Fans of Indonesia's Radio Erabaru outside the headquarters of Sing FM performing a re-enactment of the September 13 forced shutdown of Radio Erabaru by government authorities as fellow protesters hold placards and banners calling for the station's restoration. (Radio Erabaru)

In this bulletin:

- Another train crash dents China’s rail safety record,
- Discontent growing over land expropriation ,
- Fans rally for silenced Indonesian broadcaster, and
- Asia increasing IT competitiveness.

But first our SOH focus on China.

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ET-Hundreds of passengers were injured in a rear-end train collision on a one-year-old Shanghai subway track Tuesday September 27. State-owned media first said that a signal malfunction was to blame for the collision; but then published a statement on Sept. 28, attributing the accident to a power failure and operator error.

An engineer familiar with subway safety has characterized the system as unreliable and profit-driven. The accident called further attention to China’s dubious public infrastructure safety record after the devastating Wenzhou high-speed rail collision in July.

In the Shanghai crash 284 passengers were injured according to official figures. Shanghai Shentong Metro Group, which manages the subway, apologized online, saying, ‘This is the darkest day ever for the Shanghai subway.’

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ET-Thousands of residents in two Southern Chinese townships recently took to the streets over unfair land expropriation.

A protest in Wukan was triggered September 21 when villagers learned that one of the last pieces of the villagers’ land had been sold to a developer and construction work was about to begin. Villagers have accused village officials of secretly selling their land and villagers demand authorities disclose accounting details of the land transactions.

The next morning, authorities dispatched paramilitary officers and riot police, along with anti-riot vehicles to suppress the protest, but were met with strong resistance from angry villagers, who overturned seven or eight police vehicles.

The protest in Wukan gave rise to similar unrest in other villages of Lufeng City. On September 23, about two thousand villagers of the neighbouring Longguang Village protested to the Lufeng municipal government. This time a city official came out and said he would investigate the issue and get back to them.

Longguang villagers told RFA that they had been petitioning for six years with no avail, from the provincial level of Guangdong to the municipal level of Lufeng. They said almost every village has been struggling with illegal land seizures.

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NTD-The wife of Chinese artist Ai Weiwei has written a letter to the legal working committee of China’s National People’s Congress. Lu Qing is urging them to reject proposed changes to the criminal procedure law. The changes would legalize holding suspects in secret locations for up to six months, in some cases without informing their families.

Police arrested Ai Weiwei at the Beijing airport on April 3. Ai was then held in a secret location for 81 days. Lu describes in the letter the frantic search for Ai by family and friends. The family had not been notified of his whereabouts.

The incident sparked an international outcry. Ai Weiwei was eventually released, but is still under investigation for alleged tax evasion. He’s officially banned from speaking to the media.

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

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ET-Supporters of independent Indonesian broadcaster Radio Erabaru have protested the station’s forced closure and use of its frequency by another radio station. Radio Erabaru fans gathered in front of the headquarters of Sing FM, the station that’s been given their broadcast frequency, Sunday September 25.

The protesters called for Radio Erabaru to be put back on the air on its 106.5FM frequency and for Sing FM to move to another frequency. They also want the authorities to protect the rights of Indonesian citizens to obtain information from radio Erabaru’s broadcasts and stop bowing to pressure from the Chinese Embassy in Jakarta.

The protest came after dozens of Indonesian officials burst into the studios of Radio Erabaru, Tuesday September 13. They walked back out with key broadcasting equipment, despite failing to give any warrant authorizing this seizure to the station.

Officials claimed the station had to be shut down because its broadcasting was disrupting the air traffic in the nearby city-state of Singapore. But within hours Sing FM was broadcasting on 106.5FM, Radio Erabaru’s frequency, calling the claim into question.

Listen out for a special Asia Cast report featuring an interview with Radio Erabaru.

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Coming up on Asia Cast:

- Accusations mainland interfering with Taipei protest,
- Indonesian students protest, ‘lazy lecturers. and
- Australia clears way for female front line troops.

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

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The Mainland Affairs Council in Taiwan Thursday September 29 rebutted an accusation that Chinese authorities were trying to block a planned anti-Chinese demonstration held in Taipei.

Two Taiwanese businessmen earlier said they had fallen victim to scams perpetrated by their Chinese partners in collaboration with members of China’s judiciary. The pair are planning a protest in Taipei against such practices in the mainland.

But one of the organisers said he received threatening phone calls from Chinese officials in Fujian Province who said they would investigate the event and collect evidence against him if he failed to cancel the demonstration.

The Mainland Affairs Council said there wasn’t any evidence of interference from the mainland with the two previous similar demonstrations.

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NTD-Typhoon Nesat swept through Hong Kong Thursday September 29, with winds gusting up to 75 miles an hour closing markets, schools and most businesses.

The stock market, government offices and schools were also closed for the day. Nesat hit Hong Kong straight after striking the Philippines where it left at least 35 dead and dozens missing.

No deaths were initially reported in Hong Kong, but local television showed footage of at least two people being hospitalized after falling debris hit them.

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ET-According to the Jakarta Post Indonesian students have protested against what they said are lazy university lecturers.

Dozens of students demonstrated at the Aceh Syiah Kuala University because they said since August only a minuscule portion of their 30 teachers have regularly come to teach them.

In the demonstration, students gave speeches about the woeful state of the university and some of the students called for a boycott of the institute. According to the Jakarta Post the university said students should understand that teachers have to attend training sessions, adding that the situation would return to normal.

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ET-The Australian government is lifting restrictions on female soldiers, allowing them to serve in front line combat roles.

The announcement Tuesday September 27 means specialized military positions such as elite special forces, which were only available to men, will be available to women within five years if they meet the criteria for those roles.

Women can serve in 93 per cent of employment categories in the Australian army, navy, and air force. However, the defence ministry said women currently cannot serve as infantry, navy clearance divers, mine clearance divers, or operate artillery.

Australia currently has around 1,500 troops stationed in Afghanistan, but those are to be withdrawn over the next several years.

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On a lighter note.

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A study released Tuesday September 27 showed as Asian economies strengthen copyright protection and implement regulatory reforms they are closing the gap on the West in terms of their IT competitiveness.

The report by the Economist Intelligence Unit says while the West leads the world in terms of an attractive place for IT firms to work, more Asian nations are moving up the ladder.

The United States retained its position as the world’s most competitive IT industry this year with Europe dominating the top 20. The competitiveness index was based on criteria ranging from foreign investment policies to infrastructure and copyright protection.

But, seven Asian economies managed to make it into the top 20; Singapore (3), Australia (8), Taiwan (13), Japan (16), New Zealand (18), South Korea (19) and Hong Kong (19). Malaysia and India recorded the sharpest improvements among the 66 economies surveyed worldwide.

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

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Jiang Tianyong (pictured) and another Chinese rights lawyer, Teng Biao, were recognized for this year’s Prize for Outstanding Democracy Activist, given by the Los Angeles based Chinese Democracy Education Foundation, September 1st.

In this bulletin:

- Rights lawyer undeterred despite torture,
- Beijing’s paid internet commentator training accidentally revealed,
- Japanese protesters seek nuclear free world, and
- India researchers hope discoveries spark conservation.

But first our SOH focus on China.

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ET-Chinese human rights lawyer Jiang Tianyong recently broke his silence about what he suffered during his recent detention. Jiang was arrested in February as part of the Chinese Communist Party’s attempt to nip a homegrown Jasmine Revolution in the bud.

Isolation, brainwashing, sleep deprivation and torture were regular parts of those two months. He was released April 29, but not until mid-September did Jiang tell his story. He told Sound of Hope Radio September 14 the most painful part of the ordeal was the brainwashing sessions.

