Greenpeace is suing Wal-Mart for selling genetically modified rice.

- Spoiled rice: Greenpeace vs. Wal-Mart

- New law firm to fight injustice

- CCP Secretary selling off village properties

- ‘Global Quit the CCP’ day draws response from mainland Chinese

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Spoiled rice: Greenpeace vs. Wal-Mart

Greenpeace is suing global retail giant Wal-Mart for illegally selling transgenic rice in China. An attorney for the organization filed the complaint on the 28th of June, at the Luohu People’s Court in Shenzhen, home of China’s Wal-Mart headquarters. The claim was accepted, but additional materials need to be provided to support the case for trial.

Wang Weikang, the Director of Food and Agriculture Project for Greenpeace said, ‘We randomly surveyed several supermarket’s rice sales and found that a Wal-Mart store in Changsha, Hunan Province was selling transgenic rice.’ Greenpeace contacted Wal-Mart but received no reply.

Wang Weikang said (recording):
“No transgenic rice is permitted for legal production and sale inside China. Selling transgenic rice at Wal-Mart is illegal. We found that Wal-Mart in Great Britain and other countries promised consumers to stay away from transgenic products. So, this merchant is actually following a different standard than other countries. This is not respectful to the request of the Chinese consumer.”

Wang went on to say (recording):
“There is no conclusion of the long term effects of transgenic food. Many research reports have revealed transgenic foods might impact the immune system, including liver and kidney functions. People are genuinely worried about this. Until it is certain this food is safe, we should adopt preventive measures and stop its commercialization before it gets onto peoples dinner tables. Rice is the daily stable food of Chinese people. We need to be cautious.”

In April of this year Greenpeace published a thorough investigative report which found transgenic rice seeds were being sold and circulated in Hubei and Hunan provinces, with plantations in Hunan, Hubei, Guangdong, and Jiangxi provinces. Rice and rice flour are being sold before approval. Use of transgenic rice is only approved to Central China Agricultural University.

Wang also said that, (recording):
“As early as 2004 or 2005, a research team lead by Zhang Qifa of Central China Agricultural University found the transgenic rice seed in circulation, naming it BT63. The transgenic rice and rice products sold also have the transgenic gene of BT63. Zhang Qifa introduced this kind of seed illegally to a seed company for profit. When we reported on this, Zhang Qifa was not punished.”

At the end of last year,the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture issued certificates of bio safety to two transgenic rice types that are against rice insects: Huahui No 1 and Bt Shanyou 63. This is the first time China has issued certificates of safety to main stock transgenic foods. The policy on transgenic food on major stock food items stirred up major controversy in China. After Greenpeace revealed their findings, the Ministry repeatedly stated, “Issuing a certificate of safety does not stop the use of commercial production.”

Wang Qian and Xiao Tong of the SOH Radio Network

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Hu Zhigen a member of the newly formed Human Rights Legal Association.

New law firm to fight injustice

A group of kind-hearted Beijing lawyers have banded together to help China’s many appellants and disadvantaged groups who face unfair legal treatment in China’s current legal system. The group, called the Human Rights Legal Association was formed on July 1st and and will provide legal services and free consultations.

A member from the newly formed group, Yang Huiwen, said the issues appellants face is typically complicated. And finding legal help is often difficult.

He said (recording):
“I feel what I can do, with regards to the harm they suffered outside of the legal framework, is to hopefully help them to defend their lawful rights within the legal framework, so that they won’t give up hope on the legal system.”

Hu Zhigen, another member, said the association hoped to gain more upright and noble-minded lawyers looking to speak up for the disadvantaged. University law graduates are also welcome to join their ranks.

He said (recording):
“At present, there is a huge demand for legal professionals to do this work in all domains of society. But the current overall social environment is not suitable for honest, legal professionals to be engaged in normal professional work, which is a sad thing.”

The Association published an announcement on their website on the 30th of June. It read:
“In order to protect appellants’ rights and freedom, to pursue love and public interest in China, and to advance China’s legal system, we hereby form the Human Rights Lawyer Association. We look forward to support and active participation from colleagues and friends in the trade.”

Li Yifei and Yu Liang of the SOH Radio Network.

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CCP Secretary selling off village properties

The Chinese Communist Party Secretary for the village of Dragon Bay in China’s southern Guangdong Province has been embezzling funds and selling off properties and farmlands, a local resident tells SOH.

In an online appeal published on the internet, local man Xu Pou alleges CCP Secretary Lai Fongchuan sold the ‘Automatic Irrigation Facility’, annexed properties and farmland, and embezzled agricultural funds; he then used the money to purchase an expensive car and a luxury mansion.

Xu Pou told SOH reporters that out of the $27,500 funding granted by the Department of Treasury for agriculture in the region, $20,000 was allegedly embezzled. The CCP secretary then distributed the difference of $7,500 to village farmers at a rate of $136.20 per acre, with a total of 1,100 acres for the village of Xu Da Zai. A third of what the farmers should have received.

Xu Pou and a delegation of villagers discovered these figures through their local Department of Treasury.

Xu Pou said (recording):
“In order to embezzle more money, the Secretary of the CCP lied about the number of acres when asking for agricultural funding with local Department of Treasury. The actual area of farmland is much smaller. What we have received is only one third of what we deserve. There are about 1,400 people in the village of Xu Da Zai. There are also many more villages that didn’t get a dime.”

Xu Pou says the most horrible effect on the villagers is that 400 acres of farmland is drying out because of the illegal sale of the irrigation facility. The Automatic Irrigation Facility previously supplied water to 20,000 acres of farmland. The irrigation facility had the dual function of halting floods and storing water for irrigation.

Mr. Pou said (recording):
“We have no water for farming already, but what if there is a flood? Would the thousands of acres of farmland be safe? Would our lives be safe? Would our properties be safe? How could the thousands of villagers make a living? How can farmland produce crops without water? This is a devastating issue. Closed-door talks were attempted, but we were refused. [Secretary of the CCP] Mr. Lai said. ”You can sue me all you want. The deal is done. I can’t help it. You might get paid if you won the case. What are you going to do if you lost the case?””

The Automatic Irrigation Facility was built by a former secretary of the CCP in 1974. It has been in operation for more than 40 years.

The irrigation facility, property and farmland sales were made to the privately-owned company Machinery Equipment and Piping Company in 2009. Local residents say they are furious. Xu Pou said they will pursue the matter to court, and would not back off until the government showed support to change the situation.

Chen Yilian of the SOH Radio Network

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52,000 people joined Hong Kong's annual July 1st Parade, the 'Quit the CCP' movement maintains a strong showing every year.

‘Global Quit the CCP’ day draws response from mainland Chinese

The ‘Nine Commentaries on the Chinese Communist Party’ brings to light the history and rise of China’s Communist Party. It’s played a major role in the ‘Quit the CCP’ movement, as of today the Global Service Centre for Quitting the CCP has registered over 76 million resignations. July 1st marks the ‘Global Quit the CCP’ day. In this report we hear from many former Party members in China who resigned from the CCP in response to many social and environmental problems which have struck China today.

In China’s southern provinces severe rainstorms have battered the region. The Changkai Dike, a major dam on the Fu River, was breached on June 21st due to floods. Over ten thousand people were affected by the disaster. A resident of Fuzhou in Jiangxi Province, who resigned from the CCP as part of the ‘Quit CCP’ movement, said the situation is serious. Many homes have been swept away by the floods. The government has responded by covering up the injuries and death toll.

The resident told SOH reporters (recording):
“Some of the biggest breaches were five hundred metres wide. The government said not one person was injured, but dead bodies have been found in Nanchang. I use to teach history, I didn’t dare tell the truth in classrooms. Modern and contemporary historical studies can’t explain China. The things I have seen, the things I feel like saying, I want to share it, but sensitive information can’t be passed around domestically.”

Under the communist regime China’s social problems are becoming more prominent. Because of this, the ‘Quit the CCP’ movement continues to gain momentum. The Fuzhou resident continued (recording):
“There are many supporters of it, but not everyone dares express it publicly. Ten years ago when I studied, I began to realise: older people in lower class society; farmers who’ve lost their land; workers who’ve lost their jobs; mothers who’ve lost their children…if you have eyes you can see. I can see quite clearly…”

A resident in Henan resigned from the CCP in response to corruption amongst officials and illegal land seizures. The resident told reporters (recording):
“The CCP is corrupt and rotten, my family is a victim. My family had an 82 acre plot of land; the authorities demanded we restore agricultural land to forest. 220 Yuan for every 0.16 acre. We don’t income and, and we must find work elsewhere. This project to restore farmland back to forest…they are corrupt.

In Sichuan Province, over 30 people recently resigned from the CCP. Some of these included members in a government department and families. One public servant spoke to our SOH reporters (recording):
“My unit has quit, and my family has quit. We’re from the Sichuan Government, you can provide us the latest news daily, there are local Falun Gong organization urging us to quit as well.”

Tian Ling and Meng Mei of the SOH Radio Network.

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Hong Kong businesses along the Pearl River are nervous of the repercussions following wage increases at Foxconn and Honda in China. (Payton Chung/Flickr)

- Chinese wage hikes cause headaches in Hong Kong

- Greedy companies send pharmaceutical costs soaring

- Mudslides in southern China kill hundreds

- Renowned doctor pursues justice at Supreme Court along with petitioners

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Chinese wage hikes cause headaches in Hong Kong

Unease sweeps through mainland China as Hong Kong businesses along the Pearl River Delta are impacted by workers strikes over pay rise issues at Foxconn and Honda.

According to the Hong Kong Small and Medium Enterprises Association (HKSME), it’s estimated that between 1,000 and 2,000 Hong Kong businesses will go bust by the end of 2010. The global financial crisis of 2008, has seen close to 10,000 Hong Kong firms declare bankruptcy, leaving 40 to 50,000 businesses to bunker down and ride out the pay rise storms; more closures may indeed occur.

President of HKSME, Mr Liu Dabang, said that since May this year, Guangzhou increased the minimum wage by 20% to 920 Yuan. Foxconn’s increase raised the minimum wage to 2,000 Yuan. Hong Kong businesses around the district will be greatly affected.

Mr Liu said (recording):
“If we had 5% net profit and increased salaries by 100%, we would have no profit, leaving a 5% loss. The impact is huge. I estimate between 1,000 to 2,000 companies will be out of business by the end of the year. Even though the Chinese Communist regime banned reports on these strikes for fear of withdrawal of foreign investments; it is inevitable that Hong Kong and other overseas investors will leave the mainland.”

Mr Liu also said (recording):
“As salaries increase, so do the land prices. Comparatively speaking, the benefits become smaller and smaller. When it gets to a point where there is no profit left, factories will return to their hometown or seek out other affordable premises.”

Liang Zhen in Hong Kong of the SOH Radio Network.

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Collusion, price-fixing and complicated government regulation has driven up the cost of medicine in China. (oceanaris/Flickr)

Greedy companies send pharmaceutical costs soaring

The release last year of China’s National Health Insurance catalogue revealed an increase in the price and number of new Chinese drugs. Some prices have reached exorbitant levels. Many medical professionals believe China’s pharmaceutical industry has been monopolized by interest groups, officials and businessmen. Collusion and price-fixing have caused major headaches for those struggling to afford medical expenses.

In 2009, China’s Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security issued the latest edition of its ‘National Health Catalogue of Medical, Workplace and Birth Insurance’. Comparisons between the current and 2004 edition reveal a startling increase of 260 drugs on the market. There was a sharp jump in the price of many drugs.

In Dalian, Mr Liu from the sales department of Jingang Medical Pty told reporters about one of the company’s products, an olive alkene product used to treat tumours. Five days before the release of the insurance catalogue, the price rose from 93.50 Yuan to 140 Yuan. Currently it costs 170 Yuan ($25 US Dollars) doubling in price in just six months.

Mr Liu told SOH (recording):
“The price set by the National Development and Reform Commission hasn’t changed for four years. The price set by the commission is 93.50 Yuan. Early in 2007, we proposed to raise the prices in line with the provinces. Afterwards raw material costs kept going up, operations and wages also went up. In October 2009, the product was included in the National Health Insurance catalogue so it was changed to 140 Yuan.”

The report highlights the problems with the pricing mechanism for drugs. Suppose the sale price of a single drug at a hospital is 115 Yuan ($17 US Dollars). Then the wholesale price from an agent would be close to 90 Yuan. The agent however, may have purchased the drugs from the manufacturer at just 18 Yuan ($2.60 US Dollars). The extra 72 Yuan ($10 US dollars) is supposed to cover clinical costs, taxes, packaging, postage, and percentages for medical and public relations representatives. Mr Liu said the pricing regulations in China were overly complicated.

He told SOH (recording):
“The price of drugs is set by the government, enterprises or the National Development and Reform Commission. These three contribute to high prices. Manufacturers do not sell medicine directly to patients. Instead prices rely on tenders from distribution companies, the State in turn, regulates the price which they sell to hospitals.

Mr Zhu, a medical professional believes China’s pharmaceuticals have been monopolized by interest groups who can fix prices at will.

He told SOH (recording):
“The cost of medicine has doubled; I feel there must be manipulation on a national scale. Honestly, it may be collusion between officials and businessmen. The merchants sell at an expensive price and make more profits. It’s not so expensive from the manufacturer, however between the medical and marketing companies, then into hospitals and again into pharmacies, after this the price is doubled. All sectors in between make a profit.”

Mr Zhang from Changzhou in Jiangsu Province said health insurance policies often cheat people, some medical expenses can’t be claimed.

He spoke to SOH (recording):
“Health insurance cheats people. Even if we want insurance, they won’t insure us. We do have insurance for farmers, but it is limited. It only covers visits to county level hospitals, we can only go there. They only give you medicine and don’t end up getting better. They won’t treat your illnesses. Last time we spent over ten thousand Yuan and that would only delay small illnesses. The Communist Party’s health insurance is a scam.

In May this year, there was extensive media coverage in Sichuan of the ‘asparagus’ drug, a kind of supplement to treat cancer. The manufacturer sold the ‘asparagus’ drug at 15.5 Yuan. But hospitals sold the drug at 213 Yuan, a 1300% price jump.

