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

In this bulletin:

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

But first our SOH focus on China.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Coming up on Asia Cast:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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On a lighter note.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

In this bulletin:

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

But first our SOH focus on China.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Coming up on Asia Cast:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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On a lighter note.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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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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Tuesday, May 3, was World Press freedom Day. In Taiwan, NTD Asia Pacific Television — or NTD AP — filed an appeal at Taiwan’s regulatory National Communications Commission. They say the island’s largest telecommunications company is wrongfully refusing to renew their satellite contract.

In this bulletin:

- Ai Weiwei’s family say authorities actions unlawful,
- Chinese officials’ secret farms,
- Taiwan’s premier urges support for independent broadcaster, and
- Thai election hots up.

But first our SOH focus on China.

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The family of outspoken Chinese artist and activist Ai Weiwei recently told SOH the handling of his case has been unlawful from the start and would continue to be unlawful.

Six weeks after the authorities detained Ai Weiwei, state run media announced the company he controlled has been intentionally destroying accounting vouchers and was suspected of tax evasion.

The sister of Ai Weiwei, Gao Ge, told our Chinese reporter any charges against her brother should have been announced by the police not the media. She added that despite the media’s announcement the family hadn’t received any formal notification.

Ai Weiwei’s mother, Gao Ying said, she does not believe her son would evade tax. She said Ai used his own money to benefit the community.

Reported by Tian Xi for Sound of Hope Radio.

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Instead of tackling the problem of toxic food in China, government officials from the central to local levels are maintaining their own private supplies of fresh produce.

Following up on the Southern Weekend newspaper’s expose of one such special produce base in Shunyi District outside Beijing, an SOH Chinese reporter investigated the story.

A Beijing resident said wealthy state owned enterprises all had their own production centres. They said the Beijing Education Bureau opened a special produce base near Hebei which supplied them with everything from fish to vegetables.

A resident from Shanghai told SOH that while those with position and privilege enjoyed their special produce the common people could only eat toxic food. They added corruption was turning China’s whole society toxic from top to bottom.

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

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Victims of forced relocations in Shanghai recently told SOH they are not afraid of the authorities crackdown on them.

Petitioners told SOH over one thousand of them gathered at the Shanghai Civil Complaints Office May 11 before police broke up their appeal.

The next day dozens of petitioners gathered at the Changning District Court to protest the rejection of their appeals. One petitioner told SOH a judge said if the court heard their case they might lose their job.

Another petitioner said petitioners were already being sent to psychiatric hospitals and detention centres to silence them ahead of June 4 anniversary of the Tienanmen Square Massacre..

Report by special correspondents Chang Chun and Lou Lan for Sound of Hope Radio.

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

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NTD-Taiwan’s premier is urging the island’s largest telecommunications company to continue its satellite contract with independent TV broadcaster NTD AP.

The call comes three weeks after Chunghwa Telecom refused to extend its service with NTD AP. The current contract will expire in August. NTD AP is known for broadcasting uncensored news on China to the region.

Domestic and overseas legislators have voiced support for the station. Many want the partly state-owned Chunghwa to uphold Taiwan’s democratic and press freedom principles.

NTD AP said they were affirmed as the yardstick for freedom of speech by the premier at a meeting Tuesday May 24. The premier also stated Chunghwa’s operations should expand beyond commercial decisions to protect Taiwan’s democracy and rule of law.

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Coming up on Asia Cast:

- Dalai Lama shuns head of state role,
- Japan to boost solar energy, and
- Nikkei Asia Prize winners announced.

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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 CastI’m Rich Crankshaw

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NTD-Thirty parties will take part in the July 3rd election in Thailand. It will be a tight race between the ruling Democrat Party and the opposition Puea Thai party. Both will likely have to rely on the smaller parties to form a coalition government.

While the Democrats have powerful backing from conservative elites and the military top brass, they have struggled to win over the poor, which constitute the majority of Thai voters.

Puea Thai’s stronghold is the vote-rich north and northeast and it has the backing of the powerful red shirt protest movement. However, that association could turn away voters tired of political upheaval.

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The Dalai Lama, Tibet’s spiritual leader has said he will never act as the head of state for the Tibetan administration in exile.

