Asia-Cast

Asia Cast for Thursday 21st August

In this Bulletin…

- List of labor camps released to international journalists in China
- Philippines government calls off peace deal; and
- A Malaysian-owned tanker, hijacked by pirates.

-But first, here’s our SOH focus on China

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During the Beijing Olympics, a problem has been perplexing the International Olympic Committee and many international tourists; that the audiences could not buy tickets to watch the Olympic Games, but over a half of the audience seats at some events were hardly occupied.

The English Times newspaper published an article entitled “China’s iron Olympic grip starts to slip” that had exposed an answer to the mystery: in order to prevent massive gathering the Chinese Government tightly controls ticket sales.

The tickets that the Chinese government sold to the public were secretly controlled with large amount of seats assigned to the Communist Party’s administrative departments and state-run enterprises.

These organizations complied with the Party’s regulation to withhold the sales of tickets.

The regime’s policy has also deprived the rights of the overseas Olympics fans, even sports players’ families were refused to enter. British women’s swimming gold medallist Rebecca Adlington’s Family complained that they could not buy any tickets to watch their daughter in winning the contest.

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The Coalition to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong (CIPFG) released today a list of 51 labor camps for journalists to investigate while they are in China for the Olympic Games.

CIPFG reports that there are nearly 300 labor camps in China, where torture, “re-education” (brainwashing), and forced labor take place. Tens of thousands of Falun Gong practitioners are said to be held there, and among them are those arrested in large purges that took place in the months before the Olympics.

The regime in China has been known to deny independent investigations of claims of torture and abuse in its labor camps, which people can be sentenced to without trial.

In the lead-up to the games, CIPFG released to journalists a guide to seven labor camps near the Olympics venues, titled “Torture Outside the Olympic Village: A Guide to China’s Labor Camps.” These camps held practitioners of Falun Gong, a spiritual practice that is heavily persecuted in China.

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And now for the rest of today’s Asia Cast
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Two elderly Chinese women are to face a year in a labour camp after attempts to hold a public protest, a relative has said.

Wu Dianyuan, 79, and Wang Xiuying, 77, had applied repeatedly for permission to protest in Beijing’s much feted but little used Olympics “protest parks”.

The penalty of “re-education through labour” allows police to imprison a suspect for up to four years of labour without a formal charge or trial.

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Philippines Government cancelled a peace deal with the country’s biggest Muslim rebel group after fighting broke out this week killing 40 people.

The peace deal, agreed by the Government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front last month, was later halted by the Supreme Court pending a verdict on an appeal by Christian groups that it was unconstitutional.

However the government is willing to renegotiate, a government spokeswoman said.

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You’re listening to Asia Cast on the SOH Radio Network
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A Malaysian-owned tanker carrying crude palm oil has been hijacked by pirates in the Gulf of Aden near Somalia, a global maritime watchdog has said.

A distress signal was received and the ship is now thought to be heading to coastal waters near Somalia.

Pirate attacks on vessels and yachts sailing the major shipping route close to Somalia have surged recently.

No direct contact has been made with the captain of the ship, said the International Maritime Bureau Piracy Reporting Centre.

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And now for our daily round-up of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.
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On the final day of yachting Australia picked up a silver medal in Olympic sailing at the Beijing Games.

Australian diver Melissa Wu has qualified for tonight’s final of the women’s 10 metres platform at the Beijing Olympics.

Meanwhile US beach volleyball queens Kerri Walsh and Misty May-Treanor has successfully defended their women’s Olympic title.

For more in depth coverage of events at today’s Games, why not check out Inside China Today, at www.insidechinatoday.net.

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