AsiaCast

Asia Cast for Tuesday 10th November

In this Bulletin…

- Just exactly what does Beijing want out of Africa;
- Piece of Berlin Wall unveiled in Taipei; and
- Australian courts to make decision on diplomatic immunity.

But first, here’s our SOH focus on China
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Chinese leader Wen Jiabao has offered 10 billion US dollars in low-interest loans to African nations over the next three years.

The announcement came at the start of a China-Africa summit in Egypt.

Wen also said the debt of some of Africa’s poorer nations would be cancelled. Critics say the financial support is conditional. Anyone taking the money must support Beijing’s political views.

Some Western critics say the Asian giant is making a grab for oil and mineral resources.

The Egyptian independent MP Mustafa al-Gindi expressed concerns over China’s way of doing business. al-Gindi said there were no ethics and no values. He went on to accuse Beijing of practising neo-colonialism.

Watch NTDTV more more on this story.

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A prominent Chinese dissident who has been trying to return to China has been denied entry to his homeland for the eighth time.

Feng Zhenghu emigrated to Japan after being persecuted by the Chinese regime following his participation in the 1989 democracy movement.

Now he has become a prominent defender of human rights in China, prompting officials to monitor and even kidnap him in the past.

Feng told The Epoch Times that he tried to fly from Tokyo to Shanghai at the end of last week. But he said Chinese police forced him back onto the plane and refused to allow the plane to depart without him.

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And now for the rest of today’s Asia Cast

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A civil rights activist from former East Germany has cautioned Taiwan to not take democracy and human rights for granted.

Jorn Mothes was speaking at a ceremony in Taipei Monday to mark the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. He said freedom could be achieved through peaceful means, but that it also carried responsibilities with it.

The ceremony was held at the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy where a piece of the Berlin Wall was unveiled.

Chairman of the foundation Wang Jin-pyng, said the fall of the Berlin Wall signified freedom and democracy. He gratefully accepted the two-and-a-half ton section of the wall in recognition of Taiwan efforts towards freedom and democracy.

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A strong earthquake in Indonesia killed one person and injured at least 88 others in the early hours of Monday.

The 6.7-magnitude quake struck near the island of Sumbawa. Rustam Pakaya, a disaster management official said it damaged about 280 homes and four hospitals.

Indonesia is on the so-called Ring of Fire, an arc of active fault lines circling the Pacific Basin. The region is prone to frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.

In September, a magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck southern Sumatra, killing at least 1,100 people.

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

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An Australian court is being asked to make a definitive decision on the extent diplomats can be exempt from prosecution for torture, reports The Epoch Times.

The request has come about in the course of a civil case against former Chinese leader Jiang Zemin.

Ms. Zhang Cuiying, a Falun Gong practitioner and artist presently living in Australia is suing for torture and wrongful arrest in China.

David Raphael, leading Counsel for the plaintiff said the case had far reaching implications. He is arguing that immunity from torture is wrong in principal. As such it should be outside the immunity from liability which persons who are part of a government enjoy Raphael said.

International human rights lawyer Theresa Chu said cases had been filed against Jiang Zemin in 15 other countries.

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Data has shown that sea levels along the coast of Western Australia are rising at double the rate of the world average.

Statistics from Australia’s National Tidal Centre show levels have increased by just over eight-and-a-half millimetres a year off the coast of the state capital Perth. That compares to a global average of just over three millimetres.

Scientists have said that man-made climate change has played a significant role in the rise. About 80 per cent of Australians live in coastal areas.

Dr John Church, from Australia’s government-funded science and research body, the CSIRO, says the rise in sea levels was a major reason for concern.

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