During the two months of detention neither Jiang nor his family received an official notice or documentation. Jiang became a target because of his willingness to take on human rights cases. In particular, he defended practitioners of Falun Gong, a group that is persecuted without mercy by the regime.

Despite suffering memory loss from being mentally tortured and deprived of sleep, Jiang did not give in. He told Sound of Hope Radio he had to speak out and let everyone know the horrible things happened to me. He said if the regime doesn’t want people to know, then they should not these things, adding, the terror will be and must be broken.

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ET-A Chinese TV news report unwittingly revealed how the communist regime’s Propaganda Department trains its army of paid internet commentators to shape public opinion on the internet.

Xishui TV, a local station in Hubei Province, reported September 8 the purpose of the training was to improve the skills of Xishui County spokespersons and internet commentators. Responding to public crises and guiding public opinion in a constructive way were among the topics covered.

According to a report by Hong Kong’s Apple Daily the number of paid internet commentators in China is estimated to have reached 280,000. With each one of them posting five comments per day, that amounts to 1.4 million posts daily, enough to inundate some internet forums.

The video was originally posted on cnxishui.net, which is operated by Xishui County Propaganda Department, and must have been an accident as it was removed just a few hours after its appearance.

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ET-Police in Hong Kong made the largest drug bust in the city’s history, nabbing more than 540 Kilos of cocaine worth 600 million Hong Kong dollars, some $77 million US dollars.

Authorities said Monday September 19 they arrested eight people. A police statement said the operation had neutralized a transnational drug trafficking syndicate.

Police raided five warehouses throughout Hong Kong. The Hong Kong Standard. reported the drugs were found hidden in containers and pressed into recycled blocks with other recycled garbage.

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

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NTD-Buddhist monks in India’s eastern state of Bihar performed special prayers for victims of the massive earthquake which struck northeast India Sunday September 18.

The epicentre of the 6.9 magnitude quake was in the sparsely populated Himalayan state of Sikkim. Residential structures and a Buddhist monastery in the state capital bore the brunt of the damage.

The earthquake was felt as far away as New Delhi, and there have been numerous fatalities across the country: at least 35 people killed in Sikkim, at least seven in Bihar, and at least six in West Bengal.

The tremors spread around the Himalayan region, affecting Nepal, Tibet, and Bhutan, as well as Bangladesh.

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Coming up on Asia Cast:

- Burma’s media still censored despite reform promises,
- Japan seeking South China Sea stability, and
- Taiwan prepares for world design expo.

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

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NTD-In Japan tens of thousands of protesters recently gathered in central Tokyo’s Meiji Park for an anti-nuclear rally.

Of the 60,000-plus participants that came from all over Japan, many were from Fukushima Prefecture, the area worst affected by the nuclear disaster which followed the March 11th earthquake and tsunami.

Prominent writer and manager of the Crayon House book store, Keiko Ochiai, was one of the organizers. He said the protest was only the first step towards their goal of ending nuclear power, not only in Japan, but worldwide. Nobel prize-winning author Kenzaburo Oe was also in attendance.

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ET-The Committee to Protect Journalists has found censorship in Burma remains as bad as ever, despite recent government promises of reform.

A report released by the international press freedom watchdog Tuesday September 20 found that journalists in Burma are among the most censored in the world. This is despite the country having switched over to a civilian government after decades of military rule.

The report said although privately owned publications and media entities have sprung up in recent years, they are forced to publish on a weekly basis, while state-run media can publish daily.

The group also said a number of journalists have recently been sentenced to long jail terms.

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Responding to independent recommendations, Thailand said Tuesday September 20 it would review political trials and royal insult cases connected to five years of unrest.

The country’s prime minister said the government accepts a recent report from The Truth for Reconciliation Commission of Thailand. In its first report to Thailand’s new leadership the commission said prosecutions under legislation, including an emergency decree and the lese majeste laws governing insults against the monarchy, were linked to political conflict before and after the 2006 coup.

The Thai authorities have also agreed to the securing the temporary release of political prisoners during the review in line with the commission’s advice.

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Japan has called for a stronger code of conduct aimed at binding rival claimants to waters and islands in the strategically important South China Sea.

The Japanese ambassador to the Philippines said Tuesday September 20 his government expects to tackle the issue during the Philippine President’s official visit to Tokyo.

The ambassador said while Japan is not among the claimants to territory in the South China Sea it has a major stake in keeping the waters open to international shipping because much of its trade passes through the area.

The Philippines and China, along with Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam, have conflicting claims to all or parts of the sea.

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On a lighter note.

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ET-Frogs that croak like cats are among the 12 new species of amphibians discovered following a 20-year exploration of the forests of Western Ghats, India.

The study, headed by the University of Delhi, also led to the rediscovery of three species of night frogs previously considered extinct. The creatures are difficult detect, as they only come out when it is dark during India’s monsoon season.

New species include the meowing night frog, whose croak sounds like a cat’s meow, and the Wayanad night frog, which grows to the size of a baseball.

The team hopes that the findings spark conservation efforts in India aimed toward these amphibians. The findings are detailed in the September 15 issue of Zootaxa.

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Taiwan has been gearing up for the Taipei World Design Expo with a number of media events. The design expo will feature thousands of exhibits from around the world in categories such as industrial, interior, communication, and graphic design.

The event runs from September 30 to October 30 at a number of venues in Taipei. It will showcase 6,000 exhibits by some 1,200 designers from 34 countries, including France, Germany, Japan, Taiwan, the Netherlands and the US.

The Taiwan Design Centre, one of the chief organisers of the expo, said it was a great opportunity to showcase Taiwan’s soft power and bring the country onto the international stage.

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A giant fish sculpture made from 2,360 traditional Chinese lanterns and over 2,000 bamboo sticks lights up Hong Kong's Victoria Park in celebration of Mid-Autumn Festival. (By Song Xianglong/The Epoch Times)

In this bulletin:

- Chinese human rights lawyer released,
- Greenpeace highlights China’s toxic produce,
- South Korea pressured over deportations, and
- Asia’s Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations.

But first our SOH focus on China.

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ET-Chinese human rights lawyer Guo Feixiong was released from prison September 13. Although in poor health and weakened by the ordeal of five years imprisonment, he declared himself unchanged in his core.

Prior to his detention in September 2006, Guo was active in the ‘weiquan’ or rights defense movement. The weiquan is a loose collection of lawyers and intellectuals that sought to protect the rights of ordinary Chinese through litigation.

Guo defended poor peasants whose land had been stolen, Christians, Falun Gong practitioners, and others who have suffered under the Chinese regime. He was a close associate of human rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng, who advocated for Guo’s release before Gao himself was imprisoned. Gao’s current whereabouts are unknown.

Guo spoke to The Epoch Times soon after his arrival home in Guangzhou, saying although he was weak and in poor health he would not give in.

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According to an investigation by Greenpeace, there are a variety of banned pesticide residues in the rice, vegetables and fruits sold at Chinese supermarkets.

These substances include highly dangerous chemicals listed by the World Health Organization that can severely affect the human endocrine system, injure the male reproductive system and damage unborn babies.

Between April and July Greenpeace collected and tested bulk rice, fruit and vegetable samples from three chain supermarkets Lianhua, Pufeng Lotus and Legou in Beijing, Guangzhou, Shanghai, Wuhan, Chengdu and Hangzhou. The samples include 12 rices and 62 kinds of vegetables and fruits. A variety of pesticide residues were found in rice, strawberries, spinach and leeks.

