China’s former deputy editor-in-chief of Economics Weekly, the winner of the International News Courage Prize, Madam Gao Yu said in an interview with reporters that the CCP’s Propaganda Ministry’s reporting requirements are serious interference with press freedom before the Olympics. But it’s also one of the authoritarian features of the current one-party rule of the Communists in China to prevent the truth emerging.

Gao Yu said that the Chinese government has always strictly controlled the news and propaganda to ensure stability. In particular, she mentioned that the Chinese Communists previously implemented policy in response to sudden incidents, and has put very strict limits in place for the reporters’ interviews while the remote interviews, even to foreign journalists, including domestic reporters and journalists are banned.

Gao Yu believes that freedom of press is a universal principle, where she used examples in Wenchuan Earthquake while being wantonly interfered, foreign journalists were detained and even deported from Sichuan, pointing out that the five-point demand is actually followed a one-party totalitarian dictatorship taken by the Party’s old methods, aiming at blocking the truth from being revealed.

On the twenty first of June, although the Lhasa situation was “basically stable”, Tibetan authorities completed the Olympic torch relay with the city besieged under heavy guard. The original route had been shortened in a three-hour journey, to arrive at the destination in less than two hours.

After the relay torch ended, a melt-fire ceremony was held in the Potala Palace, that is, to merge the torch fire from the torch relay transmission and the torch fire at the top of Mount Qomolangma into one. At the “melt-fire ceremony”, an embarrassing scene happened when the torch fire at Mount Qomolangma extinguished itself.

As Beijing’s Olympic torch relay walked all the way, the protests continued to follow, coupled with the March outbreak as the most serious Tibetan protests that had occurred in the past twenty years, the Communist authorities have been on high alert and mobilized tens of thousands of armed police and public security involved in defending the relay. The alarming extent of guards and protection along the official torch relay route has been astonishing.

One hundred days ago, the event broke out in Lhasa, Tibet, that detonated the global wave of solidarity for the independence of Tibet, had led to the Beijing Olympic torch global relay activities being met with various protests and obstructions.

It is understood that Songyuan is one of the cities on the route of the Olympic torch relay. In order to prevent Falun Gong practitioners from protesting, the local Communist Party authorities and municipal government held a meeting recently where the party leader of the city Lan Jun, and the deputy mayor Wu Xinghong announced the local police would have a 100-day strict crackdown of Falun Gong Practitioners.

The above news is brought to you by Xiyuan, and hosted by Daniel Teng for Breaking News on SOH Radio Network.

In the latest scare over the safety of Chinese exports, one of China’s largest and most well known food companies has halted exports of all tinned food, after toxic chemicals were found in canned meat products.

Food safety officials in Hong Kong have discovered a banned antibiotic, nitrofurans, in tins of Maling brand pork luncheon meat and pork ribs.

This year has seen massive recalls of Chinese made toys, tyres and food products from the overseas market and the government in Beijing has come under increasing pressure to regulate the safety of Chinese-made products.

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In China, Kong Qiang, the webmaster of the Human Rights Network, published an open letter to Hu Jintao, Wen Jiabao and Wu Bangguo on the 6th December, asking them to conform with public opinion, to bring Jiang Zemin and the gang of Shanghai to justice.

Kong Qiang is a civil servant at the Administration Bureau for Industry and Commerce in Qufu City, Shandong Province.

When interviewed by The Epoch Times, Kong Qiang pointed out, that Falun Gong practitioners who sued Jiang Zemin, Luo Gan, Liu Jing, Zhou Yongkang in many countries around the world, were a great inspiration to people in China.

He explained that the majority of victims in Jiang Zemin’s persecution are still in China, therefore lawsuit cases against Jiang must be allowed in China.

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Well known Chinese blog personality, Zhou Shuguang, was arrested by public security after reporting on the infamous Yilishen incident in Liaoyang city where the Yilishen company, a pharmaceutical producer, was closed and refused to pay debts to local farmers.

According to reports he was subsequently interrogated, and sent back to his hometown in Hunan province.

Radio Free Asia reported on the 7th Dec, that although the Yilishen incident has been reported widely overseas, and it has something to do with Bo Xilai – the governor, Chinese media have kept silent on the issue and local farmers have been prevented from protesting against their mistreatment.

It is expected that the Chinese authorities will try to cover up the Yilishen incident just as they have with the persecution of Falun Gong and the Tian Anmen Square Massacre in 1989.

