Asia Cast

Asia Cast for Tuesday 29th December

In this Bulletin…

- Family of British man petition for amnesty;
- Missionary arrested in North Korea; and
- Thailand deports nearly 4,000 Hmong.

But first we have our Shen Yun quote of the day

[audio]

For more information please visit www.shenyunperformingarts.org.

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Our SOH focus on China is next

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In China, a British man is scheduled for execution on Tuesday. His family have travelled there to appeal for his life, reports NTDTV.

Father of three, Akmal Shaikh was convicted of carrying almost 9 pounds of heroin through the Urumqi Airport in September 2007.

Chinese authorities have already rejected an appeal from British Prime Minister Gordon Brown to spare Shaikh’s life.

His family says he has a history of mental illness, and may suffer from bipolar disorder.

Shaikh’s cousin and brother are appealing to the court for a mental health evaluation.

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Chinese archaeologists have unearthed a large third-century tomb that they say may belong to legendary politician and General Cao Cao.

The tomb was discovered in Xigaoxue village near the ancient city of Anyang in Henan Province.

The leader of the archaeological team says they found armoured clothes, broad swords and short spears believed to be once used by Cao Cao.

The excavation team also found the skull of a man in his 60s—corresponding to Cao Cao’s age at his death.

For more on this, watch NTDTV.

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And now for the rest of today’s Asia Cast

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North Korea has arrested an American it says illegally crossed the border from China according to reports from state-run Korean news media.

The report apparently refers to US Christian missionary and human rights activist Robert Park.

A colleague says Park entered North Korea on Christmas Day, carrying a bible and a written human rights appeal for the leader of North Korea’s regime, Kim Jong Il.

The US State Department said Monday that it had no confirmation that Park was in North Korea, but is concerned about his fate.

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A bridge collapse in the town of Kota in western India has reportedly left some 40 people dead, according to local police.

The bridge while in the process of being built collapsed and dozens of working labourers fell into the river Chambal.

Rescuers have recovered 12 bodies and there is little hope of finding anyone else alive, said a senior officer.

A police inspector said an inquiry had begun into the circumstances leading to the collapse of the bridge, which is being jointly built by South Korea’s Hyundai Engineering and Gammon India.

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

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Thailand has deported about four thousand ethnic Hmong from a northern refugee camp to communist-ruled Laos, despite international criticism.

Although Thailand describes them as economic migrants, the Hmong say they face persecution in Laos because they backed US forces during the Vietnam War.

The colonel who coordinated the repatriation, said about 5,000 soldiers, officials and civilian volunteers had entered the camp to assist the repatriation.

By late afternoon, the last of the Hmong was driven from the camp in army trucks to buses that were waiting to take them to the border with Laos.

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More than 120 beached whales have died in two separate incidents in New Zealand, officials said.

Twenty one pilot whales that were beached on the North Island of New Zealand have been buried while about 40 were helped back out to sea.

A separate pod of 105 long-finned pilot whales died after being stranded in a nature reserve on the South Island.

Large numbers of whales become stranded on New Zealand’s beaches each summer as they pass by on their way to breeding grounds from Antarctic waters.

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