Asia-Cast

Asia Cast for Monday 29th March

In this Bulletin…

- Bee sting therapy gaining popularity in Beijing;
- Death penalty debate continues in Taiwan; and
- No trace of two detained Tibetans.

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 celebrated Chinese sports commentator recently said at least one third of the top Chinese athletes he knew had used performance enhancing drugs.

Soccer commentator Li Chengpeng tackled the issue at a recent public forum in Guangdong Province. He spoke out about doping and the politicization of sport in China.

Li elaborated in an article on his blog. He said the national system is focused on creating gold medallists, patriotic sentiments and a façade of competence in the international sports arena.

Li is not the only public figure in China to openly voice concerns about doping among Chinese athletes. Check The Epoch Times website to see what a former Chinese sports director had to say on the matter.

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Doctors in a Beijing clinic are reviving a centuries old Chinese therapy and stinging their patients with bees.

The bees are specially bread for their stings which are targeted at the patient’s acupuncture points. The doctors say more than 90 per cent of patients have recovered or improved after receiving treatment.

The treatment has proved so popular that the clinic is planning to expand into a fully fledged hospital within a year.

The practice of bee therapy dates back more than 3,000 years in China, although it was only officially authorised as a legal medical service in 2007.

You can see the bees in action on the NTDTV website.

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And now for the rest of today’s Asia Cast

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Pro-death penalty campaigners held an event in Taipei on Sunday as the discussion on whether Taiwan should abolish capital punishment continues.

Relatives of murder victims gathered in front of the Presidential Offices and shared their stories with the public. Organisers said they would push for changes in the law so the rights of murder victims’ families were better protected.

Taiwan’s former Justice Minister stepped down earlier this month after refusing to sign execution orders for death row prisoners. The minister’s stance outraged some legislators and families of murder victims.

The newly appointed replacement made it clear that he will have no problems signing execution orders once all the required procedures have been completed.

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And sticking with law and order; Taiwan has criticised China for not being aggressive enough in helping to return Taiwanese fugitives who are hiding out on the mainland.

But Taiwan’s Vice Justice Minister did praise the joint efforts being made by both sides to combat crime across the Taiwan Strait.

The minister said China’s vast land area and complex bureaucracy might explain why China was a lot slower than Taiwan in responding to requests for judicial assistance.

One thing he did note was China’s reluctance to send back the scores of Taiwanese who have fled to escape penalties for economic crimes, including some high profile individuals.

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

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Radio Free Asia says Chinese authorities in Tibet are detaining two Tibetans without saying where they are or why they’re being held. Perhaps unusually, one of the men is a police officer.

A Tibetan source told Radio Free Asia the head of the investigations unit of the Chamdo Police Department had been recently detained. The source said no one knew where he had been taken or why.

Tibetan police officers are required to join the Communist Party. But are often distrusted by Chinese authorities.

The other Tibetan being held is a former official in the Tibet Autonomous Region’s Ngari Prefecture. The man was removed from his position after criticising Beijing’s policy in Tibet.

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Thailand’s prime minister has met with leaders of the protesters calling for his resignation.

A spokesman said the prime minister he accepted the request to negotiate in an effort to restore peace and minimise the chance of violence.

The prime minister has consistently said he will not bow to any ultimatums. The talks are being seen as a sign of compromise following two weeks of demonstrations in the Thai capital, Bangkok.

In an unprecedented move the talks were broadcast live on television. In answer to the protester’s demands for dissolving the government the prime minister said he had to decide what was in the best interests of the country.

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