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RFA BREAKING NEWS: China Closes Unirule Website but Founder is Unfazed

by Parameswaran Ponnudurai

China Closes Unirule Website but Founder is Unfazed MAY 1, 2012— Chinese authorities have closed the website of a high-profile liberal research institution, its founder, who just won a U.S. award for advocating the importance of liberty, said Tuesday. Mao Yushi, the 83-year-old market economist who founded the Unirule Institute of Economics in Beijing, said he would still go ahead with plans to travel Wednesday to Washington to receive the Milton Friedman Prize for Advancing Liberty from the libertarian Cato Institute. He confirmed with RFA's Mandarin service that the website had been closed, saying he did not know why the Chinese government decided to shut it after its decade-long existence. "I do not know. This is something quite unexpected. The Institute has been in existence for many years—roughly 10 years," he said in an interview. Unirule was founded by a group of prominent Chinese economists in July 1993. The website carried academic articles published by the Institute and "friends" of the Institute, said Mao Yushi, an engineer-turned-economist, a vociferous critic of China’s one-party state, and an advocate of democracy and human rights. Tensions The closure of the website comes amid U.S.-China tensions over the status of blind Chinese dissident Chen Guangcheng, who escaped from house arrest and is believed to be under U.S. protection in Beijing. Beijing is also clamping down on increasing online debate over the ousting of high-flying politician and former Chongqing ruling Chinese Communist Party chief Bo Xilai. Mao Yushi said the closure of the website would not deter him from traveling to the United States to collect his award from Cato. "There has been no change," he said, adding that he is scheduled to leave Beijing on Wednesday. "The award is very significant; it promotes freedom," he pointed out. In 2010, Mao Yushi was among key intellectuals prevented by Beijing from traveling to Oslo for the award of the Nobel Peace Prize to Liu Xiaobo, an imprisoned political activist. Human freedom Cato said the Milton Friedman Prize for Advancing Liberty, named in honor of a champion of liberty in the 20th century, is presented every other year to an individual who has made a significant contribution to advance human freedom. The prize also carries a cash award of U.S. $250,000. Cato said Mao Yushi was one of China’s most outspoken and influential activists for individual rights and free markets, a well-known advocate for an open and transparent political system, and one of the pioneers of the movement in China for civil society and freedom. Before economic reform began in China in 1978, he had been an engineer and during his lifetime has faced severe punishment, exile, and near starvation for remarks critical of a command-based economy and society, Cato said. Mao Yushi warned in the RFA interview that the booming Chinese economy was in a precarious state. "There are bubbles and there are bad debts," he said, referring to China's real estate slump, which many analysts say is a major threat to economic growth and confidence in 2012, and to a rising pile of bad bank loans. Asked what the Chinese government could do to tackle the problems, Mao Yushi said, "It’s kind of late now … China’s economic problems are tied in with its political problems." "It’d be difficult to resolve the economic problems without resolving the political problems first." Reported by Tang Qiwei for RFA’s Mandarin service. Translated by Jennifer Chou. Written in English by Parameswaran Ponnudurai. View this story online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/web-05012012142516.html Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org. To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to engnews-join(a)rfanews.org . ##### All media inquiries may be sent to Rohit Mahajan at <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org.

12 years, 8 months

Release: Radio Free Asia Wins at Hong Kong Human Rights Press Awards

by Rohit Mahajan

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 23, 2012 Contact: Rohit Mahajan 202 530 4976 <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org Radio Free Asia Honored at Hong Kong Human Rights Press Awards Human Trafficking Web Video Series, Cantonese Radio Report Recognized WASHINGTON - Radio Free Asia won two awards at the 16th annual Hong Kong Human Rights Press Awards sponsored by the Foreign Correspondents Club, Amnesty International, and the Hong Kong Journalists Association. RFA's video documentary series on human trafficking in Asia won in the contest's online content category and its Cantonese language story on the humiliation of a Chinese rights advocate garnered a merit award in the radio broadcast category. "These hard-won awards reflect the commitment to the eye-opening journalism RFA does on a daily basis," said Libby Liu, Radio Free Asia's president. "Our reporting brings our audience closer to the truth, no matter how difficult the subject matter or media environment in which RFA language services operate." RFA's online human trafficking series <http://www.rfa.org/english/news/special/HumanTrafficking/Home.html> , representing the research and work of videographers spanning a year, documents the advent of child soldier recruitment in Burma, labor abuses in China's black factories, traffickers targeting refugee camps in Thailand, and North Korean mothers being forcibly wed in China, among other instances of trafficking. Drawing from in-country interviews with victims, NGO representatives, and traffickers themselves, the videos tell the first-person stories of trafficking that affects millions in Asia. Together, the individual videos seek to go beyond the content's shock value to explore the human subjects and complex factors that underpin trafficking in Asia, namely, population displacement, poverty, ethnic discrimination, cultural pressures, war, and government corruption, among other issues. RFA Cantonese's reporter Grace Leung was honored at the event for her radio story <http://www.rfa.org/cantonese/news/china_dissident-09222011102801.html?encod ing=simplified> on Hebei rights activist Xu Yishun who was jailed for one and a half years in a re-education center for charges related to his plan to visit the wife of then-jailed Shandong blind activist Chen Guangcheng. Xu incurred mistreatment during his imprisonment and public humiliation upon his release in September 2011 when he was discharged without adequate clothing and his relatives were not allowed to pick him up at the prison gates. Other news organizations recognized at this year's event included South China Morning Post, National Public Radio, International Herald Tribune, and Time magazine, among other regional Hong Kong-based outlets. The winners were named at an April 21 ceremony held at the Foreign Correspondents Club in Hong Kong. # # # Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA's broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to "seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers." RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. If you no longer wish to receive RFA press releases, please send an e-mail to <mailto:engnews-leave@rfanews.org> engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org. To add your name to our mailing list, please send an e-mail to <mailto:engnews-join@rfanews.org> engnews-join(a)rfanews.org Rohit Mahajan Media Relations Manager Radio Free Asia Email: mahajanr(a)rfa.org Desk: (202) 530-4976 Cell: (202) 489-8021 www.rfa.org

