Trump’s budget cuts deprive millions in Myanmar of reliable news on the regime and its abuses, while creating space for junta-created disinformation.

Myanmar’s ruling junta on Friday declared a state of emergency in multiple regions after the country was hit by a powerful earthquake, which was also felt across Southeast Asia.

RFA and VOA had been the most accessible alternatives to state media for many people in countries like China and North Korea. Not anymore.

The top of Myanmar's Shwe Sar Yan Pagoda, to the south-east of Mandalay, has collapsed following a huge earthquake. Onlookers can be heard screaming and shouting as part of the building crashed to the ground.

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) director general, Thibaut Bruttin, also warned the closure of VOA, RFA and outlets operating under the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM) could deprive millions worldwide of an important source of balanced and fact-checked information.

The U.S.-funded broadcasters Radio Free Asia and Voice of America have long been a thorn in the side of the region’s repressive governments.