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After hundreds of Radio Free Asia staff placed on leave, some fear deportation
CBS News ^ | March 22, 2025 | By Margaret Brennan (D-CBS)

Posted on 03/22/2025 6:12:19 AM PDT by Oldeconomybuyer

Washington — Following the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre, Congress created the government-funded Radio Free Asia to broadcast facts into countries where governments are afraid of them.

"The U.S. saw China gunning down its own citizens and then also successfully covering it up afterwards," RFA President Bay Fang told CBS News. "The U.S. Congress created us with an eye to giving these people in China and other authoritarian countries around Asia the ability to have free press, to get access to the truth through an unbiased news service."

Fang put 75% of RFA staff on leave Friday, the result of funding cuts ordered by Kari Lake, senior adviser to the U.S. Agency for Global Media, the parent agency of RFA and Voice of America, the nation's largest international broadcaster.

Last weekend, all full-time employees and contractors with VOA were informed they were being placed on administrative leave, while Radio Free Asia and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty were notified that federal grants for both broadcasters had been terminated.

"USAGM and the outlets it oversees will be reduced to their statutory functions and associated personnel will be reduced to the minimum presence and function required by law," the agency said in a March 15 statement.

RFA had a full-time staff of about 400 people prior to the layoffs, according to its website. It also had another approximately 500 stringers and contractors.

At least eight RFA journalists could be forced to leave the U.S. if they lose their work visas. Vietnamese journalist Khoa Lai is one of them and fears the possibility of being deported.

"I believe so, but I hope not," Lai said. "I believe that if I go back, then the government will snatch me right away."

(Excerpt) Read more at cbsnews.com ...


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: deportation; journalism; press; radio
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1 posted on 03/22/2025 6:12:19 AM PDT by Oldeconomybuyer
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

Oh, the humanity . . .”


2 posted on 03/22/2025 6:15:15 AM PDT by Charlemagne on the Fox
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To: Oldeconomybuyer
"I believe so, but I hope not," Lai said. "I believe that if I go back, then the government will snatch me right away."

If this is a legitimate concern, we should allow such people to immigrate, just as we have with Afghan contractors. They worked for us. We owe them safety.

3 posted on 03/22/2025 6:24:31 AM PDT by Carry_Okie (The tree of liberty needs a rope.)
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

Cowards who are scared to death to take on their own country, runaway and hide in the U.S. and expect a U.S. government job. America has enough cowards and U.S. Government employees. We don’t need anymore. Another obsolete Cold War dinosaur.


4 posted on 03/22/2025 6:26:23 AM PDT by FlingWingFlyer (Bureaucratic District "Judges" are the greatest threat to America and Americans.)
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

They can give it a try with 25% staff. They might surprise themselves.


5 posted on 03/22/2025 6:28:04 AM PDT by GranTorino (Bloody Lips Save Ships)
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To: Carry_Okie

Send them to Taiwan.


6 posted on 03/22/2025 6:29:11 AM PDT by GranTorino (Bloody Lips Save Ships)
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To: Carry_Okie

“They worked for us. We owe them safety.”

Yup!


7 posted on 03/22/2025 6:34:01 AM PDT by Brian Griffin
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To: GranTorino

Or Detroit


8 posted on 03/22/2025 6:34:11 AM PDT by HombreSecreto (The life of a repo man is always intense)
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

The Vietnamese has a legitimate case, imo. He should be granted refugee status, at least temporarily.


9 posted on 03/22/2025 6:34:45 AM PDT by ComputerGuy ( )
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To: Brian Griffin

Lets first make sure they really were working for “us” and not the leftist mass media cabal.


10 posted on 03/22/2025 6:35:47 AM PDT by cgbg (It was not us. It was them--all along.)
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

C’mon man, Vietnam has a vibrant economy and does a lot of business with the US.

Unless you’re agitating against the government or engaged in criminal activity its a pretty safe place.


11 posted on 03/22/2025 6:36:20 AM PDT by mac_truck (aide toi et dieu t'aidera)
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To: Carry_Okie; Owen

“They worked for us. We owe them safety.”

Do your former employers owe you anything? What do my former employers owe me?

L


12 posted on 03/22/2025 6:38:10 AM PDT by Lurker ( Peaceful coexistence with the Left is not possible. Stop pretending that it is.)
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

When your contract is done you go home


13 posted on 03/22/2025 6:39:43 AM PDT by butlerweave
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

“RFA had a full-time staff of about 400 people prior to the layoffs”

Obviously bloated!

“Fang put 75% of RFA staff on leave Friday”

About right. RFA probably needs to serve Red China, North Korea, Burma, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam in eastern Asia. RFA probably needs to offer Farsi/Dari, Pushto(?) and Arabic service in western Asia.


14 posted on 03/22/2025 6:39:44 AM PDT by Brian Griffin
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

I support the mission, but does it really take 900 people? They don’t have to do independent reporting. There’s plenty of open source news to beam into China.


15 posted on 03/22/2025 6:43:59 AM PDT by SomeCallMeTim
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To: cgbg

“Lets first make sure they really were working for “us” and not the leftist mass media cabal.”

Leftists who worked for the US government in such broadcasting need to be protected. One day Team ‘Rat will be running the show again, sad to say. Conservative Asians employed by RFA will need reason to trust the US government.


16 posted on 03/22/2025 6:44:56 AM PDT by Brian Griffin
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To: Brian Griffin

Protect the conservatives.

Flush the leftists.

Everybody will figure it out...


17 posted on 03/22/2025 6:46:37 AM PDT by cgbg (It was not us. It was them--all along.)
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To: SomeCallMeTim

“I support the mission, but does it really take 900 people?”

Personnel bloat is a big problem in government and other major institutions such as universities.


18 posted on 03/22/2025 6:46:50 AM PDT by Brian Griffin
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To: cgbg

The leftists need to be canned, but they should not be subject to removal if law-abiding.


19 posted on 03/22/2025 6:48:27 AM PDT by Brian Griffin
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To: Brian Griffin

Interesting topic.

If they showed no ideological fervor for the left I concede we might want to cut them a break.

But—any hint of true leftism and they need to be gone.

I want that message understood around the world—you cannot come here to subvert our values and then whine if we don’t protect you.

Fair is fair.


20 posted on 03/22/2025 6:51:24 AM PDT by cgbg (It was not us. It was them--all along.)
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