Asia-Cast

Asia Cast for Tuesday 19th January

In this Bulletin…

- Revelations of emergency meeting on H1N1 in China;
- Text messaging to be allowed in Xinjiang Autonomous Region; and
- Report claims most plastic toys from India are toxic.

But first we have our Shen Yun quote of the day

[audio]

For more information, please visit www.shenyunperformingarts.org.

Our SOH focus on China is next

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Anonymous insiders have talked with reporters about a secret emergency meeting held at the Harbin Disease Control Centre in China. They say state-run media have misled the public.

The emergency meeting was attended by local epidemic experts and medical professors.

An anonymous insider told reporters the Influenza A strain has a mortality rate ten times more severe than in those in the past. It is also widespread and peaking multiple times.

The insider also said state-run media reports and actual numbers of deaths in China differ greatly. The actual number may be up to a hundred times more.

Listen to the entire report at SOH Inside China Today.

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Housing built for victims of the Sichuan earthquake in 2008 are being found unsuitable for living in. Victims are finding no recourse but to live in tents.

Lichun town in Sichuan is one place were poor construction of housing is a huge issue.

One tenant of defective housing told SOH reporters, the most serious problem they face is broken sewer pipes. Foundation cement could be removed by a light touch of the hand.

However, the local authorities say the houses meet building standards. They are demanding residents pay off construction costs or they will lose electrical power.

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And now for the rest of today’s Asia Cast

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The Chinese regime is gradually resuming text messaging services to the Xinjiang Autonomous Region.

The messaging services were stopped last July following riots and demonstrations in an effort to control news from reaching outside the region.

Authorities in China had said it was to maintain social order between ethnic Uyghur and Han Chinese.

It has been six months since deadly clashes took place in Xinjiang, which left over 200 people dead.

Internet access was also restored, but to authorized websites only.

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Japan is objecting to Chinese development of a gas field close to Japan’s claimed boundary. Tokyo is threatening to take action if China moves ahead with production.

Tokyo said on Sunday that Japan might also start its own development in the disputed area.

China’s gas project was part of a broad agreement in 2008 between the two nations. Both intended to solve a dispute by jointly developing gas fields.

Yet, progress has been slow and Japan has accused China of drilling for gas in violation of the agreement.

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

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Burma’s Supreme Court is hearing a final appeal against the extended house arrest of pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

This comes days after the latest in a series of meetings between Aung San Suu Kyi and a member of Burma’s military regime.

Ms. Suu Kyi’s sentence was extended by 18 months last year after a US man swam illegally to her lakeside home in Rangoon, while she was on house arrest.

Her lawyers will argue that charges against her were brought using a law from a constitution which is now defunct.

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The Centre for Science and Environment has put out a report which says many plastic toys from India may contain harmful chemicals.

The centre studied a sample of Indian toys and found that all of them contained high levels of phthalates.

Use of these chemicals in the US and Europe is strictly regulated. The chemicals are used to soften plastic, and although harmful, India has no regulations to control their use.

Most of the toys tested were imported from China and Taiwan or produced in India proper.

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