"RFA was founded nearly three decades ago to report on China and other Asian countries without independent media. It has been operating with a skeleton staff the past few months, primarily producing a few stories online as the administration sought to choke off its funding. Donald Trump's team has contended that operations like RFA, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and Voice of America are poorly run and a waste of government resources."
"Long a thorn in Beijing's side, RFA's closure comes after the US president met Chinese leader Xi Jinping on a trip to Asia. Radio Free Asia will begin shutting down overseas bureaus, laying off and paying severance to staff members, most of whom have been on unpaid leave since last March, Fang said, leaving open the possibility that the organisation could restart operations in the future."
Radio Free Asia suspended all remaining news content production for the first time in its 29-year history because of a US government shutdown and cuts to government-funded news services. The outlet is conserving limited resources and preparing to shrink its reduced footprint while preserving the possibility of restarting operations if consistent funding returns. RFA will begin shutting down overseas bureaus, lay off staff and pay severance, with most staff having been on unpaid leave since last March. The organisation reported aggressively on repression of Uyghurs, the 2021 Myanmar coup aftermath and North Korean defectors. The US administration characterized RFA and similar operations as poorly run and wasteful.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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