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November 4, 2007 (Sunday) － Issue No. 125 |
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Persecution of Falun Gong Designed to Silence Entire Nation |
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Beijing
Accepts Lawsuit Targeting Politburo |
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China
Birth Defects Soar Due to Pollution |
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Xi Jinping's Appointment to Politburo This significant promotion raised him two levels. Xi has replaced Zeng Qinghong in the CCP's inner circle. Xi's appointment could have serious political implications....…Full Article |
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China Gripped by Diesel Fuel Shortages Currently diesel fuel retail markets in China are in a panic. Many gas stations have stopped supplying diesel fuel. Last week, diesel was sold out in many areas in China......…Full Article |
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Wang Zhaojun, standing committee member of the Auhui Provincial People's Political Consultative Conference accepted an interview with The Epoch Times after his open letter to Chinese leaders Hu Jintao and Wen Jiabao was published on Oct. 26. In this letter, which was widely published by media outside China, Wang, a current prefecture-level official, as well as a businessman, openly criticized the dictatorship of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), urging the two leaders to implement political reform and demanding an immediate end to the persecution of Falun Gong. "Are all Chinese people wimpy? Is the root of the Chinese nation so inferior?" said Wang, who later said emphatically to a reporter from The Epoch Times, "At my age, if I still can't speak the words within my heart, then I too would be wimpy. The more the CCP wants to strike at me or suppress me, the more I will struggle to the end. If the situation is truly so, then the CCP exposes itself as nothing more than a dictatorship." Wang said that, "When the regime doesn't think one group should exist under its system, it will start to strike at and try to dissolve it. Then the group will certainly explain the facts about itself, and, in turn, the CCP will suppress it more. The more you appeal, the more the CCP suppresses. This method is designed to create terror." He continued, "It is very simple: If Falun Gong was not good, then their own people would stand up to disclose that. Not only has this not been the case, but instead Falun Gong practitioners try to explain the true facts about Falun Gong everywhere. The CCP then suppresses this group more. "In fact, the persecution of Falun Gong is the same as trying to cover the mouths of the citizens of the entire nation. If this group of people is not being recognized as part of society, then can other people speak out?" Wang thought, "This is not a simple issue of opposing Falun Gong. According to the Constitution, everyone in the whole country should have freedom of speech, freedom of belief, and freedom of association. When the CCP deprives some people of freedom, then it deprives the entire nation of freedom." "Isn't Falun Gong a cultivation group, believing in 'truthfulness, compassion and tolerance' and meaning no harm at all? China survived the Cultural Revolution, but people lost a lot of their spiritual beliefs. Therefore, isn't believing in 'truthfulness, compassion and tolerance' beneficial to Chinese society?" Wang said, "Although I am an atheist, we can all live together. Why would a society allow for only one color, for people to speak in only one tone? This is not right. If you deprive people of their rights, then freedom of speech as guaranteed by the United Nation's Universal Declaration of Human Rights, as well as by China's Constitution, is not there at all. This is fundamental common sense." In his over 40,000
word open letter, Wang Zhaojun elaborated on the social crises in
various aspects of Chinese society, including real estate, the stock
market, rising prices, and widespread corruption. He proposed an end
to the persecution of Falun Gong and called for freedom of belief
and allowing democracy activists living in exile to return to China
to build democracy through their joint efforts. Back HONG KONG—On October 16, the second day of the 17th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), the Ministry of Public Security mailed the administrative plea of Shanghai petitioner Tong Guoqing, to the Second Intermediate People's Court of Beijing. The document is the state's formal response to Tong's lawsuit against Zhou Yongkang, China's former minister of Ministry of Public Security. According to Zheng Enchong—Tong's prosecuting attorney—this case will lead to several tremendous changes in the country, the most immediate being a great wave of petitioners filing lawsuits in the near future. The defendant, Zhou Yongkang, is considered by many to be a representative of Jiang Zemin (former Chinese leader who initiated the persecution of Falun Gong in 1999). During a trip in late 2005 to Beijing where he was attempting to make an appeal, Tong was severely beaten by personnel from the Shanghai administrative office in Beijing. Although he filed a complaint of this abuse at the office of Beijing's Public Security Bureau, his claim was rejected. Tong then took his case to the Second Intermediate People's Court of Beijing. After a one-year delay in processing the claim, he finally received the administrative plea on September 20, 2007. Brutally Beaten During an interview with The Epoch Times, Tong spoke of his two-year appeal process. The lengthy procedure began in 2003 after his private house was illegally seized by authorities in 1999, later he was forcefully relocated. Soon after, Tong was pursued by police, beaten and even arrested. Tong fought back by studying law and learning about the right to defend himself. On the evening of December 28, 2005, Tong was dining with a few petitioners from Shanghai in a restaurant near Tiananmen Square. Suddenly, a large group of Shanghai officials stormed the restaurant and began videotaping Tong and his dining companions. As he approached the officers to