AsiaCast

Asia Cast for Monday 21st July

In this Bulletin……….

- Gloom outlook for Qingdao’s “Olympic Battle”;
- Owner of human rights website arrested in China; and
- Aung San Suu Kyi banned from Burma’s martyrs’ day ceremony.

But first, here’s our SOH focus on China
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For the past few days, the entire population of Qingdao city has been mobilized to wage war against an algae infestation that has plagued the Olympics’ sailing venue. However, algae that has been accumulating on the shore is now waist-deep, and have started to rot, producing noxious fumes.

The Qingdao sailing competition is scheduled to start on August 9, and teams from over 40 countries have already arrived in the city, but their pre-game preparation plans are now affected by the rare algae infestation.

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Huang Qi, the host of China’s rights advocating website Tianwan has been formally arrested by the Chengdu Bureau of Public Security in Sichuan Province.

Huang will be seeking bail to await trial, according to his lawyer. Huang’s mother has also pleaded to the government’s humanity to allow Huang to return home on bail to receive medical treatment.

According to Free Asia Radio, Huang Qi was arrested in 2000 for setting up the human rights website “Tianwan” or Heave Website, and was sentenced to 5 years imprisonment for subverting state power. His latest arrest comes after his rescue efforts for victims of the May 12 Sichuan earthquake, and publishing online articles to expose shoddy constructions that led to numerous school collapses in the disaster region.

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And now for the rest of today’s Asia Cast
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Over two thousand people from all walks of life rallied beside the Washington Monument in Washington, DC on Friday, in support of the 40 million people who have withdrawn from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and its youth groups.

Attendees condemned the CCP’s persecution of Chinese people, especially the persecution of Falun Gong, demanding that the persecution is stopped.

Over twenty speakers called for an end to the persecution, including representatives from Coalition to investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong, Global Service Center for Quitting Chinese Communist Party, and Lawyers for Human Rights.

Mr. Dawei Gao said that resigning from the CCP is the most effective and peaceful way to stop the CCP’s suppression of Chinese people. Gao said that the Chinese Communist Party will be tried for its crimes against the Chinese people, and that this day is coming quickly.

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The Death poll of people killed in flooding and landslides caused by Tropical Storm Kalmaegi has climbed to at least 18, Taiwanese officials have said.

The storm hit central and southern Taiwan with high winds and heavy rain on Thursday and Friday before weakening and moving on to southern China.

The local media have raised questions about an apparent lack of preparedness on the part of Taiwan’s authorities.

Chinese state media reported that the government had evacuated hundreds of thousands of people from coastal provinces ahead of the storm’s arrival in China.

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You’re listening to Asia Cast on the SOH Radio Network
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Today begins the annual summit meeting of foreign ministers from the 10 members of the Association of South East Asian Nations (Asean) in Singapore.

They will address some large challenges for the 40-year-old association, among them the issue of Burma’s membership.
The summit will release a full assessment of the relief effort following the cyclone two months ago, which has been co-ordinated by Asean.

It also provides a rare forum in which regional powers can meet.

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Burma’s pro-democracy opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi was not invited this year to pay tribute to her late father on Martyrs’ Day.

Supporters of the Nobel peace laureate say she was kept under house arrest as the military government held a short memorial service early Saturday in Rangoon.

General Aung San and eight other people were shot by political rivals on July 19th, 1942, while they were holding a meeting for Burmese independence from Britain.

Unlike previous years, foreign diplomats were not invited to the ceremony at the Martyr’s mausoleum close to the famous Shwe Dagon shrine, and the site was surrounded by hundreds of riot police.

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“Asia Cast… keeping you across the top headlines from Asia and the World.”