Asia Cast for Monday 22nd March
A man looks at land cleared for redevelopment in Shanghai.In 2009, the real estate market in China reached a state of frenzy with property prices rising sharply. (By Augapfel/Flickr)
In this Bulletin…
- Is corruption inflating China’s real estate bubble?;
- Sandstorm hits Taiwan; and
- Japan plans nuclear expansion to meet energy needs.
But first we have our Shen Yun quote of the day
[audio]
For more information please visit www.shenyunperformingarts.org.
Our SOH focus on China is next
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As the Chinese regime’s two major conferences closed on March 14 commentators have noted the absence of policy or action on a number of significant social issues.
Although the high price of housing was critiqued at the annual meeting of China’s Congressional and Political Consultative Conference, it seems that no action has been taken to curb prices.
As Asia Cast recently reported, profiteering by local authorities is partly to blame for the soaring cost of land. Big profits and little regulation mean forced land seizures remain a problem. SOH reporters recently spoke to farmers in Hainan Province who have been fighting for proper compensation for months since their land was taken seized.
You can hear an interview with some of the farmers involved in our Inside China Today podcast.
Asia Cast for Sunday 21st March
Fighter jet parts produced by unqualified migrant workers employed by AVIC Shenyang Aircraft Corporation have caused serious accidents, according to a whistle blower. (Photo provided to Epoch Times by former AVIC Shenyang Aircraft Corporation employee)
In this Bulletin…
- Corruption scandal making Chinese jet-fighters unsafe;
- Veteran Nepalese leader dies; and
- Australia assesses damage after Tropical Cyclone Ului.
But first we have our Shen Yun quote of the day
[audio]
For more information please visit www.shenyunperformingarts.org.
Our SOH focus on China is next
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A severe sandstorm that has been heading east across China arrived in Beijing late Friday night.
Meteorologists have said this is the worst sandstorm China has seen all year. The severity of the sand storm has been blamed on the long drought the region has been experiencing.
The state weather centre released a statement saying that the conditions were ‘very bad for the health’. The storm’s severity has been officially designated as ‘hazardous’.
Studies are showing that China has had a severe increase in sandstorms in the past ten years along with increased droughts and growing desert areas.
Asia Cast for Saturday 20th March
According to Chinese media reports, Google may be about to turn the lights out on its operations in China. (By myuibe/Flickr)
In this Bulletin…
- Google to reportedly pull out of China;
- Appeal over Nina Wang’s fortune; and
- Hollywood and Bollywood unite over piracy.
But first we have our Shen Yun quote of the day.
[audio]
For more information please visit www.shenyunperformingarts.org.
Our SOH focus on China is next
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Next month Google will reportedly pull out of China and shut down all of its services there.
Earlier this year Google said it would no longer censor its Chinese search engine. The decision came after Chinese hackers penetrated Gmail looking for details on activists.
The US internet giant has not been favoured by the Chinese authorities since this decision.
The authorities have requested Google to censor its service in order to operate in their country.
Google will now shut down its Google.cn services on April 10, according to Chinese media reports.
Google is yet to confirm its plans.
Asia Cast for Friday 19th March
An Australian neuroscientist says fatty foods may have the same effect on the brain as recreational drugs. (By Hello Turkey Toe/Flickr)
In this Bulletin …
- China lashes out at UK human rights report;
- Obama postpones trip to Australia; and
- Fatty foods may affect the brain.
But first we have our Shen Yun quote of the day.
[audio]
For more information please visit www.shenyunperformingarts.org.
Our SOH focus on China is next
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China has hit back at the UK after they did a review of human rights around the world and were highly critical of Beijing. In the report China was named as one of the 20 nations where human rights issues were a cause of major concern.
David Miliband, the British Foreign Secretary, had released the report immediately after visiting China.
Mr Miliband brought up the case of Gao Zhisheng, one of China’s most well-known human rights lawyers, who was taken away by police last year and has vanished.
Gao had been investigating human rights cases, mainly the persecution of Falun Gong adherents.
Asia Cast for Thursday 18th March
In this file photo, Republican Ileana Ros-Lehtinen speaks at a July 20, 2007 rally marking eight years since the Chinese Communist regime's persecution of Falun Gong began. The House of Representatives voted 412-1 on March 16 to call for an end to this persecution in China. (Jan Jekielek/The Epoch Times)
In this Bulletin…
- Hong Kong rally supports 70 million quitting the CCP;
- Australia and New Zealand begin Fijian aid effort; and
- US House of Representatives passes resolution calling for China to end persecution of Falun Gong.
But first we have our Shen Yun quote of the day
[audio]
For more information please visit www.shenyunperformingarts.org.
Our SOH focus on China is next
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The widening gulf between China’s politics and it’s people was revealed by two very different events in the last week.
In Beijing, the annual session of the National People’s Congress has come to a close. And as usual it unanimously endorsed the Communist Party, rubber-stamping the regime’s decisions.
Since ordinary Chinese have no involvement in the voting process, they have to let their feelings about the country’s leadership be known in other ways.
One of these ways is by publicly quitting the Chinese Communist Party and its affiliated organisations. A rally supporting the 70 million Chinese who have done just this was held in Hong Kong on the weekend.
A member of Hong Kong’s Legislative Council said the 70 million who had quit showed the people’s lack of confidence regarding China’s future under the Communist Party’s totalitarian rule.
You can find out more about the Hong Kong rally on the Epoch Times website.
Asia Cast for Wednesday 17th March
In this Bulletin…
- Official statement deepens mystery of Chinese lawyer’s status;
- Chinese reporters told to ignore ‘unusual statements’ by political representatives; and
- Vietnam releases high profile human rights activist .
