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.

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

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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

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

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

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.

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

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.

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

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

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

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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

On a lighter note.

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

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.

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

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

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

Participants in a march in Washington, DC in July celebrate 100 million withdrawals from the Chinese Communist Party and its affiliated organizations. (Edward Dai/The Epoch Times)

In this bulletin:

- Facing restrictions Chinese journalists blog news instead,
- Movement to quit CCP reaches 100 million participants,
- New Tibetan political head sworn in, and
- Taiwan’s population rapidly ageing.

But first our SOH focus on China.

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

ET-Faced with restrictions on permissible reports, Chinese journalists have turned to Sina.com and other blogs to make important stories known.

In the wake of last month’s high speed rail collision in Wenzhou City, the Chinese Communist Party’s Central Propaganda Department issued a ban on all reporting of the incident by independent media.

The ban seems to have been the catalyst for an unprecedented campaign of defiance in China’s mass media. Over one million pieces of relevant news were posted on Chinese blogs, which helped the world learn the facts of the tragedy.

A blogger wrote that though blogging and the Internet have been blocked by some interest groups and the authorities at will, many still believe that the power of networking is unstoppable, and the power of justice is indestructible.

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

NTD-Residents in the path of tropical storm Muifa were frustrated by the lack of information after high waves brought on by the storm threatened to cause a chemical spill on China’s east coast.

The port city of Dalian in Liaoning province is home to the Fujia Dahua Petrochemical plant. On Monday August 8, 60-foot-high waves breached a dyke protecting the plant.

Fujia Dahua produces paraxylene, a flammable and carcinogenic liquid chemical. Chinese media reports that paraxylene was stored less than 200 feet from the dyke when the breach occurred. This has worried locals, who say authorities aren’t providing details about whether there’s a leak or health risk.

Staff at the plant reportedly stopped a news crew from state-run CCTV entering the plant Tuesday August 9, striking the reporters and their equipment.

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

ET/NTD-A milestone has been reached in China, but not the kind the Chinese Communist Party is celebrating. For the past seven years, a peaceful movement has been steadily growing, a movement that encourages Chinese people to renounce all affiliations with the Communist Party.

Recently, that movement reached the momentous milestone of 100 million participants. Known as Tuidang in Chinese, the movement for Chinese to withdraw from the Party began in late 2004, following the publication of the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party by The Epoch Times.

The Tuidang movement is distinctly Chinese in its world view, very different from the Western-style democracy movement of the 1980s or the more recent Charter 08. While implicitly supporting regime change in China, it does not come with replacement political prescriptions. It is understood by both its activists and participants as a spiritual and ethical awakening rather than a political revolution.

It calls for Chinese to make a psychological separation between China’s future and the Communist Party.

(Disclosure note: The SOH Network has an affiliation with The Epoch Times, publisher of the Nine Commentaries editorial series. Our Chinese language sister media the Sound of Hope Radio Network has broadcast the Nine Commentaries into China via short wave radio. This may have had an impact on the Tuidang movement’s spread.)

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

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

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

ET-A Harvard-trained legal scholar was sworn in Monday August 8 as the new head of the Tibetan government-in-exile. He now takes over all political duties of the Dalai Lama.

Lobsang Sangay took the oath of office at a ceremony presided over by the Dalai Lama in India’s Tsuglagkhang Temple, where the exiled government is based.

The new leader promised the gathering of several thousand Tibetans he will fight against Chinese ‘colonialism’. Sangay made clear the struggle itself, however, was against the hard-line policies of the Chinese regime in Tibet, not against the Chinese people or China as a country.

The Dalai Lama has been slowly shedding his official duties since 2001 when the Tibetan prime minister, or Kalon Tripa, was directly elected for the first time, instead of being appointed by the Dala Lama.

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

According to Taiwan’s Department of Health the country’s population will be officially considered an aged society by 2017.

By this time 14 per cent of Taiwanese will be aged 65 or older. In comparison it’s estimated the US won’t reach the threshold for more than 70 years

The Department of Health went on to say by 2025 Taiwan will become a super-aged society with 20 percent of the population over 65.

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

Coming up on Asia Cast:

- Taiwan researchers develop novel e-paper,
- Australia’s asylum seeker policy under legal spotlight once more, and
- Recycling pays off for Thai artist.

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

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

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

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

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

Nancy Wake, one of the most highly decorated Allied secret agents of World War II, recently died in London aged 98.

Wake was once the Gestapo’s most wanted person, known as ‘The White Mouse’ because she was so elusive. She worked for the French Resistance and later the British government.

While she was born in New Zealand and raised in Australia, Wake was trapped in France when the Nazis invaded in 1940.

Australia’s prime minister said Wake was a truly remarkable individual whose selfless valour and tenacity will never be forgotten.

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

NTD-Scientists at Taiwan’s Industrial Technology Research Institute have developed a new type of rewritable electronic paper that doesn’t require a back light, and therefore electricity, to work.

The researchers said the resolution of their ‘i2R e-Paper’ made it ideal for use in shops and public areas to update signs and posters.

At a recent demonstration, technicians showed off the paper’s printing ability using a thermal printer, the same kind used in fax machines. And with the flip of a switch, the paper can be erased and is ready for reuse.

Another advantage of the i2R e-paper is it can produce blue, red and green colours. An A4-sized piece costs approximately $2 US dollars.

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

Australia’s deportation of a boat-load of asylum seekers to Malaysia has been stopped by the High Court.

The Afghan and Pakistani asylum seekers were picked up in Australian waters. They are the first group to be targeted under a new policy dubbed the ‘Malaysia Solution’.

Lawyers for the group of refugees contended their transfer to Malaysia would be illegal. The High Court found there was a sufficiently serious question over the deportation. It ordered such transfers be halted pending a full hearing later this month.

The immigration minister said authorities expected a legal challenge but believe the injunction will be lifted.

Australia currently has more than 6,000 asylum seekers in detention originating from countries including Iran, Iraq, Vietnam, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan.

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

On a lighter note.

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

NTD-An artist in Thailand is recycling trash to create his very own treasure. From custom built motorcycles to statues of Yoda, Rungroja Saengwongpaisarn, is building works of art using scrap metal from Bangkok’s garbage heaps.

Each day he and his team salvage discarded car parts and household items that are then reused to craft statues, models and even robots.

A one time wood carver, Rungroja began working with metal in 1996 at the request of a patron. Soon enough he fused his passion for conservation with his art and created a distinctive style. Recycling has paid off for the sculptor, whose gallery is filled with works ranging in price from $60 to $40 thousand US dollars.

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

A newborn southern right whale and its mother were recently spotted along the coast of New South Wales, Australia. The state National Parks & Wildlife Service said the calf was the first to be born along the state’s coast since 1998.

The pair were seen near Coffs Harbour in the north of the state. Earlier this year two unusually large southern rights were observed off the coast of Sydney. The National Parks & Wildlife Service said one of those would have been the pregnant female.

The sighting is being taken as a sign whale conservation efforts in the region are working.

