A Myanmar rebel commander longing for peace. An academic struggles to preserve Uyghur heritage. A London YouTuber faces off with pro-Beijing “Little Pinks” with his piano.
Here are their stories in RFA video:
Frances Hui, Hong Kong democracy activist
As she stood across the street from the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Washington, D.C. in May, Frances Hui couldn’t quite suppress a smile, despite the bounty on her head.
“Behind this building is a regime that is still actively trying to hunt activists down,” said Hui, who grew up in Hong Kong but now lives in the U.S. capital. “One of them is me.”
Tenzin Yangkyi, Tibetan motorcyclist
Riding with the Tibetan flag to spread awareness, Tenzin Yangkyi, 23, became the first woman to reach Umling La on a motorcycle. Located in Ladakh, India, it is world’s highest paved road and mountain pass.
“Once we start something we should see it through without giving up,” she told RFA Tibetan. “Then you acquire ultimate happiness and inner talent will come out.”
She hopes to continue breaking records on other high-altitude roads.
Saw Kaw, rebel commander, Myanmar
Cobra Column commander Saw Kaw plays a guitar in a secret camp in Myawaddy township, Kayin state, Myanmar.
As he spoke with RFA Burmese in July, his battalion was making gains on the Myanmar junta. But the fighting has kept Saw Kaw away from his wife and two young daughters. He hopes the battle will be over soon.
“Then, I no longer wish to be a soldier,” he said. “I aspire to improve underdeveloped areas. I want to see people living freely and happily.”
Magfiret Kemal Yunusoglu, Uyghur academic
Magfiret Kemal, whose story is part of the RFA Uyghur documentary series “Tales of Survival,” overcame challenges while pursuing her education in China.
The 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre disrupted her aspirations for a master’s degree, leading her to finish her education in Turkey, where she now lives.
Today, her dedication focuses on empowering the next generation preserve Uyghur identity through education and science.
Environmental activists, Cambodia
Ten Cambodian environmental activists face prison sentences of between six and eight years after a court in July convicted them on charges criticized by international observers as politically motivated.
Five activists from the Mother Nature group, which had worked to expose corruption and harmful infrastructure projects, were taken into custody in front of Phnom Penh Municipal Court as crowds of supporters shouted their disapproval.
Among the convicted were Ly Chandaravuth, Phuon Keoreaksmey, Thon Ratha and Long Kunthea.
Brendan Kavanagh, pianist and YouTuber
YouTuber Brendan Kavanagh lived in a van for two days out of fear of violent repercussions following a standoff with a group of Chinese flag-wavers around a public piano he was playing in London’s St Pancras railway station, adding that he had received emails “threatening his life” after the incident went viral.
Kavanagh has garnered many supportive comments from people identifying as Taiwanese, Hong Kongers and even some people living in mainland China itself since the original confrontation, which has now been viewed more than 9 million times on YouTube.
Vicky Xu, journalist
Vicky Xu, a Chinese-born Australian journalist who was the target of a widespread campaign of online abuse by agents and supporters of Beijing after she exposed forced labor in Xinjiang, is fighting back against Chinese Communist Party propaganda by living her best life in democratic Taiwan, she told RFA Mandarin in an interview.
“When it comes to people like me, the Chinese Communist Party’s secret police, agents, or state security can harness the power of several provinces and departments to hunt me down, harass me, or intimidate me, or harm everyone in my social circle that they can see,” Xu said.
Edited by Charlie Dharapak and Malcolm Foster.
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