[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 693 Introduced in House (IH)]
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117th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. RES. 693
Recognizing the 25th anniversary of Radio Free Asia and its mission to
provide an independent source of news to closed societies in Asia.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
September 29, 2021
Mr. McGovern (for himself and Mr. Chabot) submitted the following
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Recognizing the 25th anniversary of Radio Free Asia and its mission to
provide an independent source of news to closed societies in Asia.
Whereas, after the 1989 Tiananmen Square Massacre, a bipartisan group of
Senators and Members of the House of Representatives, led by then-
Senators Joseph R. Biden and Jesse Helms, came together and sponsored
legislation to create Radio Free Asia, a news outlet with a
congressionally-mandated mission to provide unbiased, independent, and
domestic journalism for audiences in the Asian nations of China, Burma,
Cambodia, Laos, North Korea, Tibet, and Vietnam, whose people do not
fully enjoy freedom of expression;
Whereas Radio Free Asia--
(1) was established by United States law as part of the United States
International Broadcasting Act of 1994 (22 U.S.C. 6201 et seq.);
(2) was incorporated as a private, nonprofit corporation on March 11,
1996; and
(3) made its inaugural broadcast in Mandarin to the Chinese people on
September 29, 1996;
Whereas Laos, Vietnam, China, and North Korea rank amongst the worst 9 countries
in the world for media freedom in the 2021 World Press Freedom Index, as
based on an evaluation of pluralism, independence of the media, quality
of legislative framework, and safety of journalists;
Whereas Radio Free Asia delivers programming and content using many media
platforms, including radio, television, and the internet, in the
languages of Mandarin, Korean, Burmese, Tibetan, Uyghur, Khmer
(Cambodian), Cantonese, Lao, and Vietnamese, and through English
translations and content on the website and social media of Radio Free
Asia;
Whereas Radio Free Asia launched BenarNews in 2015, an online news affiliate
that publishes news and content for audiences in Indonesia, Bangladesh,
Malaysia, Thailand, and the Philippines that is focused on the
consequences of extremism and contributes to coverage by Radio Free Asia
of the influence of the People's Republic of China in Southeast Asia and
the expanded military presence of the People's Republic of China in the
South China Sea;
Whereas Radio Free Asia in 2020 launched online brand, WHYNOT/WAINAO, engaging
younger Chinese Mandarin-speaking audiences around the world, who are
often skeptical of pervasive Chinese government narratives, fostering an
open dialogue on banned or under-covered topics through probing
independent-thinking journalism, features, and content;
Whereas Radio Free Asia, consistent with its congressional mandate of editorial
independence, works to ensure that its journalists and services adhere
to the highest journalistic standards and ethics, without influence or
interference by the United States Government or any Administration;
Whereas the Uyghur Service of Radio Free Asia has served a vital role by
providing an independent source of information on the repression and
mass detention of Uyghurs and members of other ethnic and religious
minorities in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of the People's
Republic of China;
Whereas the documentation of abuses in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region by
Radio Free Asia has helped inform the policies of the Congress and the
Executive Branch, including a determination by the State Department that
the Chinese government, under the direction of the Chinese Communist
Party, is engaged in genocide against Uyghurs and members other ethnic
and religious minority groups;
Whereas Radio Free Asia has documented the rapid deterioration of autonomy and
democratic freedoms in Hong Kong by the Chinese central government,
including restrictions on freedom of speech and the press and crackdowns
on activists, journalists, and protesters;
Whereas Radio Free Asia has been a primary source of information on Tibetan
regions in the People's Republic of China, including on the March 2008
Lhasa Uprising and ensuing security crackdown, the spate of Tibetan
self-immolations, and restrictions on Tibetan language, education,
religious practice, and the display of images of the Dalai Lama;
Whereas, in March 2020, Radio Free Asia reported that the Chinese government was
under-reporting the number of coronavirus fatalities in Wuhan province,
which was later verified by leaked internal Chinese documents obtained
by other news outlets;
Whereas Radio Free Asia has provided the Burmese people with continuous coverage
of the 2021 military-led coup that deposed the elected government and
ended 10 years of democratic reforms and growth of civil society;
Whereas, in 2017, Radio Free Asia documented the human rights abuses against and
expulsion of Rohingya from Burma, whose plight Radio Free Asia affiliate
BenarNews has continued to cover in refugee camps in Bangladesh;
Whereas Radio Free Asia has done in-depth reporting on the behavior of the North
Korean government, including the use of forced labor, political prisoner
camps, activities at nuclear testing sites, and internal acknowledgments
of the presence of COVID-19 in the country;
Whereas high-level defectors and refugees from North Korea have credited reports
by Radio Free Asia as a factor in their decision to leave the country
and seek their future beyond the North Korean borders;
Whereas the Lao, Khmer (Cambodian), and Vietnamese services of Radio Free Asia
have reported on high-level corruption of officials and leaders,
silencing of independent voices and journalists, and the struggles of
civil society, as well as activities by China that affect the flow of
the Mekong River;
Whereas the journalism by Radio Free Asia has earned recognition among its
peers, is cited by respected international and regional media outlets,
and has won numerous awards for its investigative reporting and
exclusive features from journalistic and human rights groups;
Whereas Radio Free Asia has been unjustly targeted by repressive regimes, with
its websites blocked, its radio signals jammed, and its journalists put
at risk;
Whereas Nguyen Tuong Thuy, Truong Duy Nhat, and Nguyen Van Hoa, contributors to
the Vietnamese Service of Radio Free Asia, have been unjustly jailed and
detained;
Whereas Uon Chhin and Yeang Sothearin, who have both worked as journalists for
the Khmer (Cambodian) Service of Radio Free Asia, continue to face
unsubstantiated charges; and
Whereas Chinese authorities have detained and harassed family members of the
Uyghur Service of Radio Free Asia in a campaign of intimidation. Now,
therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) recognizes the importance of Radio Free Asia on its
25th anniversary as an independent news organization chartered
and funded by Congress with a mission to bring uncensored,
accurate news to people living in closed societies in Asia;
(2) honors the dedication and courage of the former and
current journalists of Radio Free Asia in the face of threats
and adversity from foreign governments and rising risks for
press freedom in Asia and across the globe; and
(3) commends the continued effectiveness and success of
Radio Free Asia in its pursuit of independence and credible
journalism.
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