Asia-Cast

Asia Cast for Monday 6th July

In this Bulletin…

- Chinese police shoot at Uighur protesters in Xinjiang;
- Northwest airlines refuses boarding of Chinese rights activist; and
- India outlines growth challenge.

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

A witness in the Xinjiang region of China has reported that Chinese soldiers shot at Uighur protesters Sunday, causing many deaths and injuries, as reported by The Epoch Times.

It was said that dead bodies were seen being put into military vehicles.

The Uighurs were protesting in the northwestern Chinese city of Urumqi after an incident in a toy factory in Shaoguan City, Guangdong Province a week ago. Allegedly, a fight broke out in the factory between several hundreds of Uighur and Han Chinese workers after a rape.

There were 118 wounded and two female Uighur workers killed. All Uighur workers were fired following the incident-causing protests to build in Urumqi.

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

A Henan Province family church pastor and his wife were charged with “illegal religious gathering” and sentenced to one year in a labour camp. It is believed that the approach of China’s 60th National Day is the cause of the increasing suppression and persecution of family churches all over China.

Pastor Dou Shaowen and his wife Feng Lu of Pan Se Church in Zhengzhou City were arrested on June 14 during a church gathering. The authorities sealed off the church and disallowed any further gatherings.

Feng Lu told Voice of America that the police sentenced both she and her husband to a year of labour re-education. She was allowed to go home and serve her sentence outside of the labour camp because of her 12 year-old daughter. She is required to report to the police frequently.

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

Chinese human rights activist Feng Zhenghu was denied boarding a U.S. Northwest Airlines’ Tokyo-Shanghai flight on July 2, 2009 due to instructions from Chinese authorities. This was Feng’s fourth attempt since June to return home after a two-month visit to Japan.

Arriving at the Northwest check-in desk two hours before departure, Feng was told that Shanghai authorities had instructed the airline not to accept him unless he had a return ticket to Japan.

Feng questioned the authenticity of the request and because of the dispute he missed his flight. The airline promised to allow Feng  to board a later flight as soon as Shanghai authorities provided a written document granting him entrance into China.

Fung has still not heard back from the airline.

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

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

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

And now for the rest of today’s Asia Cast

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

India’s government has unveiled its annual budget, saying the “first challenge” is to return to a growth rate of 9 per cent a year “at the earliest.”

Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said the growth rate for the present fiscal year was projected at 6.7 per cent.

He said the second challenge would be to “deepen and broaden the agenda for inclusive development”.

The government increased spending on urban poor schemes and the landmark jobs-for-work scheme to help the poor.

However, shares fell as the budget was announced, with the benchmark Sensex index down over 5 per cent ,  as the market worried about how the government would fund its increasing deficit.

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

At least two people have been killed and many others wounded in a suicide bombing near a major Nato base in southern Afghanistan.

The attacker blew up his minivan at a checkpoint outside Kandahar airfield on the outskirts of Kandahar city.

A Taliban spokesman says the group was responsible for the attack.

The attack came as thousands of US and UK forces are engaged in an offensive against the Taliban in the south.

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

At least eight people have died in blasts at two explosives factories in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, officials say.

The two adjacent factories in Singrauli district – which made explosives for mining operations – were reduced to rubble by the impact of the blasts.

Nearly 40 people have been admitted to hospital with injuries.

Officials say it is not yet known what caused the explosions. Rescue teams have been sent to the area.

The first blast occurred in the Ideal Explosive Industries in Singrauli district on Sunday morning.

The blast was so powerful that it also reduced the nearby Rajasthan Explosives factory to rubble, officials said.

They said rescue operations were ongoing to see if more people were still trapped under the rubble.

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

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