AsiaCast

Asia Cast for Monday 16th February

In this bulletin …

-Chinese Communist Party prohibits tourists from entering Tibet;
-Clinton urged to push human rights in first official visit to China; and
-Australian arson suspect named.

But first here’s our SOH focus on China
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Chinese authorities recently issued a ban on foreigners visiting Tibet on the eve of the one year anniversary of the two-day riots that broke out in Lhasa on March 14 2008.

Government officials in Sichuan and Qinghai have confirmed to The Voice of America that the Chinese authorities have banned foreigners from travelling into these two Tibetan areas.

The Travel Bureau duty officer of Gannan Autonomous Prefecture of Gaunsu Province, Lu Xiaojuan, said in an interview that this ban was implemented before the New Year.

In addition, Tibetan areas in other provinces near Tibet also have the new restrictions.  A Ganzi Autonomous Prefecture Travel Bureau officer, who wished to remain anonymous,  said foreigners travelling to Ganzi have to get a permit from the local public security.

The Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, said on Wednesday the current situation in Tibet is “very tense.”  He believes the continued suppression by the CCP will again trigger public anger, and that violence could erupt at any time.

This year is the 50th anniversary of Chinese Communist Party ruling in Tibet.

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On the 12th of February forest areas in six provinces of China where engulfed in flames, killing three people and burning over 66.7 hectares of forest.

The affected provinces included Fujian, Guizhou, Sichuan, Hubei, Yunnan and Hunan.

At midday on the13th of February, 33.5 hectares of forest was still on fire in Qianshan forestry of Xinning in Hubei province.

Nine counties in Xuyong town, Luzhou City of Sichuan province had forest fires.

The burning area in Gulin town in Guizhou, and the linxi forestry of Gaosha county in Fujian Province is still being monitored.

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U.S Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will be under close surveillance during her visit this week to China, reports the Epoch Times.

Clinton will end her first overseas trip in China after visiting Japan, Indonesia, and South Korea; a significant sign of the USA’s growing attention toward Asia.

Amnesty International USA and many other leading human rights groups are recommending Clinton speak publicly about Tibet and Xinjiang, along with torture in police custody, domestic press censorship, extrajudicial detention, and abuses of human rights defenders.

These human rights organizations express concern that human rights issues have been pushed further to the margins of the Sino-US relationship in recent years.

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A $2.6 billion all-cash takeover bid for all the shares in struggling mine OZ Minerals has been launched by the Chinese firm, Minmetals.

OZ Minerals and Minmetals say they are recommending the deal to its shareholders.

Minmetals is offering about 82 cents a share for all shares, which OZ minerals says is a 50 per cent premium on their value when they last traded.

OZ Minerals shares have been in a trading halt, with the company trying to refinance hundreds of millions of dollars of debt.

Under the deal, Minmetals would repay all OZ Minerals’s debts.

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The man accused of lighting a deadly wildfire in Victoria, Australia, may be at risk in protective custody, since the presiding judge lifted the suppression order which up until now, had kept his identity a secret.

The accused 39-year-old man has been named as Brendan Sokaluk, from the Gippsland area.

Prosecutors allege the blaze in Churchhill, Victoria, which killed at least 21 people, was started deliberately.

Firefighters in Victoria are still battling nine blazes.

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And now for our Divine Performing Arts quote of the day
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On the 14th of February at the DPA show in Washington DC at the Kennedy Center Opera House, our local reporter interviewed Jena, who is an accountant in the DC Metro area.

The Falun Dafa performance stood out for Jena, this is what she had to say:

“Actually in one part I was crying, I was trying to wipe my eyes when they have the persecution of the family, I just thought that was so beautiful.”

Experience authentic Chinese culture like never before.  Visit www.divineperformingarts.com to find out when the show will be coming to your local city.

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“Asia Cast … Keeping you across the top headlines from Asia and the world.”