VOA Asia Weekly: Defectors Share Untold North Korea Stories

India orders guidelines to protect health care workers. Flooding forces evacuations in Bangladash. Chinese and Filipino vessels collide in South China Sea. Independence anniverary celebration in Indonesia's new capital city.

What is the top news of the week from Asia, the U.S., and around the world? VOA Asia Weekly rounds up the week’s major headlines, along with expert analysis, all in five minutes, produced from Washington, DC.

Defectors from North Korea aim to share the true picture of their country to a global audience.

Welcome to VOA Asia Weekly. I'm Chris Casquejo in Washington. That story is coming up, but first, making headlines:

India’s Supreme Court has ordered new guidelines to ensure the safety and protection of healthcare workers across the country. It comes after the rape and murder of a trainee doctor on August 9th. Thousands of people held protests across India, while doctors nationwide have turned away non-emergency patients.

More than 200,000 people have been forced to evacuate parts of Bangladesh. More than 28 centimeters of rainfall has caused flooding in eight districts in eastern Bangladesh. Government officials said on Wednesday that more districts are likely to be affected. Thousands of people are stranded in Feni, a city in southeastern Bangladesh, the worst-hit district.

Taiwan’s military conducted a live-fire missile drill on Tuesday to counter potential military pressure from China. The self-governing island carried out the exercises at the Jiupeng Military Base. The drill was open to the media for the first time in 12 years. Beijing did not immediately react to Taiwan’s drill. In an Indo-Pacific forum, Taiwan President William Lai criticized China.

“We have also seen China’s military expansionism in the East and South China Seas, not only through military exercises in the Taiwan Strait, but also in joint sea and air drills with Russia in the South China Sea.”

Chinese and Philippine coast guard ships collided Monday in the disputed South China Sea. Both nations blamed each other for the incident. A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson accused the Philippines of 'illegally' entering the area.

South Korea and the United States launched large-scale military exercises on Monday. The annual summer drill is designed to enhance combined defense capabilities against North Korea. The exercises come after North Korea’s Foreign Ministry labeled the drills as quote “provocative war exercises for aggression.”

A group of North Korean defectors in Seoul has started a news website aimed at exposing North Korean human rights abuses. They also want to provide a more nuanced perspective about their homeland, as VOA's Bill Gallo reports from the South Korean capital.

I’m Chris Casquejo.

Finally, a first in Indonesia’s planned new capital city.
Indonesia celebrated its 79th Independence Day in the new capital of Nusantara on Saturday. The ceremony featured hundreds of officials and invited guests wearing traditional clothing in the unfinished presidential palace.

Thanks for watching VOA Asia Weekly.

Voice of America is the largest U.S. international broadcaster, providing news and information in more than 40 languages to an estimated weekly audience of 236.8 million people. VOA produces content for digital, television, and radio platforms. It is easily accessed via your mobile phone and on social media. It is also distributed by satellite, cable, FM and MW, and is carried on a network of approximately 3,000 affiliate stations.