AsiaCast

Asia Cast for Thursday 26th February

In this bulletin …

-NGO blames Chinese communists for toxic milk powder cover up;
-Tibetans mark New Year in quiet defiance; and
-US says China’s human rights have ‘worsened’

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A Hong Kong NGO is blaming the Chinese Communist Party for doing little to resolve last year’s toxic milk powder scare. The NGO says authorities have been swift in sentencing farmers to death, but have done little to hold the milk powder manufacturer responsible, as reported by NTDTV.

Father John Gan and several members of the Joint Commission for the Abolition of the Death Penalty are outraged by Communist China’s hard-line approach with farmers and their light handling of the Sanlu Group, the company at the heart of last year’s milk powder scandal.

Ms. Liu, a member of the group, says that the Chinese Communist Party covered up news about the toxic milk incident, but are still continuing to sell the toxic milk powder.

The group believes the toxic milk scare is just one example of a range of poor food safety practices in mainland China.

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Yesterday, Tibetans living near Qinghai, the birthplace of the Dalai Lama, marked their traditional New Year in quiet defiance and mourning, as reported by NTDTV.

Tibetans are not celebrating their New Year this year, which is known as Losar, as last year at this time many Tibetans were killed by communist forces and many sent to jail before the Olympics Games.

However, the sombre celebrations in the Tibetan Autonomous region were in stark contrast to celebrations in Beijing, where a handful of Tibetans were joined by curious revellers and others.

There have been reports that Beijing authorities were forcing people to attend Losar celebrations this year. Twenty thousand Chinese troops moved into the Tibetan Autonomous region and Qinghai provincial village leaders are being threatened with arrest if they do not celebrate.

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In an annual report the US state department has criticised China on human rights around the world.

The report said China’s human rights record worsened in some areas in 2008, including the repression of dissidents and of minorities in Tibet.

It came just a week after US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on a trip to China that co-operation should take precedence over tensions.

Among the other countries criticized were Russia and North Korea.

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China has condemned what it calls the illegal auction in Paris of two bronze artefacts taken from a Chinese palace 150 years ago, as reported by NTDTV.

The two Chinese sculptures, one of a rat and one of a rabbit, went ahead for auction at the Paris Christies.

The Chinese regime had tried to stop the Berge-Yves Saint Laurent auction when claiming the sculptures ownership. According to the Chinese Communist Party the two head-statues were taken from Beijing’s Summer Palace during the French and British invasion in 1860.

But the Tribunal de Grande Instance in Paris turned down the appeal. Christie’s sold the sculptures for 14 million euros each.

Five of the original 12 animal heads are now in China.

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Paramilitary troops in Bangladesh have spread the mutiny to towns outside the capital, Dhaka.

The spread of the mutiny was being reported even as troops in Dhaka began laying down their arms, leaving their base and releasing hostages.

Nearly 50 people are feared dead in Bangladesh after border guards staged an armed mutiny on Wednesday.

The mutiny was said to be over pay conditions. The government has offered the troops a general amnesty.

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Hama and Fatah‘s senior members, the main rival Palestinian factions, have agreed to release each other’s members from detention.

Hamas has lifted house arrest on some Fatah members in the Gaza Strip while Fatah has released about 80 out of a total 380 held Hamas members.

The agreement came ahead of unity talks, due to start in Cairo, which could lead to more aid for Gaza.

The rivalry between the two came to a head when Hamas took control of Gaza.

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