SOH News

Asia Cast for Thursday 16th October

External Podcast: Visit Asia-Cast.com to listen

In this Bulletin…

- Officials in Guangdong Province seize villagers’ farmland by force;
- New Zealand implements mandatory testing on suspect Chinese dairy imports; and
- NTDTV’s Global Han Couture Design Competition finale to be held in New York.

But first, here’s our SOH focus on China
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Thousands of police accompanied several hundred workers to forcibly seize the agricultural land of a number of villages in Guandong Province. It is not clear why the land has been taken, or what officials might use it for.

According to reports from the Jiangbu management areas of Wuhe Town, the police used tear gas and injured a large number of villagers. A dozen people are said to have been formally detained, while forty to fifty remain under surveillance.

The villagers had called local media, but the reporter from the Pearl River Journal was intercepted on his way to the scene.

A large number of police remain in the area, preventing the villagers from defending their land rights.

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Chinese officials have been openly criticised by one of the country’s veteran diplomats over their lack of awareness and inability to communicate with the outside world.

The official, former ambassador to France Wu Jianmin, also suggests that the Chinese Communist Party’s propaganda department should be renamed as the Department of Communications.

The reporting rules for foreign journalists were somewhat loosened ahead of the Olympics. However, after coverage of unrest in Tibet was perceived as being critical of China, they will not be extended.

One thing that is certain is that as long as the system continues to control the media, efforts to bolster the country’s image will backfire.

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New Zealand dairy giant Fonterra is donating US$5 million to the China Soong Ching Ling Foundation over a period of five years.

Fonterra owns 43 percent of Sanlu, the company first found to have high levels of the toxic chemical melamine in its milk products.

The funds are intended to provide medical care and advice to pregnant women and mothers of infants in rural communities across China.

The project is the first charity activity launched by Fonterra in China. Chinese official media has not reported the value of the donation, nor mentioned the toxic milk powder incident in its coverage of the event, however.

Some legal experts in China believe the news is being kept quiet to avoid claims for compensation.

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You’re listening to Asia Cast on the SOH Radio Network
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And now for the rest of today’s Asia Cast
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The New Zealand Food Safety Authority (FSA) has implemented new rules that mean all imports considered at risk of being contaminated with melamine have to be tested before being released onto shop shelves, reports the Epoch Times.

Imports that contain dairy from China, or are of Chinese origin, have dramatically decreased since the ruling was put in place last week, said FSA’s Director of Approvals Debbie Morris.

She said a number of supermarkets and some of the large companies, are not interested in having products that could be tainted on their shelves.

Green Party Health spokesperson Sue Kedgley said the move by the FSA is good, but concerns remain about the free trade agreement (FTA) with China and other contaminated food.

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The Global Han Couture Design Competition final and award ceremony is being held on October 19 in the Prince George Ballroom, New York City, one of the world’s fashion capitals.

The competition is one of a series of international cultural and arts events sponsored by New Tang Dynasty Television (NTDTV).

Competition organizers say that models are going to showcase magnificent Han couture, presenting spiritual beliefs intertwined with the traditional styles of Chinese dress.

Fan Hong, chairman of the panel of judges for the competition said, “The Han couture design is not a mere copy of ancient Chinese clothing, but rather it is inspired by the rich traditions found in over 5,000 years of Chinese apparel, while addressing the needs of a modern lifestyle.”

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“Asia Cast… keeping you across the top headlines from Asia and the World.”