News of the Day (May 17)

From the China Freedom Blog Alliance: The Korea Liberator rails against Communist China's continued jailing of a refugee supporter, highlights the upcoming Liberation in North Korea (LiNK) campaign, laments Stalinist racism, and has another Korea Diary installment.

More on the Communists' Korean colony: Parents of two married abductees - one from Japan, the other from South Korea - meet and pledge to work together to bring their children home (Yomiuri Shimbun). South Korea begs the Stalinist North to "follow in Libya's footsteps by giving up its nuclear ambitions to improve ties with the United States" (United Press Int'l via Washington Times). The Stalinists threatens "a deluge of fire" for Seoul if it votes for the hawkish Grand National Party (Daily NK). Korean reunification gets short shrift from Kim Young Hwan, of Daily NK.

Yang Tianshui sentenced to a dozen years in prison: Reporters Without Borders ripped the cadres for jailing the freelance writer (ninth item). Report: Boxun

Cadres in Yindi abandon trapped miners: Three miners were trapped after an explosion in late January. The local Communists could have saved them with "the necessary equipment and 200 men" (Epoch Times). Instead, the blasted the mine, literally sealing the miners' fate.

Another regime-owned bank looks to fleece investors, ahem, raise capital: This time it's Bank of China which is looking to "raise up to $US9.8 billion in a Hong Kong listing next month" despite "its legacy of corruption and bad management practices" (Epoch Times).

Wheat harvest likely to plummet due to drought: In the worst-hit provinces, listed by UPI (via Washington Times) as Yunnan, Gansu, Ningxia, Inner Mongolia, and Hebei, the situation is so bad that "nearly two-thirds of winter wheat" has been "wiped out."

Did the cadres trick Tibetan supporters into pulling their punches for Hu's U.S. visit? That's what Taiwan's Central News Agency (via Epoch Times) alleges. According to the CNA, the regime planted false rumors that the Dalai Lama would soon be allowed to visit Tibet, then watched with glee as "officials of the Tibetan government in exile posted messages on their website calling on Tibetans in the U.S. not to protest during Chairman Hu's visit." The rumors were later exposed as "a smokescreen designed by the Chinese authorities in Beijing."

Communists to observe U.S. military exercises in Guam: The cadres loved with the idea, "saying more contact between defense forces could increase understanding" (Washington Post, seventh item).

Cadres plan more bishops without Vatican approval: The recent flap between the Communists and the Holy See about the appointment of Catholic bishops (lead and ninth items) is likely to escalate if Liu Bainian, the number two Communist in the regime-run "Patriotic" church, has his way (Voice of America).

India soon to have growth rates higher than Communist China, says economist: Eisuke Sakakibara, a Professor at Waseda University and the head of the school's Institute for Indian Economic Studies, was "'almost certain' that India's economy would rocket past China's in the next decade" (Yomiuri Shimbun).