III 

117TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 394 

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 SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

SEPTEMBER 29, 2021 

Mr. COONS (for himself and Mr. PORTMAN) submitted the following 

resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations 

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 China, 

Burma, Cambodia, Laos, North Korea, Tibet, and Vietnam, whose people do not fully enjoy freedom of expression; 

Whereas Radio Free Asia— 


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(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, fosVerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Sep 30, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR394.IS SR394

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tering 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 of 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 


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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, 


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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 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) recognizes the importance of Radio Free 

3 Asia on its 25th anniversary as an independent news 

4 organization chartered and funded by Congress with 

5 a mission to bring uncensored, accurate news to peo6 ple living in closed societies in Asia; 

7 (2) honors the dedication and courage of the 

8 former and current journalists of Radio Free Asia in 


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1 the face of threats and adversity from foreign gov2 ernments and rising risks for press freedom in Asia 

3 and across the globe; and 

4 (3) commends the continued effectiveness and 

5 success of Radio Free Asia in its pursuit of inde6 pendence and credible journalism. 

Æ 


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