12 years, 8 months

RFA BREAKING NEWS: Laos Rejects China Rare Earth Plant

by Parameswaran Ponnudurai

Laos Rejects China Rare Earth Plant APRIL 20, 2012— After mulling for a year, Laos has rejected a bid by a company from China to build a rare earth minerals plant in the Southeast Asian state, citing the company’s refusal to disclose the source of its minerals and potential adverse environmental impact, according to a government official. The mining official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that rare earth minerals could present a risk to the local environment and that without knowing where they came from and which materials are being used, the government could not approve the proposal. “The rare earth minerals are from foreign countries, but [the company] has not disclosed from which ones. They want to build a production plant, but we won’t allow it because there are too many polluted elements in rare earth minerals,” the official said. “We have asked for information about the leads, sediments, and chemical toxins they will use, but they would not provide it to us, so we will not authorize it yet.” The Chinese company, Laos Wonder New Materials Import-Export Co. Ltd., had submitted an application to the Lao government nearly one year ago to build the production plant in Thourakhom district’s Ban Lingxan, located about 50 kilometers (31 miles) from the capital Vientiane. It is believed that the company plans to produce rare earth oxide. Processed rare earth minerals are used in products such as electronics, fluorescent lamps, magnets, and batteries. The official said that an environmental impact study had been conducted in the area of the proposed site and found potential risks of pollution to the environment. He said that in addition to the Chinese company’s failure to provide information on the source of its rare earth minerals, company management was unable to provide details about the potential impact of the mineral production process and had no plan for mitigating damage to the local ecology. Harmful chemicals—usually toxic acids—used in the company’s production process would also be imported along with raw materials from the third country source, the official said. Another common hazard associated with the production process is mildly radioactive slurry tailings resulting from the common occurrence of thorium and uranium in rare earth element ores. With no plan in place to deal with the waste from the plant, he said, the nearby Nam Gnum River is at risk of pollution, along with the riparian communities that make their livelihood from it. The project has never been disclosed to the public. There has also been concern over building a rare earth refinery in Laos' Southeast Asian neighbor Malaysia. Malaysia had granted an Australian miner a two-year license to operate the first rare earths plant outside China in years but the government is reviewing its decision amid protests over alleged health and environmental risks. Global production China now produces over 95 percent of the world's rare earth supply, mostly in Inner Mongolia, even though it has only 37 percent of proven reserves. New demand has recently strained supply, and there is growing concern that the world may soon face a shortage of the rare earths. In 2009, China announced that it would reduce its export of rare earth materials to 35,000 tons per year in 2010-2015, citing resource depletion and environmental concerns. However, some critics have said that China’s decision was motivated by an interest in moving up the supply chain to sell valuable finished goods, rather than inexpensive raw materials. China has a rapidly growing investment presence in resource-starved Laos, which suffers from high rates of poverty and a lack of viable infrastructure. Chinese firms operate concessions which include casinos in Luang Namtha province, on the border of China’s Yunnan province, and in northwestern Bokeo province on the border with Burma. Reported by Waroonsiri Sungsuwan for RFA’s Lao service. Translated by Somnet Inthapannha. Written in English by Joshua Lipes. View this story online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/laos/rejection-04202012181020.html Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org. To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to engnews-join(a)rfanews.org . ##### All media inquiries may be sent to Rohit Mahajan at <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org.

