Asia-Cast

Asia Cast for Thursday 27th November

In this Bulletin…

- New York’s Chinese Consul General urged to leave America;
- China’s regime annoyed at EU leader’s plans to meet Dalai Lama ; and
- Dozens killed in India “terrorist attack”.

But first, here’s our SOH focus on China
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The US government has found American manufactured infant formula containing “trace levels” of melamine, the industrial chemical that has sickened and killed infants in China.

The announcement comes amid increasingly strained relations between China and the US over food safety issues in recent months.

Earlier this month US imports of all milk and milk-derived products from China were halted after infant formula adulterated with melamine made over 53,000 Chinese babies sick and caused several deaths.

It is not clear when the discovery in America was made, or why the information was released at this point.

But it could be related to China’s surprise announcement stating its intention to establish inspections on US soil after the Food and Drug Administration said it was opening monitoring offices in China.

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The Chinese Consul General in New York, Peng Keyu, is being urged to leave the country by members of the Chinese community before he is expelled.

Mr Peng is being investigated for instigating recent hate crimes against the Falun Gong spiritual group in New York.

A group of Chinese from New Jersey, Flushing, and Brooklyn held an assembly in front of the Queens Library in Flushing this week advising him to leave New York by himself.

The spokesman for the assembly David Lu said It’s not good for the image of China’s communist regime if he does not leave. “How can such a person carry out the work of overseas Chinese affairs? Such a person should be sent back to China,” he added.

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And now for the rest of today’s Asia Cast
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European contacts with the Dalai Lama has led China to postpone next month’s summit with the EU.

EU diplomats say China has been angered by French President Nicolas Sarkozy’s plans to meet with the Tibetan spiritual leader. France holds the EU’s rotating presidency.

Mr Sarkozy has said he will meet the Dalai Lama in Poland on 6 December.

A Chinese foreign ministry spokesman said “we oppose any foreign leaders having any contact with the Dalai”.

The spokesman, Qin Gang, was speaking to reporters in Beijing on Tuesday. The Chinese government has previously said Mr Sarkozy risks losing “hard-won” gains in ties with Beijing if he meets the Dalai Lama.

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Dozens of people have been killed and many more injured during a series of shootings in the Indian city of Mumbai.

At least seven sites were targeted Wednesday 26 in what police are calling a terrorist attack, including a train station, two five-star hotels, a hospital and a restaurant popular with tourists.

Unconfirmed reports said 80 people had been killed, and more than 250 injured.
The attack was the latest in a wave across Indian cities in recent months which has left scores of people dead.

“The terrorists have used automatic weapons and in some places grenades have been lobbed,” said AN Roy, police commissioner of Maharashtra state.

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Thailand’s military chief has had his calls for the country’s Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat to stand down rejected.

General Anupong Paochinda asked for the calling of snap elections to end months of political deadlock.

But Mr Somchai said his government was legitimate and that he would continue to work for the country.

The call came after anti-government protesters occupied Bangkok’s main airport and forced its closure, a move that Mr Somchai called illegal.

Thailand has been in a state of political stalemate since former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra was ousted in a military coup in 2006.

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A rescue vessel and several commercial ships battled strong waves to rescue the crew of a cargo vessel that capsized in the northern Philippines.

Nine sailors were rescued from the raging sea and the remaining 11 were wearing life jackets and clinging to ropes tied to their vessel, coast guard Commander Rudyard Somera said.

The stricken vessel, Mark Jason, was on its way to Batanes islands in the northern Philippines when it encountered strong waves.

Sea accidents are common in the Philippine archipelago because of tropical storms, badly maintained boats and weak enforcement of safety regulations.

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