Flood waters several metres high swamped major cities in Sichuan, as the most powerful rainstorms in 50 years hit the region.

- Sichuan swamped by floods and rains

- Sichuan quake victims shocked by housing costs

- Land seizures spark Suzhou protests

- Calls of support during July 20th anniversary

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Sichuan swamped by floods and rains

The deadliest floods in a decade have inundated large swathes of Sichuan Province. Towns in Guangan, Tongjiang and Dazhou are on the verge of being swept away. The highest recorded water level was over 2.8 metres according to the Office of State Flood Control.

The Office stated this is the biggest flood in Guangan City in nearly 200 years. A staff member spoke to SOH (recording):
“59,600 people have been evacuated, and 3000 homes have toppled, not including the old city district, which includes 1,200 homes. 14 acres of farmland have been destroyed. They’ve been twenty-eight landslides and 5.9 billion Yuan worth of losses.”

That’s equivalent to 867 million US dollars.

Meanwhile, the biggest rainstorm in fifty years has been pounding Tongjiang County since July 16th. Average rainfall is 363mm, almost submerging Tongjiang. The rainstorm has cut off communications, and caused landslides along all highways and roads. Traffic in the county is at a standstill.

Power stations along rivers have also been damaged, cutting off electricity to most of the county. A power station near Jiuyu Creek in Tongjiang was shut down. Its four main generators failed, while four 35 thousand volt circuits and 11 smaller generators short-circuited. Power has been cut to the city district and to over 30 townships.

A staff member of Tongjiang’s Civil Affairs Bureau said the rain has paralysed the county (recording):
“Traffic is cut off, the township’s roads haven’t recovered, and after the 17th, everything has stopped. The roads have been cut off due to landslides. Houses have collapsed, but the most serious damage is to the crops, corn and paddy fields.”

A resident of Tongjiang said low-lying towns have been flooded with water levels one meter deep. Three people are missing. Shops are submerged and goods have been lost. The resident told SOH (recording):
“The properties of every family are flooded. The flood was more vicious in the east side of the county, where all the retailers couldn’t open their doors. The heavy rain went on for more than ten hours non-stop. Traffic to Bazhong has been cut off for two days. Communications and traffic have been on and off for the past two days.”

At 7:30pm on July 18th, flood levels reached a staggering 2.8 meters in Dazhou City. One third of Dazhou City’s surface area was covered in water. Large areas of the city don’t have access to drinking water, and over 5000 retail shops have been moving their goods. Dazhou City’s airport is also flooded.

The Bureau of Meteorology in Dazhou reported the following (recording):
“From 8pm yesterday to 8am today, the maximum rainfall in Wanyuan’s suburbs was 510 mm. 460 mm of rain fell on Wanyuan’s city district. The flood is in every district and county and will reach Guangan at 3pm today.”

According to the Office of State Flood Control the storms have already flooded seven counties and 263 townships. Over 3.7 million people have been affected. 700 people have been killed in floods in China this year. In Sichuan Province 350,000 people have already been evacuated.

46,000 properties have been damaged. 95,000 acres of crops are ruined, 328 km of road are damaged, and 804,000 cubic meters of earth have been shifted in landslides. 210 national highways have been cut off, and the roads around Wanyuan County have been damaged severely. The estimated damage cost in Sichuan is 40.3 billion Yuan (5.9 billion US Dollars).

Tian Xi of the SOH Radio Network.

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Homeless victims of the Sichuan Earthquake are furious at the high cost of relief accomodation.

Sichuan quake victims shocked by housing costs

Anger is brewing over a decision to charge victims of the 2008 Sichuan Earthquake for housing. A “move-in fee” has been implemented by the local Party branch of Hanwang, Mianzhu in Sichuan Province.

The fee is much higher than most can afford, as those affected by the quake don’t have stable incomes. They believe the Communist Party has used the relief funds to endorse “image projects” while ignoring the real needs of the people.

One family continues to struggle with a debt after their newly purchased home was reduced to ruins in the quake. Mrs He said her family survived the quake but without employment they cannot afford the move-in fee.

Ms He told SOH (recording):
“Quake victims are financially strapped. We tried negotiating with local government, telling officials that many of us are unemployed. The move-in fee has been lowered to 1066 Yuan ($158 USD). Before the earthquake, my husband and I borrowed money from friends and relatives and bought an apartment. One year later, the quake reduced our home to ruins. We owe 25,000 Yuan ($3687 USD) to friends and family. Now I have no job. Though my husband is working for the Coal mining corporation we cannot afford another apartment. Housing units in the Hanwang area have construction quality problems. Even if we could afford to, we dare not live in unsafe housing. During the quake my daughter jumped from the second floor, leaving her afraid, now she only wants to live in a ground floor unit. Some apartment buildings built have even collapsed. Everyone is very worried.”

Another resident said (recording):
“The housing price is not that high, its people’s incomes that are low. The relief funds collected do not benefit the victims. So far, not one family has moved into the quake-relief housing. Before the quake, incomes ranged between 500 Yuan ($74 USD) and 1000 Yuan ($147 USD) per month. We know the houses have construction problems as do the local government.”

Local residents claim that Party officials are wealthy and have moved into larger houses, showing no concern for the livelihood of private citizens still living in destitution following the quake two years ago.

Another resident said (recording): “In terms of the infrastructure, the roads and stadium are relatively good. I think the government should place the quake-relief housing as the first priority. They should not continue to spend money on infrastructure.”

Yang Zheng and Wang Zhen of SOH Radio Network

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Riot police were called in to disperse a crowd of over 10,000 protestors in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province.

Land seizure sparks Suzhou protests

Tensions in Suzhou City are still simmering following several days of large scale protests. From July 14th – 18th, tens of thousands of protestors took to the streets in Gaoxin District of Jiangsu Province. Local residents claim land seizures, the embezzlement of compensation funds, and demolitions are what sparked the riots. Attempts to silence public outcry has heightened tension between residents and the police.

Twenty to thirty thousand Gaoxin District residents have been victim to widespread government sponsored evictions and land seizures. The protest began when thousands of local villagers from Tongan Township in Gaoxin gathered at the township government building. The size of the gathering grew from there. On July 17th authorities dispatched thousands of armed police to quell the protests. Many participants were beaten and arrested.

Mr Yu a protestor said every time demolitions were carried out, clashes would follow (recording):
“It’s common to use force in demolitions. It’s safe to say no single demolition is without conflict, no area is demolished without a conflict. In June in Fengqiao one man was badly beaten.”

Protests over land rights have become more common and have escalated. Mr Chen a resident of Suzhou spoke of a previous incident (recording):
“The road was blocked last time, about five or six years ago. These kinds of things have happened before but gatherings of nearly ten thousand weren’t seen a few years back.”

Mr Chen believes embezzlement of land compensation and media censorship has added to the problem. He told SOH of the difficulties residents face trying to find relief (recording):
“Because land isn’t compensated, especially farms and leased land, the interests of villagers are affected. For each family a single farm costs tens of thousands. There is the murky issue of embezzlement. The problem is this hasn’t been resolved for many years. On the one hand, the courts block these cases on three counts: they refuse to accept, to investigate or to re-examine these cases. They refuse no matter what. Otherwise, we’ve tried appealing in Beijing ten or even twenty times, but to no avail. Some even tried self-immolation at Tiananmen Square or jumping off buildings. Nothing helped. They may even risk being sent to labour camps. No resolutions, only barriers. Therefore I feel with the deliberate blockades, the escalation of these protests is inevitable.”

Over the course of the protest, local media did not report the incident. Internet blog postings by eyewitnesses were quickly deleted. At present there’s no sign the protests are truly over. Its possible protests may be spreading to other areas.

Fu Ming and Li Ming of the SOH Radio Network.

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July 20th marks the anniversary of the beginning of the persecution of Falun Gong. Every year July 20th is commemorated all over the world. Pictured here is a major rally in Hong Kong featuring the Celestial Band.

Calls of support during July 20th anniversary

The spiritual practice Falun Gong has endured 11 years of brutal persecution by the Chinese Communist regime. The atrocities inflicted on practitioners of Falun Gong in China are reportedly some of the worst in human history. Though major media networks barely pay attention to their plight, the persecution of Falun Gong has increased not decreased over the last 11 years.

During this time the number of supporters of Falun Gong has steadily grown. Today, more and more people from all walks of life are speaking up for Falun Gong; condemning the illegal persecution, and the Communist regime that ordered it.

In Hong Kong’s Cheung Sha Wan, a rally took place marking the 11th year of Falun Gong’s activism. Many well-known Chinese human rights activists voiced their support through recorded messages played over speakers at the rally. Unable to be there in person, they wanted to convey their support of Falun Gong’s rational and peaceful efforts to end the persecution.

Bao Tong is a political secretary of former Communist Party leader Zhao Ziyang. He has this to say at the rally, (recording):
“It is outrageous that Falun Gong is being persecuted. I support Falun Gong, and the persecution of Falun Gong in China is against the Chinese Constitution.”

Zheng Enchong, a human rights attorney in Shanghai said (recording):
“I am a lawyer, and I will use my power to push and to have the truth of Falun Gong revealed. I believe history will tell a clean and clear answer to the issue of Falun Gong. The history is written by the people, not by the few in power.”

Attorneys and writers from mainland China had messages of praise for Falun Gong practitioners who steadfastly adhered to their belief despite the intense pressure to denounce it. They say Falun Gong brings welfare and hope for the people of China.

Wen Haibo, a human rights attorney in Beijing said (recording):
“Falun Gong as a group is not crushed; I think they are still in solidarity. They still maintain true to their belief, and this is very gratifying.”

Lu Xuesong, an author from Jilin Province, said (recording):
“If we can all have a heart of sincerity and support the universal principles of truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance, and do something for China’s future and humanity, we will then definitely be blessed with happiness and the joys of compassion in the new world that is not too far from us.”

Following the rally Falun Gong practitioners held a grand parade, marching to Tsim Sha Tsui, an urbanised area in southern Hong Kong. The parade attracted and astounded many tourists from mainland China who would not be used to seeing Falun Gong being celebrated at all, least of all so openly and without fear of a brutal crackdown.

A tourist from Jiangsu Province in mainland China said (recording):
“[The Falun Gong] parade is great in scale and formality; it’s grandeur. It is not allowed in China, so we want to take a look.”

Many mainland Chinese tourists took the opportunity to visit the local service booth to withdraw their membership from the Chinese Communist Party and its affiliated organizations; believing that only the disintegration of the CCP will bring an end to the persecution.

Liang Zhen of the SOH Radio Network.

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Environmentalist Li Li highlights the devastation wrought by unregulated manufacturing industries along China's major rivers.