12 years, 8 months

RFA BREAKING NEWS : Burma Pledges to Punish Election Fraudsters

by Parameswaran Ponnudurai

Burma Pledges to Punish Election Fraudsters APRIL 2, 2012— Burma’s Elections Commission has vowed to punish those who committed electoral fraud in weekend by-elections amid complaints of voter irregularities by both the government-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) and opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD). Director General of the Union Election Commission Win Ko told RFA’s Burmese service in an interview that anyone found guilty of the offense would face a punishment of a year in prison, provided proper evidence was presented against the alleged offender. Aung San Suu Kyi’s NLD swept the polls, winning 40 of the 44 seats it contested, but the Nobel laureate cautioned against overlooking the polling irregularities which she said would be raised with the commission. “We do not think that such practices should be encouraged in any way,” she said. Responding to allegations by the NLD, Win Ko said action would be taken against violators of election rules based on concrete evidence. On a claim by an NLD candidate that wax had been applied over the NLD tick-box on ballot papers to prevent voters from choosing the party, Win Ko said, “If the evidence is valid, whoever breaks the election law is subject to one year in prison." “However, in my opinion, it would not have been easy for someone to wax over 100,000 voting cards,” he said. “We need evidence of who broke the law and when, and so far we haven't received anything yet.” He did not provide details of the law under which offenders could be charged. Win Ko also addressed allegations of irregular voter lists at polling stations during the Sunday elections. NLD candidates complained that thousands of voters found their names missing from the electoral rolls and that, in one instance, an entire village had been omitted from the registry. “According to the law, the township and village [election] commissions are responsible for that. They also have to rely on a list … compiled by … officials and the local authorities,” he said. “We do not have the manpower to do the groundwork, so we have to rely on that data to compile a voting list.” But Win Ko said that the media had full access to the polls, “so I don’t need to elaborate on [whether they were] free and fair.” Local process He said that as a central organ, the Elections Commission seeks to break larger cases of alleged voting irregularities down to the local level. “On the ground, the Commission has been trying to resolve the problems on a district and village level before they become criminal cases, by negotiating with the parties,” he said. “If these cases reach a criminal level, we urge the parties to report them to the police and Information Ministry. We, as an election commission, can't prosecute that kind of case, but if it proves to be a valid violation, we can change the results of the election.” When asked how experiences from Burma’s 2010 general elections and Sunday’s by-elections would dictate the Commission’s conduct in the 2015 general elections, Win Ko said information was still being collected from the local level on how to improve the process. But he believed the Commission would be better prepared to handle the 2015 elections, based on feedback gathered by political parties at the local levels. Incorrect lists Meanwhile, a Burmese election watchdog said Monday that 95 percent of the country’s polling stations had incorrect voter lists, leading to confusion in the election process. But the Yangon [Rangoon] School of Political Science, a think tank of young intellectuals, said that despite the high percentage of erroneous lists, the voting process was “more free than before,” referring to 2010 general elections that saw a nominally civilian government take power from the country’s former military junta. The election monitoring group, which had also monitored the 2010 elections, based its findings on a survey of 101 voting stations in 21 townships with a team of 400 observers. “We share information on how to observe the elections with as many members of various townships as we can possibly reach. We just use our own budget, and we rely mostly on handbooks issued by international organizations,” group leader Myat Thu told RFA’s Burmese service. “We did not focus on the election results—only how the voting process was managed and whether or not it was free and fair,” he said. Myat Thu said his organization was in constant contact with its network on the ground via cell phone to determine voter arrivals at polling stations and whether or not they faced intimidation, coaching, or were assisted in filling out their ballots. “Based on the answers from each polling station, we took a percentage and issued our finding … that [the voting process] was more free than before, although there were some instances of unfairness and many people didn’t have a chance to vote,” he said. “But despite these problems, they didn't have an effect on the NLD's victory.” International election observers from the U.S., EU and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) all monitored the elections on Sunday. The head of the EU's observer team called the voting process "convincing enough," though she would not label the elections entirely credible. Reported by Kyaw Kyaw Aung and Tin Aung Khine for RFA’s Burmese service. Translated by Khin May Zaw. Written in English by Joshua Lipes. View this story online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/burma/pledge-04022012180313.html Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org. To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to engnews-join(a)rfanews.org . ##### All media inquiries may be sent to Rohit Mahajan at <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org.

