Asia-Cast

Asia Cast for Monday 8th March

In this Bulletin…

- Environmental destruction blamed for China’s drought;
- Taiwan says it has something to offer China’s Buddhists; and
- Pakistan’s police close in on kidnappers of British boy.

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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As the drought in southern China continues, more than 11 million people are suffering a shortage of drinking water.

Authorities have imposed water use quotas on the public. Companies using lots of water have had to shut down operations.

Several experts believe pollution, and a lack of significant regard for the ecological system in China, has caused the drought.

One water conservation expert told Radio Free Asia the drought was the direct result of destruction to ecosystems in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau.

You can find more details about the extent of the drought on the Epoch Times website.

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Not for the first time, a Chinese military figure has said that China should be ready to defeat the United States.

In his newly published book, a Senior Colonel from the People’s Liberation Army has called on the regime to build up its military in order to topple the United States.

Professor So Wai-Chor of the Open University of Hong Kong spoke to Voice of America about the book. He said such people were only able to make their views public if the regime approved. He added it was possible the book reflected the Communist regime’s views and its release was a way for Beijing to test the water.

The Epoch Times has a more in-depth analysis on its website.

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And now for the rest of today’s Asia Cast

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As the stand-off between Internet giant Google and the Chinese regime continues, it is unclear when Google plans to stop censoring search results in the communist state.

In January Google threatened to pull out of China. Google said it had suffered cyber attacks targeted at its source code and the Gmail accounts of Chinese human rights activists around the world.

But on Saturday, Beijing said it had still not heard from Google on the matter.

Earlier this week Google told a US congressional hearing on ‘Global Internet Freedom and the Rule of Law’ that it was reviewing its business operations in China. Though this hasn’t stopped the company from advertising for new staff in China on its website.

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According to the Taiwanese president, Buddhist groups in China could learn a thing or two from those in Taiwan.

The president said that although Buddhism came to Taiwan from China, Taiwan’s Buddhist groups demonstrated a style and momentum rarely seen in the religion’s history in China

Taiwan’s 5.5 million Buddhist followers constitute over a quarter of the population. Their values have a far-reaching influence in local society.

Taiwan’s president said China’s Buddhist groups could contribute much to China’s overall national development if they learned from the efforts of their Taiwanese counterparts in secular work, volunteer service, gender equality and entrepreneurship.

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

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North Korea has said it will not move any further forward on the issue of nuclear disarmament.

The announcement from the North’s state media came in response to a planned joint military exercise between the US and South Korea.

The North also claims that by participating in the military cooperation with the United States the South has violated the agreement that brought a truce to the Korean War. As a result, North Korea said it would no longer abide by the armistice.

Pyongyang went further than saying it was just abandoning disarmament talks; saying the joint exercises would force it to bolster its nuclear deterrent.

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Pakistan has said its police are closing in on the kidnappers of a five-year-old British boy. But four officers have been suspended over the police handling of the kidnap.

Sahil Saeed was visiting relatives with his father on Wednesday when he was snatched by armed robbers. The kidnappers are said to have demanded a £100,000 pound ransom for the boy’s return.

Pakistan’s interior minister said the kidnap had humiliated Pakistan. He warned that those involved would be made an example of. A number of men are said to have already been arrested.

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