Asia Cast

Asia Cast for Monday 20th July

Geng He (R) speaks out for Falun Gong on the 10-year anniversary of the Chinese regime's persecution of the practice. (Dai Bing/The Epoch Times)

In this Bulletin …

- Wife of missing human rights lawyers speaks out for Falun Gong;
- Veteran Chinese reporter publicly withdraws from the CCP; and
- Clinton meets top Indian leaders.

But first, here’s our SOH focus on China
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Geng He, wife of prominent Chinese human rights lawyer, Gao Zhisheng, spoke out for Falun Gong on the anniversary of its ten years of persecution in China, held at the west lawn of the U.S. Capitol in Washington DC.

Geng said that she and her children have never regretted his actions. Gao has said, to end this nation’s sufferings, they need people with high morals. He believes that Falun Gong practitioners have done it, and that they too must also do their part.

Gao is known for representing a range of groups being persecuted by the Chinese regime.

Arrested in February, Gao’s  current whereabouts is unknown. Geng He and their two children escaped to the U.S. earlier this year.

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According to the Global Service Center for Quitting the Chinese Communist Party (GSCQCCP), Liang Qinxia, a former reporter for the Sichuan Farmers’ Daily used her real name to quit the CCP.

Liang, a news reporter for ten years, said that Chinese journalists are treated as the lowest class in society. She says that they are often exploited by the upper levels of media management.

Liang commented on her withdrawal saying that although journalists are supposed to report the truth, Chinese reporters do not have freedom of speech and cannot accurately report what they see to the Chinese people. Important stories have repeatedly been covered up and controlled. Because of this, she has lost confidence in the CCP and decided to quit the organization.

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And now for the rest of today’s Asia Cast

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Wreaths have been laid and prayers said near the site in Jakarta, Indonesia, where two bombs exploded on Friday.

A multi-faith ceremony near the Ritz-Carlton and Marriott Hotels was being organised to show community solidarity.

Police and security analysts have said the attacks were most likely carried out by an offshoot of the militant Islamist group Jemaah Islamiah.

The bombs, which struck the two US-owned luxury hotels, killed nine people including two suicide bombers. Scores of people are still in hospital being treated for wounds received in the blasts.

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US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is meeting Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and other top leaders, as part of her visit to the country.

Indian relations with Pakistan are thought to be high on the agenda, along with education and technology.

The countries are also expected to sign deals on arms sales and the building of US-funded nuclear plants.

Correspondents say the visit aims to show the US is committed to Delhi, and to broaden ties between the countries.

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There have been three more swine flu-related deaths in New South Wales, bringing the total number of swine flu deaths in the state to 13.

The state’s chief health officer, Dr Kerry Chant, says three men with underlying medical conditions have died in the last few days after contracting swine flu. They were aged between 47 and 65.

Their deaths bring the national toll from swine flu to more than 30. Several people with swine flu died in New South Wales last week, including a nine-year-old boy and a man in his 20s. Dr Chant said all of them had underlying health problems.

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

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