Lin Li and Yi Fan of the SOH Radio Network.

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Severe rains have caused flooding in many parts of southern China.

Mudslides in southern China kill hundreds

180,000 people have been trapped by flood waters in China’s Jiangxi Province since Sunday, June 20th. Heavy rainfall has caused severe floods, and deadly mudslides have killed several people in China’s southern regions. Jiangxi, Hunan and Fujian Provinces have been hit the hardest.

The floods have caused disruption in many cities who are without transportation, communication or fresh water supplies. In Jiangxi Provine, the counties of Fuzhou and Yintan have suffered the worst of the flood.

Roads, communication and the water supply have been cut off in Zixi and Yujiang counties. A resident of Zixi county, Mr. Fu Zhifeng, told SOH reporters of the severity of the situation.

He said (recording):
“There are [building] collapses over there. In our county and in the village, there are 4-6 deaths reported. The bridges are broken down, and many of the villages are flooded.”

In Yunnan Province thunderstorms have caused major damages in Guixi, Yujiang, Yuehu, and Dragon and Tiger counties. On Saturday morning, locals reported seeing leeks in the wall of the Yuehu county reservoir, as well as mudslides going on for several hundred meters.
Mr. Wu of Dragon and Tiger County says the flood damage to the province is enormous.

He tells SOH (recording):
“There are floods in many parts of the province; the situation is very terrible. With the flooding, there are many places with mudslides and broken bridges. Many [people] died, but the numbers have not yet been confirmed. Crops are underwater and there is no [drinking] water or electricity. It’s terrible. The flood wave is almost 10 meters high and even the reservoir is damaged. There are villages where the water level reaches the third floor. Some of the roofs are submerged and some have shifted.”

Two residents of Yujiang County told reporters of their situation.

Mrs. Zhu says (recording):
“The rain was heavy in our village, quite heavy; over 100 millimeters a day. The whole county seat is submerged. There’s no electricity and no water; it’s really bad.”

Mr. Feng says (recording):
“There was very heavy rain. Our county seat and roads are flooded and no vehicles can run. Schools are closed these last two days. There is still no electricity and water, and the crops and roads are all submerged. We went to the countryside to help. Dozens of houses may collapse.”

According to online sources, the entire Liaojiadi village of Sanming county in Fujian province is submerged, with 4-5 deaths reported by locals. The villagers evacuated to the neighboring Changjia village.

Mr. Chen of Sanming County told reporters his county sits in low terrain and often floods. He said (recording):
“The rain is heavy and there are also mudslides, of which about 12 people died. We suffer from this every year. We are at the lower end of the reservoir and when the gate is opened, we will have a flood as high as the second floor [of a house]. I heard the floods in other places are as high as 3 meters.”

A resident of Zhaowu city tells SOH of the flooding in Fujian province. He says (recording):
“Mudslides caused a couple of deaths, as those who lived in the countryside could not evacuate. Houses are down and schools are closed. Crops and many old bridges are certainly damaged.”

It is the 14th time Fujian, Jiangxi, and Henan province has been hit by heavy thunderstorms. As of 8pm on Sunday June 20th, 10 million people have been affected.

Damaged crops account for a total of 5.3 million square metres, while the official death toll is at 132, with 86 people missing. 68,000 houses have collapsed, resulting in an economic loss of 14.5 billion Yuan (approximately 2.5 billion Australian dollars).

Lu Fang and Yu Xing of the SOH Radio Network.

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Renowned medical specialist Jiao Donghai (pictured) is pursuing justice at the Supreme People's Court against Chief of Medicine of Xiangshan Hospital. The chief has escaped punishment for serious medical malpractice.

Renowned doctor pursues justice at Supreme Court along with petitioners

The Supreme People’s Court of China has begun a review of several past cases, some involving petitioners. In response, renowned doctor Jiao Donghai and over 80 petitioners hurried to Beijing to raise awareness of their cases. On June 18th they visited Peking University to get advice from legal scholars on civil procedure. The scholars voiced their support saying their actions were legally sound.

Dr Jiao Donghai is an expert in traditional Chinese medicine and is famous for his remarkable dietary treatments. He once helped a patient lose over 50 kilograms in 11 months. Dr Jiao worked at Shanghai’s Xiangshan Hospital. Rampant corruption and unsafe medical practices prompted him to file a lawsuit against the hospital chief, Kang Zhengxiang. Kang was initially found guilty and sentenced by a court, but the medical chief was shielded from punishment by officials.

Dr Jiao spoke to SOH about their visit to Peking University (recording):
“They support us suing the officials. One of them said when civilians sue officials; the chances of winning are small. Because I have the court judgements, I have the evidence. I want to sue the officials of the District Department of Health, who helped cover up the crimes committed by the Chief of Xiangshan Hospital.”

Dr Jiao spoke of the problems at Xiangshan Hospital (recording):
“The hospital chief was selling fake drugs and caused the death of several employees. He is still the hospital chief. He still bullies civilians. He even created fake documents to cover up the death of the son of the Deputy General Secretary of the Disciplinary Committee. He also caused the death of a farmer, Zhang Yongcai. He hasn’t been punished. The court handed a judgement and sentence against him, but the Secretary General of the Luwan District Committee is protecting him.”

Another petitioner who made her way to Beijing was Mao Hengfeng. She was sentenced to a yearlong forced labour camp term because of the World Expo. Mao and her husband Wu Xuewei also came to Beijing seeking legal help.

Wu Xuewei said (recording):
“As long as labour camp systems exist, there is little hope of achieving justice. In reality, the camp system restricts people’s personal freedom, and forces detainees to perform labour without compensation. Mao Hengfeng told me of a saying in the camps: “Start work at the crack of dawn, non-stop, until the ghosts come out at night.” Detainees are forced to do labour-intensive, manual production work. The labour camp system not only violates the constitution, it is notorious for its cruelty and viciousness. The fact is guards in the camp are crueller and harsher to detainees than regulations permit.”

Mao Hengfeng had been arrested, detained and sentenced by Shanghai authorities numerous times for her protests against the ‘one-child policy.’ On February 24th, 2010, police arrested Mao. Ten days later, she was sentenced to one and half years of forced labour.

Tian Xi of the SOH Radio Network.

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Amidst the extravaganza of the Shanghai World Expo lies housing demolitions, surveillance and heavy security (pictured: Jackie Chan). (proyitno/flickr)

- World Expo nestled in by heavy security

- Hand, foot and mouth disease ravages Guangdong

- Tang Jitian: “…the Justice Bureau is standing on truly wrong foundations”

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World Expo nestled in by heavy security

The world may be looking forward to Shanghai’s World Expo officially opening this coming Saturday, May 1st, but local residents are fed up with paying the high price for Shanghai to show off. Public resentment is on the rise in Shanghai with locals calling the World Expo “disastrous”. They say it goes against the will of the people.

Fuelling their resentment is the increased taxes put in place to help pay for the extravaganza, which officials say will be the most expensive in World Expo history. Security for the venue has ramped up and some residents have been put under surveillance.

SOH spoke to a Shanghai local who has visited the venue and this is what they had to say (recording):
“I went to the entrance to the expo, there are three lines of defense. The first one is barbed wire, the second one is a human wall, with one guard every three steps away, and the third one is an electrical wire, strong enough to kill animals. The defense is quite tight.”

Shanghai’s World Expo will cost about 400 billion Chinese yuan. For those not so familiar with Chinese currency, that’s a staggering 63.7 billion Australian dollars approximately.
Chinese officials are using this expo to showcase the rise and prosperity of China to a worldwide audience. Its theme is “Better City, Better Life”, which draws attention to the problems of urban growth and development. It has earned high praise from participants, but Shanghai citizens tell another story.

Jeanette Elsworth, Public Information Officer for UN-HABITAT, said that, as the UN agency on urban issues, her group welcomes the theme as an overdue recognition of the importance of urbanization to human development and the environment.

However, according to Shanghai citizens this show is simply costing too much. The investment is taken from the pockets of citizens, and the taxes, fees and inflation have all begun before the expo opens its doors to the world. In addition, the construction of the Expo led to some 18,000 families being displaced when their homes were demolished to build the 5.28km square venue. Many people who have appealed against the demolition after the fact have been threatened, detained, monitored, or thrown in to forced labor camp (recording):
“We can’t go anywhere, we are constantly monitored. There are hired people watching us all the time, and we can’t step out of the door. There are more than twenty people monitoring us 24 hours a day. We did not use any violence, only stated our appeal. We were told we couldn’t go to the Expo with appealing words on our clothes, we can’t hold sit-ins, can’t talk to media, and can’t get in touch with foreigners.”

The Expo does not seem to be able to bring joy and happiness to the citizens of Shanghai, and even family members of the police, who have special privileges, said they would never go back after seeing it (recording):
“Those who have been there said that a meal costs about 40-50 Yuan over there. One is not allowed to bring in bottled water, snack food or bags. Once a girl had a bag with her, and the police insisted on searching it. She refused, saying that this was her human right. But the police insisted on searching it, and found nothing in it. The girl was put in a detention centre for 4-5 days. There are many, many policemen at the Expo (300,000-400,000 of them), and they got in for free. But it’s a mess there, the subway system is interrupted, the touch screens are broken, most of the high tech stuff was not functioning.”

While many countries have come together to showcase their growth and development at the World Expo, it appears China has decided to say one thing and do another.

Tian Xi of SOH Radio Network

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Hand, foot and mouth disease is ravaging major cities in Guangdong Province, hospitals are struggling to cope.

Hand, foot and mouth disease ravages Guangdong

30,000 people have suffered hand, foot and mouth disease in Guangdong Province this year. Statistics from the Health Department reveal Guangdong has the highest infection rate nationally. Forecasts for next month see a surge in the outbreak. Doctors and nurses have said the number of patients has increased dramatically and the symptoms are often serious. According to the Disease Control Center in Dongguan City, the outbreak’s severity may be due to the number of migrant workers forced to live in poor conditions.

The Children’s Hospital in Guangdong’s capital Guangzhou has already begun its ‘Second Level Prevention’ campaign to combat the disease. Many infected children are sent to this hospital for treatment. Doctors working in the contagious ward have been too busy to answer phone calls.

A nurse revealed to SOH that child patients sent to the hospital often have serious symptoms and illnesses has developed quickly. She said (recording):
“The illness and symptoms change very quickly. There is a severe shortage of hospital beds. As a matter of fact, the room is huge, but the patients are numerous. Even if we have over 100 beds, there are more than 100 hand, foot and mouth disease patients, right? All child patients in Guangdong are sent to our hospital. Just imagine how many there will be!”

The situation in Dongguan City is among the worst in Guangdong. According to the Disease Control Center, in early April all 32 townships in the city had cases of hand, foot and mouth disease. From January to March they’ve been over 5000 victims, a stark contrast to the nine infections at the same time last year. Among the 5000, there have been four deaths and 45 are in a serious condition.

A nurse from the Women and Children’s Hospital in Dongguan told us (recording):
“This year’s outbreak is more severe than previous years. The symptoms change swiftly. Although there are few deaths, the number of critical cases is much higher than previous years!”

A nurse from the monitoring room for critical patients at Taiping Hospital said (recording): “The number of patients is huge; however, only severely ill patients are sent to our place. I am currently taking care of 12 patients. Children developed symptoms relatively quickly, and the situation worsens very quickly.”

Mr Huang at the Disease Control Center said there were more patients this year than in previous years. He told us (recording):
“We have seen both Coxsackie A16 and EV71. They were seen in previous years as well. As far as I know, many seriously ill patients went to small medical practices for their first treatment. The parents didn’t pay much attention to it. As a result, children miss the best time for treatment. Right now there is no vaccine, or any effective medicine. There are more patients this year than previous years.”

Another staff member at the Disease Control Center believes the outbreak of the disease is caused by the huge number of migrant workers. He said (recording):
“There are many migrant workers and they keep moving from one place to another. Most of the patients are migrants, especially contract workers. Their living conditions and hygiene are poor. The disease therefore spreads quickly.”

Now the disease is still spreading. The number of patients is 40% higher than last year. Deng Haihua, Director of the News Office in the Department of Public Health, pointed out in early April that the outbreak of the disease had hit earlier this year. The hardest hit are rural areas.

Wu Jiaqi and Wang Zhen of the SOH Radio Network

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Suspended lawyer Tang Jitian predicts disaster for the Chinese authorities if they continue corrupt practices.

Tang Jitian: “…the Justice Bureau is standing on truly wrong foundations”

The Beijing Justice Bureau has suspended the practicing certificates of lawyers Tang Jitian and Liu Wei. Following the April 22nd hearing, Tang Jitian spoke to reporters outside saying this was just another method by the authorities to suppress lawyers. He warned however the authorities risked their moral and legal standing with the Chinese people.

Despite losing his certificate, Tang stated he wasn’t disheartened, on the contrary he believes the Justice Bureau will be the true loser. Mr Tang said (recording):
“This process will be challenging to us individually, but in the long run, a government needs a good image to gain trust from the people or internationally. I believe they will be affected in the long term. As for my difficulties in making a living, or other issues, they can’t stop me from doing what I should be doing as a member of society!”

The People’s Intermediate Court in Luzhou was responsible for suspending their certificates. Tang Jitian asserts the court has never bound itself with the law. Last year on April 22nd, a hearing was held for Falun Gong practitioner Yang Ming. The trial was conducted so that Yang Ming couldn’t present an adequate defence.

Tang spoke to us about that trial (recording):
“They constantly interfere with our right to defend. There is no justice in the court, continuing the process would be conforming to illegal activity. It’s not only our interests, but those of the victim as well. Not only were we forced to withdraw from the hearing, there was an unknown person videotaping us. There has been a series of illegal issues. It actually shows the court doesn’t have any justice. He’s been struck and is serving a sentence at our suggestion. We can only say the Justice Bureau is standing on truly wrong foundations.

