freedom.
The SSA’s vetting request, made on behalf of the SABC, followed aleaked audio recording, reviewed by CPJ, of President Cyril Ramaphosa telling the African National Congress’ election committee on April 11 that local media had “no right to be negative” towards the governing party and that its election campaign messages must dominate television and radio.
“The SABC’s top management and board must guard the broadcaster’s hard-won editorial independence and avoid complicity in any attempt to make it the mouthpiece of the governing African National Congress,” said Angela Quintal, head of CPJ’s Africa program in New York.
“It reeks of convenience that just a week after President Cyril Ramaphosa aired grievances about media coverage of the ANC, the State Security Agency under his control suddenly aims to subject SABC top editor Moshoeshoe Monare to the same security clearance as spy chiefs, including evaluating loyalty to the State. Authorities must back off.”
An April Ipsos opinion poll estimated support for the ANC in the upcoming election to be about 40% — a steep drop from the 57.5% of votes the party won in 2019 and a reflection of increasing discontent over poverty, unemployment, and corruption under ANC rule. The party has been in office since its landslide win in the historic 1994 election that ended white minority rule and brought Nelson Mandela to the presidency.
Monare said in the SABC interview that he was vetted in 2020 for the post and answered questions as per his employment contract, which did not specify a polygraph. He said he found it strange that almost two years later, a mere month before the election, an intelligence agent suddenly informed him that he had to undergo a polygraph test.
A polygraph test is one of the government’s requirements for issuing Top Secret-level security clearance to senior intelligence leaders, including evaluating whether the person is “loyal to the State,” according to a 2020 statement to Parliament by the then-minister of state security.
Monare said he had no objection to vetting, but wanted the SSA to explain the rationale for the polygraph and which individual had requested it. Monare said that neither the former SABC CEO Madoda Mxakwe – who appointed him – nor other senior colleagues had undergone polygraph tests during their vetting. Mxakwe did not reply to a CPJ request for comment.
According to Intelwatch, a nonprofit dedicated to strengthening oversight of state and private intelligence actors, the SABC board – appointed by the president on the recommendation of Parliament – has the discretion to decide which staff members will be subjected to vetting under the National Strategic Intelligence Act.
However, invasive polygraph tests should be reserved only to protect South Africa against the most severe national security threats, not as part of routine employment processes, Intelwatch’s Professor Jane Duncan, a board member, and Heidi Swart, researcher and journalism coordinator, told CPJ via email.
“It is difficult not to conclude that vetting is being used to probe those journalists [because] the ANC is concerned [they] may report negatively ahead of the upcoming national election,” said Duncan and Swart.
Presidential spokesman Vincent Magwenya told the media that Monare was not being targeted ahead of the election and that Ramaphosa would never sanction intimidation or harassment of journalists, as this would be contrary to the constitutional bill of rights, which protects press freedom.
In its statement, the SABC said there was “nothing sinister” about the vetting and all its executives were subjected to this because the broadcaster was a national key point, a phrase used to describe critical infrastructure deemed essential for South Africa’s economy, national security, or public safety.) SABC spokesperson Mmoni Seapolelo forwarded the earlier press release to CPJ but did not respond to its query about whether the vetting included a polygraph for all SABC executives.
Civil society groups andjournalists have recently raisedconcerns that intelligence agencies could soon be given the power to vet any individual or institution, including the SABC, threatening journalistic independence.
State Security Agency spokesperson Sipho Mbhele referred CPJ to presidential spokesman Magwenya’searlier statement.
In 2022, Monare’s predecessor as SABC’s head of news, Phathiswa Magopeni, was fired following a disciplinary hearing over the airing of an interdicted program. Magopeni alleged in a grievance letter to the SABC board and a public statement that she was targeted for political reasons as she had resisted attempts by senior SABC officials to force her to carry out an unscheduled interview with Ramaphosa during the 2021 local government election campaign. Magopeni and the SABC settled out of court.
Magopeni’s removal came soon after the ANC’s then-election manager, Fikile Mbalula, accused her and the SABC of being partly responsible for the party’s poor performance in the 2021 local government elections. ANC spokesperson Mahlengi Benghu did not respond to CPJ’s repeated calls and messages, while Mbalula directed queries to Benghu.
Editor’s note: Quintal, a former editor at three South African newspapers, previously worked with Monare at several of the country’s media outlets.
Insurgents have captured another base from Myanmar’s junta forces, this time in the far south of the country, in the latest in a string of setbacks for the military that overthrew an elected government in 2021, officials from anti-junta forces told Radio Free Asia on Thursday.
Ethnic minority Karen fighters have in recent weeks seized several camps from junta forces in eastern Myanmar, mostly notably in a major trade town near the Thai border.
On Wednesday, ethnic minority Karen insurgents, together with pro-democracy allies, captured the junta’s Maw Hta camp in the Tanintharyi region’s Dawei township.
