Asia-Cast

Asia Cast For Wednesday 19th September

The case of a Chinese refugee who swallowed razor blades to prevent his deportation back to Mainland China has raised concerns over the recently signed Australia-China Extradition Treaty.The man, who has been in Australia for 10 years and in detention for the last four, had his business visa cancelled on the grounds of an arrest warrant for kidnapping and murder committed in China.

Refugee groups say the warrant is dodgy and the Chinese legal system cannot be trusted.

Democrats Senator Andrew Bartlett said that while the man is not being extradited, it does raise concerns about the efficacy of China’s legal system in light of the recent Australia-China Extradition Treaty.

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Chinese citizens who have travelled to Beijing to protest about local injustices have been ordered to leave their homes.

The petitioners live in Beijing’s Fengtai District, and were given until noon today to move.

Some have already left the area, which is being torn down to make way for a railway station.

Many say the demolition is part of a campaign to clean up Beijing before the Communist Party’s congress next month.

Thousands of petitioners rent beds whilst they present their petitions to the central government.

They are all watched closely by teams of plain clothes police officers.

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China’s densely populated eastern coast has been hit by Typhoon Wipha but will probably miss the country’s financial hub, Shanghai, officials say.

Shanghai’s flood prevention bureau said Wipha would probably pass 100km to the south-west of the city on Wednesday evening local time.

It has been downgraded to a tropical storm but could still cause major damage in the area near Shanghai.

One man died after being electrocuted as a result of the storm.
More than two million people were evacuated from Shanghai and the nearby provinces of Fujian and Zhejiang before the storm landed.

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A 33-year old Falun Gong practitioner, Lin Shu-Sen, born in Heilong jiang Province, a graduate from Beijing Acupuncture & Bone Trauma College, was illegally jailed for three years and five years in 2001 and 2005 for his belief in Falun Dafa.

So far, he is being detained in a jail of Beijing Qinghe District.

Due to long time severe torture, he suffered a mental disorder for seven months and none informed his family.

After he recovered, the jail authority kept him confined till the end of his sentence.

Long periods of torture lead to kidney failure, deficiency of his bones and severe indigestion.

The authorities still keeps him under ¡°stringent supervision¡± regardless of his fragile body.

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Zhou Yi-Yue, Director of Hong Kong Food and Health Bureau announced on the17th of September that the Agricultural Ministry confirmed an outbreak of bird flu among ducks
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Effective from the same day, Hong Kong has ceased the import of livestock, eggs and frozen meats for 21 days from plagued areas.

Hong Kong authorities have expanded the plagued area to 24 kilometers instead of 8 kilometers that is regulated by international law.

The non-government groups accused the Communist regime of the delayed announcement for days, which may have lead to the spread of the virus.

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On the afternoon of September 15, 2007, downtown Geneva, two men dressed in traditional Swiss costumes greeted the arrival of the Human Rights Torch at the opening ceremonies in Geneva.

Geneva is the ninth stop on the Human Rights Torch Relay.

Dr. Charles Graves, Vice President of the Coalition to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong and Secretary of Interfaith International, hosted this ceremony.

Mayor Mugny of Geneva received the Torch stating that he is very concerned about human rights issues in China. He is also a member of the CIPFG in Europe.