26July2000

CHINA E-LOBBY UPDATE

TOP STORY: FALUN GONG PROTESTS MARK ONE-YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF BAN
COMMUNIST CHINAï¿½S FUTILITY IN ATTEMTPING TO BAN THE GROUP IS MORE OBVIOUS DAILY
One year after the Peopleï¿½s Republic of China banned Falun Gong, the spiritual movement continues to survive, and make its presence known. On Thursday, Agence France Presse reported dozens of protestors were arrested. Another 200 were arrested Saturday ï¿½ the one-year-anniversary of the ban ï¿½ many suffering brutal police treatment. More arrests were made on Sunday; the protests spread to the southwest on Monday.

Despite the mass arrests, the crackdown has gained the Communists only acute embarrassment. Frank Lu, Director of the Information Center for Human Rights and Democracy in China, said the Communist persecution of Falun Gong is ï¿½comparable to what happened during the Cultural Revolution.ï¿½

Links: AFP1, AFP2, Washington Post, AFP3, AFP4

FOLLOW UP: HOUSE SPEAKER REFUSES TO FIRE EX-LOBBYIST FOR COMMUNIST CHINESE
The Washington Times reported that House Speaker Dennis Hastert, despite increasing pressure, has refused to fire Nancy Dorn, his new national security aide. As the last update reported, Dorn previously lobbied for Hutchison Whampoa, a company owned in part by Communist China, that currently controls the container ports of the Panama Canal. Link: Washington Times

HUMAN RIGHTS AND FREEDOMS NEWS
FOUNDER OF CHINA DEMOCRACY PARTY MAY BE SUFFERING FROM TUBERCULOSIS
Wang Youcai, serving an 11-year prison term for starting the China Democracy Party, may have contracted tuberculosis while in prison, according to his wife. She told AFP Wang was coughing continuously, and that a fellow inmate who had fallen ill with the disease was kept in the same cell with him until very recently. Link: AFP

POLICE ARREST VILLAGERS ATTEMPTING TO REGISTER A COMPLAINT
Twelve villagers seeking to register a complaint with local authorities in the village of Nanxin were arrested by Communist police, according to the Information Center on Human Rights and Democracy in China. They were protesting a merger between Nanxin and Beixin villages. AFP reports 5,000 protested against the merger in March. Link: AFP

CAMPAIGN AGAINST FREE THOUGHT IN COMMUNIST CHINA CONTINUES APACE
Time Asia has a major piece in this weekï¿½s edition regarding the plight of intellectuals and others facing political repression in Communist China. The story noted that the latest wave of repression in Communist China, like all those before it, followed a period of apparent leniency, which many took to mean they could at last speak their minds. A recent increase in popular protests, in the authorï¿½s view, led to the crackdown. Link: Time Asia

OTHER MAINLAND NEWS
HALF OF COMMUNIST CHINESE TROOPS AFRAID TO FIGHT, ACCORDING TO SURVEY
China Youth Daily in a report picked up by the BBC, released a survey of 16,000 soldiers in the Peopleï¿½s Liberation Army, of which half of those surveyed admitted they were afraid to fight. That state-run paper said authorities were hoping the PLA hospital that conducted the survey could find solutions to the problem. Link: BBC

NEARLY 100 COMMUNIST OFFICIALS CONVICTED OF THREE GORGES DAM CORRUPTION
BBC reported Friday that 97 officials involved with the Three Gorges Dam fiasco have been convicted of corruption, including one man sentenced to death for embezzling $1 million. Xinhua, the Communist news agency, quoted government auditors saying $52 million may have been stolen in all. Despite the corruption, the hydroelectric project dreamed up by Li Peng, instigator of the Tiananmen massacre, continues unabated. Link: BBC

CORRUPTION DOUBLES FROM LAST YEAR
Communist Chinese media admitted major government corruption cases are double what they were last year at this time, according to AFP. The Communists will consider a corruption cases major if it involves over $120,000 (roughly one million yuan) taken or causes severe injuries including loss of life. Link: AFP

