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

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

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Swathes of China have been suffering the worst drought in decades, prompting fears of food shortages. (Courtesy of The Epoch Times)

In this bulletin:

- Extreme weather besets China,
- Beijing greets new Japan PM with warning,
- Singapore, Taiwan best Asian investment economies, and
- High Court torpedoes Australia’s ‘Malaysian Solution’.

But first our SOH focus on China.

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NTD-While heavy storms have battered the southeastern coast of China, the southwest faces severe drought where the water supply for millions of people has already dwindled . And now residents in Guizhou and Yunnan provinces are facing another challenge, depleted food supplies. Locals say the dry weather has affected normal crop yields, sending food prices skyrocketing.

In Guizhou Province over five million people and almost three million livestock are short of water. While in neighbouring Yunnan Province, 1.5-million people can’t readily access drinking water. Authorities are now planning to deliver water to those in need, but residents say they’ve received little help so far.

Local weather bureaus say the dry spell may not end until the middle of September.

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ET-Monday August 29 was a day of mishaps for Dalian in northeast China. While a fire raged at Dalian Petrochemical Company, a branch of the state-owned PetroChina Co., a subway construction site had collapsed across town near the port city’s airport.

China News Radio reported the subway cave in created a hole eight metres long, six metres wide, and 16 meters deep. A Dalian resident indicated that this was the sixth incident of the kind to happen during construction of Dalian’s underground.

It took three hours to bring the latest fire at the PetroChina Dalian Petrochemical Company under control. The cause of the incident is still under investigation. This is the fifth fire at the Dalian Petrochemical Company this year.

Residents living near the plant demonstrated Saturday August 27. They were seeking to ensure their safety after the plant spilled particulates 2 days prior and discharged clouds of thick smoke the day before.

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NTD-Chinese authorities did not waste any time in warning the new Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda Monday August 29 to respect the Chinese regime’s key interests.

According to Voice of America, the warning came immediately after Noda was selected as the new leader. This was one day before the Japanese parliament confirmed him as Japan’s new prime minister.

State-controlled Xinhua news agency reported, Chinese leaders are calling on Noda to take definitive steps in fostering better Sino–Japan relations. Chinese authorities advised Noda’s government to give up Japan’s claim to some islands in the South China Sea. The islands, known to Japan as Senkaku and China as Diaoyu islands are believed to hold huge oil and gas reserves.

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

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A landmark was recently reached in Nepal’s five-year old peace process when Nepal’s governing former Maoist rebels handed over their weapons.

The move follows the swearing in of Maoist Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai Monday August 29.

The Maoist party has been under tremendous pressure to relinquish their arms since the end of the war in 2006.They turned their weapons over to a multi-party committee tasked with overseeing the peace process.

The next stage of the process should see some 19,000 Maoist ex-combatants either joining the Nepalese security forces or be rehabilitated into society.

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Coming up on Asia Cast:

- Asia solid investment destination,
- New Zealand Press Association closes after 131 years’ service, and
- South Korea tries untangling nation’s addresses.

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

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Asia-Pacific economies have fared well in the latest Business Environment Risk Intelligence report. According to US based researchers, Singapore is the world’s second best investment destination, with Taiwan tying Norway for third. Switzerland was rated as having the best investment climate.

Among the major Asia-Pacific economies, Singapore and Taiwan were ahead of Japan, China, South Korea and Australia.

The Business Environment Risk Intelligence report surveys the investment climate and competitiveness of 50 economies in April, August and December every year. Its rating is based on evaluations of a country’s investment environment in terms of operational risk, political risk and foreign exchange risk.

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Australia’s immigration policy was further called into question Wednesday August 30 when the Australian High Court ruled asylum seekers cannot be sent to Malaysia for processing.

Australia and Malaysia agreed a deal in May aimed at reducing human smuggling and illegal migration to Australia.

But the High Court said the country to which asylum seekers can be taken for processing has to have proper procedures in place to assess an asylum seeker’s need for protection, among other factors. And Malaysia, unlike Australia, is not a signatory to the 1951 UN Refugee Convention.

The court also said that Australia’s immigration ministry did not have legal power to remove asylum seekers whose refugee claims have not been determined.

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The New Zealand Press Association has closed. After 131 years of supplying news to the country’s print media its last story was published Wednesday August 31.