Thirty weapons were seized in the camp, where about 40 junta soldiers had been stationed, said one official from the Karen National Union (KNU), who declined to be identified for security reasons.
“It took only a moment to capture the camp because junta troops were scared and fled,” the official said.
The shadow civilian National Unity Government’s Tanintharyi region office confirmed that the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA), the armed wing of the KNU, and members of allied People’s Defense Forces seized the area near the Thai border.
“A border station has been captured by Karen National Liberation Army and People’s Defense Force joint forces. At present, there are still things that need to be confirmed,” said the Tanintharyi information officer, who also declined to be identified.
RFA contacted Tanintharyi region’s junta spokesperson, Thet Naing, for more information, but he did not respond.
Myanmar has faced violent turmoil since the military overthrew a government led by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi in early 2021.
The fighting in recent days has prompted warnings from Thailand to Mynamar’s rivals to avoid any spillover across the border.
In January, rebel forces captured Kyauk Htu camp in Dawei.
On April 16, they captured Myeik, a major Tanintharyi town, and then announced the launch of military operations in two nearby townships. Of Tanintharyi’s 10 townships, only Bokpyin and Kawthoung are free from major conflict.
Translated by RFA Burmese. Edited by Kiana Duncan and Mike Firn.
This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by By RFA Burmese.
Lusaka, April 10, 2024 – The Committee to Protect Journalists on Wednesday welcomed South African President Cyril Ramaphosa’s signing into law a bill that abolishes criminal defamation, and urged authorities to reform other problematic laws that threaten press freedom in the country.
On April 3, Ramaphosa signed the Judicial Matters Amendment Act (2023), which includes a provision repealing “the common law relating to the crime of defamation,” according to newsreports and a statement by the president’s office. The South African parliament forwarded the bill to Ramaphosa for signature after approving it in December last year.
South Africa becomes the latest country in southern Africa to decriminalize defamation, following its neighbors Zimbabwe (2016) andLesotho (2018). Other countries in the Southern Africa Development Community regional bloc which continue to use criminal defamation against journalists include Angola and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, according to CPJ research.
“The long-awaited repeal of the crime of defamation in South Africa is an important victory for press freedom and hopefully will reverberate positively across other parts of the region, such as Angola and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where defamation continues to be used to criminalize journalism,” said Angela Quintal, head of CPJ’s Africa program, in New York. “South African authorities should also move swiftly to reform other laws, as well as draft legislation that threaten, or have the potential to undermine media freedom and the public’s right to information.”
South Africa’s parliamentvotedto abolish the common law crime of defamation, which is based on Roman Dutch Law and court precedents, on December 6, 2023 after decades of advocacyby the press, media lawyers, and civil society activists who argued that there were other remedies that did not involve prosecution or jail, such as civil defamation lawsuits for aggrieved parties who believed their reputations were impugned.
The 2013 conviction of newspaper journalist Cecil Motsepe was the most recent case in which a South African journalist was found guilty of criminal defamation, according to a guide on South African media law by the Thomson Reuters Foundation, a philanthropic body that works to advance press freedom. The conviction was overturned on appeal in 2014, although the court ruled that criminal defamation remained constitutional. CPJ was among a group of organizations that filed an amicus brief in support of Motsepe, arguing for the decriminalization of defamation in South Africa.
Justice Deputy Minister John Jeffery told CPJ by phone that the lack of a public interest override was not raised during public submissions about the proposed Cybercrimes Act. The justice department was not averse to making changes to draft laws if threats to press freedom arose, and it had done so previously, even when journalists had raised concerns at the eleventh hour.
Civil society groups also raised concerns about the General Intelligence Laws Amendment Bill currently before Parliament arguing in December last year that it posed a threat to democracy. When the bill was first tabled in December last year, critics feared that the power given to state security to vet individuals who accessed national key points, including the public broadcaster, SABC, was a threat to journalists’ independence. Although several amendments were subsequently made, free expression groups remain concerned that SABC journalists could still be targeted on the pretext that the intelligence services were establishing their trustworthiness. The National Assembly approved the revised bill last week, and it is now before the National Council of Provinces for processing.
State Security Agency spokesperson Sipho Mbhele did not respond to CPJ’s requests by messaging PP and telephone calls for comment.
Caroline James, the AmaBhungane Centre for Investigative Journalism’s advocacy coordinator, told CPJ by phone there were also other laws and draft legislation that indirectly affect media freedom, contributing to a lack of transparency and restricting access to information for journalists and the public. These include the Protection of Personal Information Act and Public Procurement Bill.
Quintal is a non-executive board member of amaBhungane.
Since the advent of democracy in 1994, South African courts have generally acted as a bulwark against threats to press freedom, including striking down efforts to legally gag the media or to judicially harass journalists.
Ships and aircraft from the Philippines, the United States, Japan and Australia conducted a large-scale joint exercise in the South China Sea on Sunday, just a few days ahead of an unprecedented summit in Washington D.C.
