Asia-Cast

Asia Cast Monday 19th November

In this Bulletin…
- Chinese businesses fined for environmental breaches;
- Greenpeace vows action against Japanese whalers; and
- Chinese atrocities parallel former Soviet atrocities in Ukraine.

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In a national first, a dozen Chinese businesses have had loans blocked or withdrawn after being accused of flouting environmental laws.

Read on for more

With China’s cities among the most polluted in the world, the authorities plan to increase financial penalties for rule breakers and force firms to pay more towards the cost of emissions.

The firms, which have not been named, include a brewer and a power plant.
With China’s historically lax record on the environment under growing scrutiny, the authorities threatened to get tough with persistent polluters this summer.

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Green peace has vowed to take non-violent action to stop the Japanese whaling hunt of southern oceans which it says threatens not only endangered species, but also whale-watching industries in Australia and other South Pacific countries.

The Japanese fleet departed from its home port of Shimonoseki last week for its biggest hunt since the moratorium on commercial whaling came into force more than 20 years ago.

Greenpeace expedition leader Karli Thomas, speaking from the ship Esperanza currently standing-by off the coast of Japan, demanded the whaling fleet be recalled and that if it wasn’t the group would take direct, non-violent action to stop the hunt.

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As the 75th anniversary of Ukraine’s “Great Famine” approaches, Ukrainians are being reminded about the crimes committed by the Communist Party, and not only about the bygone Soviet party, but also about the existing Chinese Communist Party.

The Ukrainian famine or “Holodomor” was one of the largest national catastrophes of the Ukrainian nation in modern history with direct loss of human life in the range of millions.

Human Rights activists David Kilgour and David Matas were in the Ukrainian capital Kiev last week as part of their global mission to raise awareness of the practice of Organ Harvesting of Falun Gong Practitioners in China.

In his speech, David Matas emphasized that communism affects every country and every nation stating that “Crimes that are being committed against Falun Gong are not only China’s problem, just as “The Great Famine” is not only the Ukraine’s concern. The persecution of people is an essence of communism”.

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A recent poll has shown that over the month of October, Thailand’s “happiness index” has soared to its highest level since the military coup a year ago,

The Gross Domestic Happiness Index rose to 6.90 in October from 5.94 in September, its highest since the bloodless September 2006 coup against Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, the poll was conducted by Bangkok’s Assumption University.

A level of 10 indicates maximum happiness.

The happiness revival has been fuelled by revered King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s recovery from an illness.

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The Epoch Times has reported that during the 17th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, Liu Jie, one of the ten thousand petitioners appealing to the authority by letter, has been charged with so called “illegal gathering and disturbing social order” by the Public Security Bureau in Heilongjiang Province.

In the past the National Congress was considered a time when the general public could voice its concern over local problems, but at the last Congress authorities clamped down on all forms of public protest and appeal.

Liu Jie has been sentenced to an 18-month forced labour term and is now serving her sentence in Qiqihaer Forced Labour Camp in Heilongjiang.

Her family members claim that the charges brought against Jie are unfounded and plan to appeal to the courts.

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Now an update on the Global Human Rights Torch Relay which reached Melbourne Australia’s largest southern city, last week.

Federation Square in the centre of the city was lit up with purpose and dignity as local communities, athletes, musicians, performers and politicians came out en masse to welcome the Torch Relay.

The Human Rights Torch relay is an international campaign that seeks to bring an end to all human rights abuses against the people of China, while highlighting the persecution of Falun Gong – the most severely persecuted group in China today.

Banners from different community groups highlighted many of those abuses including the persecution and illegal organ harvesting of practitioners in China, the horrendous crimes perpetrated by the military junta in Burma and the despotic regime in Darfur, all a direct result of the present Chinese leadership’s disregard for even the most basic of rights.

If you would like to find out more about this wonderful campaign please visit the official website at www.humanrightstorch.org

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