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

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

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

Hong Kong - financial hub of Asia-Pacific and the city you're most likely to find new millionaires in. (By Dennis Wong/Flickr)

In this bulletin:

- China’s economic growth not increased happiness,
- Chinese artist Ai Weiwei released by authorities,
- Hong Kong leads surge in Asia-Pacific millionaires, and
- Australian’s touched by Dalai Lama’s words on compassion and kindness.

But first our SOH focus on China.

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

NTD-A letter smuggled out of China has detailed the harassment and beatings suffered by blind Chinese rights activist Chen Guangcheng and his family.

It’s the first contact between the Chen household and the outside world since a video in February documenting the 24-hour surveillance Chen and his family was under.

The letter and video were both received by US-based organization China Aid. On June 15 China Aid received a letter from Chen’s wife that had been smuggled out of China. The letter gives an account of increased persecution the family has been subjected to since the video was released.

China Aid released a YouTube video statement saying they were deeply concerned, adding the treatment of Chen’s family violated Chinese law and also broke the the lowest moral ground of any human being.

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

ET-Satisfaction with life for ordinary Chinese has not grown as fast as the economy over the past 30 years.

The results of a survey on the matter, conducted by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and Capital University of Economics and Business, were published on June 11.

Residents in 30 provincial capital cities in China were asked about their quality of life. A score of 75 and above on the rating scale used indicated basic satisfaction with life . But the average rating given by residents in these cities was just under 50.

According to the business magazine Caijing, about 70,000 households answered questions ranging from the cost of living, the environment, domestic conveniences, and the pace of life.

And you can find out what some residents from the surveyed cities dissatisfied with on the Epoch Times website.

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

ET/NTD-Chinese artist Ai Weiwei was released from prison Wednesday June 22 after mounting international condemnation for his detention.

But he declined to answer questions from journalists, apparently a condition of his bail. According to NTD Television Ai, speaking in English outside his Beijing home, said, I’m sorry I can’t talk I am on probation, please understand.

Ai had been detained on April 3 and later charged with tax evasion. But his supporters say Chinese authorities detained him as part of a larger crackdown on dissidents.

Legal and human rights experts attributed Ai’s release to unrelenting pressure from Ai’s artist connections and pressure from the international community. Amnesty International noted Ai’s sudden release came just ahead of a trip by China’s premier to Europe where Ai has strong professional ties and public support.

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

NTD-Environmentally friendly residents in China’s southwest city of Chongqing are creating mini-farms on their rooftops.

These green-fingered gardeners are growing organic vegetables and fruits like eggplants, peppers, green beans and balsam pears.

One local resident who grows more than ten varieties of vegetables on his rooftop farm said as well as being a source of food the plants also improved the environment.

A local city lawyer said rooftop space is accessible to all interested gardeners as it technically belongs to all property owners in the building. He advised budding gardeners to get permission from at least half of the owners in the building, before starting a rooftop farm.

The lush greenery on rooftops is creating a splash of colour to the industrial landscape of Chongqing City.

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

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

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

A study said Thursday June 23 the number of millionaires in Asia-Pacific has jumped sharply in recent years. The region has overtaken Europe and is now second only to the US in terms of the number of high-net worth individuals.

The report was released by Merrill Lynch Global Wealth Management and consultancy firm Capgemini. It found Asia’s strong growth was led by the number of millionaires in Hong Kong, which grew 33.3 per cent in 2010.

The report said the rocketing number of millionaires in Hong Kong was due to a healthy economy as well as gains in the equities and real estate markets. It also noted the fast growth of Indian millionaires.

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

NTD-The death of a five-year-old boy from from scarlet fever Tuesday June 21 was the second fatal case to be reported in Hong Kong this year.

So far in 2011 more than 450 cases have been reported, nearly double the annual average.

Scientists believe the strain of bacteria that killed the five-year-old boy has mutated and is more resistant to antibiotics. Meaning it’s likely to be more contagious.

A high number of cases have also been reported in southern China with nine thousand infected and in Macau with 49.

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

Coming up on Asia Cast:

- Indian’s protest Chinese dam project,
- Asia prepares to take on Apple’s iPad, and
- Ancient mural surprisingly cool.

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

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

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

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

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

NTD-Members of the protest group Jan Chetna Manch gathered Sunday June 19 in India’s northern city of Allahabad. They’re protesting a Chinese dam project they say could harm their region.

Chinese officials have said they plan to build a hydroelectric power plant and dam up the Tsang-Po River, which is known as the Brahmaputra River in India. The river starts in Tibet, and flows down into India and Bangladesh.

Opponents of the plan are concerned about the environmental impact the dam will have on agriculture and drinking water downstream.

There are also worries the power to control the flow of water into India and Bangladesh would give the Chinese regime a political lever

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

Analysts say Asia is emerging as a major battleground in the tablet war as companies from China, South Korea and Taiwan challenge the dominance of Apple’s iPad on features and price.

A key factor in this alternatives to the iPad are available from global brands like South Korea’s Samsung and Taiwan’s HTC, as well as cheaper choices from dozens of smaller firms, many of them from China.

With predictions that Asia will account for up to about a third of tablet sales by 2015, the race for market share is truly on.

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

On a lighter note.

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

ET-Dating from 147 A.D, Guangsheng Temple near Huoshan Mountain in China’s Shanxi province is renowned for its 13 story Flying Rainbow Pagoda and its Yuan Dynasty murals. Chine’s state-run news agency said a researcher had now found evidence of refrigeration being used to preserve food.

A 670 year-old mural in the temple depicts a splendid mansion and the life within. Drawn on the palace hall’s northern wall illustrate the pleasurable life enjoyed in that era. What is surprising is that under a desk there was a wooden dipper containing fruits, with small cubes of ice placed between the edible delicacies.

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

NTD-Thousands recently flocked to the Chenrezig Institute on Australia’s Sunshine Coast to hear the Dalai Lama’s talk about everyday kindness and developing compassion.

The traditional owners of the land welcomed His Holiness to the country. Many came seeking guidance on how to cope with the conflicts in the world and stresses facing humanity today.

Although the Dalai Lama’s visit to the institute was brief, his simple words of wisdom and uplifting laughter will live on in the hearts of many.

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

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

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

Three Gorges Dam infographic. (Created by GDS Inforgraphics for Infrastructure MENA)

In this bulletin:

- No justice for China’s toxic-milk victims,
- Three Gorges Dam should be dismantled,
- Talks stall on independent Taiwanese TV broadcaster, and
- Retirees volunteer for Japan nuclear clean-up.

But first our SOH focus on China.

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

Following the recent revelation of a secret compensation fund set up after the 2008 melamine tainted milk scandal, SOH spoke to some victims’ families.

Under the regime’s guidance, China’s dairy industry association established a medical compensation fund managed by China Life Insurance Company. But this fund was deemed a state secret.

The parent of one victim told SOH they got to know a lot of families whose children developed kidney stones from the toxic milk. They said none of them had heard about this multi-million dollar compensation fund.

Several parents of affected children told our Chinese reporters all the authorities had offered them was 2000 yuan, about $300 US dollars. And only then if they agreed to waive their right to sue those responsible.

