23August2000

CHINA E-LOBBY UPDATE: AUGUST 23, 2000

TOP STORY: COMMUNIST CHINA ARRESTS BROTHER OF LITERARY EDITOR
ARREST COMES HOURS AFTER U.S. PRESSES CASE FOR BOSTON-BASED POET
Mere hours after U.S. Ambassador Joseph Prueher expressed concern to Communist authorities about the arrest of Huang Bei Ling ï¿½ poet, magazine editor, and permanent resident of Boston ï¿½ the Communists arrested his brother. BBC reported police gave no explanation for the arrest of Haung Feng; nor have they announced the charges against Bei Ling, as heï¿½s known, who was editor of the literary magazine Tendency.

As the last update reported, the magazineï¿½s seven-year run came to an abrupt end when it published articles on underground writers in Communist China and poems not cleared by censors. Frank Lu, of the Information Center for Human Rights and Democracy in China, said the arrest of Haung Feng was ï¿½retributionï¿½ for U.S. involvement in the case. All of this is part of a growing crackdown on dissent and critics of the regime. Link: BBC

FOCUS: COMMUNIST OPPRESSION OF UIGHUR MUSLIMS IN XINGJIANG/EAST TURKESTAN
PRC HOPES TO DROWN UIGHUR CUTLURE, EAST TURKESTANI MOVEMENT IN CASH
After years of obscurity, the Uighur Muslims of Xingjiang, or East Turkestan to those fighting for independence from Communist China, are garnering major media attention. Agence France Presse and the Washington Post have both dedicated stories to their plight this week. The Communists are hoping that major development in this mineral-rich region will pull the restive Uighurs away from their cultural heritage.

The Uighurs, still a majority in the region called a ï¿½second Tibet,ï¿½ are so protective of their Muslim faith and culture that the independence movement has survived a endless and ruthless Communist campaign against it. Links: AFP, Washington Post

AMERICAN-RELATED NEWS
BUSH CAMPAIGN SCUTTLED TOUGHER TALK ON COMMUNIST CHINA IN PARTY PLATFORM
The Washington Post reported this week that the campaign of Governor George W. Bush (Republican ï¿½ Texas), the partyï¿½s presidential nominee, blocked efforts within the Republican Party to toughen up language on Communist China in the GOP platform. The story reveals the fission in the Republican Party on the PRC, with the anti-engagement, strong pro-Taiwan Republicans mostly on the outside of the campaign looking in. Link: Washington Post

TIANANMEN BUTCHER LI PENG, COMMUNIST PRESIDENT JIANG TO VISIT THE UNITED STATES
Li Peng, currently chairman of the Communist legislature and No. 2 official in the Peopleï¿½s Republic of China, will be in New York next week for a U.N. conference for legislative leaders. Communist President Jiang Zemin will be in town for a similar U.N. conference the following week. Neither Jiang nor Li, who ordered the troops into Tiananmen Square in 1989, appear to have any meetings with U.S. officials planned. Link: AFP

INTERNATIONAL NEWS
COMMUNIST CHINA STILL BUYING FROM RUSSIAN MILITARY DESPITE KURSK DISASTER
Military experts told AFP that despite the Kursk disaster, Communist China will continue to buy Russian naval vessels to upgrade their antiquated navy. The PRC has bought $6 billion in military hardware from Russia since 1991. Link: AFP

HUMAN RIGHTS AND FREEDOMS NEWS
HIGH SCHOOL TEACHER ARRESTED FOR ANTICOMMUNIST ARTICLES ON INTERNET
Agence France Presse learned from a security spokesman that Communist police in Sichuan province arrested Jiang Shihua, a computer high school teacher, for posting articles critical of the Communists on the interent. Jiang, who used the pen name ï¿½Shuminï¿½ (citizen), was charged with ï¿½incitement to subvert state powerï¿½ last week. Reporters Without Borders (RSF ï¿½ French acronym), publicly demanded his release. Links: AFP - arrest, AFP - RSF statement

CASE OF JAILED LAWYER HELPING PEASANTS SUE TOWNS OVER TAXES REOPENED
AFP reported the case of Ma Wenlin, arrested for helping 5,000 peasant sue local governments over the high taxes officials use to augment their salaries, was reopened by the Yulin court that jailed her. Since her arrest, over 30,000 signed a petition demanding the release of Wenlin, mistakenly called a paralegal in the last update. Link: AFP

FALUN GONG REFUSES TO GO AWAY
The Washington Post reported today on the continuing resilience of Falun Gong against the Communist governmentï¿½s attempt to ban it. The story includes many stories of followers threatened, injured, and killed by Communists in their desperate attempt to thwart the spiritual movement. The Communists consider Falun Gong the biggest threat to the regime since the pro-democracy demonstrations of 1989 in Tiananmen Sqaure. Link: Washington Post