On April 11, U.S. President Joe Biden, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will hold their first trilateral meeting at the White House to discuss security cooperation.
The armed forces of the three countries and Australia “successfully conducted the first Multilateral Maritime Cooperative Activity (MMCA) in the West Philippine Sea on Sunday, April 7,” said a statement from the Philippine military, referring to the area within Manila’s exclusive economic zone.
Six naval ships and four aircraft “performed communication exercise, division tactics or Officer of the Watch maneuver, and a photo exercise.”
“These activities were designed to enhance the different forces’ abilities to work together effectively in maritime scenarios,” the statement said.
Manila has recently accused Chinese coast guard vessels of blocking and harassing its resupply missions at the Second Thomas Shoal where it maintains an old warship as a military outpost.
The Japanese Minister of Defense Minoru Kihara, meanwhile, said that the joint activity demonstrated “our collective commitment to strengthen regional and international cooperation in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific.”
Australia, Japan, the Philippines, and the U.S. “uphold the right to freedom of navigation and overflight, and respect for maritime rights under international law…” Kihara said in a joint statement.
“Every country should be free to conduct lawful air and maritime operations,” U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin added.
The spokesperson for the Philippine Armed Forces, Col. Xerxes Trinidad, told reporters in Manila that there were “no untoward incidents” during the joint drills.
Beijing’s response
The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) announced on the same day that it also conducted a “joint naval and air combat exercise” in the South China Sea.
“All military activities that disrupt the South China Sea and create hotspots are under control,” the PLA Southern Theater Command said in a statement on the microblogging site Weibo.
Beijing has accused Washington of using its allies as “pawns” to destabilize the region and threaten China’s surrounding security.
Recently the Southern Theater Command, whose primary area of responsibility is the South China Sea, has also conducted a real combat training exercise in the South China Sea.
Edited by Mike Firn and Elaine Chan.
This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by By RFA Staff.
On the anniversary of the death of Wang Wei – the Chinese pilot whose fighter jet collided with an American aircraft over Hainan island in 2001 – China’s internet sphere is filled with messages praising his heroism as well as condemning the United States.
Wang’s Shenyang J-8II, together with another Chinese fighter, were sent from Hainan’s Lingshui airfield to intercept a U.S. Navy’s EP-3 reconnaissance aircraft operating near the island in the South China Sea in the morning on April 1, 2001.
Chinese and U.S. sides provided different accounts of events leading to the incident that took place at around 9:15 a.m. local time, when Wang’s airplane collided with the EP-3 mid-air, causing him to eject into the sea. His body was never recovered.
Wang was posthumously awarded the Medal of First-Class Hero and Model, as well as the honorary title of “Guardian of Territorial Airspace and Waters” of China.
The incident resulted in a serious political dispute between Beijing and Washington then, and now, as the situation in the South China Sea remains precarious, analysts warn of the risks of further confrontation and conflict.
Fueling nationalism
The “heroic sacrifice” of Lt. Cmdr. Wang Wei surfaces again this year with bold messages on Chinese public channels against the U.S. “aggressors.”
On WeChat, a post by Housha from Hangzhou, Zhejiang province – Wang Wei’s birthplace – was read 34,400 times and received 2,700 “thumb-ups”.
“It has been 23 years since Wang Wei left this world but the South China Sea is still rough and the waves are not quiet,” Housha wrote. “The intention of the U.S. to invade China’s territorial waters and airspace continues but it is now putting the Philippines in the firing line.”
“I have come to a profound understanding that the U.S. is not China’s “imaginary enemy”, it is undoubtedly THE enemy.”
Housha added that “happiness and peace need to be defended with life and blood.”
Another post by ‘Chilling’ on the platform X, formerly Twitter, which is inaccessible inside China and therefore likely aimed at a foreign audience, reads: “He [Wang Wei] represents the blood and strength of the Chinese people and can help people see the true face of the United States!”
The memorial of Wang Wei in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province. A commemoration ceremony was held for him on April 1, 2021. (Xinhua)
Ian Chong, a political analyst from the National University of Singapore, said that the “nationalist reaction” may stem from the latest events in the South China Sea, where Beijing has been embroiled in escalating tensions with the Philippines, a treaty ally of the U.S.
Another analyst, Carl Schuster, former director of operations at the U.S. Pacific Command’s Joint Intelligence Center, said that the 2001 Hainan incident is being used by Beijing as fuel “to feed the tensions”.
“China’s Communist Party always modified the facts and truth to fit its interests,” Schuster told Radio Free Asia.
“They will repeat that “hero” narrative as required to maintain the fiction that the PRC is the victim of aggression, not the perpetrator,” the analyst said, referring to China by its official name the People’s Republic of China .
“I see that propaganda based on the incident as a tool to sustain Beijing’s effort to sustain public support and justify its actions,” he added.