Since the Dalai Lama stepped away from his political duties in March Tibetan lawmakers and other leaders have tried to convince him to retain a role as a ceremonial head of state.

In March the Dalai Lama indicated he would make way for democratically elected officials to handle Tibet’s political affairs. A new Tibetan exile prime minister is scheduled to be inaugurated in July.

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Taiwan’s government has been urged to allow abandoned or fallow farmland to be used for growing a sub-tropical species of grass, miscanthus, for fuel.

A researcher from the National Cheng Kung University made the remark Wednesday May 26 at a press conference on the sustainable development of Taiwan’s natural resources

US research found miscanthus was more energy efficient than other plant-based fuel sources, such as ethanol and biodiesel.

The press conference also heard other countries may be interested in some Taiwanese grasses which can survive in adverse environments or tolerate heavy metals.

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Japan’s prime minister pledged Wednesday May 26 the country will have solar panels installed on some ten million roofs by 2020.

The solar-powered homes are part of the major push towards renewable energy Japan has embarked upon following the recent nuclear crisis.

The prime minister said Japan was aiming to generate 20 per cent of its electricity from renewable sources by 2020. To met this aim the prime minister said the cost of solar power generation would have to fall to one third of its current level by 2020 and to one sixth by 2030.

Nuclear power remains part of Japan’s energy plan, but has been scaled back.

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On a lighter note.

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NTD-An 11-year-old Manchurian tiger recently gave birth to quintuplets at a zoo in China’s Heilongjiang Province.

The mother was currently only taking care of four of her five cubs, with the fifth one being kept with another female tiger to ensure all the cubs get enough milk. The zoo said all five cubs were healthy.

The Manchurian tiger, also known as the Northeast China tiger, is ranked among the top 10 most endangered species in the world.

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The winners of the Nikkei Asia Prizes for 2011 were announced Wednesday May 25 in Tokyo.

The awards aim to promote understanding with Japan of other Asian nations by recognising achievements that improve the quality of life in Asia.

Prizes are presented for significant contributions in three areas; regional growth, science, technology and innovation, and culture.

The science, technology and innovation prize went to the director of the Institute of Physics at Academia Sinica, Taiwan for advances in superconductor research.

Antonio Meloto of the Philippines took the regional growth award for his commitment to alleviating poverty in slums of the Philippines, Indonesia, Cambodia and Papua New Guinea.

Vietnamese writer Bao Ninh won the culture category with his novel The Sorrow of War.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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

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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.

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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.

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Coming up on Asia Cast:

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

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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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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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On a lighter note.

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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.

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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.

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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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In this bulletin:

- Chinese quake victims waiting for aid,
- Land seizures and forced demolitions continue unchecked in China,
- Japan’s emperor addresses nation, and
- US lists top Chinese companies selling counterfeit goods.

But first our SOH focus on China.

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Residents in Yingjiang County, Yunnan Province have said relief efforts in the region following the 5.8-magnitude earthquake Thursday March 10 have been lacking.

Since January Yingjiang County experienced over one thousand minor earthquakes prior to the March 10 quake. Some residents have been living in tents for months over fears of building safety after so many were damaged. Many previously weakened buildings suffered severe damage or collapse during the Mach 10 tremor.

The price of tents has since increased three or four-fold. One resident who spoke to SOH said not enough was being done to help the region.

Reported by Chen Fei and Xiong Bin of the SOH Radio Network.

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SOH has recently spoken to victims of forced land seizures in Shandong Province. Jiaozhuang used to be a farming village sharing 4,000 Chinese acres of land. But that all changed in 2004 when Sun Liqun became Village Party Secretary and Village Chief.

Sun began to forceablly take possession of thousands of acres of land for real estate development. The compensatoin due to over 2,000 villagers was embezzled.

Zhou Xianbiao, one of the villagers who lost his land told our reporters the local government used police and hired thugs to silence villagers who dared to resist.

In five years Zhou said the villagers had made more than 60 appels in Beijing, but still the authorities ignored them.

Reported by He Wen and Xiong Bin of the SOH Radio Network.

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A former representative of China’s National Peoples’ Congress himself became a victim of forced demolition after reporting on corruption within China’s real estate industry.

