|
August 27, 2006 (Sunday) － Issue No. 64 |
|
|
The
Chinese Communist Regime's Control of Overseas Media |
|
|
Gao
Zhisheng Missing for Three Days, Beijing Admits Arrest |
|
|
|
|
|
Over
a Third of China's Graduates Say College Waste of Time |
| AIDS
Sufferers Bemoan Lack of Drugs in China "Some people are in need of second-line drugs but can't get them, so they are waiting to die. In Beijing, there are at least 11 or 12 people that I know," Meng said....…Full Article |
|
Behind Chinese Communist Regime's Forbidden Anti-Japan Activities Even when the Chinese communist regime condemns Japan, it doesn't do so on the basis of morality or justice. In fact, it is just playing politics, using incidents to instigate nationalistic sentiments to further the apparent legitimacy of its rule......…Full Article |
|
|
Ms. He Qinglian (New Tang Dynasty TV) The Epoch Times interviewed Ms. He Qinglian, who is familiar with the CCP's control of Chinese overseas media outlets to gain further insight into the bias. Ms. He Qinglian is currently a senior researcher for Human Rights in China (HRIC). Her book The Pitfall of China's Modernization has been highly regarded as "the prophet of China's reform," and "the book that dares to speak the truth." Ms. He was forced to leave China because of this book. Her newly published book The Fogged China is based on the content of her special report "How the Chinese Government Controls the Media," but with numerous additions. The "Unified
Frontline" Project Chinese associations, which are akin to the CCP, canvass the overseas Chinese people to participate in the activities held by Chinese consulates, for example welcoming Jiang Zemin and Hu Jintao to the U.S. They also use these Chinese associations to exclude dissidents, Falun Gong, and so on. Ostensibly, Chinese schools are for spreading Chinese culture, but the textbooks they use inevitably carrying the hue of the CCP's ideology. And it also organizes all kinds of activities to achieve the aim of unifying the overseas Chinese people. The Hong Kong media environment has been continually deteriorating since Hong Kong returned to China in 1997. The infiltration of the CCP funded organizations, the deterioration of the media's environment, and the self-restraint of the media workers are the three factors which affect each other [and exacerbate the whole situation]. At present, it's hard for media not associated with the CCP to survive. They are under great pressure. The situation of the media in Taiwan is more complicated because there is friction between the two major Parties. Most of the media in Taiwan originally belonged to the Kuomintang (KMT), and the CCP fund organizations have infiltrated into the Taiwanese media, so the media seldom report negative news about China. Professor Chang Chinhwa of the Graduate Institute of Journalism at National Taiwan University has undertaken specific research into this. He pointed out that the media in Taiwan seldom report corrupt cases involving the CCP, but often propagandize how good the situation and how good China's achievements in economic developments are. With regards to
the mainland media's self-restraint, I can understand, because "under
the claws of a cat, a nightingale cannot sing a pleasant song."
However, for some overseas Chinese media who are willing to be the
mouthpiece of the CCP, I feel sorry for them. After all, overseas
communities are open. Readers have various sources to get information.
Overseas Chinese readers have their opinions. Over a period of time,
they will start to question the credibility of those mouthpiece media.
In the end, they will abandon them like worn-out slippers.