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On Friday the 7th of December, the Global Human Rights Torch arrived in Wollongong. It started at the lighthouse with 1982 Commonwealth Games baton relay runner, Geoff Gregory running the first leg.

He then passed it on to Barry and Carolyn Armstrong, who then proceeded to run with the torch to the mall yelling ‘Freedom for China.’ Barry and Carolyn are strong supporters of the Human Rights Torch Relay.

At the mall a few other speakers voiced their support against the human rights abuses in China and then the torch was passed on to Goulburn.

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Fears of human-to-human transmission of bird flu have been raised after the father of a Chinese man who died of bird flu has also been infected with the virus.

The World Health Organization said it could not rule out the possibility that the H5N1 virus had spread from the son to the father.

For the most part, humans have caught the virus from sick birds.

Scientists fear if the virus gains the ability to pass easily between humans, tens of millions of people could die.

A statement on the Chinese ministry’s website said a 52-year-old man in eastern Jiangsu province identified only by his surname, Lu, has been confirmed with the virus, just days after his 24-year-old son succumbed to it on the 2nd of December.

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The Centre on Housing Rights and Evictions (COHRE) located in Geneva, Switzerland gave its annual “Housing Rights Violators Award” to countries that most seriously and systematically violated housing rights of its people.

This year, the recipients include China, Burma and Slovenia.

The COHRE said a recent trip to the Chinese capital confirmed an estimate it made earlier this year that 1.5 million people would be displaced by the time the 2008 Games are held.

The Chinese authorities however have denied that the residents in Beijing have been forcibly relocated and treated inhumanely.

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The Future China Forum has announced the formation of a Transient Chinese Government, which has ignited strong responses from the Chinese authorities.

Within only a few hours, human rights activists and violence resistance groups, pledged their support of the transient government asking to be delegated responsibilities.

The “Future China Forum,” are a group dedicated to bringing about a peaceful transition to democracy in China and believe a Transitional Government will expedite the collapse of China’s communist rule.

Earlier this month, the Forum issued a statement criticising the Communist Regime for its control of the media and the Internet, restriction of free speech, civil rights abuses, the persecution of activists, church members, and Falun Gong practitioners.

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China has been blamed for a Tibetan entrant in an international beauty pageant in Malaysia to be expelled from the event.

Tsering Chungtak said that China pressured the competition organisers to replace her “Miss Tibet” sash with one reading “Miss Tibet-China”.

When she refused, she claims, she was told she would have to leave the Miss Tourism Queen 2007 competition.

China governs Tibet as an autonomous region and swiftly clamps down on any suggestion of Tibetan nationalism.

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On December 3rd, 2007, in Zhaotong city of Yunan Province, four primary school students who shared a serving of instant noodles on the way back to school began to show symptoms of food poisoning and died soon after.

After the news spread, Internet bloggers began a new wave of criticism against the safety of food in China.

There were strong calls for the regime to investigate the incident in depth and to publicise the brand name of the lethal instant noodles.

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It’s been reported that Chinese state organisations may be spying on leading British firms and government agencies .

UK intelligence network MI5 has contacted 300 chief executives and security experts at banks and financial institutions to raise the concerns.

It is alleged that UK organisations may suffer a concerted cyber attack to gain commercially-sensitive data.
Zhao Shangse, an official from the Chinese embassy in London, has denied the allegations.
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According to reports from China’s Panshen County, three local policemen have detained and abused two Falun Gong practitioners.

Wang Jie-Ming and Zhang Da-Lin went missing over two weeks ago and after much searching by family members Wang was found under police guard at a local hospital suffering numerous abuse related injuries including bullet wounds, while Zhang is thought to be held and being tortured at Tuwei prison

These cases are representative of thousands of similar abduction and detention cases of Falun Gong practitioners across China who are detained and abused because authorities fear the peaceful practice is becoming too popular and a threat to the power of the Communist Regime.

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The results of the by-election for a legislative seat in Hong Kong were released early Monday morning.

Pro-democracy candidate Anson Chan, Hong Kong’s former Chief Secretary won the election over her rival, the former Hong Kong Chief of Security.
The Electoral Affairs Commission announced the vote count at 3:20 a.m. Monday morning.
Chan believes people in Hong Kong made the right decision and her win is a strong boost for the movement toward Hong Kong’s general suffrage.

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The Well known internet security Company McAfee released its annual report on November 29 stating that the Internet Cold War will be the biggest internet security threat to the safety of the internet to all countries in the future.
The report identified China as the main threat as it will proactively probe into the loopholes in the networks of different countries.
In 2007 80% of large scale cyber attacks on government websites are related to China while the United States Homeland Security and government agencies of Germany, India, Australia and New Zealand are main targets of the cyber attacks.

