Asia-Cast

Asia Cast for week ending Friday July 2nd

Detail of Chinese banknote. A US-based micro-finance company is helping of China's rural poor to build a better future. (By Robert S. Donovan/Flickr)

In this bulletin:

- Deadly mudslides in soutwest China,
- Independent TV station wins appeal over China broadcast,
- New Philippine president inaugurated, and
- Taiwanese protests over trade deal.

But first our SOH focus on China.

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NTDTV-A court in China’s Xinjiang region has sentenced Tibetan businessman and environmentalist, Karma Samdrup, to fifteen years in prison. They’ve charged him with robbing tombs and dealing in looted relics.

The London-based, Free Tibet Campaign say the real reason for his imprisonment is his public criticism of the arrest of his brothers. Samdrup’s lawyer says he plans to appeal the conviction.

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ET-A mudslide caused by continuous heavy rain buried more than 100 villagers in southwest China’s Guizhou Province June 28.

Heavy rain started to come down in the Anshun Prefecture of Guizhou Province late in the day on June 27. Provincial authorities announced that 107 villagers from 38 families in Dazhai and Yongle villages had been buried in the mudslide.

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NTDTV-Independent TV broadcaster and SOH media partner NTDTV has won its appeal for an investigation the termination of its China broadcast. Satellite company Eutelsat abruptly stopped the signal in June 2008 citing a ‘power anomaly’ on its W5 satellite.

But an investigation by Reporters Without Borders revealed the broadcast interruption was a pre-meditated political move to appease Chinese communist officials.

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Amnesty International has called on the Chinese regime to launch an independent investigation into last year’s riots in the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region.

A new report from the organisation includes testimonies from Uighurs who fled China after the violence. Amnesty said the official account of events left too many questions unanswered.

Security in Xinjiang has been tightened ahead of the July 5 anniversary.

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SOH takes a look across the wider Asia-Pacific region.

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Less than a year after being virtually unknown to most Filipinos, Benigno ‘Noynoy’Aquino was inaugurated as President of the Philippines Wednesday June 30.

Under the campaign motto ‘There are no poor people where there is no corruption’, Aquino successfully piggybacked on the popularity of his family name to win the elections in May. He has pledged to stamp out corruption and to modernise the judicial system.

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ET-More than one hundred thousand protesters took to the streets of Taiwan’s capital on June 26. They were voicing their opposition to the signing of the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement with China.

Officials say the deal will cut tariffs on hundreds of products and open up service industries. But opponents believe the agreement will erode Taiwan’s economy and democracy, eventually helping China to ‘unify’ Taiwan.

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Coming up on Asia Cast:

- Australia reaches compromise with mining companies,
- Supreme Court jails Australia’s ‘Dr Death’, and
- Micro-finance helping those China’s economy cannot.

But first.

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

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Taiwan is hoping the launch of a national collection service for expired or unused medications will help to protect the environment. Fifteen hundred recycling stations were opened at pharmacies across Taiwan Thursday.

A study by the National Taiwan University found traces of many drugs, including antibiotics, in rivers. Preventing them from entering the ecosystem reduces the risk of bacteria developing drug-resistance

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Australia reached an agreement on taxation with global miners Friday. In doing so Australia’s new prime minister successfully navigated her way though the first big test she faced. Last week Julia Gillard became Australia’s first female prime minister.

The tax on profits from mineral resources will now be at a rate of 30 percent instead of 40 percent. Shares and the Australian dollar rose on the announcement, but the compromise means the government will lose AU$1.5 billion Australian dollars in revenue.

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An Indian born-US surgeon has been jailed for seven years in Australia on manslaughter charges. Three of Jayant Patel’s patients died as a result of operations he botched at Queensland’s Bundaberg Hospital.

The judge denounced Patel’s repeated serious disregard for the welfare of his patients, and said that he deserved to be punished as a criminal. Australian media has dubbed Patel ‘Dr Death’.

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On a lighter note.

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NTDTV-The world’s first commercial hybrid solar passenger ferry service opened in Hong Kong June 25.

The new ferry was designed by Australian company Solar Sailor. It features a solar-powered electrical engine, a back-up diesel motor, and even mechanical sails. The vessel is estimated to make fuel savings of up to 50 per cent.

The Solar Sailor carries up to 100 passengers with little noise or pollution as it runs between the Kowloon peninsula and the scenic island of Kau Sai Chau.

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US-based micro-finance company Wokai is making a big difference to China’s rural poor. Wokai’s small loans have helped hundreds of farmers build a sustainable future for themselves and their families.

Uniquely, donors to Wokai.org can select exactly who their money goes to after browsing farmers’ profiles and photos. The company also recycles loan repayments directly to someone else seeking to borrow.

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

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