Friday, August 19, 2005

News of the Day (August 19)

Another day, another slew of arrests: The cadres have certainly kept themselves busy: Xie Chunren, a Chinese-born American citizen, is behind bars in Communist China, “accused of spying for Taiwan” (BBC); 32 members of “underground” Christian churches in Henan Province, including five Americans, were arrested for refusing to put the Chinese Communist Party between themselves and their God (World Net Daily); activist Feng Bingxian, who “led investors throughout the country in a civil suit that accuses the Shaanxi government of illegally seizing thousands of oil wells from them worth as much as $850 million” (Washington Post, see fourth item for more on the wells), is now in a Shaanxi prison; and dissident Zhang Lin “was recently sentenced to five years of imprisonment on charges of inciting subversion” (Epoch Times).

Sound of Hope radio blocked in Communist China: Communist China added Sound of Hope Radio to Radio Free Asia and Voice of America on the list of radio networks jammed by Communist China. Reporters Without Borders ripped the move (Boxun).

Gas shortage sends police to Guangzhou: The shortage in gasoline in Guangdong Province (ninth and sixth items) is now so bad the cadres have “sent thousands of police to petrol stations in the southern city of Guangzhou to prevent social unrest” (Gateway Pundit via Friendly Blog Small Dead Animals). Guangzhou is Guangdong’s capital.

On the “China bubble” – China Aviation Oil fined for hiding losses: The central bank of Singapore “has fined the owner of China Aviation Oil (CAO) for selling shares in the crisis-hit firm a month before its collapse” (BBC). The Communist-owned China Aviation Oil Holding Company was fined nearly $5 million for hiding $550 million in company losses during the stock sale (twelfth and seventh items).

Nine Commentaries wins literary award; broadcast gets into Communist China: As the Asian American Journalists Association granted the anonymous authors of the Nine Commentaries on the Chinese Communist Party its top Asian American Issues – Online award (Epoch Times), a two-hour television documentary on the Commentaries was broadcast into several provinces in Communist China (Epoch Times).

Mayor Ma takes over Kuomintang, vows to follow in Lien Chan’s footsteps: Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou was officially sworn in as head of Taiwan’s lead opposition party: Kuomintang. His first pledge: “I will do my best to carry on and push for Lien Chan's policies” (BBC). That’s the same Lien Chan whose less-than-hostile attitude toward Communist China cost his party millions of voters in the island democracy.

On Communist China and the rest of the world: Chen Yonglin talks to the Epoch Times about Communist efforts to silence him. Fellow defector Yuan Hongbing reminds an Australian audience that Communist China’s plans to invade Taiwan “will not be for the purpose of safeguarding China’s sovereignty and land . . . It is only for preserving the benefits of the privileged and for resuming its dictatorship” (Epoch Times). Quentin Sommerville, BBC, gives a badly needed warning to the Royal Bank of Scotland (seventh item) and everyone else eyeing investments in Communist China. Nick Childs, also from the BBC, examines the fallout from the joint Russia-Communist China military exercises (second item) – the headline does not do the piece justice.

On Made in . . . : Kerry Diotte, Edmonton Sun, laments the prominence of the “Made in China” label in his hometown stores.

On the Falun Gong War – the youngest victims: Chug Rung, Epoch Times, highlights and laments the plight of the children of jailed, tortured, and murdered practitioners.

On Stalinist North Korea: Cable News Network founder Ted Turner told JoongAng Ilbo (cited by Cybercast News) that President Bush “ought to allow Pyongyang as a face-saving measure to keep a civilian nuclear program.” Will they never learn?

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