De-escalating the risks
Since 2001, there have been several occasions when China blamed the U.S. for risking “another Hainan incident.”
In August 2014, a Chinese fighter jet intercepted a U.S. Navy P-8 Poseidon anti-submarine warfare aircraft at about 135 miles (217 kilometers) east of Hainan Island.
The Chinese think tank South China Sea Strategic Situation Probing Initiative said in a report that the U.S. military’s aerial close-in reconnaissance over the South China Sea increased in both frequency and intensity, with around 1,000 sorties in 2023 alone.
The U.S. maintains that its ships and airplanes “will fly and sail anywhere international law allows” under the “freedom of navigation” principle of law of the sea.
The risk of conflict between the two superpowers may become even greater, as “the conditions that allowed for de-escalation may be less available today than in 2001,” according to NUS’s Ian Chong.
“There remain big questions about the People’s Liberation Army’s command and control and crisis de-escalation efforts,” Chong said.
The Chinese military has embarked on a major modernization masterplan and the Pentagon’s 2023 Report concluded that “the PRC turned to the PLA as an increasingly capable instrument of statecraft.”
The U.S. National Security Strategy in 2022 also stated that the PRC “is the only competitor to the United States with the intent and, increasingly, the capacity to reshape the international order.”
In 2001, to end the dispute over Hainan incident and to secure freedom for the EP-3’s 24 crew members detained by China, the U.S. sent a letter to Beijing saying that it was “very sorry” about the pilot’s death and about the U.S. plane’s landing on Hainan without China’s permission.
“The incident does tell us there are risks in China’s behavior and some will argue we should back off,” said Schuster from the U.S. Pacific Command’s Joint Intelligence Center.
“That’’s very similar to the 1930s when U.S. and European ‘experts’ urged the same approach to Hitler’s aggression in the 30s. It did not deter him, it emboldened him,” argued the retired navy captain turned analyst.
The 2001 incident “does remind us of the risks but it does not justify retreat to avoid them,” he said, adding that would risk something more serious and destructive.
Edited by Elaine Chan and Taejun Kang
This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by By RFA Staff.
War, economic hardship and now the threat of military conscription by the junta are driving young people in Myanmar to seek jobs overseas, with South Korea being a favored destination.
In Yangon, hundreds have been lining up overnight in recent days, sleeping on the sidewalk outside an employment agency office, to pay the registration fee to take a Korean language proficiency test, which they must pass to gain employment in the country.
One young man said he had to wait 20 hours in line to register. “We waited in line since 6:00 p.m” the previous night, he said.
People wait to pay the registration fees for the Korean Language Proficiency Test on March 21, 2024, in front of Pinlon Hall in Dagon Myothit (North) township, Yangon region. (RFA)
These young people are hoping to land jobs in factories, farming and construction in South Korea, where wages are much higher than at home, under a government-sponsored program started about 10 years ago.
Meanwhile, Kyaw Kyaw, a 32-year-old from Mandalay, is interested in a seasonal job on a South Korean farm. He paid an employment agency around 300,000 kyats (about US$140) to start that process.
He was responding to news announced in October in the junta-backed Global New Light of Myanmar that the two governments had agreed to setting up a seasonal work program lasting around eight months.
But the South Korean Embassy in Myanmar issued a statement to dismiss the reports, saying the government had not announced any guidelines or jobs related to seasonal workers.
The embassy deferred the final word to South Korea’s Ministry of Justice, where an official declined to confirm whether such an agreement had been signed.
Civic organizations warned that the operation not only funnels funds to the Myanmar military but also exposes Burmese workers to exploitation and risk.
Seasonal workers hailing from other countries have already reported being subjected to human trafficking in South Korea, physical and verbal abuse, poor living conditions for rural workers and having wages withheld by employers.
Myanmar citizens who are studying Korean in order to apply for work in South Korea practice for factory work at the language school in the Myittar Nyunt neighborhood of Tarmwe township, Yangon region, March 21, 2024. (Zaw Zaw Aung/RFA)
In a written statement to RFA, a ministry spokesperson said local governments in South Korea and their foreign counterparts have the authority to sign memorandums of understanding regarding seasonal workers.
But the spokesperson added that it is still necessary for them to go through the visa process with the ministry before it can be implemented, without elaborating further.
The spokesperson also declined to comment on the junta’s timeline that workers may come as soon as March, calling it a “diplomatic matter.”
False hope
Despite the uncertainty, junta-linked employment agencies are fervently recruiting workers, asking for upfront payments and igniting hopes for better opportunities abroad.
The Seasonal Worker Training and Care Center, which began in early 2023, claimed to send workers to South Korea for the agricultural season to “solve Myanmar’s current job shortage.” According to a Korean media report, the agency is backed by the junta’s embassy in South Korea and other junta ministries.
The group also claimed that it was in negotiations and signing agreements with both local and central governments in South Korea.