12 years, 9 months

RFA BREAKING NEWS : North Koreans want priority on food over satellite

by Parameswaran Ponnudurai

North Koreans Want Priority on Food Over Satellite APRIL 9, 2012— As the countdown begins for North Korea's controversial rocket launch, people in the impoverished nation are asking why their leader Kim Jong Un is giving priority to putting the country's first-ever satellite into orbit when many are finding it difficult to get food on the table. Some of the North Koreans RFA spoke to were shocked to learn that the cost of the satellite-carrying rocket launch in conjunction with the 100th anniversary of the birth of North Korean founder Kim Il Sung will, according to some estimates, cost about U.S. $850 million—enough to feed most of the North's 24 million people for a year. The cost of the other celebratory events may be around U.S. $2 billion, South Korean officials estimate. “Right now, upon the 100th birthday of Kim Il Sung, people are solely interested in when and how much they will be able to receive their rations of food,” said a North Korean from northern Yanggang province bordering China. “Compared to the problem of getting their rations, issues like the satellite launch are nothing,” he said. "Provisions are running out ... and for many people in the city of Hyesan it is difficult to even have two meals a day,” the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity from the administrative center of Yanggang province. Disguised missile test? An executive from North Hamgyong province, the northernmost province of North Korea, questioned the need for the launch of the rocket, Unha-3 (Galaxy-3), which Pyongyang says will place a research satellite called Kwangmyongsong-3 (Shining Star) in orbit sometime between April 12 and 16. The United States and its allies insist that the launch is a ballistic missile test in disguise, in blatant violation of United Nations resolutions and a February U.S.-North Korean agreement. “[It is] impertinent to have a missile experiment when they can’t even provide sufficient rations for their people,” the North Korean executive said, adding that the Kim Jong Un regime "will probably start extensive propaganda on the success of the [event] right after the missile launch." North Korea has been reeling from persistent food shortages since a famine in the 1990s, and banks on foreign aid to feed its people. The U.S. has suspended planned food shipments to the North because Washington said the rocket launch breached the February deal, under which Pyongyang agreed to a partial nuclear freeze and a missile and nuclear test moratorium in return for 240,000 tons of U.S. food aid. The aid package had been expected to target the most needy in North Korea, including malnourished young children and pregnant women. 'Little interest' A South Korean official said on Sunday that the North appeared to be preparing to follow up the rocket launch with a third nuclear weapons test, but Pyongyang has denied the claim. “When people find out that this is not a satellite launch, they [North Korea] will surely suffer the consequences,” another North Korean asserted to RFA. He said that even if the launch ends up in failure, the Kim Jong Un regime will still advertise it as successful, just as they have done in the past. Some experts believe North Korea's planned satellite launch may herald a repeat of events in 2009, when global criticism of Pyongyang's last long-range rocket launch prompted its pullout from six-nation nuclear disarmament talks and its second nuclear test. A North Korean college student, also from North Hamgyong province, said there seems to be little interest among the people in the planned satellite launch amid the massive birthday celebrations. "I am aware of the launch, but since there are many events lined up for the 'Day of the Sun' [Kim Il Sung’s birthday], people are not showing much interest yet about the satellite launch,” the student said. “Newspapers and broadcast media are carrying active propaganda on other events, but not much has touched on the issue of the satellite launch,” another source from Yanggang province said. Asked why the authorities are not presenting a major publicity blitz on the satellite launch at home, most of the North Koreans interviewed said that authorities may want to begin the propaganda campaign just ahead of the launch in order to create a "dramatic" effect. 'What's more important?' In an unprecedented move, reclusive North Korea on Sunday invited foreign journalists to the site of the rocket launch in an apparent bid to influence the world that the launch would have a "peaceful" purpose. Jang Myong-Jin, head of North Korea's Tongchang-ri space center in the far northwest, said it was "really nonsense" to call the upcoming launch a disguised missile test, Agence France-Presse reported. "This launch was planned long ago, on the occasion of the 100th birthday of [founding] president Kim Il Sung. We are not doing it for provocative purposes," he said. When a correspondent from U.S. broadcast network CNN asked a North Korean official at the briefing, "What's more important, food or satellites?," the official stopped smiling, CNN reported. "Please will you answer the question," the correspondent persisted. "Isn't it more important to feed your people?" The North Korean official turned and was ushered out of the room, the CNN report said. Reported by Moon Sung Hui for RFA's Korean service. Translated by Kang Min Kyung. Written in English with additional reporting by Parameswaran Ponnudurai. View this story online at: <http://www.rfa.org/english/news/korea/food-04092012162851.html> http://www.rfa.org/english/news/korea/food-04092012162851.html Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org. To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to engnews-join(a)rfanews.org . ##### All media inquiries may be sent to Rohit Mahajan at <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org.

12 years, 9 months

RFA BREAKING NEWS : Bo Xilai's Campaign Was 'Worse Than Cultural Revolution'