Zhou Linxi said he was targeted after telling upper-level administration about serious corruption and malpractice by local authorities carrying out forced demolitions. Zhou was illegally detained for 15 days after he made the disclosure in 2008. While he was detained his house was demolished and land seized.

Zhou has been homeless for three years, but said as a legal citizen and an official he’s tried to follow the correct legal procedures. But those procedures were interfered with and Zhou’s legal case failed at every level of the judiciary.

Reported by Fu Ming and Yu Ming of the SOH Radio Network.

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NTD-Chinese authorities say they are worried over the United States publicizing companies involved in selling counterfeited goods. An official from China’s Ministry of Commerce is concerned the list will harm the reputation of businesses.

The US Trade Representative recently issued the notorious markets list. It has more than thirty websites or physical markets that are involved in counterfeit trade.

China’s top search engine, Baidu and largest retail website, Taobao were both in the list. China’s Ministry of Commerce said the list might negatively affect the reputation of companies involved. Some experts say Beijing’s protectionism of these notorious markets and failure to tackle counterfeiting is further affecting its reputation.

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

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This story from Freedom House’s China Media Bulletin. In recent months, elected officials in the United States, New Zealand, and Australia have reportedly received fraudulent e-mail messages from senders claiming to be adherents or representatives of the Falun Gong spiritual movement.

The messages appear to be part of an effort to discredit the group among Western politicians. Such messages, all of which were apparently traced back to China, were sent to a US senator’s office, oficials in New Zealand and Australian members of parliament.

The Chinese Communist Party is known to use a variety of tactics to obstruct the efforts of Chinese democracy activists, Falun Gong practitioners, Tibetans, Uighurs, and others to expose human rights abuses and gain international support for their causes.

These have ranged from contacting Western officials and asking them to cancel or boycott an event, to robust cyberattacks against overseas websites and activists’ e-mail lists.

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Coming up on Asia Cast:
- Dalai Lama asked to retain political role ,
- Asia-Pacific disaster-drill forum held, and
- Hong Kong aviation pulls itself into record books.

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“You’re listening to Asia Cast on the SOH Network”
**********************
Back with the rest of today’s Asia Cast I’m Rich Crankshaw
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ET-Japanese Emperor Akihito made an unprecedented televised address to the nation Wednesday March 16.

In the address the emperor expressed hope the Japanese people would lend each other a helping hand to overcome the challenges they faced after the recent magnitude 9.0 earthquake and subsequent tsunami. He said the nuclear crisis, centred around Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, was unpredictable.

But the emperor added he was greatly moved by the bravery of the survivors trying to live through the disaster he described as unprecedented in scale.

A minutes silence was held all across Japan Friday March 18 one week on from the double disaster that claimed thousands of lives.

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NTD-The Tibetan parliament-in-exile met in Dharamsala, northern India Monday March 14 to discuss the Dalai Lama’s formal proposal to give up his political responsibilities. A resolution was passed Friday March 18 to advise the Dalai Lama to continue to serve as the political and spiritual leader of the government-in-exile. Some expect the Dalai Lama’s office to reject the resolution.

The Tibetan Buddhist spiritual leader announced Thursday March 10 he would step down as Tibet’s political leader.

Analysts say by divesting his political powers, the 75-year-old Dalai Lama has made it more difficult for China to influence the course of the independence movement after his death. The Chinese regime insists the choosing of the next Dalai Lama must meet its approval.

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NTD-Indonesia’s vice president Tuesday March 15 opened a three-day regional forum of the on disaster drills.

The vice president said member countries had to increase their awareness in anticipating natural disasters that could happen at any moment.

The forum is an Asia-Pacific dialogue focused on security, seeking to resolve conflicts peacefully.

Japan is chairing the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Regional Forum Disaster Relief Exercise this year. Navy ships from South Korea and the United States were pulled out to help Japan with the disaster relief operation after a massive quake and tsunami hit the country Friday March 11.

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On a lighter note.
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NTD-While we all know February 14 is Valentines Day, in South Korea March 14 is just as important a day in the calender.

In South Korea, Valentine’s Day is just for men and is when girls give presents to their sweethearts. One month later however, the tables are turned and White Day on March 14 is the day men give candy, teddy bears, chocolate and lingerie to women. Some couples go all out with matching his and hers couple T-shirts.

