AsiaCast

Asia Cast for Friday 18th December

n this Bulletin …

- Tickets for Shen Yun sell fast in Hong Kong;
- Chinese Communist Official may be charged for genocide in Taiwan; and
- Bomb set off during Myanmar’s New Year celebrations.

But first, here’s our SOH focus on China
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The Shen Yun show, which is to perform for the first time in Hong Kong, has been selling tickets at an unbelievable rate.

Thousands of people have flooded tickets hotlines and ticket booths in Hong Kong to secure their seat for the show in January.

On December 2 the tickets went on sale and within five days over 4000 were sold.

Before the presenters even started their advertising campaign the tickets where nearly sold out.

Ms Chen, a representative for the ticketing organizations, said people have been calling to request additional shows. She also said many people from China had called to buy tickets.

Read The Epoch Times for more on this story.

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Students at the Wuyi University in China with fever and suspected H1N1 swine flu have been refused treatment by the doctors there.

One student said the university has not done anything to isolate patients and information is being covered up by officials, so as to not affect the tourism industry.

A student surnamed Xie, said there where up to 600 probable cases, but no-one had been isolated. He said the students with fever and those who are still healthy are still staying together in one dormitory room.

Another student, who did not want to be named, said students with fever are turned away by the university health centre, where clinical fees are very expensive.

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In Taiwan a member of the Chinese Communist Party’s Central Committee is being sued for genocide.

On Monday, Xu Guangchun, the former Provincial Party Secretary of Henan province, was in Taiwan to promote cultural and economic exchange between Taiwan and the Mainland. But just a day after he arrived, Xu was personally handed a court complaint by the Taiwan Falun Dafa Association.

Chang Ching-hsi, Spokesman of the Association of Falun Dafa, says Xu was heavily involved in devising the persecution of Falun Dafa practitioners by the Chinese communist regime. In 2004, Xu was the head of China’s State Administration of Radio Film and Television where propaganda was produced to incite hatred towards Falun Gong.

Falun Gong, or Falun Dafa, is a mind and body spiritual practice with teachings based on truth, compassion and tolerance. But the Chinese Communist Party has been brutally persecuting adherents since 1999.

Read The Epoch Times for more on this story.

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A Chinese man set himself alight in the capital Beijing, to protest the demolition of his home.

The man, who has been named Xi Xinzhu by local media, was to be moved out by demolition crew and who would start tearing down his home. He then set himself alight.

Xi’s brother said they tried everything to raise legal questions about the demolition through normal channels, but nobody did anything.

A similar protest happened only last month when a woman died after setting herself alight to protest the demolition of her home.

The incident will add to already intense pressure to reform China’s rules on forced eviction, analysts say.

The protest is just one of many where land is effectively controlled by the state.

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

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And now for the rest of today’s Asia Cast

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A time bomb exploded in the restive state of Karen in Myanmar on Wednesday night, during their New Year’s celebrations.

The bomb was detonated at 9pm night killing six people and injuring 12.

An official said the bomb exploded in Phapun town in the northeastern Karen State, about 120 miles (192 kilometres) from the economic hub, Yangon.

Chinese state media reported that the bomb went off in the middle of New Year’s celebrations at market stalls.

It was not directly clear who set off the bomb, but the town is close to the area where separatists have been fighting a decades-long insurgency.

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Next year in Southern Afghanistan US Marines plan to carry out a major operation to eliminate one of the largest remaining Taliban strongholds in the Helmand province.

Ten thousand or so additional Marines will be sent as part of the Obama’s administration plan to quickly attack Marja, where Taliban forces have been taking over.

In the past six months Helmand Province has been the site of a series of fierce battles where Marines have ousted Taliban forces from a number of towns which had previously been successfully off-limits to NATO forces.

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