by Parameswaran Ponnudurai

Bo Xilai's Campaign Was 'Worse Than Cultural Revolution' APRIL 3, 2012— The Maoist revival campaign led by Bo Xilai, the purged ruling Chinese Communist party chief in southwestern Chongqing city, was more horrific than the bloody Cultural Revolution, according to a prominent businessmen who escaped the "terror" blitz by fleeing overseas. "The 'red terror' instigated by Bo Xilai in Chongqing was worse than the terror of the Cultural Revolution," said Li Jun, who headed the multibillion-dollar Junfeng Development Corp. before fleeing China in 2010 to evade arrest during the anti-corruption campaigns orchestrated by Bo and his police chief Wang Lijun. "Everyone was afraid they were in danger; it was a very frightening time, because they were just arresting people all over the place and then packaging them up as several hundred members of triad gangs," Li told RFA's Cantonese service in a video interview on Monday, conducted overseas. "A lot of the privately run businesses [there] are basically triad [operations]," Li said, adding that the fallout from Bo's removal from office is only just beginning. Chongqing, the largest Chinese municipality, was the epicenter of a Maoist revival campaign under Bo, who spearheaded an effort to crack down on gangs and corruption and promoted the public singing of nostalgic revolutionary songs reflecting the Cultural Revolution. In 1966, Chinese leader Mao Zedong launched the Cultural Revolution, plunging the country into 10 years of turmoil in which millions of workers, officials and intellectuals were banished to the countryside for hard labor. Many were tortured, killed or driven to suicide. Mao however retains much public affection among Chinese as a charismatic leader seen to have liberated China from what they felt was humiliating imperial subjugation. Li said Bo wanted to use the Maoist revival campaign to achieve his political ambitions. “I think that the singularly most important purpose of Bo Xilai’s 'red song' campaign was to facilitate his entry into the center of power in autumn this year—to show that he is the child of a high cadre and that his roots are red and politically correct. He wanted to revive people’s memories of the violence of the Cultural Revolution.” Some say Bo, a Red Guard during the first stage of the Cultural Revolution, may have been caught in a major ideological battle. Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao recently obliquely criticized Bo for fanning nostalgia for Maoist times and warned that failure to act against graft and a growing rich-poor gap could rekindle the chaos of the Cultural Revolution. Random arrests Looking back, Li described a city whose business elite were closely entangled with organized crime and a government that would make arrests almost randomly to be seen as doing something about it. "In Chongqing back then ... a lot of businesspeople were taking measures to protect their personal safety and that of their families," he said. Li's wife and 30 of his relatives were arrested on the same night that he arrived in Hong Kong, on his way to a life in exile. His wife was sentenced to a year in prison on charges linked to the anti-gang campaign, and the government confiscated U.S. $4.5 billion of his company's assets. Li himself was accused of "illegal business practices," and of making illegal loans, a charge he denies. He showed RFA a file of official documents detailing his loan arrangements, but declined to have them published for fear of bringing further trouble to his relatives. Bo's right hand man, Wang Lijun, who was vice mayor and security boss of Chongqing, was hauled to Beijing after he took refuge at the U.S. consulate in Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province. Billionaire investigated Li's account of Chongqing under Bo and Wang comes after official media reported at the weekend that a billionaire associate of Bo's from his time as Party secretary in the northeastern port city of Dalian was placed under investigation by Party discipline inspection officials for suspected "economic crimes." Xu Ming, chairman of the chemical company Dalian Shide Group, was detained over alleged involvement in economic crimes, the National Economic Weekly reported on Saturday. Xu, who was named the eighth richest person on China's mainland in 2005 by Forbes, also sat on the board of the Bank of Dalian. He was detained by the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection on March 15, the same day that Bo's removal from his position in Chongqing was announced. China's Internet censorship machine subsequently moved to crack down on online rumors, which have flooded the Chinese Internet since Bo's March 15 ouster. Bo's whereabouts are still unknown, and the absence of any official statement on his fate have fueled speculation that China's security chief Zhou Yongkang, who is believed to have been Bo's highest-ranking political supporter, tried to stage a coup in Beijing. Beijing closed 16 websites and disabled comments on the country's hugely popular microblog services for four days in an attempt to stem the tide of political gossip and rumor. More to come Li said he expected that many more of Bo's associates would be investigated in the weeks to come. "Such an all-out campaign as the 'fight black, sing red' movement couldn't have been all [Bo's] own work," he said. "This wasn't something that was just dreamed up by Bo Xilai and Wang Lijun themselves; there must be a huge network of interests at stake here to carry something like this through," Li said. The People's Daily, mouthpiece of the ruling Communist Party called for "unity" in an editorial this week. "We must be more resolute in maintaining a high degree of unity under the Party central committee led by President Hu Jintao," the paper said in one of a series of three political commentaries. It called on China's netizens to "unify their thinking and to refuse to allow rumors or calls for progress in the midst of stability to become keywords among Internet commentators." Xie Tian, professor of management at the University of South Carolina, said it was easy to infer from the article the sorts of problems currently being faced by the nine members of China's Politburo Standing Committee. "One can read between the lines of this article that tells people ... not to waver, that there probably has been a bit of theoretical wavering going on," Xie said. "The warning about laxity suggests that someone has been too relaxed, while the warning not to rock the boat suggests that someone has been doing just that," he said. He said the whole of Chinese society was lost, ideologically speaking. "They know that the course [China] had previously been following is a dead end, and that regression is unthinkable," Xie said. "But no one can agree whether to turn left or to turn right." Reported by Ho Shan and Zhang Qingyan for RFA's Cantonese service, and by Shi Shan for the Mandarin service. Translated by Luisetta Mudie and Jennifer Chou. Written in English by Luisetta Mudie. View this story online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/campaign-04032012163029.html Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org. To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to engnews-join(a)rfanews.org . ##### All media inquiries may be sent to Rohit Mahajan at <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org.

