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Voice of America’s immigration news - September 19, 2024 - 07:00
Give us 5 minutes, and we'll give you the world. Around the clock, Voice of America keeps you in touch with the latest news. We bring you reports from our correspondents and interviews with newsmakers from across the world.

Calls for better preparedness in Vietnam after Typhoon Yagi

Voice of America’s immigration news - September 19, 2024 - 06:20
HO CHI MINH CITY, VIETNAM — Typhoon Yagi, which hit Vietnam earlier this month, exposed the country's lack of preparedness for extreme weather and raised concerns more storms could hit the country this rainy season, experts told VOA. The storm hit northern Vietnam September 7. It resulted in 292 deaths. Thirty-eight people remain missing and over 73,000 homes have been flooded, authorities say. In northwestern Lao Cai province, an entire hamlet was swept away in a landslide on September 12, killing 30 people, while dozens are still missing.  Presiding over a conference on the aftermath of the typhoon this week, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh honed in on the need for accurate forecasting, timely communication and swift, effective decision-making. "We have tried our best. We've sought the best solutions available in these circumstances, but no loss can compensate for the lives lost and the suffering of the people," he said September 15. A 33-year-old Lao Cai schoolteacher called the storm's impact on his community devastating.  "My colleagues’ houses collapsed and their furniture floated away. Three or four of my students have family members who died from the landslide. Other students’ houses got flooded," he told VOA in Vietnamese on September 18, asking to withhold his name due to the sensitivity of speaking to the media.  "After the flood receded, the mud was up to my chest," he said.  The Natural Resources and Environment Ministry said Sunday that northern and north-central Vietnam may face one or two more typhoons before the end of September and there's still danger of landslides. "Even as rains subside, landslide risks remain high, especially on the slopes of mountainous regions in the north," the ministry stated. With heavy rains and rising water levels in the upper Mekong region, Vietnam's Southern Institute for Water Resources Planning issued a flood warning Monday for low-lying and riverside areas in the southern provinces of An Giang, Dong Thap, and Long An.  Brian Eyler, director of the Stimson Center's Southeast Asia Program in Washington and co-lead of the Mekong Dam Monitor, warned that the country will face more extreme weather.  "Storms like Yagi will only become more frequent. It's also possible that another one, two, or three will happen this wet season," he told VOA by phone September 13.  "Communities are still not ready and it is the responsibility of governments or international aid organizations to help these communities to better prepare," he said.  Unprepared Despite more than a week of advance warning, locals were poorly prepared for the typhoon, Eyler said. "Communities were not prepared for this and neither were government response mechanisms in any of the countries that were impacted," he said.   Eyler saw on social media that people were on boats in Halong Bay in northern Vietnam during the storm, people were standing next to glass windows and doors that could easily swing open, and in China, people stood in line at amusement parks during the storm.  "There's a large gap in emergency early-warning messaging from the government and then just a general lack of preparedness about what one should do as an individual during a time of extreme crisis," Eyler said.  The Lao Cai teacher said people in his town had been warned about the incoming typhoon but did not expect the severity of the storm.  "There was notice but the damage was not completely avoided," he said. "We did not predict such a strong storm. There has never been such a strong storm."  Vulnerable hit hardest Eyler said that during a climate change-intensified disaster like Typhoon Yagi, the effects are "amplified much more on the poorer and vulnerable people." "Those who were killed or those who were injured were out and about during the storm," he said. "They couldn't afford to stop what they are doing because they need to carry on their livelihoods."  Mimi Vu, a Ho Chi Minh City-based migration and trafficking expert, said that people who depend on day-to-day earnings are at greatest risk.  "For them to stop working means that they're not able to put food on the table," she said by phone Wednesday. "It's a matter of survival for a lot of them and they're willing to take the risk or to support their families." Vu said efforts to fight global warming are going too slowly to keep up with the needs of many affected by extreme weather.  "We're trying to reduce greenhouse gas emissions… but it's not happening fast enough and by enough influential entities to make a difference right now," she said.  We need to help "these underserved communities prepare for the worst that's coming," she added. "Efforts have to be increased now in changing the way we live and operate in the world so that we can lessen the impact." A woman in her 30s in Bac Giang province told VOA she is helping to get necessities to people in Van Ha commune, a village in the Viet Yen district of Bac Giang, which has been isolated by floods and without power for a week.  "I work for the government and we are helping the people here," she said in Vietnamese on September 14, asking to withhold her name. "My duty is supporting other relief groups such as how to get into the village and how to transport food and goods."  Eyler said that governments need to increase data sharing to mitigate the impact of natural disasters and upstream dams in China and the damming of Southeast Asia's river systems more broadly increase the dangers of storms.  "The uses of dams are often described as having the potential for flood control but when these major events happen like this I think the myth of dams as flood control really comes undone," he said. "[Dams] exacerbate risks for vulnerable communities downstream."