SOH also learned that children with small kidney stones were being given the all clear to keep the number of victims as low as possible.

Reported by Qin Yue and Yu Ming for Sound of Hope Radio.

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

ET-According to a hydrology expert quoted by the Epoch Times, China’s Three Gorges Dam is a huge failure and should be dismantled.

The massive 17-year project on the Yangtze River displaced at least 1.4 million people. It was intended to control and harness China’s mightiest river.

But since the dam’s completion in 2006, nature has not cooperated. A local official said drought and every kind of disaster have descended upon the region. The dam project has also become a financial sink hole, requiring hundreds of billions yuan in ongoing damage control.

At present, many discussions critical of the Three Gorges Dam are surfacing in Chinese media and on websites.

The Epoch Times website has a detailed analysis of how the dam project has failed its original aims including flood control and drought relief.

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

NTD-Authorities in China’s Inner Mongolia have taken swift actions to stop the largest demonstrations in the region in twenty years.

Calls recently circulated online for a major demonstration in the region’s capital Hohhot for Monday May 30

But military police poured into the region, students were forced to remain on campus and the local Internet service was disrupted.

The unrest was sparked by the deaths of two Mongol herders earlier this month. In separate incidents, they were killed while protesting against local coal mining activities that have disrupted their traditional lifestyles.

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

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

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

ET/NTD-Taiwan’s premier appeared to give a green light to an independent TV station to continue broadcasting into Asia, including mainland China, but talks have stalled.

The SOH Network’s media partner in Taiwan, NTD AP Television, is calling on the Taiwan government to fulfil its commitment to freedom of the press.

NTD AP has been in talks over a satellite contract renewal with the partially state-owned Chunghwa Telecom. And Taiwan’s premier ordered Chunghwa to continue hosting NTD’s signal when the current contract expires in August.

But Chunghwa hasn’t taken concrete action to move NTD to its new satellite. Many suspect the Chinese regime is pressuring Chunghwa to stop servicing NTD’s signal, because it provides uncensored news and information.

NTD AP says having its signal on a third-party satellite would be undesirable. It fears that without the protection of being on the new Chunghwa-owned satellite, its broadcast would be at risk of getting blocked by the Chinese regime.

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

Coming up on Asia Cast:

- South Korea responds to North’s severance announcement,
- Anti-corruption body investigates Southeast Asian Games, and
- Ancient Chinese village reveals early Yunnan culture.

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

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

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

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

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

South Korea said Tuesday June 31 it was disappointed with North Korea for announcing it would never deal with its neighbour.

North Korea accused Seoul Monday May 30 of using psychological warfare and said it would never deal with the South Korean president.

The North stated its intent to launch an all out offensive against South Korea after human rights groups and some politicians sent anti-Pyongyang across the border in balloons.

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

Indonesia’s sports minister was grilled by the country’s anti-graft body Tuesday May 31. The Corruption Eradication Commission is looking into alleged corruption in awarding the contract to build the athletes’ village for the Southeast Asian Games in November.

The sports minister faced a three hour grilling after the Corruption Eradication Commission called him for questioning as a witness.

Three people have been arrested over the project deal, which is estimated to cost over $2 million US dollars.

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

NTD-The Australian live cattle export industry is in turmoil after graphic footage of animal cruelty in Indonesian abattoirs has been released. The footage shows cattle suffering inhumane torture before being slaughtered.

The RSPCA along with Animals Australia released the footage, saying the Live Export Industry was aware of the abuses, but did not act when they were exposed.

Indonesia has about 100 abattoirs where Australian cattle are sent for slaughter. Since the release of the footage, over 100 thousand Australians have registered their disgust on animal rights websites.

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

ET-A group of retired engineers and professionals, in their 60s, are volunteering to work on addressing the nuclear crisis facing Japan. They say that the burden of addressing the nuclear crisis should rest on the shoulders of the older workers, not the younger ones.

Yasutera Yamada, a 72 year-old retired engineer, has called upon fellow retired professionals to step forward and help tackle Japan’s nuclear crisis.

In an interview with the BBC Yamada said even if he was exposed to radiation, cancer could take 20 or 30 years, or longer, to develop.

He said he now had almost 200 people from crane operators to cooks wanted to sign up.

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

On a lighter note.

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

NTD-Researchers in southwest China have discovered ruins of a large village that dates back four-and-a-half thousand years.

The ancient village, located in Chengjiang County, Yunnan province was first discovered in 2009. The initial stage of excavations started last November.

The site occupies two-and-a-half acres and contains the ruins of 20 houses. Where buildings once stood, archaeologists found household items made of pottery, bronze, stone, and copper.

The Yunnan Archaeology Research Institution said the excavation filled a gap in their knowledge of ancient Yunnan culture.

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

The expectedly short life of a life-size polar bear ice sculpture began in Sydney, Australia Friday June 3.

Three ice sculptors were set to spend six hours carving the four-metre long and two metre high bear out of a block of ice which has a bronze skeleton frozen inside. They will then leave it to melt.

The message behind the project is that there will always be an Arctic, but it will be a very different place with global warming.

Previous ice bears have lasted two weeks, Sydney’s version is expected to melt within four to five days.

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

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

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

Monks in Central Java, Indonesia praying before Vessak Day 2010. (By Hermitiana P Putra/Flickr)

In this bulletin:

- Truth of Sichuan Earthquake reconstruction revealed,
- China’s secret toxic milk compensation fund,
- Taiwan’s politicians ignoring China investors plight, and
- Buddhists celebrate Vesak Day.

But first our SOH focus on China.

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

ET-On the third anniversary of the deadly May 12, 2008 earthquake hundreds of thousands of people returned to the ruins of their former homes in Beichuan, Sichuan Province, to mourn the loss of their loved ones.

While still struggling with the disaster trauma, survivors said the government’s meagre aid and the suppression of rights activists have made things worse for them. And contrary to official reports, many survivors have not yet been housed.

The Sichuan Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources said rebuilding projects over the past three years had actually increased the economic and living burden of earthquake victims. The Bureau’s Chief Engineer said only a little of the disaster relief funds were distributed to survivors forcing them to use savings and loans to cover reconstruction costs.

The urbanised settlements built to replace the rural villages destroyed in the disaster have also forced farmers to abandon their traditional way of life. The Bureau added poorly planned industrial projects posed a significant pollution risk.

Reported by Tang Yin and Hui Hong for Sound of Hope Radio.

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

NTD- According to Shanghai-based Oriental Outlook Magazine, a multi-million dollar compensation fund for babies sickened by melamine-tainted milk three years ago has been kept secret.

Now activists and parents struggling to pay for their children’s treatment want answers.

The 2008 milk scandal killed at least six babies and left 300-thousand more with kidney diseases. That same year, the Chinese Dairy Association pooled a substantial compensation fund. But victims’ families say they had never heard of the fund until now.

The fund operators told Oriental Outlook that operation details were a ‘state secret.’ One official reportedly told the magazine the media should not report on the fund.

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

NTD-Farmers growing watermelons in China are counting their losses after their watermelon crops began exploding on the ground.