12 years, 9 months

RFA BREAKING NEWS : Kirti Monk Self-Immolates, Dies

by Parameswaran Ponnudurai

Kirti Monk Self-Immolates, Dies March 28, 2012— A Tibetan monk from a restive monastery in China's Sichuan province set himself on fire and died Wednesday in protest against Chinese rule, exile sources said, quoting local contacts. Twenty-year-old Lobsang Sherab shouted slogans to highlight Beijing's "discriminatory" policies on Tibetans as he self-immolated in Cha township in the Ngaba (in Chinese, Aba) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, India-based exiled Tibetan monk Kanyag Tsering told RFA. "The self-immolation occurred at 7.10 p.m. along the main road in the township," he said. "The exact words he uttered as he burned were not immediately clear, but what was clear was that Sherab was protesting against the ruthless policies imposed by the Chinese authorities." "He died on the spot," Tsering said. "The Tibetans who were in the area tried to take his body away, but the Chinese security forces intervened, prevented them from doing so, and took the body, much to the anger of the Tibetans." "The Chinese security forces also ordered shops at the township to close following the self-immolation, apparently as a precautionary move," Tsering said. Kirti Sherab was from the Kirti monastery in Ngaba, from which hundreds of monks were taken away by Chinese security forces after a monk from the institution self-immolated in March last year, triggering an unstoppable wave of burning protests. "Sherab went back to his Raruwa village in Ngaba county two days earlier" apparently to prepare himself for the self-immolation, Tsering said. Sherab, who left behind his parents and three siblings, is the 31st Tibetan to self-immolate since 2009 as Tibetans stepped up their protests against Beijing's rule and called for the return of Tibet's exiled spiritual leader the Dalai Lama. The protests resulted in a Chinese security clampdown in Sichuan and the other Tibetan-populated provinces of Qinghai and Ganzi, as well as in the Tibet Autonomous Region. Sherab, whose father's name was Sodon and mother's name was Nyima, first joined the Genden Tenpel Ling monastery, a small institution with 31 monks, when he was nine years old before graduating to the mammoth Kirti monastery. Fatal Meanwhile, a Tibetan died on Wednesday two days after setting himself on fire in India—the second fatal self-immolation protest by a Tibetan living outside China. "We do recognize that his sacrifice will help in boosting the morale of other Tibetans and contribute in repelling the dark clouds of Chinese occupation over Tibet,” said Dhondup Lhadar, the vice-president of the Tibetan Youth Congress The group said a grand funeral "deserving of a martyr" is being planned for Jamphel Yeshi in the Tibetan exiled community's headquarters of Dharamsala, the northern Indian hilltown where Tibet's spiritual leader the Dalai Lama in living in exile. “We have decided to take his body to Dharamsala, the seat of the Dalai Lama and headquarters of the Tibetan exile government. All the necessary approval was obtained from the authorities for us to move his body, and we are making all the necessary arrangements,” Lhadar said. Jamphel Yeshi poured fuel over himself, set himself ablaze, and ran screaming down a road engulfed in flames in India's capital New Delhi on Monday in protest against a visit to India by China's President Hu Jintao. Hu is in New Delhi for the BRICS summit that includes India, Russia, Brazil, and South Africa. Photos showing Yeshi running in flames past other protesters have been carried by newspapers and websites across the world, and Tibetans in the Indian capital have vowed to step up protests and highlight the Tibetan cause during the summit on Thursday. Another Tibetan, Thupten Ngodup, had self-immolated and died in India in 1998. Yeshi lived in the Majnu Ka Tila refugee enclave in the north of the city, where thousands of Tibetan exiles have been based for decades after fleeing from China. Call The wave of self-immolations had prompted a call recently from well-known Tibetan blogger Woeser and senior Tibetan religious leader Arjia Rinpoche to end the fiery protests, saying that Tibetans opposed to Chinese rule should instead "stay alive to struggle and push forward" their goals. Lobsang Sangay, the head of Tibet's exile government in Dharamsala, said that while he strongly discouraged self-immolations, the "fault lies squarely with the hardline leaders in Beijing." He accused Beijing of attempting over the last half-century "to annihilate the Tibetan people and its culture." The Chinese government however blamed the Dalai Lama for the self-immolations, accusing the 76-year-old Buddhist leader and his followers of plotting to create "turmoil" in Tibetan-inhabited areas. Reported by Yangdon Demo and Ugyen Tenzin. Translated by Karma Dorjee. Written in English by Parameswaran Ponnudurai. View this story online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/tibet/burn-03282012142200.html Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to <mailto:engnews-leave@rfanews.org> engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org. To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to <mailto:engnews-join@rfanews.org> engnews-join(a)rfanews.org . ##### All media inquiries may be sent to Rohit Mahajan at <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org.