The Yangon-based agency’s Facebook page listed test results for more than 10,600 people who have completed the registration and five-day job and language training program.
The course and registration fees cost 380,000 kyat (US$180) for each worker, adding that it aims to recruit around 60,000 workers throughout 2024. The agency has not responded to RFA’s inquiries.
Exploited
Ei Thet, who works at a migrant assistance center in the South Korean city of Bucheon, told RFA that she’s also seen other brokers offering seasonal permits to workers from Myanmar – even though this program has not been agreed upon by South Korea.
“Brokers are advertising they have [a legal ground to provide] work permits, like an MOU between the Korean government and their agency,” but that’s not true, Ei Thet said about ads targeted at Burmese workers.
“They have been advertising that they can receive a work permit for you and that you have to pay the service fee amount of US$5,000.”
More than 100 South Korea-based civic organizations have taken a stance against the scheme by sending a letter to the country’s Ministry of Justice outlining the possible consequences for workers.
“It was judged thatthis plan was not only beneficial to the Myanmar military, butalso not beneficialto the workers,” said Hynphil Na, the director of the Korean House for International Solidarity. The Seoul-based group advocates for human rights issues and democracy.
“In itself, it sends a message that [South] Korea recognizes the junta as a legitimate government,” she said. “The junta sends Myanmar workers suffering from economic difficulties to Korea and brings diplomatic benefits.”
Workers will suffer twice as much under this program, Na said, adding that it is difficult to say if Myanmar will protect their interests after they arrive.
In other words, Myanmar’s labor representatives and embassy staff may not provide workers support or be as invested in making sure it’s a good working environment.
Myanmar citizens studying Korean in order to apply for work in South Korea practice for factory work at the language school in the Myittar Nyunt neighborhood of Tarmwe township, Yangon region, March 21, 2024. (Zaw Zaw Aung/RFA)
Civic organizations are also working to make sure the junta’s plans to send workers to South Korea will not be approved, citing poor working conditions for such workers.
“The seasonal worker system itself has many elements of human rights violations,” Na explained. “Therefore, it seems that Myanmar workers have no choice but to endure a poor situation. The situation of seasonal workers from other countries is highly likely to worsen with Myanmar workers.”
After paying initial training fees, Kyaw Kyaw was asked to pay an exorbitant down payment of 5 million kyats (US$2,400) to secure employment in South Korea, a practice that is against the International Labor Organization standards.
He hasn’t paid that sum yet, but he’s willing to.
“Even though there is no formal agreement between the two governments, I’m not worried, because any country is better than Myanmar at the moment,” Kyaw Kyaw told RFA.
“So I’m willing to go, I’m just waiting on the call.”
Edited by Taejun Kang and Malcolm Foster.
This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by By Kiana Duncan for RFA.
Filipino fisherman Larry Hugo worked fast to launch his small boat from Pag-asa, a small island which the Philippines occupies in the disputed Spratly archipelago in the South China Sea, before the sun set in the horizon.
Pag-asa, internationally known as Thitu Island and also claimed by China, Taiwan and Vietnam, sits far out at sea from the main Philippine islands and is inhabited by nearly 300 Filipinos.
Hugo has lived here for the past 15 years. The catch used to be enough to sustain his family until lately, when the presence of Chinese coast guard and militia ships all but forced him and other fishermen to venture closer to shore, he said.
The 45-year-old, who hails from the town of Roxas on Palawan island, is just one of many locals who refuse to give in to despair. Hugo recently spent half a day at sea and returned home with a small catch.
“Yesterday, I went out for fishing but I only got around four kilos (8.8 pounds) of small fish, just enough to cover my gasoline and food for two days,” he told BenarNews.
“Yearly, our catch declines because of the illegal fishing by the Chinese and the Vietnamese. Some of them were using dynamite and cyanide,” Hugo told BenarNews in Filipino outside a small grocery store where he hangs out with friends.
Earlier this month, BenarNews journalists spent four days on Pag-asa. It is one of about nine islands and atolls occupied by Manila in the Spratlys. The island hosts a small community and is equipped with a runway and a school.
Children walk home from their school on Pag-asa (Thitu) Island, March 21, 2024. [Mark Navales/BenarNews]
Pag-asa, the largest of the islands in the Spratly chain, is officially part of the Philippine province of Palawan. Pag-asa is about 300 miles (483 km) from Puerto Princesa, the capital of Palawan island in the western Philippines.
In recent years, more Chinese ships have traveled into waters around Pag-asa and made their presence felt, according to locals.
Along with Scarborough Shoal to the north, Pag-asa has been at the center of news headlines involving China, which claims large swathes of the South China Sea based on historical grounds.
A woman washes clothes outside her home on Pag-Asa, March 20, 2023. [Jeoffrey Maitem/BenarNews]
BenarNews reporters who joined a Philippine mission earlier in March to survey the island and its surrounding areas saw a Chinese fishing fleet, escorted by Chinese militia and coast guard ships as they deployed huge lights to attract fish to their nets.