The suspension of Tang Jitian and Liu Wei appear to be part of a long term strategy to suppress dissidents and lawyers, Tang Jitian shared his views on the matter (recording):
“The Justice Bureau carries this out on lawbreakers and to control lawyers. They use this strategy to suppress. Through this suppression, it has the effect of killing two eagles with one arrow or killing many birds with one stone. It’s actually a warning to many others in the same profession. It doesn’t eliminate the revenge factor however, for example, in previous years we’ve demanded direct elections into the law association, or else we’ll openly publish their accounts, conduct audits and so on, it has stirred up people’s interest. “

Those who attended the hearing said the authorities were in lockdown mode and acted like they were facing a strong enemy. Security was present and roads were blocked around the front of Beijing Justice Bureau. Many people who wanted to go to the hearing were placed under house arrest and some people were arrest on site.

Fu Ming and Wu Tong of the SOH Radio Network.

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The drought in southwestern China has devasted countryside and farmland. It's the most severe drought in 40 years.

- South-west drought worsens, farmers fuming
- Chinese judicial independence a pipedream
- Human rights lawyers speak about US Resolution 605

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South-west drought worsens, farmers fuming

The continuing drought in south-western China has affected over 50 million people in the Yunnan, Guangxi, Sichuan, Chongqing, and Guizhou Provinces. Resentment is mounting amongst farmers over many issues, including rising inflation, the loss of fertile top soil due to overdevelopment; the lack of government aid; and biased media coverage glorifying the regime.

Mr Mo of Wuzhou in Guangxi Province believes the severity of the drought is due to the loss of top soil in forests and the environment, especially when mining companies conduct large scale digging operations.

Mr Mo told reporters (recording):
“There’s a gold mining company that has control of the whole mountain, and has dug the mountain hollow from inside. The mountain is completely void of any trees and vegetation. Without trees there’s no place to hold water. Natural factors are one aspect and may account for 30% of the problem, but manmade factors account for the remaining 70%. That’s the problem with the social system. The environment is damaged so badly, therefore there is no water. The government is corrupt and colludes with businesses who give money to the government. The resentment and rebellious nature of the peasants is rampant and drastic, the farmers are very angry now.”

The drought is so bad water supplies delivered by the government haven’t been able to meet demands. People are struggling to make use of what little water there is. They can’t bathe, wash their clothes and farmers can’t water their farms.

Mr Mo told reporters (recording):
“There’s a severe problem with the drinking water, the government can’t solve the problem and the trucks only come once every few days. People have to wait in long lines to get a small amount of water. They deliver the water from the waterworks factory in the city, but that’s not enough to maintain routine lifestyles. There’s no water for farm production, and we only got two square meters of water after pumping an underground source for one hour. We have never seen a drought this bad.”

According to reports, the drought has caused food prices in Yunnan province to rise. The vegetable market saw an increase of 39%. Earlier this year, Kunming City had the third highest consumer price index nationwide. Mr Xiao of Yunnan says the whole province has suffered but the government has been slow in its relief efforts. The media continues to glorify the officials causing resentment amongst farmers.

Mr Xiao told reporters (recording):
“There is a state emergency due to problems with the water supply. There are places where the situation is desperate and some places have run out of water completely. Since the drought started, government propaganda has done nothing but put on a show. Some reports even contradict each other. One village was reported to have had no water for ten whole days, but this wasn’t reported. As soon as PLA soldiers began delivering water supplies, the media reports started coming in. They pretend to be good Samaritans after the farmers suffer so much.”

According to experts, they’ll be no rainfall in the next ten days or in south-west China, and forest fire alerts remain very high. Based on statistics from the Yunnan Forest Fire Control Department, there’s been over 390 forest fires in the past three months, covering 20.47 square kilometres of forest. About 20% of forests are affected. According to Mr Mu of Chonqing, over the past few years the climate has been unusual and he suspects it is due to the Three Gorges Dam.

Mr Mu told reporters (recording):
“There are droughts every year. I live in the city and I’ve never seen any prevention methods carried out. There are places in the countryside where drinking water has become an issue. Delivering water can’t solve the water needs of farmers. Buying water from merchants would be too expensive. Affected farmers are the underdogs of society and have to pay for the natural and manmade disaster as well. Life is really tough for them.”

According to Chinese media, since autumn 2009, there has been less rainfall in south-west China but temperatures have remained high. Yunnan, Guangxi, Sichuan, Chongqing and Guizhou have all suffered severe drought and huge economic losses. As of March 17th, a total of 43,000 square kilometres have been affected by the drought in some way. 9400 square kilometres of land have yielded zero harvests and total economic losses are estimated at 19.02 billion Yuan, a staggering 2.8 billion US dollars.

Lin Li and Feng Ming of SOH Radio Network

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Chinese judicial independence a pipedream

The former Vice-President of the Supreme People’s Court has been sentenced to life imprisonment. Huang Songyou was sentenced on March 17th for accepting bribes of up to 3.9 million Yuan (570,000 US dollars). Huang is the most senior judicial officer to be removed for corruption over the CCP’s 60 year history. Chinese democracy activists believe it’s very difficult to find an official who isn’t corrupt under the communist system. Also, political power carries more weight than the law does in China. They claim judicial independence is impossible.

Gao Weibang, a Doctor of Chemical Engineering in the United States, and Director of the ‘Victims of Investment in China Association’ (VICA) claimed there wasn’t a single upright official in China’s judicial system. The secretaries of the various Political and Legislative Affairs Committees have the final say over judicial matters.

Dr Gao told interviewers (recording):
“The judges in mainland China have done many bad things that violate the rule of law and different regulations. I think it’s impossible to find an upright person in the judicial system. If a person is upright, he won’t survive the system. I’m guessing Huang didn’t just commit embezzlement, but most likely offended someone. That’s why he’s being punished. These things are often the result of political struggles. A (functional) judicial system just doesn’t exist. It’s the secretary of each Political and Legislative Committee who really has authority. They can supervise local courts, the procuratorate, and police departments. These three organizations should be independent to begin with, but the secretary has complete control over them. Tell me, how can the judicial system be independent?”

Democratic activist Cai Lujun has been incarcerated for three years on the charge of ‘inciting subversion of state power.’ This was in response to him publishing online articles exposing heavy taxation on farmers, and calling for democracy and human rights in China. He said corruption in the CCP is a major problem. Officials wield immense power and avoid accountability.

Cai Lujun told reporters (recording):
“Corruption is a result of the system. It’s different from democratic nations. Be it a governor or court officer, their authority is unsupervised and uncontrolled. Therefore, it’s very difficult to find a communist official who isn’t corrupt. It’s a result of the political system. For example, I’m from Hebei Province, and I had discovered certain senior officials were corrupt. When I exposed their crimes, the media didn’t take notice. No one dared or was willing to publish the facts I had found. I was imprisoned because I published articles online. It was because of the Chinese political system. In mainland China, the persecution of political dissidents is countless, and it goes on like this all the time.”

Dr Gao Weibang went to mainland China in 1997 and invested funds into constructing a factory. In 1999 his investment was embezzled. When he applied to the judicial system, through officials at China’s Taiwan Affairs Office, he received no recourse.

Zhong Yuan and Yu Xin of the SOH Radio Network

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Human rights lawyers speak about US Resolution 605

The US House of Representatives passed Resolution 605 calling for an end to the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in China. On March 18th, Chinese human rights lawyers Tang Jitian and Jiang Tianyong gave their views on this resolution and spoke about the injustices they suffered speaking up for Falun Gong practitioners.

Mr Tang said (recording):
“In making such a decision, the US legislature is fulfilling its international duty and expressing concern and support for global human rights issues. In mainland China, some people cannot and will not follow international conventions or national laws. This is a criticism of their criminal acts, which is worth praising and looking forward to.”

Mr Jiang said Falun Gong is legal and protected by laws all around the world. Only the communist regime in China persecutes Falun Gong. He told reporters (recording):
“The law should punish improper behaviour rather than people’s thoughts. The Constitution clearly allows for religious freedom, which needs to be followed. Therefore I feel the Chinese government should not regard it as hostile but rather as an opportunity for reflection.”

Chinese human rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng wrote to the head of the Communist Party, Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao, calling for the end to the persecution of Falun Gong. The regime’s response was to shut down his practice and cancel his practicing license. The Public Security Bureau is suspected of kidnapping Gao on February 4th 2009. This was incident was mentioned in the Resolution 605. Mr. Tang said the illegal detention of Gao was unbelievable and detrimental to China’s international image. He said (recording):
“There was no news for a long time. Friends and family were all concerned. Officials had to come up with all kinds of excuses. I feel this is a waste of public resources, which is unfair to Gao and to his family and detrimental to the government’s reputation and its international image.”

Mr Jiang said China hasn’t become a law-abiding society. By looking at Falun Gong legal cases, one can see the political and legal systems have deviated from the law. Many lawyers including Gao have been jailed and persecuted for taking on Falun Gong-related cases. Mr Jiang told reporters said (recording):
“Some lawyers who argue for Falun Gong cases have lost their licenses. This shows the international community that the communist regime has failed to follow through on its promise to govern by rule of law. I believe the government needs to change this practice.”

Luo Ya and Xi Yen of SOH Radio Network

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A former hero of the PLA is now forced to wander homeless around Beijing petitioning (not pictured).

- Former PLA hero turned poor vagrant
- Dissidents speak out over CCP conference security
- Hainan farmlands seized, 13 arrested

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Former PLA hero turned poor vagrant

A former hero of the People’s Liberation Army, is now blacklisted and has been reduced to petitioning. Wang Guilin, who served during the Sino-Vietnam War, has petitioned to the Letters and Complaints Bureau over injustices he suffered as a result of the war. His appeal has largely been ignored.

Wang Guilin fought in a series of border skirmishes in Vietnam in 1985. This was part of a greater series of conflicts from 1984 to 89, which is known unofficially as the ‘second Sino-Vietnam War’. It followed the first, official 1979 Sino-Vietnam War. Wang led the ‘106th Dagger Division’ charged with the 211th main offensive of Lao Son. Severe battles raged for six days and nights. The division gained six key hilltop positions and killed 12 enemy soldiers. They received awards from the Kunming Military Region; and were recognised as a ‘model of solid attack’. Wang Guilin was recognised for his contribution and was promoted to battalion commander. Subsequently, higher ranking military personnel began misreporting the actual size of the victories, to gain more credit and prestige. After an investigation was carried out, soldiers including Wang Guilin became scapegoats for the misrepresentation.

Wang Guilin confirmed these reports in a recent interview (recording):
“I was part of the engagement in Lao Son on February 11th 1985. We attacked and occupied six enemy hilltops. On February 13th, the event made the front page of the ‘People’s Liberation Army Newspaper’, it said we had attacked and occupied six positions and killed 12 enemy troops. When headquarters investigated, they accused me of exaggerating the reports, and placed criminal charges on me. The division leader and deputy level commander, Wang Yonghuai, exaggerated the scale of the battle for the sake of glory. He reported that we killed 93 enemies. The rear squad leader reported 103 enemy casualties. Commander Su Jungao reported 150 kills. Pan Lijie, the division’s political commissar accused me of being a criminal. Our commander was subsequently demoted.”

Wang Guilin told reporters after being discharged from the army; in 2001 he was arrested and locked up in a labour camp for three years. From September 2006 to June 2009, he spent a further three years imprisoned in the Xuzhou Military Region. On June 23rd 2009, Xuzhou authorities prepared false documentation saying he had been sent back to his hometown. Wang now wanders destitute around Beijing. In Beijing a person must be registered with the authorities if they want to live or work, because Wang is documented to be residing elsewhere, he won’t be able to work or buy housing. Wang continues to petition but this has had no effect and he continues to suffer imprisonment, beatings, and re-education through forced labour. At present, he has no work, no home, and no identity.

Wang Guilin further told reporters (recording):
“When I was petitioning they arrested me and beat me until the pit of my stomach was purple, it was still purple after two months. My medical records stated I had blood in my urine. My arm was broken twice. I was beaten twice at the Letters and Complaints Bureau as well. I haven’t committed any crimes. From 2003 to 2006, I was in a labour re-education camp; from September 2006 to June 2009 I was in a small, private prison in the Xuzhou Military Region. It was a special modified room. They locked me up there.”

Fu Ming and Ai Xin of the SOH Radio Network.

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Dissidents speak out over CCP conference security

The Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) two major conferences closed on March 14th, but the monitoring of dissidents, rights activists and petitioners has not stopped. In order to ‘safeguard’ the conferences, 700,000 security personnel had been mobilized to patrol. Some dissidents had their freedom restricted. Others were arrested or kidnapped.

On March 12th, the daughter of an 80-year-old appellant from Beijing, Wang Xiuying, said they’d been petitioning for seven years about the demolition of their home, which is still unresolved to this day. She said (recording):
“Since the 25th we’ve been under twenty-four hour watch with police car escort. They follow us during our one-hour walks each morning and evening. Before they watched my mum only, but now they watch me as well. Why are they so afraid, so nervous? I think they’re scared of the scandal if people hear that an 80-year-old doesn’t have a place to live. Nobody takes any action in the government. They want to cover up the lack of solutions. So they’re scared to death.”

A university professor Gu Guoping, who’s appealed because of a forced demolition, said: (recording):
“I was monitored. First, they forbid you from going to Beijing from the 12th of February to the 15th of March. Second, if you do go, they will take action. If you go again, they will hold you in prison. Third, they could frame you and keep you at the jail or send you to a labour camp. Anything is possible.”

An activist from Beijing, Gao Hongming, said (recording):
“I was under constant surveillance from March 1st until the end of the conferences. There are police and security downstairs. They escort me when I go out and watch me around the clock. I think they’re afraid I will get in touch with foreign media.”

For two years, 60-year-old Yang Yongquan has been appealing for the unjust death of his son. His freedom was also restricted during the conferences.

Ms. Zheng from Yangguang Gongyi spoke of what had happened to other petitioners, she said (recording):
“Mr Liu Anjun was taken on a ‘trip’. We don’t know his whereabouts. Another of our volunteers, Ms Shang Junxia was also taken away from Bejing. Please pay attention to Wang Bing. We have no news on him and cannot even confirm that he is still alive.”

