Asia-Cast

Asia Cast for Thursday 6th May

In this Bulletin…

- Chinese bloggers jailed for exposing crimes;
- Taiwan to open tourism office in China; and
- Australian troops given defective equipment.

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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Three Chinese internet activists have been sent to prison for posting information regarding an extremely violent gang rape and murder. They also exposed the police who covered up the case, said The Epoch Times.

The three bloggers were found guilty of libel. One of them was sentenced to two years in prison and the other two were sentenced to one year.

The three men have received enormous support from the public. Although most did not expect mercy from the court, many were distraught after hearing the verdicts.

One Chinese blogger said that they convicted three people but lost the heart of three hundred million.

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Wine collectors are being warned of a possible scam in China, says The Epoch Times. Hundreds of buyers may pay for but not receive premier wines.

Bordeaux Index, one of the top wine merchants in Europe has yet to release their 2009 Bordeaux. Yet, orders have already started in China.

The wine is sold as a futures commodity 12 to 18 months prior to bottling. One case of the wine can fetch nearly US$6,000 dollars upon release.

China’s inexperienced wine market has seen huge growth in the last five years, and is full of novices vulnerable to fraudulent merchants.

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And now for the rest of today’s Asia Cast

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Taiwan will open its first tourism office in mainland China. Taiwan will try to encourage more Chinese tourists to visit the island.

Taiwan’s president has focused on reducing tensions between the two former rivals since he came into office in 2008. Since he opened Taiwan to Chinese tourists nearly two years ago, the number of visitors has increased swiftly.

It is Taiwan’s first office to open in China since the two sides split at the end of a civil war in 1949.

Taiwan’s office in Beijing is being billed as a non-governmental office.

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Thailand is proposing elections in November aiming to end the two month long crisis that has killed 27 people. The government has crafted a new reconciliation plan.

A spokesperson for the red-shirts has said anti-government protestors will consider the plan but further talks are needed.

It is not clear whether the thousands of red-shirts camped-out in Bangkok’s main commercial district will agree to the compromise. They are holding out for a specific date for dissolving parliament.

The stalemate has hurt tourism and prompted the International Crisis Group to warn Thailand could slide into what they call an “undeclared civil war.”

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

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Japan’s football association has dropped their bid to host the 2018 World Cup. But it remains in the running for the 2022 tournament. FIFA will name hosts for both in December.

A spokesman for the association confirmed Japan’s decision to focus on trying to win the right to host the 2022 World Cup. He suggested that FIFA is keen for the 2018 tournament to be held in Europe.

Australia, Russia, the U.S., Belgium, Spain and England are still in the hat for both tournaments.

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Australian troops are being exposed to unnecessary risk because of shoddy equipment, according to national media reports.

An investigation by the Sydney Morning Herald discovered hundreds of complaints by soldiers about their gear have not been acted on by Defence officials. They are left with equipment that is known to fail while in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Some of the equipment which is standard was designed during the Vietnam War.

Defence officials acknowledge the dangers but say an element of dissatisfaction about equipment will always exist among the troops, regardless of its quality.

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