In a park in Heze city in China’s eastern Shandong province, two people were killed and 24 wounded, including three currently in critical condition, when a bomb was detonated Monday night. The bomber was also killed. Chinese authorities have identified the man as Xie Xintang, 33, an unemployed villager. official state media Xinhua, which originally […]
Bombing in China Kills two, injures 24
Months of uncertainty end in deportation to China for Uighurs in Thailand
After months held in Thai immigration detention centers, over 100 Uighurs have been deported to China, despite protests from the United Nations and the Uighurs themselves, who fear punishment in China. “Thailand and Turkey are not rivals and we do not want to destroy trade and commerce with Turkey,” said Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha […]
Human rights complaints against former Chinese head of state rise to 35,000
Complaints against Jiang Zemin, the former leader of China’s Communist Party, rose from only a few thousand to around 35,000 over the previous month. The number of complainants is currently around 44,000. They are practitioners and supporters of the Chinese religion Falun Gong, and they are urging China’s governing authorities to bring Jiang to justice for […]
North Korean camp survivor Dong-Hyuk Shin tells true feelings about his book and campaign
Dong-Hyuk Shin, the only North Korean prison camp escapee, revealed that the inaccurate details in his autobiography “Escape from Camp 14” were neither lies nor confusion about his memories following his traumatic experiences. He just wanted to keep some painful experiences to himself. “First of all, let me tell about the controversial issues surrounding my book, as some […]
Sentencing of Christians in China increases 10,000% in less than a decade, rights group reports
In China, Christian citizens sentenced for their faith increased 10,517 percent between 2007 and 2014, according to rights watch group China Aid, which also speculated that the trend towards greater persecution could continue for some time. “All aspects of Chinese society will continue to be subjected to increased suppression, including the denial of religious freedom […]
Tibetan man self immolates beside Dalai Lama photo
In Ngaba, Tibet — the scene of many self immolations by Tibetans protesting Chinese rule over the past several years — a man in his forties or fifties self immolated Wednesday beside a shrine he had set up which included photos of the Dalai Lama, the Tenth Panchen Lama, and his family, as well as the traditional butter-lamps and […]
South Koreans mark one year anniversary of ferry tragedy
SEOUL, South Korea — South Koreans paid tribute to the victims of the Sewol ferry disaster today in central Seoul, one year after the ferry sank, causing the deaths of 304 people April 16, 2014. The Sewol ferry was heading to Jeju Island from Incheon International Port Passenger Terminal, carrying 476 passengers. Of those, 325 were high […]
Justice for North Korea launch street campaign for North Korean defectors in central Seoul
SEOUL, South Korea — Nongovernmental organization Justice for North Korea (JFNK) launched a street campaign last Saturday in Insadong Street, Central Seoul to bring attention to the North Korean crisis. Founder of JFNK and activist Peter Jung and street campaign coordinator Aaron Peterson held the campaign with four volunteers. Three people handed out flyers which explained about the […]
China and Dalai Lama vie for who selects reincarnation of Dalai Lama
Tibet’s spiritual leader the Dalai Lama made a speech in Japan this week in which he said that he expects to finalize his decision in 2025 about who his reincarnated successor will be. The Dalai Lama will be 90 years old at that time. However, China has reiterated its claim that the government has the […]
140th self immolation against Chinese rule of Tibet
A Tibetan nun self immolated April 8, becoming the 140th known self immolation in protest of Chinese rule over the Himalayan region. The nun, Yeshi Kandro, who was in her 40s, was known to be a serious practitioner of meditation and deeply concerned with Tibetan issues, according to sources of International Campaign for Tibet. Yeshi may […]
Indian free speech law: Democracy redo
In a major victory for free speech, the Indian supreme court slashed the draconian provision in section 66A of the Information Technology Act. Session 66A had infringed the right of speech of Indian citizens since 2000. The IT Act of 2000 gave the Indian government the power to arrest an individual for posting “offensive” content online. […]
N. Korean defector reveals scars of prison camp torture
SEOUL, South Korea — North Korean defector Dong-Hyuk Shin has revealed photos of scars on his body, which he says were suffered in a prison camp in the hermit kingdom. Shin published the photos to his Facebook page last week after admitting to several inaccurate accounts in his autobiography in January. Shin is famous for being the only survivor to have escaped from a North Korean […]