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NTD-A retired school teacher in south China has donated 300-thousand yuan, that’s almost $47,000 US dollars, during the past 25 years to help poor students in his town.

Chen Qixian is 88-years-old and lives in the town of Dapo in Hainan Province. He retired from teaching 25 years ago and has been donating money to help students ever since, keeping only 50 yuan a month, less than $8 US dollars, for his own living expenses.

According to his daughter, Chen has been living off rice and carrots for decades, rather than spending his money on more nutritious food.

Last year, Chen donated 100-thousand yuan to establish the Dapo Education Promotion Association. He also contributed money toward building a library for Dapo Middle School last year.

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

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NTD-As landfill sites are nearing full capacity in China, one Hong Kong company is trying to solve the problem by converting plastic waste into valuable fuel.

Echotech is a recycling company in Hong Kong whose prototype operation processes three tons of plastic waste into roughly 1,000 litres of fuel oil everyday.

Plastic waste unfit for recycling is shredded and fed into Echotech’s million-dollar machine. It is converted into gas in an airtight oxygen-free liquefying chamber. A condenser turns the gas into a liquid and water is then separated from the fuel.

While the sulphur-content of the plastic-made fuel is too high to be used in cars, it is much lower than marine-grade fuel. With the world’s second busiest port full of diesel-powered ships, Hong Kong’s skyline is infamously polluted. The new fuel could help change that.

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Coming up on Asia Cast:

- Crocodiles escape in Thailand flooding,
- Burma slammed over extending photographer’s jail sentence, and
- Monsoons bring more misery to Pakistan’s south.

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

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NTD-A number of crocodiles escaped after flood waters inundated a crocodile farm in eastern Thailand.

Weeks of heavy rains caused massive flooding at the Pattaya Crocodile Farm, a tourist attraction on the coast some 90 miles southwest of Bangkok. The farm houses about 2,800 of the giant reptiles, but it’s not known how many escaped.

Thailand has been battered by heavy rains and flooding since late July resulting in an especially heavy monsoon season. More than half a million people have been affected and about 1.5 million acres of farmland are under water

The country’s meteorological department has warned of more possible flash floods and mudslides in the coming weeks, as heavy rains are expected to continue across Thailand.

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NTD-Calls are coming from the United States and Europe for the South Korean government to stop the deportation of Falun Gong practitioners to mainland China.

On September 6, South Korean authorities arrested two adherents of the spiritual practice. Now one of them is being detained and faces possible deportation to mainland China where the ruling Communist Party persecutes Falun Gong.

New York-based rights group the Falun Dafa Information Center, says South Korea should not deport Falun Gong practitioners to China because of its obligations under the United Nations Convention on the Status of Refugees and the Convention Against Torture. Both prevent countries from sending refugees to another country where they face torture or persecution because of their religion or membership of a particular social group.

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ET- Reporters Without Borders said Thursday September 15 Burma added another ten years to the prison sentence of an independent news photographer. The international watchdog said the court decision brought the sentence of Democratic Voice of Burma reporter Sithu Zeya to 18 years in prison.

Reporters Without Borders condemned the move saying recent events show the conciliatory gestures so far taken by this government are just part of a PR strategy. Adding there was no indication the government had any real intention of improving media freedom.

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ET-Still rebuilding after last year’s devastating floods, Pakistan was pounded with another round of heavy Monsoon rains, causing flooding in its biggest city, Karachi, and other areas in the south. The same heavy rains have affected thousands in Thailand as well.

The United Nations estimates that more than 220,000 people have been displaced due to flooding in Pakistan and another 5 million have been negatively affected. At least 200 people have died.

Aid groups say that more than 700,000 families are still living in temporary shelters after they were forced to leave their homes in the 2010 floods that affected the whole country. Since late August of this year, the floods have destroyed or damaged nearly a million homes and inundated 4.2 million acres of land, mostly in the southern province of Sindh.

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On a lighter note.

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ET-The Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival was celebrated with joyous festivities throughout Asia Monday September 12, the night when the moon was at its fullest and brightest.

In Hong Kong a huge fish-shaped lantern lit up Victoria Park. Envisioned by local designer William Lim, the lantern sculpture was constructed with the aid of Hong Kong’s unique bamboo scaffolding. The huge sculpture was made from 2,360 traditional Chinese lanterns and over 2,000 bamboo sticks, with small fish-shaped lanterns and water ponds on both sides. High-tech flashing LED lights give added effects, dancing to the rhythm of the music.

In Taiwan a procession of people carrying torches was organized by the Shaoan Hakka people in Shuibiantou Village, Yunlin County. The event started with the main torch lighting, followed by fireworks that set the area aglow with silver lights. Then a procession of over 1,000 people carrying torches and led by thunderous drumming, set off for an exciting nocturnal excursion.

In Malaysia, local Chinese held a lantern parade on the night of Saturday September 10, bringing the bright lights of the Mid-Autumn Festival to Kuala Lumpur. Chinese style dragon and lion dances led the parade, followed by a long line of people holding lanterns.

Ancient legends and traditions about the moon abound in China. Clay rabbit figurines are popular gift items for Mid-Autumn Festival. They represent Grandpa Rabbit, Du Ye Er in Chinese, and originate from the legendary Jade Rabbit pounding medicine on the moon. The rabbit also used to be a mascot of old Beijing.

Visiting the local temple is also an ancient tradition during Mid-Autumn Festival. Around 10,000 people went to the Yonghe Temple in Beijing September 12. When the temple opened its doors at 8:45 am, worshippers rushed inside and filled the entire temple in less than 5 minutes. They held their incense high and bowed to the Buddha, praying for good fortune.

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Gatot Machali at the microphone at Radio Erabaru's small studio in Batam, Indonesia. (Courtesy of Radio Erabaru)

In this bulletin:

- Slave labour rescue highlights problem,
- Chinese environmental damage under investigation,
- Indonesian broadcaster targeted over Chinese broadcast, and
- Business success squeezes Hong Kong international schools.

But first our SOH focus on China.

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NTD-More slave labour has been discovered in China’s central Henan Province. The victims, men who suffer from severe mental disabilities, were found working under deplorable conditions at brick kilns. Eight people were detained in relation to the case.

Henan media first exposed the problem Sunday September 3 and alerted authorities. Since then, 30 mentally disabled men have been rescued. They endured beatings, starvation and received no pay for their work. Many were kidnapped and sold to kiln owners. Others were tricked into going there.

Labour rights in China have struggled to keep pace with economic development. Lawyer Jiang Tianyong has worked with victims of slave labour from Shanxi Province, and told NTD it was a prevalent problem.

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NTD-Nearly three months after the Bohai Bay oil spill, top-level authorities in China are now ordering a full investigation.

The notice was posted on Wednesday, following a State Council meeting.

ConocoPhillips China, a subsidiary of the Texas-based oil company, is operating the oil field where the spill occurred. The company has been partnering with the state-run China National Offshore Oil Corporation.

ConocoPhillips announced Tuesday September 6 it would set aside a fund to cover costs resulting from the spills and ‘benefit the general environment in Bohai Bay.’ However, the exact amount was not mentioned.

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ET-Five Chinese environmental watchdog groups jointly published a report August 31 accusing Apple of ignoring pollution produced by its Chinese suppliers. The groups say Apple has made huge profits at the expense of the environment and local residents.

The five non-governmental environmental organizations are Friends of Nature, Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs, Green Beagle, Envirofriends, and Green Stone Environment Action Network.

