News of the Day (June 20)

Better Dead than Red – refugees in Australia, fearing repatriation, attempt suicide: Thirty-four refugees from Communist China detained in Australia provided damning detail of how the Aussies allowed Communist China to isolate them from all other asylum seekers and, more importantly, interrogate each and every one of them. Thirteen were so distraught they attempted suicide to avoid being sent back (Epoch Times).

Chen speaks at Australian rally as fellow refugee tells of recruitment as a spy: Chen Yonglin appeared at a refugee rally in Australia just one day after the aforementioned mass suicide attempt. Chen “thanked the Australian public and media for the overwhelming support they had given him over the past few weeks” (Epoch Times). Over the weekend, Chen Yong, also a refugee from Communist China in Australia, told the Epoch Times of how the cadres recruited him to be a spy, dramatically confirming Chen Yonglin’s account of an extensive Communist spy network Down Under.

Hao Fengjun document details Canada’s attempt to disrupt Falun Gong protest: One of the many documents defector Hao Fengjun brought with him on Communist China’s espionage network in Canada “indicates that the Canadian government had pressed the City of Vancouver to remove display boards depicting the persecution of Falun Gong from in front of the Vancouver Chinese consulate” (Epoch Times). The display remains in place, as it has for nearly four years, but “has been increasing pressure to take them down” – and not just from Communist China, but from Ottawa as well. Join our call to grant Hao, Chen, and their families asylum in the United States.

Canadian opposition continues to demand answers on Communist spy network: Hao’s account of Communist spies in Canada continued to roil the Great White North, as Opposition MPs Helena Guergis (Hansard) and Peter MacKay (Hansard) continued to question the Liberal government on this issue, and fellow Conservative Rob Nicholson called on Prime Minister Martin’s cabinet to “suspend all foreign aid that it is giving to China until the government expels all communist spies” (Hansard). Falun Gong, who has already seen at least two of its practitioners come forward to reveal being victims of the Communist espionage network, demanded a government investigation (CBC).

More on the revelations of Chen and Hao: Licia Corbella, Calgary Sun, is furious at her government seems unconcerned about the Communist spy news. Jonathan Browde, Epoch Times, details Communist espionage and Falun Gong intimidation activity in the United States. Hao – whose revelations inspired a weekend protest outside the Communist consulate in New York City (Epoch Times) – gives an inside account of the Communists’ brutal anti-Falun Gong unit: the 610 office (Epoch Times).

Friendly Blog notes: Kate McMillan comments on Victor Davis Hanson’s examination of Communist China’s rise (see also eighth item) and the censorship of Microsoft blogs in Communist China on her Small Dead Animals (Canadian) blog.

New Communist Chinese missile can carry a nuclear warhead from a submarine: With the development and testing of it Ju Lang-2, Communist China now has the capability to launch a nuclear warhead from a submarine into “the U.S. interior” (World Net Daily). The political goals of the new missile are to keep the U.S. out of “the Taiwan issue” and to “warn Russia not to get too close to the U.S.”

Israel apologizes for weapon sales to Communist China: Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom “publicly apologized to the US over a deal to sell military technology to China” (BBC). The deal in question was over Harpy attack drones (third item). Shalom insisted his government allowed the deal “with the utmost innocence.”

Communist China arming Nepalese dictatorship: As part of making the world safe for dictators, Communist China “supplied Nepal with five armored personnel carriers” (BBC). Nepal’s king “suspended parliament and assumed absolute power in February.”

Communist improper use of bird flu treatment makes it “useless”: For years, Communist China “tried to suppress major bird flu outbreaks among chickens with an antiviral drug meant for humans” (Washington Post). The widespread use of the drug in question, amantadine, “violated international livestock guidelines” and has now made the drug “useless” in combating bird flu. It was just the latest in a continuing series of Communist livestock disease cover-ups (seventh item, third item).

Another village “election” fixed: The villagers of Dangxi expected their will to be followed in village “elections” set up by the cadres. What they found were ballot stuffing, vote-buying, and various other Communist machinations (Washington Post).

From the Falun Gong War: Gao Rongrong, a Falun Gong practitioner brutal tortured with electric shock by the cadres before she was able to escape (second item) was recaptured by the Communists, and this time they killed her (Clearwisdom). Meanwhile, Nie Shuwen, a practitioner from Taiwan, was barred entry into Singapore (Epoch Times), which has a history of caving into the cadres’ wishes on Falun Gong (third item, second item). For personal accounts of the practice, James Burke, Epoch Times, talks to Australian practitioner John Deller, while Kate Vereshaka tells the Epoch Times about her experience as a foreign practitioner, protester, and prisoner in Communist China.

Resignations pass 2.4 million: Xin Fei, in the Epoch Times, sees the collapse of the Communist Party coming as a result of the ever-growing number of ex-Communists.

Echo Chamber moment: Yours truly examines the central role of corruption in the Chinese Communist Party’s survival (Epoch Times).

Other Commentary on Communist China: Chen Yingci, Asian Times (via Epoch Times), examines the real reasons behind a sudden surge in the Shanghai and Shenzhen stock markets. Charles R. Smith, Newsmax, details the Hughes Corporations role in advancing Communist China’s space program – and the espionage that can come with it. Dorinda Elliot and Bill Powell (Time Asia) have a puff piece on Wal-Mart, but the worst column easily comes from Ted Galen Carpenter of the Cato Institute. In Fox News, Carpenter opines that Communist China doesn’t quite control Stalinist North Korea, and even fears that “the growing bitterness at China's lack of cooperation could seriously damage U.S.-Chinese relations, and that would have grave consequences for the entire East Asian region.” Ted, will you never learn?

Speaking of Stalinist North Korea, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice dismissed an earlier demand from Stalinist-in-chief Kim Jong-il that the U.S. “respect Pyongyang ‘as a partner’” (Voice of America via Newsmax) for him to return to the much over-hyped multilateral talks on his nuclear weapons program. Rice opined that the SNK “does not want to face, what she called an inevitable confrontation over its nuclear program.” Meanwhile, Bill Powell (Time Asia) brought a nervous eye to his examination of President Bush’s meeting with exiled SNK dissident Kang Chol Hwan: “he (Bush) seems heedless of any need to keep Kim sweet.” Will he (Powell) never learn?