Han Fei and He Wen of the SOH Radio Network

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Hainan farmlands seized, 13 arrested

Authorities of Danzhou, Hainan Province have seized 3.3 square kilometres of land from over 20,000 people. On March 13th a rubber plantation with three farms were taken without proper compensation. Twelve representatives of the farmers have appealed without success. They were all arrested and one of them is now critically ill in prison.

In late 2009, Cao Jing, head of the Public Security Bureau of Danzhou ordered the arrests of the representatives including Xie Weizhan and Tan Dahuan. Zhou Haiying, the wife of another representative, Huang Shiwang, was also arrested on the charge of ‘assembling to disturb social order’. This was based on her visit to the office of the Public Security Bureau to see her husband. One of the representatives, Tan Dahuan, is now said to be in a critical condition and has been sent to hospital for treatment.

According to Mr. Luo from the Heluo Farm (recording):
“They told us to go and attend a meeting, but then they arrested us. People from ages 30–70 were all arrested. Families aren’t allowed to visit us; some of the sick ones are so ill they’re dying. They put us in hospital with handcuffs, with security personnel watching us.”

Police officers seized the harvests from the three farms in the region. Farmers who tried to defend their properties were beaten. As a result, they were forced to flee their homes and seek employment elsewhere.

One farmer, Mr Zhong spoke to reporters (recording):
“The police used tear gas on us, and hundreds of them came to seize our property. We tried to sue them and they told us whoever dares to sue will be arrested. This is too dismal and without justice. We don’t have land, so we have no money. We go out of town to work for a living, and our kids are therefore unable to go to school. We are very concerned. We have gone to the authorities to appeal 12 times, and were transported back twice when we visited Beijing.”

According to the farmers’ legal representative, Mr. Huang, one man named Xie Weizhan, who is 70 years old, is very sick and is ill. He’s suffered numerous sicknesses after being put in prison. Mr. Huang said (recording):
“They went together to appeal, only to be arrested and beaten. When they write to appeal to authorities, their letters receive no attention. The lawsuit for compensation went on for years, but the police ended up jailing a dozen farmers. Two or three of them are very ill; one of them is so critically ill that we don’t know if he is still alive or what kind of treatment he’s received. All the information is blocked.”

Huang also said the city government changed the registration details of the land, giving the property rights to the county government. The farmers sued to have it overturned, but were refused. The land seizures then continued. According to Huang (recording):
“There are 21 village committees there and the properties are jointly owned by 20,000 people. The three farms have been operating for 60 years. Based on Chinese land law, if the land has been farmed for more than 20 years with no one else claiming ownership rights, the land will belong to the people farming it. The Hainan Intermediate People’s Court has ruled that the rubber plantations are owned the farmers, but the Supreme Court ruled the land belongs to the government. The government has sold over 0.67 square kilometres of land and corrupt officials and businessmen are benefitting; this is real corruption.”

Police have said families of detainees are not allowed to visit family members in custody.

A police officer told SOH (recording):
“There is nothing wrong with refusing visits, you don’t even need to call us to inquire about it. If the family has different views on the matter, you can go see the authorities who have jurisdiction over this matter.”

Lu Fang and Yu Liang of the SOH Radio Network

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Tropical Hainan has become a popular tourist destination, but at the cost of skyrocketing property prices and a dangerously inflated housing bubble (flickr/Jakob Montrasio).

- China’s property market stagnates
- Huge loans for swine flu treatment
- Shanghai petitioners spend unhappy New Year in Beijing

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China’s property market stagnates

Housing prices in China skyrocketed last year. The five cities with the most risky real estate bubbles were Sanya of Hainan Province, Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Hangzhou. Trade experts say around the Chinese New Year period sales plateaued, and the future direction of housing prices is uncertain.

In the past five years, property prices in Haikou of Hainan rose by 20 times. Prices increased in Sanya by 50 times. According to Chinese official statistics, over the same period last year, the price of apartments in 70 major cities nationwide saw an increase of 11%. In addition, Sanya’s increase is at a staggering 31%, which topped the list.

Mr. Jiang is from Zhongtang Real Estate of Sanya. He spoke of the situation on the tropical island province of Hainan (recording):
“Last month the city was declared an international tourist hotspot, which caused a stir in real estate prices. But now that image has faded, housing prices have stabilized and the sales volume is declining. In Sanya, which is dozens of kilometres away, houses in mountainous areas were selling for 7000-8000 Yuan per square metre and new houses were starting at 20,000. This is because of the hype surrounding the ‘International Tourist Island’ designation.”

According to Mr. Jiang, only high end luxury homes or cheap subsidised homes could be built on the island. He said (recording)”
“Those who bought houses in Sanya are all rich people, with extra money they can buy for their retirements. This is not an entrepreneurial city like Shenzhen or Canton, where people start their own businesses or can seek opportunities. In future we will build hotels, high end resorts, commercial properties, golf courses and let the wealthy people come to enjoy in Sanya. High end properties cost over 10 million Yuan and villas costing 20-30 million Yuan will be built here. This is what the government of Sanya hopes people will purchase.”

Mr. Jiang told reporters that, after Sanya’s government adjusted its land policy, the era of high priced housing arrived. For regular people, their only option is to live in subsidised housing.

He said (recording):
The locals can’t afford high end housing. The government has to build welfare housing, but they aren’t of good quality or in good locations. You’re lucky if you can get one. The government will spend some money and build a road for you, put in a supermarket, a hospital, and a school and that’s it.”

In Shanghai and Beijing during New Year, the housing market had stagnated to an even greater extent. Chen Wangsheng from Shanghai’s Tianxin Real Estate Agency told reporters (recording):
“Housing prices in January were worth 12,000 Yuan a square meter. It’s still at that price at present, not much has changed. The volume is also low. Now that it’s Chinese New Year, movement in the housing market won’t be seen again until April. Of course there’s also the issue of location. When there are more buyers out there, the price will increase.”

Mr. Tian of Beijing’s Zhongtian Real Estate agreed saying (recording):
“There is no decline in price, nor is there any increase in price. The sales volume is low as well.”

Experts in the field say the central government’s policy towards the property market may cause major upheavals in the market at an earlier than expected date.

Craig Richter, Xi Wen and Lu Fang of SOH Radio Network.

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Huge loans for swine flu treatment

Swine flu victims in Jilin Province are struggling to cope with the costs of treatment. Some victims have been forced to take out high interest loans to pay expenses. Some have missed out on treatment altogether and have died in their homes. Authorities have blocked all information.

Ms. Lin is a farmer in Jilin Province. Her son is three years old. During the swine flu outbreak in November last year, her son was hospitalized for one month. She can’t afford the medical expenses and has been seeking support from government and media.

Ms. Lin told SOH (recording):
“For regular farmers, including those who grow crops or work as contractors, where can we earn so much money? (It costs me) over 100,000 Yuan. The medicine is very expensive. I tried to get help by talking to radio, to media. When I called a newspaper, they said they weren’t allowed to report such things. It’s restricted. As for government officials, each one I came across told me to speak to someone else. What can I do if they refuse to help? There’s a type of loan where if you borrow ten thousand, you must repay three thousand in interest each year. I have to take out this type of loan.”

Ms Lin’s son had respiratory failure after catching the fever for two days. He was sent to hospital. He’s currently recuperating at home.

Ms Lin said (recording):
“My child developed swine flu symptoms very quickly, in just two days. Even before a definite diagnosis was made, his illness developed to such an extent where he had to use a ventilator. When he was released from hospital, he had use in only a quarter of his lungs; the other three quarters weren’t functional. Later, when he went back for a re-examination, half his lungs had regained function.”

Many patients’ lungs were shown completely white in x-rays. Many suffered respiratory failure in the end. The more serious patients usually passed away. Some people contracted swine flu when they visited hospitals for other reasons.

Ms. Lin told us (recording):
“When a child’s lungs turn all white, it’s called white lungs. He was really scared. That child had leukaemia, and he stayed in hospital for chemo therapy, which killed both his cancer cells and immune cells. His immunity became very weak, and he contracted swine flu in that environment. It’s really difficult for his parents, indeed.”

Chris Thomas, Wang Qian and Xi Wen of SOH Radio Network

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Shanghai petitioners spend unhappy New Year in Beijing

February 14th was for some, Valentine’s Day, for others, the Chinese New Year. But for a dozen appellants from Shanghai, it was a day of bereavement. These dozen appellants braved chilly weather and went to Tiananmen Square. Using homemade videos the appellants shared their messages. They demanded democracy, freedom, and condemned persecution and torture.

When interviewed on February 18th, Ms. Mao Hengfeng said on behalf of the appellants (recording):
“On New Year’s Day we went to Tiananmen Square. There were about twenty of us. By the grace of God, I realized one of my dreams. We petitioned there for democracy, freedom, and human rights. Some of us are homeless, and others cannot go back home. With tears in our eyes, we condemned torture, which we suffered plenty of in prison. And we demanded justice.”

Mao recounted her bitter experience (recording):
“My mother was poisoned by the [Chinese Communist] regime in 2000. I sought justice to no avail. To this day, [her body] is still kept at a funeral parlour in Shanghai. It has been ten years. My heart is broken, especially during the Chinese New Year. So I did not return. I didn’t want to bring my three children down. The government expelled them from school in 2000. A thirteen-year-old young girl has grown into a 23-year-old. They are sad enough. I brought them such harm because of my fights. I feel too ashamed to face my family.”

“I’m scared of being taken to illegal jails if I return, because of the upcoming International Expo. What would happen to us? I know the torture in jail. All those imprisoned may face ill treatment or drug injections at mental hospitals. The totalitarian tyranny brought a lot of trauma to ordinary people. We long for freedom, democracy and human rights.”

Another petitioner, Shen Peilan, also dared not return for fear of imprisonment (recording):
“All petitioners in Shanghai have been locked up, or put under watch at home. During sensitive periods, they would arrest people like us. I came here last month. If I go home I would be locked up, so I dare not return.”

On February 17th, those Shanghai appellants who were forced to spend the New Year in Beijing held a party. The scene was terribly sad. Thinking about their families thousands of miles away and talking about the plight of appellants in Beijing. They condemned local corrupt officials and recounted their personal experiences of persecution. The party ended in tears.

Perry Luo, Fu Ming and Yu Liang of the SOH Radio Network.

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Chinese authorities have issued new regulations to stem the problem of illegal land evictions. These regulations however have been heavily scrutinised.

- Canton train tickets run sparse, ID ticketing ineffective
- Beijing Judicial Bureau monitors Falun Gong lawyers
- New property regulations widely condemned

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Canton train tickets run sparse, ID ticketing ineffective

It is allegedly the largest annual migration in human history. It sets a new record year after year after year. An estimated more than 2.5 billion journeys, more than 2.5 billion destinations; all in the 30 days before Chinese New Year. Every year in the month leading up to February 14th, Chinese nationals across the entire country go home for the holidays. As the record number of travellers continues to increase, tickets home become scarce, driving up ticket prices, as well security measures.

Recently, China began checking ID cards for the sale of train tickets. Passengers’ names are printed on the tickets in an effort to prevent ticket scalpers. However, travellers say it is still hard to get a ticket from Canton to Beijing. Ticket scalping still exists and bus fares have risen as well, making it difficult for many peasants working in the city to return to their countryside homes for Chinese New Year.

Mr. Jin, who is a peasant worker from Dong Guan, Guangdong Province, said many farmers that turned into city laborers had to stay in the city to spend new years, as they could not attain train tickets.

He told reporters (Recording):
“I am in Hubei Province. I am scheduled to go home on Feburary 7th, but since I could not book a ticket, I have decided to spend the New Year holiday in Dong Guan. Some of my friends rented a charter bus and went home, but most of them could not buy a ticket, so they will stay here during the holidays. There are so many people at the train station waiting, all the way from the ticket window to main street. There are just far too many people there.”

Ms. Wang managed to return to her home in Henan Province. She said all the train tickets departing Canton and heading northbound are sold out and buying from the scalpers would be too costly.

Ms. Wang said (Recording):
“All the tickets before New Years are probably all sold out. Some people could not get any tickets, so they went home by airplane. The day before yesterday when I arrived, the ticket prices had already increased.”

Mainland China media states that there are now ID scalpers in front of Canton Railway Station. Lost ID’s are sold to travellers for 80 Yuan each. The ID card and the ticket from the scalper could then be used to board the train. According to Mr. Chen, checking ID and printing passenger names on tickets cannot solve the problem of ticket scalping.

Mr. Chen said (Recording):
“For those who are desperate, they could get any ticket. The ones who obtained the tickets had connections to internal employees of the railway system. Adopting the system of checking and naming tickets cannot really solve the problem. People can use fake IDs to buy tickets. Ticket scalping is a lucrative business and they can charge 100 Yuan on cabins with beds and 50 Yuan on seats. As for those who are eager to go home to spend the New Year, buying those high priced tickets from scalpers is the only option.
Mr. Ye also managed to go back home; he told the reporter that those who came from the north to work as labourers in the south all need to get on the train in Canton. Some of his fellow villagers could not obtain any train tickets and they had to take the motorcycles home or charter a bus. Bus tickets are rising rapidly as well.

Mr. Ye told reporters (Recording):
“It is the same every year. Some of the workers might have spent a week sleeping on the street to line up and buy a ticket. The line was as long as 2-3 kilometers, but they still could not obtain a ticket. The factories they worked at are all closed for the holiday, so even if they stayed, there would be nothing to eat. Some rode a motorcycle back. Bus prices rose a lot. Many returned on a chartered bus, costing about 100 Yuan each, but that price is said to increase to 140 or 150 Yuan. This happens every year, lasting for about 40 days, when Chinese New Year is around the corner. There is an entrepreneur who bought 4 or 5 buses, and he can get his investment of hundreds of thousands of Yuan back because of this rush. Isn’t he good?”

Craig Richter; Lu Fang of the SOH Radio Network.

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Beijing Judicial Bureau monitors Falun Gong lawyers

An illegal hearing of two Falun Gong practitioners was held in Yichun City of Heiliongjiang Province, on the morning of January 26th. Before the hearing of Sun Dexiang and Liu Mingshu, the Beijing Judicial Bureau warned the two lawyers representing Sun Dexiang not to post their arguments on the internet or accept interviews from foreign media.
Sun and Liu are practitioners of Falun Gong, a spiritual practice of mind and body that teaches the principles of truthfulness, compassion and forbearance. Practitioners of Falun Gong, along with religions like Christianity, Tibetan Buddhism and Catholicism to name a few, are persecuted in China.