Visit the Human Rights Torch Relay Website

Join us for an interview with Manly Mayor Dr Peter MacDonald as we talk about human rights in China

The Epoch Times ran a comprehensive story with additional photos

In this Bulletin,

US President Bush meets with Dalia Lama, Protests abound in China, and the Human Rights Torch Relay moves through Sweden

Dalai Lama recieves the Congressioal Gold Medal, The Human Rights Torch Relay arrives in Gothenburg Sweden, and Mass Rallies in Hong Kong.

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China should view the Dalai Lama’s high-profile visit to Washington next week as a chance to listen to the exiled Buddhist spiritual leader who Beijing shuns as a Tibetan separatist, his envoy said Friday.

Despite fierce Chinese lobbying, the Dalai Lama will receive the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest civilian honor that Congress can bestow, on Wednesday after being hosted at the White House by President Bush the day before.

The award ceremony at the Capitol will be the first time Bush will have appeared in public with the Dalai Lama, who has visited the White House only for private meetings.

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The Human Rights Torch Relay completed another leg, arriving in Gothenberg, Sweden where it was greeted by Members of Parliament representing all major political parties in Sweden.

The torch represents the hope of concerned citizens around the globe that the Chinese people will be granted the human rights guaranteed by the Chinese Constitution and belonging to every human being.

The message of the Torch appealed to Olympic medalist in sailing 1964 and 1972, Pelle Pettersson who participated in the event.
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As three months of consultation on political reform in Hong Kong ended on Wednesday, pro-democracy campaigners began holding a mass rally demanding the right to elect the territory’s highest official and legislature by 2012.

Presently, the chief executive of the independent state is chosen by a panel of 800 selectors, many of whom heavily favour Beijing, and only half of the legislature is directly elected.

Thousands of people gathered in Victoria Park where they took part in a mass unfurling of yellow or blue umbrellas, to form the shape 2012, the earliest possible date for universal suffrage to be introduced.

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On the tenth of October, Jia-Mu-Si, the procurator of Heilongjiang Province, confirmed the case of Yang Chun-Lin’s that he was sent by the Municipal Police Bureau on the eighth of October.

Human rights defender, Yang Chun-Lin said that “Human Rights Comes before the Olympics”. He helped forty thousand farmers, whose lands were confiscated by the government in the course of defending their basic rights over the period of a decade or more.

He also spent half a year, having collected signatures of tens of thousands of farmers on the petition.

The local police authority went to harass another representative at home for two consecutive days, Wang Gui-Lin, who acts for the lost-land farmers, was accused of being involved in Falun Gong, and they threatened to ‘reform’ him through hard labour.

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In a show of strength aimed at China, Taiwan has marked its national day with a military parade for the first time in 16 years.

Fighter planes flew above the capital, Taipei, and 2,000 troops showed off military hardware through the city.

President Chen Shui-bian used a speech to hit out at China’s “relentless military build-up”, labelling it as a threat to world peace.

China regards Taiwan as a renegade province that should be reunified.
Beijing has threatened to use force if Taiwan declares formal independence.

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Police in Fushun City in China attempted on Monday night to arrest three individuals who had applied to take part in a singing competition to be held in the United States.

None of the three happened to be home at the time, and thus escaped arrest.

The timing of the arrest seems to have been chosen in order to prevent the three from returning to the U.S. Consulate in Shenyang City to pick up visas they had applied for.

The three singers had planned to compete in the International Chinese Vocal Competition, which is sponsored by New Tang Dynasty Television (NTDTV).

The competition is scheduled to begin on Oct. 15 in New York City.

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More than a hundred people including lawyers, scholars and human right advocates signed an open letter on October 9th to the central Chinese government regarding human rights lawyer Li He Ping who was abducted and beaten.

The letter urges the central government to pay serious attention to this incident and to prohibit government agencies from abducting and beating lawyers and human rights advocates.

Li He Ping was beaten for four to five hours straight and was tortured by high voltage electric batons.

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Recently the Ministry of the Coalition publicized an article at an overseas news website, revealing the most glaring infamous scandal in the history of stock market of the Communist regime.

It involved billions of dollars by a sinister gang controlling the stock market in Zhaogu Right Case, directly targeting at Jiang Ze-Min, Jiao Qing-Lin, Huang Ju, Wu Zhi-Ming and Yu Zheng-Sheng.