- Villagers scramble for water as pollution worsens

- Nanping hit by torrential rain, authorities cover up

- Land rights protest leaves one villager crushed

- Teachers stage kneel-down protest

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Villagers scramble for water as pollution worsens

Pollution continues to plague China’s water sources. Waste from manufacturers is a major contributor to the problem. To avoid polluted water, villagers have funded drilling operations for cleaner underground sources. They’ve been seeking cost effective methods of locating water sources but have surprisingly met with resistance from authorities.

Polluted rivers are filled with manufactured waste, which contain heavy metals, blue algae, and lead. The problem is widespread covering several provinces, including Guangzhou, Jiangsu, and Hunan. The worst affected source is the Yellow River, which flows through the Gansu, Ningxia, and Inner Mongolia provinces.

Environmentalist Li Li spoke extensively to SOH about China’s pollution problems. One of the major contributors was a lack of proper waste disposal mechanisms. Often manufacturers lack water purification systems, farmers overuse chemical fertilizers, and garbage disposal systems are ineffective.

On the overall state of pollution Mr Li had this to say (recording):
“The pollution is very bad. We’ve received many phone calls. One was made by a farmer, who lives near the Wei River, who saw many small manufacturers dumping waste into the river. Everyone knows global warming can be slowed if we care for our environment. We have performed tests from Beijing to Tianjin, and to the Grand Canal. It was an awful experience. The surface of the rivers was covered with filthy, stinking garbage. The floating trash is drifting down from upstream.”

Mr Li told SOH about a village in Henan province where residents appear to have succumbed to poisoning from pollution, developing into a so-called ‘cancer village’. Mr Li said (recording):
“A tenth grade student, from Shangqiu village in Henan, suspects people in his village have been getting cancer from the water. He took water from a well to Beijing for tests and found the water exceeded standard contamination levels in many indexes. That is their drinking water! No doubt they’re getting sick. So many people get cancer…liver, stomach, gullet and intestinal cancer. We really want to return to the village and help change the water.”

In desperation, villagers have begun searching for purer sources of water; Mr Li described this process (recording):
“The water on the surface is more polluted, and the polluted water goes deep underground. In this situation, the wells have to be dug deeper. But it’s expensive to dig deep wells, and the underground water will dry up if it’s over used. They’re trying to develop a cheaper method but can’t get any support from the government.”

Mr Li continued (recording):
“With the pollution by dirty water, the wells have to be deepened, from scores of metres to thousands of metres. With all the underground water being used up, won’t it run out? Now we have a method, building a water tower with biological screening. The water from it meets the standard for drinking water while the expense is cheaper. The cost to dig a deep well is enough to build two or three of our facilities. But we only get support from non-government organisations; the government doesn’t give financial support.”

There is a lot of funding for scientific research into pollution; however research results are often ignored. Mr Li spoke of the extensive efforts made by non-government organisations (recording):
“Scientists working for the government just think about how to get research funds. Many of them put the results aside after they’ve finished their research. They are not put into practice at all. But experts who work in non-government sectors are in very difficult financial situations. I know they are very good experts. They have to do a lot of research. Sometimes they have to investigate in person. They have to spend a lot of money. I have been working here on this field. The centre we built is called ‘The Theatre for Popularising Science’. We put the knowledge of environmental protection on the stage in a simple way, so that people can understand it easily.”

Yu Xin and Hui Hong of the SOH Radio Network

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Li Dun Village has been completely buried by mudslides caused by torrential rain in Fujian Province.

Nanping hit by torrential rain, authorities cover up

There one day, gone the next. The village of Li Dun is now completely buried under tons of mud after a devastating mudslide in China’s southern Fujian Province on June 18th. Locals say everywhere you look houses are collapsing, unable to withstand the constant battering of the floods. And villagers say authorities have kept the real death toll from the public.

Torrential rain and floods have devastated China’s southern regions for nearly two weeks now. Among the worst affected areas is Nanping City. At least half of all counties in Nanping province have been severely affected by the heavy rain. Just less than two weeks ago the water levels in Nanping’s Guangzhe county were 2 meters high.

And now local residents tell tales of horror scenes often only seen in disaster movies. Mr Chen, a local of Yanping district, tells reporters about the horrific mudslide that swallowed Li Dun village, saying at least 20 were killed.

He said, (recording):
“Many people died. The mountain slope fell into the river, and twenty some people died because of this. The head of Health and Disease Prevention [Centre] in our area is also dead. Thousands of houses haves collapsed and only 4,000 people from a township of 10,000 were allocated temporary shelters. Only three or four out of ten villages see their roads open. There is water stoppages and electricity blackouts. The collapse is so severe that one collapse happens every kilometer. Mountain slopes as wide as 100 meters are collapsed, in huge volumes.”

Mrs. Gong from Siqian village told reporters she witnessed a child being washed away in the river, but the authorities blocked the news. She said Siqian village is among the banks of Futun River, whose banks collapsed in recent years. She says the government embezzled the money reserved for repairmen.

Mrs. Gong tells reporters (recording):
“The source area from which Futun river runs was hit the most. Many houses were [falling] down following the flood on the 19th [of June]. Mudslides swallowed all the houses. My aunt’s family suffered losses [amounting to] tens of thousands of Yuan because of that. Mudslides also left many people homeless and at least 5-6 people are dead, as far as I know. In the county seat, three old people, including kids, were washed away by the water. But the thing is, the government leaders lie about the damage. If there were 10 deaths, they would say only 2 died.”

Torrential rains have caused severe damage and loss of life all across the region. According to Mr Wang of Wangtai township of Yanping district, Nanping, (recording):
“The local government leased the mountains with trees to someone. Many of the trees were cut and sold, so there is no soil preservation. When heavy rain falls, the damage has got to be severe. There are still dead bodies over in our village. All the roads are collapsed; it’s muddy everywhere. We have had no water and electricity for almost a week. We have to use candles; the villagers have not received any disaster relief aids.”
Torrential rain led to floods in many parts of Fujian province. A huge number of houses collapsed, infrastructure was destroyed, and farmlands submerged, causing more than 6 billion dollars in economic losses.

As of 4 pm on the 21st of June, the cities of Nanping, Sanming, Longyan, Zhangzhou, Quanzhou, Ningde, Fuzhou, and Putian have seen a total 664 villages and 2.6 million people affected. In addition, 44,200 houses have collapsed, 76 officially reported deaths have occurred, and 79 are missing.

Lin Li and Meng Mei of the SOH Radio Network

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Taobu villagers have seized 22 government vehicles and will use them as bargaining chips against the authorities trying to demolish their village.

Land rights protest leaves one villager crushed

300 villagers have clashed with police and demolition crews in Shandong Province. One villager was crushed by a government vehicle during the clash in Taobu Village of Weifang City. Villagers retaliated by destroying the vehicle. They also seized 22 government cars while demanding officials stay away from the village.

Taobu Village first came under target for demolition on April 23rd. Villagers received notice from the Weizi Town government that the 206 National Road was to be rerouted. It meant however that Taobu Village needed to be demolished. Local authorities failed to issue any legal documentation for appropriating the land. On May 26th, the Weizi Town government hired a large construction team to raze the village.

At 9am on June 21st, a massive demolition crew arrived. 60 vehicles were dispatched to carry out the demolition. Villagers came out in protest to block the crew. Song Weiyi was hit and knocked to the ground; he was then run over.

Mr Huang, a Taobu villager described the scene (recording):
“The Town Government, village cadres, public, inspection and legal personnel, came with unregistered vehicles to suppress us. There were 60 vehicles and about 2 – 300 people. Villagers put up the banners at the entrance to defend their village. Some saw how many people we had; so they turn and ran. Villagers stood in front of the trucks. One villager, Mr Song stood in front of a vehicle, but it didn’t stop. It first knocked him to the ground and the vehicle was switched off, afterwards it started up again, and it just crushed him.

A female resident of Taobu Villager also spoke to SOH: (recording)
“That day some vehicles crushed people; the farmers blocked their way and a fight erupted. They crushed Mr. Song and he was taken to hospital at once. Four of his ribs were broken, and pierced his lung, his leg is broken, the bone in his arm is also broken, and he is still unconscious.”

Villagers destroyed the vehicle (pictured) which ran over Song Weiyi.

Song Weiyi’s accident infuriated villagers to the point where they beat the driver of the truck. The vehicle was destroyed. They took control of 22 other vehicles, and deflated the tires. Later that evening the local government arranged to have the vehicles taken back. Several trucks waited in the neighbouring Beitao Village. Villagers took turns keeping a lookout.

Mr Huang, a villager said: (recording)
“We don’t let them take the vehicles, if the vehicle which crushed (Song) is driven away, we’ll have no evidence. Right now, we’re taking turns on duty night and day. The vehicles are protected and nothing is damaged. We are not cunning, not wicked, and the inner quality of these people is quite high.”

Local media have been censored from reporting the incident. The Weizi Town government has tried to distance itself from the incident. The license plates of the vehicles have been swapped so any connection with the authorities is removed.

Mr Huang said villagers were now concerned of possible reprisals from the authorities (recording):
“Villagers are afraid the offending vehicle will be taken away. There are still many government vehicles detained here. The villagers are worried of criminal charges. The government will take revenge, it’s not a simple matter of a crowd of villagers creating a disturbance and then letting the matter rest. Indeed, most regular people feel no security; many have their internet monitored.”

Yu Shan and Gu Qinger of the SOH Radio Network.

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Teachers stage kneel-down protest

Police arrested and detained a group of teachers last week in China’s Hubei Province. The crackdown was intended as a warning against large scale appeals, like the Gongan County appeal in April, when over one thousand teachers got down on their knees at the gates to the local county government building, seeking redress for stolen benefits.

Getting on your knees in protest seems like a bold statement, however one teacher explains the cultural significance behind it, saying (recording):
“According to locals, kneeling down is admitting to the need of financial help. Government officials said the teachers disrupted social order. As a result of this incident, most of the teachers have decided to appeal in Beijing.”

A representative for the teacher’s said (recording):
“Right now state managed teachers aren’t afraid of incarceration or death. If the Central Party Committee has policy arrangements, they pay no attention to appeals. They will turn away those who go to Beijing or provincial governments and arrest those who gather in public places. In 2008, a state-managed teacher attempted suicide by eating poison at a district court. County government spent an estimated 200,000 Yuan ($29,500 USD) on treatment for the teacher.”

Teachers’ representative Yang Huanqing was arrested and detained for ten days on the evening of June 23rd. Hu Pukun and Wan Shenggang, who held banners during the appeal, were each detained for five days.

A teacher’s representative said (recording):
“We must see the Central Party leaders. If this issue remains unresolved we will continue to appeal until justice is served.”

Fu Ming and He Wen 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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Major IT company suppliers are creating excessive amounts of metal waste in some of China's major rivers.

