Asia-Cast

Asia Cast for Friday 23rd January

New Tang Dynasty Television (NTDTV) supporters and Falun Gong practitioners speak before the European Parliament to demand restoration of NTDTV’s China broadcast signal. (Courtesy of NTDTV)

In this Bulletin…

Two sentenced to death over China’s contaminated milk scandal;
Poultry culled after bird flu found in India; and
European Parliament passes resolution supporting independent broadcaster.

But first, here’s our SOH focus on China
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A court in northern China’s Hebei Province has sentenced two men to death for their part in the country’s milk contamination scandal.

Several executives from Sanlu, the dairy at the centre of the scandal, were handed down jail sentences. The company’s former chief was given life imprisonment.

When the scandal broke in September, it emerged that Sanlu was aware it was selling toxic milk which was adulterated with melamine to increase its protein content. At least six babies died and 300,000 became ill from contaminated baby formula.

Authorities concerned over saving face prevented some victims’ relatives from attending the trial.
Worries about imports from China have led researchers in the US to develop a test that can detect melamine in liquid and powdered milk in about 25 seconds.
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Scholars in china have criticised the authorities over plans for a grand military parade to mark the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China.

The parade was also intended to showcase new weaponry and hardware.

In a letter to the National Congress calling for the parade to be halted, they pointed out such a crass show of force was arrogant and implied a contempt for peace.

They added that it could also lead the international community put China’s “peaceful rise” into question and could damage the country’s image rather than strengthening it.

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And now for the rest of today’s Asia Cast
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Taiwan has said that as relations with China continue to warm it is considering cutting its army by as much as a third.

The Ministry of National Defence is studying a plan to trim the island’s 275,000 troops over the next four years.

Since President Ma Ying-jeou took office in May the annual live-fire military exercises have also been cut back to every two years.

Though the annual budget has been cut by eight per cent the military are still keeping an eye on their neighbours.

Military spokeswoman, Lisa Chi said, “Although we are happy to see eased tensions across the strait, we will definitely follow the training agenda, and we will never relax.”

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An outbreak bird flu in northeast India has led to more than 1,000 birds being culled. Authorities said several cases of the disease were identified among poultry in Sikkim, a state which borders Nepal and China.

There have been no reports in India so far of any human infection from the disease, which has also hit the Assam and West Bengal states.

The animal health workers involved in the culling operation are being given preventative treatment to help protect them against the disease, the federal health ministry said.

All poultry and egg markets within 10 kilometres of the outbreak have been closed, and all birds within 3 kilometres are being culled. The government said farmers will be compensated for the loss of their livestock.

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A European Parliament declaration urging a France-based satellite provider to restore the only independent Chinese-language television signal to broadcast into China has now become an official resolution, says The Epoch Times.

On January 15, European Parliament President Hans-Gert Pöttering announced the written declaration urging Eutelsat to restore NTDTV’s broadcast into China had become a European Parliament resolution. It will now be sent out to the 27 member countries as well as Eutelsat.

New Tang Dynasty Television (NTDTV) is a non-profit television broadcaster providing objective, uncensored news.

However, France-based satellite provider company Eutelsat has turned off NTDTV’s broadcast into China since last June, citing technical reasons.

An investigative report by Reporters Without Borders revealed that the termination was a deliberate act influenced from the Chinese regime ahead of the Beijing Olympics.
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