Sun’s lawyer, Mr. Li Jinglin is from Beijing and he has provided his service to numerous Falun Gong practitioners. Li Jinglin said (recording), “I have been warned on other cases that no lawyer could publish their defense over the web or give interviews to foreign media. This is a huge step backwards for the law. It is a stressful period right now. Therefore I’m not at liberty to disclose much right now. It is too difficult to be a lawyer in China.”

Also representing the defendants is Beijing lawyer Li Changming. Li submitted a “not guilty” plea for Sun. He turned down an interview for fear his telephone was being monitored by Communist authorities. Li Changming said(recording), “My telephone is not safe. I’m not at liberty to discuss these matters.”

According to the son of Sun Dexing, Che Hongbo, the hearing on the 26th went from 9am to 12pm. Che Hongbo said (recording), “The result of the first trial is not out yet. It is usually expected to be released a month and a half after the court accepts the case. A decision must be made within this time period. A checkpoint was set up at the entrance, and only those with visitor’s passes were allowed in. The court only gave one pass to me, and no one else. There were seven or eight people, all waiting at the entrance hoping for justice. The lawyer’s arguments were quite good, but he didn’t give it to me.”

According to reports Clearwisdom net, another Falun Gong practitioner in her eighties, Ms. Liu Mingshu, was tried on the same day. On the 20th July last year, after Liu was illegally kidnapped, she became seriously ill. It was not until she paid 10,000 Yuan, that she obtained a guarantor awaiting trial. Her family carried her to the court, and she remained silent through the entire hearing.

Perry Luo, Xin Gang and Lu Fang of the SOH Radio Network.

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New property regulations widely condemned

A new regulation for housing demolitions has just been released. On January 29th, the Legislative Affairs Office of the State Council issued a draft resolution titled the ‘Ordinance for Housing Collection and Compensation on State-owned land’. As soon as the new regulations were released, it received widespread condemnation. One criticism was this wouldn’t put an end to forced demolitions and only gave it a new name and a legitimate front.

Liu Feiyue, a human rights activist based in Hubei Province, says the regulations will create a legal hotbed for forced evictions due to its inclusion of commercial relocations. He told reporters (recording):
“Actually, these regulations should focus on the demolition of land for public purposes. However it includes commercial activities, in fact, it permits such commercial activities to continue existing. We believe however public demolitions and relocation shouldn’t include commercial activities. Commercial demolition is akin to buying things from a market, it’s a relationship of buying and selling, buying and selling are a different relationship from public welfare.”

Mr Liu says the regulations will be difficult to implement due to corruption amongst officials. He stated (recording):
“In reality, the authorities are greater than the law, and since officials hold absolute power, many regulations can’t be implemented effectively. They’re just sheets of waste paper. We’ll be very concerned even if the new regulations pass through, this means developers and local officials will have to give up their vested interests, I can see great difficulties with this.”

Wu Tianli, a Beijing resident believes the regulations don’t deal clearly with the public’s interest. Because there is still a huge commercial interest at stake, it will be difficult to protect people’s rights. She said (recording):
“If these regulations were for the people, it would clearly outline their interests…Because the buying and selling of land still exists, there will still be competition and forced demolitions won’t end. This is the truth.”

The Legislative Affairs Office has stated it is open to suggestions and opinions on the regulations. Ms Wu says this is only for show (recording):
“Forced demolitions and relocations have caused worldwide anger. It is very difficult to deal with and it may feel embarrassed. So it let’s everyone think it’s open to suggestions. This is only for show; I do not believe it is true.”

Chen Qiyong, a victim of forced demolitions in Shanghai, says the regulations don’t grant any protection to victims, and only provide protection to developers and officials. He said (recording):
“It’s a change in name only; the people still don’t receive any benefits. Before the government would demolish our homes, force us to relocate and steal our property. It’s these same people who have set up the regulations to keep up with the times. It acts as a protective umbrella. They’re saying the stealing of property is now legitimate.”

Li Huifang, a Shanghai petitioner, has issued an appeal for millions of victims around China. She said (recording):
“Before you issue these regulations, you should resolve issues from the past. There should be a proposal for problems left over from the past. Corrupt officials should return property they robbed from ordinary people. Punish those who broke the law. We are all victims, we were detained and re-educated through labor and all this because of relocations. These demolitions have caused great pain for many of us; they should pay back the innocents.”

According to Shandong lawyer Ni Wenhua, the unconstitutional ‘Regulation on the Dismantlement of Urban Houses’ released by the State Council in 2001 is still in effect. He says cases of forced demolitions are actually increasing all over China.

Chris Thomas, Fu Ming, and Zhu Jiaqi of the SOH Radio Network.

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Google's withdrawal from China has drawn a vast response worldwide. Sun Weiguang praises their decision.

- Chinese dissidents condemn cyber attacks on Google
- Sun Weiguang praises Google’s decision

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Chinese dissidents condemn cyber attacks on Google

Chinese dissidents have come out to condemn the recent cyber attacks on Google, calling it a block on human rights. Since Google’s revelations, many dissidents have stepped forward admitting to similar attacks on their email accounts.

Guizhou-based democratic activist Mo Jiangang said his email accounts had been tapped. Here’s what he had to say to reporters (recording):
“Around June 4th each year, and also when we organised a human rights forum on December 10th, our emails, including G-mail, would either be inaccessible, or read by unknown parties.”

Associate Professor Jiao Guobiao from Beijing University also runs into frequent problems with his email. He said (recording):
“Sometimes the emails I send are returned. After a while, maybe a few hours to a few days, it would return to my mailbox. Sometimes the message would fail to send straight away. Especially when Xiaobo was being sentenced, the emails I sent returned, tagged as undeliverable, after one or two days.”

Liu Xiaobo is a human rights advocate who was sentenced to 11 years imprisonment last December.

Cyber surveillance on dissidents is widespread. Many human rights or democracy advocates have experienced similar styles of attacks. Including former Shanxi Television editor Ma Xiaoming; human rights lawyer Zhang Jiankang; and the wife of well-known human rights advocate Hu Jia.

Mo Jiangang condemned the attacks as a violation of human rights. He said (recording):
“We praise Google for taking action, because it refuses to comply with some of the regime’s policies. I think Google has done very well, because it has struck back against the CCP’s wicked policies. And it’s working to ensure freedom of speech and privacy is not compromised. I think they’ve done this out of their conscience. Of course we lament their withdrawal from China, but we firmly support Google’s choice of action. If every website can do this, then the Chinese Communist regime has no way to violate every person’s freedom of speech.”

The announcement made by Google has nevertheless raised concerns among the 384 million netizens in mainland China. Using Chinese-based search engines entails more restrictions. Jiao Guobiao said (recording):
“Actually, they’re two sides to this. After it leaves, there may not be another company that can do as much as they’ve done. If every one of them, such as Google and Sohu, all leave, search engines based outside of China would no longer settle here, and China would be abandoned. It would put the Communists in isolation, but the information available to Chinese people [would be further reduced]. The scope of information and the search engines provided by Xinhua News can’t compare to what Google can provide.”

The current dispute between Google and the Chinese Communists has entered its second week. The US government has evidence related to the cyber attacks on Google, and plans to enter discussions with the regime over the matter.

Daniel Teng; Tian Xi of the SOH Radio Network.

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Zhong Weiguang foresees good business for Google

On the 16th of January, a prominent overseas scholar, Mr. Zhong
Weiguang, gave SOH an interview about Google’s potential withdrawal from the Chinese market to protect the interests of its customers. Mr Zhong said Google’s decision not only won hearts of the Chinese public but also secured long-term business gain.

According to Mr Zhong, Google’s honest actions went a long way to enhance its reputation and brand, which will create greater business value in the future.

He said, “Google has now won trust from the Chinese people. It actions have established a very good reputation. In the long run, a totalitarian system will not last. It is obvious that in the course of change, Google stood by the people. Even though Google may lose some market share allowed by the authorities in the short term, it has won hearts, reputation and branding in the future. Google has set a very good example for other companies.”

The Google incident has been a shock to the entire system.
As a result, many political and business leaders in the west are starting to re-evaluate their cooperation with China’s Communist regime. According to Mr Zhong, the international community must uphold its principles.

Mr Zhong said, “The law in every Western country regards human rights as the most important tenet. Does this principle need to be observed when doing business in other countries? Apparently yes, because the principle is universal. Google has upheld this principle.”

Mr Zhong was very much encouraged by Google’s decision.
He states, “Everyone is very heartened by Google’s announcements, which showed that Google respects the bottom line commonly recognized in the Western society. People from China along with everyone in the world with a sense of justice are behind Google. In my opinion, Google has set a good example for other companies.”

Finally Mr Zhong called upon all foreign businesses in China to think about their long-term reputation and to make the right choice. Only in this way can they truly advance in the future.

Tang Yin, Wang Zhen and Perry Luo of the SOH Radio Network.

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Students in quarantine at Heilongjiang University.

- Cyber attacks on Google rouse response from Chinese people
- Revelations of emergency meeting on H1N1
- Dodgy new homes force Sichuan survivors into tents

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Cyber attacks on Google rouse response from Chinese people

The world’s largest online search engine Google recently revealed severe cyber attacks on the company and its G-mail users, many of whom are human rights advocates. On January 12th, Corporate Development and Chief Legal Officer David Drummond published an official blog, which stated: “We have decided we are no longer willing to continue censoring our results on Google.cn…”, and considered the possibilities of pulling out of China altogether.

David Drummond revealed, “accounts of dozens of U.S.-, China- and Europe-based G-mail users who are advocates of human rights in China appear to have been routinely accessed by third parties.”
He said these attacks have been highly sophisticated and targeted, and that Google is now reviewing the feasibility of its operations in
China.

Hubei resident, Mr Wang said in an interview with SOH (recording):
“This is something worth celebrating. If all websites and organizations dare do stand up as Google has done, it would be a great shock to the Chinese Communists. If every website would be bold enough to speak the truth and refuse to compromise, it would be a heavy blow to them. The Chinese Communist Party was built on a foundation of violence and lies. If the lies no longer have effect, and our people learn the evil nature of the regime, we can cut our ties with the CCP.”

Hebei resident, Ms Wang said the CCP was afraid the people of
China would learn the truth and facts. Their cyber attacks have however offended the Google company. She said (recording):
“As Chinese people, we live in an environment filled with spies, because the CCP is very strict on censoring information, and they have tight control over news in China. Chinese people cannot see the truth of the situation. A media company like Google which dares to speak out, is something the CCP is scared of. They fear the awakening of Chinese people.”

Chinese journalist Shi Tao was sentenced to ten years in prison, when in 2005 he sent a government document through Yahoo’s email service to a foreign domain. A democratic activist from Guizhou, who wished to remain anonymous, said Google was a company of high credibility, and its G-mail service is used by some democratic and human rights advocates.

He said (recording):
“Many of our friends who seek democracy know not to use the email services in mainland China that are monitored. I have not heard of any information leaked from Gmail. The company Yahoo exposed Shi Tao’s message. As for Gmail, the CCP has attacked its server in search of trouble. The CCP is not afraid of it, even if it shuts down, they would not be scared of a company. The CCP has other search engines such as Baidu.”

According to David Drummond, in mid-December 2009, Google detected highly sophisticated and directed attacks on its corporate infrastructure, and that, “at least twenty other large companies from a wide range of businesses—including the Internet, finance, technology, media and chemical sectors—have been similarly targeted.”

A Hong Kong netizen named Li said the attacks on Google’s servers and websites that belong to Human Rights advocates have clearly originated from the CCP. Li said, (recording), “Cyber attacks on human rights organizations, are likely to originate from the CCP.

Google has threatened to give up on this market, because it has been affected, globalisation is happening everywhere nowadays.”

In order to compromise with the Chinese Communist Regime’s online censorship policies, Google introduced Google.cn for mainland China in January 2006.

Craig Richter; Wen Hong; and Si Ming of the SOH Radio Network.

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Revelations of emergency meeting on H1N1

Insiders in the Harbin Disease Control Centre have spoken of a secret emergency meeting held in November last year. The participants supposedly said mainland media have misled the public, and are jeopardising medical staff and the parents of single children. As yet, there is no cure for Influenza A also known as H1N1.

The emergency meeting was attended by local epidemic experts, the secretary of the Disease Control Centre and medical professors of city level hospitals.

An anonymous insider spoke to reporters (recording):
“Cases of maternal mortality are much higher in October; a dozen died in Harbin. Theoretically, the chances of maternal mortality are one out of a hundred thousand a year. But since a dozen have died, the number is now excessive. The secretary of the disease control centre is also a medical expert. He said the Influenza A strain has a mortality rate ten times more severe than those in the past. In addition to its high death rate, it is widespread, peaking multiple times.”

Experts at the meeting said H1N1 is highly infectious. There’s a large gap between media reports and the actual number of deaths. The actual number is likely ten to a hundred times more. Insiders believe the rampant spread of H1N1 is due to misleading domestic media reports.

The anonymous insider further revealed (recording):
“Maternal deaths occur when pregnant women developed high fevers and some die after giving birth. The virus progresses very quickly. Medical experts haven’t revealed the exact figure. H1N1 is so fierce, while media reports are untrue and harmful.”
Currently, the media are reporting the infection rate at 3%, compared to the actual infection rate of 6 to 25%. Because of the false reports, medical staff is also prone to infections.

The insider said (recording):
“Because the media conceals the truth, health care workers suffer a great deal. For instance, one coma patient was sent here without knowing he had Influenza A. As a result, his doctors didn’t take any protective measures. No one had any knowledge they were patients of Influenza A when they arrived until it was confirmed by tests.”
Our sources reveal the Communist authorities have stopped giving false reports on the state of H1N1. The epidemic is now too rampant, and quarantine has become ineffective.