OVER 5,000 CHINESE ESCAPED TO ITALY LAST YEAR
After breaking a criminal organization that helped Chinese emigrants escape to Italy, Italian officials said the syndicate helped over 5,000 Chinese escape the PRC last year, according to AFP. The organizationslike the one in Italy usually charge high fees for the forged document needed to escape; the result is often akin to indentured service for the escapees. Link: AFP

COMMUNSIT CHINA CAPTURES 134 TRYING TO ESCAPE
Communist Chinese police captured 134 people trying to escape in two northeastern raids. AFP, who reported the story, noted that the two groups were most likely trying to escape to Japan or South Korea. Link: AFP

PNTR NEWS: SENATOR WELLSTONE READIES AMENDMENTS
Senator Paul Wellstone (D-Minnesota) said in a statement last week he is preparing ï¿½about a dozenï¿½ amendments to the bill granting Permanent Normal Trade Relations to Communist China. Wellstoneï¿½s amendments will focus on human rights and environmental issues. Any amendments, if attached to PNTR, would force a second vote in both houses of Congress, greatly reducing its chances for passage this year. Link: AFP

OTHER AMERICAN-RELATED NEWS
LOS ALAMOS WHISTLEBLOWER UNDER INVESTIGATION; LAPTOP SEIZED WITHOUT WARRANT
Notra Trulock, the former counterintelligence official at the Energy Department who blew the whistle on Communist Chinese espionage at the Los Alamos nuclear power plant, is under FBI investigation for ï¿½disclosure of classified information.ï¿½ His laptop computer was seized, without a warrant, after the owner of the house he was renting allowed it. Trulock said the investigation is ï¿½in retaliation for my whistleblowing.ï¿½ Link: Washington Times

CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEE HEARS FROM EXPERTS ON DANGER OF COMMUNIST CHINA
The House Armed Services Committee held hearings last week on the military danger posed by Communist China. Analysts told the committee the PRC was not only interested in retaking Taiwan ï¿½ by an means necessary ï¿½ but in expanding their power throughout Asia, greatly threatening American interests in the process. Link: AFP

INTERNTIONAL NEWS
FALUN GONG MEMBERS IN SWEDEN PROTEST COMMUNIST CHINAï¿½S OPPRESSION
About 50 Swedish members of Falun Gong demonstrated in Stockholm on Thursday against Communist Chinaï¿½s continuing efforts to crush the spiritual movement. Lilly Wang, spokeswoman for Nordic Falungong, blasted the PRC for the year-long crackdown that has been terribly cruel yet woefully ineffective (see above). Link: AFP

COMMUNIST CHINESE SPY SHIP IRKS JAPAN
The Japanese government launched a formal protest to Communist China over a Yanbing class icebreaker believed to be a spy ship. Japan is particularly miffed about the ship entering Japanese waters. Communist China admits the ship has ï¿½espionage capabilities,ï¿½ but insists the ship has only been in international waters. Link: AFP

REPUBLIC OF CHINA (TAIWAN) NEWS
COMMUNIST CHINA LOOKING FOR OLIVE BRANCHES?
Asiaweek magazine is reporting the Communist China has decided not hold off its saber rattling in attempts to restart cross-straits talks, with the PRC hopes will lead to reunification. The story did not say Communist China was willing to consider reunification in a form other the PRC absorption of Taiwan, which is supported by almost no one in the ROC. The piece is a good analysis on perceptions in Beijing and Taipei. Link: Asiaweek

COMMUNIST CHINA SLAMS DPP FOR INSISTING TAIWAN DECIDE ITS OWN FUTURE
Meanwhile, Communist China, through its press, once again blasted Taiwanï¿½s ruling Democratic Progressive Party for insisting in its convention that Taiwan be allowed to decide its own fate. According to AFP, the PRC also claimed the DPP and President Chen Shui-bian were threatening regional stability, conveniently ignoring its own vituperative threats. Link: AFP

