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September 9, 2007 (Sunday) － Issue No. 117 |
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Beijing Closes Thousands of Websites |
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Chinese
Tourists Urged to Behave When Traveling Abroad |
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Beijing
Secretly Breeding Olympic Pigs |
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Labour Camps to APEC–Commerce Minister Bo Xilai Bo Xilai has been pursued by the courts in no less than ten countries to answer allegations of such serious crimes as systematic torture and genocide....…Full Article |
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Withdrawals From Chinese Communist Party Reach 25 Million The Global Service Center for Quitting the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) held a rally and parade in downtown Melbourne in support of the 25 million people who have quit the CCP and its affiliated organizations......…Full Article |
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With the Chinese Communist Party's Seventeenth Congress around the corner, another wave of Internet traffic controls are sweeping across the nation. Ministry of Information
Industry Blocks Websites Nationwide Additionally, Yu Xijian from China Netcom (CNC) said it has blocked 587 websites which were unregistered from the IDC (Internet Data Center) or the ISP (Internet Service Provider), and 112 websites without IDC/ISP permits. The action actually started in April. The Qiushi Journal, a publication of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), claimed, "On the Internet, noise of various ideologies, phony information and stirred emotions are propagated. It adds variety to our nation's ideology. However, our task is to defend ourselves from our enemies' plots to westernize and divide us, which becomes more important. The current situation is very difficult." According to the CCP's Qiushi Journal, by the end of 2006, there were 137 million Internet users in China (population 1.3 billion) and 80 percent of them were under 35. "The Current
Situation Is Very Difficult" Some Internet
surfers think that the Internet provides a special environment for
freedom of speech and that is what attracts numerous users. Freedom
of speech is the lifeline of the Internet. The government has a hard
time adapting to it and is always suspicious, causing conflicts between
the current political system and opinions online. Back TAIPEI—The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs recently published the 2007 edition of the "Guide to China's Consular Protection and Services Overseas." In this guide one of the advices for Chinese people traveling abroad involves how to behave properly in public. Noticing this advice, Chinese mainland media moan about the loss of general etiquette in a country that had been the most civilized nation in the world for thousands of years. In the guide, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reminds Chinese citizens to refrain from speaking loudly in public areas, to avoid public attention, and not to involve themselves in quarrels in public. Yanzhao Evening Paper in Shijiazhuang City, capital city of Hebei Province, published an article commenting on these suggestions, pointing out that lacking good manners and basic etiquette education, Chinese tourists have given the world a terrible public image. The article listed some of the typical bad manners of Chinese tourists, such as not arriving on time, speaking loudly, spitting, littering, and being rude. The article also quoted a recent poll of 1,500 European hotel managers in which the Japanese were ranked first as the world's best tourists, while the Chinese came in the third worst tourist in the world. "Is that so hard for Chinese people to be polite and well-behaved that we need the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to teach us basic manners," asked the author with reproach, "especially for those who are rich enough to be able to afford traveling abroad?" The article also cited classical pieces to emphasize that China was once a nation with Confucian culture upholding etiquette as a major part of traditional Chinese virtue. The profound culture had an extensive influence in Asia and shaped the cultures of many Asian countries. Unfortunately, while Chinese traditional virtues such as mutual respect, ethical harmony and etiquette survived in Asian countries like South Korean and Japan where they have become fundamental social values. The article stressed
that to improve the image of Chinese people, "If a person spits
everywhere, talks loudly and disregards other people's feelings, even
though he may have received education, he is still considered as uncultured
or socially unpolished, and lacking overall quality." Back HONG KONG—According to the Hong Kong-based Information Center for Human Rights and Democracy (ICHRD), Chinese authorities recently dispatched an additional 2000 armed officers into Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture—a once important city in the bygone Tibetan Province of Kham, now located in China's Sichuan Province—to prevent future riots and demonstrations. The campaign aims to expose and criticize the influence of the Dalai Lama, as current clashes between police and Tibetans were sparked by one man who appealed to authorities to allow the Dalai Lama back into Tibet. According to the ICHRD, on August 25, the surge of special combat officers of the Sichuan Armed Police Contingent, joined the 38th Mobile Division of the Sichuan Armed Police and entered the Ganzi Prefecture, including the counties Litang, Kangding, Luding and Daocheng, in an effort to prevent further rioting. The incident occurred during the Ganzi's Chinese Army Day celebration on August 1 when Adak suddenly walked onto the platform and took the microphone to speak to the gathering. He told officials his idea of bringing the Dalai Lama back to Tibet. Adak was arrested on site. Soon afterwards the outburst prompted a sanguinary conflict between nearly 1000 Tibetans demanding his release and hundreds of security forces. The riot badly injured at least two Tibetans, and 30 others were arrested. Insiders say that at the August 30 meeting 43 officials expressed their desire to expose and criticize the Dalai Lama; likewise, some Tibetan officials agreed not to understand fully the behavior of their countrymen. Meanwhile, other meeting attendees looked over outlines and propaganda videos regarding "the struggle against splittism." Coming just before China's important 17th National Congress, some say the goal of this high level meeting was simply to demonize the Dalai Lama and his supporters as political reactionaries, and religious hypocrites that aim to undo local political stability. The Ganzi Provincial
