AsiaCast

Asia Cast for Friday 11th July

In this Bulletin…

- Journalist group uncovers truth behind cutting of independent broadcaster’s transmission into China;
- More Tibetans jailed by Beijing courts; and
- New iPhone goes on sale in Japan.

But first, here’s our original SOH news direct from China

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The head of the Shanghai Maosheng International Group, Liu Genshan, has been detained for involvement in a US$600 million fraud.

Fifty-one year old Liu, a prominent businessman, was once crowned China’s richest man. Formerly dubbed Shanghai’s “Road King”, he made his riches from the rapid expansion of China’s road infrastructure.

Investigators say Liu’s has been arrested for fund-raising fraud and more evidence of crimes are expected to be uncovered as the investigation continues.

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With the Great Chinese Firewall and the ever expanding Internet filtering in China, the latest phrase dubbed as ‘sensitive’ by the Chinese communist regime is, incredibly, the “Chinese Communist Party”.

Internet Service Providers in Guangzhou have added “Chinese Communist Party” and “socialism” to their Internet filters, rendering many articles unreadable.

In China, aside from official press released by the state run media, articles containing the words “Chinese Communist Party” and “socialism” are often criticisms or attacks on the regime. With these phrases becoming synonymous with wickedness and crimes, the regime is left with no choice but to filter itself out of Internet searches within China.

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And now for the rest of today’s Asia Cast
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European satellite operator Eutelsat is suppressing the independent Chinese-language TV station New Tang Dynasty Television (NTDTV) to satisfy Beijing, say journalist’s rights group Reporters Without Boarders (RSF).

Eutelsat claims it was forced to suspend New Tang Dynasty Television on June 16 due to a technical problem with their W5 satellite that forced the company to reduce the number of transponders and stop broadcasting several TV stations.

However, Reporters Without Borders recorded a phone call on June 23 of a Eutelsat employee confirming the cut in transmission was politically motivated. A full transcript is available on their website, www.rsf.org.

In a comment to the Epoch Times, NTDTV spokesperson Carrie Hung said,”The conversation recorded by [Reporters Without Borders] shows that the chairman of Eutelsat, Mr. Berretta, made a deliberate decision so as to gain favour from Beijing and to satisfy Beijing’s long-standing demand of shutting down NTDTV’s satellite broadcasts into China as a precondition for any business deals”.
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Twelve more rioters have been jailed by Beijing courts for their roles in unrest in Tibet, state media said, just weeks before the Beijing Olympics.

State controlled media said late on Thursday that to date China has convicted 42 people for their role in the riots while another 116 await trial.

The Chinese regime has made security a top priority for the Beijing Olympics, deploying a 100,000-strong anti-terrorism force and surface-to-air-missiles at major Olympic venues.

Rights groups say China is using Olympic security as an excuse to crack down on any form of internal dissent, particularly in Xinjiang and in Tibet, where riots on March 14 sparked anti-Chinese protests around the world.

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You’re listening to Asia Cast on the SOH Radio Network
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Eyewitness reports of a police shooting in Xinjiang Province that left five Uyghurs dead are in stark contrast with that from state controlled media.

On Tuesday July 8 police in the Xinjiang capital, Urumqi, raided an apartment where 15 Uyghurs—a distinct Muslim minority—were hiding, according to Chinese state media. It said they had rushed out wielding knives and shouting “sacrifice for Allah.”

According to an eyewitness who spoke to Radio Free Asia however, the police threw a smoke bomb at the apartment and entered it, during which time one of the police was hurt by an Uyghur and the police opened fire.

Dilxat Raxit, exiled spokesman of the World Uyghur Congress said, “To shoot and kill has become a new method of cracking down on Uyghurs in China,” in his plea to the U.N. for help.

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Sales of the latest iPhone across the Asia-Pacific region began in Japan today.

Australia, New Zealand and Hong Kong were the other Asia-Pacific locations getting the new phone. In the United States, phones will be available at 8 a.m. in each time zone.

The iPhone is designed to browse the Web in much the same way computers do. A report this week by Mizuho Securities Co. said the iPhone’s had potential to change lifestyles and bring new business opportunities.
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“Asia Cast… keeping you across the top headlines from Asia and the World.”