Thailand arrests Montagnard refugees, CCP supports Burmese junta, U.S. and South Korea halt North Korea broadcasts.

1/ HRF expresses deep concern over Thailand’s arrest of approximately 70 Vietnamese indigenous Montagnard refugees, including some under UNHCR protection. HRF urges Thailand to immediately and unconditionally release them & to fully respect the principle of non-refoulement.

2/ In recent years, many Vietnamese indigenous and religious minorities have fled to neighboring Thailand to escape systematic abuses, religious restrictions, and land seizures. However, many have faced arrest, detention, and forced return to Vietnam. (CSW)

3/ Last year, Thailand arrested Vietnamese human rights defender Y Quynh Bdap, who holds UNHCR protection status. A Thai court later ordered his extradition to Vietnam, despite widespread concerns that he would face persecution upon return. (ICJ)

4/ The recent arrest of Vietnamese Montagnard refugees underscores a worrying pattern of transnational repression in Southeast Asia, where regimes cooperate to target activists and individuals fleeing systemic discrimination and human rights abuses.

1/ HRF condemns the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)’s support for the Burmese junta, including the provision of arms and the endorsement of the junta’s plan to hold sham elections in December and January. The CCP’s push to expand its power in the region further exacerbates the human rights crisis in Burma.

2/ Despite the CCP’s repeated assertions of a “policy of noninterference,” it has provided billions in aid to prop up the Burmese junta. Chinese state-owned firms are increasingly supplying the military with weapons. https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/10/30/china-myanmar-civil-war/

3/ In July, an independent group of human rights experts reported that a Chinese state-owned company helped the junta produce aerial bombs used in airstrikes against civilians, noting that such attacks may meet the threshold of serious international crimes. https://specialadvisorycouncil.org/2025/07/new-sac-m-report-chinas-support-for-the-myanmar-militarys-production-of-aerial-bombs/

4/ The CCP also seeks to increase regional support for the Burmese junta. Ahead of the ASEAN summit in October, Chinese diplomats pressured other government officials to align with Beijing. The CCP’s backing of the brutal junta shows how far it will go to advance its own interests.

1/ For decades, brave North Koreans risked their lives to tune into foreign broadcasts. These weren’t just signals—they were lifelines to truth, piercing the ironclad wall of Pyongyang’s censorship and propaganda. Now, the U.S. and South Korean governments have halted these broadcasts. (DW)

2/ The silence is deafening. This is not just a policy shift. It’s a betrayal of millions trapped under one of the world’s most repressive regimes. There’s no doubt the brutal North Korean regime is rejoicing—this silence empowers oppression.

3/ Silence from governments must be met with voices of solidarity. The private sector and the international community must step up in uncertain times like this. HRF’s Flash Drives for Freedom program is that voice, serving as a beacon in the blackout.

4/ FDFF has delivered over 138,000 flash drives into North Korea, each filled with uncensored books, films, and news. That’s 62 million hours of reading. 2.6 million hours of footage. Truth, delivered byte by byte. Visit flashdrivesforfreedom.org and support the fight for freedom.