They jointly published a report called ‘The Other Side of Apple II.’ The report documents the results of five months of field research into the manufacturing process of some of Apple’s suppliers in China. It says they produce many pollutants, including heavy metals, cyanide containing wastewater, and tin and lead fumes.

The same groups first exposed pollution problems by Apple suppliers in a January 20 report titled, ‘The Other Side of Apple.’ The latest report is an in-depth follow-up.

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

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ET -Following years of attempting to silence an independent radio station, Indonesian authorities have found Radio Erabaru’s manager guilty of administrative violations.

On Tuesday September 6 Gatot Machali received a suspended six month jail term with one year of probation. A fine of almost $6,000 US dollars was levied against him.

The court’s actions follow years of action by Indonesian authorities to shut down Radio Erabaru under pressure from the Chinese communist regime. The station broadcasts in both Mandarin and Indonesian. Its news coverage features reports critical of the Chinese Communist Party’s human rights record.

A diplomatic memo by the Chinese Embassy sent to multiple Indonesian government departments in April 2007 called for the station to be shut down.

In 2008 the station’s broadcast license was denied, but Machali sued the government in an effort to regain it while continuing to broadcast. After failing to shut the station down the authorities raided it and confiscated vital equipment. Machali replaced it and kept broadcasting.

The government brought charges against Machali in March 2011 for broadcasting without a license, charges that carry a maximum sentence of six years in prison.

The recent court decision noted it had been proven there are many radio stations in Indonesia broadcasting without licenses or frequency permits. And while they also break the law, they are not charged by the authorities.

Machali plans to appeal the verdict all the while continuing to broadcast.

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Coming up on Asia Cast:

- China a military threat despite warmer Taiwan ties,
- Campaigners question Burma’s human rights announcement, and
- Taiwan targets Japan with mangos.

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

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A lawmaker in Taiwan’s ruling Kuomintang said Wednesday September 7 China’s military threat against Taiwan had actually intensified despite warmer ties between the two sides.

Lin Yu-fang’s analysis was based on the Ministry of National Defense’s recently-released 2011 report urging China to reduce its military threat against Taiwan.

Lin believes that despite China’s continuing upgrading of military equipment, Beijing would not launch military action against Taiwan without careful planning.

He also noted the Ministry of National Defense remained reticent about Beijing’s calls for ending hostilities and holding talks on cross-strait confidence building measures.

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Burma recently announced the formation of a national human rights commission aimed at protecting citizens’ rights.

The state-run New Light of Myanmar newspaper said 15 retired bureaucrats and academics would comprise the panel. But questions remain over the will or ability of the panel’s members to challenge the government on this sensitive issue.

There have been calls within the UN for an international commission to investigate suspected crimes against humanity and war crimes in Burma. Something the Burmese government is keen to avoid.

Critics say the new government is repeating promises made by the country’s previous military rulers and no substantive reforms have yet occurred. The UK Burma Campaign said human rights abuses were actually increasing.

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Officials in the Philippines say a giant saltwater crocodile was been captured in a remote village Saturday September 3. Weighing in at over a tonne and measuring 6.4 metres it’s the biggest the crocodile captured alive in recent years. Officials said it may be the biggest specimen ever caught.

The hunt for the animal began mid August after a number of crocodile attacks on humans and animals. It’s not possible to tell if the giant was responsible for the attacks, but a new home in a planned nature park in the area should keep crocodile, people and their animals all safe.

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On a lighter note.

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NTD-With the rapid growth of global businesses in Asia, Hong Kong is is experiencing a shortage of vacancies in international schools. Some business executives fear it could dampen Hong Kong’s competitive edge as a financial centre.

With the demand for international schooling increasing in recent years, some companies have restricted their foreign staff to single or childless applicants.

Hong Kong is trying to alleviate the issue by creating an extra 5,000 school places over the next few years. Meanwhile the Malaysian, Thai, and South Korean governments are gearing up to become educational hubs so as to attract and retain top global talents.

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NTD-Sparkling glass sculptures and a contemporary façade greets visitors at the Shanghai Museum of Glass which opened in May this year. The 4,500-square-metre museum gives visitors a firsthand look at the art of glass making with an emphasis on the aesthetic.

The project was initiated and funded by the Shanghai Glass Company Ltd, who wanted to rebuild its former glass factory into a modern glass theme park. There are plans to form a glass community over the next five years, adding workshops for glass artists, a glass sculpture square, a business park, cafés and restaurants into the space.

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Japan is hungry for Irwin mangos from Taiwan with Taiwanese growers reaping the fruits of the labour after several years of hard work.

Producers of Irwin mangos in Pingtung County targeted the Japanese market because the fruits can fetch a good price. But in order to get their exports accepted they had to meet exacting standards.

About 3,000 hectares of farmland in Pingtung are used for Irwin plantation, with just over 850 tons of the fruit sold to Japan this year. It’s southern location and early growing season means Pingtung mangos are also the first to hit the domestic market each year.

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Demonstrating against the communist regime's tyranny, protesters are met by a police blockade in Hong Kong. (Courtesy of NTD Television)

In this bulletin:

- China’s hacker army enters Vietnam dispute,
- Hong Kong angry over Chinese leader’s security,
- Greenpeace investigation details toxic sportswear, and
- Bell rings for peace on Taiwan island.

But first our SOH focus on China.

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ET-News reports in June told of escalating confrontations between China and Vietnam over the sovereignty of some islands in the South China Sea. But the Epoch Times says these reports missed a cyber war that broke out between the two countries.

Armies of hackers from both countries set about hacking the websites of the opposing country. Chinese hackers called it a self-defense attack. They became furious after Chinese media reported Vietnamese hackers had broken into a Chinese website on June 2 and posted provocative messages.

Chinese patriotism had already been inflamed by repeated media reports Vietnam was occupying China’s islands in the South China Sea. After the Vietnamese cyber-invasion Chinese hackers fought what they said was a ‘holy war’ of revenge June 4 and 5. Over 1,000 Vietnamese websites were taken down with Chinese hackers claiming a landslide victory.

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NTD-In Hong Kong anger over high security during Chinese leader Li Keqiang’s visit lasted long after he had left. The League of Social Democrats marched to the police headquarters Monday August 22 criticizing the Commissioner of Police for bowing to the communist regime.

Li Keqiang concluded his three-day visit to Hong Kong Thursday August 18. Although the trip drew several groups of protesters, many say Hong Kong police were out in excessive force to stop them.

Monday night’s protest came after an earlier one Saturday August 30. About 300 journalists condemned Hong Kong authorities for preventing them to freely report on Li’s visit.

Hong Kong is a Special Administrative Region of China. Citizens there enjoy greater freedoms than their Mainland counterparts. But there are concerns basic freedoms are diminishing with Beijing accused of trying to influence the Hong Kong government.

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ET-Greenpeace says it has found traces of toxic and hormone-disrupting chemicals in clothes bearing 14 top manufacturing brands. The new report was released Tuesday August 23 in the Philippines and China, where many of the clothes are made.

These chemicals are known to interrupt biological endocrine functions and harm the reproductive system. They were found in clothing and fabric-based shoes sold internationally by brands such as Adidas, H&M, and Abercrombie & Fitch.

While Beijing has banned the export of clothing containing these chemicals, there are currently no regulations restricting their use in China. Everything tested from Li Ning, China’s leading domestic sports brand was found to be contaminated. Li Ning’s said its products had passed EU standards testing by internationally reputable testing agencies.

The Epoch Times has more on how Chinese brands’ PR teams influences official inspections.

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

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NTD-The sound of peace came from an unusual bell Tuesday August 23. Taiwan’s president called for continued peace across the Taiwan Strait, as he and guests sounded the Peace Bell in Kinmen. The ceremony was part of a series of events celebrating the centenary of Taiwan, officially known as the Republic of China.

