NTDTV Asia News and Report
New Tang Dynasty Television - News, Culture, and Entertainment from the East to the WestVideo Episodes:
18 Views
06:41:00 08/30/06
Chinese pilot exposes Chinese Regime's policy on quitting the communist party
[LESS INFO] 18 VIEWS | ADDED 06:41:00 08/30/06
CHAN:
Yuan Sheng, the former Chinese pilot who is seeking asylum in the United States, talks about his life back in China, why he chose to seek asylum in the United States and about the Communist Regime tightening security to cover up the wave of resignations from the communist party. Let's go to our New York reporter for more.
STORY:
Yuan Sheng said it was a hard decision for him to seek asylum in the United States. He has a happy family in Shanghai and has been a pilot in China Airline for 18 years. He has flown to the US more than 20 times since 1994, but never once did he think about staying abroad.
[Chinese pilot, Yuan Sheng]:
"It was very painful for me to make such a decision at the beginning..."
But Yuan says he had no choice but to stay in the US. Yuan was talking to someone about quitting the Chinese communist party and the editorial which started the wave of resignations - the book "Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party", then he was told by officials he would be arrested if he returned to China.
Yuan said the Communist regime is secretly tightening their policy to arrest people who spread information about quitting the communist party. Yuan believed that if he returns home he will be arrested and detained.
[Yuan Sheng]:
"I know many who have been arrested for distributing the book, Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party. Some were sentenced for four years in prison, simply for owning the book. There are recent reports saying that more than 400 people have been given prison sentences for spreading the Nine Commentaries book."
Democratic advocate Tang Baiqiao believes Yuan has made the right decision. Tang said the Chinese Communist Party is very nervous about people quitting the party.
5 Views
05:58:00 08/30/06
Summer Concert for Human Rights in New York
[LESS INFO] 5 VIEWS | ADDED 05:58:00 08/30/06
CHAN:
Educating people on human rights through music, dance film and visual images, this is the approach being taken by a new group called "artists for human rights". The concert started in New York City and the group has a line up of exhibits and public events organized to tour through out the country, lets go to our co-respondent for the story.
STORY:
In New York City at union Square Park loud speakers could be heard amongst the buzzing of swarming people, the event caught many people by surprise and got many toes tapping.
The group of artists holding the event was organized by Anne Archer an academy award winning film actress and human rights advocate, Anne says that artists are listened to and can have a big impact.
Anne hopes they can bring about a climate of peace and tolerance through out the world by educating people about their basic human rights.
[Founder of Human Rights Artists Anne Archer]
"Get the word out, artists uniting to make known our human rights, and where using the universal declaration of human rights which Elena Rosa bell was the architect of and it was ratified by the United Nations in 1948, and by survey over ninety percent of those surveyed have never even heard of it and don't even know what their human rights are."
With the issue of basic human rights the few remaining countries under Communist regimes are often at the top of the news, be it China with the organ harvesting, North Korea with the treating missile launches, or the likes of Castro Cuba. This festival offers a good opportunity to think about their future.
[Chef in Queens New York Ariel Goldstein]
"I think it is not a sustainable form of a government and I think like any other corrupt government starting from the Roman Empire on, possibly including my own, will fall.
I think truth and justice will prevail."
The artists for human rights have been working hard with many other allied organizations to bring the full force of artistic expression to bear on human rights education.
This is Paulio Shakespear reporting for NTDTV New York.
10 Views
05:51:00 08/30/06
South Korea closes gambling video game parlours
[LESS INFO] 10 VIEWS | ADDED 05:51:00 08/30/06
WONG:
South Korea 's prime minister has apologised for allowing video gambling arcades to spread. Gambling is mostly illegal in the democratic state. Here's more.
STORY:
After public outcry, the Government is swift in responding to demands, for tougher bans on gambling.
[PRIME MINISTER HAN]:
"It has caused serious damage to the life and economic situation of ordinary people. I am really sorry for our people's agony and worries."
The Prime Minister has ordered the closure of thousands of video game parlours, suspected of facilitating illegal gambling. Prosecutors have begun investigations to determine whether arcade operators have bribed public officials to approve licenses. Arcades rapidly spread across the country in the past two years. Games like Sea Story are suspected of trying to skirt South Korean laws by raising the payouts from their machines beyond legal limits. Several arcade operators allegedly altered payouts, resulting in the game's rapid growth in South Korea . The player typically inserts cash and watches sharks, whales and other sea creatures spin and stop on-screen. Psychiatrist Shin Young-chul says gambling has grown in South Korea because it is easily accessible.