The Philippines has accused China of illegally harvesting corals and of using dynamite to fish, an allegation Chinese officials have denied. Vietnamese officials also have denied the claim.
Pag-Asa Island as seen from a satellite, April 4, 2022. [Credit: CSIS/AMTI/MAXAR Technologies]
Jonathan Anticamara, professor at the Institute of Biology, College of Science, University of the Philippines-Diliman, said it was the first time marine research had been conducted in Sandy Cay, a sandbar located a few nautical miles from Pag-asa. The researchers’ mission was to identify the corals, fish and invertebrates present in the feature.
“The main goal of this research I think, which is very interesting for the Filipinos, is that these are offshore reefs that belong to the Philippines and the Filipinos do not know so much about these reefs,” Anticamara said.
“So we need to know what’s going on with these reefs. So that’s why we need to go underwater and we need to see what’s in there,” he said.
The visit by the Filipino marine research expedition to Sandy Cay angered China, which complained that this had infringed on Chinese “territorial sovereignty.”
“Thirty-four individuals from the Philippines ignored China’s warning and illegally landed on Tiexian Reef,” China Coast Guard spokesman Gan Yu said in a statement, using the Chinese name for Sandy Cay.
A pair of Filipino fishermen push their boat ashore on Pag-asa (Thitu) Island, March 20, 2023. [Mark Navales/BenarNews]
In September 2023, Philippine officials blamed Chinese maritime militia ships for massive destruction of coral reefs, particularly in the seabed of Rozul Reef and Escoda Shoal, both features near Palawan island.
Hugo said he and other fishermen have complained about “dwindling catch.”
“We only get a few fish here now compared to before. These illegal fishermen from China and Vietnam are destroying the fish sanctuaries,” he said.
A Philippine Coast Guard ship is seen from the shore of Pag-asa (Thitu) Island in the South China Sea, March 20, 2024. [Jeoffrey Maitem/BenarNews]
With no regular direct ships or commercial airline carrying people to and from the island, it has been impossible for Hugo and other residents to quickly cross to the main Philippine islands in cases of emergencies.
Since he moved to Pag-asa in 2009, Hugo said he had managed to leave it on rare occasions to visit his relatives on Palawan island.
“We just have to live with it. No regular aircraft of the Philippine Air Force was coming because of the bad condition of the runway. It was not concrete and was slippery when it rains,” he said.
That could be changing.
“But now it’s different. We have a good runway and the air force flies four times a week. People will just have to list their names for manifest and there will be prioritization depending on the importance of travel,” he said.
Pag-Asa Island as seen from a satellite, April 4, 2022. [Credit: CSIS/AMTI/MAXAR Technologies]
In January, Palawan Gov. Victorino Dennis Socrates traveled to Pag-asa, where he promised that the government would undertake efforts to boost “the country’s sovereignty in the region,” local media reported.
“To all our fellow countrymen across the Philippines, our claim to Kalayaan may just be words, but you being here, proving and shouting through your character, way of life and physical presence, truly affirms that Kalayaan is indeed part of the Philippines and Palawan,” Socrates said, according to Inquirer.net.
Pag-asa lies within the Kalayaan Islands, which are part of the Spratly chain.
“I believe the government is encouraging more people to come and settle here, not only in Pag-asa but in the outlying islands,” the governor said.
Ricel Galvan, a former fisherman, is seen inside the compound of his house on Pag-asa Island in the South China Sea, March 21, 2024. [Mark Navales/BenarNews]
Despite the promises, constant harassment from the Chinese has made it difficult for fishermen, said Ricel Galvan, 37, who took a job with the school’s maintenance staff.
In 2018, residents were free to catch fish, but now the Chinese prevent them, he said.
“We were told by local officials to just lie low and choose a location far from the Chinese,” he told BenarNews.
To support his wife, Aileen, 34, who has been studying in Palawan to become a teacher and their children, aged 10 and 11, Galvan said he accepted a contract from the local government of Kalayaan to work as a support staff in the island.
At the same time, he maintains a small store selling supplies to his neighbors.
“Life here is very hard. Worst is the transportation. We can’t just get off the island if we want to,” he said. “We have no commercial transportation. We need to keep an eye and wait for the availability of government vessels.”
“It’s sad but life must go on. We just have to sacrifice a little,” he said.
BenarNews is an RFA-affiliated online news organization.
This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by By Jeoffrey Maitem and Mark Navales for BenarNews.
A false claim has emerged in Korean-language social media posts that the interim head of South Korea’s largest medical association parroted remarks of the North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
The post carried an image of Kim with a fake quote superimposed on it. The image of Kim cited by the claim was actually released in September 2017 with a statement criticizing then-U.S. President Donald Trump. No part of his statement matches what the head of the medical association said.