12 years, 9 months

RFA BREAKING NEWS : Popular Tibetan Singer Detained

by Parameswaran Ponnudurai

Popular Tibetan Singer Detained March 26, 2012— Chinese authorities have detained a popular Tibetan singer after he released an album of songs dedicated to Tibet’s spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, sources said Monday. The 25-year-old singer, Ugyen Tenzin, was detained last month soon after the release of his album titled, “An Unending Flow of My Heart’s Blood,” the sources said. Information flow has been severely restricted from troubled Tibetan-populated areas in recent months. Unconfirmed reports said that Ugyen Tenzin has been beaten in custody and is disabled. “He released the album about a month ago, and he was arrested soon after that,” said a source in New York who recently traveled to Tibet. On the album, he had dedicated songs to the Dalai Lama as well as the third highest ranking Buddhist leader the Karmapa, and the Kalon Tripa, the prime minister of the Tibetan government-in-exile. “It has thirteen songs, and some of songs are dedicated or in praise of the Dalai Lama, Karmapa and [Kalon Tripa] Lobsang Sangay,” the source said. Wave of protests Ugyen Tenzin is from Sugma in Nangchen (in Chinese, Nangqian) county in Yulshul (Yushu) prefecture of China's northwestern Qinghai, among three key Tibetan-populated provinces where tensions have risen in recent months following a wave of protests challenging Chinese rule and calling for the return of the Dalai Lama. There have been 30 Tibetan self-immolations in protest against Beijing's rule in the Tibetan-populated areas of Gansu, Sichuan, and Qinghai, triggering ramped-up security across the areas as well as in the Tibet Autonomous Region. Another Tibetan, Duldak Nyima, who is originally from the same county and now lives in New York, said that he heard from a friend back home that Ugyen Tenzin had been arrested because of the album. “A friend of mine received the letter from Tibet few days ago, stating the singer was arrested. I believe the arrest was connected to the release of the album.” “Before the release of the album, [other Tibetans were worried about] the album’s consequences and advised the singer against distributing it,” Duldak Nyima said. “The singer also said in the DVD that he is doing this for the religious and political cause of Tibet; he was … discussing the Tibet issue and Tibetan identity,” he said. In one song on the album, part of which was posted on YouTube, the singer alludes to Tibetan independence and repression: “The unity of the three provinces of Tibet, that is what I have repressed in my heart for 50 years and what I am now going to share through songs, until I breathe my last,” he says. Maltreatment A letter sent by an anonymous source in Tibet said that Ugyen Tenzin is being mistreated in prison and is in ill health. “None of his relatives or friends are allowed to reach him,” according to a copy of the letter. “We learned from the police sources that he was so severely tortured under detention that his body and faculties are disabled. He was recovering from surgery prior to his detention and the torture made it worse,” it said. China has jailed scores of Tibetan writers, artists, singers, and educators for asserting Tibetan national identity and civil rights since widespread protests swept the region in 2008. Another popular Tibetan singer, Tashi Dhondup, was released from jail last year after serving most of a 15-month sentence for recording songs calling for Tibetan independence. The singer was convicted for violating laws by singing songs in support of Tibetan independence and the Dalai Lama. Reported by Norbu Damdul for RFA’s Tibetan service. Translated by Dorjee Damdul. Written in English by Rachel Vandenbrink. View this story online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/tibet/song-03262012190715.html Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to <mailto:engnews-leave@rfanews.org> engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org. To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to <mailto:engnews-join@rfanews.org> engnews-join(a)rfanews.org . ##### All media inquiries may be sent to Rohit Mahajan at <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org.

12 years, 9 months

RFA BREAKING NEWS : Tibetan Monk Burns Himself Amid Mass Protests

by Parameswaran Ponnudurai

Tibetan Monk Burns Himself Amid Mass Protests March 16, 2012— Another Tibetan monk self-immolated Friday in China's Sichuan province in protest over Chinese rule while more than 1,000 Tibetans demonstrated in neighboring Qinghai province demanding the release of more than 50 monks who were detailed a day earlier in a monastery crackdown. Twenty-old Lobsang Tsultrim was in flames as he ran shouting slogans against Chinese rule near the county office in Sichuan's Ngaba (in Chinese, Aba) prefecture, eyewitnesses told India-based monks Kanyag Tsering and Lobsang Yeshe. "He was pursued by Chinese policemen who beat him, knocked him down, and threw him into an open truck," Tsering quoted one eyewitness as saying. "He was seen being taken away but he kept pumping his fists in the air." Tsultrim, the eldest in a family of four and who was ordained as a monk when he was eight, was from the restive Kirti monastery, which has been surrounded and sealed by security forces which have also beefed up security across Ngaba county. He is the 29th Tibetan to have self-immolated since February 2009 amid a wave of fiery Tibetan protests challenging Beijing's rule and calling for the return of Tibet's exiled spiritual leader the Dalai Lama. Tibetan flag The self-immolation came as more than 1,000 Tibetans protested in Gepasumdo (in Chinese, Tongde) county in Qinghai province on Friday calling for the release of about 50 monks who had been held for raising the Tibetan flag and demanding freedom a day earlier, according to sources. “Over a thousand Tibetans converged at the county building and demanded that all the monks detained should be released," a local Tibetan source told RFA. "They persisted in the peaceful protests and the county government building was surrounded by police and paramilitary forces." The source said there was no confrontation as elder Tibetans had advised the protesters to "persist in their peaceful defiance and not become involved in any kind of violence." The protest was triggered by a crackdown by Chinese security forces on the Ba Shangtre monastery Thursday after about 150 to 200 monks from the institution raised the Tibetan flag at the Gepasumdo (in Chinese, Tongde) county in Tsolho (in Chinese, Hainan) prefecture. They also displayed banners calling for freedom for Tibet, the return of the Dalai Lama to Tibet, and for human rights for Tibetans before marching through the streets, the Tibetan source said. “Some time that evening, 40 Chinese vehicles arrived at the monastery and the Chinese police and paramilitary surrounded it. They searched the residences of the monks and detained about 60 monks," the source said. "Fifty of them were held back at the county detention center while 10 were released.” Police Chinese police at Gepasumdo county refused to confirm the protests. When RFA asked the person who answered the phone at the police station whether there was a 1,000-strong protest, he said, "There wasn't." Asked whether the protesters were all students, he hung up the phone. Tensions have heightened in Tibetan-populated provinces and in the Tibet Autonomous Region following a Chinese security clampdown and the detention of hundreds of monks since early last year. Earlier this week, several thousand students protested in three counties in Qinghai on Wednesday to challenge a possible change in the medium of instruction in schools. The protests against a proposed change from Tibetan to Chinese language occurred in schools in Rebkong (in Chinese, Tongren), Tsekhog (Zeku) and Kangtsa (Gangcha) counties, according to a Tibetan exile spokesman for the Rebkong community based in the Indian hilltown of Dharamsala. It was the biggest protest since October 2010 when thousands of Tibetan middle and primary school pupils from four different Tibetan autonomous prefectures in Qinghai Province demonstrated for days against a language change policy. Anniversary The latest self-immolation came nearly a week after Uprising Day on March 10, the politically sensitive anniversary of the 1959 flight into exile of the Dalai Lama and of regionwide protests throughout Tibet in 2008. The wave of self-immolations prompted a call last week from well-known Tibetan blogger Woeser and senior Tibetan religious leader Arjia Rinpoche to end the fiery protests, saying that Tibetans opposed to Chinese rule should instead "stay alive to struggle and push forward" their goals. Reported by Lumbum, Kansang Tenzin, Lobe Socktsang, and Rigdhen Dolma for RFA's Tibetan service and Qiao Long for RFA's Mandarin service. Translation by Karma Dorjee, Rigdhen Dolma, and Feng Xiaoming. Written in English by Parameswaran Ponnudurai. View this story online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/tibet/burn-03162012143125.html Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to <mailto:engnews-leave@rfanews.org> engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org. To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to <mailto:engnews-join@rfanews.org> engnews-join(a)rfanews.org . ##### All media inquiries may be sent to Rohit Mahajan at <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org.

