Asia Cast

Asia Cast for Thursday 16th April

In this bulletin…

- Chinese newspaper says regime should follow-up on human rights promises;
- Major Chinese brand’s use of slave labour exposed; and
- Over 30 million Taiwan computers victim to virus attacks

But first, here’s our SOH focus on China
**********************

Up to one thousand demonstrators clashed with police in south China’s Guangdong Province over the handling of a housing dispute, according to the Hong Kong based Information Centre for Human Rights and Democracy.

The clashes occurred earlier this week in Shenzhen City after protesters gathered to demonstrate against the alleged detention of up to four people representing them in the housing dispute, locals said.

The protesters were complaining that up to 1,600 families had been sold shoddy apartments in a housing complex that began to fall apart soon after they moved in, adding that it was not built up to standard, the Information Centre said.

The authorities had apparently agreed that the home owners should be compensated, but the protesters were angered when police detained the representatives of the owners.

**********************

One of China’s state-run newspapers has urged the regime to release the names of everyone who died in last year’s devastating Sichuan earthquake.

The Southern Metropolitan Daily seized on the Communist Party’s new Human Rights Action Plan, which was quickly released in the wake of an Amnesty International report naming China as the World’s worst purveyor of the death penalty.

The paper said the new action plan demanded the names be disclosed.
It also called on officials to trust and respect volunteers collecting information on the quake, which left more 80,000 people dead or missing.

Human rights groups said the recent detention of Tan Zuoren for trying to compile a list of those killed by collapsing schools, was part of a broader crackdown ahead of the disaster’s anniversary.

**********************

The use of slave labour by a famous Chinese brand has been exposed this week by The Epoch Times.

At one time, Tiantang (Heaven) umbrellas from Hangzhou were among the top ten trademarks in China.

Huang Zhijiao, who now resides in Canada, told The Epoch Times of her imprisonment at the Laodongyue Detention Center in Hangzhou City, Zhejiang Province.

She was forced to work 15 hours a day making umbrellas for Tiantang in a hazardous environment where she was constantly beaten and humiliated.

Huang was sent to the detention centre on two occasions for following the traditional meditative practice Falun Gong.

She said in order to maximize profits, Tiantang contracted with the detention centre.

It is unlikely that Beijing’s latest human rights action plan will address such practises.

**********************
You’re listening to Asia Cast on the SOH Radio Network
**********************

A staggering 34.43 million computer virus attacks have been reported in Taiwan during the first three months of 2009, CNA reports a global Internet safety watchdog as saying.

The figure is almost three times greater than the same period last year and represents 47 per cent of the total number of cases reported during 2008, according to the report conducted by TrendLabs – a branch of Trend Micro’s global network committed to computer virus threat surveillance.

“The Asian region has been fallen particularly vulnerable to self-executing malicious software due to the popularity of the use of USB flash drives,” said Samson Tai, a TrendLabs senior technical adviser.

The two most common computer viruses discovered were USB-related, he added, and advised users to disable auto-play functions.

**********************

A Vietnamese newspaper has been banned for three months after printing articles critical of the Chinese Communist Party.

The Ministry of Information and Communication decided to suspend the Du lich (Tourism) bi-weekly for “serious violations of Vietnamese Press Law”.

In a rare display of patriotism, Du lich ran a number of articles on the subject of territorial disputes between Vietnam and China.

The offending articles were in the paper’s Lunar New Year issue.
A story written by Trung Bao praised the “courageous spirit” of those who participated in protests against the Chinese regime’s South China Sea policies in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh last year.

The paper was accused of “writing untruthful information” and “inciting violence, causing hatred between nations” – charges that Du lich’s deputy editor-in-chief denied.

**********************

The Commonwealth and its members should use their combined diplomatic influence to press for the cessation of fighting between the Sri Lankan government and the Tamil Tiger rebels, says Human Rights Watch.

The rights group has joined with the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative in calling for an end to attacks from both sides in Sri Lanka’s northern Vanni region that violate the laws of war and have created a humanitarian crisis.

“With the United Nations warning that there could be a potential ‘bloodbath,’ the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group needs to assert itself to protect the civilians trapped in the fighting in a member country,” said Maja Daruwalla, executive director of the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative. “It should not stay silent during this mounting tragedy.”

**********************
And now for our Shen Yun Performing Arts quote of the day
**********************

Chinese human rights lawyer Guo Guoting and well-known Canadian human rights lawyer Clive Ainsley experienced Shen Yun’s classical Chinese dance of in Vancouver. NTDTV spoke to them after the show.

Guo thought the performance showed China’s true culture and said, “To express the theme of the evening is to let people know from where they come. Where people have to return to. What we’re supposed to do in this world, how to get back where we’re coming from, that’s what this is concerning.”

Canadian lawyer Clive Ainsley is an expert on China’s legal system. He has spoken out many times against the persecution of Falun Gong in China.

He said, “The particular pieces dealing with the persecution of Falun Gong were very moving as well. I hope that they would be moving as well to people who don’t really know much about Falun Gong, or who don’t know much about what is going on in China or the crimes of the Chinese government.”

“Traveling through the world, outside of China – uncensored and portraying Chinese culture without any political overtones. I think that you can’t exaggerate the significance of that,” he added.

SOH is a proud sponsor of the Shen Yun Performing Arts 2009 World Tour. For more information please visit www.shenyunperformingarts.org.

**********************

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