Inside China Today

Inside China Today – Thursday 15th October

- Users of spoiled vaccine seek justice;

- World media shouldn’t rely on President’s promise;

- Voices of dissent rise despite suppression.

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Users of spoiled vaccine seek justice.

A few years ago, officials at the Department of Public Health in Shanxi Province took advantage of their authority and assigned a private enterprise to handle a variety of vaccines. As a result, since 2006, a significant amount of vaccines were exposed to room temperatures and became deteriorated. A large number of people have now died or became disabled after these vaccine injections. It is estimated that in past three years, over 36 million civilians in Shanxi province have been given access to these spoilt vaccines. Many of the victims and their families have tried in vain to seek justice.

According to Chen Tao’an of the Disease Control Center in Shanxi province, hired contractors had been paid to place labels on the vaccine bottles. However, this was performed under unsuitable temperatures within the hallways of the Disease Control Center building, causing the vaccines to go bad.

Chen Tao’an said: (recording): “Vaccines should always be preserved at low temperature. If the workers are labelling these vaccines in an uncontrolled environment, it was bound to bring this result. After these vaccines were exposed to room temperature, they were used for vaccine injection, instead of being destroyed. Many families were not aware of this. When this incident was reported, no one paid any attention, and it continued for another year and a half before the practice was halted. I have so far identified 40 to 50 victimized families. The contractors were unemployed individuals from the community, who did not have any professional knowledge. Through their scheming, the people in charge of this operation had the Department of Public Health issue an administrative document, requiring people across the entire province to use vaccines with such labels.”

Wang Mingliang from the Liulin County told reporters his son died from febrile convulsions after he had received a Hepatitis B vaccine.

He told reporters (recording): “The authority to handle and manage the vaccines in Shanxi Province was transferred to a small company, at the price of 30 million yuan a year, and the vaccines were monopolized. They exposed the vaccine to room temperatures higher than 8 degrees when placing the “exclusive use” label onto the containers. The court continues to refuse our lawsuit. In the past nine months, we have been beating drums in front of the courts, demanding the judges accept our case. Many people have died in remote villages without even their families realising the cause of their death.”

The officials at Department of Public Health and the CEO of the Huawei group, Tian Jianguo, have jointly monopolized the vaccine market in Shanxi Province. Since January 2009, victims tried to bring those responsible to justice, but judges have continued to refuse the lawsuit, prompting family members of victims to continue their protest at the front entrance of the courts to this day.

Perry Luo; Wenfang; and Li Yang of the SOH Radio Network

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World media shouldn’t rely on President’s promise

During the two day World Media Summit held in Beijing last Friday, Chinese Communist Party leader Hu Jintao promised to “facilitate foreign media coverage of China in accordance with China’s laws and regulations.” Hu’s speech received anger and condemnation from former Chinese media personnel.

Former editor of the Xiaxi Television Station Ma Xiaoming was removed from his position for supporting the 1989 student democracy movement. He told SOH Radio that holding the World Media Summit in Beijing was an affront towards media freedom.

Ma said: “while holding this summit in Beijing, firstly, the issue of media freedom under the CCP’s rule should have been questioned.”

Ma cites his own personal experience to demonstrate the fallacy of Hu’s promise.

“In September a NHK reporter from Hong Kong wanted to interview me in Xian. I was taken away from Xian by authorities because of this. Firstly, this invaded my right to engage in media and news dialogue. And secondly, the reporter’s interviewing rights were also violated. I was taken away for nearly one month. This shows whether Hu Jintao’s promise was true or not.”

Ma says the Chinese Communist regime is now involved in much more than media control amongst domestic Chinese.