People's Procuratorate sued Adak for "instigating the subversion
of the state power" on August 27. Back While working hard trying to cover up the international pressure mounting on safety concerns of food products imported from China, the Chinese communist regime is secretly breeding high-cost, high-quality "Olympic pigs" for the Beijing Olympics. The pork supplier said this is a "political mission." According to the Chinese media, the pig breeding farms are located throughout the country. Due to security concerns, the locations are kept secret. Every site is equipped with 24-hour surveillance cameras, and no stranger is permitted to enter. Even no other pigs will be allowed to enter within a year. The Chinese media quoted Niu Shengnan, the spokesperson of Qianxihe Food Group, which is the exclusive vendor of "Olympic pigs." Niu said that these pigs are only fed organic crops, and no steroids are used. The food for these pigs is made from organic farm products certified by the European Union. No preservatives or antibiotics have been added, and immune vaccines are formulated from natural Chinese medicinal herbs. Furthermore, to ensure their health conditions, these pigs are taken outside to exercise for more than two hours each day. "Normally, pigs are ready for sale six months after birth, but pigs raised with purely organic food will take approximately one to three months longer than common pigs. It means they will be more costly than the market price." "We are the exclusive supplier," Niu continued. "This is a political mission. We have to forget about costs when it comes to political missions." The news of "Olympic pigs" has stirred anger among Chinese citizens. Many have criticized this act as a superficial tactic to boost the regime's image, at the cost of the common people living in China. Some even remarked that pigs are now ranked higher than people. Some Internet users pointed out that the secret pig breeding is proof that there is the lack of food safety in domestic Chinese food products as the authorities have no confidence in the domestic food supply as a whole. Internet users
also expressed their thoughts about the stupendous effort put into
these Olympic pigs by the regime. One said, "This is a good indicator
of the kind of pork we—ordinary people—have been taking in. Pork we
have to eat contains additives, preservatives and antibiotics. It's
just scary. Hence forth, I have decided not to eat pork anymore."
Back One of China's key delegates at this week's APEC summit, Commerce Minister Bo Xilai, was promoted up through Communist Party ranks after overseeing the administration of forced labour camps in Liaoning Province, one of China's main industrial bases. Bo Xilai has been pursued by the courts in no less than ten countries including, Canada, Australia, US, England, Ireland, and Spain to answer allegations of such serious crimes as systematic torture and genocide. Here in Australia, a local Falun Gong practitioner Pan Yu is seeking justice through Australia's courts after suffering terribly when he was forcibly detained under the authority of Bo Xilai at China's Shenyang City's Danan Custody Centre. Mr Yu says he was held for six months and was subjected to all kinds of torture and abuse after he went to appeal on behalf of Falun Gong which has suffered persecution in China since 1999. "Once people understand the magnitude of the crimes being committed, they will be shocked and horrified," Mr Yu said. It is claimed that Bo Xilai openly authorised his subordinates to employ torture in an effort to coerce Falun Gong practitioners into giving up their practice. Cases of death by torture increased sharply under Bo Xilai's authority. The first media reports that brought attention to the shocking atrocities of forced organ harvesting from thousands of living Falun Gong practitioners were also in Liaoning Province. During the APEC meetings, former Canadian secretary of state for Asia Pacific David Kilgour and international human rights lawyer David Matas. The Canadians are to receive an award for their human rights work while also taking the opportunity to attend forums in most of Australia's capital cities. The burning question is do Australian officials possess the moral fortitude to make a stand for cardinal human values and the integrity of the democratic institution they claim to represent? Back Withdrawals
From Chinese Communist Party Reach 25 Million Back MELBOURNE, Australia—The Global Service Center for Quitting the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) held a rally and parade in downtown Melbourne in support of the 25 million people who have quit the CCP and its affiliated organizations. The Sept. 1 events were intended to urge participants at the APEC summit to bring up the issue of the human rights violations in China to the Chinese representative at the summit. The APEC Summit meeting was held in Melbourne on Aug. 30 and 31. Ms. Lin, a frequent participant in local rallies, said she has read many articles published by The Epoch Times about corrupt CCP officials. She feels that official corruption has made poor farmers unable to keep up with rising costs, and that there will likely be riots if the corruption continues. Ms. Lin plans to speak at future rallies to denounce the CCP. Two Melbourne schoolgirls from China came to the rally. They already knew about the movement to quit the CCP and inquired about the exhibitions. Volunteers at the Service Center explained to them how the CCP tortures Falun Gong practitioners and removes their organs while they are conscious and alive—for illegal profits. The girls listened attentively to the information they could not have heard in China, and ended up quitting the CCP. A Melbourne carriage
driver for tourists, Dean Crichton, read the banners and exhibitions
carefully and listened to the rally speeches. He had worked in Hong
Kong for three months and had seen the Service Centers and parades
that support quitting the CCP. A Chinese girl who lives in Melbourne and had studied at Nankai University, in China, she said that she had witnessed the arrest of Falun Gong practitioners who unfurled banners in Tiananmen Square, China. She said she knew that what happened to them afterwards would be grave.When she was attending Nankai University, several Japanese students fell into a lake while skating, and one of them died. Reporters at the scene were forbidden from reporting on the incident, and all who knew about it were told to keep their mouths shut since it could "affect relations between China and Japan." Back |
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