[SHIN YOUNG-CHUL, PSYCHIATRIST]:
"If you open the gates of your houses even in residential areas, you can easily see gambling places. So the rate of people becoming addicted to gambling has been rising."
South Koreans say the government should take responsibility for the scandal.
[LEE CHONG-WHA]:
"You can see game rooms at each and every corner of our country. The government should be responsible for it."
5 Views
05:46:00 08/30/06
Skiers zoom through Kangar Hoppet marathon
[LESS INFO] 5 VIEWS | ADDED 05:46:00 08/30/06
WONG:
Australia is hosting the sixteenth international ski marathon called Kangaroo Hoppet. Weather conditions were ideal for the event after recent heavy snowfalls.
STORY:
800 ski fans from 22 countries are entering the marathon. Most tracks range from 6 to 28 kilometres long. For some of the less serious entrants, it was a chance to enjoy having a go with some of the pros.
[ENTRANT]:
"I like the skiing here on the plains, I do the classics, I won nothing in the race from the point of view of any chance of winning or so, but it is just the fun of doing it."
Twenty-one year-old Ben Sim from Cooma made back to back victories, beating greats Pascal Grab from Switzerland and Cameron Morton from Mount Hotham .
[BEN SIM, ENTRANT]:
"Yes it's really nice you know, the home boy can win, it's the second Hoppet that I won now and I plan to make it a lot more if I can."
The women's event was won by Natascia Leonardi-Cortesi from Switzerland, ahead of Katherine Calder from Canberra, Australia and Falls Creek local Belinda Phillips. Leonardi-Cortesi has been a member of the Swiss Ski Team for many years, and has been training at Falls Creek for three weeks in her first trip to Australia .
[LEONARDI-CORTESI, ENTRANT]:
"The course was super, I like this course it's quite hard, a beautiful weather and I won."
Her international merits include a bronze medal in the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics, and three victories in the Engadin Ski Marathon. The Kangaroo Hoppet is the opening race of this year's Worldloppet series. The event is held in 14 countries. The next series will be hosted by Japan in February.
5 Views
05:39:00 08/30/06
New "Survivor" Racist Says Council
[LESS INFO] 5 VIEWS | ADDED 05:39:00 08/30/06
CHAN:
Members of New York City Council are calling the next installment of the CBS reality show "Survivor" racist. The show will divide the contestants by race, which the the councilmembers say will be damaging to efforts of cross racial tollerance. They are calling on CBS to pull the entire season of episodes. Here's NTDTV's Ben Youngquest with more:
STORY:
These members of City Council are demanding that CBS not go ahead with its racially divided version of "Survivor." They object to the idea of seperating the contestants into four racially seperate groups.
[MARIA DEL CARMEN ARROYO, COUNCILMEMBER]:
"Are they out of their...minds! And there's a blank there fill it in."
CBS has defended the show idea with the explanation that it is a cultural experiment. But these folks aren't convinced. Concilmember John Liu from Queens summed up the sentiments of the group:
[LIU]: "The show's just plain stupid."
He said the council and the community will not tollerate it.
[LIU]: "The effects of this are very negative for all communities involved. Anytime you have racial segregation that is just a 'no-no' in this day in age."
The councilmembers are hoping that CBS will listen to reason and not force legal action but Councilmember Robert Jackson says they'll go there if they have to.
This is Ben Youngquest, NTDTV, New York .
4 Views
05:35:00 08/30/06
Malaysian pop queen throws glitzy 'fairy tale' wedding
[LESS INFO] 4 VIEWS | ADDED 05:35:00 08/30/06
WONG:
Malaysian pop royalty are out for the glittery wedding reception of singer Siti Nurhaliza. In the capital Kuala Lumpur , live footage of the spectacular was broadcast nationwide.
Malaysia 's number one pop queen officially tied the knot last week, with businessman Khalid Mohamad Jiwa. Her marriage to her husband, 20 years her senior, has divided fans across Malaysia , Indonesia and Brunei . Despite disapproval from fans, Nurhaliza is still going ahead with the wedding. The couple hosted an opulent reception for 2,000 guests wearing traditional costumes, ahead of a wedding dinner kept lively with traditional Malay dancers and singers. Khalid loosened up and wore a wedding suit while Nurhaliza switched to an elegant ball gown for the cake cutting ceremony. She then sang a song she penned for her wedding.
