July 1 marks the 24th anniversary of the moment when Hong Kong reverted from a British colony back to Chinese rule. While changes to the financial hub were gradual at first, China has been quickly reshaping Hong Kong in the past year. VOA’s Elizabeth Lee has more.Camera: Songlin Zhang, Suli Yi 
Produced by: Elizabeth Lee 
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Australia is being urged to agree to an immediate emergency evacuation of Afghans who worked for its military during the long conflict in Afghanistan.Campaigners this week released a list of the names of nine Afghans who worked for Australia during the conflict in Afghanistan and were allegedly murdered as “traitors” by the Taliban in reprisal attacks. This is despite a recent announcement the Taliban made pledging they would not retaliate against Afghans who worked with foreign groups.Islamic militants are attempting to retake control of Afghanistan as foreign forces leave.Interpreters played a key role during the conflict. Campaigners have said about 1,000 Afghans are still going through Australia’s visa process, but they say it is taking too long.Stuart McCarthy, an ex-Australian soldier who was deployed to Afghanistan twice, has been an advocate for former Afghan interpreters and other staff. He said he believes the closure last month of the Australian Embassy in Kabul has made it much harder for the interpreters to leave Afghanistan safely.He has submitted an emergency evacuation plan to the Australian government.McCarthy told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. the rescue mission should be undertaken without delay.“It could still be conducted very rapidly, very effectively and in my view, it would be a very good way for us to end our 20-year-long military commitment to Afghanistan, and in my view now if we are not making these sorts of decisions today or tomorrow essentially what we will be doing is allowing these civilians to be slaughtered by the Taliban,” he said. “And our own government, including our prime minister, would have blood on their hands.”Senior foreign affairs officials in Canberra have conceded that locals who worked with the Australian military in Afghanistan are in danger.Australia’s Immigration Minister Alex Hawke has tried to assure Afghan interpreters waiting for a protection visa they were being given “the highest priority in the humanitarian program.”Hawke said 180 visas had been issued since April, but he would not reveal how many applications were still being assessed because of “operational and security reasons.”Independent Senator Jacqui Lambie told the Federal Senate that it was “absolutely shameful” to leave the interpreters without protection.“The world,” she said, “is watching how we treat our mates.” 
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Hong Kong’s Apple Daily has printed its last edition as national security law charges leveled against its founder and executives force the paper out of business. VOA’s Jessica Jerreat has details.
Camera: VOA Mandarin    Producer: Miguel Amaya
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The leader of Myanmar’s military junta on Wednesday attended an international conference in Moscow, an appearance that reflected Russia’s eagerness to develop ties with it despite international opprobrium.
The military in Myanmar ousted the democratically elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi on Feb. 1, saying her party’s landslide victory in elections last November resulted from massive voter fraud. It has not produced credible evidence to back its claim.
Security forces have brutally suppressed widespread popular protests against the military takeover, killing hundreds of protesters and carrying out waves of arrests.
The junta’s leader, Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, claimed in Wednesday’s speech at the conference organized by Russia’s Defense Ministry that it was trying to consolidate a democratic system in the country that has “degraded.”
On Tuesday, Min Aung Hlaing met with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, who hailed strong military cooperation between the countries.
“We pay special attention to this meeting as we see Myanmar as a time-tested strategic partner and a reliable ally in Southeast Asia and the Asia-Pacific region,” Shoigu said at the start of the meeting.
He added that “cooperation in the military and military-technical field is an important part of relations between Russia and Myanmar” and praised Min Aung Hlaing for strengthening the country’s military.
Shoigu said that Russia would work to expand ties with Myanmar based on “mutual understanding, respect and trust.”