Some farmers say their watermelons started exploding after being sprayed with a chemical intended to make the melons grow bigger and taste sweeter.

Even those with crops that seem fine are having difficulty selling them, because fruit markets fear they could explode later.

This is the latest case of Chinese food producers trying to artificially boost the value of their products. Some netizens say they’re glad the watermelons exploded on the farms because now the chemicals won’t reach their mouths.

The Chinese regime has allowed wider media coverage of food scandals recently. It comes after growing public anger over a series of toxic or dangerous foods that have made their way to consumers.

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

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

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

ET-According to investors and researchers, Taiwanese businessmen are routinely abused, have their investments stolen, and are afforded few legal protections when doing business in mainland China.

They say the situation has remained unchanged for over a decade, with little political will on the Taiwanese side to rock the boat.

A Cross-Strait Trade and Cultural Forum held in Chengdu, Sichuan Province May 8 heard data from the Straits Exchange Foundation stating that among Taiwanese investors in mainland China, 104 were killed, 404 went missing, and 789 were robbed or kidnapped.

The Epoch Times website details the plight of some of these investors.

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

Coming up on Asia Cast:

- Burma’s amnesty excludes political prisoners ,
- Indonesia passes logging moratorium, and
- Protests and politics in Thailand.

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

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

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

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

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

NTD-Burma’s new regime began freeing about 14,000 prisoners and commuting thousands more sentences Tuesday May 17.But critics have dismissed the amnesty as a token aimed at improving its international image.

Activists say very few of those released from prisons across the country were political prisoners, the vast majority were common criminals.

The large number of political detentions has been central to the imposition of economic sanctions on Burma’s rulers since a bloody crackdown on pro-democracy protests in 1988.

The US Campaign for Burma says the failure to release political detainees shows the regime is not about to introduce democratic reforms.

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

Indonesia Thursday passed a two-year moratorium on new logging concessions. The decree was part of a billion-dollar climate deal with Norway.

The massive archipelago contains some of the last tracts of pristine jungle anywhere in the world. Indonesia is also often cited as the world’s third biggest emitter of greenhouse gases, mainly as a result of clearing forests for pulp or to make way for oil palm plantations.

The details of the moratorium remain unclear, but environmentalists say it needs to apply to all forests, natural and degraded, if it is to have any impact on Indonesia’s greenhouse gas emissions.

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

NTD-Thai political party members Thursday May 19 registered to run in the country’s upcoming general election. July’s election is expected to be a hotly contested event between the Puea Thai Party and the current ruling Democrat Party.

Thousands of red-shirted opposition supporters gathered in Bangkok also on Thursday May 19 to mark the anniversary of a bloody confrontation with the military.

Neither Puea Thai nor the Democrats are likely to win a majority, meaning an alliance with smaller parties will most likely be required.

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

On a lighter note.

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

NTD-Thousands of Buddhists in Thailand gathered in Pathumthani Province to celebrate Vesak Day Tuesday May 17.

It’s a traditional holiday for Buddhist countries. Vesak is the day that the founder of Buddhism was born.

Around 10,000 Buddhist monks prayed at Dhammakaya temple. Buddhists also offer alms and pay homage to Buddha, as well as meditate, believing it will bring them peace and happiness in life.

Vesak Day is also celebrated in other countries like Singapore, Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia, Burma and Laos.

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

NTD-Spurred by childhood nostalgia and a love for old-world charm, a small team of technicians in India have painstakingly restored eight steam locomotives.

The renovation was not without it challenges. Chief among them being obtaining spare parts and the knowledge required to breath fire back into steam trains dating back to 1853.

The group not only want to restore the engines to their former glory, but also preserve the skills and knowledge required to keep them on the rails. Looking to the future, the Indian Steam Railway Society has earmarked 53 routes for heritage train journeys in India.

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

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

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

Artists protest during a march to demand the release of detained prominent Chinese artist Ai Weiwei in Hong Kong on April 23. Armed with banners, posters, masks and various musical instruments, over 1,000 protesters walked across the city's down town district of Tsim Sha Tsui. Ai Weiwei remains missing after being intercepted by government officials in Beijing April 3. (Pan Zaishu/The Epoch Times)

In this bulletin:

- Beijing’s lawyer crackdown continues,
- Chinese consumers latest food safety worries,
- Hong Kong rally for Ai Weiwei, and
- Japan marks 25^th Chernobyl anniversary.

But first our SOH focus on China.

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

A well known Beijing lawyer has been charged with obstructing a witness for a second time just weeks before he was due to be released from an 18 month sentence handed down on the same charge.

Li Zhuang’s case has caught the attention of many other Chinese lawyers and legal scholars. A noted lawyer from Hebei Province, Yang Jinzhu attempted to attend the trial but was refused despite the only requirement to attend a hearing being a valid ID card.

Another lawyer told SOH Chinese reporters Yang was besieged by more than 40 people in what was clearly a pre-arranged attack as he got off his flight in Chongqing City.

The bailiffs that should have protected Yang stood aside after plain clothes security personnel spoke to them leaving Yang trapped for 10 minutes.

Reporting by Yan Ning and special correspondent Chang Chun for the Sound of Hope Radio Network.

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

NTD-Food safety remains a major issue in China, as authorities find more toxic milk powder in the country’s south. This time, 26 tons of melamine-tainted milk powder was seized from the warehouse of an ice cream maker.

Infant formula containing melamine, a chemical used to make plastic, killed at least six babies in 2008. The chemical is used to boost apparent nutritional content of watered-down milk

Authorities have vowed to step up regulations and inspections. But, products like drug-tainted pork and old bread treated with dye have left consumers anxious about the foods they eat.

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

ET-Several weeks after the disappearance of Ai Weiwei, people around the world are speaking out on his behalf. In Hong Kong thousands staged a protest march demanding the immediate release of the world-acclaimed Chinese artist and rights activist.

Many people showed up in creative costumes and masks and brought along expressive artwork, posters and banners, as well as gongs and drums. Banners displayed slogans asking for freedom of artistic expression and human rights.

Hong Kong event organizers, a coalition of artists, said about 2,500 participated in the April 23 march.

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

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

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

ET-According to an Epoch Times report, the social and environmental damage caused by unaccountable Chinese state-run companies had created a massive and deepening hatred within Burmese society.

Human Rights Watch said that China’s energy policies in Burma undoubtedly contribute to human rights abuses.

In recent years a large influx of cashed-up entrepreneurs have crossed to northern Burma from China’s southern Yunnan Province. Burmese in exile media sites are documenting China’s expanding economic footprint and political influence upon the country.

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

ET/NTD- As part of the 25th anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster protesters in Japan held candles outside Tokyo Electric Power Company’s headquarters Tuesday April 26.

A few weeks into the Fukushima nuclear crisis that started over six weeks ago now, Japan’s prime minister said the island nation needs to revise its energy generation plan.

The plan, presented last June, originally aimed for nuclear power to supply 50 per cent of the nation’s energy needs by 2030, up from 29 per cent in 2009. There is now the possibly that at least some of planned nuclear plants will be replaced with with expensive solar panels.