- IT factories cause severe pollution

- “A father vows to pursue justice no matter how long it takes”

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IT factories cause severe pollution

China’s IT industry is severely polluting the environment, according to a recent report. The ‘2010 IT Suppliers Metal Pollutions’ report was released by 34 environmental groups on April 26th. Many global information technology brands manufacture many of their products in China. The production of these components however causes much pollution. Lack of government oversight is said to be a major cause.

With the publication of the ‘2010 IT Suppliers Metal Pollutions’, 34 non-governmental organisations including the ‘Public Environment Research Center’ and ‘Friends of Nature’ wrote joint letters to the CEOs of 29 major IT companies. They were asked to look into the pollution practices of their suppliers. So far, 20 companies have responded to their call. Companies such as Nokia, Alcatel-Lucent, Siemens, and Apple Computer have yet to respond.

Many industries process metals. Mining, metallurgy, chemical, prints, dye, leather, pesticide, and feed industries. Environmental NGOs have found numerous factories on the banks along the Pearl and Yangtze River deltas. Many of them produce circuit boards and the resulting waste leaks into rivers, soil, and the shore. Printed circuit boards are a key electronic component in almost every IT product. Producing these products releases metal waste such as copper, nickel, and chromium.

Li Li, an environmental expert at the Huanyou Science and Technology Research Center told reporters all major global IT brands outsource the production of their electronic components to Chinese suppliers. These IT companies obtain bulk loads of low-cost products while leaving the pollution issue for locals to deal with. Local governments have given little thought to the wellbeing of the environment in pursuit of GDP growth.

Li Li told SOH (recording):
“IT companies share many common products. Their production process creates much pollution. Since major companies need them, many small enterprises have setup to satisfy the demand. It’s the company’s social responsibility to take care of pollution. If the big companies tell the small ones that, ‘If you pollute, I won’t take your products even if they are good.’ If they do that, how could small companies continue polluting?”

Mr Zhang is from Greenpeace of China, he said many of the major polluters were actually contracted to global companies. Some companies have ignored their reports. Zhang said (recording):
“Multinationals publicize the environmental impact they have in their own country. In China, the law says if your emissions surpass the limits, the company must report the emission after three months. But according to our reports, some companies don’t follow this rule. The regulation was in place on May 1st 2008, many people don’t treat it seriously.”

Even though local environmental agencies have jurisdiction over polluting businesses, and can issue fines. Enforcement however has been lacking and regulations need reform.

Zhang said (recording):
“The local environmental agencies aren’t really doing their job in monitoring and regulating businesses and ensuring information gets published. The regulation itself is not clearly written, because there isn’t even a clear definition of what a ‘heavily polluting enterprise’ is. There are clear rules about surpassing the limit, but the ‘major pollution’ level isn’t quantified. We published the report to suggest to the government the regulations be more detailed.”

Zhang Boju from ‘Friends of Nature’ said the media exposed many cases of metal pollution last year. He believes for environmental protection more public involvement is needed. Non-government groups today can point out which brands create pollution, and raise social awareness.

Zhang Boju told SOH reporters (recording):
“Non-government groups and the public, citizens, and villagers, can monitor producers, and this may have a good effect on stopping metal pollution. The pollution involves many stakeholders. If we keep ignoring the environmental cost of the pollution, we will have to pay an even higher price. Let’s all work together on this, on the one side the businesses need to discipline themselves, on the other hand we need more vigorous law enforcement.”

Zhou Xiong, father of a victim of Sanlu's tainted milk product, has come to Hong Kong in the hopes of getting justice.

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“A father vows to pursue justice no matter how long it takes”

It has been two years since the contaminated milk powder incident in China. One father of an affected child has told the media of the ordeals his family has faced seeking treatment for the ongoing suffering of his son.

Mr. Zhou Xiong’s son, Yizhe, is just two years old. He had been drinking the tainted milk formula for 9 months after he was born. Mr. Zhou tells SOH of the near fatal illnesses his newborn son developed because of the formula.

Mr. Zhou told SOH:
“My son nearly died. He went under the knife twice for acute renal failure, and hemodialysis was done to save his life. I think he is relatively lucky because there are also children who died of Sanlu’s milk powder.”

The melamine-tainted milk was produced by Sanlu Group, and was first exposed by the Fonterra Group. According to official statements, about 300,000 children in China became sick from drinking the tainted milk and six of them died. Nonofficial findings have reported much higher numbers of deaths. One lawyer, Mr. Peng Jian, says his group alone is handling the cases of seven infants who allegedly died from drinking the milk.

Mr. Zhou’s family had already taken on tens of thousands of Yuan worth of debt in order to cure their son. At present, Mr. Zhou’s son suffers from renal failure and a kidney stone. Hospitals in the mainland have refused to make good on the promise of free treatment for victims of the tainted milk.

Mr. Zhou said (recording):
“(Free treatment until) the age of 18 was written into the compensation agreement, which is not executed. No one would own up to my child’s medical expenses. We have no money to seek treatment. With no way out, we had to seek help.”

They claimed damages in mainland courts but their case was refused. Condemning the CCP’s disregard for human lives, Mr. Zhou stressed he would ensure that justice would be served for the 300,000 victims.

The New Zealand-based Fonterra Group was the second largest stockholder in Sanlu. Because of their insolvency, Sanlu is not responsible to pay compensation to the victims. So Mr. Zhou and three more parents have filed suits against Fonterra in Hong Kong, where the company is registered.

Speaking to the media, Mr. Zhou Xiong emphasised he would ensure the Chinese Communist Party and others responsible would be held accountable no matter how long it takes.

Mr. Zhou said (recording):
“Reveal the truth. What harm does melamine pose exactly, what consequences? You have to state it clearly and then organize specialists to research the treatment. You need to support the parents economically, mentally and financially. You need to provide free treatment rather than washing your hands of it. It has been two years, and the illness is still not cured. If it is still not cured in three years or five years’ time, I will still pursue, unless you lock me in jail. You have made a mistake; you erred, so you must be held accountable. CCP, you cannot get away. Heng Tianran in New Zealand, you can not escape either.”

Liang Zhen for Inside China Today on SOH Radio Network.

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Tibetan monks played a major role in the recovery and removal of earthquake victims.

- Death toll in Yushu exceeds official statistics

- Shoddy school buildings collapse in Yushu earthquake

- Hand, foot and mouth disease moves in early

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Death toll in Yushu exceeds official statistics

Rescue teams in the earthquake hit Jieshi Town have learned that the bodies of 3,000 victims were recently cremated. The figure exceeds official statistics. In the days following, neighbouring towns also began cremating bodies or setting up so-called ‘heavenly burial altars’ (which are traditional Tibetan burial ceremonies.) Many bodies have been cremated, suggesting the official death toll should be much higher.

Mr Luo of the rescue team in Jieshi Town learned that 3000 earthquake victims were cremated on April 17th. Mr Luo said (recording):
“We work in the centre of Jieshi Town, the hardest hit area of the earthquake. Official reports state 1400 people died. We believe there are over 3000 for sure. Many of the bodies were cremated. In these two days, regions from all over the country are sending materials to this area to support victims. But the support is still not adequate for now, because it’s too far and too difficult for supplies to be transported to this area.”

Mr Ma a villager of Zhongda Village said many people are still buried underground. After April 18th most unearthed villagers were deceased. Rescue teams have worked day and night and so far 37 identified dead have been cremated.

Mr Ma said (recording):
“I believe there are 37 deaths so far, not including those missing villagers. The Jieshi Township has chosen cremations. Longbao Township is setting up heavenly burial altars. People are still trying to rescue those buried in the rubble, 24 hours a day. If the injured can get better, they will stay here to receive treatment. If not, they will be transferred. Actually, almost all injured villagers have been sent inland.”

A monk from the Zharong Temple, who preferred to remain anonymous, spoke to SOH. He said (recording):
“Those who need to be cremated are cremated inside the temples in groups. As of now, we haven’t come up with detailed statistics yet. We do not know how many were injured either.”

Mr Jiang, a rescue worker from Xining City said there were many people handling corpses. There were too many areas which needed help and there was a shortage of rescue personnel. He told reporters (recording):
“I have seen many corpses. Many places are handling corpses. The most important thing at the moment is to save people. Whenever you see a need, you rush to help. Those whose homes have collapsed, and those who suffer hanger, we need to feed them and provide tents and water. We don’t have enough people in our rescue team. I know many materials and supplies are being shipped here, but the main problem is, this place is small and isolated.”

Tibetan monks have prepared cremations for thousands of people. Some say they’ve been over 2300 corpses; this is three times the official figure of 740. The official report later revised the death toll to 1484, but the monks state the actual death toll is still much higher.

Yi Fan and Lu Fang of the SOH Radio Network

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Shoddy school buildings collapse in Yushu earthquake

Some of the most serious damage from the Yushu earthquake hit schools. According to school principals only classrooms donated and built by companies withstood the quake. They’ve also been complaints of censorship over the earthquake.

En Xin, headmaster of the Cuoduo Village Primary School in Longbao Town, was grateful students and staff survived, he stated (recording):
“The ten classrooms built by the Huang Pu Group are fine, but the other classrooms and teachers dormitories are on the verge of collapse. One student dormitory has fallen. Students and teachers have been allowed to leave. There is no electricity or water; we have to take ice from the river and melt it into water.”

En Xin continued saying (recording):
“Almost all the houses in our township have collapsed. Many were injured and some died. Students’ homes have all been flattened. Nothing is left. Some areas have caved in so people need to take detours. Most of the earthquake casualties were the elderly and children, as young people would get up early to herd cows.”

Ba De, the headmaster of Qingshuihe Town Centre Boarding School in Chengduo County, stated (recording):
“Many houses have cracked or collapsed. There are injuries, but they are not serious. It’s dangerous to start school as the school buildings have cracks. What we need most urgently is tents. The town centre, Jieguzhen, has become a waste dump. The conditions here are harsh.”

In other earthquake related news, Mr Wang from Nangqian County complained of a lack of information on the disaster, he told reporters (recording):
“There are injured people here. Our news has been restricted. There is no local report on the earthquake. We don’t know anything.”

According to reports, two out of three power stations in Yushu have been damaged. After quick repairs only the backup electricity supply is available for use.

Yi Fan and Lu Fang of the SOH Radio Network.

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Hand, foot and mouth disease moves in early

There are over 190,000 cases of hand, foot and mouth disease nationwide, according to a April 11th government statistical report. They’ve been 94 deaths. The epidemic is most severe in drought hit areas of Guangxi Province. A director at a Liuzhou City hospital has stated hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) is more lethal this year. Currently all hospitals are fully occupied.

