AsiaCast

Asia Cast for Monday 25th January

Organizers of Shen Yun's Hong Kong performance protest on January 23 what they regard as Hong Kong authorities' caving in to political pressure from Beijing. (By Li Ming/The Epoch Times)

In this Bulletin…

- Beijing’s response on human rights lawyer’s whereabouts;
- Shen Yun Performing Arts speak on cancelled Hong Kong shows; and
- Burma could release Aung San Suu Kyi in November.

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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First it was internet users who came under pressure from Beijing’s censors, now it’s mobile phone users in China who are feeling the pinch.

China’s largest mobile phone company recently said it is censoring text messages based on a list of keys words provided by public security agencies.

Officially, a mobile user’s text message account may be disabled if the content of a message is deemed indecent or sexually explicit.

But human rights advocates and lawyers in China say the practice is illegal. Many think reason for the censorship is to prevent the public from spreading political messages via their mobile phones.

The Epoch Times has more of the details on this.

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Beijing has issued its first public response on the whereabouts of renowned lawyer Gao Zhisheng. On January 21 the regime said that Gao, China’s most famous human rights lawyer, was where he should be.

Gao’s whereabouts has been the subject of intense inquiry since a Beijing police officer recently claimed Gao went missing in September 2009 while in police custody.

But on January 20 the Sydney Morning Herald quoted an anonymous source who said Gao was still alive and wasn’t missing.

Edward McMillan-Scott, vice chairman of the European Parliament, is among those calling on Beijing to produce Gao and prove that the man known as China’s conscience is still alive.

Read The Epoch Times for more information on this story.

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And now for the rest of today’s Asia Cast

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New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts issued a statement Sunday explaining the circumstances that forced the cancellation of their sold out Hong Kong shows.

On January 21, less than a week before the first show, the Hong Kong Immigration Department refused to give entry visas to seven key production staff.

Hong Kong immigration said the visas were refused as the jobs could be filled locally. Shen Yun Performing Arts said these staff were highly trained in Shen Yun