According to the insider (recording):
“The first maternal death was on October 18th. She lay unconscious at the Red Cross Hospital. When she was transferred to the top Municipal Hospital, she was already in a coma. Doctors had no idea what she suffered while nurses did not take preventive measures at all. When she died, it was confirmed she was an H1N1 victim. Until now, humankind has no remedy to subdue the virus.”

The most vulnerable groups are pregnant women, people with ailments and children. According to feedback from the general public in Harbin, families of H1N1 victims have nowhere to lodge complaints or expose the true situation. This is due to the blockade by Communist authorities. People in mainland China find it hard to access overseas reports on the outbreak.

Chris Thomas and Xin Yi of the SOH Radio Network.

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Dodgy new homes force Sichuan survivors into tents

Lichun town in Pengzhou of Sichuan was one of main areas devastated by the 2008 earthquake. Houses were constructed to provide homes for victims. However they’ve been many complaints of problems with the houses, including cracks, burst pipes and other issues. Basically the homes are unsuitable for living and victims have been forced to remain in tents.

Yang Jianrong from Lihe village in Lichun, told reporters about the housing problems (recording):
“The most serious problem effecting houses in the neighborhood are broken sewer pipes. This is not being dealt with. They didn’t build good foundations, it is sloppy work, and the cement can be removed by a light touch of the hand. How can we live in houses like this? I have even borrowed money to build a new house.”

Yang Jianrong said they’d tried speaking to the company and government department in charge of construction. This was unsuccessful, further the village Party cadre has been unhelpful.

Yang Jianrong described her conditions (recording):
“My house is a shed built with plastic bags. It’s very cold. There are young and old in my family, my father-in-law and mother-in-law, my grandma is already 90 years old and we still live in this shed. How can we survive this winter? The quality of this new house is a problem, it’s terrible! I talked to our village officials but they refuse to admit any problems.”

Mr Song, a resident in Huapeng neighborhood of Lichun said the local government says the houses meet building standards. Now they’re demanding the residents pay off building costs or they won’t provide power.

Mr Song spoke to reporters (recording):
“The houses appear to be cracking, and the ground underneath keeps submerging, there are problems with the housing quality. They asked us to pay but we didn’t. We still owed more than 13,000 renminbi. There are allowances for construction efforts after disasters. Our house cost over 100,000, the government pays half and loaned 30,000 from the bank, individually we pay 20 to 30 thousand. We pay our money to the officials and they give it to the building company. The power is ready but he said if you don’t pay, they won’t connect it.”

Another resident of Lihe village, Chen Huixiong said no one is dealing with these housing problems.

Chen Huixiong told media (recording):
“There are over 200 households in our neighborhood. There are many different problems in our neighborhood. How can we live if our houses are crooked? If one day there’s a sudden earthquake, could it resist an eight point earthquake? I have been petitioning to Chengdu City.”

Chris Thomas; Xin Yi; and Liu Fang of the SOH Radio Network.

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Former Canadian statesman David Kilgour says the landmark court decision in Spain against five CCP members signals that the world will not accept genocide or crimes against humanity.

- Spanish Court makes crucial ruling on Falun Gong persecutors

- Police protest against unfair dismissal

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Spanish Court makes crucial ruling on Falun Gong persecutors

The Spanish State Court made an unprecedented ruling recently, indicting top five former Chinese Communist leaders responsible for the persecution of the Falun Gong spiritual practice. The five indicted, Jiang Zemin, Luo Gan, Bo Xilai, Jia Qinglin, and Wu Guanzheng, are facing charges of genocide and torture.

According to the ruling, the defendants have 4-6 weeks to respond. If there is no objection to the indictment, the court would then issue an international arrest warrant. David Kilgour, a world renowned Canadian statesman, is interviewed on this case. According to Mr Kilgour, this is a very significant step forward in establishing rule of law worldwide and eventually, in China.

Mr Kilgour states (recording):
“I think it’s a very significant step, it shows that a country that has an excellent rule of law tradition. Has ruled that the five officials in the party should be shown the documents and possibly arrested, including Jiang Zemin the former President, and Bo Xilai. And a number of very senior people. I think that’s an excellent step forward in terms of establishing the rule of law in the world, and hopefully eventually in China.”

Mr Kilgour also talked about the impact this will have on the Chinese Communist regime, he says (recording):
“Well what I think it will do is it will send a signal to those five individuals that they better not travel anyway outside of China, or perhaps Burma, or maybe Sudan, or possibly North Korea. But more than that, it will send a signal to the senior members of the party that this terrible crime against humanity that they’re doing to the Falun Gong in China is going to see them brought to justice”

He also makes strong recommendations to the current Chinese regime to cease any connections with those indicted, and to stop the persecution of Falun Gong and the acts of organ harvesting immediately.

As for the impact on the international community from the court’s ruling, Mr Kilgour has this to say, (recording):
“Well I think it will get noticed around the world, it will certainly be noticed in China, and it will certainly be noticed in Europe. And I would hope in North America, Latin America, Africa and Asia. And hope that around the world people will begin to see that a Court of law has ruled that what’s happened to Falun Gong community in China is unacceptable and it must be stopped and the people involved with it will be brought to justice. And that’s the most important message, that the world can no longer accept this kind of crime against humanity or genocide or whatever you want to call it.”

David Kilgour was formally a Canadian cabinet member, a member of the parliament, an official of the Asian Pacific affairs in the Canadian government, and a prosecutor in human rights affairs. In July of 2006, Mr Kilgour and David Matas, a well known Canadian human rights lawyer, published an investigative report titled, “REPORT INTO ALLEGATIONS OF ORGAN HARVESTING OF FALUN GONG PRACTITIONERS IN CHINA”, which shocked the world after its publication. According to the report, “large scale organ harvesting that is against the will of Falun Gong practitioners is still in existence, and is still on going.”

Perry Luo; Qin Yue; and Li Yuhan of the SOH Radio Network.

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Police protest against unfair dismissal

On November 16th over 100 police officers protested in Qianjiang City of Hubei Province. They braved the snow and rain to gather in front of the municipal government building. The protest was over the unfair dismissal of these officers in 1995 leaving them with no pension, medical insurance or any other source of income. They’re demanding their positions be reinstated and proper compensation granted. Officials from the Complaints Bureau promised to respond to their demands in one month’s time.

The police officers carried banners reading, ‘Strong condemnation of the government’s non-action. Destroy the protection of corrupt power.’ On November 20th, a former police officer Wei Qunhua spoke to SOH.

He said (Recording):
“The Deputy Commissioner of the Municipal Public Security Bureau, Mei Jinghan, came to the site with a dozen others. Arguments broke out during the negotiations. Finally the government promised a written answer in one month’s time.”

All officers were employed in 1987. They were chosen based on personnel files and test results. Eighteen years was the longest tenure. According to government regulations, they should have been considered permanent employees. However 86 officers had their positions given away by the former Qianjiang Municipal Party Secretary. Wei claims to have evidence of this.

He said (Recording):
“After their dismissals, these police never received any compensation. Due to their age and lack of skills, they’re forced look for casual jobs everywhere.”

Dismissed police officer Huang Xinqiang sustained himself as an unskilled laborer. He contracted pneumonia but had no money for treatment. His condition got worse daily and he eventually died at home.

His daughter-in-law spoke to SOH saying many former police officers had appealed many times to various levels of the government with no success. After October 1st this year, six officers visited Beijing to appeal. When the government got wind of this, the Deputy Political Commissar of the Public Security Bureau flew to Beijing with a team and rounded up the six, escorting them back home.

The protesters say they’re determined to fight for their right to live.

Chris Thomas, and Tian Xi of the SOH Radio Network.

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Water conservation expert Wang Weiluo says the over-construction of dams presents massive environmental risks to China.

- Millions of university graduates face unemployment

- No rule of law in China, says Chinese lawyer

- Shanghai petitioners send open letter to Obama

- Dams in China source of strife

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Millions of university graduates face unemployment
(1:02)

In recent years, the employment rate among Chinese university graduates has remained at 72%. Up until the end of 2008, over a million graduates could not find jobs.

According to mainland Chinese media, the Educational Sciences College of East China Normal University conducted a study into the ‘living conditions of job-seeking university graduates’, targeting students in Shanghai. The result showed 68.1% of the group believed finding a job was the most important task every day. 43.3% used the free time to study on their own or attend various training courses for self-improvement.

During the course of job search, many felt tired and depressed. 57.1% felt exhausted, 40.1% felt lost, 22.6% were disappointed with life. “Eating from the old” is a label despised by this group as they’re forced to rely on their families for support. Rather than intentionally ‘eating the old’ however, most feel guilty about being supported financially. This guilt puts them under tremendous psychological pressure.

According to the study, many graduates have made accurate assessments of themselves. The current employment environment and industry structure has something to do with the group not finding jobs easily. In other words, the plight of these graduates is due to a combination of there being too many graduates and inadequate social structures.

Daniel Teng of the SOH Radio Network.

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No rule of law in China, says Chinese lawyer
(2:40)

“There is absolutely no rule of law in China,” says Chinese lawyer. Li Renbing is defending Wei Cheng, a Falun Gong practitioner accused of being, well, a practitioner of Falun Gong. This spiritual practice of mind and body teaches the tenants of truthfulness, compassion and forbearance. It was outlawed in China in 1999. Since then reports have come out of China daily, about the brutal persecution suffered by these people, under the Communist regime.

This strong statement by Wei’s attorney comes after seven Falun Gong practitioners were dealt hefty prison terms by the Changchun City Intermediate Court. One of the accused, Wei, was first sentenced to 8 years in his initial trial. His case then went through a second trial and Wei was sentenced to an additional 10 years. The sentences were combined to 18 years incarceration, with deprivation of political rights for four years. A total of 22 years of punishment / all because / of his beliefs.

Wei’s attorney told SOH he had never seen any court violating the law to such an extent. Saying it is “simply irrational”.

He said, “This case has gone through investigation by the Changchun City Procuratorate, the Changchun City Intermediate Court, the Changchun City Politics and Law Committee, Jilin Province Politics and Law Committee, Jilin Province Procuratorate and the Jilin Province Supreme Court. It has gone through so many levels of investigation, but still, the final result is to keep the original judgment. It is very unfair to sentence Wei Cheng in the manner of combining different kinds of punishments. The first trial sentenced him to eight years; the second trial, ten years. When combined, he was sentenced to 18 years in prison, far exceeding the highest punishment of 15 years stipulated in [China's] Criminal Law. This judgment itself is an unabashed violation of the law. It is the first time I have ever encountered this situation in my career as a lawyer. That is to say, there is absolutely no rules of law in China. The law is not even a decoration in today’s China.”

The attorneys for the accused, 14 of them in total, were informed of the trial with just two days notice. They rushed to Nong’an County to participate, but in the end were denied access to their clients, and to the trial. Officials from the Politics and Law Committee even told the attorneys frankly that they care only about politics and ignore the rules of law. The attorneys felt the court procedure had seriously violated the law, which they now believe doesn’t even exist in Communist China.

Tang Jitian was employed to represent one of the accused, Han Xixiang.

Tang told SOH, “The first trial was a violation of the law to begin with. It is illegal from all aspects including the procedure and the nature of the judgment. The second trial was a public trial. The detention center tried all means to prevent me from seeing my client. In the end, two of my colleagues went to the Politics and Law Committee. The way the receptionist behaved, basically, was as the saying goes – ‘I am a ruffian and who would I be afraid of’? They did not care about the law or basic rules at all. In the end, he said, ‘do not talk about laws with us. You may try to look for whoever you want to see, but you definitely cannot get to see them’.”

These seven practitioners filed an appeal in March. It took nearly seven months for the judgment to finalize despite the nation’s Criminal Law Procedure saying the court must handle the appeal within one and a half months.

Another of the accused, Zhang Wanjun, was sentenced to nine years in prison, with his political rights being deprived for three years. Zhang’s attorney believed the judgment lacks factual evidence.

The Clearwisdom website published an article on the situation at 1 p.m. on October 23. According to the article Han Xixiang and Li Fengming were sentenced to 14 years in prison. Wang Xiuping and Zhao Yushu to 10 years in prison; Wei Cheng to 18 years in prison. Qi Yunchao and Zhang Wanjun to nine years in prison. The court was surrounded by military police dressed in bullet-proof clothing during the illegal trial.

Caden Pearson; Li Yifei and Wang Zhen of the SOH Radio Network

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Shanghai petitioners send open letter to Obama
(7:34)

On the night of November 15th, US President Barack Obama arrived in Shanghai on Air Force One to begin his four day state visit to China. Over 200 Shanghai petitioners have sent an open letter to Obama; hoping the Nobel Peace Prize winner will push forward the progress of democracy in China.

Whilst the petitioners welcomed Obama in their open letter, numerous civil rights activists have been captured or placed under house arrest due to his visit.

The petitioners state in their letter their hope that Obama will do what he promised during his election campaign to support international democracy and a system valuing human rights. They ask the president to speak up on the major issues of human rights and not to use diplomacy solely for economic profit.
The letter also reminds Obama not to be ‘confused or vain on the superficiality of Shanghai, for behind every superficial building lies an abyss of suffering and misery.’

A Shanghai petitioner, Mao Hengfeng, spoke to SOH on the 15th. She told us the aim of the letter was to encourage Mr Obama to show concern for Chinese human rights.

She said (recording):
“When the US President or any other leader comes to China, regardless of whether they’re just looking around or here on business. It’s best they demand our Chinese leaders don’t take away our personal freedom. We ask for the freedom to welcome heads of state and to petition just like the citizens of other free nations. Even when our country’s leaders go abroad, they see a different scene. Why don’t the Chinese people have the same freedom? Why can’t we express our wishes? Furthermore, the World Expo will be held in Shanghai. Because he is a Nobel Peace Prize recipient, he should push forward democracy, freedom and human rights for Chinese citizens. This way, we, the Shanghai civil right activists, or other persecuted peoples can reveal to the world the state of our economy and human rights whilst improving the state of human rights in this country. We hope President Obama can propose such a discussion with President Hu Jintao.”

Many Shanghai petitioners were apprehensive regarding Obama’s visit. His arrival may bring hope to petitioners, but at the same time the Communist regime is keeping a close watch over them. However, for those already apprehended, they will not even have a chance to make their wishes heard.