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Organizers of the upcoming Tokyo Olympics have imposed restrictions on the few Japanese spectators who will be allowed inside the venues to prevent the spread of COVID-19.  Under rules announced Wednesday, domestic spectators are forbidden from cheering or waving towels, approaching athletes for autographs, or talking with other spectators, and will be asked to go straight home when the event is over. Foreign spectators have been banned from attending the event. A general view of the National Stadium in preparation for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan, June 23, 2021 on the day to mark one month until the opening of the Olympic Games.Alcohol sales have also been banned in the venues during the Games.   The restrictions follow Monday’s decision to cap the number of spectators at 10,000 people, or 50% of a venue’s capacity, despite advice from health experts that banning all spectators was the “least risky” option for holding the Games in light of a surge in new COVID-19 infections in the Japanese capital and across the country. The decision to allow spectators dovetails with authorities changing Tokyo and eight other prefectures from a nearly two-month-long state of emergency to “quasi-emergency” measures that took effect Sunday. The looser restrictions would remain in place until July 11, 12 days before the start of the Olympic Games. Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga has warned he would not rule out banning all spectators from attending the Olympics if the COVID-19 situation worsens. The initial state of emergency was declared in April and extended in late May. The surge prompted staunch public opposition to staging the Olympics, especially among a prominent group of medical professionals that urged Suga to call off the Games. The Tokyo Olympics are set to take place after a one-year postponement as the novel coronavirus pandemic began spreading across the globe. New outbreak in Sydney
A new COVID-19 outbreak in Sydney has prompted suspension of a “travel bubble” between Australia and New Zealand and new restrictions in both countries. People wait in line outside a coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccination center at Sydney Olympic Park in Sydney, Australia, June 23, 2021.New Zealand has suspended direct quarantine-free visits with Australia’s southern New South Wales state until Sunday after a visitor from its capital, Sydney, tested positive for COVID-19 after returning home earlier this week. The traveler visited New Zealand’s national Te Papa museum in the capital, Wellington, as well as a number of restaurants, pubs and other tourist spots.  Authorities in New Zealand on Wednesday also limited gatherings to fewer than 100 people until Sunday, and imposed physical distancing requirements in the Wellington region.   The infected traveler was linked to the outbreak of the more contagious Delta variant of the coronavirus that has now grown to 31 people in Sydney, including 16 new confirmed infections announced Wednesday.  The new outbreak has been traced to a Sydney airport limousine driver who had been transporting international air crews. Authorities in Sydney have barred residents in seven neighborhoods from traveling outside the city except for essential tasks, while limiting homes to just five visitors and imposing mandatory masks for all indoor venues, including gyms and offices.  Several neighboring states such as Victoria and Queensland have placed restrictions on travelers from Sydney and surrounding areas, while South Australia closed its borders altogether. Australia and New Zealand have been largely successful in containing the spread of COVID-19 due to aggressive lockdown efforts, but both nations are vulnerable to fresh outbreaks due to slow vaccination campaigns. Crisis at Houston hospital In the United States, more than 150 health care workers at a Texas hospital resigned or were fired Tuesday after refusing to comply with the hospital’s mandate to get a COVID-19 vaccine.  Houston Methodist became the first major hospital system in the U.S. to impose a mandatory COVID-19 vaccine policy for its employees on April 1. But 178 employees were suspended on June 7 after rejecting the mandate, citing the fact that the vaccines have only gotten emergency approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. A lawsuit filed against Houston Methodist by several of the suspended employees was dismissed by a U.S. federal judge earlier this month. The suspended employees were given an additional two weeks to get vaccinated, with at least 25 of them finally complying. 