VOA Newscasts

Voice of America’s immigration news - September 19, 2024 - 06:00
Give us 5 minutes, and we'll give you the world. Around the clock, Voice of America keeps you in touch with the latest news. We bring you reports from our correspondents and interviews with newsmakers from across the world.

Baby hippo Moo Deng becomes internet sensation

Voice of America’s immigration news - September 19, 2024 - 05:52
CHONBURI, Thailand — Only a month after Thailand's adorable baby hippo Moo Deng was unveiled on Facebook, her fame became unstoppable both domestically and internationally. Zookeeper Atthapon Nundee has been posting cute moments of the animals in his care for about five years. He never imagined Khao Kheow Open Zoo's newborn pygmy hippo would become an internet megastar within weeks. Cars started lining up outside the zoo well before it opened Thursday. Visitors traveled from near and far for a chance to see the pudgy, expressive 2-month-old in person at the zoo about 100 kilometers southeast of Bangkok. The pit where Moo Deng lives with her mom, Jona, was packed almost immediately, with people cooing and cheering every time the pink-cheeked baby animal made skittish movements. "It was beyond expectation," Atthapon told The Associated Press. "I wanted people to know her. I wanted a lot of people to visit her, or watch her online, or leave fun comments. I never would’ve thought (of this)." Moo Deng, which literally means "bouncy pork" in Thai, is a type of meatball. The name was chosen by fans via a poll on social media, and it matches her other siblings: Moo Toon (stewed pork) and Moo Waan (sweet pork). There is also a common hippo at the zoo named Kha Moo (stewed pork leg). "She’s such a little lump. I want to ball her up and swallow her whole!" said Moo Deng fan Areeya Sripanya while visiting the zoo Thursday. Already, Moo Deng has been made into memes. Artists are drawing cartoons based on her. Social media platform X even featured her in its official account’s post. With all that fame, zoo director Narongwit Chodchoi said they have begun patenting and trademarking "Moo Deng the hippo" to prevent the animal from being commercialized by anyone else. "After we do this, we will have more income to support activities that will make the animals’ lives better," he said. "The benefits we get will return to the zoo to improve the life of all animals here." The zoo sits on 800 hectares of land and is home to more than 2,000 animals. It runs breeder programs for many endangered species like Moo Deng's. The pygmy hippopotamus that's native to West Africa is threatened by poaching and loss of habitat. There are only 2,000-3,000 of them left in the wild. To help fund the initiative, the zoo is making Moo Deng shirts and pants that will be ready for sale at the end of the month, with more merchandise to come. Narongwit believes a factor of Moo Deng's fame is her name, which compliments her energetic and chaotic personality captured in Atthapon's creative captions and video clips. Appropriately, Moo Deng likes to "deng," or bounce, and Atthapon got a lot of cute and funny moments of her giddy bouncing on social media. Even when she's not bouncing, the hippo is endlessly cute — squirming as Atthapon tries to wash her, biting him while he was trying to play with her, calmly closing her eyes as he rubs her pinkish cheeks or her chubby belly. Atthapon, who has worked at the zoo for eight years taking care of hippos, sloths, capybaras and binturongs, said baby hippos are usually more playful and energetic, and they become calmer as they get older. The zoo saw a spike in visitors since Moo Deng’s fame — so much that the zoo now has to limit public access to the baby's enclosure to five-minute windows throughout the day during weekends. Narongwit said the zoo has been receiving over 4,000 visitors during a weekday, up from around just 800 people, and more than 10,000 during a weekend, up from around 3,000 people. But the fame has also brought some hostile visitors to Moo Deng, who only wakes up ready to play about two hours a day. Some videos showed visitors splashing water or throwing things at the sleeping Moo Deng to try to wake her up. The hippo pit now has a warning sign against throwing things at Moo Deng — posted prominently at the front in Thai, English and Chinese. Narongwit said the zoo would take action under the animal protection law if people mistreat the animal. But clips emerged of people treating Moo Deng poorly, and the backlash was fierce. The zoo director said that since then, they haven’t seen anyone doing it again. For fans who can't make the journey or are discouraged after seeing the crowds for Moo Deng, the Khao Kheow Open Zoo set up cameras and plan to start a 24-hour live feed of the baby hippo in the coming week. 