Even though the anti-nuclear movement is growing in Japan and around the world in the wake of the world’s biggest nuclear crisis since Chernobyl, analysts say that solar power is still too expensive to flourish in the market without subsidies.

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

Coming up on Asia Cast:

- Cambodia, Thailand truce soon broken,
- Tibetans elect new political leader, and
- Southeast Asian Games mascot launched.

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

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

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

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

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

Taiwan said Tuesday April 26 it’s aiming to more than triple the country’s capacity for generating electricity from renewable sources by 2030. The announcement comes amid increasing public concerns over nuclear safety.

The government said it’s aim was to increase the percentage of renewable energy in it’s overall power-generating capacity from 6 percent to 19 or 20 per cent by 2030.

But nuclear power still remains an option as it’s viewed as an energy source that can reduce Taiwan’s carbon footprint.

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

After a brief ceasefire between Cambodia and Thailand broke down, Cambodia Friday April 29 requested the World Court clarify a 1962 ruling on an ancient temple.

It was hoped the ceasefire reached Thursday April 28 after a week of clashes would end the deadliest border dispute Southeast Asia has seen for years. These hopes suffered a blow when fighting resumed.

The current clashes have mainly been centred around two temple complexes some 150 kilometres west of the ancient Preah Vihear temple site.

Each side blamed the other for starting the conflict, which threatened to disrupt elections in Thailand, and raised doubts about Southeast Asia’s ambitions to form an EU style community by 2015.

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

NTD-Tibetan exiles living in India elected a Harvard law scholar as their political leader Wednesday April 27. The new leader is likely to bring in a more radical government-in-exile to challenge China.

The new Prime Minister, 42-year old Lobsang Sangay, received 55 per cent of the total electorate, beating two other secular candidates. The handover of power will give the prime minister’s role greater clout as the region seeks autonomy from China.

Last month the Dalai Lama said he would relinquish the four-century old tradition of power in favour of a leader elected by Tibetan’s themselves. He remains Tibet’s spiritual leader.

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

NTD-New Zealand’s defense minister met his South Korean counterpart in Seoul Tuesday April 26 to boost bilateral military relations.

The minister arrived in South Korea Saturday April 23to attend a memorial service for the soldiers of the British Commonwealth of Nations during the Korean War and to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Imjin River and Gapyeong battles.

About 95-thousand soldiers from the U.K., Australia, Canada and New Zealand were engaged in the 1950-53 Korean War, leaving 7,500 dead, injured or missing.

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

On a lighter note.

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

NTD-The mascot for the 2011 Southeast Asia Games was launched at the Beautiful Miniature Park of Indonesia in Jakarta Monday April 25 amid a night of singing and dancing.

The mascot for Southeast Asia’s biggest sporting event was revealed when a Komodo dragon doll walked slowly toward centre stage in the middle of the show.

The Komodo dragon mascot named “Modo” for male and “Modi” for female, is an animal native to Indonesia. The Komodo dragon is also the largest lizard in the world.

The Games will be held from November 11 to 25 in Jakarta and Palembang. The event features 43 sports and will be attended by athletes from 11 countries across the region.

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

Blooming straight after the better known cherry blossoms, Tokyo’s azeleas bring another splash of colour to springtime in the city.

With the Japanese being urged to restrain themselves from the normal festivities during the cherry blossom festival, the azalea festival brings an array of colour to sooth weary hearts.

Bunkyo Tsutsuji Matsuri is the famous Tokyo azalea festival at Nezu Shrine in Bunkyo-ku. From April 9 to May 5 visitors can enjoy the shrine’s vast peaceful garden complex which is planted with around 3,000 trees of some 50 different types of azalea.

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

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

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

Cinderella Castle at Tokyo Disneyland. The theme park re-opend this week due to popular request. (By vita/Flickr)

In this bulletin:

- China’s shady medical blackmarkets,
- Vietnamese still held over China shortwave broadcast,
- Petitioners rebut claims China improving human rights, and
- Australian children’s surprising second language.

But first our SOH focus on China.

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

An SOH Chinese reporter recently looked into the shady world of China’s illegal trade in kidneys for transplant operations.

Following up on a story about a young man from Hunan Province selling a kidney to pay-off gambling debts the reporter found numerous websites offering transplant organs.

Organ dealers openly operate online sales and advertising and maintain good relationships with hospitals. Due to their cultural beliefs, few Chinese are willing to donate a kidney if a relative needs a transplant. But one dealer said since many people had financial difficulties there was an abundant supply of kidneys.

The organ dealers our reporter spoke to said a donor received around $6,000 US dollars while the recipient would have to pay ten times that amount.

Interviewed and reported by Tang Li with special correspondent Xiong Bin for Sound of Hope Radio.

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

According to a survey by Chinese media the shortage of blood donors in China has created a black market in blood stocks ruled over by so called blood lords. Their rampant profiteering is spreading AIDS among China’s poorest.

The lack of blood supplies in Beijing and other populous cities has been a problem for some time. The introduction of reportedly arbitrary donation quotas on local authorities to meet the demand for blood was quickly exploited.

The blood lords took advantage of the fact some village committees were willing to buy blood to meet their donation quotas. They organised college students, migrant workers and even farmers in Hebei Province to sell blood, making a huge profit from it in the process.

One villager who spoke to SOH Chinese reporters said a lot of villagers from his home town had been infected with AIDS from selling their blood. But he said many were still doing it because the are so poor and in urgent need of money.

Reported by He Wen with special correspondent Xiong Bin for Sound of Hope Radio.

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

China’s netizens have widely criticised the grand mausoleum built for the former Chairman of the Chinese Communist Party’s Central Committee after photographs of it appeared online.

The tomb of Hua Guofeng has been likened to the royal mausoleums of China’s ancient emperors. It took 3 years and around fifteen of million US dollars to build.

Internet users from mainland, China said the tomb was another vanity project, and the officials involved would have been able to garner huge construction commission fees for awarding contracts.

Reported by Tang Li with special correspondent Xiong Bin for Sound of Hope Radio.

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

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

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

ET-There is still no news on when or if the postponed trial of two Vietnamese arrested for broadcasting programmes from the Chinese version of the SOH Network into China.

Both men are Falun Gong practitioners and were broadcasting programming about Falun Gong and its persecution inside China. They were arrested in June 2010 for making their shortwave broadcast from outside Hanoi into China.

The official indictment, obtained by The Epoch Times newspaper, indicates that the two were arrested at the urging of the Chinese regime.

The plight of the men has been championed by media watchdog and human rights groups, with Reporters Without Borders and the Falun Dafa Information Center publishing articles about their case. In addition, media around the world have begun to cover the case, with stories by Associated Press, AFP, and Radio Australia.

Vietnam, in prosecuting the two of them, is caught between the conflicting demands of a Chinese regime that has sought to eradicate the practice of Falun Gong and an international community concerned about possible violations of freedom of the press and freedom of conscience.

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

Coming up on Asia Cast:

- Australia creates artificial reef despite protests and inquisitive dolphins,
- Taiwan reviews nuclear reactor safety, and
- Tokyo Disneyland gives thousands a reason to smile..

