AsiaCast

Asia Cast for Monday 3rd March

In this Bulletin…

- Protestors stand down in Armenia;
- Suicide attack in Pakistan kills 40; and
- Jose Ramos-Horta’s shooter surrenders..

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As tensions reached breaking point after the Armenian government declared a state of emergency and mobilized the army to deal with protestors, the opposition has ended a standoff with riot police in the capital Yerevan.
Earlier, police fought pitched battles with opposition supporters who had held daily protests since a February 19 poll that the opposition said was rigged in favour of Prime Minister Serzh Sarksyan to become president.
At least one person was killed.
The violence was the worst in the country of 3.2 million since 1998, when a mass uprising forced Ter-Petrosyan to resign.
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A suicide attack on a gathering of tribal elders and local officials in north-west Pakistan has killed at least 40 people, according to reports.

Officials say that the blast happened as the elders were discussing the security situation in the area.
Scores of people were hurt in the blast, near the town of Dara Adam Khel, which was the scene of fierce clashes between troops and militants in January.
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East Timorese military officials have confirmed that the man accused of shooting and critically wounded East Timor’s president last month was in custody Sunday after surrendering to police.
Lt. Col. Filomeno Paixao told reporters that Amaro da Costa turned himself in without a fight late Saturday admitting to the attempted murder of President Jose Ramos-Horta outside his home on February 11.
Ramos-Horta is recovering from multiple rounds of surgery in an Australian hospital.
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There is concern of voter apathy in Thailand as counting of Senate votes commenced, in the second stage in the country’s return to democratic government.
The voter turn-out of 40-50% is lower than the expected 70%. Part of the reason for the low turnout is attributed to the frenzy of excitement associated with the return from exile of Mr Thaksin on Thursday.
Another reason may be the fact that the real electoral drama happened over two months ago, when the party led by Mr Thaksin’s allies stunned the military government by winning the contest for the lower house.
In addition, this election is only for just over half the Senate – as 74 of the 150 senators had already been appointed by a committee of judges and top bureaucrats.
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And now for our original SOH news direct from China
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Being dissatisfied with the village officials’ vote-buying and unfair compensation for land requisition, on February 28, residents launched a large-scale protest in Panyu Town Guanzhong City.

According to Guangzhou resources, authorities deployed thousands of anti-riot police to block the road junctions to prevent more than two thousand protestors

The current village officials of Zhushan Village, Sanyong Villages and other villages in the area have been suspected of being involved in selling residential lands privately, and keeping the profits.

The secretary of the town committee has reportedly promised to discuss the matter with the protestors.

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On the morning of March 1, thousands of “Power Ant” victims went to the headquarters of “Power Ant” Group in Shenyang to inquire about the latest situation only to be ambushed by plain-clothed policemen.

The police detained a number of the “Power Ant” victims as well as some who claimed to be innocent bystanders.

Victims were concerned about the policemen’s motives in dressing in plain clothes without their badges or vehicles visible.

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And now for our daily update on the NTDTV Divine Performing Arts “New Year Spectacular” show.
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Tomorrow the Divine Performing Arts Spectacular will continue its world tour, opening in Kaohsiung in Taiwan.

So far the Spectacular has received rave reviews from audience members and critics alike. Audience members have particularly enjoyed seeing elements of traditional Chinese culture being interpreted so truly and with such energy.
Coming off a weekend run at the Palais des Congrès in Paris, the Spectacular impressed showgoers from many walks of life.
One such audience member was Rosette Moscovite, a fashion designer, said she thought the music was awesome, the costumes were wondrous, and that the show was a miracle.
For more information about the Divine Performing Arts world tour, please visit: www.divineperformingarts.org

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