VICE PRESIDENT LU TELLS THE TRUTH AND CAUSES ANOTHER FIRESTORM WITH IT
ROC Vice President Annette Lu, a prominent independence advocate before her election on President Chenï¿½s ticket, told National Sun-Yat Sen University on Sunday that ï¿½Taiwan is definitely not part of the PRC.ï¿½ She flatly rejected Beijingï¿½s definition of ï¿½One China,ï¿½ which would force Taiwan under the PRCï¿½s thumb. Link: AFP

PREMIER TANG SAYS NO SECRET TALKS WITH PRC
Premier Tang Fei told parliament that his government will not engage in secret talks with Communist China. He reacted to news that two aides of then-President Lee Teng-hui had conducted secret talks with the PRC from 1988 to 1992. The talks led to the ï¿½one China, several interpretationsï¿½ agreement that Communist China later denied ever existed. Link: AFP

XIAMEN MAYOR CANCELS VISIT TO KAOHSIUNG; EX-VP DENIES REPORTS OF MAINLAND TRIP
Xiamen Mayor Zhu Yayan announced his trip to the Taiwanese city of Kaohsiung would be cancelled. Zhu blamed Taiwanï¿½s government for ï¿½obstruction,ï¿½ according to the Communist news agency Xinhua. Meanwhile, former Vice President Lien Chan, chairman of the Nationalist Party, denied reports he was planning a visit to the mainland. Link: AFP

COMMUNIST CHINA SENTENCES ROC ï¿½SPYï¿½ TO FIVE YEARS IN PRISON
According to the Communist run newspaper, a PRC court convicted Yue Jiaching, co-founder of a food business, to five years in jail for spying. The Workers Daily said Yue had been a spy for the ROC since 1998, and visited the mainland ten time to gather information for Taiwan. Yue had started the business in 1997 with a partner on the mainland. Link: Workers Daily via AFP

LIVE-FIRE TEST CUT SHORT BY COMMUNIST CHINESE FISHING BOATS
The Taiwanese military conducted a shortened live fire air-defense missile test on the island of Kinmen on Monday. Four fishing boats from Communist China forced the exercise to be cut short. The military did not speculate publicly on why the boast would have been there. They also denied any correlation to a series of live fire tests conducted by the PRC. Link: AFP

HONG KONG NEWS
TUNG CHEE-HWAï¿½S ATTEMPT TO SILENCE POLLSTER STILL RIPPLES THROUGH CITY
Did he or didnï¿½t he? The question of whether or not Tung Chee-hwa, Hong Kong Beijing-appointed Chief Executive, pressured Hong Kong University to stop polling his sinking popularity continues to cause problems for Tung. Students have demanded an independent investigation into the matter, which was reported in a previous update. They held a 16-hour sit-in to register their feelings to the vice-chancellor. Link: Time Asia

HONG KONG iMAIL CALLS FALUN GONG PROTESTS THE ï¿½SHINING LIGHTï¿½ OF AUTONOMY
The web site Hong Kong iMail editorialized on the plight of Falun Gong worshippers on the mainland, and the struggle of one practitioner to enter Hong Kong. The web site noted, among other things, that Falun Gong, which is still legal in the city, has become a ï¿½shining light in Hong Kongï¿½s crown of autonomy.ï¿½ Link: Hong Kong iMail

XINJIANG/EAST TURKESTAN NEWS
PRC SLAMS HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVESï¿½ DEMAND TO RELEASE UIGHUR DISSIDENT
Communist China took umbrage with a House of Representatives resolution, passed unanimously, calling on Communist China to release Uighur dissident Rebiya Kadeer. Police arrested Kadeer, a long time supporter of the oppressed Uighur Muslims, last year (a previous update mistakenly had the arrest as more recent) for leaking ï¿½state secrets.ï¿½ Her family is becoming concerned about her health; she suffers from heart disease. Link: AFP

No news to report from Tibet this week. News from Tibet can take a while to reach the outside world. If you find a report on Tibet, or anything else regarding Communist China, please send it to the address below.

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