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

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

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

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

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

NTD-The US State Department recently published its annual global human rights report. It accuses the Chinese regime of increasing pressure on activists and using illegal means to target dissidents.

On Saturday April 9, the regime’s Foreign Ministry dismissed those claims, arguing the regime attaches importance to protecting human rights and is continually improving its democracy and law systems.

Petitioners in China say this is just not the case with one petitioner being locked up for a month after complaining about corruption to his friend on the street.

Western governments and rights groups have expressed concern in recent weeks, after the Chinese regime intensified its crackdown on dissent.

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

NTD-Plans to sink a decommissioned warship off the Australian coast of New South Wales Wednesday April 13 were delayed for more than one hour due to a pod of curious dolphins.

The dolphins were spotted inside the exclusion zone, established around the HMAS Adelaide five minutes before the decommissioned vessel was due to be sent to the bottom of the Tasman Sea.

Previously environmental protesters had delayed the scuttling of the Adelaide after a partial victory in the Federal Court forced the government to clean toxins from the boat before its sinking..

The ship was scuttled in order to create an artificial reef which is expected to draw diving tourists to the region.

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

Taiwan said Wednesday April 13 it was getting ready to upgrade the earthquake-resistant designs of its nuclear power plants in the wake of the nuclear crisis in Japan

The economic minister said Taiwan’s three state-run nuclear power plants were safe but the government was ready to enhance their safety.

Concerns about Taiwan’s atomic plants have increased since Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant was crippled by a magnitude 9.0 earthquake and ensuing tsunami on March 11.

Around 2,000 anti-nuclear protesters took to Taipei’s streets in March and campaigners plan to mobilise tens of thousands of demonstrators at a rally on April 30.

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

On a lighter note.

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

A recent study of school children has confirmed Australia’s status as one of the most culturally and linguistically diverse countries in the world.

The latest Australia Early Development Index study measured the health and development of more than 260,000 children in their first year of school.

It found that 18 per cent spoke a language other than English. Surprisingly Arabic was found to be the most commonly spoken language after English.

Vietnamese was the second-most prevalent, at just under eight-and a half per cent, followed by Greek, Chinese dialects and Hindi, each spoken by less than five per cent.

Aboriginal children comprised just under five per cent of the student population with one-fifth of them speak a native language in the home..

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

Tokyo Disneyland re-opened its doors Friday April 15, five weeks after Japan was rocked by a magnitude 9.0 earthquake, ensuing tsunami and nuclear disaster.

Mickey Mouse was on hand to welcome and put a smile on the faces of many of the thousands seeking some relief. To celebrate its reopening the park put on a colourful musical parade of floats featuring Disney characters.

Tokyo Disney said they were prompted by many to reopen early, to create an environment to cheer people up. The 10,000 visitors who queued up outside the theme park indicates a little laughter remains a popular tonic to life’s woes.

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

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

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

Cherry blossom along Taiwan's Alishan forest railway. (Courtesy of the Taiwan Forestry Bureau)

In this bulletin:

- Petitioners targeted around regime’s latest sensitive day,
- Chinese regime pressures Vietnam over SOH broadcast, and
- Cherry blossom draws Taiwan crowds.

But first our SOH focus on China.

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

According to the latest announcements from China’s Ministry of Environmental Protection, low levels of radiation from Japan’s Fukushima nuclear plant have been detected in 25 Chinese provinces.

The Ministry told state-media the levels detected at monitoring stations in the 25 provinces would not have any impact on the environment or public health, and no precautionary or protective measures were required.

Residents who spoke to SOH said they had little confidence in what they were being told since the authorities seldom told the truth, but they currently had no other source of information.

Interviewed and reported by Tian Xi for Sound of Hope Radio.

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

Shanghai authorities have increased their suppression of petitioners in order to prevent them appealing in Beijing during the Qingming Festival or Tomb Sweeping Day.

Large numbers of armed police were mobilised ahead of the festival which mourns ones dead ancestors and usually falls around April 5.

Two petitioners told our Chinese reporters they had been illegally detained three times, most recently in a black jail. They were appealing against being fired from their jobs after exposing corruption at their Shanghai company in 2006.

Other petitioners told SOH they had also been targeted by the authorities and detained around so called sensitive days like Tomb Sweeping Day.

Interviewed and reported by Fu Ming and Yi Fang for Sound of Hope Radio.

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

And now a special update on Chinese interference with the broadcast of SOH Chinese programming in the Asia Pacific region.

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

Two Vietnamese men were due to go on trial in Hanoi Friday April 8 because the Chinese Communist Party objected to them broadcasting Sound of Hope Radio’s programming into China. The SOH Network is the English branch of Sound of Hope Radio.

Since its inception in 2003 Sound of Hope Radio has counteracted the Communist Party’s efforts to control information in China. It uses shortwave broadcasts to deliver news directly to the Chinese people about China’s politics, economy, culture, and environment. This programming is often critical of the Chinese regime, especially it’s persecution of ethnic and cultural groups such as Falun Gong, Tibetans and Uighurs. Sound of Hope Radio also allows anyone to download their programmes.

The two Vietnamese men, who have been held for several months, are members of the Falun Gong spiritual group which is banned in China. They used their broadcasts to inform the Chinese people of the regime’s twelve-year-long persecution of Falun Gong.

Vietnamese Falun Gong practitioners see these arrests as the most dramatic instance of a campaign inspired by the Chinese regime to suppress Falun Gong in Vietnam.

The men were initially accused of operating broadcasting devices without a permit, an administrative charge. This was later upgraded to a criminal charge. Their trial was postponed following international action by supporters and pressure from organisations such as journalists rights group Reporters Without Borders.

The Epoch Times newspaper, a media partner of the SOH Network, obtained a copy of the indictment against the men. It makes clear the Vietnamese government arrested the men in response to pressure from Beijing, applied through a March 5, 2010, diplomatic memo sent by the Chinese Embassy to the Vietnam Ministry of Investigation and Security.

Reporters Without Borders says it is worried by this latest evidence of Chinese influence over its Asian neighbours in matters concerning media freedom. The organisation is urging the Vietnamese government to give the men a fair trial regardless of pressure from China.

On March 23 Reporters Without Borders condemned the arrest of the manager of Radio Era Baru, an Indonesian radio station broadcasting Sound of Hope Radio’s programming to Indonesia’s Chinese population. The arrest was again the result of Chinese pressure on a foreign government. He is facing a possible six-year jail sentence under Indonesia’s Telecommunications Law.

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

Coming up on Asia Cast:

- India bans all Japanese food imports,
- Nepalese police calming measures, and
- Australian sniffer dog receives bravery award.

**********************
“You’re listening to Asia Cast on the SOH Network”
**********************
Back with the rest of today’s Asia Cast I’m Rich Crankshaw
**********************

Japan was rocked by a another powerful earthquake Thursday April 7. The quake caused workers to evacuate the stricken Fukushima Daiichi atomic plant. Though not as strong as last month’s magnitude 9.0 quake, tsunami warnings and advisories were issued though they were lifted some 90 minutes later.

