Radio Free Asia 3/28/2006

First posted at Causes of Interest.

U.S. Could Take 200 North Korean Refugees in 2006
The United States could process asylum claims for up to 200 North Koreans this year, a U.S. source tells RFA's Korean service, despite the unique difficulty of conducting required background probes into refugees from the world's most tightly closed country. “We will consider any North Koreans brought to our attention by the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, by U.S. embassies and consulates, and by reputable nongovernmental organizations,” one U.S. source said...

China Releases Mao Portrait Protester After 17 Years
The last of three protesters jailed by the Chinese authorities for defacing the portrait of Mao Zedong during the 1989 demonstrations on Tiananmen Square is released after serving 17 years in jail. Former newspaper editor Yu Dongyue left Chishan Prison, Yuanjiang city in the central province of Hunan, under police escort, his mother Wu Pinghua told RFA’s Cantonese service. Asked about Yu Dongyue’s physical condition, his sister, Yu Rixia, told RFA's Mandarin service: “His health is not very good. He can not manage his own personal chores. The priority now is for him to adjust to the current situation and hope that his health can be gradually improved.”...

My apologies. This article is dated March 4, 2006.

Two weeks ahead of a new round of voting for Tibet's exile government, RFA's Tibetan service has begun a series of live broadcasts of election-related coverage. Thousands of exiled Tibetans are expected to cast ballots on March 18. Go to www.RFA.org/Tibetan for detailed program guides.

Burma Blocks Humanitarian Prison Visits.
Burma’s military junta is blocking regular visits by representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and putting pressure on them to work in tandem with local groups approved by officials, RFA's Burmese service reports...

North Korean Refugees Head For Europe.
Increasing numbers of defectors from North Korea are finding their way to Europe, often after a marathon journey spanning several years and tens of thousands of miles—the result of a complex network of people-smugglers, defectors, and South Korean missionaries...

Turkey-based Publisher Keeps Uyghur Letters Alive.
A modest publishing house in Turkey is increasingly keeping the Uyghur language and culture alive from its place of exile, sending out volumes of poetry, history, and Islamic scholarship free of charge even as Beijing clamps down on the millions of Uyghurs under its control...

Vietnamese Journalist Questions 'Socialist Economy'.
A prominent Vietnamese journalist has called on the ruling Communist Party to do more to overhaul the country’s massive bureaucracy and "disoriented”economy and to clarify who runs Vietnam—party or state...