The claim was shared on South Korea’s popular online forum Ppomppu, with more than 2.6 million members on Feb. 22.
“Direct challenge, stern warning … I’ve seen similar comments before quite often,” the claim reads.
The post was accompanied by three images.
The first two images at the top show what appears to be Kim Taek-woo, interim head of South Korea’s largest medical association, speaking at a press conference.
A caption under the photos reads: “If even a single doctor is penalized in terms of their license in relation to this incident, we will regard this as a direct challenge against doctors and sternly warn that we may enter into action that will be difficult to handle.”
Screenshot of Ppomppu’s post, taken on March 19, 2024.
The third image shows Kim Jong Un, with wording under it saying: “We regard this as a direct challenge and sternly warn that we may enter into action that will be difficult to handle.”
Screenshot of Ppomppu’s post, taken on March 19, 2024.
Some social media users noted the similarity of remarks and accused Kim Taek-woo of being under North Korean influence.
“He is a pinko,” one user wrote, using a derogatory term to refer to North Korean or communist sympathizers.
“Seems like he was coached [by North Korea],” another user said.
The claim spread amid a major protest by medical personnel in South Korea led by the medical association and other groups. Thousands of South Korean doctors have resigned to protest a government proposal to raise the medical school enrollment quota to address shortages and an aging population.
These striking trainees ignored a government ultimatum set for Feb. 29 to resume work or face legal consequences. Subsequently, on March 5, the government announced its intention to begin notifying the striking medical professionals that their licenses would be suspended.
Kim Jong Un’s remarks
A Google reverse image search found the photo of Kim Jong Un corresponds to one released by North Korea’s state-run Korean Central News Agency on Sept. 22, 2017.
An identical photo was also published by Reuters that day.
“North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un makes a statement regarding U.S. President Donald Trump’s speech at the U.N. general assembly, in this undated photo released by North Korea’s Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) in Pyongyang September 22, 2017,” reads the caption of the photo.
At that time Trump threatened to “totally destroy North Korea” and branded the North Korean leader “Rocket Man.”
A review of the statement, published by KCNA in both English and Korean, found no part matching the caption seen in the image cited by social media posts.
Kim Taek-woo’s remarks
A keyword search on Google found that Kim Taek-woo did make such remarks during a press briefing on Feb. 17 in response to warnings by the South Korean government it may cancel protesting doctors’ medical licenses if they did not return to work.
The clip of the briefing was published by the South Korean broadcaster YTN on Feb. 17.
The corresponding part begins at the 22-second mark of the clip.
Other South Korean news reports also featured his statement as seen here and here.
Edited by Malcolm Foster.
Asia Fact Check Lab, or AFCL, was established to counter disinformation in today’s complex media environment. We publish fact-checks, media-watches and in-depth reports that aim to sharpen and deepen our readers’ understanding of current affairs and public issues. If you like our content, you can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram and X.
This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by By Taejun Kang for RFA.
Manila on Monday summoned a Chinese envoy to strongly protest the “aggressive actions” of the China Coast Guard in the South China Sea, following an incident that left three crew members aboard a Philippine supply boat injured.
The Philippines was on Saturday attempting to resupply troops stationed on a ship at Second Thomas Shoal, known locally as Ayungin Shoal, when China’s coast guard and maritime militia “harassed, blocked, deployed water cannons, and executed dangerous maneuvers against the routine RoRe [rotation and resupply] mission,” officials said.
Chinese water cannon blasts hurt three Filipino crew members and caused “significant damages to the vessel,” the Philippine Coast Guard said.
“The Department of Foreign Affairs summoned the Charge d’affaires of the Chinese Embassy this morning to convey the Philippines’ strong protest against the aggressive actions undertaken by the China Coast Guard and Chinese Maritime Militia against the rotation and resupply mission undertaken by the Philippines in Ayungin Shoal on 23 March 2024,” Ma. Teresita Daza, a spokeswoman for the Department of Foreign Affairs, said in a statement.
China “has no right to be in Ayungin Shoal,” she said, a low-tide elevation that lies well within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone.
“China’s continued interference with the Philippines’ routine and lawful activities in its own exclusive economic zone is unacceptable,” said Daza.
Saturday’s incident was the second time this month that Philippine crew members were injured in a confrontation between Chinese and Philippine ships in the disputed South China Sea.
Tenseincidents at sea have become more frequent lately, as Chinese ships try to block Philippine ships and boats from delivering supplies to Manila’s military outpost there.
The Philippines in 1999 deliberately grounded an old navy ship on the shoal – BRP Sierra Madre – where it maintains a detachment of troops.
Four crew members aboard a military-contracted Philippine ship sustained minor injuries when a water cannon blast from China Coast Guard ships shattered the windshield on the bridge during theincident on March 5, according to Filipino officials.
