Wednesday, July 05, 2006

News of the Day (July 5)

DIA agent caught spying for Communist China defended by pro-"engagement" crowd: Ronald Montaperto, a leading supporter of "engagement" with Communist China who admitted to passing secrets to the cadres while working for the Defense Intelligence Agency (tenth item), has some high-profile apologists, including Lonnie Henley, the deputy national intelligence officer for East Asia under Director of National Intelligence (DNI) John D. Negroponte (Bill Gertz, Washington Times). Why is the "engagement crowd" so willing to defend an admitted spy? Sinologist Richard Fisher has the answer: "This case . . . points to the ability of China to compromise the soul of our China policy-making community." As such, for anti-anti-Communists, it must be downplayed as much as possible, American security be damned.

Former Canadian MP to support Sujiatun allegations: David Kilgour, a former Canadian Member of Parliament who is heading an independent probe of Communist China's organ harvesting (fourth and third item), "will support accusations that China is harvesting the vital organs of imprisoned Falun Gong dissidents" (CTV) in a report to be release tomorrow. Kilgour's exact words were as follows: "They take both kidneys, then the heart and the skin and the corneas and the liver, and your body is then thrown in the incinerator." Also reporting: Between Heaven and Earth

Mother resisting forced abortion of twins "falls" from hospital window and dies: Cadres in Hefei, Anhui abducted Li Shimei, took her to a local hospital, and demanded she abort her unborn twins because she already had one child. Li resisted, and soon "fell from the Shuguang Hospital’s second floor while trying to leave" (Lifesite News). The Information Center for Human Rights and Democracy reported that Li was apparently "severely beaten by the family planning office staff while in detention" (Central News Agency, Taiwan, via Epoch Times).

Now, about the Stalinists' Projectile Dysfunction: Stalinist North Korea's test-launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile caught worldwide attention, including in the China Freedom Blog Alliance (The Korea Liberator, Shaun Kenney) and other friendly blogs (Small Dead Animals, Shotgun). The fact that the ICBM couldn't even reach the Pacific Ocean didn't stop the BBC from running seven pieces on the reactions from the rest of the world. CNN noted Japan's reaction, and SNK's subsequent launches. Mark Thompson of Time Asia pondered how America's missile defense might have handled the ICBM if it had stayed in the air longer than 40 seconds. Others with reports and analysis included Angry in the Great White North, Bill Gertz (Washington Times), Cybercast News, Daily NK, MSNBC, United Press International, UPI via Washington Times, and World Net Daily. However, the Enlightened Comment of the Day comes from David Frum of National Review Online for some badly needed context: "One of the most effective answers to the North Korean missile test is the US-India nuclear deal . . . Never forget: The North Korean nuclear program could never have proceeded as far as it has without crucial assistance from China - and the same is true for the Pakistani and Iranian nuclear programs as well" (emphasis added).

More from the China Freedom Blog Alliance: Between Heaven and Earth reprints Chang Cheng-shuh's essay on democracy in Taiwan (see also fifteenth item) and has the latest on the struggle for democracy in Hong Kong. Shaun Kenney spreads the word on how to beat the Communist internet crackdown (see also Boxun). The Korea Liberator comments on SNK's threat of nuclear war (see also BBC) and South Korea's dovish government deciding some press should be freer than others.

From the China Support Network: A member of the parent org blogs about his Independence Day experience, while Executive Director Curry Kenworthy calls for a rejection of PNTR for Vietnam.

On Communist China and the War on Terror: Salim Mansur has an excellent column in the Western Standard on Communist Chinese ally Pakistan's two faces in the War on Terror; the title says it all - "Our duplicitous ally". Meanwhile, Chen Jingsong (Radio Free Asia via Epoch Times) examines Communist China's history of arms sales to terrorist states.

More on the Communists' Korean colony: Communist China and SNK will "exchange visits by high-ranking officials" (Washington Post). Kwak Dae Jung (Daily NK) calls for South Korea to suspend the sunshine fiasco until the issue of abductees is resolved. Kang Chul Hwan, also in Daily NK, has a flashback about a high-ranking Stalinist. Daily NK also has stories on worker abuse in SNK and a new SNK refugee music group.

Emergency reporting rules ripped: The World Association of Newspapers and World Editors Forum "asked the Chinese government to withdraw a proposal to impose heavy fines on journalists, both Chinese and foreign, for reporting on natural disasters, accidents, public health hazards, riots and demonstrations" (Boxun).

More on human rights in Communist China: The cadres have begun regulating satellite dishes, largely to make sure they can't get outside news (Epoch Times), banned another movie (BBC), and accidentally let slip the mass CCP resignation movement (Epoch Times).

Music industry powerhouses to sue Yahoo China for piracy: Yahoo China, the search engine for Communist China partially owned by the Communist-loving firm (fourteenth, fifth, lead, third, eighth, seventh, third, fifth, eighth, last, third, fourth, fourth, third, eighth, eleventh, and sixth items) is about to be sued by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industries for "allegedly providing links to pirated tracks" (BBC). The IFPI's members "include EMI, Sony BMG and Warner Music."

Bank of China fleeces, ahem, raises $2.5 billion from domestic investors: The Communist-owned bank had a very good stock float in Shanghai despite it's troubled history (BBC, fourth, sixth, fifth, sixth, last, tenth, and fifteenth items).

Swedish telecom firm balks at sale to China Mobile: Millicom International Cellular cited "an unsatisfactory due-diligence report" (UPI via Washington Times) as the reason for decline the China Mobile offer.

Hu Jintao meets with Japanese opposition leader: The Communist boss told Ichiro Ozawa, head of the Democratic Party of Japan, that he "hoped the two countries could improve relations" (Washington Times, second item). The DPJ contested last year's election in Japan with a platform that called for closer relations with Communist China, and was crushed by anti-Communist Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's Liberal Democratic Party (fourth and tenth items).

Ex-Australian Foreign Minister rips Communist "cronyism and extensive corruption": The phrase was a paraphrase of Bill Hayden's comments by the Epoch Times.

On Tibet: Communist China says talks with the Dalai Lama are going badly, and blames him for it (Washington Post, third item). Meanwhile, Peter Goodman (Washington Post) finds a place where the Communists' attempt at "Sinicization" has fallen flat.

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