Asia Cast

Asia Cast for Friday 17th October

New Tang Dynasty received an award for its ‘Traveling Freely in Words’ show. (Courtesy of NTDTV)

In this Bulletin…

- Vanadium pollution poisons hundreds in central China;
- Almost 6000 Chinese babies remain hospitalised from toxic milk powder; and
- New Tang Dynasty wins Golden Bell award in Taiwan.

But first, here’s our SOH focus on China
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Bolshoi Ussuriisk Island in the Heilongjiang River was seized and occupied by the former Soviet Union’s military for 79 years. This week the Chinese regime formally ceded half of the island to Russia.

The island covers an area of 300 square kilometers and is rich in natural resources. In 2004, away from public scrutiny, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) transferred half of the island’s sovereignty to Russia, as a favour to the Russian government.

This month, in order to conceal truth about giving away Chinese territory, the CCP has adorned the move as a victory whereby Russia returned half of the island to China.

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Vanadium pollution has affected up to 1000 people in Hubei Province.

Vanadium is used in the manufacture of industrial chemicals as well as metal alloys, and is highly toxic to humans.

In Sanzhou Township, Jianli County, there has been an outbreak of severe dermatitis as a result of the incident. Symptoms include extreme irritation, skin breakage and ulceration.

There are currently nine vanadium factories operating in the region that are discharging effluent into the river, according to the Changjiang Business Newspaper.

Although the Bureau of Environmental Protection in Hubei Province is mounting an investigation, a local government official has revealed these factories have shady backgrounds, and are likely to have links with local government officials.

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And now for the rest of today’s Asia Cast
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China’s Health Ministry has stated that almost 6,000 babies remain hospitalized with kidney problems resulting from milk powder adulterated with the industrial chemical melamine.

Six of the children were in serious condition, the ministry said in a statement posted on the Internet.

The Chinese regime has been trying to contain the fallout after four infants died and about 54,000 other children became sick from being fed contaminated dairy products.

In Hong Kong, the government said another child had been found with kidney stones after drinking Chinese-made tainted milk, the eighth such case so far.

In Taiwan, more than 160 products containing Chinese milk and vegetable-based proteins have been removed from stores.

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In an attempt to ease relations with several of its neighbours, China has banned its fishing fleet from working in disputed waters.

There have been disputes with North and South Korea, Japan, Vietnam and the Philippines over maritime boundaries.

A North Korean patrol boat fired at a Chinese fishing boat and Seoul detained 11 Chinese suspected of killing a South Korean coast guard officer.

The fishing ban is Beijing’s latest attempt to defuse regional tension amid concerns over its rising power, but it remains to been seen how stringently it will be enforced.

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A ransom has been paid to Somali pirates by a South Korean shipping company to secure the release of 22 of its sailors who were being held hostage.

The crew members, eight South Koreans and 14 citizens of Myanmar, were released along with their cargo ship Bright Ruby after more than a month of captivity following the hijacking off the coast of Somalia on September 10.

The sailors “were released after the ransom was paid to the Somali pirates,” an official with J&J Trust, which owns the ship, told The Associated Press. He spoke on condition of anonymity, citing the sensitivity of the issue.

So far this year, 29 ships have been hijacked off the African coast.

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New Tang Dynasty (NTD) took top honours in the ‘Children and Youth Animation’ section of Taiwan’s Golden Bell Awards, which were held this week.

The Golden Bell Awards are held by Taiwan’s Government Information Office. The Best Children and Youth Animation Award was established to encourage high quality television programs for younger viewers.

Chen Yun-An, one of the judges, congratulated New Tang Dynasty for winning the award, saying, ‘Traveling Freely in Words’ was detailed, well researched and they never got tired of watching the program.

The purpose of the show is to teach Chinese language alongside traditional Chinese culture.

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

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