*Off Beat* RFA English's State Dept. correspondent Alex Willemyns discusses possible changes in U.S. foreign policy in Asia after Trump's election victory. *The Rundown* The Myanmar junta jailed a citizen for criticizing the title of a movie as being discriminatory to religious minorities. Vietnam builds a new airstrip on an artificial island built atop a reef in the disputed Spratley archipelago. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

RFA Insider #18 DOUBLE LENGTH EPISODE! *SPECIAL REPORT* Amy and Eugene visited the Smithsonian National Zoo in late September to get to the bottom of Panda diplomacy and to try to figure out when the new pandas would arrive. While there, they went *Off Beat* by talking to the zoo's director Brandie Smith, who stressed that conservation was the panda program's goal. *Podcast Free Asia* North Korea sent troops to Russia, and RFA Korean hosted a conversation about the latest developments. Eugene...

*Off Beat* Kelis Wong from RFA Cantonese discusses the past 10 years in Hong Kong, and how protests in 2014, known as the Umbrella Movement or Occupy Central, led into subsequent protests in 2019 over an extradition law and then again in 2024 over the passage of Article 23. *The Rundown* North Koreans get punished for not saving portraits of their previous leaders as they escaped from their flooded homes. A museum in France removed the word "Tibet" from exhibitions in favor of the Chinese...

This episode of RFA Insider is a practice run in "live to tape" format, indicating that we will in the future do a livestreamed episode. *The Rundown* North Korean lectures tell the people that Vladimir Putin loves Kim Jong Un more than others. Meanwhile the people are getting sick of a propaganda song singing his praises The AFCL checks into Chinese businessman Victor Gao's claim that 10% of Taiwan's population is descended from Japanese who lived there when it was a colony The Gumball 3,000...

*Off Beat* Discussing Cambodian strongman Hun Sen with Vuthy Huot and Poly Sam from RFA Khmer *Podcast Free Asia* The other RFA Podcast, Master of Deceit, is about Wang Shujun, a New Yorker convicted of spying for China, not about those other three New Yorkers arrested for or convicted of spying for China. *The Rundown* Caterpillar fungus trade affected by climate change, over harvesting, and counterfeits Lao video editors get in trouble for editing videos of roads with potholes Hosted on...

*How it's Made* This is part tow of a two part episode featuring a lengthy interview with Seohyun and Hyunseung Lee, who have been described as Pyonghattanites because they were part of North Korea's 1% prior to escaping North Korea. In part two, the focus is about the issues that North Korean escapees face, including the proper term that we should use when talking about them, and then covers the siblings as they get used to life in New York city *Podcast Free Asia* How it’s Made is no longer...

*How it's Made* This is part one of a two part episode featuring a lengthy interview with Seohyun and Hyunseung Lee, who have been described as Pyonghattanites because they were part of North Korea's 1% prior to escaping North Korea. In part one, the focus is about their decision to escape,  their time in South Korea before coming to the United States and their experiences in the Korean-American community. *Podcast Free Asia* Listener provides new information regarding the Russian abilities...

*How its' Made* RFA Uyghur's Shahrezad Ghayrat unpacks a TikTok video filmed by young Uyghur activists, then discusses the situation in the Uyghur region. *The Rundown* Unofficial new "down the rabbit hole" segment begins with talk of anthems played at the olympics then takes a turn to North Korea presenting Vladimir Putin with the Russian anthem during a state visit. China wins gold-silver in women's singles table tennis, but fans of silver medalist Sun Yingsha threw shade at gold medalist...

*How it's Made* We discus mass student protests in Bangladesh that have claimed over 200 lives and seen more than 10,000 arrested with BenarNews' Mahbub Leelen. *Podcast Free Asia* Astronomy and astrology are not the same, and all our zodiac signs are wrong *The Rundown* AFCL debunks reports that the BBC reported that China's Chang'e-6 mission to the Moon harmed lunar aliens, then they debunk reports that South Korea is changing its name in Chinese to more reflect how the country is called in...

*How it's Made* BenarNews' Mem Satitpanyapan discusses the latest developments in the case of six Vietnamese and Vietnamese Americans who were discovered by police dead in their hotel room *Podcast Free Asia* We explain our format shift and we record some promos. *The rundown* YouTubers in Vietnam slapped with a fine for posting video of a rock and saying it looks like Thich Minh Tue, the unofficial monk that's has gone viral despite the government's efforts to prevent that. The AFCL debunks...