The Guangxi Health Department revealed a sudden increase in the numbers of HFMD cases. From May last year until April 11th, they’ve reported over 17,300 cases of the disease in the area. The Director of the Department of Paediatrics in Liuzhou, Long Ping said May 2009 was the peak period for HFMD. This year the peak has come early. Recent deaths of children in Guilin of Guangxi have raised alerts. Medical personnel from other parts of the country have already been deployed to provide assistance.

Long Ping told reporters (recording):
“This year in Liuzhou, there has already been seven deaths since January. We are still the fourth in the region, and they’ve recently been 14 deaths in Guilin. A unique feature this year is that it has come early and severely. We’ve found 80% of patients have the EV71 intestinal virus in region. It wasn’t so severe last year, mainly because of the Coxsackie A intestinal virus. The virus is much stronger this year.”

Coxsackie A and EV71 are part of the enterovirus strain. EV71 is the latest recognised specimen and can cause hand, foot and mouth disease.

Long Ping also said hospitals were fully occupied, and medical personnel weren’t able to rest during weekends or the Qingming Festival. Eight doctors have been called in to reinforce hospital staff.

Long Ping stated (recording):
“Our hospital received 79 cases in March and 65 cases in April, there aren’t enough hospital bed. We’re now proclaimed a disease area and have received more beds. The entire corridor is occupied. The symptoms of HFMD are not noticeable, some have very little or none at all. If the doctor doesn’t pay attention to it, he won’t think it’s the disease, however the outbreak is very fast. One can lose consciousness suddenly, have bleeding lungs and pulmonary oedema, it comes rather strong.”

An officer of the Guangxi Health Department wasn’t willing to comment on the situation when questioned. They only had this to say (recording):
“We didn’t say we’d report on the situation daily, our website has reports, you can take a look, and it’s also on the Guangxi Health Information website.

According to the online report, 14 provinces so far have reported deaths. There are 27 casualties in Guangxi, 23 in Hunan and 9 in Henan. Until April 11th, Guangdong has reported over 31,000 cases of the disease while Henan has reported 20,000 cases. Zhao Xudong, an official of Liuzhuang Village in Linying County of Henan said HFMD is most commonly seen in children every year.

He said (recording):
“It’s generally has the symptoms of a cold, you have to measure their temperature at once, and examine the body to see if it’s normal. In our school, secondary and primary are right next to the health department, temperatures are checked at home.”

Mr Luo a kindergarten teacher in Xiangyun County of Yunnan Province said last year children caught HFMD. This year the epidemic hasn’t struck yet. Drought affected regions stand at risk because of the lack of water for basic sanitation.

Mr Luo said (recording):
“HFMD is fairly common in kindergartens, some kindergartens don’t fully understand this issue…it’s certain they will infect each other in these conditions. This kind of disease should raise alerts in kindergartens, it’s certain the drought will affect the kindergarten, because our area has many forest regions and the grass is all dry. There is no more water, so we can only use the water in the kitchen and for washing children’s faces and hands.

According to April 11th official statistics, they’ve been 192,344 cases of HFMD nationwide. There’s been an increase of 38.26% of HFMD cases compared to the same time last year, among them 2000 severe cases and 94 deaths. 18 provinces have reported deaths.

Wang Qian and Zhao Ziyun of the SOH Radio Network.

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In his latest interview with AP, Gao Zhisheng is revealed to be a shadow of his former, lively self.

- Zhong Weiguang: “I believe the Communist Party…is still an evil group”

- Yunnan aid relief from regular people

- Victims protest Shanghai Mayor’s Taiwan visit

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Zhong Weiguang: “I believe the CCP…is still an evil group”

Renowned Chinese human rights attorney Gao Zhisheng reappeared recently after mysteriously disappearing a year ago. He was interviewed by the Associated Press on April 6th in the wake of Chinese President Hu Jintao’s visit to the United States. Zhong Weiguang a Chinese scholar living in Germany, warned the Chinese Communist Party’s nature should never be underestimated. People should be wary of the temporary ease of control by the government.

Gao was interviewed on April 6th after going missing since February 2009. Before his disappearance Gao was seen as a strong, talkative, slightly plump human rights attorney. But recent photos of Gao shows a shadow of his former self. He is thin and his face seems disfigured. Upon seeing the photo, Gao Zhisheng’s wife, Geng He was in tears, and couldn’t believe he looked so old after missing for one year. Observers believe Gao may have been injected with drugs harming his nervous system.

A healthier, more robust Gao Zhisheng prior to his detention on February 2009.

Zhong Weiguang, an expert on authoritarianism and founder of the Chinese Cultural Freedom Movement, believes Gao was severely tortured. He said (recording):
“I finally saw the news and picture of Gao. The picture showed Gao’s appearance was totally different. We can see a change after severe torture, the kind bordering on life and death that would result in such a change in a person.”

Gao was targeted by the government after taking many sensitive human rights cases, especially when he wrote open letters condemning the persecution of Falun Gong. In November 2007, Gao published a letter entitled ‘Dark Night, Dark Hood, and Kidnapping by Dark Forces’, which described his abduction by police between September and November of 2007. According to the article he was subjected to electric shocks, his eyes were burned with cigarettes, and his genitals punctured with toothpicks. These accounts shocked the international community.

Zhong believes the recent interview by AP right before Hu Jintao’s visit to the USA was a political stunt by the Chinese authorities to achieve its goals. He said (recording):
“Ever since the communists took power in China, they have launched movement after movement of suppression and persecution. After each movement, they would again pretend to show goodwill to its people and to the outside world. But all of this, from what is demonstrated in Gao’s case, serves no purpose but to uphold and maintain its grip on power and to stay in power. I believe the communist party, in the era of Hu Jintao and Wen Jiabao, is still an evil group. The very nature of the CCP is just as it was ten years ago, nothing has changed.”

When Gao disappeared many human rights organizations and the United States and British governments repeatedly questioned the Chinese regime on his whereabouts. The United Nations Special Rapporteur on Human Rights, Manfred Nowak also expressed concerns over the personal safety of Gao. Zhong Weiguang talked about the role the international community has on Gao’s safety (recording):
“The reason we hear about Gao on the news, is not because the CCP has repented and started respecting the rule of law, nor because it cares about human rights. It’s the concern shown by people and media all over the world. And all those good people with hearts and consciences, that make the CCP afraid. So what we learn is towards the CCP we have to keep exerting pressure.”

Tang Yin and Yu Hang of SOH Radio Network.

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Yunnan aid relief from regular people

The disastrous drought in China’s Yunnan Province still hasn’t eased. Many victims of the drought have told SOH reporters that local government efforts have been completely inadequate. Common people are now forced to provide relief. Also, a Lincang City representative publicised a plan to open a new hydroelectric dam and plant large quantities of eucalyptus plants, despite the worsening the disaster.

Li Shilong, an official representative of Aihua Town in Lincang, told reporters the local government is building a hydroelectric dam which is creating a water shortage and effecting water quality. Town folk have raised the issue with authorities many times but many were detained or sentenced to re-education through forced labour.

Li Shilong stated (recording):
“We made it known to them, but the government just ignored it. For ten years we haven’t planted rice and eucalyptus on this side. No other trees can survive where eucalyptus are planted. Some areas have perished.”

In Yunnan Province, there is a mountain village in Yulou County of Chuxiong Yi Prefecture. A reservoir which supplies water to the village sits ten kilometres away and is slated to last a further two months. Food supplies will last nine more months. The village secretary, Li Guangzhou said locals have had difficulties getting food and water; they’ve had to rely on the goodwill of people from other provinces for aid.

Li Guangzhou said (recording):
“We try getting water from anywhere; it’s very difficult to draw water. We only dare shower once a month and we use the same water to wash our legs, water vegetables and feed animals. It isn’t just water, we don’t have fodder and we need to sell it. We are 60 km from town, and too far away. We don’t have money to buy, we have difficulty getting vegetables. We people do labour and government aid is inadequate, there are people here from Jiangsu, Hubei and Hong Kong.”

In late March, students from Sapiwu Village Primary School in Nanhua County were reportedly drinking dirty water to quench their thirst. This has raised public concerns. The village committee has built two wells to ease water constraints and are still looking for other sources.

A committee member said (recording):
“We’ve built two deep wells, and now things have eased a bit. We’re still looking for water sources, if we can find a new water source, we will draw from it. The water is 65 meters groundwater, the water is fresh. There’s still no irrigation, farms must wait until the rains come. We are 40 km from the city, we still have enough vegetables to last a month.

The suddenness of the drought caught farmers by surprise and has affected crop growth and farming work. Subsequently there’s been a growth in the number of people working outside villages. In one instance, a factory village had a population of 2500. Previously, only 200 people worked outside the village. Now half the village population work elsewhere.

Lu Fang and He Wen of the SOH Radio Network.

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Shen Ting (right), Chairperson of the 'Chinese League of Victims', protesting during the Shanghai Mayor's visit.

Victims protest Shanghai Mayor’s Taiwan visit

As the Mayor of Shanghai Han Zheng, visits Taiwan to promote the World Expo. Leader of the ‘Chinese League of Victims’, Shen Ting has made a special trip from France to protest. She said behind the glory of the expo lay the tears and blood of victims whose homes were forcibly demolished.

According to Shen, about 4,000 houses were destroyed for the expo, impacting nearly 18,000 families. Some were even beaten to death on trains while they travelled to make appeals. Some were taken to labour camps or died of injections from unknown drugs. So far three deaths are accounted for. From May 2009 to March, several people have been sentenced to terms of forced labour in prison.

Shen said the league had compiled a book titled the ‘Shanghai Expo – Shame to the World’, which was delivered to the headquarters of the World Expo in France and to the Polish Government. While in Taiwan, Shen called upon the Mayor of Taipei, Hao Longbin, to pay attention to the suffering by Shanghai residents whose homes were wrecked.

She said (recording):
“Taiwanese people live in democracy and freedom. They can voice the injustices they suffer any time. If these Shanghai residents were to apply for a protest, they would be arrested immediately. Under the totalitarian rule of the communist party, there is no freedom of speech.”

She further told reporters (recording):
“Forced demolition and construction in Shanghai began in the 90s. Initially, citizens sold their homes at cheap prices for fear of government coercion. They gradually started to defend their rights. But going to Beijing to petition is tough. On paper we aren’t allowed to appeal, but in reality appellants are persecuted severely. In 2002, Shanghai won the bid to host the World Expo with the slogan, ‘Better City, Better Life’. What we see now is it has already broken its promise, going against its slogan.”

The World Expo is scheduled to run from May 1st until October 31st in Shanghai. Shen Ting is chairperson of the ‘Chinese League of Victims’. In 2003 Shen had her Chinese travelling documents annulled for suing Shanghai millionaire Zhou Zhengyi and organising the league.

Li Jingyu and Yu Han of the SOH Radio Network.

