Asia-Cast

Asia Cast for week ending Thursday July 8th

In this bulletin:

- One year on from Urumqi ethnic violence,
- Earthquake danger rebuilt in Sichuan,
- Dalai Lama celebrates 75th birthday, and
- New Zealand pursuing Asian trade agreements.

But first our SOH focus on China.

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NTDTV/ET-Security forces in China’s Xinjiang have been on high alert around the July 5 anniversary of the ethnic violence in Urumqi that left hundreds dead. Authorities installed some 40,000 surveillance cameras as part of their security crackdown. State-run media said everyone should expect to be watched at all times.

Uighur groups say the last year’s protest turned violent after security forces started using live ammunition. Hundreds died in the week-long violence that followed.

Amnesty International has released a highly critical report ahead of the anniversary questioning the official version of events.

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ICT-A Chinese environmentalist has revealed to SOH just how severely polluted China’s water sources are.

Environmentalist Li Li told our Chinese reporters one of the major causes was a lack of proper waste disposal mechanisms. Many rivers are contaminated with industrial waste, heavy metals, agricultural chemicals and toxic algae.

Listen to our Inside China Today podcast to hear Li’s assessment of the problem. And the difficulties facing villagers trying to source clean water .

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ET-According to Chinese netizens sub-standard materials caused the collapse of a building being erected as part of the post-Sichuan earthquake reconstruction.

The corruption behind the unsafe buildings that made the 2008 Sichuan earthquake so deadly now seems to be dogging the reconstruction effort.

Local officials said the building in Mainzhu City’s Hanwangzhen Town was deliberately demolished. But residents said this could not have been the case.

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NTDTV-A Chinese national held hostage in the Philippines for almost 18 months has been rescued.

Xili Wu, also known as Peter Go, was unharmed after a 10-minute gun battle between security forces and dozens of Abu Sayyaf militants Monday night.

Police said Wu had been held hostage for so long he was technically breaching immigration law. And that they were turning him over to the Chinese Consul.

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

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NTDTV-Tibetan exiles and Buddhist followers celebrated the Dalai Lama’s 75th birthday Tuesday. They gathered in Dharamsala amid growing concerns over his health and the future of the Tibetan movement.

The Dalai Lama made a rare birthday appearance to accept the greetings of his well-wishers.

Many Tibetans fear the loss of their most recognized leader could weaken the unity of the Tibetan movement. Something Beijing could exploit to tighten its grip on the region.

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New Zealand’s prime minister has been on an official tour of Asia this week.

He started Monday with a three-day visit to South Korea aimed at boosting bilateral relations and trade between the two countries. A free trade agreement is now said to be within touching distance.

China was the next stop Wednesday where trade was again the focus. The prime minister spoke of endless potential, but did little to ease concerns about Chinese control of New Zealand’s assets.

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Coming up on Asia Cast:

- Greenpeace takes aim at Indonesian logging,
- Toyota still in the spotlight, and
- Indonesian supermarket helps legalise motorcycle taxis.

But first

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

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Greenpeace has accused one of the world’s biggest pulp and paper companies of destroying Indonesia’s rainforests.

A report by the environmental group released this week said Asia Pulp and Paper was relentlessly trashing rainforests, driving species extinction and potentially threatening Indonesia’s efforts to address climate change.

The company denied the allegations and questioned Greenpeace’s research.

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Japanese car giant Toyota this week began its world wide safety recall of over a-quarter-of-a-million cars.

Ninety-five-thousand vehicles sold in Japan and South Korea were recalled Monday with other countries following through the week.

So far, no accidents due to the defect have been officially reported. But Toyota’s recent safety issues mean that even such precautionary recalls are attracting attention.

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An exhibition highlighting India’s Buddhist tradition and the life of Mahatma Ghandi is on show in Taipei at Taiwan’s National Central Library.

The India-Taipei Association Buddha and Ghandi both taught non-violence and respect for all forms of life.

Included in the exhibition are photographs tracing the life of Buddha and depicting Ghandi’s humanitarian services. Asia 5

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On a lighter note.

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NTDTV-A scheme by the Indonesian government to give a thousand motorcycle taxi drivers in free licences is being supported by a chain of convenience stores.

The two-wheeled taxis are very popular, especially in congested cities like Jakarta. But many of the drivers operate without a license because the cost of getting one is so high.

The scheme’s sponsor, Alfamart, said it was supporting the initiative because so many of their customers used motorcycle taxis them to go shopping.

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Young designers have had the chance to showcase their talents during Hong Kong’s fashion week.

Graduating design students from the Chinese University of Hong Kong and Hong Kong Polytechnic University were hoping to establish themselves in the world of fashion.

As one of Asia’s fashion capitals the Hong Kong event is all about setting trends.

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