15 Views
05:11:00 08/30/06
Kiriat Shmone in Northern Haifa Recuperating After The War
[LESS INFO] 15 VIEWS | ADDED 05:11:00 08/30/06
WONG:
Kiriat Shmone, situated to the North of Haifa, has received one thousand katiusha rockets during the 45 days of war between the Hezbollah and Israel. No losses of life have been reported, but property damage is severe. With most public institutions and local attractions affected, it remains to be seen if the local government will be able to open schools on schedule in early September. Here is our NTD Correspondent Isabella Xiong with more.
STORY:
The panoramic city of Kiriat Shmone has seen better days. Only a few days ago, before the cease-fire agreement, the city has marked its one-thousandth katiusha rocket.
[Haim Barbibay, Mayor of Kiriat Shmone]:
"Since 1968, Kiriat Shmone has been under perpetual threats of being attacked by the katiusha rockets. Since then we live in the shadow of the katiusha. But this one and a half month was the hardest in the life of Kiriat Shmone. Thank God no one was killed. Two people got injured and another 45 people suffer from shock and anxiety."
The local government is striving day and night to restore everything the way it was before the war. Construction workers can be seen everywhere. The schools are their main target since the school semester is starting next week. But the big question that everybody is asking is: Will everything be done on time.
[Ofer Zafrani, Vice Deputy Director, Danciger School]:
"Our school was hit three times by three katiusha rochets. Almost all school was ruined, you can see that all the class room without anything left, all the glasses, all the doors, all the walls, all the floor, everything is ruined."
Abraham, School Janitor has found this katiusha rocket in one of the classes on Saturday eve.
[Abraham, School Janitor]:
"The rocket has destroyed a few floors. The katiusha touched the wall, that beam, then the other beam, and then the window frame and enter inside the classroom. 8 classrooms were ravaged, 4 on this side and 4 on the other side."
Some residents have fled the city during the war and came back after the cease-fire. The psychological difficulty that the people are in, is very big. The children are the ones that suffered the most.
[Ofer Zafrani, Vice Deputy Director, Danciger School]:
"Our children that were in the shelters during the last week are feeling after trauma, they are afraid, every noise, are making them shaking and they feel very bad."
The local government and the management of the schools are doing everything in their power to restore the confidence in the parents and children. The first thing is to detect the children that are suffering from anxiety and try to give the appropriate help and support.
[Haim Barbibay, Mayor of Kiriat Shmone]:
"There is no reason for this destruction, no reason for this war, no reason for this suffering that the people encounter. In spite of the destruction of houses and the huge quantity of katiusha, no one was killed and we are happy it is like this. Because buildings can be fixed, but people can not be brought back."
2000 private homes and 3 schools have been severely damaged but all this can be fixed because is just a matter of money, but all the people who have been injured, their wounds won' t heal for a long time. Reporting from Kiriat Shmone, Isabella Xiong, NTDTV Israel.
3 Views
04:53:00 08/30/06
Japanese sci-fi manga Earthsea makes debut
[LESS INFO] 3 VIEWS | ADDED 04:53:00 08/30/06
CHAN:
The story of young frustrated prince is making its debut in the Japanese animation film industry. Earthsea explores issues of father-son rivalry and opens with shocking scenes.
STORY:
Gedo Senki is the Japanese name of this latest manga created by Director, Goro Miyazaki. As the eldest son of Hayao Miyazaki , Japan 's most famous animator and Academy Award-winner, a younger Miyazaki is trying to make an even bigger mark. He has been fascinated by animation since childhood, but worked as a landscape planner to avoid being compared to his father. But the family genes kicked in and he made his own manga.
[GORO MIYAZAKI , DIRECTOR]:
"I don't feel pressured at least while making this film. Because I am a mere challenger. If it doesn't work, then I just accept the fact that I am not good enough to direct."
The internationally beloved fantasy ÂÂEarthsea,ÂÂ is based on books written by U.S. author Ursula K. Le Guine. Goro's father fiercely opposed to the idea, but after ten months of hard work it might pay off.
[GORO MIYAZAKI , DIRECTOR]:
"By directing this movie I've also become a sort of his rival even though mine and his products may far-differ in quality."
The movie is based a troubled prince called Arren. He meets up with Ged, a wizard searching for a blight, causing all magic to fail. Critics and viewers are divided, but his father praises the film's honest approach.
Earthsea will show in 50 countries including the US .