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The Global Internet Freedom Consortium's five leading anti-censorship programs puncture the 'internet blockade' (centre). The five characters (top-left) read: 'Five swords bring righteousness to the world'.

- Falun Gong anti-censorship software opens door to freedom

- ‘Tiananmen Mothers’ under watch while paying respects

- 115 survivors rescued from Wangjialing mine collapse

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Falun Gong anti-censorship software opens door to freedom

The Chinese communist regime has blocked information from China to the rest of the world since 1999. The year the suppression on the Falun Gong meditative practice began. Enormous materials and manpower have been expended on the blockade. To give Chinese people access to information, computer experts amongst overseas Falun Gong practitioners have developed various tools to penetrate the block. As of today, the ‘five musketeers’ of anti-censorship software have become indispensable tools for Chinese people longing for true freedom.

Jiao Guobiao, Associate Professor of Communications at Peking University and human rights advocate, uses the software. He spoke to reporters about its benefits saying (recording):
“I use this technology to get on the Internet; I do not browse Chinese websites. As a habit, when I go online, I cross the firewall and visit overseas websites. This is because those sites have information that we can’t see from inside China, either through television or newspapers.”

Jiao obtained the software in 2004 from his friend. He most often uses Freedom Gate, Ultrasurf, and FirePhoenix. He stated (recording), “I have nothing else to use, just these. I have all three of them on my desktop and I use them all.”

Liu Shihui, an attorney in Guangzhou of Guangdong Province, became a loyal user of the software two years ago. He found Freedom Gate by accident when browsing online. Since then, Liu has made frequent use of Freedom Gate and Ultrasurf. He told reporters (recording):
“The one I use most is Freedom Gate and occasionally I use Ultrasurf. I usually switch between the two. Recently, Freedom Gate has become more useful – very useful. Because it uses many proxy servers, as long as you get on it, websites promoting universal values and ideals all become within your reach.

“Last year when it was the Communist Party’s 60th anniversary, the blockade was very strict. This could be due to the major meetings occurring in spring. The software updates itself very fast, so we feel it is quite useful.”

Liu further told reporters (recording):
“Without any anti-censorship software, there wouldn’t be a way to visit websites such as the BBC, VOA, RFA, and Reuters. Also, when one has a problem getting through the firewall or if you need software, just say it loud in the chat room and someone will provide it.”

Anti-censorship software has been very welcome in China. Freedom Gate, Ultrasurf, GTunnel, GPass, and FirePhoenix have been called the ‘five musketeers’ of anti-censorship. At present, this type of software has become very popular in China. Many users have thanked Falun Gong practitioners for devoting their time, money, and efforts into developing the software and providing it free of charge all over the world.

Fu Ming and Kai Di of the SOH Radio Network.

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‘Tiananmen Mothers’ under watch while paying respects

A mainland Chinese reporter has revealed that Communist authorities have sent police to monitor the tombs of the victims of the June 4th, 1989, Tiananmen Square massacre. Every year on the 104th day after the winter solstice, or April 5th on the Gregorian calendar, falls on the Qingming Festival.

The festival is to honour ancestors by tending to the graves of the departed and by going outside to enjoy the greenery of spring time. For Chinese mothers it is a day to remember their children whose lives were ended by order of Communist officials 21 years ago.

The ‘Tiananmen Mothers’ say they are not afraid of this kind of unreasonable and illegal tracking and monitoring. They also say they firmly believe that justice will return to China one day.

Zhang Xianling sweeps the tomb of her son every year on his birthday; April 3rd. She said that her annual tribute is monitored by local authorities despite never making arranging a formal gathering.

Zhang Xianling said: (recording):
“When we went to sweep the tomb yesterday, the police came with us. It is also a form of monitoring. It was us that went and they followed behind us. After getting there and when we were in the memorial service, a plain clothed [policeman] watched us.”

Another Tiananmen mother, Xu Jue, told a reporter that on June 4th in 2009, she was obstructed for sweeping the tomb for her son. This year she planned to sweep the tombs of her husband and son in Beijing, at Mt Babao on the Qingming. One day before she left, the police called her and told her that they would be going with her while she swept the tombs.

Xu Jue said (recording):
“I will go to sweep the tombs this year regardless. They said they will come with me. If they want to come; they come, I will sweep my tombs. If they do not followed me they will not be at ease. Since the National People’s Congress and Chinese People’s Political Consultative Congress up until now, their people watch me attentively from downstairs. Really, as an old lady like me, to sweep the tombs of my son and husband, what crime did I commit? Why do they watch me so attentively? It is already 20 years later and they are still like this.”

Two Tiananmen mothers indicated that this kind of unreasonable behaviour is proof of a guilty conscience, and [the Communist Party’s] fear. The women say they are not afraid at all.

Zhang Xianling said (recording):
“It is just like with no fears of the unknown, they always monitor like this. Because we are not afraid of them, so they have become afraid of us; I think they are afraid of me. If they are not afraid of me, what do they monitor me for?”

The ‘Tiananmen Mothers’ believe their persistence will gain the support of the world’s people and they will one day receive justice.

Zhang Xianling said (recording):
“We will disregard whether they change or not, we will be persistent. Moreover we are convinced that our persistence, and with the support of people from the world, and each aspect of the forward force of democracy, the change will come sooner or later.”

Fu Ming and He Wencai of the SOH Radio Network.

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115 survivors rescued from Wangjialing mine collapse

115 survivors have been found at the flooded coal mine of Wangjialing, according to Chinese state media. At present the miners have been taken to hospitals for treatment with the help of rescue workers. Thirty-nine miners remain unaccounted for.

At 12:30am the first batch of nine were rescued. They were conscious and still clear headed. The conditions of those later rescued remains unclear.

When interviewed, Gao, the director of Hejin Aluminium Factory’s employee healing ward, said his hospital accepted thirty-six survivors from the mining accident. He told reporters that most are stable with a few in serious conditions with possible heart issues. Forty-seven others were sent to different hospitals.

Local residents were not happy about the delayed rescue efforts. Local media, however, praised the Chinese authorities. Since the accident, police have sealed off the mining area, and villagers aren’t allowed near (recording):
“They declared martial law due to presence of national leaders. Nobody was allowed in. There were five or six cars full of police.”

According to villagers, the developers of the mine purchased much of the surrounding farmland. The majority of the proceeds from these purchases ended up in the pockets of corrupt officials. The villagers in turn were left with next to nothing (recording):
“My employers left after they made their money. The mine is the largest in the country and nationalized. The land cannot be farmed. How do they expect the villagers make a living? They don’t want to become thieves or robbers. So they risk their lives as miners.”

Drinking water has also been polluted (recording):
“We used to drink water from the mountain creeks. While the mountain was being mined, the water flowed deeper underground. Then the creeks dried up. The water flowing from the mine is our main source of drinking water.”

On March 28th, the Wangjialing coal mine became flooded trapping 153 miners. Five days later, rescue workers detected survivors 251 meters underground. They were found due to the knocking sounds of drills. The whereabouts of 39 miners still remains unclear.

Tian Xi and Xin Yi of SOH Radio Network.

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Gao Zhisheng now resides on Wutai Mountain and says he wants to live in 'peace and quiet for a while...' This has raised suspicions from fellow human rights lawyers that Gao is still under pressure from the regime.

- Gao Zhisheng alive on Wutai Mountain
- ‘Water Splashing Festival’ causes hot debate
- Mainland activists applaud Google’s example

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Gao Zhisheng alive on Wutai Mountain

Gao Zhisheng is in Wutai Mountain according to Reuters. Reports state Gao was set free half a year ago, and now wishes to live quietly. He only resumed contact with the outside world two to three days ago. Later the same day, two human rights lawyers, Teng Biao and Li Heping, were also able to get in contact with Gao.

Teng Biao, when interviewed by reporters, said he felt Gao wasn’t completely free (recording):
“A friend got his number through media, and I called him. Yes, it seems he talks normally, but based on my analysis of his answers, we feel that he isn’t completely free.”

Jiang Tianyong, a human rights attorney, claimed he had spoken with Gao, and was quite sure it was indeed Gao speaking with him. The identity of the person was one major concern, other concerns include whether Gao was actually free (recording):
“When will we be able to see him? Gao said not any time soon. He said he needed to go to his mother’s grave to commemorate her. I asked him what he’d do next; he said he would go somewhere and maybe elsewhere. I asked if he was free. He said he is free. Then I asked him, suddenly, how long would he be like this. He said it would last for some time. I think, when I asked him how long he would be like this, he should have known what I really meant.”

According to Mr Jiang, Gao Zhisheng’s conversation with Li Heping revealed similar things (recording):
“When Li asked him sensitive and critical questions, Gao said he would only talk about it when he returned. He seemed to want to hang up, and said he had a few friends with him. What kind of friends would there be that are more important than talking to us at that moment? I believe the so-called friends are police officers following him, these would be the people we all refer to as friends in such a situation.”

Jiang Tianyong and the other attorneys suspect another reason why Gao Zhisheng has been missing for so long (recording):
“The reason it took them so long, was ever since last June and July, before he was allowed to contact the outside world. Based on my experience in other cases, including cases involving Falun Gong practitioners there were instances where defendants were beaten. With injuries and bone fractures, they would take them somewhere to wait and until they recovered from their injuries they wouldn’t be seen. Later they would be brought back to court. Hearings are often suspended beyond statutory limitations. Because of this, the authorities didn’t want him seen under such huge international pressure; it could be they were waiting for him to recover from his wounds.”

Before this latest report, the authorities had made various claims on Gao’s whereabouts. In January this year, Mao Chaoxu, spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told reporters in a press conference that Gao was ‘where he should be’. A week later, Ma stated he didn’t know where Gao was. On March 16th, Foreign Minister Yang Jieci said, when being asked of the whereabouts of Gao, that Gao had been sentenced for ‘subversion of state power’. Later on during a press conference on Tuesday, Qin Gang, spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said Gao has been sentenced to three years in prison and five years on probation for ‘inciting and subverting state power’. Another account saw the Chinese Embassy in Washington DC tell Kang Yuan, the Chairman of Dialogue Foundation, an America based human rights organization that, attorney Gao was in Urumqi, the capital of the Xinjiang Autonomous Region.

Now on March 28th Gao is reported to be in Wutai Mountain, the interesting thing is, Gao first made contact with Western media and not with his wife or daughter who both live in the United States.

Li Yifei and Xi Wen of Sound of Hope Radio Network

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‘Water Splashing Festival’ causes hot debate

The Water Splashing Festival in Xishuangbanna, Yunnan is usually a time for fun, renewal, and saturation. (三色人/Wikimedia Commons)

The severe drought in southwest China continues to devastate the region. So far, water levels have dropped substantially in major waterfalls and rivers at famous tourist attractions in Yunnan, Guangxi and Guizhou. Despite the dry conditions, Chinese authorities have announced that the annual ‘Water Splashing Festival’ in Xishuangbanna, a tradition of the ethnic Dai people, will continue on April 15th.

