Asia Cast

Asia Cast for Monday 23rd March

In this bulletin …

- Video confirms Chinese Regime’s use of extreme violence in Tibetan protests;
- Questions raised over who attacked the soldiers in Chongqing city; and
- Journalists arrested by North Korea.

But first, here’s our SOH focus on China

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The Epoch Times has reported that the Tibetan Government-in-Exile released new video footage of the protests in Lhasa last year that confirms the use of extreme violence and torture by Chinese authorities.
The footage is evidence against the Chinese communist regime’s denial that torture is used in Tibet.

One segment of the video, recorded on March 14, 2008, shows Chinese police beating Tibetan prisoners with batons, after they were arrested in the protests. The prisoners have their hands tied behind their backs and can only curl in an attempt to resist the beatings.

Another segment of the video shows gruesome images of a young Tibetan by the name of Tendar being tortured by Chinese authorities. He was reportedly fired at, beaten with an electric baton, burned with cigarettes, and his right foot was pierced by a nail.

The video shows him after being brought to the TAR People’s Hospital. His body is covered with rotting wounds from lack of proper treatment. The hospital removed 2.5 kg of decaying flesh.

Tendar died from his injuries on June 19, 2008.

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Cheng Xiang, a former veteran reporter for the Singapore Strait Times, said that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has committed unforgivable crimes of selling out China’s land, killing people and destroying culture, as well as many other destructive criminal acts. Thirteen months after his release from a three-year imprisonment in China, the Epoch Times was finally able to interview him

Cheng Xiang said that in the 60 years of the Chinese Communist Party’s reign, “the abnormal deaths” of Chinese people have mounted to 40-60 million according to various studies done by Mainland and overseas researchers. Only very rarely in history have such astronomical numbers of people died unnaturally. He feels that it is one of the CCP’s biggest crimes.

It is widely said Cheng Xiang was charged and jailed because he revealed the fact that the former leader of China, Jiang Zemin actually sold China’s territory. Cheng Xiang said it’s not a good time for him to comment regarding this, for he is still on parole.

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And now for the rest of today’s Asia Cast

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The city of Chongqing has entered the state of emergency status following the killing of two communist soldiers.

Pro-Beijing media has already publicly stated that the assailant was a Tibetan.

Because the attack happened close to the anniversary of the March 14 2008 unrest in Tibet, it may well become the excuse for the Chinese regime to launch another large-scale crackdown on Tibetans, as reported by the Epoch Times.

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

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NTDTV reports that veteran Chinese Intelligence officer and former agent of China’s Ministry of State Security,  who publically quit the Communist Party last week, has since spoken with the Washington Times.

In the interview Mr. Li Fengzhi revealed how just widespread activities such as the persecution of Falun Gong adherents and members of banned Chistian movements are, within China’s spy service.

He also told the paper that the Ministry of State Security is not concerned with the security of the country, but instead, controls the Chinese people.  Li says the mission of the ministry is to “control the people to maintain the rule of the Communist Party.”

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Two American journalists have been detained by North Korean security officials while filming near the border town of Dandong, as reported by NTDTV.

A diplomatic source says the reporters were on the frozen Tumen River further north in Jilin Province.

The media quoted a South Korean government official as saying the North Korean guards had crossed the border into Chinese territory to make the arrests. But the diplomatic source said it is not clear which side of the border they were on at the time.

It is said the two women were working for Current TV, a US-based online news company.

The arrests come at a time of mounting tension on the Korean peninsula. Residents on the Chinese side of the border are concerned about the journalists’ well-being.

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