RFA Unplugged

Archive for February, 2010

Banned Vietnamese Groups Distribute Pro-Democracy Leaflets

Members of two banned political groups in Vietnam are risking imprisonment and worse by distributing pro-democracy leaflets at a time when observers say the human rights situation is deteriorating. The US-based Viet Tan (Vietnam Reform Party) confirmed early Monday that it had joined the effort along with the People’s Democratic Party (PDP). In a joint [...]

Mekong Diaries: Day 58

When we arrive Siem Reap is hot, even in the early morning. After checking into our hotel we dive straight into a very tight schedule

Stone Age Courtship Goes High Tech

The popular view of relationships in the stone age is that the man sees a woman he wants. He hits her on the head with his club and drags her back to his cave and uses her for his primal needs. Today, thousands of years later, the club has been replaced by pharmaceuticals but the rest is [...]

Mekong Diaries: Day 57

We spring out of the very comfortable folds of our beds at 4 am and polish our sleepy faces in readiness for Gordon and Verne.

North Korea: Normality, Hope Amidst the Perms and Lunacy

When the cover of The Economist magazine featured Kim Jong II with his permed hair and the caption “Greetings Earthlings,” it seemed to aptly sum up the world’s view of North Korea. It has the image of being so isolated and different that it may as well be from another planet. But that popular image is based on [...]

62 Gag Orders in 2009

Sixty-two gag orders in 2009: That’s an “incomplete” list of what journalists were told not to cover, according to a new report.

Mekong Diaries: Day 55 & 56

We take the advice of our hosteler and decide to avoid the added cost of a private Camry for the next leg of our journey, this time down the river to Kratie.