AsiaCast

Asia Cast Saturday 21st March

Tokyo's cherry trees have blossomed a week early, some say it's due to global warming.

In this bulletin …

-Former China intelligence officer talks out about CCP;
-Sentry in Chongqing killed and weapon stolen; and
-North Korea restores military hotline.
But first, here’s our SOH focus on China
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Mr. Fengzhi Li, a former Chinese Intelligence Officer of the Ministry of State Security, became the first person who has worked in China’s espionage system to publicly renounce his membership in the Chinese Communist Party.

On March 15, Li was the focus of two rallies in the United States, celebrating the withdrawal of 51 million Chinese from the CCP or its affiliated organizations.

He spoke of his previous job saying that employees of the national security system are supposed to protect the country and serve the country. But the CCP expends huge amounts of funds to suppress ordinary citizens and even extends the reach of their black hands overseas.

Li said that he and many of his colleagues at the Ministry of State Security were “furious” at the CCP’s abuse of the country’s resources to deal with decent Chinese folks. They ceased to trust and have confidence in the CCP.

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On the evening of March 19, a sentry was killed and his automatic rifle was taken, near a military camp in Chongqing City.

The 18-year-old soldier, Han Junliang, was from the 17th corps and his semi-automatic rifle was taken. It was said the rifle was equipped with 30 bullets and two were already used. The attacker quickly vanished.

Because it rarely happens that a soldier is attacked and robbed of his weapon, the Chongqing City government and City Commission went on high alert.

Bo Xilai, Secretary of the Chongqing Commission, has instructed the police to solve the case by all means.

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Li Jianjun, a Chinese farmer from a poor rural area in Shanxi Province, died one month after having donated blood plasma for the third time, as reported by The Epoch Times.

When his body was examined, it was found to have almost zero red blood cells and an unusually high count of white blood cells. Malpractice during the procedure is suspected to be the cause of Li’s death.

According to the Yangcheng Evening News report on March 17, a blood plasma donation center in Shanxi Province violated the Plasma Center Quality Control Regulations issued by the Ministry of Health.

The lack of the necessary medical examination of the donors’ health condition, together with donors’ poor knowledge on blood donation have caused a lot of health implications for the farmers who live by selling their blood. Li was one of them.

Since October 2008, 46-year-old Li had been started selling plasma to make extra money to support his family. He had only so far made around $25 dollars and received three gifts for the three donations he had made. He died unexpectedly in January 2009 of sepsis and respiratory failure resulting in a water-filled chest.

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And now for the rest of today’s Asia Cast
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A cross-border military hotline that North Korea severed with South Korea earlier this month has been restored.

In its absence officials resorted to exchanging notes by hand. The hotline is used to co-ordinate the movement of goods and people across the border.

Pyongyang cut the hotline in protest at a US-South Korean military exercise.

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The Cherry blossom has appeared seven days earlier this year in Tokyo, and one day earlier than last year.

It is believed that the effects of global warming could be responsible for the early arrival of the blossom.

Millions of Japanese wine and dine each year at parties under the cherry trees, whose delicate but short-lived blossoms have left centuries worth of poets pondering the nature of beauty.

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And now for the Divine Performing Arts quote of the day
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Roger Littlefield, who is a Financial adviser, was at the show in Tulsa. It was his second time to see the show.

He commented about the show saying that, “You just don’t see anything like it, it’s very unique and that’s what makes it so exceptional.”

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

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