Amid economic distress, Sri Lankans seek change through coming election

Voice of America’s immigration news - September 19, 2024 - 05:46
NEW DELHI — Two years after massive popular protests in Sri Lanka ousted former president Gotabaya Rajapaksa at the height of a crushing economic downturn, millions in the island nation will head to the polls Saturday to choose a new president. The rallying cry at the protest movement, called "aragalaya," or struggle, was for an overhaul of the political establishment that many perceived as corrupt. That anger, which continues to fester, along with economic hardship that millions suffer will influence the vote, according to political analysts. “They want a change of the system. That means that they don’t want the old ways where there was no transparency, no accountability,” Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu, executive director of the Center for Policy Alternatives in Colombo told VOA. “They want an alleviation of the economic hardship they are suffering.” As they seek to usher in change, the island nation’s 17 million voters will choose among three main contenders. President Ranil Wickremesinghe, who was elected by Parliament to the top post after Rajapaksa’s exit, is running as an independent candidate. His main challengers are opposition leader Sajith Premadasa and the leader of a Marxist-led alliance, Anura Kumara Dissanayake. Wickremesinghe is wooing voters with the promise of building on the country’s fragile economic recovery that he has steered. He secured a nearly $3 billion International Monetary Fund bailout, which pulled Sri Lanka back from the brink of bankruptcy, eased severe shortages of food and fuel and lowered runaway inflation. “Like the Titanic, Sri Lanka could have sunk,” Wickremesinghe told a rally. “There was no captain. I took responsibility for the ship.” Political analysts say he is attracting the support of people who respect him for restoring stability. “There are those who believe that he has gone to the IMF, he has got a deal with them and that we should continue with him to get out of the terrible mess that we got ourselves in and then start to rebuild again.” Saravanamuttu said. However, people still cope with massive economic woes. Wickremesinghe slashed subsidies and imposed higher taxes as part of IMF austerity measures, which are hurting millions. Living costs have surged while incomes have stagnated. At least a quarter of the country's 20 million people are reeling under poverty. Some also see Wickremesinghe as a part of the “old political guard” which protesters sought to overthrow. He has been accused of protecting the Rajapaksa political family and shielding them from prosecution. Tough measures he took to curb protests, including drafting new security laws, angered many. “I am voting for systematic change, not just a change of faces or end of the political elite that have run this country to the ground,” said Marisa De Silva, an activist in Colombo who took part in the 2022 protests. “We are proposing socialist policy changes for real change.” That deep discontent has catapulted left-wing leader Dissanayake, popularly known as AKD, from the margins to the center stage of the political race. A fiery orator, his rallies have attracted huge crowds as he taps into the anger among many voters. He has vowed to work toward ensuring that the rich pay more taxes under the IMF restructuring plan. There are no reliable polls, but he is seen as a frontrunner in the race. The National People’s Power alliance he heads is made up of different groups that include political parties, youth, civil society, women’s groups and trade unions. It is centered on the working class. “They have never really been in power themselves, so they are presenting themselves as the party that can come in and sweep out the old guys, particularly corruption which is a big problem in Sri Lanka and which many blame for the current crisis,” Alan Keenan, a senior consultant on Sri Lanka at the International Crisis Group, told VOA, “So he is seen as the big change agent,” he added. Opposition leader Premadasa, who also pledges to ease the burden on ordinary citizens, is also a strong contender. He wants to steer a middle path between the status quo and the radical change that Dissanayake wants to usher in. Another candidate is Namal Rajapaksa, the nephew of Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who was president when protesters stormed the presidential palace in 2022 after the economy collapsed. His father, Mahinda Rajapaksa, was also a former president. The Rajapaksas are widely blamed for the country’s financial mismanagement. Although Namal Rajapaksa is not a serious contender for power, his candidacy is a bid by the once-powerful political dynasty to win back their base, according to analysts. A significant number of uncommitted voters has made it hard to forecast the election.   “The question is do voters want a radical change with someone who is untested, do they want to stick with the current program, which is painful but perhaps might lead somewhere eventually, or do they go want to go with someone who is critical of the current approach but not quite as radical as Dissanayake?” asked Keenan.

