Asia Cast

Asia Cast for Saturday 19th December

In this Bulletin….

- Chinese policeman to be called martyr to gain more compensation;
- Countless Petitioners in China; and
- Presidential campaign in Sri Lanka heats up.

But first, here’s our SOH focus on China
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A Chinese policeman, who died after binge drinking at a banquet, is being named a martyr by his family and a police chief so as to get more compensation.

Chen Lusheng, the policeman from Shenzhen, attended a banquet with local officials. After some toasts, Chen vomited, fainted and then suffocated.

The director of the traffic bureau, Xie Feiyong, claimed Chen died in the line of duty and should be name a martyr. Chen’s family would receive 95,000 US dollars in compensation is he is named a martyr.

According to Chinese academics, officials in China spend around 73 billion US dollars a year dining out, which is around one-third of the nation’s expenses.

For more on this story read The Epoch Times.

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Homeless petitioners in China have been given a helping hand by a disabled rights activist.

Liu Anjun has organised a donation drive to provide clothing, blankets and money to those in need.

Liu was once a petitioner himself. In 2004 Liu was sent to prison for organising fellow petitioners to file a law suit. He was released in 2006 and since then has been dedicating his time to making society a more just place.

The struggles for these petitioners may seem to have no end in sight in a country where justice is often not guaranteed by rule of law. But for now, they can at least rest in knowing that their fight is not going unnoticed.

For more on this story read The Epoch Times.

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Appellants throughout China are continuously approaching high-level officials with a variety of grievances. The authorities have a zero tolerance policy on petitioners. Some local authorities even resort to all kinds of means to intercept then.

Some local officials have been known to buy stability. They hire plain-clothes thugs to watch or even kidnap petitioners. They pay large sums for the detention and arrest of petitioners. This has developed an underground industry which consumes a huge amount of manpower and financial resources.

Petitioners often choose to appeal during holidays or important political events when the regime cares about its image, hoping their grievances will draw more attention and their issues will be resolved more quickly.

For more on this story read The Epoch Times.

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And now for the rest of today’s Asia Cast
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In the Southern Philippines the chief suspect in the massacre of 57 people has appeared in court.

The country’s worst political leader, Andal Ampatuan Junior wore a bulletproof vest and was guarded by security to attend the hearing.

Last month’s attack, killed members of a rival political family and journalists travelling with them. Andal denies he was a part of the attacks.

In court he was criticized by reporters angered by the deaths of colleagues.

The preliminary court hearing was to hear evidence and give Mr Ampatuan an opportunity to challenge the charges.

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You’re listening to Asia Cast on the SOH Radio Network
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The man who is thought to be the only survivor in last year’s Mumbai attacks has taken back his claims he was forced by police to confess after being repeatedly beaten up.

Mr Qasab, a Pakistani national who was giving evidence in his defence, said he was not the man seen in pictures wielding an assault rifle during the attacks.

If convicted he will be face 86 charges including waging war on India and murder.

The November 2008 attacks left 174 people dead, including nine gunmen, and strained ties between India and Pakistan.

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The two main candidates of Sri Lanka’s presidential election campaign have addressed rallies a day after nominations closed, beginning the campaign in earnest.

There are altogether 22 candidates, but the most dominant are the two major figures that are seen as appealing to Sinhalese nationalist sentiments.

Incumbent President Mahinda Rajapaksa is being challenged by the disaffected former forces chief General Sarath Fonseka.

Voting is due to take place towards the end of next month.

Both General Fonseka and Mr Rajapaksa chose cities holy to the Sinhalese majority to kick off their campaigns with religious blessings and rallies.

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