Back On August 18, renowned Chinese civil rights attorney Gao Zhisheng was arrested. Xinhua News Agency announced that the Beijing Public Bureau arrested Gao Zhisheng because he is "suspected of being involved in illegal activities." Analysts in China think that the publicity of the publication of The Selected Works of Jiang Zemin and the arrest of Gao Zhisheng mark a new stage in how high level Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officials treat Falun Gong and Gao Zhisheng. Gao Zhisheng's safety will be determined by the next stage of battle between the CCP and Gao's supporters inside and outside of China. Analysis: Jiang Zemin's Gang Becomes More Powerful An anonymous analyst in China said that the arrest of attorney Gao is a test that could lead to different results. There are two key determining factors: the unity of the supporters inside China and the support from overseas. The CCP would release attorney Gao in a week if it is smart; it might also choose to battle with Gao's supporters over this issue for a while. The observer indicated that there are two background factors that led to attorney Gao's arrest. The first one is the attitude toward Falun Gong among high level CCP officials. If attorney Gao is not released in a week, it signals that high level CCP officials have reached an agreement over the issue of Falun Gong and Gao Zhisheng. The second is the recently published book, The Selected Works of Jiang Zemin, which includes content about Jiang persecuting Falun Gong. All CCP members are called on to study it, which means the CCP has publicly agreed with Jiang's persecution of Falun Gong. This action shows that Jiang's gang is gaining more power. The analyst said that if Hu Jintao chooses to be silent on the persecution of Falun Gong, he would be held responsible for the existing policies by his political opponents. As long as Hu Jintao does not publicly negate Jiang, he cannot negate the existing persecution against Falun Gong. Attorney Gao's recent arrest is an extension to such policies. Some analysts believe that the arrest of lawyer Gao could be a prelude to a nationwide crackdown by the CCP on human rights activities in China. However, the observer
mentioned above believes the possibility of sentencing Gao to prison
at this time is not very high. A crackdown on Gao and other human
rights activist attorneys is not in the best interests of the CCP.
The CCP is working to improve its' public image prior to the 17th
Conference of the National People's Congress and the scheduled 2008
Olympic Games. The worst result today may be to free attorney Gao
after only a couple of weeks of detention. The arrest of Gao is simply
a test, probing the depth and breadth of the response from the public.
Measurement of public response will be used in preparing for the next
step in making policy decisions. Back A letter from a group of mainland Chinese readers to The Epoch Times revealed that the Shanghai Branch of The People's' Bank of China recently placed posters in residential areas that read: "Prohibition of intentionally destroying or scribbling on national currency, forbidding scribbling on currency." On the posters it also stated that, "protecting the currency is commended, while destroying the currency is illegal" and "financial institutions which handle savings and withdrawal services should replace the damaged or spoiled currency for free." The letter points out that this was the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)'s desperate and weak countermeasure against Chinese people spreading the messages of withdrawing from the CCP by writing "Nine Commentaries" and "The Three Withdrawals" on national currency. The letter says the posters did not mention what was written on the currency, fearing it would spark curiosity in people who did not know what was going on, or bring ridicule from those who did. Over 12.5 million Chinese people have thus far quit the CCP and its affiliated organizations. The main method used for withdrawing from the Party is to publish a resignation statement on the Epoch Times website. Many people also paste their announcements on public bulletin boards, bus station boards, and power poles. The aforementioned methods are used to circumnavigate the Internet blockade used by the CCP which prevents a great number of people from publishing their resignation statements online. According to a source in mainland China, the CCP is using more desperate means to stop the spread of money with CCP-quitting slogans written on it. There are also signs found in many stores that read, "Counterfeit currency will be confiscated and the police will be notified." The Chinese public has never seen such a huge effort to fight against counterfeit money. Historically, such a movement has never before taken place on such a large scale. Many know that it is all aimed at minimizing the spread of the CCP resignation messages. An insider said
that the police appeared to be there in order to monitor and prevent
the exchange of counterfeit bills. Upon further investigation, however,
it was revealed that their true purpose was to stop the transmission
of money with messages about quitting the CCP.
