Asia-Cast

Asia Cast for Thursday 13th May

In this Bulletin…

- Sixth school killing in China in less than eight weeks;
- Thailand suspends red-shirt protest crackdown; and
- Internet freedom group to get substantial donation.

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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In China’s Shaanxi Province, a man wielding a meat cleaver has killed nine and injured 11 in a kindergarten classroom on Wednesday. It is the sixth school killing in China in less than two months.

A local resident told The Epoch Times the kindergarten teacher and the teacher’s mother were both killed. Several small children were also killed and the murderer committed suicide.

A Chinese blogger wrote that the murderer had rented his property to the kindergarten, and that he went on a killing spree because the kindergarten had refused to move out of his property.

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114 new terracotta warriors have been unearthed by archaeologists in China. They were unburied at the vast Qin Dynasty tomb complex in Xian province.

Many of the statues were found in pieces. They were brightly coloured and lying alongside pots, weapons and other items.

Evidence of burn marks on the clay were found. Researchers say it proved the pit had at some point been set on fire.

More than 8,000 of the statues, made in 221BC, have already been unearthed.

Since the tomb’s rediscovery in 1974, ongoing excavations have continued.

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And now for the rest of today’s Asia Cast

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Thailand’s government has suspended plans to cut supplies to red-shirt protestors camped in Bangkok. They had planned to cut utilities, food, telephones and transportation in hopes of moving protestors out of the area.

The plan was cancelled when local residents complained.

Officials have been trying to move protestors since April 10, when a failed army crackdown left 25 dead and hundreds injured. The protest started in mid-March.

Protestors are still demanding the current prime minster step down, and have rejected offers of November elections. It is not known the government is still offering elections as an option.

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Burma’s National League for Democracy has been officially disbanded on Thursday, reports The Epoch Times. The league was led by Nobel Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi.

New election rules imposed by the country’s junta, block any convicted offender from membership in a political party.

Under the new law, the democratic league would have to expel Suu Kyi and other “convicted” leaders in order to compete in elections later this year.

The NLD chose not to register and was disbanded after 21 years in existence as Burma’s main opposition to military rule.

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

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Tens of thousands of New South Wales, Australia property buyers have been hit with a new sales tax.

The tax is expected to gain an estimated US$80.77 million dollars, boosting state government coffers.

The new land transfer charge will be imposed on the sale of residential and commercial property worth more than $500,000 AUD.

Australian media says the announcement has outraged property groups, while the opposition has criticised the timing of the tax, calling it sneaky.

The government has not indicated when the tax might begin.

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The United States has offered US$1.5 million dollars to the Global Internet Freedom Consortium (GIFC.)

The group—which currently have the capacity to serve about 1.5 million people a day—could give millions more people in countries such as China, Iran, Syria and Cuba unrestricted access to the internet.

The consortium is an alliance of leading companies and grassroots organizations who say their mission is to inform, connect, and empower people in closed societies with information on a free internet.

U.S. officials have confirmed the offer but say the agreement is not finalised.

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On behalf of our crew at the Sound of Hope Radio Network, we would like to wish everyone a Happy World Falun Dafa Day. The day is a celebration of when the practice was first taught in China in 1992. Since then, it has truly become a world-wide practice, spreading to more than 90 countries globally.

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