News of the Day (February 27)

From the China Freedom Blog Alliance: The Korea Liberator, in addition to having the latest news, comments on the American public's view of Stalinist North Korea and why it's not what is should be (hint: it's the media), how the counterfeit scandal is affecting the corruption-riddled Bank of China, SNK's latest threat on the nuclear talks debacle, the regime's ability to browbeat the United Nations, and what's behind dovish South Korean Ban Ki-moon's bid for the top UN job (ninth item).

More on the Communists' Korean colony: TKL's above comments on media bias were, unwittingly, confirmed by Bill Powell of Time Asia, who seemed more interested making defector Jung Sung San out to be a laughingstock than to notice the harrowing story of Stalinist prison camps Jung is trying to bring to the stage (for that, Powell wins Ignorant Comment of the Day). Perhaps if Powell was following Ahn Hyok's series on life in those prisons (Daily NK, has the latest, see third, fifth, tenth, second, and second items for the other installments), Powell wouldn't be so snide. Andrew Salmon, Washington Times, comes close for a ridiculous profile of a dovish Korean war vet. Meanwhile, over 330 Korean churches are joining to highlight the human rights abuses in SNK, and only Daily NK noticed. Daily NK also ponders how the Stalinists literally cleared out Shinuiju.

Iranian mullahcracy boasts of "big" oil deal to come with Communist China: Mehdi Safari, the deputy foreign minister for the mullahs, told the regime's propaganda television that a "delegation led by the Chinese head of the national development and reform commission, Ma Kai, will be soon in Tehran to sign agreements related to exports of big oil consignments to China" (Agence France Presse).

Canada file - Communists looking for more Canadian resources: China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) is "eyeing a takeover of a major Canadian oil company - possibly Husky Energy Inc. or Canadian Natural Resources Ltd. - to gain a stake in Alberta's oil sands" (Globe and Mail). The Communists have acquired pieces of Canada's natural resource wealth before (fourth item). Since then, however, the federal government holding out the welcome mat was turfed by Canada's voters (Alberta's welcoming provincial government is still in place). How the new government reacts remains to be seen.

Communists offer to replenish Bolivia's missile stash: The Communist regime has "offered to replace shoulder-fired missiles" (Bill Gertz, Washington Times) that Bolivia lost last year after local military officers helped the U.S. destroy them, lest they "fall into the hands of terrorists linked to the new ruling Movement to Socialism." The Communists' missile offer goes in tandem with "Beijing's long-term strategy to undermine U.S. influence in the region and other parts of the world."

Japanese firms souring on Communist China: Three Japanese companies have decided to pull out of Communist China's wireless phone "market" - where Communist-owned firms still dominate. The latest firm to leave is Mitsubishi (United Press International via Washington Times).

Chen Shui-bian ends Unification Council: Taiwan's elected President made good on his pledge to scrap the largely defunct body (sixth, third, and fourth items) which was supposed to "oversee the island's eventual unification with China" (BBC). Chen's reason for killing the panel, as summarized by the Washington Post, were simple and elegant "only the Taiwanese people can decide whether they want to rejoin the mainland."

As President Bush prepares to visit India, Alex Perry (Time Asia) and Fareed Zakaria (Newsweek) examine the growing friendship between the two (although they raise the Communist China issue far more tangentially than they should).

More on Communist China and the rest of the world: Charles Smith (Newsmax) gives a healthy reminder that, whatever one thinks of Dubai Ports World (yours truly has been all over the map on that one) there are some port managers far more menacing - like Hutchison Whampoa. Meanwhile, Evan Davis (BBC) writes on the EU reaction to the Communist shoe surge (last and seventh items) with such flippancy he seems to be almost asking for ICOD honors, see above for the winner).

Hunger strike news: San Franciscans (Epoch Times), a human rights group (International Advocates for Justice, via Epoch Times) and the wife of Hu Jia join the strike (Epoch Times). The Epoch Times also reprinted a poem by striker Ouyang Xiaorong, who was "kidnapped at Gao's law office by CCP authorities" over a week ago. Ouyang's days in captivity are now being marked by "Gao," i.e., human rights attorney Gao Zhisheng (sixth, tenth, fifth, lead, third, last, twelfth, eighth, third, second, third, eighth, eleventh, eighth, fourth, fourth, last, fourth, fifth, twelfth, fifth, second, lead, next to last, seventh, last, next to last, lead, second, last, and sixth items), who recounted his meeting with the Beijing "Justice Bureau" (Epoch Times), replied to Tiananmen Mothers founder Ding Zilin (Epoch Times), and railed against the cadres (Epoch Times).

The latest on the lack of media freedom in Communist China: Freezing Point is back, but without the editors who made it what it was (Epoch Times); Communist China indicts cyberjournalist and dissident Li Yuanlong for what it calls "incitement to subvert state power" (Human Rights in China via Boxun); and Reporters Without Borders (via Boxun) laments the fate of Yu Dongyue.

Tiananmen Mothers founder wants money frozen by Communists: The aforementioned Ding Zilin has sent an open letter to the regime calling on it to unfreeze an account that held money "donated for the humanitarian assistance of family members of June 4th victims" (Boxun).