Set up in 1879 the New Zealand Press Association was New Zealand’s only independent news agency. The company struggled in recent years as media ownership and distribution in New Zealand changed.

In news agency style, the initials of all remaining journalists were added to its last story. The company said it was a tribute to the hundreds of thousands of stories it had published over the years

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On a lighter note.

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ET-A huge unidentified, luminous disk, many times larger than the full moon, was observed in the skies of Beijing and Shanghai on the night of August 20.

According to an August 22 wenweipo.com report, the Civil Aviation Administration of Eastern China confirmed the incidence, saying air traffic control logs show that many flight pilots indeed reported it.

The news quickly spread on the Internet, with people saying they saw the same phenomenon in the skies above Beijing and Shanghai at about the same time.

Judging from posted photos, the luminous disc appears to be translucent, with stars visible behind it. Some people have referred to the mysterious display as a UFO, but exactly what may be causing the phenomenon is unclear to experts.

The Beijing Planetarium told Chinese media it wasn’t a natural phenomenon and must have been caused by human beings.

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In South Korea small blue placards featuring new addresses have been hung up on every building around the country.

It is part of the government’s plan to modernise the country’s address system and make giving directions a little easier.

The current address system is based on Japan’s chronological method. This sees buildings numbered according to when they were built, not according to where they are actually located on a street.

Both systems will be in use until 2013. Public reaction so far has been mixed to the new building numbers. Some South Korean’s say the change means a loss of cultural heritage, others hope it will make it easier for their customers to find them.

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Melbourne, Australian has been crowned the world’s most liveable city for the first time in almost a decade.

Canada’s Vancouver had claimed the top spot in the annual Global Liveability Survey since 2002 when it was a joint winner with Melbourne. But his year Vancouver fell to third behind Vienna.

The survey assesses cities across five categories, stability, healthcare, culture and environment, education and infrastructure. Overall, Australian and Canadian cities did well, capturing seven of the top ten spots.

Cities were scored out of 100. The Economist Intelligence Unit, which carried out the survey noted that the top 10 cities were separated by less than two percentage points.

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

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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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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.)

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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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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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.

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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.

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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.

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On a lighter note.

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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.

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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.

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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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

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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.

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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.

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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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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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On a lighter note.

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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.

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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.

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

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Scientists in Inner Mongolia recently unearthed the largest spider fossil ever found. Dating to 165 million years ago the find extends the fossil record back by another 130 million years than previously suspected.

In this bulletin:

- Hundreds brawl in Guangzhou over commercial property,
- Chinese comedians break new ground,
- China slammed by independent internet freedom report, and
- Inner Mongolia yields largest fossilised spider discovery.

But first our SOH focus on China.

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A well known dissident from Zhejiang Province has been charged with inciting subversion of state power despite being under house arrest since mid-February.

Zhu Yufu, was taken to the Shangcheng District Detention Center April 5, it was not until almost a week later he was formally arrested and his wife informed. His current whereabouts are unknown.

Zhu’s wife said he hadn’t done anything wrong, and moreover couldn’t have even if he’d wanted as he had been closely monitored by police around the clock.

Friends of Zhu from the Democratic Party he helped establish said Zhu occasionally wrote a few articles and spoke a few words in the media. Adding, if speaking a few words can subvert a state, then the state is too fragile.

Reported by Tian Xi for Sound of Hope Radio.

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A huge fight erupted between hundreds of security guards in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province in a dispute over the ownership of a prime commercial property.

Trouble started when the new owners of the New China Building in Guangzhou tried to take possession of the building. The building’s previous owner claimed the lease was not due for renewal and paid their security guards to prevent the new owners from taking possession of the business.

Witnesses said fierce brawls broke out between both sides. At least 400 to 500 guards were involved. Some 50 to 60 were wounded, some seriously. Thousands of bystanders were also caught up in the incident when police sealed off the area.

Our SOH Chinese reporter was told the previous owner paid his security guards to injure or even kill the new owner’s men.

Reported by Tien Xi for Sound of Hope Radio.

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ET-Two Chinese comedians, in a recent performance lauded by audiences and immediately censored by communist authorities, have gone where others dared not tread.

The bitterly satirical hour-long performance takes on a variety of social and political issues deemed sensitive by the ruling Communist Party, including the Tiananmen Massacre and the lack of a social safety net in China.