Perry Luo; Wen Fang; and Yu Liang of the SOH Radio Network.

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Dams in China source of strife
(10:19)

On November 14, water conservation expert Wang Weiluo spoke at the 2009 Future Science and Culture Forum. He said that the Chinese Communist regime’s approach for water conservancy directly betrayed the traditional Chinese ideologies of respect for nature. Wang said that over 80 000 dams had been built within the 60 years of communist rule, causing strife, hardship, and the deaths of Thousands.

Wang has carried out in depth studies into China’s waterworks infrastructures. He recently published a book “36 calculations on the Yangtze River’s three gorges dam”. Wang believes that the Chinese Communist regimes political ideal of “fighting against heaven and earth”, resulted in the construction of 87 000 dams. At present, one half of the world’s dams are located in mainland China. One third of these dams are considered to be extremely unsafe, and vulnerable to collapse. During the construction of these dams, more than 20 million Chinese people were forced to relocate, with one third of them already being poverty stricken.

Wang Weiluo gave two examples of dam project disasters that had been censored by the Chinese Communist regime: In 1975 the collapse of The Banqiao Dam of upper Huaihe River, lead to the subsequent collapse of 52 downstream dams killing 240 000 people. This catastrophe was censored from 1975 until 1995, and to date the regime stills admits a death toll of only 20 000, far from actual figures.

Another event took place in 1963 on the prairies of Huabei, when significant flooding of Haihe River destroyed more than 200 dams. Casualty figures have not been made public, and the truth has also been censored by authorities.

Wang Weiluo said (recording):
“This information was sourced from a letter to a minister in the Department of Water. The letter was written by Huang Wanli, and revealed his own blunders in the event. However it did not reveal the death toll and China has never announced this figure.”

Dr Wang explained how the degradation of China’s Water works resulted from the regimes political ideals. He said they fought against heaven and earth, meeting constant defeat. This created even more battles, and the damage this has caused the natural environment will seriously affect future generations. He also fears that inadequacies in national water management will bring more disasters, and cripple China as a result.

Mr Wang said (Recording):
“It isn’t wrong to establish a nation in many hardships. People can stand up after one or two disasters, and human beings also learn experiences from disasters. Yet the fault is in the word ‘many’. Many disasters and tribulations can render one unable to stand. The book “Guo Yu” said “landslides and dry rivers imply governance leading to the nation’s demise!””

Chris Thomas; Zheng Fan; and Xi Wen of the SOH Radio Network.

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Shen Ting, the chairperson of the Coalition of Chinese People Facing Injustice, has spoken out against possible forced relocations, after the approval of Shanghai Disneyland.

- Land seizure concerns over Shanghai’s Disneyland project

- Toxic milk scandal hearing cancelled, plaintiff detained

- Longing for the collapse of China’s Berlin Wall

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Land seizure concerns over Shanghai’s Disneyland project
(0:35)

The decision to construct a Disney-based theme park in Shanghai has been the cause for much concern for many Chinese residents. Whilst economists are worried about the impact on Hong Kong’s own Disneyland, other NGOs fear that the project would initiate a large-scale land confiscation, and have urged Disney and local authorities not to forcibly evict local residents.

The news broke on the 4th of November and triggered a frenzy of media coverage and discussion amongst the Hong Kong press. Experts were apprehensive that Shanghai Disney would cannibalize Hong Kong Disney’s business.

Assistant Professor Chen Yunzhong of the Department of Social Sciences at the Hong Kong University told SOH reporters during an interview(recording) “The original plan for Hong Kong Disney was for mainland customers to make up two third of the clientele. In reality they make up only one third. In the near future when Shanghai builds Disneyland number two, mainland customers visiting Hong Kong Disneyland would amount to less than one tenth of its current customer base!”

In Shanghai, the main topic for concern was the large-scale land confiscation that the Disney project may trigger, resulting in large numbers homeless victims. The chairperson of the NGO, “Coalition of Chinese People Facing Injustice”, Shen Ting, called for Disney not to collaborate with the Communist government to abuse human rights or engage in forced removal.

Shen said (recording) “First we need to remind Disney’s headquarters in the US not to violate local residents’ human rights and their right to habitat during the construction. They need to be vigilant. This time we will inform Disney headquarters in advance, asking them to keep an eye on the Shanghai administration to see whether there is any human rights violation during the resettlement process.”

According to reports, Shanghai Disney will be built at the Chuansha Township in the Pudong District, where 409 hectare of land has been earmarked. With total investment of 24.4 billion Yuan, Disney has targeted an opening in 2014. China holds majority stake of 57% in the project and Disney 43%. An editorial in Hong Kong’s Apple Daily pointed out that this was a political present from the Beijing authorities as U.S president Obama leaves for his China trip.

Perry Luo and Liang Zhen of the SOH Radio Network.

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Toxic milk scandal hearing cancelled, plaintiff detained
(3:50)

On November 5th, Wang Gang, a plaintiff in the lawsuit over the melamine contaminated milk scandal, was detained for two hours at the Yangfangdian Police Station in Beijing’s Haidian District. Five days before his scheduled hearing on November 10th, Wang’s home was searched, and the hearing was canceled without reason. According to Zhao Lianhai (423), a representative for parents of toxic milk victims, the police actions were carried out to ease government fear of other parents coming out to support the hearing.

Wang Gang, whose child was a victim of melamine poison milk, brought his child to hospital on November 5th, hoping to get written confirmation of poisoning. On their way home, they were stopped and searched by police, before being taken and detained at the Yangfangdian Police Station for two hours.

Wang told SOH (recording)
“They show no documentation for the search, and said nothing before they grabbed my hands and pressed me against the car. The officer was very rough, and cuffed my hands. I said ‘On what grounds are you handcuffing me? I’m not a criminal suspect. I cooperated with your search, and I carry nothing dangerous’, the cuffs were extremely tight, my hands became numb, and I can still see the imprints. I was cuffed behind the back, and while driving they braked deliberately so that I would bump into the front seat. I was held at the police station for over two hours.”

Representative Zhao Lianhai said many people intended to travel and support the hearing on Tuesday, some parents had already booked train tickets.

Zhao said (recording)
“As for the hearing being cancelled, no reason was given; they only made a phone call to say it was canceled. If they were truly just, without fear for more attention on the issue, they shouldn’t have cancelled. Meanwhile many parents feel they’ve been deceived, particularly by the court. After all it’s under government administration, and they’ve gone back on their word. The scheduled date was so easily canceled.”

Zhao Lianhai also told us that Wang Gang’s unreasonable detention, and the cancelled hearing, was an act of suppression from the authorities, fearing voices of support.

Zhao told SOH (recording)
“Speaking of his detention, the officers also searched for his identification. Yet even with his cooperation they were so rough, weren’t they using a form of suppression? We really feel there’s no way out. We’re hoping the government would have more humanity. Many parents want to show their concern, as well as others in society. We would have been in the public gallery, and if it wasn’t available, we planned to stay outside the courthouse. This has caused much fear to the authorities. ”

SOH called the Yangfangdian Police Station, but the officer who answered denied Wang was handcuffed.

The officer told us (recording)
“Usually, people brought in for questioning are not handcuffed. Aside from those involved in major criminal cases, we do not use handcuffs.”

It was revealed to the public last year that baby powder produced by the Sanlu Corporation had high amounts of melamine, which is supposed to be used in small amounts. As compensation offers from authorities were deemed inadequate, parents of poison milk victims brought civil action which was rejected by most courts. Since July this year, five parents in Beijing, filed the lawsuit to Daxing, Shunyi, Xuanwu, Xiyu as well as the Fengtai District Courts, but to date only two cases have been accepted.

Caden Pearson; Lin Li; and Si Ming of the SOH Radio Network.

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Longing for the collapse of China’s Berlin Wall
(7:54)

November 9th marked the 20th anniversary of the Berlin Walls collapse. On this special day, people in mainland China expressed their wishes to spread awareness of the Communist Regimes corruption, so that others will awaken and fearlessly break through China’s Wall of suppression.

Ms Miao from mainland China said that, many democracy fighters in China have attempted again and again to bring democracy back to China. Their efforts have lit the darkness created by China’s iron curtain, and have made many people aware. The Chinese Communist Party is struggling for it’s survival, and their power is so weak now that they need to use military force on civilians to maintain power, just like that of the corrupt Qing dynasty.

Ms Miao (recording): “Bringing down the Berlin Wall of China depends on ourselves, as we need to bring down the wall in our heart, by overcoming fear of the Communist Regime. Fighters such as Liu Xiaobo, Guo Quan, and Chen Guangcheng have upheld the torches for us, and illuminated the darkness on this side of the wall. We have all seen this clearly, and a tiny spark can ignite a fire on the prairie. We are hopeful the entire nation will awaken, and with these leaders charging forward, the masses will also follow.”

Another person from Hebei (requesting to remain anonymous) said that since Communist rule in China, too many dissidents have been incriminated for their speech. In fact, it is the corrupt officials themselves that will overthrow the Regime, they say.

Anonymous mainlander (recording): “I see people after people being arrested, and this makes me very angry. I have lost hope with this regime. Can we subvert the regime? No. It’s those corrupted officials who will topple the regime. The so called crime of subverting state power is nothing but an excuse to incriminate people based on their speech. More and more people despise and depart from the Communist regime. But if people are complacent with status quo and remain indifferent, the collapse of the Chinese Berlin Wall will be difficult.”

Anonymous mainlander (recording): “There are indeed many people who have been awakened, and many are pursuing freedom of speech, the press, and freedom of thought. There are some who were sentenced to death for what they have said. Professor Guo Quan is such an example of being incriminated for his speech. It’s great Chinese netizens are seeking press freedom and freedom of speech. But I don’t think the wall is falling presently, and if we don’t do anything about it, its collapse will be even more difficult. Therefore, we need to speak up further.”

A netizen from Sichuan said that, the invention of anti-blocking internet software made the regimes blockade fruitless. Many netizens use such software to see the world outside, and have learned many truths.

Netizen of Sichuan (recording): The Communist regime has spent so much money on the Golden Shield project, which is meaningless. The Ministry of Public Security is said to have spent billions of Chinese dollars on this, but this money all belongs to the people. Many Chinese people are still very poor, many can’t afford to go to school or even feed themselves. The money should have been spent on people, and their livelihood. The corrupt are the Communist leaders. They’ve wasted so much of the public’s money, and built a Chinese Berlin Wall. They block overseas websites, but thanks to the anti-blocking software, we are now able to obtain information from overseas. It’s wide open now, and the wall is full of holes.”

Chris Thomas, Wang Qian, and Si Ming of the SOH Radio Network.

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Falun Gong practitioner, Zhang Ying was detained and tortured at a local police station for a 'confession'.

- Shanghai Falun Gong practitioner tortured and force-fed;

- Concerned netizens mapping pollution in China;

- 1,000 sacked bank protest in Beijing;

- Made in China segment.

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Shanghai Falun Gong practitioner tortured and force-fed
(0:58)

In Shanghai, 39 year old Falun Gong practitioner Zhang Ying has been kidnapped by the Public Security Bureau of Changning District. She was taken to the Xianxia Street Police Station where she was tortured, and was later force-fed in hospital after going on hunger strike.

Zhang Ying’s lawyer, Zhang Chuanli visited her last September and found her weak and unable to walk properly. Chuanli had applied to Court for bail so Ms. Zhang could receive medical treatment, his application was denied.

Zhang Chuanli told SOH:
(Recording) “On September 22nd, when I saw Zhang Ying in the prison hospital in Shanghai, she had to be supported when walking towards me. She’s unable to walk by herself and her health is very weak. According to Chinese law, the Public Security Bureau is still carrying out its investigation. Zhang Ying said she was tortured for a confession, which is why I have brought an action against the police on her behalf. Further, on September 30th, the security bureau told me Zhang Ying was formally under arrest. After that, as her lawyer, I made an application for bail, but it was refused.”

Zhang Ying’s mother, Ms Chu told SOH that Ms. Zhang was arrested by local police last month. Ms Chu and her husband have asked the security bureau’s Petitions Office about Zhang Ying.

Ms Chu told SOH:
(Recording) “The police illegally beat and arrest people. Zhang Ying was suspended and beaten by three officers. She lost consciousness soon after and her blood pressure was over 200 degrees. She was sent to hospital and we were told we couldn’t visit her for at least a month. It is now close to two months. The police told us to sue them. We only went to ask about her situation and instead they quarrelled with us, elderly people. You see how bad we feel, we can’t even sleep at night.”

According to Minghui.net, the officer in charge was Wei Liguang who had ordered three officers: Chen Ying, Zhu Fengming and Qian Jun to carry out the act.

Zhang Ying’s grandmother, Ms Zhou said after Zhang Ying was kidnapped and tortured, she went on hunger strike and was sent to hospital.

Ms Zhou said:
(Recording) “On September 8th, Zhang Ying came back from shopping when she was kidnapped by plainclothes police in front of our house. They didn’t show identification. She was sent to a detention centre where she was shackled and hung. She lost consciousness. After that she didn’t eat anything for many days and they sent her to the hospital to force-feed her. Now, we don’t know what her situation is and it has nearly been two months.”

Ms Zhou also said Zhang Ying had benefitted from Falun Gong. She told SOH:
(Recording) “She should have freedom of belief shouldn’t she? Actually, we better not talk about this here…After she started practicing, she became very healthy and kind to others. She respected the elderly. The police arrested her many times, and this is the fourth time. We call upon the international community to help rescue her.”

Chris Thomas; Lin Li; and Wang Zhen of the SOH Radio Network.

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Concerned netizens mapping pollution in China
(5:12)

Pictures taken by award-winning Chinese photographer Lu Guang entitled “Pollution in China” has helped inspire Chinese netizen Guo Baofeng of Fujian. Mr Guo, who has always been concerned about the environment, recently initiated a plan to map the pollution levels within China and the resulting map included dozens of severely polluted sites, which has since caught the attention of the outside world.