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A growing network of crisis-defusing telephone hotlines between China and other Asian countries shows Beijing’s intent to strengthen those relations but does not resolve the wider disputes that could spark conflict, analysts believe. Officials in Beijing expect these phone connections to show “we are cooperating” but without policy changes that would calm its neighbors, said Alexander Vuving, professor at the Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies in Hawaii. Most acts that anger other countries in disputed waterways are planned rather than sudden, he believes. “In actuality it doesn’t really reduce tension, because tension is most of the time deliberate,” Vuving said of Sino-Vietnamese relations. “China and Vietnam also take care to keep the tension below the threshold of an open conflict.”   The navy hotline will ensure Sino-Vietnamese goodwill until the next planned upset, analysts believe. Each side has angered the other over the past seven years by exploring for oil under or near disputed tracts of the South China Sea. Last year Vietnam protested to China over the sinking of a Vietnamese fishing boat. “I think that they’re just being responsible to have a secure line of communications in case anything happens. It doesn’t mean relations are any better or worse,” said Jack Nguyen, partner at the business advisory firm Mazars in Ho Chi Minh City. On the Sino-Vietnamese relationship, he said, “I think overall it’s stable, as stable as it can be.” Beijing claims about 90% of the 3.5 million-square-kilometer South China Sea, which is prized for fisheries and fossil fuel reserves. Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam call parts of the sea their own, and Taiwan claims most of it. China is the most militarily advanced. Southeast Asian states resent China’s landfilling of small islets in the sea for military use and passing vessels through waters they call their own. China cites historical usage records to back its claims including in the exclusive economic zones of other states. Tokyo and Beijing contest parts of the East China Sea including a chain of uninhabited, Japanese-controlled islets. Hotlines are a common solution for China. Military hotlines “provide a way of communicating, which can improve dispute management and reduce the risk of conflict,” the state-monitored Chinese news website Global Times said on its website in 2018, quoting a research fellow from Beijing-based Tsinghua University. Chinese and Vietnamese navy chiefs agreed earlier this month to work towards setting up a hotline aimed at reducing risk of conflict over competing claims in the South China Sea. Foreign ministers from the two countries opened their own line in 2012 to discuss sea-related issues as needed.   Defense ministers from the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations agreed in 2017 to set up a hotline for what China’s state-owned Xinhua News Agency calls “quick response cooperation in emergency situations, especially in maritime operations.” A year later China and its former World War II rival Japan agreed to establish a hotline to discuss any strife at sea and another with India following a border standoff. Experts know of no occasion when the low-cost setups have muted a conflict and believe that China doesn’t pick up its hotlines at crucial moments.  “It’s always of extreme danger if you pick up the phone on China’s end,” said Alexander Huang, strategic studies professor at Tamkang University in Taiwan. “If things go right, you’ve got nothing, but any miscommunication whatsoever, then you are the guy [held responsible] because you forgot to ignore the ring.” China prefers to work directly with countries, including through offers of aid and investment for poorer ones, to ease disputes, analysts say. They point to the Philippines as a case in point over the past four years. China has other communication channels with Vietnam particularly, including informal talks between ruling Communist parties, they add.Once-Distrusted China Pledges Millions More to Philippines

        Closer relations with a once-distrusted China gave the Philippines another boost this week as Beijing pledged a round of investment for the developing Southeast Asian country and new ideas for maritime security.When Chinese President Xi Jinping met Philippine counterpart Rodrigo Duterte in China Tuesday, the host offered $73 million in economic and infrastructure aid, while nine Chinese companies signed letters of intent to explore $9.8 billion in business in the Philippines, Manila’s presidential…

“China and Vietnam actually never lacked the need in the past for an intentional setup of a special hotline for handling two-way South China Sea issues, because the platforms used by the Communist parties of China and Vietnam, as compared to other Southeast Asian countries’ channels, are very numerous,” said Huang Chung-ting, assistant research fellow with the Institute for National Defense and Security Research in Taipei. The recently established navy hotline is a “symbolic and emblematic move” that’s unlikely to produce a “substantive result,” he said. 
