Asia-Cast

Asia Cast for the week ending Friday 13th August

In this bulletin:

- Mudslides hit northwest China,
- Chinese human rights lawyer honoured,
- Sound of Hope executive detained in Singapore, and
- Report hits out at damaging ‘green energy’ projects.

But first our SOH focus on China.

**********************

ET/NTDTV-Days after the August 7 mudslide in Northwest China’s Gansu Province devastated the area around Zhouqu, Chinese officials reported over a thousand deaths and hundreds missing missing.

But a local resident who was involved in the rescue effort told The Epoch Times the death toll was much higher. He estimated over ten thousand were killed.

Tons of sludge and debris prevented vehicles carrying rescue supplies entering the disaster area, hampering the search for survivors.

And more heavy rain across northwest China on Friday, causing further mudslides and flooding.

State-run media said that in Longnan near to Zhouqu in Gansu Province, 15 people are dead and more than ten thousand are cut-off following torrential rains and landslides.

Authorities have blamed the landslides on the weather, but some experts believe hydro-electric dams and deforestation in the area contributed to the disaster. Heavy rain is expected in the next few days and could bring more floods and landslides.

**********************

ET-Gao Zhisheng, a missing Chinese lawyer, has been honoured with an international human rights award from the American Bar Association.

With Gao missing in China, his 17-year-old daughter Grace accepted the International Human Rights Lawyer Award on his behalf at an event held in San Francisco Friday August 6.

**********************

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

**********************

Earlier this week an executive of our Chinese Sound of Hope sister-network was detained by authorities in Singapore. Liaw Shuhuey was stopped and detained by customs officers in Singapore and told she would be sent back to Taiwan.

Liaw was trying to visit the offices of Radio Erabaru. Chinese authorities have been putting pressure on the Singaporean government to prevent Radio Erabaru from broadcasting. The station airs many of Sound of Hopes Chinese programmes.

We look into the details in a special report on our Inside China Today blog.

**********************

ET- A new report released by Survival International called Serious Damage has highlighted the plight of native tribes facing ruin from hydroelectric projects.

The organisation says native tribes across Asia as well as Africa and South America face the complete destruction of their habitat as more dams are constructed to harvest so-called ‘green’ hydroelectric energy.

The report singled out China as the world’s biggest funder and builder of large dams, which harvest hydroelectric power. The report comes as the flood control functions of the Three Gorges Dam have been called into question.

**********************

Coming up on Asia Cast:

- Pakistan’s humanitarian disaster could worsen,
- Australia gearing up for election, and
- Mumbai’s Taj Hotel fully restored.

But first

(Quote)

**********************

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

**********************

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

**********************

Pakistan said it faces a potential second wave of deaths as more heavy rain could fall in the next few days, triggering more flooding.

The UN Secretary General is due to arrive in Pakistan August 15. He will discuss relief efforts as well as visiting areas of Pakistan affected by flooding.

Millions require emergency shelter and humanitarian assistance to survive.

The UN has launched an appeal for $460 million US dollars to help victims of what is becoming Pakistan’s worst humanitarian disaster.

**********************

NTDTV-Amid tensions on the Korean peninsula, the truce village of Panmunjom and an observatory near the Demilitarized Zone looked quiet Wednesday.

Tension has mounted on the peninsula this year after the sinking of a South Korean warship and a series of military drills by the United States and South Korea.

Ties were further strained last weekend with the detention of a South Korean fishing boat by the North.

**********************

In continuing efforts to improve relations with South Korea, Japan has again apologised for its forced occupation of the Korean peninsula.

Japan ruled South Korea for more than three decades during the early 1900s. Although this is not the first official apology from Japan, August marks the one hundredth anniversary of its colonisation of South Korea.

Japan also promised it would soon return Korean cultural relics taken during its rule.

**********************

With Australians voting in a general election next week, a rise in unemployment could hurt the Labor government.

Analysts had predicted the unemployment rate wouldn’t rise. But in July the number of people out of work increased to just under five-and-a-half per cent.

The strength of the economy has been one of the government’s claims. Some have said the rise could be due to revised population figures that increased the potential workforce.

**********************

On a lighter note.

**********************

NTDTV-In Thailand almost eight hundred green turtles were released this week during an annual ceremony celebrating the Queen of Thailand’s birthday.

The turtles were released from the Royal Thai Navy’s Sea Turtle Conservation Center as a token of gratitude to Queen Sirikit. The queen turned 78 August 12.

Every year the conservation centre releases around ten thousand young turtles. And over the past decade survival rates have increased.

**********************

NTDTV-Less than two-years after militants carried out a terror attack on Mumbai, the landmark Taj Hotel has reopened its doors.

The hotel was badly damaged during the three day siege, that claimed the lives of 170 people. But thanks to hard work by architects, designers and restoration experts the hotel has regained its former glory.

Holding balloons and flowers and tossing rose petals into the air, employees pledged to re-dedicate themselves to the hotel. The hotel said it had already taken several reservations.

**********************

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