get them to stop, Tong was grabbed by his hair and his head was slammed against the wall. Tong lost consciousness and the other four petitioners with him were brutally beaten as well. Later, they called 110 (China's 911) for help and asked the Beijing police station to issue an injury diagnosis certificate to document the crime. Only after repeated requests were they finally given a poorly printed certificate that clearly described their injuries. The next day, after personnel finished examining them for injury, the group was again brutally beaten because of their request for proper documentation. Case Was Accepted After a Year Tong filed three copies of an administrative reconsideration to the Beijing Public Security Bureau, including his injury diagnosis certificate, the assault and battery he endured, and the authority's refusal to properly record the incident. Tong was armed with even greater evidence, but his case was rejected once again. Tong then brought his appeal to the Second Intermediate People's Court of Beijing, where it was accepted. Under Zhou's leadership
at the Police Security Ministry, China's security and public safety
concerns continued to noticeably worsen. Zhou was extremely dedicated
in introducing and implanting Jiang Zemin's genocidal policy against
Falun Gong in 1999. During his tenure, he made Sichuan, a province
of nearly 100 million people, one of the most brutal places in the
persecution of Falun Gong. Back The cases of Zhou Zhenyi, Liu Jingbao, and Wang Weigong, as well as the recently exposed Zhaogu case in Shanghai City are all related. All these cases involve large-scale corruption, bribery and embezzlement and all involve Jiang Mianheng, son of Jiang Zemin. As the 17th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) concluded on October 21, the new Politburo Standing Committee candidates, who made their first public appearance on October 22, continued to engage in vicious internal party battles. The following day, developments in the case involving Zhou Zhengyi 1 —the richest person in Shanghai City—sparked a media uproar. Hong Kong news media reported that authorities dug up evidence which implicated Jiang Mianheng—former Chinese leader Jiang Zeming's son—in the crime scandal. When President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao revealed the Zhou Zhengyi case before the 17th National Congress, it came as a huge blow to Jiang Zemin and his gang. This case is closely tied to those of Liu Jinbao and Wang Weigong in that each case involves bribery and the misappropriation of astronomical amounts of public money. Jiang Mianheng was found to be involved in all three cases. As for the Shanghai Zhao-Gu case exposed recently involving up to 1,200 billion yuan (US$160.6 billion), with the assistance of fellow cohort, Wu Zhiming, Jiang Mianheng was thought to be responsible for manipulating the deal from behind the scenes. At present, Wu Zhiming—Jiang Zemin's nephew—is Shanghai Municipal Public Security Bureau Commissioner, as well as the city's Armed Police Political Commissioner. After Huang Ju passed away, and other members of the Shanghai Gang—a powerful group of political insiders led by Jiang Zemin—were jailed, Wu became the last valuable ally for Jiang Zemin's political control in Shanghai. Wu once ordered 3,000 armed police to fend off the Central Discipline Inspection Commission in an aggressive show of strength against Hu and Wen. Other intimidation tactics have been more serious as some say that Hu Jintao narrowly escaped assassination just before the 17th National Congress when he attended the Paralympics in Shanghai. The political situation it seems is still very dangerous in China's largest city. As the fierce political in-fighting drags on, the Zhou Zhengyi case stands in the background, threatening to further implicate members of the Shanghai Gang. Many believe that as evidence continues to surface, the case may set off another major earthquake in official circles. Over One Hundred
Corrupt Officials Implicated Interrelated Cases,
Parade of Nightmares BEIJING-Birth defects in Chinese infants have soared nearly 40 percent since 2001, a government report said, and officials linked the rise to China's worsening environmental degradation. The rate of defects had risen from 104.9 per 10,000 births in 2001, to 145.5 in 2006, affecting nearly one in 10 families, China's National Population and Family Planning Commission said in a report on its Web site (www.chinapop.gov.cn). Infants with birth defects now accounted for "about 4 to 6 percent of total births every year", the family planning agency said. Of these, 30 percent would die and 40 percent would be "disabled". The World Health Organisation estimates about 3 to 5 percent of children worldwide are born with birth defects. China's coal-rich northern province of Shanxi, a centre of noxious emissions from large-scale coke and chemical industries, had the highest rate of defects, Xinhua news agency said in a report carried by Monday's Beijing News. "The incidence of birth defects is related to environmental pollution," the newspaper quoted An Huanxiao, director of Shanxi's provincial family planning agency, as saying. "The survey's statistics show that birth defects in Shanxi's eight large coal-mining regions are far above the national average," An said. The report said about 2 to 3 million babies are born in China with "visible defects" every year, and a further 8 to 12 million would develop defects within months or years after birth. Officials had also linked high defect rates to poor, rural areas, and regions that suffered "high rates of illness". About 460,000 Chinese die prematurely each year from breathing polluted air and drinking dirty water, according to a World Bank study. The report comes as Beijing tries to improve air quality in time for the August 2008 Olympics, wth high levels of small particulate matter -- which are sometimes more than 200 percent above recommended safe level -- of particular concern. China, home to some of the world's most polluted cities, has pledged to cut emissions and clean up its environment, laid waste after decades of breakneck development. But lax local