But first we have our Shen Yun quote of the day
[audio]
For more information please visit www.shenyunperformingarts.org.
Our SOH focus on China is next
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The fate or whereabouts of a renowned Chinese human rights lawyer is no clearer despite a statement on the matter from China’s foreign minister.
Speaking at a press conference, the Chinese foreign minister said Gao Zhisheng had been sentenced for committing the crime of subverting state power.
But the minister did not say if he was referring to a suspended five year sentence Gao was given in 2006, or to a new charge.
This was the fourth time the authorities had attempted to clarify Gao’s status since he disappeared over a year ago. Each time a different explanation has been given.
Check out The Epoch Times to learn more about why Gao has disappeared in Beijing.
Asia Cast for Tuesday 16th March
Indonesia's National Commission on Human Rights has said pressure from the Chinese Embassy in Jakarta to force an independant radio station off the air is a violation of Indonesia’s press freedom by the Chinese government.
In this Bulletin…
- Beijing’s political conferences branded as waste of money;
- Chinese interference with Indonesian media investigated; and
- Pacific battered by cyclones.
But first we have our Shen Yun quote of the day
[audio]
For more information please visit www.shenyunperformingarts.org.
Our SOH focus on China is next
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An award winning Chinese journalist has branded Chinas two most important annual political sessions as frivolous and a waste of money.
The National People’s Congress and the People’s Political Consultative Conference are currently under way in Beijing. Journalist Gao Yu has said they won’t solve any of China’s problems.
According to Gao, ever since the 1989 democracy protests that ended in the June 4 Tiananmen Square Massacre, dissidents has been banned from the two conferences. She said this turned the so-called democratic conferences into mere show pieces.
Listen to our Inside China Today podcast to hear Gao’s thoughts on China’s economy, real estate bubble and the toxic milk powder scandal.
Asia Cast for Monday 15th March
Food safety concerns, such as rice polished with soybean oil, are exposed by a food industry veteran in Hubei Province, China. Oil-polished rice becomes rancid easily. (By babasteve/Flickr)
In this Bulletin…
- Food expert exposes food-safety problems in China;
- Over 100,000 chickens culled in Bangladesh bird flu outbreak; and
- Taliban target U.S. NATO forces in recent blast.
But first we have our Shen Yun quote of the day
[Audio]
For more information please visit www.shenyunperformingarts.org.
Our SOH focus on China is next
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Chairman of the Grain Association in Guangshui and food processing industry veteran Mr. Li, warns of harmful food safety problems, reports The Epoch Times.
In a letter to media in China, he said industrial bleach is commonly used in flour. It can harm the liver and kidneys and circulatory system if used in high doses.
Pig farms routinely add chemicals, hormones, and drugs to their pig feed which have not been tested.
And, Mr. Li, told an SOH reporter about the practice of polishing rice with soybean oil. He said it turns rancid quickly and can harm the digestive system.
Asia Cast for Sunday 14th March
Radio Erabaru is Sound of Hope's media partner in Indonesia. The Chinese regime has been trying to stop the privately owned station's broadcasts.
In this Bulletin…
- China’s suppression of media freedom spreads across Asia;
- US releases annual human rights report; and
- Bangkok braced for anti-government protests.
But first we have our Shen Yun quote of the day
[audio]
For more information please visit www.shenyunperformingarts.org.
But first we bring you a special update on Era Baru Radio, our media partner in Indonesia.
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Indonesia’s Communications and Information Technology Ministry has said it plans to force the privately owned Radio Erabaru off the air.
Radio Erabaru’s target audience are Chinese-Indonesians. The station transmits 30 per cent of its broadcasts in Mandarin. Broadcasts provided by SOH. But by airing news on sensitive subjects, like the Chinese regime’s persecution of the Falun Gong spiritual group, the station has apparently angered the Chinese embassy in Jakarta.
In 2009 the Indonesian government declined to extend the station’s broadcasting license, first issued in 2007. The station has now been told it’s also interfering with other radio frequencies.
But Indonesia’s Legal Aid Foundation suspects the action against Radio Erabaru came after political pressure from the Chinese Embassy in Jakarta.
Station director Raymond Tan said the Chinese government was behind the efforts to close Radio Erabaru because the station aired news on Falun Gong. Tan added, the news was aired because it was worthy of being aired.
The Legal Aid Foundation said it had written proof about Chinese interference in the affair. It says the document states that if the station continues broadcasting it might damage relations between the two countries.
Radio Erabaru said it will continue broadcasting as it had not been given a deadline to cease operations.
Asia Cast for Saturday 13th March
A Siberian tiger in America's Minnesota Zoo. Eleven tigers have died at a zoo in China in the space of three months, some say due to poor living conditions. (By jimw/Flickr)
In this Bulletin…
- Eleven Siberian tigers die in captivity in China;
- Asylum seekers rescued off Australian coast; and
- Australia won’t support global ban of blue fin tuna.
But first, here’s SOH focus on China
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Over only three months, eleven rare Siberian tigers have died at a zoo in north-eastern China.
A local wildlife protection official, Liu Xiaoqiang says lack of food may have caused malnutrition, leading to the tigers deaths.
Mr Liu also says the tigers were kept in very small cages, not allowing them to move as much and lowering their resistance to disease.
However, a manager at the zoo says the tigers simply died of various diseases.
The tiger’s deaths have raised concerns about how tigers are treated in China, especially as China is celebrating the year of the tiger.
