Asia-Cast

Asia Cast for Friday 16th January

In this Bulletin…

- Record number of ‘Tiananmen Mothers‘ meet in Beijing;
- Thai military abandons illegal migrants at sea; and
- Murdered Sri Lankan journalist speaks from beyond the grave.

But first, here’s our SOH focus on China

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A record number of ‘Tiananmen Mothers’ recently evaded the Chinese regime’s surveillance to gather at a Beijing restaurant.

The group was formed by family members of those killed in the Chinese military’s violent crackdown of the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests on June 3 and 4 of that year.

Hong Kong’s Apple Daily reported the group’s leader Ding Zilin, as saying that 2009 is the twentieth anniversary of their children’s deaths and the creation of the Tiananmen Mothers, and although seventeen of them had died, the remaining members will not stop campaigning for the truth.

Sharon Hom, Executive Director of Human Rights In China, previously asked how the international community could trust reports from the Chinese regime if they continue to cover up events from 19 years ago.

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The location of a controversial chemical factory continues to cause outrage among campaigners in Fujian Province who say it could cause grave damage to people’s health.

Authorities have announced that the plant will now be built in Zhangzhou City, rather than the coastal city of Xiamen.

High-profile protests in Xiamen last year on environmental grounds led to a rare change of heart by officials.

Zhangzhou residents are said to be angry at the move because they have not been consulted over their concerns.

They fear the factory, which will make the chemical paraxylene, could emit toxic fumes that may cause cancer.

Paraxylene is used to make plastics, polyester and cleaning products, and can damage vital organs after long-term exposure.

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And now for the rest of today’s Asia Cast

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At least ten people, including three children, have died in Fiji during devastating floods as experts warn of further severe storms in the Pacific state.

A search is also under way for 24 people after their boat failed to reach port in the capital Suva on Wednesday.

A state of emergency is in force in parts of the nation. The authorities say nearly 9,000 residents are now in emergency shelters, after their homes were swamped by muddy floodwaters.

Meteorologists say Fiji faces at least three more days of storms, in what has been described as the country’s worst flooding in recent history.

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Thai soldiers have been accused of dealing with illegal Bangladeshi and Burmese migrants by forcing them back out to sea in boats without engines.

Survivors say their hands were tied and they were towed out to sea with little or no food or water.

About 500 migrants are now recovering from acute dehydration in India’s Andaman islands and the Indonesian province of Aceh.

So far the Thai government has not commented on the claims. And although sources within the police and army confirmed that asylum seekers are being pushed out to sea to the BBC, no details were provided.

Thousands of poor Burmese and Bangladeshis try to reach south-east Asian nations in search of work.

Thailand’s actions have been branded “inhuman and brutal” by human rights activists.

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You’re listening to Asia Cast on the SOH Radio Network

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In a posthumously published column, a Sri Lankan journalist shot dead last week said he knew he would be killed.

Lasantha Wickrematunga, editor-in-chief of The Sunday Leader, was killed in an execution-style attack. He spoke from the grave three days later when the newspaper published “And Then They Came For Me.”

The posthumous column anticipated his slaying by government forces and defended the craft of journalism in his country, a profession under fire during Sri Lanka’s bitter civil war.

“The government had no interest whatever in seeking disgrace through any attacks on the media,” Sri Lankan President Mahindra Rajapaksa said in a statement. But Sunanda Deshapriya, spokesman for Sri Lanka’s Free Media Movement, said harassment of journalists was common.

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United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has expressed “outrage” over the latest Israeli shelling of UN premises in Gaza.

Mr. Ban, met with senior Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, after holding talks in Egypt and Jordan as part of his diplomatic efforts to secure a ceasefire.

He was given assurances that the shelling was a ‘grave mistake’ and said he believed the elements for an end to the violence in Gaza were in place.

The conflict has claimed over 1,000 lives in three weeks.

“The time has come for the violence to stop and for us to change fundamentally the dynamics in Gaza, and to pursue again the peace talks for a two-State solution”, he stated.

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And now for our Divine Performing Arts quote of the day

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(short introductions for where the show is presently on or has just shown and the interviewee who gave the quote of the day. Then insert the quote, remembering to send the MP3 to the narrator. Finish up by saying something else about that evening’s performance or the show in general.)

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