Far-right's fate in German regional vote could break Scholz -- or remake him

Voice of America’s immigration news - September 19, 2024 - 05:15
berlin — Weeks after topping a state vote for the first time and nearly winning another, Germany's far-right is taking aim at Olaf Scholz's Social Democrats (SPD) in another regional election that could shape his political future. Sunday's tight-looking vote in Brandenburg, the swampy lakeland round the capital Berlin, takes place in a region the SPD has ruled since reunification more than three decades ago. The Alternative for Germany (AfD), with its nationalist demands for halts to immigration, windfarm construction and arming Ukraine, has a narrow roughly three-point lead in polls with nearly 30% of voting intentions. The SPD has been battered by the federal government's unpopularity amid high inflation, the Ukraine war impact and high migrant influxes, but it has closed the gap recently in Brandenburg polling. "Brandenburg is historically an SPD stronghold," said Philipp Thomeczek, politics professor at Potsdam University. "If they don't win here that would be a massive break." Coming a year ahead of a national election, the vote could trigger a party backlash against Scholz or, if the SPD holds the state, confirm him as their candidate for 2025. His conservative opponents are far ahead with their bloc commanding around a third of the vote in most nationwide polls, while the SPD and AfD vie for a distant second. The conservatives this week settled on their chancellor candidate for next year: Friedrich Merz, a sharp-tongued arch-conservative. But Scholz and many Social Democrats believe the gaffe-prone Merz's low personal popularity gives them a chance. Though none will yet say it openly, some in Scholz's party believe he should follow his idol Joe Biden and step aside for a more charismatic champion like defense minister Boris Pistorius. But a win in Scholz's home state -- his constituency is in the state capital Potsdam and his wife is a Brandenburg minister -- may quell the murmurs against him. The party has made barely any mention of Scholz in the campaign, relying instead on the popularity of state premier Dietmar Woidke, a trained food chemist. He said that if the AfD wins most votes he would step aside and not even offer himself as a candidate to lead any potential coalition. "The aim is to stop the AfD from winning," he said. 'Mordor' windmills Unable to form a coalition despite winning most votes in Thuringia state earlier this month, the AfD has almost no chance of forming a regional or federal government given every other party refuses to work with a movement security services class as extremist. The AfD has faced -- and denies -- accusations of racism and of harboring agents for China and Russia. Brandenburg presents a mixed economic picture: it is home to Tesla's first factory in Europe and has wealthy parts within the Berlin commuter belt. But some of its outlying villages and farmscapes have been shrinking for decades. As well as concern over Ukraine and migration, the AfD has channeled public anxiety over energy transition: its state head Hans-Christoph Berndt likened windfarms to "unbearable horror landscapes like Mordor," the fictional land of evil. He provoked mockery -- but also some approval -- when in one debate he reinterpreted religious doctrine to say: "As a Catholic I think loving your neighbor means looking out for your own countrymen." Should the SPD struggle on Sunday, that could open the way for Merz's Christian Democrats to form a coalition in Brandenburg, perhaps with the backing of a new party, the socially conservative, economically left Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance, and others. Unseating the SPD in its stronghold would be a boost for Merz, fresh from his anointment, and could tip an already restive SPD into open revolt against the chancellor.