COMMUNIST-APPOINTED ï¿½RELIGIOUS LEADERSï¿½ DENY RELIGIOUS PERSECUTION IN PRC
The leaders of the PRCï¿½s five ï¿½recognized faithsï¿½ ï¿½ ï¿½patrioticï¿½ copies of Buddhism, Taoism, Islam, Protestantism, and Catholicism created by Communist China ï¿½ met in Beijing Wednesday to prepare for the Millenium Peace Summit of religious leaders ï¿½ the one to which the Dalai Lama was not invited. The five leaders, all appointed by the Communists, denied religious persecution exists and criticized Falun Gong. Link: AFP

OTHER MAINLAND NEWS
COMMUNIST PRESIDENT CALLS FOR ï¿½SAFE MANAGEMENT OF INFORMATIONï¿½
Communist President Jiang Zemin, in a speech reported by Xinhua and the BBC, asked for an international agreement to ensure, in his words, ï¿½the safe management of informationï¿½ on the internet, which he also praised to the skies. The purpose of the internet, the free, fast flow of information, is still not well liked by Jiang, for obvious reasons. Link: BBC

ANOTHER 125,000 FORCED FROM THEIR HOMES DUE TO THREE GORGES DAM
The Communist controlled Xinhua news agency reported another 125,000 residents will be moved from the area surrounding the massive Three Gorges Dam. The ecological damage and heavy corruption in the project was, as expected, never mentioned. Link: Xinhua

ï¿½MOST FAMOUS ENTREPRENUERï¿½ LOSES APPEAL OF LIFE SENTENCE FOR CORRUPTION
AFP, citing Communist-run Xinhua, reported Mou Qizhong, once the richest and most well known businessman in Communist China, has lost his appeal of a life sentence given to him for corruption. Mou was hailed as a role model for years, but became a symbol of the rampant corruption in the country when he was convicted of embezzling $75 million from the Communist banks that helped start his rise. Link: AFP

COMMUNISTS PRAISE ANTI-CORRUPTION FILM, TELL LEADERS TO WATCH
Xinhua did some self-congratulating over an anti-corruption film recently released. The Communists like the film so much they have added it to the required ideological training for public officials and their families, redefining ï¿½captive audience.ï¿½ The fictitious account involves a Shanghai scandal, but not on the scale of the $6 billion Xiamen smuggling ring. Link: AFP

REPUBLIC OF CHINA (TAIWAN) NEWS
DISPATCHES FROM PRESIDENT CHEN SHUI-BIANï¿½S INTERNATIONA TRIP
Visting the Dominican Republic for the swearing in of its new president, ROC President Chen Suhi-bian offered $4.8 million in foreign aid to help the Carribean nationï¿½s credit status with the International Monetary Fund. In Gambia, he pledged assistance to advance the economy. Gambiaï¿½s President responded by insisting Gambia would always support Taiwanï¿½s efforts for diplomatic recognition despite the PRCï¿½s ï¿½intimidation.ï¿½ AFP - Dominican Republic, AFP - Gambia

DEPUTY TAIPEI MAYOR CLEARED TO VISIT MAINLAND NEXT MONTH
Pai Hsiu-hsiung, deputy mayor of Taipei, will visit Beijing and Shnaghai during his week-ong trip, which Taiwanï¿½s Mainland Affiars Council approved last week. It will be the first trip by an official of his rank from the capital city to visit the mainland. Link: AFP

PRO-REUNIFCATION SIGNS REMOVED FROM PRESIDENTIAL OFFICE BUILDING
AFP, citing the China Times Daily, reported the government had removed to large signs from the Presidentï¿½s office building. The staff insisted the signs calling for ï¿½Reunification under freedom and democracyï¿½ were removed for safety reasons only. Link: AFP

HONG KONG NEWS
LEADING DISSIDENT GETS PERMANENT RESIDENCE IN HONG KONG
Frank Lu, Director of the Information Center for Human Rights and Democracy in China, informed AFP that Hong Kongï¿½s immigration bureau granted him permanent residency on Thursday. Luï¿½s organization is based in Hong Kong and a source for many update stories. Lu, one of Communist Chinaï¿½s most consistent critics in Hong Kong, was granted asylum by the UK in 1993 after taking part in the Tiananmen protests of 1989. Link: AFP

TIBET NEWS
COMMUNIST CHINA WORRIED ABOUT OPEN NEPAL BORDER AFTER LAMA ESCAPE
Chakra Prasad Bastola, Foreign Minister for Nepal, arrived on Sunday to meet with his Communist Chinese counterpart Tang Jiaxuan, about the long open border between the two countries and Tibetan activsts in Nepal, according to AFP. The Karmapa Lama, raised by Communist China to entrench its control on Tibet, escaped through Nepal to India last year. Link: AFP

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