Asia Cast for Monday 8th February
New laws in China are unlikely to prevent developers forcedly demolishing people's homes. (Sound of Hope)
In this Bulletin…
- How new laws in China won’t stop forced demolitions;
- Japan hit by strong earthquake; and
- TV chief murdered in Nepal
But first we have our Shen Yun quote of the day
For more information please visit www.shenyunperformingarts.org
Our SOH focus on China is next
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Activists in China believe new regulations aimed at tackling unlawful forced demolitions favour developers, and not homeowners.
The Legislative Affairs Office of Beijing’s State Council has come under criticism because the proposed new laws appear to legalise forced demolitions rather than preventing them.
The legislation would allow businesses claiming they had to expand or relocate to simply knock peoples homes down.
An activist from Hubei Province said they were concerned local Party members would continue to collude with businesses.
It’s no secret that there is widespread corruption throughout China’s one-party system. A Beijing commentator told SOH the enormous profits from land sales made protecting civil rights virtually impossible.
Asia Cast for Sunday 7th February
In this Bulletin…
- Unpaid wages spark protests among China’s migrant workers;
- Vietnam accused of jailing activists to silence dissent; and
- Google dragged into Asian border dispute.
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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Beijing has seen a hard winter this year, but that hasn’t dampened consumers’ spirits, especially with the Chinese New Year holiday fast approaching.
According to an economist from the Asia Development Bank, retail sales figures for December were already up by 17 per cent on last year. And the spending trend is expected to last through to the New Year.
But while sales boom, the mass migration of China’s workforce back to their hometowns causes a lull in production. Many of China’s migrant workers return home just once a year. As they stay for several weeks it can take a while for things to get going again.
Watch NTDTV to find out more about China’s New Year celebrations.
Asia Cast for Saturday 6th February
Parents protesting against the Chinese regime's handling of the melamine tainted milk scandal. (Courtesy of Rights Movement)
In this Bulletin …
- NGOs concerned over missing human rights lawyer;
- Toxic melamine still being pumped into Chinese food; and
- Bombs kill 22 in Pakistan’s capital.
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 group of Taiwanese NGOs have called on Beijing to reveal the whereabouts Chinese human rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng. They also appealed for lawyer and his family members to be able to visit him.
Gao, who disappeared a year ago, had become known as China’s conscience. In the past he had been arrested and tortured in China for defending the rights of those persecuted for their religious beliefs, including followers of the Falun Gong spiritual movement.
NGO leaders spoke at a press conference in Taiwan earlier this week. They said that human rights activists in China should be able to freely express their opinions and exercise their rights without being harassed, intimidated, detained, tortured, or incarcerated.
Read The Epoch Times for more on this story.
Asia Cast for Friday 5th February
Nepal has been asked to suspend the adoption of children after it was found that some were falsely declared orphans. (By Peter Verkhovensky/Flickr)
In this Bulletin …
- Chinese internet users find new way to freedom;
- Nepal told it should suspend adoptions; and
- Curfew imposed in Kashmir capital.
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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Internet users in China have found another way around the firewall set up by the Chinese authorities.
Many have started to use a virtual private network to access sites such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube which the regime has blocked.
Zhou Shiyu is an IT expert from Rutgers University in the US. He said that using a virtual private network makes it look like you are on a computer outside of China.
Zhou pointed out that a disadvantage of doing this is that it requires user installation, which limits the number of people who are able to use it.
Read The Epoch Times for more on this story.
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Asia Cast for Thursday 4th February
Beijing has announced they are recruiting five thousand heavily-armed police to patrol the now peaceful region of Xinjiang. (By 29cm/Flickr)
In this Bulletin…
- International report highlights China’s crackdown on media;
- China increases security in calm Xinjiang region; and
- Disgruntled Australian injures 15 in insurance office 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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The International Federation of Journalists has released a report on the Chinese regime’s intensified crackdown on the media in 2009.
The report titled, China Clings to Control” was released in Hong Kong on Sunday, said NTDTV.
It lists over 60 topics the Chinese regime forbids its domestic media to report. The list includes topics such as ethnic riots in the Xinjiang region, organ transplants at Sun Yatsen University, disease outbreaks and large scale public protests among many others.
Media were also prohibited from travelling to Sichuan Province during the anniversary of the earthquake that took place in 2008.
