AsiaCast

Asia Cast for Tuesday 3rd November

In this Bulletin…

- China’s toxic rivers;
- Taipei 101 reaching for new ‘green’ heights; and
- Sri Lanka steps-up Tamil release.

But first, here’s our SOH focus on China

**********************

Greenpeace has said that China’s famed Pearl River is dangerously polluted.

A recently released report from the environmental organisation says that factories in southern China are dumping hazardous industrial discharges into the Pearl River.

The Pearl is the third longest river in China and is the main drinking water source for the 4.7 million residents of the Pearl River Delta.

Greenpeace said it conducted a seven month long investigation that looked at over 60 factories from eight cities in the region and its upstream areas.

The report says a diverse range of hazardous chemicals were found in the samples. These included high levels of beryllium, copper and manganese.

**********************

Chinese state media has reported on an operation clean up an oil spill at the mouth of the Yangtze River after an Iranian-registered ship ran aground in bad weather.

The freighter ‘Zoorik’ was stranded on Sunday at Luhuashan in eastern Zhejiang Province. Fuel began spilling out of the ship shortly after the accident. A large oil slick coved the stretch of water between the vessel and the coast.

The accident came the same day state media said a ship laden with 100 tonnes of hydrochloric acid sank farther up the Yangtze after colliding with another vessel.

**********************

There are concerns for the safety of an Uighur journalist who has been detained since China’s National Day on October 1.

On October 4 police told his family Niyaz had given too many media interviews and had been arrested for endangering state security.

His family believe he has been detained for speaking to journalists about how Beijing’s discriminatory ethnic policies were at the root of July’s unrest in Xinjiang.

Niyaz is being held at the Tianshan detention centre in Urumqi. Amnesty International believes he is at risk of torture or other ill treatment.

**********************

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

**********************

And now for the rest of today’s Asia Cast

**********************

Taiwan is hoping that a 1.8 million US dollar investment in its landmark Taipei 101 skyscraper will make it the world’s tallest green building.

The Taipei Financial Center Corporation who own the building said hundreds of modifications will be required for it to gain Leadership in Energy and Environment Design certification.

On Monday, the Corporation’s Chairman, Harace Lin, told a press conference that Taipei 101 not only wants to be profitable, but also wants to be an international model of environmental protection and social responsibility.

**********************

Twelve people are still thought to be missing after a boat sank off the Cocos Islands in the Indian Ocean.

According to Australian officials, the boat is believed to have been carrying 40 people. An Australian cabinet minister said 27 people had been rescued and one person had been confirmed dead.

It’s unclear where the sunken ship was heading or whether it was carrying asylum seekers.

Australian authorities have already been forced to make a number of rescues this year. Hopes are fading of finding more survivors, who would be facing their second night in the water after the boat sank late on Sunday.

**********************

The Sri Lankan government appears to be speeding up the release of Tamils from camps in the north.

It’s estimated that 2,000 to 3,000 people a day are now leaving the camps.

The camps have been holding nearly 300,000 Tamils who were displaced in the final bloody weeks of the war with the Tamil Tigers earlier this year.

Sri Lanka’s government has come under criticism for detaining non-combatants, as well as for its handling of the war.

**********************

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