Asia Cast

Asia Cast for Monday 28th December

In this Bulletin…

- Praise for international legal action against top Chinese officials;
- Somali pirates free Chinese ship; and
- Japanese prime minister in India for trade and security talks.

But first here’s our SOH focus on China
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Many intellectuals and activists in China are voicing their support for legal decisions in Argentina and Spain that found top Chinese officials guilty of human rights abuses, says The Epoch Times.

Recently an Argentine judge issued arrest warrants under international law for two former Chinese Communist Party officials who led China’s persecution of the Falun Gong spiritual practice.

Last month the Spanish National Court Spain indicted five Communist Party officials, including Jiang Zemin, for their roles in the persecution of Falun Gong.

News of these legal actions has now filtered back into China and spread.

One democracy activist said that only free and democratic countries with independent judicial systems were capable of investigating crimes like these and following through with the appropriate legal punishment.

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China’s prime minister has said Beijing refuses to yield to pressure to allow the Chinese yuan to appreciate. He has also reacted angrily to the number of World Trade Organisation disputes that have been filed against China this year.

China’s currency has effectively been pegged to the US dollar since mid-2008. The value of the Chinese yuan, has been a bone of contention between Beijing and its Western trading partners, which say it is kept low to boost exports.

Last month, the World Bank upgraded its 2009 growth forecast for China on the back of huge public spending but said stronger domestic demand was needed to ensure a sustainable recovery.

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And now for the rest of today’s Asia Cast

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Somali pirates say they have received a four million US dollar ransom for the release of a Chinese coal freighter.

Pirates seized the De Xin Hai and her crew two months ago far out in the Indian Ocean. The pirates initially threatened to kill the entire crew if China’s navy attempted to rescue them.

China sent three warships to Somali waters late last year after a ship carrying oil to China was attacked by pirates.

But Chinese warships, like those from other countries, provide protection mainly in the narrow and dangerous Gulf of Aden, not in the much larger Indian Ocean.

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The Philippine coastguard has said at least three people were killed and 22 remained missing after a ferry sank to the south of the capital, Manila.

The vessel was carrying 88 passengers and crew when it went down near Batangas City. Ships in the area rescued more than 60 people.

It follows another ferry disaster in the Philippines on Christmas Eve.

Up to 24 people are still missing after that vessel and a fishing boat collided in darkness in Manila Bay.

In the latest tragedy, survivors said the roll-on ferry listed and sank after taking in water from the bow ramp.

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

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On Sunday, the Japanese prime minister started a three-day visit to India aimed at strengthening economic and security cooperation.

Trade between the two nations touched 12 billion US dollars during 2008-2009. India has set a trade target of 20 billion dollars by 2010.

But trade talks are at an impasse over how much to reduce tariffs and whether Japan will ease its tight regulations to allow Indian generic drugs.

Civil nuclear cooperation and defence are among the items on the agenda. India is keen to access Japanese nuclear power technology. Both nations signed a joint declaration on security cooperation last year.

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A moderate earthquake struck off Indonesia’s Papua province on Sunday. Officials said there were no immediate reports of damage. No tsunami warning was issued.

The meteorology and geophysics agency said the magnitude-5.8 quake struck just over 100 kilometres southwest of the provincial capital, Jayapura.

The agency’s technical chief told AFP, they had not received any reports of damage or casualty yet.

The region is part of the Pacific Ring of Fire which experiences frequent seismic and volcanic activity. A magnitude-7.6 quake that struck Sumatra island on September 30 killed more than 1,000 people.

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