Asia Cast for Wednesday 3rd February
South Korean cuisine has been approved for space travel consumption because of its digestive benefits. (By avlxyz/Flickr)
In this Bulletin…
- Concern over Chinese mayor’s death puts man in jail;
- China warns President Obama against meeting Dalai Lama; and
- South Asia student visas not accepted in UK.
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 man in China has been jailed for reportedly raising concerns about the alleged suicide of Wugang City’s deputy mayor.
State-run media reported that in November 2009 the deputy mayor committed suicide by jumping out of his dormitory window due to depression. But his family however, questioned the cause of death.
The man who volunteered to launch an investigation into the deputy mayors death has now been jailed and sentenced to two years forced labour. He was charged with organizing a teacher’s strike in 2008 and disrupting social order.
But the man’s wife told Voice of America, she believes the sentence is linked to the mayor’s death.
Asia Cast for Tuesday 2nd February
A Chinese company is claiming Apple stole their design when making the new iPad tablet PC. (By MattBuchanan/Flickr)
In this Bulletin…
- The scope of Chinese web censorship investigated;
- Rights group uncovers gross abuses in Cambodia’s ‘treatment’ centres; and
- Australians may pay for big environmental polluters.
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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Internet searchers comparing Google China, Google Taiwan and English Google.com results, reveal the extent of China’s web censorship.
The Epoch Times conducted searchers on topics considered forbidden in China, such as the Tiananmen Square Massacre which took place on June 4th. 1989. That search gave 4 million results in English Google, and less than 75 thousand in China Google. Most were irrelevant.
Searching for the term ‘Falun Gong’ on Google.com gave more than 1 million hits. On the Chinese version, Google.cn, there were 33 thousand hits. Of those, the first 20 pages were entirely composed of sites which carried official party propaganda slandering the meditation practice.
Asia Cast for Monday 1st February
In this Bulletin…
- Moderate earthquake hits China’s Sichuan Province;
- Taiwan prepares to power up Asia’s biggest solar plant; and
- Concern for missing Sri Lankan journalist.
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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Human rights groups are protesting the sentencing of a Chinese environmental activist who exposed the radioactive contamination of the Yangtze River.
Sun Xiaodi has been under constant surveillance since he met with foreign journalists in 2004 and gave then evidence of the contamination. He was reportedly detained in southern Gansu Province in June 2009 after once again trying to draw international attention to radioactive contamination in China.
Human Rights in China said Sun was sentenced to two years forced labour for leaking state secrets to foreign agencies. Sun’s daughter was also sentenced to one and a half years forced labour for helping him.
The Epoch Times has all of the details on this story.
Asia Cast for Sunday 31st January
Goojje, an unaffiliated copy of the censored Chinese version of Google, Google.cn, appeared one day after Google first announced its China pull out.
- Academics say China’s governance creating poverty;
- Washington defends arms sale to Taiwan; and
- More gunfire across disputed borders in Asia.
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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SOH recently spoke to two academics in China who believe the corruption existing at all levels of the Communist Party is the fundamental reason so many Chinese are living in poverty.
Chinese government officials are amongst the highest spenders of public funds in the world. China’s administrative expenses surpass those of the United States, France and Japan.
In contrast, over 150 million Chinese people live in extreme poverty and earn less than one dollar per day.
Yeliang Xia from Peking University told SOH this was a reflection of the regime’s irrational social structures and wealth distribution system. Liao Cheng from Heilongjiang Province commented that there was nowhere else in the world as corrupt as China.
Listen to SOH’s Inside China Today programme for the full story.
Asia Cast for Saturday 30th January
Toyota's latest recall of cars in China could have dented the company's image in what is now the world's largest auto market. (By Alan_D/Flickr)
In this Bulletin …
- Shen Yun defamed on student mailing list;
- North Korea fires arms for third day; and
- Presidential candidate’s office raided by Sri Lankan police.
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 recall of Toyota vehicles in China is not as big compared to the recalls that happened in the United States in recent months.
However the long-term effect of the recall in China, which is now the world’s largest auto market, may affect Toyota sales as it tries to grow a foothold there.
Thursday’s recall in China of 75,500 sport utility vehicles because of possible accelerator pad problems is part of a global recall that includes 5.3 million cars in the United States. However this is Toyota’s fifth vehicle recall in China since January 2009.
Michael Dunne, president of Dunne & Co. based in Hong Kong says the recall is almost like a hex has descended on them in China and it makes Chinese consumers begin to doubt the quality of a Toyota product.