The bell’s toll marked fifty-three years since the island county came under artillery attack from mainland China on August 23, 1958. More than 480-thousand shells rained down for 44 days. Some of those shells now form part of this bell to mark changed times.

Each year more than a million tourists from the Mainland come to Taiwan through Kinmen Island. The Taiwanese president said Kinmen had transformed from a bloody battle field into the route for cross-strait peace.

Relations between Taiwan and China have been warming in recent times, but the Chinese regime remains set on using force if Taiwan declares formal independence.

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Coming up on Asia Cast:

- Asia’s Economic growth lifts millions from poverty,
- North Korea considering nuclear talks return, and
- Taiwan aiming for regional higher education excellence .

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

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The Asian Development Bank has said more than 245 million Asians were lifted out of extreme poverty in the last five years. That this was achieved during the global economic crisis was credited to the region’s brisk economic growth.

The bank released a report on poverty in the region Tuesday August 23. It said some 150 million Asians escaped extreme poverty between 2005 and 2008, and a further 95 million from 2008 through 2010.

The report said as of last year, the extreme poor, those earning less then $1.25 a day, constituted just under 19 per cent of the population of developing Asian countries, down from from around 27 per cent in 2005.

But despite the dramatic progress the repost said Asia was still home to the largest number of the world’s poor.

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North Korea recently held talks with Russia on Pyongyang’s nuclear programme and economic co-operation. Plans for a Russian gas pipeline that would pass through the North’s territory to reach South Korea were also discussed

Russian media reported North Korea as saying it was ready to discuss ending nuclear tests if six-party talks on denuclearisation resumed. The meeting in Siberia came after weeks of new discussions between North and South Korea nuclear and the United States on resuming formal negotiations on the North’s nuclear programme.

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A new Amnesty International report accuses Bangladesh of conducting hundreds of unlawful killings.

According to Amnesty International Bangladesh’s special police force has been implicated in the killing of at least 700 people. A similar report released by Human Rights Watch in May also documented abuses by the Rapid Action Battalion.

The elite force was established in 2004 as an anti-crime and anti-terrorism unit. It is now highly feared for the high number of deaths occurring in custody.

The Amnesty International report urges Bangladesh to honour its pledge on ending extrajudicial executions. The government has always denied the accusations against Rapid Action Battalion.

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ET-Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan resigned Friday August 26 at a meeting of his party’s executive body. Kan has faced strong criticism for his handling of the nation’s triple crisis.

At the beginning of June, Kan survived a no-confidence vote by offering to resign once the country had overcome its current crises tied to the March 11 earthquake, the accompanying tsunami, and the release of radiation from the Fukushima nuclear plant damaged by the tsunami.

Kan later clarified his resignation offer by saying he would stay until he saw the passage of three important pieces of legislation. The last of the bills passed August 26, triggering his announcement.

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On a lighter note.

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Taiwan’s government said Friday August 26 it was determined to turn Taiwan into a higher education centre for the Asia-Pacific region. Its aim is to attract foreign talents to study in Taiwan.

Mainland Chinese students will be able to study in Taiwan from September. The government is also hoping to solicit talents from countries such as Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan and South Korea as well.

Taiwan currently has around 45,000 students from overseas and lags behind much smaller regions like Hong Kong and Singapore. By 2020 it is hoped this figure will have risen to 130,000, 10 per cent of the student body.

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NTD-In east China’s Shandong Province Friday August 26 a sea of clouds put on a rare spectacular sight. The clouds hovered over the famous Mengshan Mountain in Linyi City.

Mengshan Mountain, a famous historic and cultural mountain, has the second highest peak in Shandong. In ancient times, it was regarded as a sacred mountain and sacrificial place of the emperors.

About 7:00am, a sea of clouds emerged in quick succession, among gorges dispersing in and around Mt. Mengshan. The morning sunshine, casting its ray of light on the sea of clouds, created a rare spectacle. The clouds gradually faded away in about two hours.

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

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Up to 50 million farmers have had their lands taken under China's land reform policy. Most are not satisfied with the compensation they're given, according to a recent Chinese think tank study. (The Epoch Times)

In this bulletin:

- Beijing mounts new Xinjiang crackdown,
- Report highlights land reform burden,
- An unlikely education in Taiwan, and
- Smartphone patent battle.

But first our SOH focus on China.

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NTD-The Chinese regime has started August 11, another hard-line security crackdown on ethnic violence in the western region of Xinjiang.

On Tuesday August 16 local authorities said the ‘strike-hard’ operation would run until October 15. Chinese authorities blame Uighur Muslim separatists for recent violence, alleging the Uighur attackers are terrorists who had training in Pakistan.

The World Uyghur Congress informed NTD the Chinese regime is trying to make the global community believe that Uighur Muslims are terrorists to justify their crack down. Adding recent unrest came about because the Uighur Muslims have become desperate, living under the Chinese regime’s brutal rule.

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ET-According to a recent report from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, between 40 and 50 million Chinese farmers have lost their farmland since economic reforms began in the 1970s.

The number is increasing at a rate of three million farmers per year, and will reach 110 million around 2030. The report also states that, while farmland is being lost, there is a serious trend of urban land being insufficiently utilised.

The State Council’s Development Research Centre said since the start of economic reforms to 2003, the Chinese regime has taken over $300 billion US dollars from farmers by expropriating farmland at a low price and then reselling it at a high price.

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ET- The Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy reported August 12 on the death of a Tibetan political prisoner due to severe torture.

Thin Lay, a young Tibetan man from Kardze County, was arrested in April 2009 for participating in calls for Tibetan freedom in Kardze. During the seven months imprisonment by Chinese authorities he was severely tortured.

Authorities finally released Thin Lay to his family after he was in a state of physical and psychological debility and near death. Thin Lay died August 10.

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ET-The political chasm separating mainland China from Taiwan sometimes seems too vast to bridge, but a recent curious phenomenon may begin to change that. Chinese mainlanders, who previously had no clue about life on the tiny island, are finding through personal visits that Taiwan’s vibrant democracy may be hope for China’s own future.

Some Chinese tourists even treat Taiwan’s free media as quite the novelty. The Asia Times recently reported anecdotal accounts of Chinese tourists snubbing their day tours in favour of staying in their hotel rooms to watch uncensored TV political talk shows and news reports.

The Epoch Times website details more of what Chinese tourists are discovering on their voyages across the Taiwan Strait.

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

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With some analysts predicting the global smartphone market to top $250 billion US dollars by 2015, it’s easy to see why the legal battle over patents is being hard fought.

Most recently Taiwanese smartphone maker HTC has brought a lawsuit against Apple in the US. HTC is seeking to stop US imports of iPhones, iPads, iPods and Mac computers.

It follows a July ruling by the US International Trade Commission that HTC was infringing two iPhone patents in a case brought by Apple.

HTC, one of the world’s fastest growing smartphone makers, has built its business around Android. With Google’s recent acquisition of Motorola Mobility it gains a patent portfolio. Bernstein Research said could it may help Google protect Android handset manufacturers against litigation from Apple and Microsoft.

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Coming up on Asia Cast:

- Stealth jets Asia’s military must-have,
- Vietnam worried bans Hanoi protest, and
- Ukulele winning Asian fans.

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

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

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According to state-run news agency RIA Novosti, Russia’s new stealth fighter was unveiled to the public Tuesday August 16 at an air show outside Moscow.

The Sukhoi T-50 is a collaboration between Russia and India and is set to become the newest main plane for both airforces. It is intended to match the US F-22 raptor.