6 Views
04:41:00 08/30/06
Israel After the Hezbollah Cease - Fire
[LESS INFO] 6 VIEWS | ADDED 04:41:00 08/30/06
CHAN:
Haifa , the third largest city after Tel Aviv and Jerusalem and the main port in Israel , has suffered great losses in life and property during the one-month war against Hezbollah. But a cease-fire agreement has since been reached. Here's more on how the people of Haifa are dealing with the loss and restarting their lives.
View on Haifa. Courtesy: Haifa , Association of Tourism
STORY:
The city of Haifa renowned for its beauty and abundance of historic sites, has suffered many casualties and loss of property. The missiles launched from Lebanon by the Hezbollah militant group, did not distinguish between Jews, Muslims and Christians.
[Yona Yahav, Mayor of Haifa]:
"We have a very significant and important Arab community in our city, which is living side by side with Jewish people here, in a very harmonious way."
The rockets that hit the city contained thousands of small metal bullets spreading over a vicinity of 1000 meters, killing everybody in their path. Traces can still be seen on walls and fences.
[Yona Yahav, Mayor of Haifa]:
"This city was never in a state of war. For the first time the city was under a shadow of rockets and the terrorists tried to jeopardize the harmonious life between all segments of society here, which has lasted more than 100 years."
During the war, sirens were heard very often, and people had to take refuge in shelters and other safe places. This resident of the Bat Galim area, one of the first wounded, did not have enough time to run to a safe place.
[Malka Karasenty, Police Volunteer]:
"I heard the siren. I didn't know if to weak up or continue sleep. Finally I woke up and went to the bathroom then I heard this boom. All the walls in the apartment fell on me. My collarbone and ribs broke and blood splashed from my head all over my face."
Amidst the deserted ruins of Malka's building, the only sound of life comes from the clock on the third floor, which the bomb did not succeed to silence. The local government has worked day and night to clean and fix the city after each missile hit. War damages amount to at least a few million dollars.
[Yona Yahav, Mayor of Haifa]:
"Now we are in a process of reconstruction of the destroyed homes. About 50 buildings were destroyed in certain extends and 13 people got killed and about 50 people very heavily injured and in this respect the city was hit very severely. But because it is a very strong community we were able to prevail over all our difficulties and return to the routine."
For this resident of the Vady Nisnas area, returning to a normal routine is still quite difficult.
[Hana Walid, Carpenter]:
"It's disrupting your life, disrupting your work and when it's concerning yourself, fear is added. Some missiles hit my house and my carpentry shop. Another missile hit there and two people were killed, neighbors we know. We still don't comprehend what happened, it will take some time."
The local government is initiating a fair to help local merchants recover from the losses they have suffered during the war and to put them back on their feet. Though the citizens of Haifa are returning to the normal daily life, it seems to be only on the surface. It will probably take some time for the people to really overcome the fear of war, and the fear of losing loved ones.
Reporting from Haifa , Isabella Xiong, NTDTV Israel .
Thank you to the Haifa Association of Tourism for providing pictures of the city.
6 Views
04:30:00 08/30/06
International Festival of Outdoor - Theater in Israel
[LESS INFO] 6 VIEWS | ADDED 04:30:00 08/30/06
STORY:
A short time after the cease-fire in the North, Bat-Yam city offers a free three-days happening of parades and shows on the promenade. This is the tenth anniversary of the international Festival. The Israeli Opera, crafts fair, and dozens of circus acrobats, dancers, clowns and musicians, entertain Israelis and tourists.
[Mr. SHLOMI LEHAYANI, MAYOR OF BAT-YAM]:
"It was a tough time for us last month in Israel , because of the war in Lebanon , and I want everybody to enjoy...and I wish for everyone peace and quiet and enjoying life. Life is so beautiful, and there are so many things to do and to see, we don't need to waste our time in wars. Here we are only for festival and having fun and enjoy. This festival's sponsorship by the municipality of Bat-Yam ."
Every performance tells a story. Most of them are about relationships and interactions between people: mother & daughter striving to communicate with each other, a Prima-Balerina with a devoted fan coming to the big city for fame & glory - plots between reality and fantasy, and lots of clown-like make-up.
[DAPHY MORALI, ACROBAT]:
"We are acrobats; we perform acts, air-acts, like Trapeze and Tissue. We just put together two things, and itâs amazing."
One hundred giant masks have been posted along the promenade. They have been made by 100 Israeli famous artists from various fields, not necessarily sculptors.