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A coalition of 41 countries is calling for access to internment camps in China’s Xinjiang region to check on the situation of an estimated one million Muslim Uyghurs who allegedly are being detained under abusive conditions. Canada issued the cross-regional joint statement at the U.N. Human Rights Council Tuesday. In her delivery, Ottawa’s ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva, Leslie Norton, stressed the urgency of getting to the bottom of this human rights situation. “Credible reports indicate that over a million people have been arbitrarily detained in Xinjiang and that there is widespread surveillance disproportionately targeting Uyghurs and members of other minorities and restrictions on fundamental freedoms and Uyghur culture,” she said. “There are also reports of torture or cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment or punishment, forced sterilization, sexual and gender-based violence, and forced separation of children from their parents by authorities.”  Norton urged China on behalf of the coalition to allow immediate, unfettered access to Xinjiang for independent observers, including the U.N. high commissioner for human rights. This follows a similar request made by rights chief Michelle Bachelet at the opening of the council session Monday.   “I continue to discuss with China modalities for a visit, including meaningful access, to the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, and hope this can be achieved this year, particularly as reports of serious human rights violations continue to emerge,” she said.  Beijing has described the detention camps as vocational centers aimed at stopping religious extremism and terrorist attacks.  FILE – A perimeter fence is constructed around what is officially known as a vocational skills education center in Dabancheng in Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region, China, Sept. 4, 2018.China said it welcomes a visit by the high commissioner to China, including Xinjiang — but on condition that it be a friendly visit and not a so-called “investigation” under the presumption of guilt. 
China also responded quite differently to the joint statement that demanded access to the camps in Xinjiang. Minister Jiang Duan simply ignored it. Instead, he conveyed his deep concern about the serious human rights violations suffered by indigenous people in Canada. His statement was supported by seven countries — Russia, Belarus, North Korea, Venezuela, Iran, Syria, and Sri Lanka. “Historically, Canada robbed the indigenous people of their land, killed them, and eradicated their culture… We call for a thorough and impartial investigation into all cases where crimes were committed against the indigenous people, especially the children,” said Jiang Duan.The Canadian ambassador acknowledged that indigenous people still faced systemic racism, discrimination, and injustice, but added her government was working to right these wrongs. 
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The Philippine president has threatened to order the arrest of Filipinos who refuse COVID-19 vaccination and told them to leave the country if they would not cooperate with efforts to end a public health emergency.President Rodrigo Duterte, who is known for his public outbursts and brash rhetoric, said in televised remarks Monday night that he has become exasperated with people who refuse to get immunized amid a health crisis then help spread the coronavirus.”Don’t get me wrong. There is a crisis being faced in this country. There is a national emergency. If you don’t want to get vaccinated, I’ll have you arrested and I’ll inject the vaccine in your butt,” Duterte said.”If you will not agree to be vaccinated, leave the Philippines. Go to India if you want or somewhere, to America,” he said, adding he would order village leaders to compile a list of defiant residents.Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra acknowledged on Tuesday that there was no Philippine law criminalizing refusal to get vaccinated against the coronavirus.  “I believe that the president merely used strong words to drive home the need for us to get vaccinated and reach herd immunity as soon as possible,” Guevarra said.A human rights lawyer, Edre Olalia, raised concerns over Duterte’s threat, saying the president could not order the arrest of anybody who has not clearly committed any crime.Duterte and his administration have faced criticism over a vaccination campaign that has been saddled with supply problems and public hesitancy. After repeated delays, vaccinations started in March, but many still opted to wait for Western vaccines, prompting some cities to offer snacks and store discounts to encourage people to get immunized with any vaccine.  Duterte blamed the problem on wealthy Western countries cornering vaccines for their own citizens, leaving poorer countries like the Philippines behind. Some officials said the bigger problem was inadequate vaccine supply more than public hesitancy.Duterte also walked back on an earlier remark that required people to wear plastic face shields over face masks only in hospitals as an added safeguard. After experts briefed him on the threat of more contagious coronavirus variants, Duterte declared it mandatory for people to continue wearing face shields indoors and outdoors.The Philippines is a COVID-19 hotspot in Asia, with more than 1.3 million cases and at least 23,749 deaths. 