12 years, 10 months

RFA BREAKING NEWS : Tibetan Protesters Told to Surrender or Face ‘Severe’ Action

by Parameswaran Ponnudurai

Tibetan Protesters Told to Surrender or Face ‘Severe’ Action March 13, 2012—Authorities have warned Tibetans who participated in mass protests in China's northwestern Qinghai province to surrender or face “severe” punishment, and have expelled more than half of Tibetan monks from a restive monastery in Tibet, sources said Tuesday. Public notices written in Tibetan and Chinese have appeared in Nangchen (Nangqian, in Chinese) county in Qinghai province warning those who took part in protests in the county last month to hand themselves in to the police, the sources said. The March 6 notice, a copy of which was shown to RFA, read, “You took part in an unusual protest on Feb. 8. Per this order, you are required to report to the police station to confess by no later than 10:00 a.m., March [date erased], 2012. Those who fail to turn themselves in will be dealt with severely.” It did not say what punishment will be imposed on the protesters. Two venues More than 1,000 Tibetans had protested at two venues in Nangchen county on that day under close watch by the Chinese security forces. The protests came amid Tibetan self-immolations to oppose Chinese rule and to call for the return of Tibet's spiritual leader the Dalai Lama. At the county stadium, about 1,000 laypeople in traditional dress chanted prayers and shouted slogans such as "Freedom for Tibet" and "Long Live the Dalai Lama," sources had told RFA. The Tibetans had shouted "Kyi Hi Hi," a Tibetan battle cry in defiance," when armed soldiers and policemen closed in, the sources said. Several hundred Tibetans also gathered in the main monastery in Nangchen town on the same day, chanting and tossing traditional tsampa, or barley flour, into the air. As Chinese authorities moved to nab the protesters in Qinghai province, reports emerged that 104 monks out of 200 monks in the Karma monastery in Chamdo county in the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) had been expelled, sources inside the region said. Monks without proper identification staying at the Karma monastery have been expelled and returned to their places of origin, according to a recent internal communiqué issued by the monastery management committee, the sources said. Per this order, they are now made to work as laymen on local farms, with local village committees being put in charge of the monks’ “reeducation,” they said. Bomb Some monks and nuns had fled the Karma monastery in October last year after they were suspected by Chinese authorities of being involved in a bomb attack on a government building. Under the latest order, the monks are not allowed to leave their areas without permission from several levels of local authority, the sources said. The monks remaining at Karma monastery are being subjected to political reeducation and are being forced to display pictures of Chinese leaders in their living quarters, denounce the Dalai Lama and show their loyalty and gratitude to the ruling Chinese Communist Party. "Those who refuse are severely beaten. The public denunciation sessions are filmed by the monastery management committee," one source said. The developments came amid tensions in the Tibetan-populated provinces and in the TAR area following a Chinese security clampdown and the detention of hundreds of monks since early last year. Twenty-seven Tibetans have self-immolated so far to protest Chinese rule. Reported by Dorjee Damdul and Palden Gyal for RFA's Tibetan service. Translated by Dorjee Damdul. Written in English by Richard Finney and Parameswaran Ponnudurai. View this story online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/tibet/action-03132012194041.html Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to <mailto:engnews-leave@rfanews.org> engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org. To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to <mailto:engnews-join@rfanews.org> engnews-join(a)rfanews.org . ##### All media inquiries may be sent to Rohit Mahajan at <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org.

12 years, 10 months

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