News of the Day (August 11)

Communists release Chen Shaowen: The internet essayist had been in jail since 2002 for writing what the cadres called “reactionary material” (tenth item). Report: Boxun

“Pig fever” hits the Pacific coast as Communist coverup continues: According to Boxun, the disease the Communists continue to insist is streptococcosis suis (“pig fever”) has hit Guangdong and Liaoning Provinces (Shenyang is the capital of the latter). The Communists have also been hiding the actual number of deaths from this disease, which is “at least 200” in Sichuan Province alone. The Communists are still refusing to let any outsiders in to examine this disease, which one doctor claimed is actually Ebola (fourth item), and are clearly in full disease-coverup mode.

Taiwanese major busted for spying for Commuist China: Major Chuang Po-hsin, who “worked in electronic surveillance” (BBC) was caught as part of a probe into credit card fraud. Taiwan said the information compromised “was not highly confidential.”

Mugabe turns down South African aid offer, says Communist China will save him: Zimbabwean dictator Robert Mugabe “snubbed South Africa's financial rescue package and said the economy would be revived by assistance from China” (Cape Times, South Africa). South Africa’s offer included a call for talks with the opposition Movement for Democratic Change, something Communist China would never demand of Mugabe.

Yahoo hands cadres $1 billion for piece of Alibaba: Yahoo will buy a little over 1/3 of the Communist e-trading and auction firm Alibaba; as part of the deal, “Yahoo is to merge its Chinese search engine operations with Alibaba” (BBC). Edward Lanfranco, United Press Int’l (via Washington Times), has an interesing analysis of the role of Softbank in all of this, while Gavin Stamp, BBC, gives the lay of the land on the Communist internet market. Of course, national security and human rights are nowhere to be found in any of the pieces.

Communist “currency basket” leaves out the kitchen sink: Just about everything else was included in the currencies Communist China will use to “to measure its own yuan currency” (BBC): the dollar, the pound, the ruble, South Korea’s won, and the euro.

Ignorant Comment of the Day: No name came with this UPI (via Washington Times) piece on Communist plans for a “counter-terrorism law.” Here’s the whopper: “the country is home to a separatist rebellion by the Uighurs, many of who were captured in Afghanistan, adding to fears of an attack when Beijing plays host to the 2008 Olympics.” How many times do the people of occupied East Turkestan have to disprove the Communist slander that they are all bin Ladenite terrorists?

On Communist Chinese espionage: Jay Solomon, Wall Street Journal, talks to the FBI’s David Szady about Communist China’s espionage network in the U.S. (via Pittsburgh Post-Gazette). Francis Harris, London Telegraph, also weighs in.

On Russia and Communist China: RIA Novosti’s Viktor Litovkin tries to put a positive spin on the upcoming joint Russia-Communist China “Peaceful Mission - 2005” military exercises (UPI via Washington Times).

On the Falun Gong War: Former Communist security officer Han Guangsheng details the horrible torture of Falun Gong practitioners in a speech reprinted by the Epoch Times.

More commentary on Communist China: You Sang-cheol, Asian news editor for South Korea’s JoongAng Ilbo, reminds readers that journalists in Communist China “have agreed not to touch” certain topics, “though this is never acknowledged.” Chen Pokong, a former Communist professor who became a pariah for his participation in the Tiananmen protests of 1989, talks about the recent wave of resignations from the Chinese Communist Party (Epoch Times). Jeffrey Sparshott, Washington Times, examines Communist China’s plans for buying up U.S. firms after Unocal.

On Stalinist North Korea: The Stalinists’ demand for a “peaceful” nuclear energy program has peeled dovish South Korea away from the U.S. position (BBC), and turned the discussion into one about SNK’s energy needs (Voice of America via Epoch Times) and, of course, money (UPI via Washington Times). Meanwhile, the Stalinists have managed to build on past concessions with a South Korean electricity offer (ninth item) and can continue to build and hide nuclear weapons without even a hint of consequences. Will they never learn? Meanwhille, there are still some who can see the Stalinists for who they really are, and Anthony Faiola (Washington Post via MSNBC) talked to them.