Japan recently imposed a legal limit for radioactive iodine in fish. Fishermen have been outraged over the decision to dump radioactive water from the Fukushima Daiichi power plant into the Pacific Ocean. Japan’s fishing industry issued a statement Wednesday April 6 demanding compensation.

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

Thailand said Monday April 4 51 people were known to have died in the flash floods that swept through the south of the country.

The Thai disaster prevention agency said the flooding has affected more than 2 million people in 10 provinces. The floods struck during an unseasonably wet March, usually one of the hottest months.

The economic cost of the floods is unknown, but Thailand said it would ask for $146 million US dollars for rehabilitation efforts.

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

Traffic police in Nepal’s busy capital Kathmandu are getting lessons from Nepalese film and TV stars on being polite and staying calm when facing the city’s traffic chaos.

Many Nepalis complain that traffic police are rude. But those on traffic patrol face trying conditions as many Nepalis drive without proper training, ignoring lanes, road signs and road rules.

The city’s 800 traffic police patrol every major junction, as traffic lights do not function properly because of frequent power cuts. The training is part of a course designed to help police manage drivers.

**********************
On a lighter note.
**********************

Australia’s highest animal bravery award has been awarded to a sniffer dog found after having gone missing in Afghanistan for 13 months.

Sarbi, a black Labrador retriever, had been detecting roadside bombs with the Australian Special Forces. She went missing after a Taliban ambush left her handler and eight others wounded.

Several attempts were made to find her before she was finally declared missing in action. More than a year later Sabri was found and in 2009 flown back to Australia. She recently became only the second animal to receive the Purple Cross.

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

Large numbers of visitors in Taiwan took advantage of the long weekend around Tomb Sweeping Day to enjoy the cherry blossoms in the country’s Alishan National Scenic Area.

This year’s cherry blossom season began March 15, and will end sometime in April. Due to a cold spring however, other flowers on the mountain are expected to bloom through May or June.

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

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

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

A pair of Bengal tigers in India where a recent survey found tiger numbers had increased slightly. (By treeday77/Flickr)

In this bulletin:

- Beijing jails veteran activist once more,
- Tibet rues 52 years under Chinese rule,
- Fukushima evacuees fear they’ll never return home, and
- India’s tiger population grows.

But first our SOH focus on China.

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

NTD-The Chinese regime was heavily criticised after sentencing veteran democracy advocate Liu Xianbin to a lengthy jail term Friday March 25 for so called inciting subversion.

A court in central Sichuan province sentenced Liu to ten years in prison for writing articles calling for human rights and democracy. His wife who was at the trial told our Chinese reporters the court prevented Liu and his attorney from defending against the charges.

Democracy activists in Sichuan said the authorities tightened security ahead of the trial to prevent supporters of Xianbin Liu attending the trial. Many activists in the province were placed under house arrest, while others who tried to attend the trial were sent back to their local cities as soon as they arrived.

Interviewed and reported by Fuming and Aixin for Sound of Hope Radio.

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

World TB Day falls on March 24 each year. This year’s campaign recognised individuals around the world who have found new ways to stop tuberculosis.

Unfortunately in China the disease is not being effectively controlled or treated. The ministry of health has released figures showing over 500 million people in China, 45 per cent of the population, are carrying the TB bacterium. Of those, some five million have the active disease.

One problem is China’s low detection rate, epidemics are also not being tracked. Family members of TB patients told SOH the free treatments some local governments supposedly offer is a lie. According to the ministry of health almost 20 per cent of TB patients cannot afford medical treatment.

Reported for by Sound of Hope Radio by Ning Yan, interviews and extra reporting by special correspondent Bin Xiong.

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

NTD-Chinese authorities executed three Filipinos on drug trafficking charges Wednesday March 30. It came despite a flurry of public appeals for clemency in the Philippines, and just days after Amnesty International slammed Beijing’s sweeping use of the death penalty.

The three were convicted of smuggling several kilos of heroin each into China in 2008.

The Philippine Vice President had sent an appeal to Beijing Tuesday March 29, asking to keep the Filipinos alive while The Philippines investigated new evidence aimed at proving the innocence of at least one or two of them.

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

NTD-Chinese state media recently reported Monday March 28 as Serfs’ Emancipation Day for Tibet. The date marked the 52nd anniversary of what the Chinese Communist Party calls its liberation of Tibet in 1959.

Many Tibetans, however, use the term communist takeover, saying 1959 marked the beginning of the Party’s suppression of their way of life.

The Senator of the Tibetan Government-in-Exile said the regime claims it’s done a lot of good things, but it’s all lies. Adding, under the rule of the Chinese Communist Party, Tibet became a giant prison in which over one million Tibetans have died from mistreatment.

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

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

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

NTD-Weeks after a huge earthquake and tsunami triggered the world’s worst nuclear crisis since 1986, prospects for a speedy resolution at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant look more distant by the day.

Many evacuees are worried they will never be able to return home. More than 70-thousand people have been evacuated from a 20-kilometre exclusion zone around the plant. Another 130-thousand, who live in a 10-kilometre band beyond the exclusion zone, have been advised to either leave or stay indoors.

UN nuclear monitors advised Japan to consider widening the exclusion zone after unsafe levels of radiation were recorded in a village 40-kilometres north-west of the nuclear plant. The US and UK earlier advised their citizens in Japan to keep at least 80-kilometres from the plant.

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

And with the continuing nuclear crisis in Japan, Taiwan and China have shown signs they may cooperate on promoting atomic energy safety.

Taiwanese media said the issue would be one of the major topics on the agenda of this year’s forum between the ruling parties on both sides.

Local media reported Wednesday March 30 Taiwan had not ruled out the possibility of commissioning China to help with nuclear waste disposal. While on the same day Beijing said professional nuclear energy agencies on both sides of the Taiwan Strait have maintained contact on technological issues.

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

Coming up on Asia Cast:

- Asia-Pacific tackles people smuggling and refugee issue,
- Taiwan concerned over children’s mass media consumption, and
- The sweet taste of cricket.

**********************
“You’re listening to Asia Cast on the SOH Network”
**********************
Back with the rest of today’s Asia Cast I’m Rich Crankshaw
**********************

The Asia-Pacific has moved a step closer to a consistent and coordinated regional approach to people smuggling and asylum seekers.

A regional processing centre is also still a possibility after ministers met in Indonesia Wednesday March 30.

A non-binding framework to tackle smuggling networks and humanely process the large numbers of irregular migrants moving through the region was agreed and signed at the meeting.

Asia is a transit region for refugees and other undocumented migrants seeking to escape hardship in countries such as Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Iran, Iraq and Sri Lanka.

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

Taiwan said Thursday March 31 it wants to create a more child-friendly media environment.

The country’s telecoms regulator said as young people show an increasing dependence on the mass media it will push for legislation to ensure the quality and quantity of children’s programs.

At present 95 per cent of children’s programming on Taiwan’s commercial TV networks is cartoons, some of which the regulator did not think were appropriate. It said a more detailed rating system for parents to refer to was also needed.