“Now the CCP is able to buy out and control many media channels that they previously had no access to. This includes many well known foreign medias. The holding of the so called world Media Summit is in fact another step in the CCP’s control, cover up and deceit of the world’s media”

Gao Yu, a two time recipient of the International Women’s Media Foundation’s Courage Award, and former vice-editor of China’s Economic Weekly magazine says:

“What’s this? You talk about media freedom, and the freedom of speech, but can you trust Hu Jintao? Have a look at the state of control that China is under at the moment. During October 1st, even internet access was blocked. What is the responsibility of the media? Conscience is most important for media personnel. With the disasters and failing human rights in China and North Korea, how can such countries set standards for improving foreign media access? How would you improve things? The changes would only become worse”

Gao warns international media that their hope for the CCP to open up its media market is nothing more than wishful thinking.

These media groups are allowed in China, for what? They want you to report on those things China wants. If you fail just a bit, you’ll be sent packing. So foreign investors are able to earn all the money they want from the Chinese market as long as they cooperate with the CCP. However, if as a reporter you want to speak with the public or report on the true China, then, sorry – you will lose your job. So under these current conditions, don’t hold any illusions about the reality of China.”

Author Tie Liu and former editor of Chengdu Daily News was denounced as a rightist in 1957. He was also frank in saying that “No! China would not have freedom of speech. China only has the freedom of weaponry.”

Tie and other surviving rightist victims of the attack had published a booklet in memory of past events. The booklet is titled “The Minute Markings Of The Past” and was banned by communist authorities prior to October 1st.

Chris Thomas; Tian Xi; and Yu Lian of the SOH Radio Network.

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Voices of dissent rise despite suppression

In the West we are accustomed to certain standards and social norms. We’ve got freedom of belief, freedom of expression and speech, and freedom in the media. It’s a known fact that the Chinese Communist regime suppresses a whole bunch of basic human rights. All of these included.

Chinese nationals who wish to explore the Internet without restriction have to use special software like Freegate. This software breaks through China’s formidable firewall.

Following China’s National Day on October 1st, the voices of dissent did not quieten down the regime’s hardline suppression. They are actually gaining momentum. So what’s happening?

On the 8th October, 15 Chinese scholars co-signed the “Internet Human Rights Declaration.” Following this, a report was penned by Liu Yong Hong on October 10. It discussed the regime’s control of free speech in the wake of the Beijing Olympics. And the China Civic Watch Network established a database of victims of Chinese psychiatric institutions, condemning the regime for its oppression of human rights and free speech.

The Internet Human Rights Declaration raised 10 requests, including the guarantee of the right to express opinions on the internet, editing rights and the right to interview. The declaration stressed that the public should have the freedom and right to express their opinions without fear. It suggested naming October 10 as the Chinese Internet Human Rights Day.

The report by Liu Yong Hong monitored the control of discussion and speech in China after last year’s Olympics, and presented the trend of this control. The report suggests that a media law should be immediately drafted which aims to protect freedom of speech. It also suggested a removal of all Communist Party institutions which control free speech, and calls for an end of internet surveillance, and an opening up of banned literature.

The Chinese Communist regime has not only implemented various methods to monitor and control the movements of dissidents and rights activists, they have sent mentally sane citizens to psychiatric institutions by force. The China Civic Watch workshop published a report stating that during so called “sensitive periods” like the Olympics, the National Day celebration, the Meeting of the National People’s Congress and June 4th commemoration, the regime sent individuals they regard as “elements of instability” to psychiatric institutions. The report says this is one crucial means for the CCP to realise its so called harmonious State.

The China Civic Watch workshop has decided to establish a database of victims of China’s psychiatric institutions. It will collect information on psychiatric abuse cases. Spokesperson Liu Feiyue says “everyone should all work at trying to expose these ugly truths, and lay them out in the sun.”

Freedom of press can unveil the truth of matters in society, and media and journalists should be held accountable. However, the former editor of Chengdu Daily News Paper, Tie Liu, and former Xiaxi Television Station editor, Ma Xiaoming, told SOH that in China, freedom of press cannot be realised.

Caden Pearson; Wei Zhen; and Yu Liang of the SOH Radio Network.