In related news, reports have emerged suggesting similarities between China’s newly developed J-20 fighter and a Russian stealth fighter prototype result from a transfer of technology.

With both sides denying any such transfer took place it is unclear how China produced a plane with similar technology to the never produced Russian Mikoyan stealth jet.

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ET-A close aide of Anna Hazare said Thursday August 18 the figurehead of India’s anti-corruption movement had agreed a police offer which will permit him to go on hunger strike.

New Delhi police detained Hazare Tuesday August 16. The day he was to start a hunger strike unto death or until the Indian government agreed to pass strong anti-corruption legislation.

His arrest sparked widespread rallies. India Against Corruption, the organization behind the protests, reported that 10,000 people joined demonstrations in 20 locations across India resulting in 2,500 arrests.

Hazare had previously vowed to remain in custody in Delhi unless he was permitted to resume the protest. The deal will see him leave prison and go on hunger strike in a park for 15 days.

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Worried about anti-communist sentiment, Vietnam has ordered an end to demonstrations against China in the capital, Hanoi.

Protesters have been gathering in Hanoi on Sunday mornings since June after tensions over territorial disputes in the South China Sea escalated.

But the Vietnamese government said the protests had to stop, because people both inside and outside the country were using the rallies to stir up dissent against communist rule.

Currently China Vietnam, Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Taiwan all claim territory in the South China Sea.

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On a lighter note.

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NTD-After a blast of polar weather New Zealand recently saw snow falling to sea level for three consecutive days in Wellington, rare snowfalls in Auckland and a blizzard in Christchurch.

The National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research said Auckland experienced its coldest day since records began in 1961. Wellington Airport recorded its second coldest day there since records began in 1959 and Gisborne also recorded its second lowest temperature since 1940.

The snow caused roads and schools to close, public transport to stop running and power outages to thousands of homes. The freak winter weather was caused by what experts are calling a once in a lifetime storm. Something many New Zealanders hope it true.

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Taiwan’s Bureau of Health Promotion doubled the amount of exercise it recommends for office workers following new research published in the Lancet medical journal.

The article by two Taiwanese scientists published Tuesday August 16 stated a daily 15- minute exercise can lower the possibility of death by 14 per cent and reduce the risk of cancer-related death by 10 per cent.

In response, the Bureau of Health Promotion adjusted their original 8-minute exercise routine target at office workers. The Bureau said new routine emphasizes neck and shoulder movements that will ease the stiffness caused by typing and mouse-clicking.

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VOA recently reported on the unexpected rise of Japanese-American ukulele virtuoso Jake Shimabukuro.

Shimabukuro is performing across Japan with a 14-show tour in August and September. At his first performance this month in South Korea, tickets sold for up to $100 US dollars a seat.

The instrument many haven’t take seriously in the past is winning over new fans across Asia with it’s size and simplicity. It’s low cost and cheerful tone may also appeal in the current economic climate.

Sales of the instrument globally are reported to have increased by one-third annually in the past several years.

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

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Indonesia's Supreme Court is considering whether to jail the manager of independent broadcaster Radio Era Baru in a case brought about due to pressure from the Chinese regime. Should Gatot Machali be jailed, it would set a worrisome precedent for Chinese influence on free expression in Southeast Asia.

- Questions over China high-speed rail crash,
- Ai Weiwei breaks silence,
- Court deliberating Indonesian radio manager case, and
- Worst-in-a-century floods hit South Korea.

But first our SOH focus on China.

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ET/NTD-In the aftermath of the deadly high-speed train collision in Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province, complaints from family members of the victims have intensified. The regime’s handling of the tragedy has triggered protests demanding the true reason of the collision and the actual death toll.

Chinese authorities have blamed a lightning strike as the cause of bullet train D3115 losing power, which then led to the fatal collision when another bullet train rear-ended it.

But people familiar with China’s railway system say they were not surprised that such a crash had happened. According to many experts and media analysts, the crash on the night of July 23 was caused by human errors and negligence, including signal system failure and scheduling problems.

Almost immediately after the accident, the Chinese regime fired three senior railway officials without giving a reason for doing so. China’s railway system has been plagued with problems including corruption and quality concerns.

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NTD/ET-Police opened fire at civilians Tuesday July 26 in southwestern China after thousands spontaneously gathered to protest of the killing of a disabled street vendor. Thousands of residents in the city of Anshun, Guizhou Province, took to the streets in response to accusations the chengguan, a branch of civilian law enforcers, beat the man to death.

The chengguan maintain urban order and enforce laws against petty crimes like begging. It’s unclear what the fruit vendor did that led the chengguan to start beating him.

One eyewitness to the riots told NTD on condition of anonymity, there were up to 10 thousand people surrounding the dead man and they were furious as one would normally give priority to disabled people.

Witnesses say authorities used tear gas and water cannons to suppress the protests. Police are reportedly questioning six chengguan members in connection with the killing.

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NTD-Ai Weiwei has broken his silence. The prolific Chinese artist and dissident who spent 81 days in detention, made his first contact with the outside world on his new Google + account.

He began with two simple posts Monday July 25;“Greetings, I’m here” and another saying, “There are signs of life.” So far he has more than 10,600 followers on his Google + account.

Before he was arrested, Ai had been a prolific Twitter user. But since he was released on bail in June, he had remained silent. Ai refused to give interviews or discuss his detainment. Human rights groups speculate he was coerced into silence as a condition of his release.

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

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The latest China Media Bulletin published by Freedom House included an update on the fate of the SOH Network’s Indonesian sister media. First Radio Era Baru, then its station manager have been targeted with legal action brought about by pressure from the Chinese regime on Indonesian authorities.

Currently the trial Radio Era Baru’s station manager Gatot Machali on charges of broadcasting without authorization is in its final stages in Jakarta.

According to local media reports the prosecutor presented concluding arguments July 11 and reduced the requested punishment from six years to six months and a fine of almost $6,000 US dollars.

The case is the latest in a series of attempts by the Indonesian authorities-under Chinese pressure-to shut down Radio Era Baru. The station is know for broadcasting content critical of Beijing provided by our Chinese colleagues at Sound of Hope Radio.

After winning an administrative court case in October 2010, in May 2011, Radio Era Baru won a high court decision affirming its right to broadcast temporarily, pending a ruling by the Supreme Court.

Nevertheless, the prosecution has continued its case against the station’s manager. A decision is expected within the next two weeks.

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Coming up on Asia Cast:

- Myanmar democracy leader calls for ceasefire,
- New Zealand earthquake goldfish alive after 134 days, and
- Panda cub born in Chengdu.

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

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

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NTD/ET-At least 67 people were known to have died or gone missing Friday July 29 as flash floods caused havoc in South Korea.

Over half a meter of rain pounded the Seoul region in 48 hours causing torrential flooding and deadly landslides in and around the capital.

The bill for the damage is expected to run into hundreds of millions of dollars. Authorities say the heaviest rainfall for over a century has forced more than 4,500 people out of their homes and many are without power.

Neighbouring North Korea was also hit by the storms but state media there has so far made no reports of damage.

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Myanmar’s pro-democracy leader has called on the army and ethnic insurgents to end the country’s decades-long civil conflict. Aung San Suu Kyi made the appeal Thursday July 28 in her first direct letter to the country’s new president.

Suu Kyi held her first talks with a minister in the new government Monday July 25. The meeting came just days after the US called for concrete progress towards democracy.

Suu Kyi was released from house arrest days after the controversial election last November and has since been warned to stay out of politics. In her letter she said she was ready to do as much as she could to support the ceasefire and the peace process. Adding reconciliation would never be achieved via armed conflict.