“The Philippines urges China to take the correct track of abiding by international law and respecting the legitimate rights of other states like the Philippines, and to cease and desist from its continued violation of international law,” Daza said, adding the Philippine embassy in Beijing had also been instructed to lodge a protest with China’s foreign ministry.
China claims nearly the entire South China Sea, including Second Thomas Shoal that is within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone. Vietnam, Brunei, Malaysia and Taiwan also have territorial claims to the sea.
A 2016 ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague dismissed China’s sweeping historical claims to the waterway, but Beijing has refused to acknowledge the ruling.
This frame grab from aerial video footage taken and released on March 23, 2024 by the Armed Forces of the Philippines shows a vessel described as a China Coast Guard ship (L) deploying water cannon against the Philippine military-chartered civilian boat Unaizah May 4 during its supply mission near the Second Thomas Shoal. (Armed Forces of the Philippines/AFP)
On Monday, China’s embassy in Manila said it had communicated its “strong opposition” to the Philippine government, which it accused of attempting to transport construction materials to the shoal – a claim that Manila has denied.
“The China Coast Guard in response has implemented lawful regulation, interception, and expulsion in a reasonable and professional manner,” the embassy said in a statement.
It added that the international arbitration award in 2016 was illegal and therefore “null and void.”
Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro on Monday urged Beijing to take its claims of sovereignty in the South China Sea to international arbitration.
“If China is not afraid to state its claims to the world, then why don’t we arbitrate under international law?” Teodoro told reporters, adding Manila would not budge on its position.
“They are the ones who entered our territory. No country believes [their claims] and they see this as their way to use force, intimidate and bend the Philippines to their ambitions.”
Washington condemned China’s most recent actions as “dangerous” and said they “undermine regional stability but also display a blatant disregard for international law.”
“[The] People’s Republic of China (PRC) ships’ repeated employment of water cannons and reckless blocking maneuvers resulted in injuries to Filipino service members and significant damage to their resupply vessel, rendering it immobile,” said State Department spokesman Matthew Miller.
Jeoffrey Maitem and Mark Navales reported from Manila.
BenarNews is an RFA-affiliated online news organization.
This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by By BenarNews Staff.
China’s coast guard on Saturday fired a water cannon at a Philippine supply boat in disputed waters in the South China Sea, causing “significant damages to the vessel” and injuring its crew, the Philippine coast guard said.
Manila was attempting to resupply troops stationed on a ship at the Second Thomas Shoal, known locally as Ayungin Shoal, when the Chinese coast guard and maritime militia “harassed, blocked, deployed water cannons, and executed dangerous maneuvers against the routine RoRe (rotation and resupply) mission,” said the Philippine National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea.
The West Philippine Sea is the part of the South China Sea that Manila claims as its jurisdiction.
The Chinese coast guard also set up “a floating barrier” to block access to shoal where Manila ran aground an old warship, BRP Sierra Madre, to serve as a military outpost.
The Philippine task force condemned China’s “unprovoked aggression, coercion, and dangerous maneuvers.”
Philippines’ RoRe missions have been regularly blocked by China’s coast guard, but this is the first time a barrier was set up near the shoal.
The Philippine coast guard nevertheless claimed that the mission on Saturday was accomplished.
Potential consequences
The Second Thomas Shoal lies within the country’s exclusive economic zone where Manila holds sovereign rights.
China, however, claims historic rights over most of the South China Sea, including the Spratly archipelago, which the shoal forms a part of.
A Chinese foreign ministry’s spokesperson on Saturday said the Philippine supply vessel “intruded” into the waters near the shoal, called Ren’ai Jiao in Chinese, “without permission from the Chinese government.”
“China coast guard took necessary measures at sea in accordance with law to safeguard China’s rights, firmly obstructed the Philippines’ vessels, and foiled the Philippines’ attempt,” the ministry said.
“If the Philippines insists on going its own way, China will continue to adopt resolute measures,” the spokesperson said, warning that Manila “should be prepared to bear all potential consequences.”
Chinese Maritime Militia vessels near the Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea, March 5, 2024. (Adrian Portugal/Reuters)
U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines MaryKay Carlson wrote on social media platform X that her country “stands with the Philippines” against China’s maneuvers.
Beijing’s “interference with the Philippines’ freedom of navigation violates international law and threatens a free and open Indo-Pacific,” she wrote.
Australian Ambassador to the Philippines Hae Kyong Yu also said that Canberra shares the Philippines’ “serious concerns about dangerous conduct by China’s vessels adjacent to Second Thomas Shoal.”
“This is part of a pattern of deeply concerning behavior,” Yu wrote on X.
Edited by Jim Snyder.
This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by By RFA Staff.
This frame grab from aerial video footage taken and released on March 23, 2024 by the Armed Forces of the Philippines shows a vessel described as a China Coast Guard ship (L) deploying water cannon against the Philippine military-chartered civilian boat Unaizah May 4 during its supply mission near the Second Thomas Shoal. (Armed Forces of the Philippines/AFP)