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A special committee with the United Nations’s cultural agency says Australia’s Great Barrier Reef should be placed on a list of World Heritage sites that should be designated as “in danger.” The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s World Heritage Committee, or UNESCO, recommended the 2,300-kilometer-long coral reef system should be placed on the list because it has deteriorated due to climate change.  Australian officials denounced the recommendation. Environment Minister Sussan Ley said Tuesday that Canberra opposes the designation and accused the World Heritage Committee of “a backflip on previous assurances” and that it would not take such an action before its formal meeting next month.  Ley said she and Foreign Minister Marise Payne had spoken by phone to UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay about the decision, which she called “flawed” and a decision influenced by politics.   “This sends a poor signal to those nations who are not making the investments in reef protection that we are making,” she said. But Richard Leck, the head of oceans for World Wide Fund for Nature-Australia, said in a statement the recommendation “is clear and unequivocal that the Australian government is not doing enough to protect our greatest natural asset, especially on climate change.” The Great Barrier Reef is the world’s biggest coral reef system that brings an estimated $4.8 billion annually in tourism revenue.  Climate change has driven temperatures in the Coral Sea higher in recent decades, leading to three mass “bleaching” events since 2015, destroying at least half of the Reef’s vibrant corals and prompting the Australian government to downgrade its long term outlook to “very poor.”   
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The European Union announced Monday a fresh round of sanctions against Myanmar military officials, the third since the junta seized power in a February coup.This round targeted eight individuals, three economic entities and the War Veterans Organization, according to a statement from the EU. “The individuals targeted by sanctions include ministers and deputy ministers, as well as the attorney general, who are responsible for undermining democracy and the rule of law and for serious human rights violations in the country,” the statement read.”By targeting the gems and timber sectors, these measures are aimed at restricting the junta’s ability to profit from Myanmar’s natural resources, while being crafted so as to avoid undue harm to the people of Myanmar,” it went on.The United States also sanctioned parts of the country’s gem industry in April. The United Nations formally condemned the coup on Friday, with member states calling for an end to the violence and for respect of the will of the people as expressed in the November election. While the resolution does not have the power to impose an international arms embargo, it did call on “all member states to prevent the flow of arms into Myanmar” as the military’s violent crackdown on protesters continues.About 900 civilian protesters have been confirmed killed and 6,000 arrested since the military seized power February 1, a move rejecting the outcome of the November elections that overwhelmingly gave power to the National League for Democracy party.
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Nikolai Patrushev, the secretary of Russia’s Security Council, and Myanmar’s junta leader committed to further strengthening security and other ties between the two countries at a Moscow meeting on Monday.Myanmar’s junta leader, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, flew to the Russian capital on Sunday to attend a security conference this week. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov earlier on Monday said President Vladimir Putin would not be meeting Min Aung Hlaing, Interfax reported.Rights activists have accused Moscow of legitimizing Myanmar’s military junta, which came to power in a Feb. 1 coup, by continuing bilateral visits and arms deals.Russia says it has a long-standing relationship with Myanmar and said in March it was deeply concerned by the rising number of civilian deaths in Myanmar.Defense ties between the two nations have grown in recent years with Moscow providing army training and university scholarships to thousands of soldiers, as well as selling arms to a military blacklisted by several Western countries for alleged atrocities against civilians.Myanmar’s state-run MRTV devoted the first 10 minutes of its nightly newscast to a report of Min Aung Hlaing’s Russia trip, from him being met by officials at the airport to his meeting with the Security Council. It showed a smiling Min Aung Hlaing in a business suit, posing for pictures, shaking hands and exchanging gifts with members of the council before attending a ceremony at a Buddhist temple in Moscow. The MRTV report said Min Aung Hlaing and Patrushev discussed cooperation between the two countries on security measures, Myanmar’s current affairs and agreed to maintain a good relationship between their two militaries.