An independent analysis says that the exposure of the scandal by the Ministry of Coalition of the regime before the seventeenth Party Congress impacts heavily on the corrupted Jiang’s clans.

More news from Mainland China revealed that the condemning voices from within the Party, calling for the incarceration of Jiang Ze-Min and his clans, become more deafening.

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More than a thousand residents blocked the Nan Sha Bridge again, demanding the local Chinese Communist Government give an explanation as to why they had been secretly selling their land.

The local government planned to explain the deal on October 8th, but the head of the government cancelled the meeting.

More than a thousand people blocked the Nan Sha Bridge from 10:00 o’clock in the morning until 7:00 o’clock at night.

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Twelve thousand Chinese petitioners have sent an open letter to their government calling for urgent democratic reform.

As China prepares for next week’s Communist Party Congress, 12,000 people have reportedly drafted an open letter to the Government demanding widespread reform.

The five-yearly Congress, which opens on Monday, is certain to reinstall President Hu Jintao for another term.

It is also expected to strengthen his power, as Mr Hu promotes his own supporters to key positions.

But the petitioners want more from the Congress.

They have called for an end to illegal land grabs, the creation of an independent judiciary and freedom of the press.

The signatures are said to be mostly from disaffected citizens living in rural and regional areas

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A volunteer of China’s democratic movement and human rights activist, Yan Chunglin is being brutally tortured during his detention in prison, according to his lawyer.

Like many human rights activists, prisoners of conscience, and Falun Gong practitioners, Yang was arrested for advocating ideals contrary to Communist Party doctrine and sent to one of China’s notorious reformation prisons, where he is apparently being subjected to torture and other reformation techniques on a daily basis.

Former inmates have explained that authorities use a variety of torture methods to ‘break the will’ of the activists so they will reform to Communist Party ideologies.

Yang’s case is another reminder to the international community that China’s human rights record is far below that of other developing nations.

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Although it has been a number of years since AIDS was a forbidden topic in China, a recent report on Voice of America disclosed contents of a letter explaining how authorities in China still impose stringent controls over release of AIDS related information.

The Voice of America station went on to establish a forum which will further investigate media control by Chinese Authorities over such topics.

However, it is feared the forum will also be regulated like a number of similar forums which, over the last 3 years had been forcibly closed down with much valuable data being confiscated.

The report indicates the opening ceremony of the Olympic games will become a propaganda triumph for the communist dictatorship. With regard to the communist party, it is a great opportunity to strengthen its control of the country, and receive approval from the whole world.

The article mentioned: “ There is a need for many voices to rise. This includes the athletes and all those sports lovers around the world, who might become fooled by dictatorship when too enticed by what is before their eyes.

It also mentioned: “ The opening ceremony could become ironic for those human rights believers who think that the Beijing Olympic games could influence China towards democracy.

“China’s human rights crimes are endless, such as the death penalty (nearly as much as 10,000 every year according to Human Rights Watch). This is in addition to torture, brainwashing, labour camp reforming, forced organ harvesting, forced abortion, and support for other dictatorship countries, such as Sudan and Burma with military weapons. As if these are not enough, tighter control are in place before the Olympics. The persecution against human rights lawyers, reporters and Falun Gong practitioners has become more severe, and many people are forcibly removed from their homes.

The calling off of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, and support for human rights have become a hot topic at present.

After the bloody crack down on protesters by the Burma military government, the people of Sweden held a demonstration in its own country to protest against the action of the Burma military government. The majority of Swedish people think that China played an important role in the crack down, and it should also condemn the Burma military government; otherwise they would boycott the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

On the 2nd of October, Magnus Manhammar, the columnist of the Sweden Southeast newspaper in an article titled “Resisting China holding the Olympics”, wrote: We, Sweden must make clear to other countries, in this world that all countries should not agree with the inhuman deeds of the China and Burma dictatorships. The best first step is for Sweden to resist the holding of the Olympic games in China. Though this cannot free Burmese from a military government, it can let everyone understand the stance of Sweden on this issue.

An opinion poll by the Swedish nightly newspaper indicates, 80% of Swedish people express if China does not apply pressure to Burma, they will resist China from holding the Olympic games.

The Human Rights Torch will arrive in Gothenburg, the second largest city of Sweden on the 8th of October. There will be people from different political parties there to support.

The above news is brought to you by Li Yu-Han, Chen Xi for Breaking News on SOH Radio Network.