*How it's Made* BenarNews' Mem Satitpanyapan discusses the latest developments in the case of six Vietnamese and Vietnamese Americans who were discovered by police dead in their hotel room *Podcast Free Asia* We explain our format shift and we record some promos. *The rundown* YouTubers in Vietnam slapped with a fine for posting video of a rock and saying it looks like Thich Minh Tue, the unofficial monk that's has gone viral despite the government's efforts to prevent that. The AFCL...

On this episode, China sees a sharp drop in marriages; The road to the FIFA World Cup for North Korea (and China and South Korea) becomes more clear after the AFC's 3rd round draw. *How it's made* Truong Son from RFA Vietnamese discusses Thich Minh Tue, the unofficial monk who's gone viral for his barefoot pilgrimage across the country. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this episode of RFA Insider: *The Rundown* China sees a sharp drop in marriages The road to the FIFA World Cup for North Korea (and China and South Korea) becomes more clear after the AFC's 3rd round draw. *How it's made* Truong Son from RFA Vietnamese discusses Thich Minh Tue, the unofficial monk who's gone viral for his barefoot pilgrimage across the country.

This is part two of a two-part pride-themed episode with a panel discussing LGBTQIA+ experiences and issues in Asian settings or in the field of journalism. Our panel consists of three RFA journalists who happen to be gay: Wilson (pseudonym), social media editor Phoe Khwar, journalist, Burmese Service Greg Barber, head of digital operations Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is part one of a two-part pride-themed episode with a panel discussing LGBTQIA+ experiences and issues in Asian settings or in the field of journalism. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is part two of a two-part pride-themed episode with a panel discussing LGBTQIA+ experiences and issues in Asian settings or in the field of journalism. Our panel consists of three RFA journalists who happen to be gay: Wilson (pseudonym), social media editor Phoe Khwar, journalist, Burmese Service Greg Barber, head of digital operations

This is part one of a two-part pride-themed episode with a panel discussing LGBTQIA+ experiences and issues in Asian settings or in the field of journalism. Our panel consists of three RFA journalists who happen to be gay: Wilson (pseudonym), social media editor Phoe Khwar, journalist, Burmese Service Greg Barber, head of digital operations Trigger warning: this episode discusses sensitive themes including abuse and attempted suicide

On this episode of RFA Insider: *Podcast Free Asia* A primer for the discussion on language standardization *The Rundown* The insiders discuss different standardization processes by governments in the Chinese and Korean linguistic areas, and how adherence to one standard may or may not be political. *How it's Made* Max Avary from RFA's Lao Service explains the difference between traditional Lao and modern Lao and why RFA recently decided to shift to modern Lao to better serve its...

On this episode of RFA Insider: *Podcast Free Asia* A primer for the discussion on language standardization *The Rundown* The insiders discuss different standardization processes by governments in the Chinese and Korean linguistic areas, and how adherence to one standard may or may not be political. *How it's Made* Max Avary from RFA's Lao Service explains the difference between traditional Lao and modern Lao and why RFA recently decided to shift to modern Lao to better serve its audience.

Continuing with the second half of our AANHPI Heritage Month episode with guests Boer Deng and Charlie Dharapak. *How it's Made* The panel discusses their journey to becoming journalists and navigating expectations from their parents to adhere to traditional markers of success. The conversation then shifts to how Asian Americans are making an impact in journalism today, and what we would like to see done better. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Continuing with the second half of our AANHPI Heritage Month episode with guests Boer Deng and Charlie Dharapak. *How it's Made* The panel discusses their journey to becoming journalists and navigating expectations from their parents to adhere to traditional markers of success. The conversation then shifts to how Asian Americans are making an impact in journalism today, and what we would like to see done better.

On this episode of RFA Insider: May is Asian American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander Heritage Month, so in the rundown, a four person panel of RFA staffers discuss Asian representation in U.S. media over the years. Recording went on longer than expected so we stopped at the end of the rundown and How it's made will appear in the second half. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this episode of RFA Insider: May is Asian American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander Heritage Month, so in the rundown, a four person panel of RFA staffers discuss Asian representation in U.S. media over the years. Recording went on longer than expected so we stopped at the end of the rundown and How it's made will appear in the second half.

On this episode of RFA Insider: *The Rundown* V-pop singer Dam Vinh Hung gets in trouble for wearing military costume with medals that look South Vietnamese North Korea releases a song that praises Kim Jong Un and displays expensive instruments, a possible violation of sanctions. *How It's Made* Discussing the espionage case of Wang Shujun, a Chinese-American pro-democracy activist accused of spying for Beijing, with Jane Tang and Tara McKelvey from RFA Investigative. Hosted on Acast. See...