Asia-Cast

Asia Cast for Friday 12th March

In this Bulletin …

- Dalai Lama says the Tibetan people should choose his successor;
- Mass protest awaits Bangkok; and
- Protests in Japan over tuna ban.

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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The Dalai Lama has announced that it is up to the Tibetan people to choose who should be a suitable successor to him.

Even if China picked a successor, the Dalai Lama said he would have no misgivings about ending his centuries-old spiritual position, if Tibetans so choose.

Padma Choling, a veteran of the People’s Liberation Army, said during a press conference in Beijing, they should wait till the Dalai Lama is dead and then choose a successor. His words were removed from the live web broadcast on the National People’s Congress web site.

Padma Choling also criticized the Dalai Lama as the primary reason for instability in Tibet.

For more on this story read The Epoch Times.

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At the second annual Summit for Human Rights, Tolerance and Democracy in Geneva, Tiananmen Square activist and former political prisoner, Dr Yang Jianli, spoke on internet censorship in China.

During a separate meeting with Chinese language media, Dr Yang stressed the importance of anti-censorship software that has allowed Chinese citizens unrestricted access to online information.

He said that the anti-censorship software invented by Falun Gong practitioners is being widely used in China and that it has made a very important contribution to breaking through Internet censorship.

At the end of the two-day summit, participants jointly adopted a Declaration on Internet Freedom.

For more on this story watch NTDTV.

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And now for the rest of today’s Asia Cast

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Over 50,000 security guards are spreading across Bangkok in preparation for a three-day protest that starts later today.

Ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra’s red shirt supporters will begin arriving in the Thai capital today. They aim to topple the current government by having a million people staying on the streets in protest. The protesters want re-elections which they believe will be won by parties associated with the red shirts.

Thailand’s cabinet has passed strict new security laws that give the army the role of policing the city.

Travel warnings have been upgraded for tourists who are being urged to avoid certain parts of the city.

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A new election law has been passed by Myanmar’s ruling junta that disqualifies pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi from participating in upcoming national elections.

The Political Parties Registration Law prohibits electoral participation by any member of a political party who has been found guilty in court.

Suu Kyi’s party, the National League for Democracy, will have to choose between honouring her as its leader and risking the party being declared illegal or taking Suu Kyi from the party and entering the election.

The party has 60 days to decide its course of action. Party spokesman Nyan Winn said Wednesday that the party would not conform to the new law.

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

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Narendra Modi, the chief minister of the Indian state of Gujarat has been called to appear next week before an investigation into devastating riots in 2002.

The murder of Congress MP Ehsan Jafri will be the focus on the investigation on Mr Modi.

They believe that the violence could have been prevented if the Gujarat authorities took more action. Mr Modi denies wrongdoing.

Over 1,000 people, mostly Muslims, were killed in the riots which started after 60 Hindus died in a train fire. The fire’s cause was never clearly found.

Hindu groups claim the fire was started by Muslim protesters, but an earlier inquiry said the blaze was an accident.

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The European Union has proposed a ban on international trade in Atlantic bluefin tuna. The ban caused protests to erupt in Japan. Only a day earlier the European Union had agreed to the trade of the tuna.

Bluefin tuna is highly prized in Japan. It is used in sushi and sashimi.

A recent scientific assessment concluded that stocks have declined by 80 per cent in the past 40 years.

Nations will consider whether to suspend fishing just until stocks recover. However Japan has indicated that it will opt out of any trade ban, as it is entitled to do under Cites rules. And its top government spokesman said that nothing had changed.

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