According to a report by Radio Free Asia, Mr Guo told reporters (recording):
“When I saw the pictures by Lu Guang, I was shocked; those pictures earned him the Oxford Smith Humanitarian Photography award. I was so impressed by that and had the idea of mapping those polluted sites on map, according to what he photographed. Another Internet friend of mine, Shuang Ye, also did something similar, in mapping cancer villages of China on a map. In fact, what I then did was to superimpose the two maps, and the geographic locations of the cancer villages and that of pollution seem to be very close to each other. It looks like that there are some connections between the two in China, in those most polluted areas.”

Rapid economic development has led to heavy environmental pollution in many parts of China, and environmentalists are unsatisfied with the official explanation that environment is the necessary cost of economic development. There have been several attempts by citizens of China to promote environmental protection, but their actions were suppressed by the authority. Last May, about 200 people staged a protest march against a large petrochemical project in Chengdu, Sichuan province, because of the severe, potential air and water pollutions by the plant. The authorities however, cracked down on the protestors and Mr. Chen Yunfei, a leading organiser, was arrested and tortured during his detention.

Since traditional ways of protecting citizens’ rights may lead to crackdown by the authority, Guo Baofeng and his friends initiated the idea of pollution mapping, in hope of getting more attentions from the outside world. Their map include investment projects in industrial parks in Wuhai City, Inner Mongolia; chemical waste in Taixing industrial park in Jiangsu province; Fanjiazhuang steel mill in Henan province, where “iron rain” falls everyday on the villagers; industrial waste water from Xiaoshan, Zhejiang province; petrochemical waste from Ma Anshan, Anhui province; industrial waste water from Zeng Miao, Inner Mongolia, and petrochemical waste water from Haimen, Jiangsu province.

Perry Luo; and He Wen of the SOH Radio Network.

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1,000 sacked bank protest in Beijing
(8:32)

On October 26th, at approximately 8am, 1,000 former bank employees gathered for a protest in Beijing. The protesters were staff members who were made redundant with very little financial compensation, from four major banks in China, including the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, and the China Construction Bank. The gathering took place, in Beijing’s Xicheng county, at the International Convention Center Square.

According to witnesses, approximately 1,000 workers held banners, while they sang songs and shouted slogans. They protest attracted crowds of onlookers, who took photos. A witness told SOH, “There were about 1,000 people on the square, they sang international songs and so forth. Those people were from Shanghai, Liaoning, and Jilin, from everywhere. The onlookers all crowded up and many people photographed the scene”

Another witness said, “The banners read, ‘redundant workers strongly demand the government provides financial compensation’”.

Hundreds of officers from the General Security Division of the Beijing Police Department rushed to the scene, with a number of passenger buses, as well as Iveco police cars. Officers kidnapped and brutally beat the protesters, in attempt to disperse the crowd by force.

A witness said, “It was the police department and public security officers, on the first wave they took away six bus loads of protesters. At around 10am, they began to push people into the vehicles by brute force. They had two Iveco police vehicles, and two other police vehicles of another brand, that drove around the scene. After the first wave of people were taken away, the officers dispersed the crowd by force. ”

A witness also reported, “There were 7 or 8 officers, pulling and dragging people to the vehicles. They did not allow the people to speak, and those who refused to get in were pushed in before they suffered further beatings. It was open kidnapping, if they refused to get on the vehicle, they were just dragged and beaten. I say what kind of police is this? I think they act like thugs. Six of those big vehicles were completely filled. Some people fled, while the police chased them down like dogs.”

SOH reporters telephoned the General Security Division of the Beijing Police Department to inquire about the situation, but the officer on duty refused to make any adequate response. SOH recorded the telephone conversation with him, “I cannot answer your questions about this issue with the people.”

These workers were mostly 40 to 50 years of age. Made redundant after long service terms without medical insurance, pensioner’s funds and some were dismissed by force without any compensation. Dismissed bank staff from around the country have had numerous gatherings in Beijing in recent years, to request for their issues to be dealt with. However to date, they have received no reply from government departments or officials.

Caden Pearson; and Tian Xi of the SOH Radio Network.

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Zhang Zanning (left) and Mo Shaoping (right) have spoken out against Guo Quan's ten-year prison sentence.

-         Falun Gong framed for Sichuan needle attacks

-         Guo Quan sentence against Chinese Constitution

-         Massacre at Baijia village over coal mine.

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Falun Gong framed for Sichuan needle attacks

Authorities in the cities of Nanchong and Guangan within the Sichuan Province have blamed Falun Gong practitioners for the recent spate of needle attacks in the region. Due to the public panic surrounding these incidents, a number of local Falun Gong practitioners have been detained without proof by local police.

A Mr. Wu from Nangchong City told reporters, during the evening of October 6th, an elderly lady in her seventies was arrested as a suspect to the attacks. Consequently a crowd gathered to protest, smashing police cars. He describes the show of force by police as “over the top” and did not believe the authorities had correctly handled the situation. He also believes that the police had been trying to smear the reputation of Falun Gong.

According to Mr. Wu, about a dozen locals had been arrested in connection to the attacks. He recalls (recording), “Previously there were also attacks in Pengan. Evidence is very important in any police matter. Now Falun Gong is blamed without evidence. There must be a scapegoat, right? The government can fabricate any crime they wish to. Nothing can get posted onto the internet with censorship. The entire internet has been censored. Common citizens have a long list of complaints over a whole host of issues. They now have no place to vent their grievances.”

An activist in Sichuan who wished to remain anonymous said that by framing Falun Gong, the Communist regime are aiming at inciting the public’s hatred towards Falun Gong, thus facilitating its crackdown.

He states (recording), “Falun Gong won’t do such a thing. Basically they are all under surveillance. Their every move is closely monitored. You can’t even leave your own home, or go alone onto the streets. What can you accomplish? But the government’s propaganda towards Falun Gong has helped facilitate its crackdown”

Perry Luo; Lin Li; and Dong Hai of the SOH Radio Network.

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Guo Quan sentence against Chinese Constitution

Mr. Guo Quan was sentenced to ten years in prison, and was charged with “subverting state power.” Law Professor Zhang Zanning believes that the judgement and charge against Guo Quan is against the constitution. The renowned law attorney Mo Shaoping also said there are intense disputes in the legal circle. Some attorneys believe the charge “subversion of state power” into legislations conflicts with the constitution and should be abolished.

When accepting an interview with Sound of Hope on October 17th, Professor Zhang Zanning said: “Guo Quan is innocent from a legal perspective. This is a contemporary version of convicting someone for being outspoken. From the perspective of law, it does not hold water. Doesn’t China’s constitution grant citizens the right of speech and the right of association? Therefore, this judgment is against the constitution.”

Professor Zhang Zanning further pointed out that it is untenable to say opposing the communist party is equal to opposing the state. When the Kuomintang government tried one of the early communist leaders Chen Duxiu more than seventy years ago, the Chinese communist party itself denounced this statement. Presently, the communist party uses the same statement to punish those dissidents who oppose the communist party.

Zhang Zanning said: “In actuality, they use a double standard. It is very unfair to use double standards and there is no sensible reasoning to speak of. As of now, I haven’t seen any well-defined and rational explanation for the crime of subverting state power, be it from the Supreme Court, or from related legal textbooks. I haven’t seen any definition or explanation so far.”

The renowned criminal law attorney Mo Shaoping says there are always disputes amongst lawyers over the incorporation of this charge into the legislation. The focus of the dispute is whether these two charges are against the constitutional rights of freedom of association and freedom of speech.

Mo Shaoping said: “Article 165 of the criminal law of the People’s Republic of China defines the so-called crime of subverting state power. Then how do you define the constitutional rights of freedom of speech? Those who take it seriously point out that the legislation of the crime “inciting subversion of state power” is against the constitution and should be abolished. Then with regard to his founding of a political party, how do you define the freedom of association as stipulated in the constitution? The argument which takes it one step further is that the crime of subverting state power with current criminal law is contradictory to the freedom of association as constitutional rights for citizens, and thus should be abolished as well.”

Professor Zhang Zanning said, Guo Lianhu and Si Weijiang, the attorneys for Guo Quan, in their defense statements, explained why the statement of “subverting state power” does not hold water, and their reasoning is simple and straightforward.

Zhang Zanning said: “What is a state? A state is the people, the land. Actually, a state cannot be subverted. Then who is a state? It can be compared to a real estate owner. Then who is a ruling party? It can be compared to a real estate management company. As the owner, he has the right to select the management company. If you do not do a good job in management, as the owner, I have the right to fire you. So the conviction of subverting state power in the case of Guo Quan does not hold at all.”

In the past decade, there has grown a long list of Chinese citizens accused of inciting subversion of state power by the Chinese communist regime. However, there have always been scholars who write joint open letters, requesting the authorities to abolish these two criminal charges.

Chris Thomas; Li Yifei; and Li Yang of the SOH Radio Network.

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Massacre at Baijia village over coal mine
On the 12th of October, death visited Baijia village. It hacked several villagers apart. A bloody massacre in China’s North East Shanxi Province. News of the incident has been blocked by the Communist authorities.

The Epoch Times newspaper exclusively obtained pictures of the bloody aftermath.

Warning: the following image is graphic.

The Epoch Times reported that some 100 thugs attacked the villagers with sticks, knives and petrol on the west side of the local mine. Four people died, 17 are in hospital, and two are in a critical condition.

The village once shared ownership of the local coal mine. According to residents, the mine was sold privately in a deal made by local officials without the approval of other villagers. For six months villagers camped out in front of the mine, effectively stopping any resources being extracted.

Eyewitnesses say they saw one victim, Hao Tuzhao, get run down by a car, breaking his skull and spilling his blood instantly. Hao’s wife and children are angered and aggrieved.

Hao Tuzhao’s wife told the Epoch Times, “My husband is still lying on the road, even now. He was hacked to death. It is a tragic sight.”

On the 15th another villager told Epoch Times that local police had already cleaned up the murder site. Residents say they do not feel safe and are afraid and insecure.

Caden Pearson; Yang Lin; Gu Qinger of the SOH Radio Network.

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- Local authorities in Hubei extort farmland.

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Sky-high taxi prices

In Harbin City, Taxis cars are being sold at sky-high prices. One taxi can be sold for as high as 400,000 Chinese Yuan and on top of this high management fees are charged by the government. The result is extremely high prices for customers. People have disclosed that this is due to corruption involving government officials.

Around October 1, Taxi prices in Harbin increased drastically. Even low quality Taxis were sold for more than 100,000 Yuan and good quality ones for 400,000 Yuan.

The Taxi market in Harbin is unpredictable with sudden changes in car prices. One Taxi car contractor bought a car for 330,000 Yuan, immediately afterward the price in the car market raised to 400,000 Yuan.

Taxi driver Mr. Zhu said, (Recording): “Sometimes the price doesn’t go up for a while. After a car is just sold, the price may suddenly increase by tens of thousands of Yuan the next day. This is very common.”

He said, currently the price is as high as 400,000 Yuan without going through any intermediary agents.
(Recording): “For simple individual buyers, it’s more than 400,000 Yuan. It’s common to cost you about 300,000 Yuan if you buy the car out at one time. Normally it’s sold at more than 400,000 Yuan. If you buy it through agents, you will spend more than 500,000 Yuan.”

Insiders revealed that, it’s very hard for ordinary people to get a car contract directly from a Taxi Company. The only way is through intermediary agents. And many of these agents have affiliations with government officials.

The prices are leading to high Taxi fees which are impacting on consumers.

A citizen, Ms. Zhang said (Recording): “We shouldn’t say the taxi drivers are wrong. It’s the government and those management departments who are doing something unfair. So the taxi fee in Harbin is almost the highest in this Country. Comparing citizens’ income with the Taxi fee, the fee is the highest. Finally isn’t this all transferred to citizens?”

There are approximately 12,000 taxis in Harbin. More than 1000 are privately owned, with the majority owned and operated by Taxi companies.

Consumers are relating situations such as Taxis competing with other Taxis, overcharging passengers, and deliberately making detours, much of which can be attributed to the pressure of the high prices. Many Taxi drivers have put themselves into debt so they can get into the market.

Matthew Ytsma; Shi Ping; and Kai Di of the SOH Radio Network.

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Local authorities in Hubei extort farmland

On October 7th, Tiancheng Township Government extorted farmland from peasants without any official document or agreement, and started construction on the extorted land. The villagers requested the officials to stop the construction. Police came and arrested four villagers. One of the villagers Mr. Chen at Xiajin Village, said:

“No one even measured the land, or provided any signed agreement. People here are unwilling to sell the land. No one has signed any agreement. They started construction here and extorted land from us. We cannot accept it and asked them to stop the construction. As a result, they came to arrest us. Four people were arrested today.”

A few years ago, officials from Tiancheng Township government extorted over 167 acres of land, between Fuxi Bridge and the Second Bridge, using the name “Chongyang Economic Development District.” In December last year, the officials again extorted over 33.3 acres of land and used the name “the Jingwu Duck Farm.” Another official extorted over 16.7 acres of land this year. Mr. Chen said:

“(Last year) nearly 100 policemen came to arrest ten people. Two elderly people were detained for 11 days; the others were detained for five days. The charge was that those people did not allow them to dig a construction site. We went to appeal. The officials at the appeal office asked us to provide a document with an official seal. Where can we get such a document? We can only post the message on the internet, hoping someone will show concern over us peasants.”

After the township government extorted land from the villagers, the county government refused to recognize the appeals made by the victims. Mr. Chen said:

“They do not help to resolve these issues for us. When we went to appeal, they did not accept us. They said our appeal would not be accepted.”

Mr. Chen has lost his land, and he is now relying on a very small piece of land to grow crops and vegetables to make a living. Mr. Chen said:

“Needless to say we are experiencing a lot of hardship. The land cannot be used to grow crops any more, but we do not have any other form of income.”

Mr. Chen also revealed that according to local news reports, underground water has been contaminated, and is not suitable for drinking. They now must buy their drinking water for four or five Yuan a bucket.”

Land is the livelihood of the peasants. The villagers at Tiancheng Township hope to expose their situation by reporting to higher levels or by posting the crimes on the internet. They hope someone will offer a helping hand and uphold justice for them.

Donna Ware; Wen Fang; and Lou Lan of SOH Radio Network.

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