AsiaCast

Asia Cast for Saturday 26th January

In this bulletin …….

-Renegade Tamil rebel jailed in the UK

-Hunan Property Owners Bashed whilst Protesting and

-Sulfuric Acid Leak, Poisons Thousands in Hunan

Colonel Karuna, a former leader of Sri Lanka’s Tamil Tiger rebels, has been sentenced to nine months’ imprisonment by a UK court for identity fraud.

Late last year, Colonel Karuna was arrested in London for carrying an apparently genuine Sri Lankan diplomatic passport issued under a false name.

Karuna was a former commander of the Tamil Tiger rebels, but left them in 2004 to fight alongside government forces.

In the UK Human rights groups want try him for war crimes.

Both before and after he changed sides, troops under him w were accused of torture, murder and the recruitment of child soldiers.

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And now for our original SOH news direct from China

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On the 23rd of January, 12 property owners in Changsha City went to appeal to the Changsha City Complaints Office.

A property owner surnamed Wan, aged over 60, was injured and sent to hospital for treatment after being bashed by the security guards of the city government. Other petitioners demanded from the government an explanation of the physical assaults, but were driven away by the armed police.

Rights advocate and Hunan representative of the National Property Ownership, Wang Ji-Yong, was forcibly confined in Changsha Legal Education and Training Centre and was bought off for a several thousand Yuan by the “610 Office”.

The “610” office is known to be where Falun Gong practitioners are sent to be brainwashed and are also subjected to torture.

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The Xiao-ping Coalmine in Hunan Province had a sulfuric acid leakage contaminating the

Underground water source.

Over a thousand local residents were poisoned. Yet, the Chenxi Party Committee claims that only 26 people where hospitalized.

The monitoring Station of Chenxi Environmental Protection tested the water components and announced that the quality of the underground water near Xiao-ping Coalmine met the standard suitable for drinking.

However, a large number of villagers in Ban-qiao and Xiao-ping region fell ill and some even having to be hospitalized. The local government re-tested the chemical contents of the water, discovering traces of the highly toxic arsenic, tin, and other metals contaminants in the water.

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On the 22nd of January, Zhang Qing, the wife of China rights advocate Guo Fei-Xong, brought along their young son to visit his father in Guangdong Provincial Meizhou Jail.

When Mrs. Qing came to visit her husband she discovered that her husband had been put under “close surveillance” for three months.

During the three months, no relatives are allowed to visit, write to him or send mail.

Zhang Qing said that Guo Fei-Xong has already gone into his 42nd day of a hunger strike and his health is deteriorating.

Mrs. Qing has called on the international society to rescue Guo Fei-Xong.

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Jiamusi Intermediate Court has decided that Yang Chun-Lin will be on a secret trial on the 29th of January, claiming that the case involves a state secret.

Yang Chun-Lin was a rights advocate who fought for the rights of farmers who had lost their land.

He has been charged for “obstructing public affairs, disturbing the social order and for accepting multiple interviews by overseas media especially the interviews with the Epoch Times.

All other people involved with Yang Chun-Lin are being interrogated.

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And now for our daily update on the NTDTV Divine Performing Arts “New Year Spectacular” show.

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This year there are two Divine Performing Arts troupes touring the world. Today one will be performing in Chicago at the Arie Crown Theater and the other in San Francisco at the Orpheum Theatre.

This will be the last performance in Chicago after performing two shows there and also the last for San Francisco after performing four shows.

After tonight the Divine Performing Arts Troupe will be taking a break for three days. They will then be resuming their performances on the 30th of January in New York City at the Radio City Music Hall.

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This has been James Xu For the SOH Radio Network.