Back BEIJING—About half China's university graduates learned nothing practical from their studies and over a third found college a waste of time, according to a survey. About 34.7 percent of the 8,777 respondents regretted their university experience, saying it had not been worth the money invested, the Shanghai Daily reported. "Sometimes I feel I have wasted the money my parents earned by the sweat of their brows by entering university. I can't make a living from what I learned, let alone repay my parents," the paper quoted a graduate surnamed Zhao as saying. About 51.5 percent said they had learned nothing practical and 39.2 percent said they could not land a job with a bachelor's degree, the paper said. With nearly 4.13 million graduates entering the workforce in 2006—750,000 more than the previous year—young Chinese are facing a severe job crunch in an increasingly competitive labor market. Lacking skills
and unwilling to work in the heavy industries that in large part still
fuel China's growth, graduates face an undeveloped service sector
unable to absorb them. Back HONG KONG — Meng Lin, who is HIV positive and an AIDS activist in Beijing, relies on friends to send him drugs from overseas every month—medicine he needs to stay alive. There are days when he despairs as he watches his cache of drugs dwindle with no replenishment in sight. Some 650,000 people in China are living with HIV/AIDS, but only one in four who need HIV drugs received them in 2005, according to a recent report by the United Nations. And if patients fail to keep taking the medicine, they may develop resistance to the few drugs that are available and require new and more powerful medications. So-called second-line AIDS drugs are seven to 28 times more expensive than those given as the first course of treatment. More importantly, key second-line drugs, such as tenofovir and lopinavir/ritonavir, known under the brand name Kaletra, are not sold in China even though they are available in many other countries. "Therapy in China is not mature. People take whatever drug is available, so I am lucky," said Meng from the Ark of Love help group. "Most people don't have the money to buy drugs (from overseas). Some get to join clinical tests, and they are considered very lucky." "Some people are in need of second-line drugs but can't get them, so they are waiting to die. In Beijing, there are at least 11 or 12 people that I know," Meng said. People who react badly to the few drugs that are available find they have nothing else to choose from. For example, some users of Indinavir, a second-line drug, are known to have developed kidney stones. Meng felt numbness on one side of his body after taking Indinavir for six years. "It's a fundamental problem that we don't have the drugs that we need," Moon said. "We shouldn't be in a situation that we have to make do with suboptimal medicines. We should have the best drugs that we can get. We should have the most powerful ones, the ones that are the safest, that have the least side effects." Abbott Laboratories Inc. produces Kaletra, the biggest-selling of a class of HIV drugs known as protease inhibitors. Beijing is negotiating with Abbott over a price. Sources told Reuters that Abbott is asking US$1,000 for a full-year course but the Chinese regime is unwilling to pay more than US$400. "In my opinion they are abusing their monopoly," said activist Moon. "They are abusing the patent rights they have by refusing to supply a life-saving medicine to a population that needs it." Back Behind
Chinese Communist Regime's Forbidden Anti-Japan Activities Back Renowned political commentator Cao Changqing pointed out that being anti-Japan and banning anti-Japan protests has already become a political card for Chinese communist regime to play to secure its own rule. When anti-Japan sentiment is needed, it will be instigated; otherwise it will be forbidden. The mainland regime is already extremely weak, and it can only maintain its rule through such roguish means. When Chinese regime feels that anti-Japan sentiment is beneficial to its rule, or an anti-Japan movement could gain more support from the military, or when distractions are needed to allay scrutiny of large disasters, the regime will incite the anti-Japan feelings within the populace. The regime never really looks at Japan, or indeed the international environment. It is mainly concerned with its own political need. Cao Changqing believes the Chinese communist regime controls anti-Japan activities for two reasons. One is to foster a relaxed relationship with Japan. The second is because it is afraid of the protests affecting its own rule. According to a survey published by the Daily Yomiuri News on August 11, 67 percent of Japanese people have a "bad impression" of the Chinese communist regime and believe it is "unreliable". Since the Chinese communist regime used anti-Japan sentiments for propaganda purposes, it caused a decrease in Japanese investment in China. Since last April, Japan has moved the core of its overseas investment from China to Indonesia. Since Mr. Koizumi came to power, the Japanese cabinet has adopted a strong attitude and is no longer afraid of reactions from Beijing. Therefore, the Chinese communist regime's threats may no longer be effective. Patriots Should
Be Anti-Chinese Communist Regime If a Chinese truly loves his own country, then he should first look into the crimes the CCP has committed and end the rule of this war criminal to free China. Back |
|