 
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Opinion polls have for months suggested most Japanese oppose holding the Olympics. Some medical experts warn the event could lead to coronavirus clusters or spread new variants.But with only a month to go until the Olympic cauldron is lit in Tokyo, organizers remain confident they can safely hold the Games, thanks in part to pandemic precautions that will ensure this Summer Olympics are like no other in history. International spectators have already been banned from the Olympics, which start July 23. On Monday, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said it is “definitely” possible the competition will be held in completely empty venues, depending on Japan’s COVID-19 situation. According to athlete guidelines issued last week, hugs, handshakes, and high-fives are forbidden. Off the field, virtually any degree of spontaneity has been outlawed, as athletes and staff must submit a detailed daily activity plan, including visits only to approved destinations.  A machine to check body temperature and hand sanitizers are placed at the doping control station of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Village in Tokyo, Japan, June 20, 2021.“You must not walk around the city,” specifies one section of the guidelines. Violators may be subject to disqualification, fines, or even deportation, the rules stipulate. With such measures in place, public opposition toward the Games is softening. But it is still widespread, with many saying Japan should instead focus on its own tepid pandemic recovery.Only about a third of Japanese support holding the Olympics, according to a poll released Monday by the Asahi Shimbun newspaper. Though that figure may seem low, it is up from just 14% who supported the Games last month. About 86% of Japanese are concerned about a resurgence in COVID-19 cases because of the Games, suggested a Kyodo News survey published Sunday. Vaccine woes Japan has seen a small number of coronavirus cases compared to many other countries, but its vaccination effort has been sluggish. Only around 6% of Japan’s population has been fully vaccinated, one of the worst rates among wealthy countries.  Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike inspects a vaccination of COVID-19 at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government office in Tokyo as Tokyo Metropolitan Government started vaccination for the persons involved in the Olympic Games, June 18, 2021.While vaccinations have picked up in recent weeks, that does little good for the tens of thousands of Tokyo 2020 volunteers still waiting to be inoculated.One Olympics volunteer told VOA that if he does not get vaccinated soon, he may join the approximately 10,000 Tokyo 2020 volunteers who have already dropped out. “I’m very impatient,” said the volunteer, who did not want his name published because he is not authorized to speak with the media. He says unvaccinated volunteers feel unprepared to work with crowds. “Masks, disinfectant sprays, and leaflets distributed by the organizers to volunteers will not be enough to prevent infection when an infected person appears,” said the volunteer, whose job is to work with visiting media.  Japanese officials say they are considering vaccinating all 70,000 unpaid Olympics volunteers. But they are running out of time to do so. Even so, Japanese officials insist the danger will be minimal. They say an estimated 80% of the athletes and other Olympics visitors will be vaccinated. That may not be good enough, considering Japan’s low overall vaccination rate, according to some medical experts. “There is a big problem here,” Norio Sugaya, infectious disease expert and doctor at Keiyu Hospital in Yokohama, told VOA. “It is extremely difficult to completely regulate the behavior of a total of 100,000 people, including athletes, officers, and media personnel,” Sugaya said.  “I don’t think we should do something as risky as the Olympics at this time,” he adds.  A journalist looks at cardboard beds, for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Villages, which are shown in a display room the Village Plaza, June 20, 2021, in Tokyo.Pushing aheadBut Tokyo, which has spent billions of dollars in taxpayer money on the event, seems to believe moving ahead is the least bad option.The Games, which were already delayed a year because of the pandemic, This long exposure photo shows streaks of lights from cars passing by a Tokyo 2020 Olympics and Paralympics sign on the side of a building, June 11, 2021, in Tokyo.Political impact  Japan’s government, whose approval ratings are only in the 30% range, also hopes to reap some political benefit from hosting a successful event.  Prime Minister Suga’s government is planning to hold a lower house election once the Olympics finish, points out Wallace. “They will be hoping they get a little post-Olympics boost going into that election. But I think they will be unpleasantly surprised,” he predicts. Professor Kirsten Holmes of Australia’s Curtin University, who focuses on the sustainability of major international events like the Olympics, agrees that the pandemic has raised the cost for Tokyo in hosting the Games.  “On the other hand, being able to deliver a safe Olympic Games at this time during the pandemic will be an enormous boost to both people living in Japan but also Japan’s future in terms of hosting other events going forward,” she said.
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