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

Burma saw a supposed transition from a military junta to a nominally civilian government Wednesday March 30.

The hand over follows last year’s elections, the first in two decades. But the elections were widely condemned as a sham amid the exclusion of democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi and claims of cheating and intimidation.

Critics say the old military leaders have kept a firm grip on power. Suu Kyi has no voice in the new parliament, but said she wanted to engage in dialogue with the new government.

**********************
On a lighter note.
**********************

NTD-If cricket diplomacy doesn’t as much as is hoped to mend relations between India and Pakistan, well there’s always chocolate.

A chocolate replica of the Cricket World Cup trophy went on display at a shopping mall in India’s Hyderabad city for India’s semi-final against Pakistan.

The store which created the the 18-inch chocolate trophy said it took 20 days and around four kilos of chocolate to make. They said it was created as an inspiration that India should win the World Cup.

And a strong performance by India’s bowlers saw them beat Pakistan by 29 runs with just one ball to spare Wednesday March 30, securing their place in the World Cup final against Sri Lanka.

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

NTD-The population of endangered tigers in India has increased by 12 per cent, according to a recent survey.

India’s environment minister says that although the tiger population has increased their available habitat has decreased. He also cautioned that poachers and projects near forests are the greatest threats to the animal.

Forest officials used hidden cameras and DNA tests to count the big cats across 19 Indian states. The census included 70 tigers in the eastern Indian Sunderbans Tiger Reserve, bringing the total number of animals recorded across the whole country to just over 1,700. Which is around 300 tigers more than four years ago.

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

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

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

Greenpeace's MY Rainbow Warrior in the Mediterranean. The environmental organisation's flagship is embarking on the Ocean Defenders Tour of East Asia in the New Year.

In this bulletin:

- Dalian markets selling diseased pork,
- Security official charged over Chinse Anti virus scam,
- Korean War abductions under investigation , and
- Taiwan smashed people smuggling ring.

But first our SOH focus on China.

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

SOH Network Chinese reporters recently confirmed an outbreak of foot and mouth disease among pigs in Dalian, northwest China. Residents in the Jinzhou district of Dalian said eighty per cent of pigs there had died from foot and mouth.

Despite this, the meat was still sent to market with those living in the area no longer daring to eat pork.

Sources on the internet also say, foot and mouth and other contagious diseases are spreading on pig farms in other districts of Dalian.

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

NTD-The Chinese National Bureau of Statistics announced Saturday December 11, China’s inflation has soared to a 28-month high.

Food was the biggest concern, with prices rising close to 12 per cent. Economists say inflation could be spreading to other sectors, with health care up 4 per cent and house prices up almost 6 per cent

Economists blame massive lending and billions of stimulus spending in reaction to the financial crisis.

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

ET-A well-placed Chinese security official has been given a suspended death sentence for taking bribes in exchange for his role in an anti virus software fraud scheme, according to reports from China.

The former director of the Beijing Public Security Bureau’s internet monitoring department had the agency send out a virus warning. The warning told the public to download software from Rising Antivirus to combat a particular computer virus.

But the virus was itself devised by Rising Antivirus, who bribed the director into sending out an email to increase sales.

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

ET-On the same day imprisoned Chinese activist Liu Xiaobo was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in absentia, Chinese Communist Party propagandists organized a photo exhibition at the United Nations, extolling the progress of human rights in China.

Rights group UN Watch were outraged with the UN for hosting the event, calling the exhibition a massive propaganda display designed to cover up the Chinese regime’s systematic abuses of human rights.

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

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

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

NTD-Amid tensions on the Korean peninsula, the South Korean government launched a fact-finding committee Monday December 13 to investigate abductions during the Korean War.

The government estimates more than 100-thousand South Koreans were abducted during the war.

The South has requested the communist North free South Korean civilians and prisoners it has held since the end of the Korean War in 1953. The two countries are still technically at war, as a peace treaty was never signed.

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

Taiwan’s National Immigration Agency said Tuesday December 14 it has smashed Asia’s largest cross-border human trafficking ring.

The National Immigration Agency said it detained seven suspects and summoned seven others for questioning after working with counterparts in Hong Kong, Thailand, Britain and the United States.

The ring was said to have made made more than $3.28 million US dolars in profit from over 30 human trafficking cases. In each case one to five illegals from China were helped to enter the United States, Canada, Britain or Holland.

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

Coming up on Asia Cast:

- Green light for Japanese defense plan ,
- WikiLeaks not liable under Australian law, and
- Electric eels light up aquarium Christmas tree .

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

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

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

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

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

NTD-The Japanese government has just approved a new 280 billion dollar defense plan for the next five years.

The plan will strengthen Japan’s defense posture to its southwest, where it shares a maritime border with China.

The policy update is the first major revision in six years. It reflects Japan’s anxiety about its neighbours China and North Korea. But Japan says the new defense policy should not become a threat to any neighbours.

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

NTD-Australia’s Prime Minister said Federal Police advice was that WikiLeaks did not commit any criminal offence in the country by releasing secret US diplomatic cables.

The Australian government had earlier ordered police to investigate whether WikiLeaks, founded by Australian Julian Assange, was criminally liable in Australia. The prime minister stood by this decision.

WikiLeaks supporters and some members the Labor government had criticized the prime minister for subjecting prejudice on Assange in any future criminal case.

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

Cambodia has extended the deadline on closing a refugee centre for dozens of Vietnamese ethnic minority Montagnards.

The UN is trying to resettle the 62 Montagnards who had been given refugee status after fleeing a crackdown on the group by Vietnamese forces.

Cambodia said the refugee centre in Phnom Penh was never meant to be a long term solution and they did not want it there any more. The Montagnards say they face repression if they are sent back to Vietnam.

The UN welcomed the delay in closing the refugee centre.

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

NTD-More than two thousand students rallied for the cause of saving tigers Thursday December 16 in India’s Coimbatore City.

Demonstrators shouted slogans and carried placards, banners and Indian flags while rallying on the city streets. The students urged the government to provide safety measures to save tigers from poachers and to stop deforestation.

Organizers said getting the message out through students is the fastest way to create awareness among the public.

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

On a lighter note.

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

Greenpeace’s flagship, the Rainbow Warrior, is scheduled to make its first visit to Taiwan in the New Year.

Taiwan is the first port of call as part of the environmental organisation’s Ocean Defenders Tour of East Asia. The Rainbow Warrior will spend a month sailing around Taiwanese waters before heading off to Hong Kong and South Korea.

Greenpeace in Taipei said the visits were designed to continue spreading the message that marine reserves were needed to protect species facing extinction.

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

NTD-A South Korean aquarium in Seoul has created a special Christmas performance to entertain visitors.

As a holiday treat a Santa complete with scuba gear made an appearance in a large tank where he fed and danced with more than 12-thousand sardines.

A group of school children and visitors gathered to watch the performance. One visitor said the show was fantastic and the beautiful movements made by the sardines were a joy to watch.

The aquarium also displayed a Christmas tree with lights powered by a tank of electric eels.

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

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

Bookmark It

Hide Sites