Asia-Cast

Asia Cast for Monday 24th August

In this Bulletin…

- Pepsi and Coca-Cola on Beijing polluters list;
- Trials due over Xinjiang riots; and
- Indonesian thieves steal tiger body.

But first, here’s our SOH focus on China
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A report recently released by Beijing’s economic planning department revealed that soft drink giants Pepsi and Coca-Cola were named among the top 12 water polluters.

However Pepsi and Coca-Cola claim their operations adhere to the national standards and their company’s waste water discharges were in compliance with industry standards.

A spokesperson for the Beijing Environmental Protection bureau was quoted as saying that if these enterprises went a little further in their efforts to run clean productions, they could make significant contributions to water savings in Beijing.

Companies listed in the report will face quarterly environmental inspections.

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A living fossil called Rasbora steineri was first discovered in a river near Tiechang Village, Guangdong Province, China, by the Fishers Research Institute of Dongguan,  as reported by China’s news Web sites.

According to the Fish Research Institute director, Mr. Huang, the Rasbora steineri is an ancient fish, appearing in the Tertiary Period, between 23 and 65 million years ago.

The fish was accidentally discovered when members of the team of fish resource survey were classifying and studying the fish they’d caught. They discovered that one little fish had the features of Rasbora steineri.

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Trials are expected to start this week of the involvement in the Xinjiang disturbances of last month, a China newspaper has reported.

More than 200 people will be prosecuted in Urumqi, the capital of Xinjiang.

Charges include vandalising public property and transport, organising crowds to cause bodily harm to others, robbery, murder and arson.

Chinese police detained more than 1,500 people after violence between ethnic Uighur’s and Han Chinese, which left 200 dead.

The newspaper report said that most of the arrests were made in Urumqi and Kashgar, a southern Xinjiang city with a heavy concentration of Uighur people.

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And now for the rest of today’s Asia Cast

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In India’s Jharkhand state, suspected Maoist rebels have blown up rail tracks and bombed a mobile phone tower.

About 20 rebels blew up the track between Kumundi and Hehegarha stations in Latehar district. Train services were disrupted after the incident.

Nearly 50 rebels blew up a mobile tower with explosives in Palamu district.

The rebels have called a two-day strike from Monday in five states, including Jharkhand, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Orissa and West Bengal.

The shutdown was called to protest against the arrest of two senior activists last week.

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

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An outbreak of Japanese encephalitis has killed at least 200 children in northern India, health officials say.

In the Uttar Pradesh stated 900 affected children have been admitted to hospital.  Other admitted patients have also come from the neighbouring Bihar state and Nepal.

The mosquito-borne disease has killed thousands in India since 1978 and has no specific cure.

Health experts complain that red tape has prevented development of an effective vaccination programme. The disease occurs regularly during India’s monsoon.

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An endangered Sumatran tiger in an Indonesian zoo was killed and most of its body was stolen, officials say.

Staff at Taman Rimba Zoo said only the intestines of the female tiger were left. Police believe the thieves intend to sell the animal’s fur and bones.

The World Wildlife Fund estimates that fewer than 400 Sumatran tigers remain in the wild.

Despite laws against the sale of tiger parts, wildlife groups say they are sold openly in several Sumatran towns.

Tigers are killed to supply parts for souvenirs, Chinese medicine and jewellery.

The Sumatran tiger is listed as critically endangered, the highest category of threat.

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