Asia-Cast

Asia Cast for Friday 26th February

In this Bulletin …

- Beijing artists march against demolition of art district;
- India and Pakistan make fresh attempt at rebuilding ties; and
- Toyota chief vows to improve customer trust.

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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Artists in Beijing are protesting the demolition of an art district which will make way for the redevelopment of the landmark Tiananmen Square.

Among them was prominent activist Ai Weiwei, a well-known building designer who has also been an outspoken critic of the Chinese regime.

A number of the artists were assaulted when they tried to stop dozens of armed men from destroying their studios, according to state-run Global Times.

The protesters took their protest down central Beijing’s Chang’an Avenue. This was the first time a protest has taken place on Chang’an Avenue in over twenty years. The last protest to take place there was held by students calling for democracy in 1989 . The 1989 protest was brutally ended when tanks rolled in, ending weeks of demonstration.

For more on this story watch NTDTV.

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Homeless Chinese petitioners have held their own Chinese New Year celebration by singing about their injustices on camera and then uploading it to the internet.

However their video touched a raw nerve with public security officials. Soon after the petitioners had uploaded their Petitioners’ Gala to the internet, police went looking for several of the individuals involved.

One of the organisers, Luan Qingyang, says his home is being monitored as a result of his involvement and he has been forced into hiding.

According to another petitioner who has supported Luan during his enforced homelessness,  police plan on charging Luan with ‘threatening the government’.

For more on this story read The Epoch Times.

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And now for the rest of today’s Asia Cast

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India and Pakistan are making a fresh attempt to renew ties broken by the 2008 Mumbai attacks.

India and Pakistan had their first formal talks in New Delhi after more than a year.

After meeting her Pakistani counterpart, India’s foreign secretary said that both governments had agreed to remain in touch. But she did not say if another round of talks was planned.

India put peace talks on hold after the attacks, blaming them on Pakistan-based militants. Pakistan admitted the attacks had been partly planned on its soil.

Analysts had not expected any major breakthrough in Delhi.

On the eve of the talks, the two states exchanged terse allegations over the disputed territory of Kashmir which lies at the heart of their decades-old dispute.

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Myanmar’s Supreme Court is due to make a decision on detained pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi’s appeal.

A court notice said Suu Kyi is appealing against an 18-month extension to her house arrest.  Her house arrest was extended over an incident in which an uninvited American man swam to her home. A lower court had rejected a first appeal of hers in October.

If the Supreme Court turns down her case, she can make a last appeal to Myanmar’s chief justice. Suu Kyi has spent most of the last 20 years either in jail or under house arrest.

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

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A renowned Indian artist under attack from hard line Hindus for his paintings of nude Hindu goddesses has been offered Qatari nationality.

MF Husain made the announcement in The Hindu newspaper. However it is not yet known whether he will accept the honour.

Ninety-five-year-old Husain has been living in Dubai and in London since 2006.

Huge protests were held in the mid-1990s in Mumbai after he painted a whole series of nude Hindu goddesses.

Hindu nationalist groups blame the artist of hurting their religious sentiments and ruining their religion.

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Toyota’s president has vowed to regain the trust of customers and took the full responsibility for safety issues in the company’s cars.

Akio Toyoda also apologized for the auto-makers slow to response to safety issues relating to sudden acceleration.

He admitted that the day had been difficult and was regretful that their sincerity was not properly conveyed.

Akio said his grandfather, the founder of the company, is telling him to regain the trust of those customers who are driving their vehicles.

He promised to respond more quickly to any future problems. But he reassured that the company’s products are roadworthy.

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