Asia-Cast

Asia Cast for Saturday 13th February

His Holiness the Dalai Lama during a visit to Arunachal Pradesh, September 9, 2009. (By rajkumar1220/Flickr)

In this Bulletin …

- China condemns Barack Obama’s plan to meet Dalai Lama;
- North Korea not eager to restart nuclear test talks; and
- Date set for India-Pakistan envoys to start talks

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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A high-profile Beijing lawyer on trial in Chongquing for fabricating evidence stunned the courts by revealing he was intimidated into pleading guilty.

Li Zhuang is accused of fabricating evidence in his defence of a client. Li entered an unexpected guilty plea at the start of his trial on February 2.

According to a Legal Evening News report, a week later Li was given a reduced sentenced of 18 months  on the basis of his guilty plea.

After his 18 month sentence was handed down Li grabbed the microphone and shouted that his previous admission of guilt was the result of intimidation. He said the local regime had promised him probation if he entered a guilty plea.

For more details on this, read The Epoch Times.

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China has again criticised President Obama’s plan to meet Tibet’s spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama.

US spokesman Robert Gibbs has confirmed their meeting at the White House on February 18.

China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu spoke out quickly about the two leaders meeting.

He said China firmly opposes the Dalai Lama visiting the United States and US leaders having contact with him.

Mr Ma said he wanted the US to fully understand the high sensitivity of Tibet-related issues, and honour its commitment to recognise Tibet as part of China and to oppose Tibet independence.

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The UN envoy to North Korea has said Pyongyang is not rushing to start delayed talks intended to persuade the state to give up its nuclear weapons.

In April North Korea pulled out of the talks saying they were protesting UN condemnation of its nuclear test and missile launches.

North Korean officials didn’t show any interest or willingness to have international assistance. Pyongyang made it clear it did not like the UN sanctions levelled against them.

The United States has been trying to coax North Korea back to the talks.

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Tokyo has responded angrily after claiming environmental activists in the Antarctic attacked a Japanese whaling ship with acid.

Japan’s Fisheries Minister, Hirotaka Akamatsu, said three crew members were mildly injured by Sea Shepard activists who threw butyric acid at their ship.

Sea Shepard said video evidence shows the Japanese crew were injured because they shot themselves in the face with pepper spray. The environmentalists said the whalers had tried to hit one of their inflatables with the pepper spray, but the wind blew it back.

International whaling rules currently allow Japan to have six whaling vessels in the Antarctic. During the hunting season whalers and activists regularly clash.

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

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Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court has agreed to hear a challenge to the arrest of defeated presidential candidate Sarath Fonseka.

Fonseka’s wife presented the court with a petition which requested that his arrest be ruled illegal. She also asked if the state would allow the former army chief family visits and medicines.

The court is scheduled to reconvene on February 23.

Fonseka was arrested on Monday, two weeks after being overpowered in presidential elections by the current President Mahinda Rajapakse. His detention triggered violent protests in Colombo and other parts of Sri Lanka.

The defence ministry says he is to be court-martialed on unspecified charges of conspiring against the government.

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The peace process between India and Pakistan could begin to move forward again following Pakistan’s announcement it’s diplomats will attend talks in India later this month.

The office of Pakistan’s prime minister said its top diplomats are due in the Indian capital, Delhi, on February 25. India had offered to start official talks with Pakistan earlier this month.

After the deadly terror attacks on Mumbai in 2008, Delhi put the  slow-moving peace process with Pakistan on hold.

India and Pakistan began a formal discussion in 2004 on a number of key issues, including the long-running disagreement over Kashmir.

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