Asia-Cast

Asia Cast for Tuesday 1st December

In this Bulletin…

- Protesting outlawed in China;
- Iran still walking the nuclear tightrope; and
- Brother searches for missing lawyer Gao.

But first, here’s our SOH focus on China
**********************

The brother of tortured human rights lawyer, Gao Zhisheng, is currently on a nationwide search for Gao since his disappearance.

Other family members of Gao have constantly contacted the Chinese Authorities to ask of his whereabouts. The authorities have given no answers, and have even taunted their enquiries by telling them that he ran away and they don’t even know if he is alive any more.

Lawyer Gao was abducted by the authorities on Feb 4th 2009 at his family home in Northern Sha’anxi Province.

Gao was initially charged with inciting subversion of state power on December 22, 2006 and placed on probation, but under constant police supervision. He was again arrested in September 2007 and tortured for 50 days.

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

China’s authorities have made yet another law that destroys any freedom of expression throughout the nation.

“Handling Unacceptable Behaviours of the Petitioners” is the label given to this new law. Ironically it has sparked even more protesting, which is what the new law is designed to stop, or in this case, make illegal.

When the new law was unleashed in Shenzhen City, Guangdong Province, it hit an immediate backlash of over 1000 protesters.

Under the law people will be condemned, or punished with rehabilitation through labour if they do one of the 14 unacceptable behaviours listed; including, wearing clothes that express grievances, shouting slogans, submitting a written complaint, distributing petition materials, or petitioning to government departments.

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

And now for the rest of today’s Asia Cast

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

King Abdullah in Saudi Arabia has ordered that the families that were devastated by the flash flooding in Jeddah be compensated for their losses and have their medical expenses covered.

The committee for housing has provided apartments to 2,186 people and is working at finding accommodation for the rest of the victims.

Jeddah Governor Prince Mishaal bin Majed has called on local officials to restore electricity to the region and remove the piles of debris caused by the mass destruction of the floods.

The storm came only a day before the annual Haj pilgrimage began, when thousands of Muslims come to celebrate Eid Al Adha.

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

Akbar Salehi, head of Iran ‘s atomic energy agency, has said that they have no plans to leave the NPT (Non Proliferation Treaty) despite the announcement made by Ali Larijani, an influential Iranian leader.

Ali Larijani suggested on Monday that there was little point in Iran staying in the treaty if it was liable to be reprimanded by the International Atomic Energy Agency for exercising its right to develop peaceful nuclear energy.

Tehran caused an international outcry on Sunday when it announced plans to build 10 more uranium enrichment sites in retaliation for a rebuke by the UN nuclear agency for covering up an enrichment project for at least two years.

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

Ongoing to the latest statements coming out of Iran, the German foreign minister said on Monday that Iran will face new international sanctions if it goes ahead with building more uranium enrichment plants.

The announcement came in reaction to Iran underlining its commitment to build 10 new nuclear plants on Sunday.

The German foreign minister said that Iran must know that the international community’s patience is not unlimited. Western countries suspect that Tehran hopes to use the enriched uranium to build nuclear weapons.

The IAEA has called for Iran to send its uranium stocks abroad for enrichment. Iran insists that it will use the uranium for purely for peaceful reasons.

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

A man hunt is one for a man suspected of killing four Seattle based police. Maurice Clemmons is suspected of killing the police in what they have described as an ambush style attack.

Family members of Clemmons have been helping him to escape capture and the local police are rounding up the family members in attempt to corner Clemmons and eliminate his escape options.

Pierce County Sheriff’s Department spokesman, Ed Troyer, told CNN reporters that associates who refuse to cooperate with the investigation could face criminal charges.

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

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