Mr Zheng from the Kanghui Travel Agency in Kunming City said that because of the drought, Yunnan’s famous lakes and rivers are suffering. The scenic ‘Stone Forest’ of the Shilin Yi Autonomous County has almost dried out. The drought is affecting tourism, as peak seasons usually run from April 10th to the 20th in Xishuangbanna. From April 8th air ticket prices for flights to Yunnan continue to rise.

He told reporters (recording):
“The scenic areas inside the ‘Stone Forest’, including ponds, still haven’t dried out. There is still a bit to be seen. The prices will increase for those going to Xishuangbanna between April 8th and 20th. It can increase by 20% to 30%, after including meals and accommodation. This is because of the ‘Water Splashing Festival’. It’s one of the most important festivals for the Dai ethnic group and is the equivalent of Chinese New Year.”

On April 15th there were suggestions the Water Splashing Festival be cancelled. However Yunnan provincial authorities responded saying the festival wouldn’t be cancelled, instead water conservation will be promoted. The Xishuangbanna Culture and Sports Bureau have decided to cut down the amount of time allowed for participants to splash water. In previous years, participants spent an entire day spraying water at each other. This year however there will be a time limit of two hours, and only small buckets and pots can be used.

Ms Li, a tour guide from the region said that because Xishuangbanna’s situation wasn’t severe, the festival wouldn’t need to be cancelled. She said (recording):
“The Water Splashing Festival is the Dai’s Chinese New Year and Xishuangbanna is not in a drought. Currently there isn’t a lack of water. The festival covers three days. Water splashing occurs on April 15th. The festival starts on the 13th. On the 13th there will be dragon boat racing, and on the 14th Dai families will prepare stalls and visit the markets, and on 15th there will be a big gathering for splashing water.”

A staff member from the Kunming Tourism Bureau spoke to reporters (recording):
“The drought is affecting the surrounding regions of Yunnan, the drought is affecting Yunnan’s crops, and it’s too absolute to say it’s not affecting tourism.”

Tourism around Yangshuo’s famous landscapes in Guangxi Province, is suffering due to a drop in river water levels. Staff from Yangshuo Guangxi’s Tourism Bureau said because of the drought, tours down the famous Li River have been shortened. She said (recording):
“The water level is very low, and we’re changing routes. Before we could tour from Guilin downstream for about 90 kilometres, now we can only tour a 10 to 20 kilometre section.”

Another famous natural wonder suffering from the drought is the once mighty Huang Guoshu waterfall. The waterfall, in Guizhou Province, has been gradually shrinking and now is only a quarter of its size from previous years. Upstream, authorities have been forced to open the reservoirs to ensure there is enough running water.

Liu Fang and Kai Di of the SOH Radio Network.

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Mainland activists applaud Google’s example

Google’s decision to withdraw from China in response to the Chinese government’s internet censorship policy has been widely praised by mainland activists. They hope other overseas enterprises will be brave enough to resist tyranny. Mr Pu from Sichuan believes free information is the basis for freedom and democracy. Censorship is a despicable crime of the totalitarian regime.

He told reporters (recording):
“Google set an example and sounded a warning to businesses in China. ‘I refrain from doing evil.’ Others can follow and can achieve well. Everyone knows Google’s withdrawal is not about business, but rather about a company upholding its own business ethics. However, the Communist regime launched a campaign on TV to criticise Google.”

Ms Wei from Kunming said China is now full of corrupt officials. She hoped other American internet companies, such as Yahoo and Microsoft, would learn from Google and stand together to fight against repression. She told reporters (recording):
“Google went to Hong Kong. In recent days the Communist regime launched an all-out campaign to attack Google via the internet and other media. Isn’t this a confession? It used to deny there was internet censorship or firewalls, etc. Now it jumps out like a mad dog to defend itself like crazy.”

Others praised Google’s withdrawal as inspiring and hoped other companies would follow suit. Mr Zhao from Yunnan said (recording):
“I feel the withdrawal inspires us commoners and also sets an example for other western companies, such as Yahoo. The American government should make relevant laws to prevent companies from colluding with totalitarian regimes. Do not lose your dignity or value for temporary economic gain.”

Mr. Liu from Hunan also believes Google wouldn’t be the only case. It could set off a chain reaction. He said (recording):
“Google has its own value system. Its courageous withdrawal will set off a chain reaction. Other foreign investors might also withdraw. I think most Chinese internet users are waking up to this fact.”

Google made an announcement in January that its client mailboxes had been attacked by hackers from China. As a result, it would no longer censor its internet search results according to the requirements of the Communist regime. On March 23rd, Google formally decided to shut down its mainland operations.

Lin Li and Yu Hang 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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Two major CCP conferences have concluded, but what's been achieved? (flickr/Bernt Rostad)

- Conferences a waste of time
- Severe drought in Yunnan, authorities nowhere to be seen
- Chinese regime denies women’s rights

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Conferences a waste of time

The National People’s Congress and the People’s Political Consultative Conference are currently being held in Beijing. Authorities have boosted the security presence. Gao Yu, an award winning journalist in Beijing was interviewed for her thoughts on the conferences. She believes such events are frivolous and won’t solve any problems.

According to Gao Yu, ever since the June 4th Tiananmen Square Massacre, dissidents have been forbidden from the two conferences. This, she believes, has reduced the meetings to mere exhibitions. She said (recording):
“These conferences are completely unnecessary. The so-called People’s Congress and the Political Consultative Conference are a complete waste of people’s money. It’s simply the largest meeting for officials of the regime. All participants are officials; the so-called democratic conferences are just showpieces. All these people are machines. What kind of problems can they resolve?”

Gao claims since last year’s conferences, no social issues have been resolved. She said (recording):
“Last year there was an economic crisis, and we needed to overcome it. The four trillion dollar stimulus plan was proposed. But how come housing prices just ended up going up? And new affluent real estate landlords emerged in the process. Nowadays people are like snails living in small shells. College graduates now live in the countryside, renting from farmers. Two people must share a living space, five square meters in size. These are the real problems caused by an unfair, authoritarian system, leading to an unbalanced wealth distribution.”

Gao Yu finished by saying the core of the problems lies in nobody being responsible for anything. When problems occur, officials maintain their positions (recording):
“The real estate bubble and the unbalanced economy are things they claim will be resolved year after year, but they never did and they never will. Who is responsible for this? Any other government in the world would be held responsible for this and would step down. The official responsible for food safety and the disposal of poisonous milk powder has become a member of the Political Consultative Congress. Some merchants who produced poisonous milk powder are also among representatives in the conference. These conferences, in my opinion don’t deserve attention.”

Gao Yu is an award-winning journalist and a reporter of the China News Agency. She was the Deputy Editor-in-Chief of ‘Economics Weekly’ in 1989. After the June 4th Tiananmen Square Massacre, the Weekly publication was stopped. Gao, has always been at odds with the Chinese regime, for her reporting work she was sentenced to imprisonment for six years, for ‘publishing state secrets’.

Fu Ming and Ye Peiqing of SOH Radio Network.

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Severe drought in Yunnan, authorities nowhere to be seen

Yunnan Province continues to suffer the most severe drought in 60 years. Since August 2009 the drought has also affected the Guangxi, Guizhou and Sichuan regions. Over ten million people are struggling to find drinking water, and crops have been severely damaged. SOH spoke to residents in Kunming City of Yunnan on March 7th. Reports reveal victims of the drought have received no government aid so far, and some have had to dig for underground water sources to survive.

Since mid-last year the drought has affected, to varying degrees, 16 prefectures in Yunnan. On February 27th, the Yunnan Meteorology Bureau issued a red-level warning on the drought. So far 60% of crops have been devastated. The time, damage, and extent of the drought have made it historically unique.

A victim of the drought from Shilin in Kunming City said this year they’ve lost thousands of crops, he told SOH (recording):
“Not enough water supplies, generally it takes two to three days to get water from the outside. Basically there are no more crops. My family (lost) maybe tens of thousands. This year is unusually severe; there is no harvest at all this year. We’ll see what we can do when the summer rain comes, now we can’t do much.

The drought has triggered forest fires. On February 12th, a wildfire broke out within the border of Yuxi and rapidly spread to surrounding towns. The weather bureau in Kunming has set fire alert levels to level five, the highest.

There are over 125 weather bureaus throughout the province and 114 of them reported the drought as severe. A resident from Qujing (pronounced Chu-jing), Yunnan said there’s been no rain for the last three months, crops have dried up, and much land has been abandoned. A reporter briefly questioned him (recording):
Question: “Has the government brought any water supplies?”
Answer: “No.”

The drought has damaged the livelihoods of many, it’s estimated over 4 million acres of land have been effected, that’s nearly 57.5% of farmable land. Over three million people and 1.5 million livestock have difficulties getting drinking water.

A farmer told SOH (recording):
“Regular people are most affected, they’re nervous about the water supply. We’re now looking for help, who can we talk to about this?”

An SOH reporter called the Qujing Water Bureau to ask what local authorities are doing to mitigate the disaster. The bureau said it wasn’t appropriate for them to speak to media, they did tell us however (recording):
“The city will adopt a unified approach in reporting this issue. It’s so we can put forth a consistent statement.”

Tian Ling and Yu Lian of the SOH Radio Network.

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Chinese regime denies women’s rights

March 8th marked the 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day. A day where women are celebrated for their achievements, irrespective of their ethnic, cultural or economic background. While women’s groups around the world celebrated, some Chinese women couldn’t share their happiness. Under Communist rule many social issues still exist such as forced abortions, unemployment and the forced demolition of their homes.

A human rights activist from Shanghai, Cai Wenjun, is a good example. She lost her job when a state-owned factory she worked at shutdown. Subsequently her home was also demolished. Cai said (recording):
“They sack you from the job where you’re doing well and take away your peaceful homes. They persecute you if you appeal in Beijing. They send you to labour camps if you say anything. What rights do we have? Through ten years of appeal I have either been monitored or sent to labour camps. What freedom of speech do we have? You should be grateful as long as you are fed. But even something as basic as this is very difficult. With inflation these days, our livelihood has become an issue.”

Zhu Jindi from Shanghai said she has suffered under the one-child policy. In 1981, she was six-months pregnant but was forced into an abortion. Later, her house was demolished and she was persecuted for appealing to higher authorities. She says (recording):
“If I don’t get an abortion, they won’t allow me to work. I have suffered three demolitions to my homes, which was heart-breaking. The local government clashed with businesses to take possession of our property. When we appeal to higher authorities, we were beaten up or sent to jail. We have no guarantee of our most basic human rights.”

