Asia-Cast

Asia Cast for Friday 14th March

In this Bulletin…
- Al Qaeda issue ultimatum to Austria;
- Archbishop found dead in Iraq; and
- Tibetan protests spill into China.

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Austria’s Foreign Ministry has confirmed that it received an ultimatum from Al Qaeda’s North Africa branch demanding the release of prisoners in Tunisia and Algeria in exchange for freeing two Austrian tourists it claims to have kidnapped. However, the Foreign Ministry said the demand could not be met, but that every effort is being made to facilitate the safe return of the Austrian hostage. The ultimatum ran from midnight on Thursday until midnight on Sunday.

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The body of Paulos Faraj Rahho, the Chaldean Catholic Archbishop of Mosul in Iraq, has been found in a shallow grave two weeks after he was kidnapped.

The Vatican said Pope Benedict was immediately informed and was “profoundly moved and saddened” by what he called “an act of inhuman violence”.

It was not clear if the Archbishop died as a result of his precarious health or if he was killed.

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The biggest protests by Tibetan monks in nearly two decades has spilled into Chinese provinces populated by Tibetans, as the government’s tough response draws condemnation from international groups.

On Monday, 500 monks from Drepung monastery defied authorities by staging a rare march in the Tibetan capital of Lhasa, an act that the Chinese regime called “an illegal activity that threatened social stability”.

Demonstrations over past days have been supported by marches around the world to mark the 49th anniversary of an uprising against Communist rule in the remote, mountainous region that has become a focus for protest ahead of this year’s Beijing Olympics.

While China has focused on condemning foreign-based critics of its presence in Tibet, the shows of bold defiance within its borders are likely to make security preparations for the Olympic Games an even bigger worry for officials.

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In related news, Indian authorities broke up a march on Thursday by 100 Tibetan exiles who had planned to trek from the northern Indian city of Dharamshala to Tibet’s border in a protest at China’s rule over their homeland.

Bystander reports said Indian officers dragged the marchers into police vans, sometimes as many as four officers per protester. Once inside the vehicles, the protesters furiously banged on windows and continued to chant, “Free Tibet!”

The protesters, who planned to reach the border for a confrontation with Chinese authorities just before the Beijing Olympics begins in August, were only three days and 75 km into the march when police stopped the march.

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An appeal by tens of thousand Chinese petitioners for the establishment of “China Citizens Monitoring the Government Committee” continues to gain momentum.

Petitioners released their open letter on the Internet during the National Congress hoping the Congress will discuss and treat their appeal seriously.

The open letter mentioned seeks a Constitutional right of the general public to monitor and manage state affairs.

The petition comes in the wake of growing frustration with Government corruption in China.

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In an attempt to prevent frustrated ant farmers going to Beijing during China’s National Congress, police in Liaoning province have been monitoring high profile farmers.

The ant farmers are protesting against unpaid wages which they say for the reason that employer Yilishen refuses to pay them, and that the company’s actions are supported by corrupt authority officials.

According to reports, in an effort to quell protests, the police are taking away anyone who comes before the headquarters of Yilishen company, regardless of whether they are ant farmers seeking unpaid wages or not.

Police activity also included a recent raid on a local market, where the ant farmers often congregate.

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Today the Divine Performing Arts Spectacular opens in Berlin for 3 days of performances.

The Spectacular ended its tour of Taiwan on Wednesday after opening to capacity crowds and receiving rave reviews.

Li Wunan, a renowned harpist and composer in Taiwan who saw the show in Kaohsiung on March 8, could only sing his praises of the performance.

Li said with admiration, “The Divine Performing Arts made enormous breakthroughs in organizing this show. It is a huge success. It makes us Chinese people proud of our heritage.”

For more information about the Divine Performing Arts world tour, please visit: www.divineperformingarts.org

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