This year comes a special token of love was on offer from confectioners, a lollipop inspired by a Korean soap opera.

And if you don’t get any presents? Then there’s always Black Day on April 14, when singles go and eat black bean noodles and console each other.

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NTD-Teams of Hong Kong residents hauled four aircraft into the Guinness World Record books Thursday March 17.

More than 300 people picked up the slack and hauled the four aircraft, weighing a total of approximately 470 tons, over a distance of 50 meters.

But the teams, made up of employees from various government departments, didn’t stop there. They had a second record in their sights which they also broke. This time it was for pulling a 747 over 100 meters.
The event was held to celebrate one hundred years of aviation development in Hong Kong.

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

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- China’s legislature holds annual sessions,
- One-child policy making Chinese soldiers soft,
- Hong Kong upholds judicial independence, and
- Rising tourism straining Asia’s heritage sites.

But first our SOH focus on China.

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ET-The equivalent of China’s legislature convened for its annual session Thursday March 3. All the while security forces continued to round up dissidents and intimidate Western journalists.

The meeting of the National People’s Congress, along with the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference began on the same weekend renewed calls went out for Jasmine Revolution style protests in cities across China.

Reflecting the regime’s worries about such activities getting out of hand, security around Beijing was heightened. During the sessions announcements were also made to boost both the military payroll and spending on domestic security forces.

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NTD-And in Hong Kong a very different event took place Sunday March 6 while China’s top Communist Party officials met in Beijing to discuss their rule.

Politicians were among those who gathered in Hong Kong Sunday Mach 6 to support the 90 million people who have publicly renounced all ties with the Chinese Communist Party.

The movement to quit the Chinese Communist Party simply calls on Chinese people to separate themselves from the Party on a moral or spiritual basis for their own sake.

Notable individuals who have publicly renounced their ties with the Chinese Communists Party include rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng and former Olympic medallist Huang Xiaoming.

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ET-Though China has greatly augmented its military expenditure budget, the one-child policy seems to be taking its toll on the quality of the young soldiers China is producing.

A recent internal study said boys of the post 80’s and 90’s generations tended to be effeminate and lack masculinity.

The PLA Daily, a publication of the Peoples’ Liberation Army had previously reported that the regime’s once rigorous military training programs have been altered, due to the current generation’s lack of strength and endurance.

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ET-Five males and four females from a 17-member Chinese tour group defected to South Korea recently, according to the South Korean News Agency Yonhap.

The tour group had left Beijing February 27. On March 2, when they were scheduled to leave Jeju Island, the tour guide found the hotel rooms of the nine empty. CCTV footage showed them leaving the hotel at different times.

This is the first publicized incident of Chinese tourists’ defection to Korea this year. Since Korea allowed visitors from China to enter Jeju Island without a visa, defection cases have been frequent.

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

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ET/NTD-A landmark court ruling in Hong Kong on Wednesday March 9 has successfully overturned the Immigration Department’s decision to refuse entry of key members of the Performing Arts company last year.

In January 2010, Hong Kong’s Immigration Department refused entry to six key Shen Yun technical staff. Many believed the visa refusal was a result of pressure from the Chinese Communist Party.

The organisers said the performances sold out within days of the public ticket release. The sudden visa cancellation forced them to refund over $600,000 US dollars.

Some scholars believe the ruling is a win for Hong Kong citizens, and the region’s judicial freedom. After Wednesday’s ruling, the organisers say they plan to invite Shen Yun back to Hong Kong as soon as possible.

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Coming up on Asia Cast:

- Tibetan government-in-exile modernisation,
- Indonesia, Philippines agree anti-terrorism measures, and
- Indian police protect nesting endangered turtles.

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

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

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

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As tourism across Asia grows so does the pressure on the regions natural treasures. Many ancient monuments are also struggling to cope with the ever-growing number of visitors and are literally crumbling under the pressure.

According to the US-based Global Heritage Fund, Cambodia’s most famous attraction, the temple of Angkor Wat is highly endangered due to lack of controls on visitors.

The Great Wall of China has to cope with some 10 million visitors a year. A conservation expert told AFP late last year less than 10 per cent of the Great Wall remains in very good condition.

