Asia Cast

Asia Cast Thursday 27th December

In this bulletin…
- Landslides leave up to 81 dead or missing in Indonesia
- Boy dies of bird flu in Vietnam
- Japanese Prime Minister to boost ties with China

********************

On Wednesday landslides and floods caused by torrential rains have left up to 81 people dead or missing in Indonesia’s Central Java province.

A provincial official said the landslides were the worst to hit the region in quarter of a century as thousands of people moved to shelters after their homes were buried or washed away.

Heru, head of the local disaster coordinator agency, said that by late afternoon, 36 bodies had been recovered while 30 others were still buried under thick mud in Karang Anyar district near the banks of the Bengawan Solo River.

********************

Health officials have told of a four-year-old boy who died of bird flu in Vietnam, becoming the country’s fifth reported victim of the virus this year.

State media reported that the deadly H5N1 virus was found in samples taken from the child.

He died after being admitted to hospital with high fever.

The child is believed to have eaten chicken before falling sick in the northern province of Son La.

Bird flu has killed 47 people in Vietnam since 2003.

********************

Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda will visit China, which will be aimed at improving relations between the two countries.

He will have separate meetings with Chinese President Hu Jintao and Prime Minister Wen Jiabao.

The trip comes amid signs of a diplomatic thaw, following decades of rivalry and historical tensions.

In recent months a Chinese warship dropped anchor in Tokyo Bay for the first time since World War II.

********************

Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf and his Afghan counterpart, Hamid Karzai, have agreed to co-operate in the fight against Islamist militants.

At a meeting in Islamabad, the leaders said terrorism had brought suffering to people in both their countries.

Ties between the neighbours have often been strained, with mutual accusations of inaction against Taleban militants.

The cordial tone of the leaders’ latest meeting contrasts with past exchanges.

The leaders referred to their countries as twins and emphasised the shared threat from Islamist militants sympathetic to the deposed Taleban administration of Afghanistan.

********************

A mainland Chinese Falun Gong practitioner has revealed to the media that the Chinese Communist prison system has been over working imprisoned Falun Gong practitioners, killing many in the process.

Many have died from mining accidents, and others have suffered permanent disabilities and blindness.

He said that during his six-year imprisonment he’d seen practitioners, between the ages of 30 and 70, being beaten and even killed, if they did not meet minimum production requirements.

Collusion among the prison, forensics and medical systems have deceived families of the Falun Gong practitioners’ to make illegal profits.

Although practitioners in Mainland China have been brutally persecuted under strict information control and censorship, facts of the persecution continue to penetrate overseas through different channels.

********************

In order to ease the drought situation in Guangdong, scientists in China have recently adopted methods of artificial rainfall, launching 60 rocket projectiles to hasten the rain.

According to media reports, the southern and central regions of China have recently experienced prolonged drought.

Rare extensive fog and warm winters have also taken place in the southwest regions of northern China.

Experts point out the weather changes have all been related to climate change, and rising temperatures in China’s climates will further intensify.

*******************

Long queues of voters are waiting to cast their ballots in Kenya, as they choose a president in an atmosphere marred by accusations of poll rigging.

President Mwai Kibaki is seeking a second term, in what is seen as the tightest election in Kenya’s history.

Turnout seems to be high in many areas but voting has been delayed for hours in parts of the Nairobi slum of Kibera.

*******************