A farmer from Jilin, who was concerned of women’s rights, Mr Xu Xiangmin said (recording):
“Women’s representatives should be concerned about a lot more than just the two conferences. For example, the Deng Yujiao incident, the Women’s Association should fight to uphold justice for women. They made some noise but couldn’t do anything. The current political environment allows little room for women representatives to speak up. I feel the Communist Party doesn’t have working mechanisms for women’s rights.”

The case with Deng Yujiao sparked widespread media attention last year after she stabbed two local government officials who were trying to rape her. One officer died and she was charged with homicide by Public Security. The subsequent public outcry forced the court to avoid handing down the death penalty and declare her insane.

Lin Li and Xi Wen 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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H1N1 Swine Flu is spreading rapidly, yet officials are trying to coverup it's spread. Many sick students have flooded local hospitals in places like Tianjin.

- Prosecution changes indictment during trial

- Health department bans H1N1 diagnosis after heavy outbreak

- Millions affected by continued drought in southern China

- Chemical pollution destroying lives in Hubei

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Prosecution changes indictment during trial

Six months ago, Xu Shujie, a Falun Gong practitioner from Heilongjiang Province, went to the city of Zhuhai in Guangdong with her husband Yin Xuzhen, to visit their eldest daughter Yin Qi. All three of them were abducted from Yin Qi’s home. Members of the National Security Bureau of Zhuhai then ransacked her home. Their trial was held on October 20th at a local court, three attorneys defended them. During the trial, the prosecution modified the indictment twice.

During the trial, defense attorneys Yin Xunzhen, Han Qingfang, questioned the actual arrest date written in the indictment which literally stated the offence took place on ‘a certain day of a certain month of a certain year’, with no actual, real date. The defense attorney argued the prosecution should withdraw the case. Attorney Han said (recording): “The indictment says the arrest was made on x year x month x day, without the actual date. They took it back and changed it, and submitted it again. According to procedural rules, the case should have been withdrawn by the prosecution.”

Yin Xunzhen’s youngest daughter told the court, the accusations against her mother and sister are not backed by evidence. The authorities instead used her father to testify against them.

The youngest daughter said (recording) “The evidence they used had more holes in it than Swiss cheese, the indictment was modified twice, and court went into recess twice because of that. The only eye witness was found during a subsequent investigation following the first. The witness never came to court, and wasn’t identified. The defense concluded the so called eye witness did not exist; the prosecution couldn’t refute this claim. When they started the case, they cheated my father, telling him his wife and daughter had confessed, and upon hearing this, my father said they didn’t do anything, and said I had done it. That’s it, that’s what happened.”

Zhang Chuanli, an attorney from Beijing, was the defense lawyer of Yin Qi, the eldest daughter. He said he saw Yin Qi in the detention center and found out she was being tortured. Zhang said there is no evidence to indict her and she didn’t violate the law.

Zhang told SOH (recording): “The torture method is called ‘driving a train’; they connect the hands with the feet so the person is bent and can’t stand straight. The crooked person has to then move, like a train. Yin Qi says she had difficulty eating, undressing, and going to bathroom during the ten days she was tortured. When the police were interrogating her, they pinched her neck, this is what she said in court. They should have launched an investigation to verify if my client was tortured for confessions. We asked this question, but the court didn’t respond.”

According to a Minghui.net report, Yin Xunzhen, Xu Shujie went to Zhuhai of Guangzhou to visit their daughter Yin Qi. On the night of April 10, 2009, local National Security police went to their house in plain cloth, abducted them and ransacked the house. Yin Qi’s three year old daughter was also present when all these took place. The police searched and interrogated them for a whole night, and arrested all three of them in the wee hours of next morning. They also took personal items such as PCs and other things.

Daniel Teng; Li Yifei; and Yu Lian of the SOH Radio Network.

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Health department bans H1N1 diagnosis after heavy outbreak

There has been a nationwide break out of the type A H1N1 influenza in China. There are continuous internet reports from different areas announcing the spreading in primary schools. Facing this severe situation, China’s mainland health department has ordered not to investigate nor make any definite diagnosis of the flu.

On November 1st, staff from the Tianjin Children’s Hospital revealed that the type A flu was breaking out in Tianjian University, High Schools and Primary Schools. The Primary school students cases are notably much more severe. The Children’s Hospital receives thousands of children with high temperatures; furthermore, higher authorities are instructing the hospital to not examine the flu.

(Recording): No diagnosis. The authorities have instructed to report it as acute throat inflammation for medical testing. If the region breaks out with the flu again, they will make up a few more stories. (Which authorities?) That is the health department, and it is also coming from above. They cannot make it all up. Making it up is very expensive, and 80 to 90% of the children coming to the Hospital every day are in fever.

The staff suggested that the sick children seek treatment nearby as the hospital will not diagnose the H1N1 flu.

(Recording): After this shift is done there is another shift. There were 30 cases in the first day, and 8 went back to school the next day. There are many like that. (Is it mainly primary or secondary?) Both, even University students. Many patients in the Children hospital, came and waited. Apparently the chance of cross infection is high, and last week we were very nervous as the waiting time was very long.

Another staff: Our outpatients are about several thousand a day, and they definitely need to queue up.

The students’ parents chose not to inject the type A flue vaccine because they believe the quality is unreliable.

(Recording): A parent asked another parent; “It is free, why don’t you have the vaccine?” To which they replied; “The free vaccine is not a good thing. In any event, we will die even without the vaccine. The children that did not vaccinate, do not have fever, the children the with vaccine have the fever.”

Parents are scared of taking there primary Students to the hospital due to the risk of the quickly spreading flu. The type A flu is spreading very fast and extensively, after a primary student outbreak in Xuanwu district in Beijing, a relative’s visit had spread the flu to Shandong hometown upon her return.

(Recording): My wife’s sister was in Shenyang and her nephew was infected. She then went back to Shandong, and infected her daughter. She was in fever, transfered fluids, coughed, cried, and was feeling very ill.

Parents believe that the non diagnosis of the H1N1 virus will increase the cases of infection. There will be no isolation, and no guarding against a cross infection.

Chris Thomas; and Tian Qi of the SOH Radio Network.

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Chemical pollution destroying lives in Hubei

Four chemical factories in China’s mid-east Hubei Province have been poisoning the surrounding villages for over a decade. Residents from Ganghe Shuanglong Village say four factories dump their waste into a nearby river. They also emit a horrible stench all year round. No crops will grow in the area and the residents suffer from severe ailments which they claim is a result of the environmental pollution. For years they have appealed to the authorities in vain.

Villagers identified four local chemical factories as the offenders. They are Zhongchu, Lantian, Hongyang, and Yinhe. These factories produce all kinds of chemical products and output waste into the Tongshun River. Nothing grows along that river. A resident said the water in the river is so toxic it causes skin to blister on contact.

Mr. Huang, a villager, told SOH, “The pollution is severe and has been going on for over a decade. I’ll bet it is number one in the country. Four [people] have been diagnosed with cancer. Each nearby villager suffers from nausea, dizziness and aches. The farm land does not yield any crop. As soon as you get into the water, blisters break out on your feet. How can the water be drinkable?”

Mr. Huang added that local official’s side with the factories. “There are many disputes but no evaluation from the Environmental Bureau. The head of the village phoned the Bureau and they said that they would deal with it. That was the year before last but it is not yet dealt with. What procrastination!”

A manager at the local Environmental Bureau told SOH, “We follow the laws for sure. But the law does not give us the right to shut down the production whenever.”
Another villager Mr. Dai said, “It is air and water pollution. The smell is terrible. Of course there is impact. Nearby trees have withered. Even fish can hardly survive in that river… We insist that they move. We have a thousand villagers. If they do not move, we will all appeal.”

Two families of farmers who lived outside the factory walls had died of illness. At present a few more cases of cancer and deformed babies were discovered among nearby residents.

Caden Pearson; Wen Fang; and Yu Yin of the SOH Radio Network.

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Millions affected by continued drought in southern China

Since the beginning of autumn, numerous regions in southern China have been affected by severe drought conditions. As a result, many rivers and reservoirs are experiencing their lowest water-levels in years. A large number of reservoirs are nearly depleted with local farmlands unable to access enough water for irrigation.

Since October this year, the water-level of the Xiang River in Hunan Province has dropped to its lowest level in history. According to the Xiang River Hydrometric Station, on October 6th, the water-level dropped four times to 24.95 meters, experts are predicting that the water-level will continue to drop in the near future. Over 1 million local residents will have difficulties accessing drinking water for the foreseeable future.

On September 16th the drought indicator showed that 87 counties and cities over the entire province are suffering severe drought conditions. Currently, 1.04 million acres of agricultural crops in fourteen cities are affected. Over 110 thousand acres of farmland will not produce any harvest this year. At least 1120 reservoirs, 380 thousand ponds and over 2100 rivers and creeks are depleted.

In nearby Guangdong province, average rain levels have decreased by over 14% this year. According to statistics from the Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters, the affected farmland has increased from 139 thousand acres estimated on October 14th to the present 300 thousand acres, with the number of local population who are experiencing drinking water shortage also increasing to 230 thousand during this time.

In Anhui province, virtually no rain has fallen since September. According to local weather forecasts, the dry weather is set to continue for the following weeks. Local soil tests have shown that soil dehydration in the province has continued to escalate.

In the southern regions of Fujian Province, the dry season came during mid- August. As of October 20th, 5.85 million acres of farmland are experiencing severe drought, with over one million people affected, over 30 main reservoirs are also depleted.

At this current point in time, as much as 1.5 million acres of land across multiple provinces in southern China are affected by the drought. In addition, over 1.3 million people and hundreds of thousands of livestock cannot access enough drinking water.

Perry Luo of the SOH Radio Network

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Local officials carry out demolition on property near Chengdu City.

- Plants worth ten million destroyed by officials

- Chemical corporation severely harming locals in Chongqing

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Plants worth ten million destroyed by officials

(0:23)

The owner of a co-operative nursery in Sichuan, Mr Huang Mingzhong, invested over ten million yuan to establish a greenery near Chengdu City.

In April 2001, Mr Huang contracted over 2 acres of land outside Double Happiness village for a term of 27 years. Less than a week after the agreement however, the Demolition and Relocation Office not only destroyed some of their property, but also cut off their electricity supply. The heat caused most of the precious orchids to die. On January 20, 2008, the Demolition and Relocation Office came with an excavator and pushed down all of Mr. Huang’s greenhouses. Several hundred orchids were destroyed.

Huang said;

“the local government is no different from bandits, looting and destroying, they dare to do anything. All of it was flattened to the ground. More than 2 acres were destroyed. We don’t even have a place to live in now.”

After Mr Zhong’s company and property were destroyed, his family went everywhere seeking justice, however no government departments would help. The Courts also would not even register their case.