VOA Newscasts

Voice of America’s immigration news - September 19, 2024 - 05:00
Give us 5 minutes, and we'll give you the world. Around the clock, Voice of America keeps you in touch with the latest news. We bring you reports from our correspondents and interviews with newsmakers from across the world.

Cuban dissident leader wins Norwegian human rights award

Voice of America’s immigration news - September 19, 2024 - 04:43
OSLO, Norway — A Norwegian human rights foundation gave its annual prize on Thursday to jailed Cuban dissident leader Luis Manuel Otero Alcantara for his "fearless opposition to authoritarianism through art." Four past laureates of the Rafto prize — Myanmar's Aung San Suu Kyi, East Timor's Jose Ramos-Horta, South Korea's Kim Dae-jung and Iran's Shirin Ebadi — later went on to win the Nobel Peace Prize. This year's Peace Prize will be announced on Oct. 11 in Oslo. "The 2024 Rafto prize aims to highlight the importance of the work of Luis Manuel Otero Alcantara and other artists in challenging power structures and defending democracy and human rights, both in Cuba and globally," the Norwegian foundation said in a statement. A Cuban court sentenced the artist-dissident in 2022 to five years in jail in a high-profile case that human rights groups branded a "farce" but that Cuban state media said was a fair trial over "common crimes." The 36-year-old artist was a prominent member of the Havana-based San Isidro Movement, an artists collective that led a number of protests over two years. Many of the group have since left Cuba, alleging government repression. On Thursday, the Rafto foundation called on the Cuban government to release him, joining similar calls by Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International. The laureate is awarded a diploma and prize money of $20,000.

VOA Newscasts

Voice of America’s immigration news - September 19, 2024 - 04:00
Give us 5 minutes, and we'll give you the world. Around the clock, Voice of America keeps you in touch with the latest news. We bring you reports from our correspondents and interviews with newsmakers from across the world.

VOA Newscasts

Voice of America’s immigration news - September 19, 2024 - 03:00
Give us 5 minutes, and we'll give you the world. Around the clock, Voice of America keeps you in touch with the latest news. We bring you reports from our correspondents and interviews with newsmakers from across the world.

Thailand pushing for talks to repair key Myanmar highway

Voice of America’s immigration news - September 19, 2024 - 02:35
Bangkok — Thailand wants to work with warring sides in Myanmar to repair a key highway cutting through the conflict-ridden country as it seeks to stabilise borders areas and keep trade routes open, Thai Foreign Minister Maris Sangiampongsa said on Thursday. Thailand has the support of the ASEAN regional bloc and India in the push to rebuild parts of the Asian Highway 1 (AH-1) that has been damaged by recent fighting, he told reporters. Laos, the current chair of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations, has also asked Thailand to host a regional meeting on Myanmar before the end of the year, he said, without providing further details. "I don't think Myanmar problems can be addressed militarily, but through constructive dialogue," Maris said. Myanmar has been in turmoil since February 2021, when its powerful generals ousted an elected civilian government, triggering a protest movement that has morphed into an armed rebellion against the ruling junta. The military government has lost control of swathes of the country and the economy has been crippled. ASEAN has barred the generals from attending its summits until progress is achieved on a 2021 peace plan devised by the bloc, which the junta agreed to but has failed to follow. That agreement includes dialogue between all sides in the conflict. An important trade route, the AH1 stretches more than 1,500 km (932 miles) from Myawaddy on the Thai-Myanmar frontier to Tamu on Myanmar's border with India. The area around Myawaddy, previously a conduit for more than $1 billion of annual border trade, saw fierce fighting earlier this year as rebel fighters pushed the junta out of the frontier town.

