Asia Cast

Asia Cast for Sunday 23rd May

In this Bulletin…

- More twists for Beijing lawyers facing license revocation;
- Taiwan hoping to light the way to a greener future; and
- Singapore holds state funeral for pioneer leader.

But first we have our Shen Yun quote of the day

[audio]

For more information please visit www.shenyunperformingarts.org.

And now for the rest of today’s Asia Cast

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The case of two Beijing lawyers face having their certificates to practice law suspended certificates continues to unfold in China and receive attention world-wide.

In the latest twist, although lawyers Tang Jitian and Liu Wei were told over the phone a formal decision had been made about the cancellation of their certificates, they have not been formally notified.

Liu Wei told SOH the authorities were trying to avoid something by not following the proper procedures. And as a result she did not know the outcome of the ruling on her licence to practice law. You can hear what Ms Liu said in our Inside China Today podcast.

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Almost three years on from Burma’s Safron Uprising of 2007, Buddhist monks inside Burma still face severe oppression.

The Epoch Times has taken a look at what’s changed for those monks who fled the brutal crackdown on their peaceful protest.

Some who found asylum overseas have been forced to give up their robes by the need to support themselves. Others however are still active and still campaigning.

Two separate groups of senior monks formed the All Burmese Monks Alliance and the Burmese Monks Organization. Both groups are working towards the goal of of basic rights for Burma’s monks.

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Green technology companies in Taiwan are hoping that the country can become a model for energy saving and the reduction of carbon emissions.

In a recent speech, Taiwan’s president emphasised the importance of green energy and protecting the environment. He added LEDs, wind power and electric vehicles would all see major developments in Taiwan in the next few years.

The government is in the process of fitting LEDs in all traffic lights and there are plans to do the same for street lights. Industry leaders said the government should needed to act fast if it wanted to make significant savings in energy consumption and carbon emissions by making the switch to LEDs.

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

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Thailand is already counting the cost of the latest political violence in Bangkok. Weeks of demonstrations by anti-government red shirt protesters was finally brought to an end by government forces this week.

The Thai Finance Minister said the recently ended violence will have a severe impact on tourism. But he added the economy should recover quickly if stability can be maintained.

Thailand’s $264 billion US dollar economy is the second largest in Southeast Asia. It had been expanding when a mass anti-government rally in Bangkok began in March.

The state planning agency has put the economic cost of the turmoil at $3 billion US dollars.

You can hear more from the Thai Finance Minister on NTDTV.

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The state funeral for the late Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore, Goh Keng Swee, was held Sunday.

Saturday was the final day members of the public in Singapore could pay their respects to one of the republic’s founding fathers. Thousands queued in the poring rain for their chance to Dr Goh, a man many older Singaporeans hold dearly in their hearts.

The question of how to best remember the achievements of one of Singapore’s pioneer leaders is now being discussed. Some have suggested building a monument, while others want to see more of the republic’s history taught to the younger generations.

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An investigation into what caused an airliner to crash as it landed in southern India killing 158 people is under way.

The Air India Express Boeing 737 was coming into land at India’s Mangalore International Airport when it overshot the runway and crashed into a valley.

Only 8 people out of the 166 crew and passengers on board survived. India’s Aviation Minister has said he feels morally responsible for such a sad and tragic accident.

Light rain was falling at the time of the incident, but visibility was reported to not have been a problem. There have been some suggestions that conditions could have made the runway greasy and caused the plane to overshoot its landing.

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