In the videos posted online, live audience members can be heard laughing uproariously. Comments posted by netizens indicate that the performance broke new ground in making fun of the Chinese Communist Party in such a public setting.

As online commentators anticipated in their praise, soon after the video was posted it was scrubbed clean from popular video websites in China.

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

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According to a new study by Freedom House cyberattacks, politically motivated censorship, and government control over internet infrastructure are threatening internet freedom.

The Freedom on the Net 2011 report released April 18 assesses internet freedom in 37 countries. The study says bloggers, online journalists, and human rights activists increasingly face arrest and imprisonment for their online writings.

China was found to remain one of the world’s most restrictive countries with respect to internet freedom. It is also home to the most sophisticated control apparatus.

Internet users in Burma and Thailand were also among those found to lack freedom.

The report also said China’s indirect influence as a model of internet control was evident in the growing restrictions seen in other countries.

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NTD-Hundreds of protesters gathered in front of Taiwan’s Environmental Protection Administration building Thursday April 20. They want the government to scrap plans for an offshore refinery and petrochemical plant on Taiwan’s western coast.

The Kuokuang Petrochemical Technology Company refinery project is led by state-run oil refiner. It has been the subject of an extended environmental impact review. Protesters warned the project will foul the air and hurt dolphins.

Taiwan is working on more transparent environmental reviews for new projects and tougher energy laws.

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Coming up on Asia Cast:

- Australia and Japan strengthen ties,
- Asia-Pacific’s nuclear worries, and
- World’s oldest man turns 114.

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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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ET-Australia’s prime minister arrived in Tokyo Wednesday April 20 for a four-day visit to Japan. The prime minister said Australia will do anything it can to help Japan recover from the March 11 earthquake, tsunami and ensuing nuclear disaster.

Japan put a no-go zone into effect midnight Thursday April 21, banning residents from remaining within 20 kilometres of the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.

Japan and Australia agreed to boost bilateral cooperation in energy generation and disaster preparedness and responses. Australia also agreed to try to conclude a bilateral free trade agreement and work together toward strengthening international safety standards for nuclear power generation.

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NTD-Anti-nuclear protesters rallied in Seoul, South Korea Thursday April 21 to denounce nuclear developments around the world and to mark Earth Day.

The protest was part of a campaign urging the government to denounce worldwide nuclear developments. Like other anti-nuclear events around, including protests in Tokyo, the world it was sparked by Japan’s struggle in bringing the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant under control.

South Korea has 21 nuclear reactors in operation at four power plants. They range in age from 33 years to just three months. Twelve more reactors are expected to come on stream in the next decade.

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ET-The largest fossilized spider ever found has been discovered in Inner Mongolia, China.

The fossil’s well-preserved state gave scientists enough details to identify it as an adult female Nephila jurassica, an extinct species of the golden orb weaver.

The University of Kansas Paleontological Institute said environmental change must have occurred in Inner Mongolia at some point since golden orb weavers are now found in tropical environments.

The researchers said it was likely the spider wove large, golden orb webs to catch medium- to large-sized insects in the Daohugou forests. They added predation by these spiders would have played an important role in the natural selection of insects living today.

Details of the findings were published on April 20 in Biology Letters.

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On a lighter note.

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Time magazine Thursday April 20 named Taiwan’s Dharma Master Cheng Yen as one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2011. Founder of the Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu Chi Foundation, Cheng was recognised for her contributions to serving the needy.

The venerable nun founded Tzu Chi in 1966 with four missions; charity, medicine, education and culture. The foundation has grown into a global organisation involved in, international disaster relief, bone marrow donations, environmental protection and community volunteer work.

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Japanese citizen Jiroemon Kimura became the world’s oldest man Tuesday April 19 when he turned 114. Kimura celebrated the day with his family near Kyoto.

Kimura was born on April 19, 1897 and worked at a post office for about 40 years before turning to farming after his retirement, continuing until the age of 90.

Kimura told city officials in Kyotango, Kyoto prefecture, who congratulated him it was a great honour, and words alone couldn’t describe his feelings. He said he took his age as a sign from heaven and was deeply moved.

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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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

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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.

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Coming up on Asia Cast:

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

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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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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.

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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.

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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.

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On a lighter note.
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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.

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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.

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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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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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.

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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.

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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.

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On a lighter note.
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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.

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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.

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

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