Crisis-hit Sri Lanka's poor hope new president will change their fortunes

Voice of America’s immigration news - September 19, 2024 - 02:12
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — Sri Lankan housewife Lankika Dilrukshi says she is tired of the daily struggle needed to provide for her children. On Saturday, she is voting in a presidential poll she sees as key to securing a better future for herself, and her nation. Dilrukshi, 31, is one of the millions of people barely able to make ends meet since the island nation's economy in 2022 plunged into its worst financial crisis in decades. "Life has become so difficult, we need change," she said. "We need a leader who will work for the poor." The economic recovery is at the core of the three-way election battle between President Ranil Wickremesinghe, opposition leader Sajith Premadasa, and Marxist-leaning politician Anura Kumara Dissanayake. The three are frontrunners and have promised new strategies to rescue the economy, lower taxes and support businesses. Sri Lanka's poor and middle class want an equitable economic recovery that will support their aspirations, said Umesh Moramudali, who teaches economics at the University of Colombo. "The poor are really, really struggling,’’ Moramudali said. ‘’Higher prices hurt them most, especially higher food prices." Although inflation cooled to 0.5% last month and GDP is forecast to grow 3% in 2024, for the first time in three years, the change is slow and yet to trickle down. Sri Lankans were hit hard by the 2022 economic crisis, which was triggered by a severe shortfall of foreign currency that added to problems caused by the pandemic. Inflation soared to 70%, the rupee depreciated 45% and the economy shrank by 7.3%, forcing the government to seek an International Monetary Fund bailout. The latest government data shows that in 2023, 7 million people - almost one-third of the total population - were considered poor. By mid-2023, about nearly half of all families had limited their food intake, data from 10,000 households gathered by Colombo think tank LIRNEasia showed. Rising food insecurity also led to malnutrition in children, with the number of those with stunted growth increasing to over 17% in 2023 from 12% in 2021. Burdened by new taxes and fewer high-earning jobs, migration has skyrocketed. More than 600,000 people left the country for work over the last two years, compared to 122,264 in 2021, according to government data. Fruit seller Nancy Hemalatha, 61, borrowed $495 to fund her business, and says she barely has $6.50 left every day after repaying the loan. "My two youngest sons want to migrate. That is their focus now," Hemalatha said. As for housewife Dilrukshi, whose laborer husband earns about $8 daily, frugality is the only way to survive. She keeps poultry and fish out of meals to funnel funds towards her 13-year-old daughter's education and borrows small amounts from neighbors. "I want everyone to have a better future...so that my daughter can become a doctor," she said. "That is what I want to see happen."

VOA Newscasts

Voice of America’s immigration news - September 19, 2024 - 02:00
Give us 5 minutes, and we'll give you the world. Around the clock, Voice of America keeps you in touch with the latest news. We bring you reports from our correspondents and interviews with newsmakers from across the world.