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Thailand hosted the 23rd International Olympiad in Informatics in Pattaya City from July 22 to 29. The eight-day Olympiad pitted teams of four students from 79 countries against each other.

Competitors at the Olympiad must use their brains to solve very complicated but logical problems by using computers as a tool. Teams from across Asia performed well.

The annual event is intended to promote studies of computer science and informatics, the science of processing data for storage and retrieval. The competition for secondary school students was initiated by a Bulgarian professor in 1987.

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On a lighter note.

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Two particularly hardy goldfish in New Zealand have survived for 134 days after being abandoned during the devastating February earthquake.

The goldfish were in a 100-litre tank in the reception area of an accountants in Christchurch when the earthquake struck in February.

Staff at the office have only now been allowed back into the building, and to their surprise the two fish had survived without any food or the tank’s filter running.

Aquarium experts think bacteria may have kept the water clean enough to sustain life and the fish may have eaten algae growing in the tank. Although there is no sign of the other three goldfish that were originally in the tank.

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Religious groups in Taiwan have been praised by the country’s president for helping to promote Taiwan’s image in the international community through aid and charity.

The president made the remark while meeting representatives from a Taoist association in Taiwan. He said religious organizations that have bases and volunteers in different countries have made great contributions to the world.

The president added he was proud of Chinese culture as Taiwan is a nation of religious freedom, with no religious wars ever recorded in its history.

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NTD-In China’s Chengdu Research Center, a 19-year-old giant panda named Lily gave birth to a female cub Sunday July 24. It’s rare for a panda to give birth at 19, since giant pandas normally only live around 25 years.

Lily was artificially inseminated. After 128 days of pregnancy, Lily went into labour Friday July 22. The baby panda was delivered two days later.

The panda cub is the 97th giant panda in the Chengdu Research Center, the world’s most successful giant panda breeding facility.

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Malaysian police use tear gas against protesters calling for electoral reform in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday July 9, 2011. (James Chow/The Epoch Times)

In this bulletin:

- Beijing’s glory projects turning sour,
- Grow-your-own taking off in Chinese cities,
- Tibetans jailed for celebrating Dalai Lama’s birthday, and
- Malaysia defends heavy handed reaction to protests.

But first our SOH focus on China.

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NTD-A new highway in China’s Yunnan Province collapsed just two days after it opened. The Xinsan highway, stretching some 90 kilometres, is one of the Chinese Communist Party’s glory projects. It was set to be unveiled for the Communist Party’s 90th anniversary on July 1.

But despite warnings from the construction team that they were being rushed, the deadline was absolute. Then heavy storms crumbled the earth beneath the roads, washing a section of it into the valley below, killing two people and injuring two more.

This isn’t the only setback for projects rushed to completion before the July 1 anniversary. The new Beijing-Shanghai high-speed rail had its second power failure Tuesday July 12, just two weeks after it was launched.

And the world’s longest sea bridge in Qingdao, also opened for the July 1 anniversary, was criticized after lighting and safety barriers weren’t completed.

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NTD-A recent string of food safety scandals have prompted some health-conscious Beijing residents to boycott the markets and grow their own produce by renting land on local farms.

The owner of one farm told NTD he started offering vegetable plots for rent at the beginning of the year, charging about $300 a year for each space. And so far business is good with 100 plots of land rented out.

One of the farm’s customers said there was no way of telling what had been added to food in the city. But at the vegetable garden the farmer checks before using any fertilisers on the vegetables and is under clear instructions to only use natural plant food.

Many city dwellers now make an hour’s-or-so drive out to their urban farms on the weekends, collecting enough vegetables to last their family through the week.

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NTD-Coming this summer to theatres across China is the state-sponsored movie Beginning of the Great Revival. And by state mandate, it will be a box office smash, making at least US$124 million dollars.

The movie is a commemoration of the Communist Party’s 90th anniversary, but ticket sales aren’t exactly as high as planned. So state-run companies have been required to book entire theatres for their employees and family members to go see it.

Theatres have come up with a creative way to reconcile the movie’s lukewarm reception and with the mandate to sell tickets. They’re putting sales through the computer for Beginning the Great Revival, but then hand writing the titles of popular movies on top.

Even with such creative marketing, though, the movie has fallen short of its desired box office. It’s made only about $50 million since its opening.

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

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ET-Thirteen Tibetans, several of them young, have been sentenced to prison in Sichuan’s Garzê Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, west of Chongqing. Their crime: attempting to publicly celebrate the exiled Dalai Lama’s 76th birthday.

The Voice of Tibet reported two of the Tibetans received three-year prison terms from the Intermediate People’s Court. The two are 19-year-olds and had been beaten by Chinese police after their peaceful protest on June 24.

China’s ruling Party regards the birthday as a sensitive date and imposed restrictions on public gatherings in Lhasa, Tibet’s capital. The Tibetan demonstrations seek the return of the Dalai Lama, religious freedom, and Tibetan autonomy. Many Tibetans assert that China is waging a cultural genocide against them.

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Coming up on Asia Cast:

- Malaysia defends heavy handed reaction to protests,
- Taiwanese ethnic group demonstrate seafaring credentials, and
- World’s oldest stone axe unearthed in Australia.

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

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

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Australia’s quarantine controls have been blasted after 600 tonnes of dirt slipped through their net, it was supposed to be fertiliser.

The fertiliser was ordered through a supplier listed on a Chinese website of accredited companies by a group of farmers in western New South Wales. But because the material was shipped in bags of under 50 kilograms they were not inspected by customs.

It was only when the farmers finally received the bags it was discovered they contained soil. One senator asked if you can put 34 containers of earth through Customs and quarantine that’s actually supposed to be fertiliser, what else can you put through?

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ET-Malaysia Sunday July 10 defended its use of violence the day before to quell demonstrations in the capital.

Police beat protesters, used water cannons and tear gas against protesters calling for electoral reform. The police announced via Facebook over 1,600 people had been arrested.

Reports vary widely regarding how many people participated in the rally. Media reports put the figure at 20,000, while the event organiser, the Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections said there were around 50,000 people. Police reported that between 5,000 and 6,000 were in the streets.

Human rights groups have condemned the state’s heavy-handed reaction to the protests.

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India’s home minister said Thursday July 14 the authorities received no warnings about the three deadly blasts that rocked Mumbai Wednesday July 13. The home minister added while suspicion fell on a home-grown organisation, no one had yet claimed responsibility and no one had been ruled out.

The attacks at the height of the evening rush hour killed 18 people and injured 131. It was the first major assault in India’s largest city since the 2008 siege by Pakistani gunmen.

The authorities maintain break down in intelligence and security did not contribute to the attacks. But Mumbai residents and some security experts disagree saying the government hasn’t learned from past attacks.

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On a lighter note.

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Researchers in Malaysian Borneo have rediscovered a toad not observed in the wild for decades. Last seen 87 years ago, the Bornean Rainbow Toad was found in forests in the Gunung Penrissen mountain range in Sarawak State.

The scientists said the find was significant because amphibians are indicators of environmental health, with direct implications for human health.

Their research was part of a wider ‘lost’ amphibian search launched by Conservation International and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature last year.

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Members of one of Taiwan’s ethnic minority groups completed Saturday July 16 an 800 kilometre voyage from the southeast coast to the north of Taiwan in a traditional boat.

The trip took 15 days to complete with oarsmen working in shifts of 18 at a time. At 11-meters long, their wooden canoe was the largest balangay built by the aboriginal Tao people of Taiwan’s Orchid Island for 100 years.