[ROSE HAYON, RESIDENT OF BAT-YAM]:
"All the people here is out of house, has come here for what you see - all this, it's very very nice."
For a small country, Israel has a lot of festivals of various kinds. They form an opportunity for creativity and inspiration, and allow people of all ages to rewind and relax. May Israel and its neighbors exchange cultures instead of bombs. Reporting from Israel , Linoy Markram, NTDTV
2 Views
04:25:00 08/30/06
Indian police recover explosives from a pond near Mumbai
[LESS INFO] 2 VIEWS | ADDED 04:25:00 08/30/06
CHAN:
Indian children found almost two dozen objects believed to be hand grenades in a pond near their village. The police are still investigating.
STORY:
The pond is 120 km away from India 's western financial hub of Mumbai in the village Abid Ghar.
[SAINIK DESHMUK PUSHTE, LOCAL VILLAGER:]
"The children were grazing their animals near the pond and they came to know that something was here. They did not know initially it was a Bomb and they went back to their village and informed their father. Then the police party arrived here."
The police suspect the explosives surfaced as the water level in the pond receded. The police are questioning people from the nearby factories and scrap yards for any clue about the origin of the suspected material.
Mumbai was hit with a serial train bomb blast on July 11th that killed more than 180 people. Mumbai police shot dead one Pakistani national suspected to be responsible for the blasts and arrested another on Tuesday from a city centre. So far, 13 people have been arrested in connection with the July 11 strikes.
5 Views
04:10:00 08/30/06
Indian Artist Paints Mother Teresa
[LESS INFO] 5 VIEWS | ADDED 04:10:00 08/30/06
CHAN:
An Indian artist is painting insightful portraits of the now sainted Mother Teresa. She was close with the humanitarian icon while she was still alive and the portraits provide a window to a personal view of the saint.
STORY:
An Indian artist paintS the unknown face of Mother Teresa to pay tribute to the saint of gutters. Sunita Kumar of eastern Kolkata paints a reflection of various moods of the Mother in acrylic on canvas, who was better known to the world for her extraordinary love and dedication to the poor and abandoned.
A self-taught amateur artist, Kumar enjoyed a very close relationship with Mother Teresa during her lifetime, and considers her paintings a labour of love and respect.
[SUNITA KUMAR, ARTIST]:
"She was a normal person like you and me. Her fondness for architecture or buildings or appreciation of that was all there but the people seldom saw that side of her as they mostly see her as a holy person. I wanted to show that side of her as well as my fondness for her, my affection.... I am showing it through my work, I couldn't have done it in words."
Twenty seven of Kumar's paintings dedicated to Mother Teresa will be exhibited in a joint exhibition with M F Hussain in New York city . The exhibition will start from September 18. Albanian born Mother Teresa made Kolkata her home and dedicated her life to he service of poor and destitute children. Mother Teresa, was beatified by the Pope in October 2003, paving the way for her official sainthood. She received many prestigious humanitarian awards during her lifetime, including the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979.
3 Views
03:52:00 08/30/06
Indian activists plan Coca-Cola and Pepsi blockades
[LESS INFO] 3 VIEWS | ADDED 03:52:00 08/30/06
CHAN:
An Indian environmental group on Wednesday said it would temporarily paralyse the supply of Coca-Cola and Pepsi products in the country. The group's protest started after allegations of dangerous levels of pesticides were found in their drinks.
STORY:
The New Delhi-based Research Foundation for Science, Technology and Ecology said it would blockade trucks of the two drinks companies for five days starting on November 21 as part of its "Quit India" campaign targeting the global giants.
Foundation director Vandana Shiva stated that the next three months will see an awareness campaign in schools and villages which will endeavor to ban Coke and Pepsi. Both companies maintain their drinks are safe, while experts say the controversy has overshadowed the real issue of pesticide usage in India being high and that most farm products are contaminated.
The Centre for Science and Environment published the controversial report earlier this month. It has now triggered a ban on the sale of the drinks in several Indian states. The southern state of Kerala declared a total ban on the drinks. Foundation activists say they want Coke and Pepsi thrown out of the country entirely as their drinks are not nutritious and they accuse the companies of contaminating the land and depleting the groundwater around their factories in India .
(Banwari Lal Sharma - member of the foundation's Quit India campaign)
"They are looting our health, they are looting our rights, they are looting our environment and they are looting our money. They take our water, just pollute it add some hazardous things and take thousands and thousands of crores out of this country. Our fight is, that these torch bearers of corporate colonialism should be thrown out of our country, as the British were thrown out of our country".