Airbus investing in Chinese firm that supplies Myanmar military: report

Voice of America’s immigration news - September 19, 2024 - 01:52
BANGKOK — A new report from Burmese activist groups is calling on French-based airline manufacturer Airbus to use its influence with Aviation Industry Corporation of China, or AVIC, to pressure the Chinese firm to end its arms sales to the Myanmar junta. AVIC is one of the world’s biggest defense contractors, and the Chinese aviation firm supplies aircraft and weapons to Myanmar’s military junta that are being used in airstrikes in the war-torn country. The report, which was released Monday, says Airbus has not only maintained but increased investment in companies controlled by the Chinese firm. According to the report, Airbus is “heavily” invested in AVIC’s Hong Kong-listed holding company, AviChina, a strategic partner of AVIC China. An Airbus spokesperson denies allegations that the company could be in violation of international sanctions. In its report titled #AIRBUSTED How Airbus’ close partner AVIC is supplying arms to the Myanmar military and what Airbus should do about it, Justice for Myanmar, and Info Birmanie, a non-profit organization in Paris that focuses on Myanmar, say they have uncovered evidence that AVIC is continuing to supply aircraft and weapons to the Myanmar military, which they say have been used to commit war crimes throughout the country. The report’s authors have called on Airbus to “use its leverage over AVIC and its subsidiaries so they halt all ongoing and planned transfers of military aircraft, arms and associated equipment to the Myanmar military,” as well as maintenance, training and technical support for the country’s air force. “Because of these known risks, Airbus should conduct heightened due diligence on any current and future partnerships with AVIC and its subsidiaries and make that due diligence public,” the report said. The report also called on Airbus to divest and end its relationship with AVIC if the company refuses to end its relationship and all business with Myanmar’s military. Philippe Gmerek, a spokesperson for Airbus, told VOA in an email that the French airline manufacturer is compliant with sanctions on Myanmar and within international law with its relationship with AVIC. "Airbus has not supplied defence products to Myanmar or its armed forces.  Airbus is committed to conducting its business ethically and in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations. This includes the delivery of defence products in accordance with export control laws and in full transparency and alignment with authorities and relevant stakeholders,” Gmerek said in the emailed statement. He added that “Airbus' relationship with Chinese companies, including AVIC, is fully compliant with all European and international laws and regulations, notably with regards to the existing arms embargo on China. As such, Airbus' industrial and technology partnerships in China are exclusively focused on civil aerospace and services.” AVIC, one of the world’s largest military contractors, has been under U.S. sanctions since 2020 and is listed by Washington as a potential national security threat because of its links to the Chinese military. Those sanctions prohibit any American organization or individuals from dealing with firms that have links to the Chinese PLA. Myanmar has been in chaos since military leader General Min Aung Hlaing and his military forces overthrew the democratically elected government in February 2021.   The coup sparked widespread armed resistance to military rule, led by ethnic armed groups and forces loyal to a civilian-led shadow government. Upwards of 5,600 people have been killed by the military and millions displaced since the coup, according to rights groups. In a joint statement at the U.N. Security Council in February, France joined Britain, Ecuador, Japan, Malta, South Korea, Slovenia, Switzerland and the United States in strongly condemning the military’s violent attacks on civilians in Myanmar, including its “continued use of indiscriminate airstrikes.” The governments of France, Germany and Spain all hold major shares in Airbus through holding companies. VOA reached out to Christian Lechervy, France’s ambassador to Myanmar, and AVIC for comment but has yet to receive a reply. Johanna Chardonnieras, coordinator for Info Burmie, said the French government, among others, should act. “The French, Spanish and German governments have a responsibility and a duty to act when Airbus’ partner and investee is linked to war crimes,” Chardonnieras said. “Today they have the opportunity to show their capacity for action, in line with their statements, values and sanctions.” Yadanar Maung, the Justice for Myanmar spokesperson, called for the U.S. to take action should Airbus continue its business ties with AVIC. “We call on the U.S. government to conduct due diligence on any business activities and links it currently has with Airbus and encourage U.S. citizens and entities to do the same. Airbus' decision to continue its business relationship with AviChina should be subject to consequences, including restricting market opportunities in the U.S.,” she told VOA. Zachary Abuza, a professor at the National War College in Washington who focuses on Southeast Asia politics and security, says the report could tarnish Airbus’ reputation, though it is unclear how much of an impact it could have beyond that. “Airbus will obviously try to make the case that they only partner with AVIC in the commercial aircraft, but obviously there’s a lot of dual use technology,” Abuza said. “The biggest hit to the firm is reputational damage. I am not sure Myanmar is a large enough issue, or it’s a priority for European leaders, or there’s a significant and politically powerful diaspora to demand changes,” he told VOA. The U.S., Canada, Britain and the EU have all imposed a variety of sanctions on Myanmar’s military regime and its entities in recent years in a bid to end its violent crackdown.

