Asia Cast

Asia Cast for Friday 6th November

In this Bulletin…

- Beijing challenged over unconstitutional law;
- Indonesian officials resign over corruption scandal; and
- New regional body formed to protect rare Asian animals.

But first, here’s our SOH focus on China
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China’s legal community has taken the bold step of speaking out against a vaguely defined charge often employed to convict activists and dissidents.

Renowned lawyer Mo Shaoping said some from within the community believe that the charge of ’subverting state power’ actually conflicts with China’s own constitution. They argue that it should be abolished.

The move comes in response to the sentencing of Guo Quan, a Nanjing University lecturer and democracy activist. Guo was recently sentenced to 10 years in prison under the charge.

Zhang Zanning, an expert on Chinese law, said it was impossible to find a rational explanation of the crime. He added that it was wrong for the Chinese Communist Party to equate opposing the regime with opposing the state.

The Epoch Times has more on this.

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A website for reporting corruption by communist officials or organisations was overloaded within two days of going online, reports NTDTV.

The Impeaching Center of the Supreme People’s Procuratorate began operating the website on October 28. According to state media, the website became so popular that by October 30 users had difficulty accessing its pages.

But human rights lawyer Tang Jingling said the regime could not simply collect information, it had to treat it seriously.

Long-time petitioners are especially skeptical about the purpose of the anti-corruption website. One of them told NTDTV that corruption in China continued not from inadequate reporting channels, but from a lack of independent investigation mechanisms set in place to deal with corrupt officials.

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And now for the rest of today’s Asia Cast

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Thailand is reviewing its relations with Cambodia after Phnom Penh appointed fugitive former Thai premier Thaksin Shinawatra as an economic adviser.

The Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it was also recalling its ambassador in Cambodia.

Thaksin, a billionaire businessman who served two terms as prime minister, was ousted in a bloodless coup in 2006. He fled Bangkok last year while facing trial on corruption charges that he said were politically motivated.

A statement from the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Cambodia’s hiring of Thaksin was an interference in Thailand’s internal and judicial affairs.

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In Indonesia, two senior law enforcement officials have had to resign over a growing corruption scandal.

Deputy attorney general Abdul Hakim Ritonga and Chief Detective Susno Duadji were linked to an alleged plot to weaken the anti-corruption agency.

Their names came up in recordings in which the suspected plot was allegedly discussed by police and prosecutors.

Transparency International named Indonesia’s police and judiciary as the country’s most corrupt institutions. The group said a clean up of these agencies would be positive for reform.

The resignations came after a respected team of legal experts recommended that the two men resign.

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

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According to Indian media the government has doubled its funding for the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi.

A revised budget of 344 million US dollars has been approved, a substantial increase on the 163 million initially allocated.

The information minister said the extra money would provide for ‘the inclusion of new items that are essential for the successful delivery of the games’.

Repeated concerns have been voiced over whether India will be ready in time for the event. Now, international experts are being brought in to assist in areas such as logistics, ticketing and operations.

India’s organising committee says everything will be ready in time.

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A number of countries in Asia are joining together in to form a network that will better protect endangered animals in the region.

The director of a Taiwanese rescue centre for endangered animals said East Asian and Southeast Asian countries were hubs for the illegal export of wild animals. Pei Jai-chyi said representatives of 18 endangered animal rescue organisations and shelter centres across the region agreed to pool their resources to stamp out illegal trade in the region.

Pei added that the proposed network would provide a platform for information and technology exchanges among member organisations for the rescue of endangered fauna species.

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