Huang said:

“They even beat my son and my daughter-in-law. Our house furniture and appliances were smashed to pieces. We went to different authorities to seek justice, but the thugs had already been to see them, so they didn’t want to listen to us. We went to the Public Security Bureau and they said they would investigate into it. The court said they wouldn’t register our case because it had to do with forced relocation due to development, which they dont deal with.

On December 22nd, 2007, thugs hired by the local Demolition and Relocation Office tried to force Mr Zhong to sign an agreement to relocate.

Hu said,

“There were many people – twenty to thirty. They tied up our watchman and broke off the lock on our door. They beat us with wooden sticks and steel pipes. We were all hospitalized from the sustained injuries. We reported it to the police but they said they were unable to take care of the case. They said it was a government matter. When we were in the hospital the thugs even called us up telling us to sign over our land. If we didn’t, they said, the government wouldn’t pay heed to us and in fact the CCP had already lost faith in us.”

A SOH reporter called the County Complaints Office to ask why they refused to handle Mr Huang’s case. When he found out we were media, the official hung up the phone.

Donna Ware; Wen Fang; and Xin Yi of the SOH Radio Network.

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Chemical corporation severely harming locals

(3:25)

The Smelting process of Strontium Carbonate at the Red Butterfly Chemical Corporation in Dazu County of Chongqing has heavily polluted the local environment, and seriously harmed local residents. However, the local authorities always try there best to protect the chemical corporation, showing no concern for people’s lives. Local residents used SOH to expose the immoral conduct of the local government.

Residents at Longshui Township of Dazu County told reporters that the Red Butterfly Strontium Chemical Corporation started production in 1994. The gas, liquid and solid waste from the smelting process is rich in sulphur-containing compounds, which seriously pollutes the local air and water. Agricultural crops have been poisoned, and nearby villagers often suffer all kinds of rare diseases. They have spent many years appealing to the local government, resulting in not the slightest effort to resolve the problem.

Mr. Chen, a resident of Longshui Town said [recording]: “We seldom use the roads in the vicinity of that chemical corporation. The liquid waste from the factory has a very bad smell. There is nothing we can do. It really stinks, stinks badly! It pollutes the local water. The liquid waste has polluted all the crops nearby. The peasants downstream are outraged.”

When asked whether the local crops are suitable for human consumption, Mr. Chen said [recording]: “The peasants had stopped selling their crops for some time, but now, a few months on, these crops are being sold again. We do not know whether currently the crops are up to the health standard or not. We are just civilians (who do not have control of anything.)”

Mr. Chen also revealed that many people had repeatedly reported to the local government and environmental protection institutions. Some of the villagers have become ill from of the pollution, but no one ever came to inspect the pollution.

Mr. Chen said: “We have reported it – to the government, and to environmental protection organizations. We reported the pollution to all these organizations in our area. Some of the villagers nearby became ill. But no one ever came to take care. It is because Dazu County is running out of money. They only care about the economy and have no concern for people’s lives.”

Another resident of Longshui Town said the villagers here do not even dare to open the windows. She said [recording]: “It stinks beyond measure. You would feel like vomiting when that smell gets you. The factory often discharges the waste. We do not even dare to step out of our door (when the waste is being discharged). When the factory discharges the gas waste, we have to close all our windows.”

According to her, local home sales have also been affected. She said [recording]: “When buyers choose houses, they avoid Longshui Town completely. They say the air in Longshui is bad, so they go to other towns and counties to buy houses. It is because the air quality in Longshui is bad.”

At the end of May this year, the “Green Volunteers Association” in Chongqing called over 20 volunteers into Yongxi Town for an investigation. The investigation revealed that in the Red Star community of 250 people, 19 people suffer from liver or lung cancer. The percentage of cancer patients is as high as 8%. There was even a household of three, all of whom died from cancer.

A lady at Longshui Town said the chemical pollution severely harmed people’s health. She said [recording]: “The pollution is very serious. Local residents really hate it. Many suffer rare and strange diseases. Too many to mention.”

As a matter of fact, several places have been called “cancer villages” for quite some time. Like Yongxi Town, many other townships in Tongliang County have the same problem. Residents have tried to appeal to all levels of the government, but to no avail. Moreover, some of them were beaten up by the local authorities or personnel from the chemical corporation. It was said that the Red Butterfly Chemical Corporation is one of the major revenue producers for the county and it has strong ties with local the government, thus it is under the protection of the government at different levels.

Chris Thomas; Tian Lin; and Yang 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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Taken during a police bust of a trafficking ring in Guangdong 2005, sadly human trafficking continues to thrive due to corruption amongst officials. (shanghaiist)

- Up to 1 million women trafficked for sex in Guangdong

- Cities and schools in lockdown for national holiday

- Quake victims miss family during Mid-Autumn festival

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Up to 1 million women trafficked for sex in Guangdong

Human trafficking is a serious problem in the 21st century. According to HumanTrafficking.org, in China, women and children are trafficked for sexual and labor exploitation in Malaysia, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia, Europe, Canada, Japan, Italy, Burma, Singapore, South Africa, and Taiwan.

Chinese website Boxun,net has reported on human trafficking in Guangdong Province. According to information supplied by a variety of sources, the Family Planning Office, FPO, in Guangdong has recruited thugs and ruffians to carry out raids, as well as fine and arrest people. The website report says the thugs are not paid by the Family Planning Office. According to the site, the thugs take advantage of the fact that the Family Planning Department is never punished by higher authorities, and engage in human trafficking,

Boxun.net says that young women who moved from rural areas to work in the cities are abducted by those thugs and gang-raped repeatedly until they succumb to prostitution. Some women have escaped and reported the situation to the police, only to be arrested for prostitution and sent to a labour camp.

A 2006 US Department of Human Trafficking Report states that some local officials are complicit in trafficking, including village leaders who sought to prevent police from rescuing victims. Boxun.net said that the thugs from the Family Planning Office offer young women and money to local police on a regular basis.

The HumanTracfficking.org website says that China hasn’t adopted a comprehensive law to criminalise all forms of human trafficking. However the criminal code criminalizes forced prostitution, abduction, and commercial sexual exploitation of girls under the age of 14. The penalty could be death. I ask our listeners if that’s good enough?

According to the investigation, an FPO on the outskirts of Guangzhou and Shenzhen has jurisdiction over 200 -300 thousand migrant workers. In this region, as many as 1000 women were gang-raped and injured. Based on this, Boxun.net estimated that victims in Guangdong could reach up to 100 thousand per year.

Human trafficking began in the region in the early 90’s. Since then, at least 1 million women have been victimised, the report says. Women who died during gang-rape were cremated by authorities. Their families were often told they died because of complications during abortion procedures.

Victims and families have no hope of justice because their cases are rejected by the Communist Party courts. Public outrage in the Guangdong region among peasant workers has reached on all time high.

(http://humantrafficking.org/countries/china)

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Cities and schools in lockdown for national holiday

Many universities in the Hebei province as well as other education institutions have closed its doors in an attempt to halt the spread of the highly contagious H1N1 swine flu virus. In conjunction to this, all major traffic routes around Beijing and surrounding cities have been heavily guarded during the week of the October 1st national holiday, and people with fever-like symptoms were barred from entrance to Beijing.

According to Mr Wong from Xingtai City of Hebei Province, guard stations were set up at major traffic routes to question all those who wished to travel to the capital. Numerous petitioners were arrested through questioning, and people with suspected H1N1 symptoms were refused entry.

Mr Wong said (recording) “Every major traffic route has been guarded with police officers, which were set up by the local police stations. They questioned people in every passing vehicle in order to be on the lookout for “suspicious characters”, such as appellants, or Falun Gong practitioners. They also check for those suffering flu symptoms, or taking medication for flu symptoms. The atmosphere in Hebei City is very tight at the moment.”

Mr Wong also said, during the long weekend holiday at the beginning of October, schools with reported H1N1 cases were all halted. High schools and tertiary institutions also stopped classes to prevent the spread of the virus amongst the students. Primary schools with no reported cases continued classes. Accurate figures of confirmed cases are much higher than the numbers reported by officials, and the correct figures are not being revealed to external sources. As of October 4, the official confirmed cases of H1N1 in Hebei were reported to be 184.

After 11 confirmed cases of H1N1, Hengshui High School in Hebei city was sealed off by police on September 23rd. with at least 1000 students quarantined . According to Mr Jiang from Hengshui, all the schools in the city did not resume normal classes until October 6th.

Mr Jiang said, (recording) “All the kindergartens, primary and high schools in Hengshui city have been on an extended holidays, and finally returned to class on October 6th. Originally we heard that there were confirmed cases of swine flu in Hengshui High School, where people suffered from fevers. The school is now under curfew.”

According to a staff member at the Oriental University City in Hebei, Ms Yan, most students who caught the virus have been treated and cured of the disease, while healthy students have all returned home on leave. She said all school gates would be under heavy security before the epidemic is cleared, as well as this the schools are also recording the body temperatures of the students before they return home each day.

Wenhong; Xiwen and Perry Luo of the SOH Radio Network.

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Quake victims miss family during Mid-Autumn festival

Another Mid-Autumn Festival has passed since the Sichuan Earthquake. Victims who lost their loved ones felt especially sad during the family festival.

A Mr. Yu said that the quake took everything he had. His children died in the very poorly built school buildings. He had hoped to obtain justice and reasonable compensation, but his and other parents’ appeals fell on deaf ears.

Mr. Yu (recording): “After the quake I lost my home and everything. My wife and children died. The house collapsed. Three died in my family. The government gave 800 Yuan for each death in the family, but I did not claim. I went to the township government hoping for compensation. However, all appellants were driven away without any hearing from the leader.”

A Ms. Qiu, whose children died in the tremor, said (recording), “It’s tough. All these victims are the same. But it is more difficult for a family like ours. At the time I was in Beichuan, at the towns centre. Three died in our family. Words can not describe what I felt then! We had to start over again with housing and raising our children. Right now my husband is the only one earning an income, and we are living in a board house.”

A Mr. Wang said (recording), “Six died in our family, my wife, two children and three nieces. The school buildings were not sturdy, and now my whole family is ruined. We ordinary people are living in hardship.”

Recently, Type A flu was discovered in Sichuan schools. Many schools are now sealed off. A parent of a Beichuan middle-school student, Mr. Yang, complained (recording), “The Mianyang Changhong Training Centre set up board houses, and Beichuan Middle School students all live there. The conditions are appalling. A dozen children share one bedroom of roughly twenty square metres. The grass is tall, and it doesn’t look like a school. There are lots of mosquitoes too. The children have not come home since they reported to school on the 12th of August. The school does not allow them. Many in the school had fevers, and phone calls can not go through these days. Teachers do not allow them to use phones.”

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