News of the Day (June 2)

From the China Freedom Blog Alliance: The Korea Liberator says good riddance to Chung Dong-Young, praises younger South Koreans speaking up for the rights of their northern brethren, speculates on the reason the now-reeling South Korean doves invited Jay Lefkowitz to Kaesong, and covers everything else in their Korea Diary.

Second group of Korean refugees coming to United States: Pastor Chun Ki Won tells Daily NK that "Refugee Status has already been obtained for these people."

More on the satellite regimes: The Stalinists continue to ban much of South Korean television (Daily NK) and now are prohibiting smokers from attending college (Newsmax). Meanwhile, as America's decision to cave in to Iran reverberates, calls for liberation grow (Cybercast News), and those who would defend Khomeinism come under increasing scrutiny (Western Standard).

Communist China wants more high-tech weaponry: Communist China's new defense plans include "accelerating armaments technology over the next 15 years" (United Press Int'l via Washington Times). In part this is designed to ensure the cadres no longer need to import high-tech weaponry (take note, Russia).

Enlightened Comment of the Day: Today's winner is Fred Stakelbeck, Jr. (Washington Times) - "Almost everything Beijing has done over the past two decades, from Westernizing its economy to modernizing and streamlining its military to updating its infrastructure, has been undertaken to challenge America's world authority."

India blocks ZTE from domestic telecommunications equipment market: The Indian government cited "security concerns," which are the subject of an ongoing investigation. ZTE helped Saddam Hussein integrate his air defense network in 2001. Report: United Press Int'l via Washington Times

Despite Chen Shui-bian's woes, Taiwan marches on: Jerome F. Keating details the Taiwanese spirit of freedom in the Epoch Times. Perhaps even more telling of Taiwan's future, however, is this Washington Post story on President Chen Shui-bian's political troubles, which noted the Communist reaction to Chiu Yi, one of Chen's most virulent critics: "Chiu was invited to Peking University last week to speak to students on his campaign against Chen, who is widely despised in China. But after he told Beijing-based reporters that Taiwan's democracy and free press were essential in allowing him to air his charges, officials from the Chinese government's Taiwan Affairs Office told him he could not make the speech" (emphasis added).

Gao Zhisheng praises Edward McMillan-Scott: The renowned human-rights attorney (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, sixth, tenth, eighth, second, eighth, ninth, lead, sixth, eighth, seventh, fifth, fourth, last, fifth, seventh, next to last, fourth, last, twenty-first, twenty-second, seventh, fourth, sixth, fourth, sixth, eleventh, eleventh, fourth, last, and sixth items) gives kudos to the European Parliament Vice President (fourth and seventh items) for his anti-Communism (Epoch Times).

Chen Yonglin speaks to the Epoch Times one year after he dramatically went public with accounts of Communist espionage overseas.

Vatican hits Communist China for interference again: The Roman Catholic Church called on the Communists to steer clear of "its internal organization" (Washington Times) - a reference to the Communists' decision to elevate bishops without the Church's approval (lead and ninth items).

Communist crackdown against the internet expands, but Hu Yaobang is spared, for now: The cadres are now recruiting "special Internet supervisors" (Radio Free Asia via the Epoch Times) from among the citizenry. Using citizens to spy on each other is a common tactic by Communists, one the Chinese Communist Party launched on a massive scale during the Cultural Revolution. However, the Communists still maintain a web site for the late reformist cadre Hu Yaobang, although the reasons for that have more to do the political battle between Hu Jintao and Jiang Zemin than any respect for Hu Yaobang himself (Epoch Times).

On the state of the workers in the workers' state - health care: A new report on the terrible status of Communist China's health care system is highlighted by Taiwan's Central News Agency (via Epoch Times).