Asia-Cast

Asia Cast for the week ending Friday 6th August

In this bulletin:

- Extreme weather continues across Asia,
- Witness to organ harvesting seeks asylum in Switzerland,
- 65 years on from Hiroshima atomic bomb, and
- Pacific nations consider Fiji strategy .

But first our SOH focus on China.

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ET-A former member of the Chinese security forces, with highly sensitive information about China’s human rights abuses, is currently stuck in an immigration limbo in Switzerland.

The man who has inside knowledge on the state’s practice of organ harvesting from prisoners faces deportation to China.

Advocates say the witness has valuable information and should be granted asylum and an audience with the United Nations.

The Epoch Times has a detailed report on the case.

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NTDTV-A twelve-acre flotilla of garbage has formed in front of the Three Gorges Dam on China’s Yangtze River. And with ever more trash piling up, engineers are worried it will clog the gates of the dam.

Torrential rain has caused massive flooding in the region, increasing the flow of trash down river.

Nearly three tons of waste is being removed from the dam every day. But some areas are covered with a layer so thick it’s possible to walk on the river.

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ET-China’s extreme weather continues.

Some regions have also been hit by heat waves recently, despite rainfall they received. At least 40 people have died from heat stroke as a heat wave sweeps across China.

According to the National Meteorological Center, the heat in the north has already reduced, but high-temperatures will continue to escalate over the next 10 days in the south.

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And in Jiangsu Province almost 20,000 people were recently involved in a protest over embezzled compensation.

The protest large scale protest was in response to the way authorities handled calls for action from villagers in the region. The villagers’ land had been seized, but an official embezzled the compensation payments they were entitled to.

One of the protesters told SOH not Party official stepped forward to resolve the issue, so the people took to the streets. Listen to our Inside China Today podcast to hear the interview.

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

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Pakistan has said at least 14 million people have now been affected by the worst flooding. in living history. The UN said the scale of the disaster was ‘daunting’.

As the floods sweep south half a million people are being evacuated.

Pakistan held crisis talks this week as more rain is forecast. The humanitarian situation could worsen further given that it is only half way through the monsoon season.

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A service was held in Hiroshima Friday August 6 marking 65 years since Enola Gay dropped an atomic bomb over the Japanese city.

The blast killed 140,000 people, with many more dying later from the radiation. Two days later another atomic bomb was dropped over Nagasaki.

More than 70 international representatives, among them the UN Secretary General, attended this year’s service.

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Coming up on Asia Cast:

- Nepal still without a prime minister,
- Taiwan plans creation of ‘global innovation corridor’, and
- Youth Olympic Flame arrives in Singapore.

But first

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

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Back with the rest of today’s Asia Cast I’m Rich Crankshaw

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The Pacific Island Forum is being urged to engage with Fiji to help restore democracy.

The incoming chair of the forum said they had a responsibility to Fiji despite it being suspended from the group over a year ago. He stated his concerns about Fiji’s breaches of democratic rule and human rights, but said that the Forum must engage Fiji if things are to improve.

Following a 2006 military coup Fiji’s military leader has failed to hold elections and imprisoned his opponents. The judiciary was sacked and the media censored.

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NTDTV-Nepal’s parliament failed to elect a new prime minister July 2 for the third time in less than two weeks. As a result the peace process that ended a decade-long civil war has been further delayed.

Nepal abolished its 239-year-old monarchy two years ago. It became a republic under a peace deal that brought the former Maoist rebels into the mainstream. But political instability has delayed the drafting of the new constitution.

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Taiwan’s government has been drumming up big business in Japan.

Sony and TDK among other large enterprises have said they will expand their investment in Taiwan.

Taipei said it was planning to build a ‘global innovation corridor’ in Taiwan. With technological cooperation from Japan efforts would be made to develop new products in five key sectors, namely green energy, materials, digital content, precision machinery and biotechnology.

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On a lighter note.

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The US military is turning to Japanese popular culture in a bid to explain the two nations’ security alliance to Japan’s younger generation.

Four manga-style comics will be posted online. They feature a Japanese girl and a visiting American boy. Each comic is intended as a light hearted way of explaining the security alliance and why the US military are in Japan.

The first comic was published August 4.

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The Youth Olympic Flame this week finished its 15-day journey around the world and arrived in Singapore, the Youth Olympic Games inaugural hosts.

The Singapore leg of the flame’s journey runs from August 7 to 13. It will involve 2,400 torch bearers who will carry the torch over 300 kilometres, far enough to go round the island six times.

On August 14 the flame will make its way to the Marina Bay Floating Platform for the official opening of the world’s first Youth Olympic Games.

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