Haitian American news site faces harassment over post-debate Ohio coverage

Voice of America’s immigration news - September 19, 2024 - 01:33
NEW YORK — Journalists at a news site that covers the Haitian community in the United States say they've been harassed and intimidated with racist messages for covering a fake story about immigrants eating the pets of people in an Ohio town. One editor at the Haitian Times, a 25-year-old online publication, was "swatted" this week with police turning up at her home to investigate a false report of a gruesome crime. The news site canceled a community forum it had planned for Springfield, Ohio, and has shut down public comments on its stories about the issue because of threats and vile posts. The Times, which had the Committee to Protect Journalists conduct safety training for its journalists in Haiti, has now asked for advice on how to protect staff in the United States, said Garry Pierre-Pierre, founder and publisher. "We've never faced anything like this," Pierre-Pierre said Wednesday. Site says it isn't backing down The Times has debunked and aggressively covered the aftermath of the story about immigrants supposedly eating the dogs and cats of other Springfield residents, as it was spread by Ohio Sen. JD Vance, Donald Trump's Republican running mate in the presidential election, and Trump himself in his debate with Democrat Kamala Harris. Despite receiving hundreds of these messages, the site isn't backing down, said Pierre-Pierre, a former reporter at The New York Times who echoed a mission statement from his old employer in making that promise. "We do not want to hibernate," he said. "We're taking the precautions that are necessary. But our first duty is to tell the truth without fear or favor, and we have no fear." Pierre-Pierre, who emigrated to the United States in 1975, started the Haitian Times to cover issues involving first- and second-generation Haitians in the United States, along with reporting on what is happening in their ancestral home. It started as a print publication that went online only in 2012 and now averages 10,000 to 15,000 visitors a day, although its readership has expanded in recent weeks. Macollvie Neel, the New York-based special projects editor, was the staff member who had police officers show up at her doorstep on Monday. It was triggered when a Haitian advocacy group received an email about a crime at Neel's address. They, in turn, notified police who showed up to investigate. Not only did the instigators know where Neel lived, they covered their tracks by funneling the report through another organization, she said. Neel said she had a feeling something like this might happen, based on hateful messages she received. But it's still intimidating, made more so because the police who responded were not aware of the concept of doxxing, or tracing people online for the purpose of harassment. She said police searched her home and left. She was always aware that journalism, by its nature, can make people unhappy with you. This takes the threat to an entirely new level. Racist hate groups who are ready to seize on any issue are sophisticated and well-funded, she said. "This is a new form of domestic terrorism," she said, "and we have to treat it as such." 'It’s outrageous’ Katherine Jacobsen, the Committee to Protect Journalists' U.S., Canada and Caribbean program coordinator, said it's a particularly acute case of journalists being harassed in retaliation for their coverage of a story. "It's outrageous," she said. "We should not be having this conversation. Yet we are." Even before Springfield received national attention in recent weeks, the Haitian Times had been covering the influx of immigrants to the Midwest in search of jobs and a lower cost of living, Pierre-Pierre said. A story currently on its site about Springfield details how the furor "reflects America's age-old battle with newcomers it desperately needs to survive." Another article on the site talks about the NAACP, Haitian American groups and other activists from across the country coming to the aid of Springfield residents caught in the middle of the story. Similarly, the Times has heard from several other journalists — including from Pierre-Pierre's old employer — who have offered support. "I'm deeply touched," he said.

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Voice of America’s immigration news - September 19, 2024 - 01:00
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