News of the Day (October 24)

Tape of executions in Stalinist North Korea conducted by resistance network: A videotape of the execution of people who helped refugees escape Stalinist North Korea was recorded by “a North Korean resistance cell” (Guardian, UK, via Sydney Morning Herald, Australia) – all the more reason to start talking about the need to liberate Communist China’s northern Korean colony (One Free Korea also weighs in).

More on the Communists’ northern Korean colony: Tong Xinzong, Epoch Times, examines Communist China’s continued forced repatriation of refugees from Stalinist North Korea. One Free Korea rips Bill Richardson for his “jaw-droppingly stupid pronouncements” on SNK. The Bush Administration freezes the assets of eight Stalinist “entities” (Washington Times, last item) that were “proliferators of weapons of mass destruction and delivery vehicles.” A high-ranking Stalinist dies (BBC). Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld wraps up his trip to South Korea (Bill Gertz, Washington Times). William Arkin, Washington Post, marvels at the worst-kept secret in Korea: plans for possible military action against SNK (no, he doesn’t endorse liberation either).

More from One Free Korea: The Friendly Blog examines the race for Mayor of Seoul, the life of Charles Robert Jenkins (seventh, fourth, last, and second items), the latest call for an American troop withdrawal from South Korea, and the kindness of Mongolia.

Dispute over East China Sea drilling continues: Japan “dispatched two envoys to Washington this month to brief Bush administration and State Department officials on what authorities here described as a ‘major threat to Japanese sovereignty’” (Washington Post). The breach would be Communist China drilling for natural gas in a disputed part of the East China Sea (tenth and sixth items). Communist China was its usual duplicitous self, refusing to admit it “was already drilling in the area” but calling any attempt by Japan to drill “an invasion of Chinese territory and . . . a highly provocative act.”

European Parliament hears testimony from Chen Yonglin and Hao Fengjun: The two high-profile defectors discussed the cadre’s overseas espionage and intimidation network to an EP seminar on human rights in Communist China (Epoch Times).

Ignorant Comment of the Day: Today’s dubious prize goes to Eric Margolis, Toronto Sun, for his refusal to accept Communist China as the enemy it really is.

Woe Canada! Judi McLeod & Brian McAdam (Member since 2004) detail the ties that bind the cadres and Canada’s current and former Prime Ministers (Canada Free Press).

More on Communist China and the United States: Michael C. Borja, NBC (via MSNBC) and the editors of the Washington Times have their takes on Defense Secretary Rumsfeld’s Communist China trip, and both are shot through with conventional wisdom. Meanwhile, William Hawkins, U.S. Business and Industry Council, notes Congress’ growing concern about possible Communist buy-outs of U.S. firms (Washington Times).

On the Falun Gong War: Wen Hua, Epoch Times, examines one of the more hideous forms of Communist persecution against Falun Gong practitioners: sexual abuse.

On Communist China’s lack of freedom: Yan Ming, Radio Free Asia (via Epoch Times), examines the Communist use of propaganda and censorship on the web. Rich Galen, Cybercast News, blasts the cadre’s democracy “white paper” (fifth item).

Communists intensify Nine Commentaries crackdown; resignations are celebrated: Communist China is resorting to “police abductions, searching homes, confiscating possessions, dismissal from work, forced labor, jail time, and in some cases, even murder” (Epoch Times) to stop the spread of the Nine Commentaries on the Chinese Communist Party, which has inspired over 5 million resignations from said Party (eighth item). Rallies in support of the ex-Communists were held in New York (Epoch Times) and Prague (Epoch Times). Meanwhile, Ian Rudge, also in the Epoch Times, detailed the significance of the resignations for both Communist China proper and Tibet.