enforcement and an insatiable demand for energy to feed its booming
economy continue to undermine environmental policy goals.Back In a turn of events at the 17th Congress of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), in mid October, Xi Jinping, who held the post of the Shanghai Party Chief for just seven months, was appointed to the Politburo Standing Committee. This significant promotion raised him two levels. Xi has replaced Zeng Qinghong in the CCP's inner circle. Xi's appointment could have serious political implications. Nullifying Hu and Wen's Political Investment in Shanghai for the Last Half Year Xi Zhongxun, Jinping's father, was a State Councilor for the People's Republic of China and was considered one of the first-generation leaders of the Communist regime. Hu Jintao appointed Xi Jinping to Shanghai Party Chief nearly seven months ago. Xi's style of leadership was said to be "close to the people." Normally, his next step would be to implement Hu's directives. However, Xi's sudden promotion to Beijing nullified Hu and Wen's political investment in Shanghai over the last seven months. Even if Hu were to appoint someone new, this new person would need to start from scratch. Xi's promotion could have been a move by Jiang and his followers to maintain control of Shanghai, making it more difficult to break into Shanghai faction. It is no surprise that the Shanghai police have become more unchecked recently. Attorney Zheng Enchong, who has dealt with the police on many occasions, was stopped from attending a hearing for a Zhou Zhengyi, a businessman arrested for fraud. Zhou has an unusual relationship with former regime leader Jiang Zemin's son Jiang Mianheng. When Zheng asked who was denying him access to the hearing, the police said, "All leaders in Shanghai have unanimously agreed. Now that Xi Jinping has been appointed to Beijing, our new leader is Han Zheng. We will only listen to him." Han Zheng is the second-highest official in Shanghai. Hu allowed Han to retain his position because Han voluntarily offered information on corruption involving Chen Liangyu, a former Shanghai Party Chief who was a member of Jiang's clique. Xi Jinping has not yet shown what he is capable of as a politician. Being the son of a former high-ranking CCP official, he has been respectful to the older-generation leaders. Therefore, he is well liked among the older officials. This also makes Jiang Zemin believe that Xi has some respect for him and will not completely turn around and prosecute Jiang for his crimes. On the other hand, Jiang does not trust Hu's protégée Li Keqiang. Therefore, Jiang is under the impression that it is safe to push Xi to a high position in the CCP's central leadership. Xi's fast climb on the political totem pole is clearly a double win for Jiang. Hu Jintao has tolerated this move for now but will likely take some action against it later, as is his usual style. There have been signs that Hu has started to narrow in on the Shanghai Faction, directly threatening the power of the Jiang family. Reports are circulating that the Jiang family transferred about US$ 2 billion overseas. These financial problems are Jiang's Achilles' heel. Xi's departure broke the previous political "balance" in Shanghai. A new battle is likely to start soon. [1] The Yuanhua case is the largest corruption case in modern Chinese history. Yuanhua Group, based in Xiamen, Fujian Province, was involved in smuggling of property valued at 53 billion yuan (US$7.5 billion) and evaded approximately 30 billion yuan in taxes. Back China
Gripped by Diesel Fuel Shortages Back Currently diesel fuel retail markets in China are in a panic. Many gas stations have stopped supplying diesel fuel. Shanghai Securities News stated that a nationwide oil shortage could happen again as it did in 2005. Last week, diesel was sold out in many areas in China. In Guangzhou, The Beijing News reported that on October 26 and 27, diesel was almost sold out at many gas stations and even the gasoline supply at some gas stations was getting short. Government Price Cap Recently international crude oil prices continue to rise, but the standard retail price of refined oil is regulated by the National Development and Reform Commission and it hasn't been keeping up with market changes. Many oil refineries in China are reluctant to increase their production, causing an imbalance in supply and demand. The shortage of No.0 diesel is getting worse in Shanghai. On October 27, gas stations along the Shanghai-Hangzhou Expressway and National Highway 318 were jammed with cars. Some of the lines were so long that they stretched back to the highway and caused traffic jams. Mr. Zhang from Suzhou City said that many gas stations were out of diesel. Those that still supplied diesel were constantly fueling trucks. According to the Domestic Refined Oil Market Bulletin on October 24, the China National Petroleum Co. in Beijing and the Sinopec Beijing Oil Products Co. basically stopped their wholesale diesel fuel distribution operations. These two companies' branches in Shanghai, Tianjin, Shijiazhuang, Tangshan, Rizhao, Yantai, Nanjing, Hangzhou, Ninbo, Xiamen, Wuhan, and Changsha, only maintain retail operations at this time. Wholesale Price Exceeds Retail Price Cap An official from the Economic and Trade Commission of Wuxi City said there were many causes for the shortage in the oil supply. First of all the global crude oil price continues to rise and the domestic retail price of refined oil products was "nailed" at the same level as before because the government wants to stop the increase of the consumer price index. This caused financial losses in oil imports, production and sales. Second, China's diesel refinery capacity isn't great enough and the upside-down price structure causes serious financial losses at refineries also. "It's already difficult for us to get diesel. Even if we get it, we don't want to sell it because we lose more money this way," said an owner of a private oil company. Growing Number
of Stations Closing Yao Daming, Director of the Petroleum Division of Guangdong Oil & Gas Association, said the diesel shortage will continue until February 2008. Back |
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