Over two million tourists visited the striking limestone cliffs and emerald waters of Vietnam’s Halong Bay in the first 10 months of last 2010. A rise of around 114 per cent from the same period in 2009.

Many explore the area by boat. Observers say Halong Bay’s environment is being destroyed by the solid waste tourists throw overboard.

Good management of heritage sites despite millions of visitors is possible, but effective action needs to be taken quickly. Because as one expert put it, once it’s gone, it’s gone.

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NTD-The Dalai Lama announced Thursday March 10 he plans to formally step down as a political leader.

The move is seen as modernising the Tibetan government-in-exile in the face of Chinese pressure. But it still needs to be ratified by the parliament-in-exile based in India.

The Dalai Lama’s announcement also comes as the three main contenders for the new prime minister to be elected later in March. None of them are monks, adding to a sense of further modernisation of the exiled movement.

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NTD-The presidents of the Philippines and Indonesia met at the Indonesian presidential palace Tuesday March 8.

The leaders agreed to enhance trade and promote investment between the two countries, and step up security cooperation in fighting terrorism in Southeast Asia.

The presidents also witnessed the signing of agreements by their education ministers and police chiefs.

Indonesia and the Philippines are both members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, which seeks to establish an EU-style economic community by 2015.

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On a lighter note.

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A Taiwanese performing arts group has been invited to take part in New Zealand’s Aukland Arts Festival.

The Taipei based U-Theatre said Tuesday March 8 the troupe will give four performances in New Zealand from March 15 to 18. U-Theatre is renowned for its unique combination of drumming, Zen meditation and martial arts.

The Auckland Arts Festival is a biennial event, this year running from March 2 to 20. The festival features theatre, dance, music, film and visual arts as well as special events.

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NTD-A mass nesting of endangered turtles on the beaches of Gahirmatha in India’s eastern Orissa state began around February 28.

Over 350-thousand Olive Ridley turtles have nested at the site. The Olive Ridley is one of only two turtle species to exhibit synchronised nesting behaviour.

Police are deployed on the beach to ensure the turtles can nest safely and remain undisturbed.

Females dig a pit on the beach and lay more than 100 eggs that hatch together at night around 50 days later. Just one in a thousand of the hatchlings reach adulthood.

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Experts say China's droughts could get worse and environmental concerns need to be addressed. (Courtesy of IRRI/Flickr)

In this bulletin:

- China’s environmental problems climb political agenda,
- Chinese regime slammed for mistreating foreign journalist,
- Hong Kong warnings over counterfeit wines, and
- New Tibetan government in exile to be elected.

But first our SOH focus on China.

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As northern China continues to experience severe drought experts in rural development have told SOH unless fundamental changes are made China’s droughts droughts could get worse.

The vice president of agricultural development at the People’s University of China said the recent droughts weren’t only natural disasters, there are also many man-made factors.

A member of Shannxi Teaching Institutes’s Rural Development Research Centre said the scale of development in China, environmental deterioration and inefficient use of water resources meant southern China still experienced drought despite usually having sufficient rainfall.

The researcher said most of China’s reservoirs are used for hydro-electric projects and industry. Adding local government diverted funding for irrigation projects elsewhere.

Reported by Sound Of Hope International Broadcasting Company correspondent Wang Qian, Wang Zhen.

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ET/NTD-Overseas diplomats have slammed the Chinese regime for illegally harassing and detaining foreign journalists.

A number of overseas reporters were targeted by Chinese police in Beijing when they tried to cover an apparent anti-government protest over the weekend of February 26 and 27.

Bloomberg News said one of its journalists was physically assaulted by men who appeared to be plain-clothed security guards. Voice of America reports its Beijing Bureau Chief was temporarily detained. Other media also reported harassment by Chinese authorities. Many had their equipment confiscated and recorded materials erased.

Media freedom group Reporters Without Borders condemned the harrasment.

Prominent Chinese human rights lawyers and activists have also been arrested or harassed by Chinese police since the storm of demonstrations against authoritarian rulers in the Middle East and North Africa.

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China’s environment minister has warned the country’s growth could be in jeopardy from pollution.

The minister said natural resources were drying up and environmental decay had become a bottleneck to China’s economic and social development.

