This is the season finale of RFA Insider Season 1

*The Rundown*

Obesity is on the rise in China, and the government is trying to promote healthy living

In North Korea, the government is telling parents to give their kids names that are more reflective of the revolutionary spirit.

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Off Beat: RFA Tibetan's Tenzin Pema explains why some are concerned that Tibetan artifacts are among 41 "Chinese cultural objects" that were "repatriated" from the U.S. to China

Double Off Beat: BenarNews' Anthony Esguerra explains what's at stake in the ICC trial of the Philippines' ex-president Duterte over his brutal war on drugs.

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*Off Beat*

Abby Seiff from RFA Investigative explains why scam centers are so widespread in places like Cambodia and Myanmar, and how authorities are trying shut them down.

*Double Off Beat*

We check in with Son from RFA Vietnamese to find out the latest about the unofficial monk Thich Minh Tue who is currently walking from Vietnam to India and might soon enter Myanmar.

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*Off Beat*

RFA Investigative's Lobsang Gelek explains his personal story of escaping Tibet to India by hiking through the Himalayas as a 10-year-old child.

*The Rundown*

• Buddhist temples in Beijing are overcrowded for Lunar New Year because youth these days are turning to religion in times of economic uncertainty
• How is Valentine's Day celebrated in RFA's broadcast areas?

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*Off Beat*

RFA staffers Jim Snyder and Gemunu Amarasinghe recently traveled to Myanmar's Kayah state where rebel insurgents have taken control of the countryside and are trying to establish a new state government.

*Double Off Beat*

Production engineer Wa Than discusses his recent trip to Thailand where he met with Burmese youth who fled the Myanmar junta's conscription orders.

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*Off Beat*

An exodus of TikTok users are migrating en masse to another Chinese social media platform, RedNote, also known as Xiaohongshu. RFA Uyghur's Shahrezad Ghayrat, breaks it down for us.

*Double Off Beat*

RFA Mandarin's Kitty Wang discusses U.S.-China relations under the new administration from China's point of view

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This is a "clip episode" highlighting some of the best moments of RFA Insider in 2024, its first year in production.

We explored many topics in our first year, including:

• Vietnamese Monk Thich Minh Tue and his pilgrimage across the country, and who is now traveling on foot to India.
• North Korea sending soldiers to fight alongside Russia against Ukraine, and both countries trying to hide their presence, including by allegedly burning the faces of dead North Korean soldiers to hide their race.
• The trial of Hong Kong media mogul Jimmy Lai
• Panda Diplomacy and the return of pandas to the National Zoo in Washington, DC.
• RFA Lao's decision to change its output from traditional Lao to modern Lao.

And many more.

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*Off Beat*

Discussing shocking news of Russians burning North Korean soldiers' faces in war with Ukraine with RFA Korean's Jaewoo Park.

*Podcast Free Asia*

Answering a comment about Vietnam's "barefoot monk" Thich Minh Tue, and revealing RFA's plan to publish a map that tracks his location.

*Double Off Beat*

Discussing H6, an alleged spy with ties to British royalty. RFA Investigative team's director Boer Deng reveals how the team was able to reveal his identity, businessman Yang Tengbo.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.