Asia-Cast

Asia Cast for Saturday 11th of July

In this Bulletin…

- Earthquake rocks southwest China;
- Turkish prime minister says ethnic violence in China is genocide ; and
- Defence witness finally heard in trial of Burmese pro-democracy leader.

But first, here’s our SOH focus on China
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Almost 300 people in China’s southwestern Yunnan Province were injured by a magnitude-6.0 earthquake on Thursday. So far only one death has been confirmed by China’s National Seismic Network.

The epicentre of the quake was about 200 km from the provincial capital Kunming City. It was followed by nine aftershocks measuring between magnitude-2.8 to magnitude-4.1.

Over 18,000 homes were flattened and nearly 40,000 damaged in the quake. It is thought that more than 1.25 million people could have been affected.

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There have been clashes between fishermen and police in Jiangsu Province, says The Epoch Times. No injuries have been reported.

Several hundred fishermen from Lian Island gathered on June 30 to protest corruption among local authorities.

They said they were appealing for fair compensation after loosing their fishing rights under the authorities’ plans for expansion of the port at Lianyungang City.

The fishermen became concerned that much the fund intended to compensate them for loss-of-earnings had been embezzled after being offered only 20 per cent of what they were expecting.

After being denied entry to an appeals office the fishermen blocked the levee that links the island to the mainland. They resisted attempts by police and armed riot troops to disperse them, and left once the authorities agreed to talks.

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And now for the rest of today’s Asia Cast
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The ongoing ethnic violence in China’s Xinjiang region has been described as a kind of genocide by Turkey’s prime minister.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke after a night-time curfew was reimposed in Xinjiang’s capital, Urumqi, where Muslim Uighurs and Han Chinese clashed last Sunday.

He said there was no other way of commenting on the events that had taken place there.

Turkey, a predominantly Muslim country, shares linguistic and religious links with the Uighurs in China’s western-most region.

The Turkish premier also urged Beijing to address the question of human rights and do what is necessary to prosecute the guilty.

Mr Erdogan’s comments came a day after Turkish Trade and Industry Minister Nihat Ergun urged Turks to boycott Chinese goods.

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Weeks after their arrest, one of the two American journalists imprisoned in North Korea has been able to contact relatives.

Laura Ling and Euna Lee were sentenced in June to 12 years in prison on charges of illegally entering the country to conduct a smear campaign.

Laura’s sister Lisa Ling told reporters said she spoke to her over the phone Tuesday night, but that it was difficult to know how her sister was doing.

The two detainees are reporters for California-based Current TV, a media venture of former U.S. Vice President Al Gore. They were arrested while reporting on the border between North Korea and China.

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You’re listening to Asia Cast on the SOH Radio Network
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Proceedings in the trial of Burmese pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi have resumed for the first time in six weeks.

The first of only two defence witnesses permitted in the trial has been able to testify after a number of delays by the authorities.

Ms Suu Kyi is accused of breaking the terms of her house arrest after a U.S. citizen swam across a lake to her home in Rangoon.

The witness, lawyer Khin Moe Moe, argued that the charges against the defendant were illegal.

A guilty verdict would mean Ms Suu Kyi and her party will play no role in the election planned by the military government next year. If so, that election is unlikely to be recognised as legitimate by much of the world.

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Thirty-one contestants entered the finals of the Third NTDTV International Classical Chinese Dance Competition on June 21 at the Tribeca Performing Arts Center in New York.

The competition is hosted by New Tang Dynasty Television, an international, multi-language TV station based in New York. The company sponsors many such competitions in different arts with the grand goal of reviving authentic Chinese traditional culture.

The judges awarded first prize for the women’s junior division to Wang Chen for her graceful portrayal of the chivalrous and valiant character of a typical Chinese heroine.

You can find further coverage in The Epoch Times.

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