The warning was made ahead of the annual National People’s Congress due to take place over the weekend of March 5 and 6. The head of China’s environmental defence fund said environmental concerns would affect the way the economy develops in the 12th five-year plan to be launched at the Congress.

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

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ET-A Hong Kong wine expert and connoisseur has said the issue of counterfeit wine in Hong Kong must not be taken off the radar.

The founder of Hong Kong’s Independent Wine Centre told the South China Morning Post cheap knock-offs of expensive French labels still pose a threat to the Asia-Pacific wine industry.

Hong Kong became a world centre for wine after it abolished the tax on it in 2008. However, the growing demand for prestigious wine labels, has also given rise to a widespread counterfeit industry.

The advice from the independent Wine Centre was to always buy from reputable cellars and auction houses. And to carefully examine any wine being offered at a discounted price.

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Taiwan’s Tourism Bureau said this year’s lantern festival attracted a record breaking eight million visitors.

The festival is held on the fifteenth day of the first month in the lunar calender and marks the end of the Lunar New Year celebrations. It features a number of special events involving sky lanterns, fire crackers, rockets, giant illuminated floats and more.

The Tourism Bureau had forecast visitor numbers to be up almost 50 percent from last year. Toward the end of the 12-day festival numbers soared due to unseasonably good weather meaning twice as many people visited the 2011 festival.

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Coming up on Asia Cast:

- Singer stages concert on disputed islands,
- New Zealand shifts from earthquake rescue to recovery, and
- Philippines sets new tree planting recrord.

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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 CastI’m Rich Crankshaw

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NTD-A South Korean singer recently held a concert on disputed islands that both Tokyo and Seoul claim.

Pop singer Kim Jang-hoon and about 200 activists from non-governmental organisations as well as students, landed on the islands on Tuesday March 1. The day is also known as Independence Movement Day in South Korea.

Japan and South Korea have a long-simmering feud over the disputed islands known as Dokdo in South Korea and Takeshima in Japan.

In recent years, Tokyo has asserted its claim to the islands in its annual defense white paper, sparking protests in South Korea.

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NTD-Exactly one week after a devastating earthquake rocked New Zealand’s second largest city, Christchurch the country stood still Tuesday March 1 to remember those that lost their lives.

Friends and family from Christchurch to Wellington to Auckland observed two minutes of silence at 12:51 in the afternoon, the exact moment when the earthquake struck.

Urban rescue workers from around the world stopped to honour the fallen as well, for some the first chance to grasp the gravity of their work.

Earthquake relief officials said Thursday March 3 there was no longer any hope of findings survivors. The Mayor of Christchurch said the operation had transitioned from rescue to recovery. For a country trying to return to normal, it will be a long road ahead.

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ET-New elections to select the 44 members of the Tibetan Parliament-in-exile are scheduled for March 20.

Most significant will be the race between three candidates vying for prime minister. This marks the second first time the position will be directly elected by the Tibetan people, rather than being appointed by the Dalai Lama who is now 75.

Since the time that the Dalai Lama fled his homeland in 1959, the government of Tibet, called the Central Tibetan Administration has been in exile and not formally recognized by other governments.

Radio Free Asia is monitoring the election and providing information to Tibetan listeners and plans to broadcast a debate between the main candidates for prime minister scheduled for March 13

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On a lighter note.

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NTD-Critically endangered Javan Rhinos have been captured on hidden video cameras at a national park in Indonesia.

Two adults and two calves appeared on footage shot in the dense tropical rainforests of the park in the western-most region of Java, giving conservationists proof that the species is still breeding.

Conservationists say the calves would bring the park’s population to 50. According to the World Wildlife Fund the Javan Rhino is one of rarest mammals on the planet. The organisation is working to protect and monitor several endangered rhino species from poaching, and help preserve their habitat.

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Conservationists in the Philippines have set a new world record for the most trees planted simultaneously. They recently managed to plant 64,096 trees within 15 minutes in the eastern Philippine province of Camrines Sur.

The tree planting activity was organised under the country’s El Verde, or The Green, programme and reportedly involved thousands of people.

A global conservation group recently ranked the Philippines as one of the world’s most endangered forest hotspots in the world. But the Camrines Sur provincial government hopes to address that by planting millions of trees by next year and making the province the greenest and most environmentally friendly in Asia.

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

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