Clad in their traditional loincloths, the oarsmen received a warm welcome when they pulled into Taipei Wednesday July 13 some 60 kilometres from their final destination.

The trip was conceived as a way for the Tao to share their culture with the people of Taiwan.

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Archaeologists in Australia the have discovered the oldest ground-edge tool in the world. The basalt axe piece was found in May in Arnhem Land, an isolated Aboriginal reserve in Australia’s Northern Territory.

The stone tool fragment measures 4 centimetres in length and has been radio-carbon dated to 35,000 years old. It is a significant find as it pre-dates the oldest known examples of other ground-edge implements from Japan and Australia by at least 5000 years.

The research was part of a five-year project aiming to discover, document and date art and artefacts in the region. The findings will be published next month in Australian Archaeology.

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The snubfin dolphin (Orcaella heinsohni), just one of the 1,060 new species recorded in New Guinea by the WWF. (Isabel Beasley/Wikimedia)

In this bulletin:

- China slammed for extending journalist’s detention,
- Beijing tested by torrential rain,
- Support keeps independent Taiwan broadcaster on-air, and
- World’s largest tropical island yields new species.

But first our SOH focus on China.

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NTD-Press freedom advocates have criticised the Chinese regime for sentencing a journalist to eight more years in jail. Qi Chonghuai was expecting to be released Saturday June 25 after having served a four-year sentence.

But on June 9th authorities in northeastern Shandong Province extended his term. They found him guilty of the same charges he was accused of four years ago.

After Qi Chonghuai exposed local corruption in 2007, he was convicted of extortion and blackmail. While in prison, he also wrote articles about the ill treatment of inmates, which were published on overseas news services. Qi himself was beaten in prison and forced to do hard labour.

On June 9th, authorities accused him again of extortion and blackmail, plus an additional charge of stealing advertising revenue from a former employer. They found him guilty and extended his sentence to eight more years.

International media advocates have condemned the move.

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NTD-Torrential rains left much of Beijing paralysed Thursday June 23. Residents struggled to make it home, with parts of the subway system closed and treacherous road conditions.

Now Beijing’s construction and drainage system are being criticised as unfit for sudden torrential downpours.

Part of the problem in any city is the more you build and cover the earth with concrete the less water can soak away into the ground, it all quickly flows into the drainage system.

Political commentator Lin Baohua said the problem was symptomatic of the regime’s sub-standard construction methods. He calls it ‘tofu construction’, a popular term for buildings made out of cheap materials that fall easily during natural disasters.

Beijing hasn’t suffered disasters like the 2008 Sichuan earthquake, that collapsed thousands of buildings. But the downpour does pose questions as to whether the Chinese capital’s construction is fit to cope with disasters in the future.

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NTD-A two-month-long exhibition of traditional lanterns recently opened at the Old Summer Palace in Beijing, or Yuanmingyuan to give the gardens their Chinese name

The show features different types and shapes of lanterns amidst a backdrop of lotus flower-shaped lanterns.

Stealing the limelight is a 70-foot-high lotus flower lantern encircled by 56 smaller lotus lanterns. The impressive display is recorded in the Guinness Book of World Records.

Other lanterns are in the shapes of lotus leaves, balls, ships, butterflies, and peacocks. The park also provides various forms of entertainment, such as theatrical performances.

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

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ET-A recent public opinion survey by the University of Hong Kong found that Hong Kong people’s trust in their government, and in Chinese communist central rule, has dramatically declined, reaching the lowest level in years.

The University of Hong Kong conducted the random telephone survey between June 13 and 16, just two weeks prior to the Chinese Communist Party’s 90th anniversary.

Notable is the age distribution in the survey. The younger the group, the less trust they have in the government.

Chung Ting Yiu Robert, the project director of the survey, said in the analysis that people born after 1980 have higher rates of distrust than those born before 1980. Chung said This is likely related to the sentencing in China of Zhao Lianhai, who organized a support group for victims of the melamine-milk scandal, the recent detention of Ai Weiwei, as well as the 22nd memorial of the 1989 Tiananmen massacre.

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NTD-NTD Asia Pacific announced Tuesday June 28 the renewal of its contract with Taiwan’s Chunghwa Telecom. Signed Monday June 27 the contract ensures that our partner media will continue to broadcast NTD’s programming to the region, and to parts of mainland China.

After two months of negotiations and widespread support from both domestic and international calls, this outcome has been warmly welcomed. NTD Asia Pacific thanked Taiwan’s main and opposition parties for helping secure service with the ST-2 Satellite, which has state protection.

The broadcaster is known for airing news usually censored by the Chinese Communist Party. Even with the contract renewal in hand, the station has appealed for continued support to guarantee its broadcast is free from any signal interference.

Viewers will be notified about how to continue watching NTD Asia Pacific programs, once its signal is transferred to Chunghwa’s ST-2 Satellite in August.

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Coming up on Asia Cast:

- Japan welcomes Taiwanese hospitality,
- New Guinea forests, rivers among world’s richest, and
- Australian ointment could revolutionise snakebite first-aid.

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

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

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NTD-Mauritania’s government has recently signed a 25-year deal with Chinese fishing company Poly Hon Done Pelagic Fishery.

The agreement will let Chinese trawlers fish in Mauritanian waters, but local fishermen, green activists and opposition lawyers say all it will do to the poor African country is cause more harm than help.

In exchange for access to Mauritanian waters, the Chinese regime will provide a $100 million US dollar investment, which will be used to build a processing factory, a training center for Mauritanians and a traditional boat manufacturing site.

Fishing makes up around ten percent of Mauritania’s gross domestic product and up to 50 per cent of its export earnings. Mauritanians fear their own inferior traditional ships will be in no condition to compete with Chinese trawlers for already scarce fish supplies.

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Taiwan’s Tourism Bureau said Tuesday June 28 an initiative to help Japanese victims of the March 11 earthquake get over their trauma has been warmly received by Japan.

The Tourism Bureau said in Tokyo Tuesday June 28 China Airlines and EVA Air have each offered 250 seats to take Japanese quake victims to Taiwan free of charge. And Taiwan’s hospitality industry has offered 500 hotel rooms to go with the flights.

A large number of Japanese officials and executives attended the Tokyo news conference to offer their appreciation for Taiwan’s the in the aftermath of the earthquake. Many of them said the quake has drawn the Japanese and Taiwanese people closer together.

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On a lighter note.

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ET-A new study from the World Wildlife Foundation reports that 1,060 new species have been identified in New Guinea, the world’s largest tropical island. The study also points out these and other species are at risk, particularly due to logging and clearing forests for agriculture.

Some of the more exotic new species include a one-centimetre-long fanged frog, a blind snake, a snub-fin dolphin, a 2.5-meter-long river shark, brightly coloured snails, and an anteater named after British naturalist Sir David Attenborough.

The World Wildlife Foundation said their research shows New Guinea’s forests and rivers are among the richest in the world. The conservation organisation also noted the island’s forests faced serious threats. But said there was some hope as many oil palm producers in New Guinea are aiming for sustainable certification.

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ET-Researchers in Australia have patented a potentially lifesaving topical ointment that can be used as a first aid treatment for some types of snakebite. The team’s findings were published in the journal Nature June 26.

The ointment causes the lymphatic vessels to constrict. According to the researchers it slows the spread of venoms transported via the lymphatic vessels by some 350 per cent. They also said it has no obvious side effects.

A medical toxicologist quoted in Science Magazine said if the treatment panned out it could revolutionize first aid for snakebite in parts of the world where venom causes paralysis.

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