AsiaCast

Asia Cast for Friday 28th March

In this Bulletin

– Tibetan Monks disrupt media visit
- Opponents Say Mugabe Undermining Election and
- Sources at British Spy Agency Confirm Tibetan Claims of Staged Violence

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Tibeten monks have interrupted a tour of Lhasa by foreign journalists.
Foreign journalists were expelled from Tibet at the height of the unrest, but on Wednesday China allowed a group of about two dozen reporters into Lhasa for a three-day escorted visit.

About 30 monks shouted pro-Tibetan slogans and defended the Dalai Lama as journalists toured the Jokhang Temple, the visiting reporters said.

China has accused the Dalai Lama of masterminding the protests, but the US has urged Beijing to begin dialogue with Tibet’s exiled spiritual leader.

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Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe’s opponents joined together on Thursday and accused him of plotting to rig Saturday’s election, the toughest battle of his 28 years in power.

After Mugabe handed out hundreds of cars to doctors in what critics say is a vote buying campaign, he faced fresh accusations that he would steal the poll.

Makoni and the two factions of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) said they had more evidence of planned ballot rigging and believed Mugabe was planning to declare victory with almost 60 percent of the vote.

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You’re listening to Asia Cast on the SOH Radio Network
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In the north-western Chinese province of Xinjiang, Twenty two people have been killed and 10 injured by an explosion, state media have reported.

The blast occurred when local officials tried to destroy firecrackers in the desert 7km (4 miles) outside the city of Turpan, the Xinhua news agency said.

The injured have been taken to hospital and the fire caused by the explosion has been extinguished, it added.

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Britain’s government communications agency, has confirmed the claim by the Dalai Lama that agents of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army, the PLA, posing as monks, triggered the riots that have left hundreds of Tibetans dead or injured.

GCHQ analysts believe the decision was deliberately calculated by the Beijing leadership to provide an excuse to stamp out the simmering unrest in the region, which is already attracting unwelcome world attention in the run-up to the Olympic Games this summer.

For weeks there has been growing resentment in Lhasa, Tibet’s capital, against minor actions taken by the Chinese authorities.

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And now for our original SOH news direct from China
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Six thousand demobilized cadres in China have released a statement asking for equal treatment.

In the statement, they asked for unpaid wages, housing and medical assistance, social security and government benefits.

According to report by Radio Free Asia, the statement was released on China’s first human rights Website: www.64tianwang.com.

All of these cadres have worked in the army for more than 15 years.

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Today marks the first of the Divine Performing Arts Chinese Spectacular performing in Melbourne Australia before continuing on to Sydney, Brisbane, Canberra and Adelaide.

People from all walks of life are turning out to experience the dance, drumming and soul-stirring traditions from China’s past, traditions that are now establishing a new era in China’s history.

The spectaculars depict traditional Chinese values that have been suppressed in China over decades of communist rule and have received rave reviews from audiences of previous shows.

For show information please visit www.DivineShows.com