Coca-Cola and Pepsi said they would not comment on the planned blockades.
4 Views
03:44:00 08/30/06
He Yeow Sun Warms the Cool Summer Evening
[LESS INFO] 4 VIEWS | ADDED 03:44:00 08/30/06
CHAN:
This past weekend, we were invited to famed celebrity photographer Patrick McMullan's birthday party, thrown by fashion designer Nicole Miller. And invited as a special guest to the party, is the rising Singaporean pop star singer, He Yeow Sun.
STORY:
Patrick turns 51 on August 30th, and tells us that it's become a tradition for him to hold a summer birthday party at the end of August so that everyone can come and have a good time. About 200 people packed his home in South Hampton this year to celebrate with him. And to bring warmth to the cool summer evening, Patrick invited famous pop star singer He Yeow Sun.
[Patrick McMullan]:
"And so I said' well, you know, I am relaxed but I'm going to have my big party at the end of the summer. And I said, Ok, well let me meet Sun. And so I photographed Sun working with Wyclef in the studio and we got along very well. And Segal said Sun wants to something big out here, and I said well, let's do it together."
Sun has been on the top of the charts in Asia and in the US . Since 2002, she's released 4 albums, and 4 singles, with another album to debut in the first quarter of next year.
[He Yeow Sun]:
I love music. And I love positive messages and I feel like I'm using music. You know music is helping me to translate that any kind of culture, any kind of person and I see the effect on people. And my fans write letters to me tell me how my music has changed them. And it just blows my mind away. Because that's what I want to do. I want to make people happy, you know and to hear that I'm really doing that, it just feels so fulfilling, so satisfying. It's not just money. It's not just about expressing yourself. It's also about making this world more beautiful and happier."
Surely, with such a positive spirit, we'll continue to see Sun rise on the charts.
0 Views
03:37:00 08/30/06
China Jails Times Researcher
[LESS INFO] 0 VIEWS | ADDED 03:37:00 08/30/06
CHAN:
A Beijing court has dismissed charges that a Chinese researcher for the New York Times illegally leaked state secrets. But the court has found him guilty of fraud and sentenced him to three years in prison. This comes after a trial focused on the inadequacies of the Chinese judicial system. Here's more:
STORY:
Zhao Yan, 44, had been accused of telling the U.S. newspaper details of rivalry between Chinese President Hu Jintao and his predecessor, Jiang Zemin, over military appointments in 2004.
The paper reported in September that year that Jiang was likely to retire as China 's military chief, handing over his sole remaining post to Hu a forecast that turned out to be true. But in a surprise turn on Friday, the court said there was "insufficient evidence" for the state secrets charge, which had made Zhao a focus of U.S. human rights pressure on China .
In the event, it found him guilty of fraud, after allegations that he had taken 20,000 yuan ($2,500) from a village official for helping him evade "labor re-education" a form of imprisonment. Zhao says he is innocent of fraud and that he will appeal the ruling.
[ZHAO KUN, SISTER]:
"I think it is not valid. I have been with his lawyer. He has done loads of work. I think it's not valid."
Zhao Yan joined the Beijing bureau of the New York Times in 2004, after working as a combative investigative journalist for Chinese publications and as a "rights defender", specializing in exposes of official misdeeds and rural suffering. In recent weeks, China has cracked down on human rights dissidents including Gao Zhisheng and the blind lawyer Chen Guangcheng.
2 Views
03:28:00 08/30/06
Blind Chinese Lawyer Gets 4 Years
[LESS INFO] 2 VIEWS | ADDED 03:28:00 08/30/06
CHAN:
Blind Chinese human rights lawyer Chen Guangcheng has been sentenced to 4 years in prison by Chinese courts. Many are calling the trial a sham and part of a CCP crackdown on democracy and human rights advocates.
Chen was tried without the benefit of his lawyers, who were barred from the court. He was being tried for trumped-up and bogus charges of blocking traffic and damaging public property. The verdict from Yinan County Court in Shandong came as a shock to Chen's wife, Yuan Weijing, who had not been notified by the court.
Chinese say the unexpectedly heavy sentence means officials are cracking down on "rights defenders" - a growing network of lawyers, academics and dissidents seeking to expand citizens' freedoms through litigation and Internet-driven campaigns for legal reform. Chen is a self-educated lawyer who has tirlessly campaigned for the rights of China 's farmers and the blind.
08/30/06