| CHINA E-LOBBY UPDATE TOP STORY: COMMUNISTS KILL TWO FALUN GONG MEMBERS BY FORCE-FEEDING THEM BOTH HAD STAGED HUNGER STRIKES TO PROTEST BEING TORTURED IN CUSTODY The BBC reported that An Xiukun, who was staging a hunger strike to protest being shackled at the ankles by police, became the 25th known Falun Gong practitioner to die in custody. The Information Center on Human Rights and Democracy in China said Communist police choked her to death in an attempt to end her hunger strike by force-feeding her. Link: AFP One day after news of An�s death was released, the Information Center revealed yet another Falun Gong member, Gong Boahua, died after being force-fed by Communists. Gong had staged a hunger strike to protest police breaking her nose. After being force-fed through that very same nose, she fainted, never regained consciousness, and died. Link: AFP PNTR NEWS: COMMUNIST CHINA USING WTO TO MUSCLE TAIWAN Communist China is trying to force Taiwan to enter the World Trade Organization under a label as part of the PRC, or get shut out of the trade group altogether. Many politicians backed Permanent Normal Trade Relations for Communist China on the premise that one the PRC was in the WTO, Taiwan would follow swiftly. John Bolton slammed the PRC action in an opinion piece for the National Post, a Canadian paper. Link: National Post HUMAN RIGHTS AND FREEDOMS NEWS RAPE OF WOMAN FORCED INTO MENTAL HOSPITAL SHINES LIGHT ON DARK TRUTH IN PRC The Washington Post reported on the harrowing story of a 26-year-old married mother who was sent to a mental institution because her a ID card was stolen. Pronounced �mentally disturbed� without trial or evaluation, the woman was repeatedly raped, and local Communist authorities moved heaven and earth to cover it up. Many in Communist China are sent to mental institutions for anything other than a real illness. Link: Washington Post ZHONG GONG LEADER, IN GUAM, ASKS FOR POLITICAL ASYLUM The founder of the Zhong Gong spiritual sect is in the American territory of Guam, seeking political asylum, according to the Information Center on Human Rights and Democracy in China. Agence France Presse reported Zhang Hangbao fled Communist in February. The People�s Republic of China has banned Zhong Gong, a sect similar to Falun Gong. Link: AFP HARVARD UNIVERSITY UNDER INVESTIGATION FOR GENETIC RESEARCH IN COMMUNIST CHINA Three medical institutions affiliated with Harvard University are under federal investigation for their current research on genetics in Communist China. Federal officials are concerned that the residents who participated did not give true consent, and can be subject to �genetic discrimination� if found to have genes linked to disease. In the PRC, such discrimination can include forced sterilization by Communist authorities. Link: Boston Globe OTHER MAINLAND NEWS STATE-RUN INSURANCE OFFICIAL GETS DEATH PENALTY FOR EMBEZZLING $99,000 You read that right. For embezzling less than $100,000, Wu Wei, and official with the Communist-run China Pacific Insurance Corporation, was sentenced to death. This is part of the PRC�s �life and death� battle against rampant corruption in the country. Link: AFP CHENG KEJIE ALSO TO BE EXECUTED FOR TAKING $4.5 MILLION IN BRIBES Cheng Kejie, a vice-chairman of the National People�s Congress, was sentenced to death for taking over $4.5 million in bribes. His arrest and expulsion from the legislature was reported in previous updates. BBC, which reported the sentence, also notes other high profile executions due to corruption charges in its story. Link: BBC CORRUPTION CASES TO BE USED FOR NEW IDEOLOGICAL CAMPAIGN AFP reported that the Chinese Communist Party, desperate to make lemonade out of a sea of lemons, issued a call to use corruption cases as a basis for more education in party ideology. President Jiang Zemin has routinely looked to a more Marxist party in battling corruption, dissidents, the outside world, and anything else that might threaten Communist rule. Link: AFP COMMUNIST CHINA RUNS MONTH LONG EXERCISES ON MILITARY�S ANNIVERSARY The Communist People�s Liberation Army celebrated its 73-year anniversary by announcing through their People�s Liberation Daily that they had been conducting amphibious assault exercises since the beginning of July. AFP, which picked up the paper�s report, also noted that the Communist-run Xinhua reported a three-day war game had finished near Bejijng. Link: AFP AMERICAN-RELATED NEWS COMMUNIST CHINESE PRESS SAYS U.S. SHOULD PULL ALL TROOPS OUT OF ASIA Reacting to a controversy with American forces in South Korea, the Communist-run press demanded the U.S. withdraw all troops from Asia. The Communists accused the U.S. of using the troops to �contain� Asia, especially the PRC. If only they were right. Link: AFP USS CHANCELLORSVILLE IN QINGDAO No less than a week after the broadside mentioned above, the USS Chancellorsville paid a visit to the mainland port of Qingdao, the first U.S. ship to port in Communist China since last year�s embassy bombing. The visit is part of the controversial �military diplomacy� advanced by the Clinton Administration in recent months. Link: AFP COMMUNIST CHINA ATTACKS U.S. MISSILE DEFENSE PLAN AGAIN Communist Chinese Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan continued his government�s charge against a proposed missile defense system at a meeting of ASEAN member nations. Tang called the plan, designed to protect the U.S. for missile attacks against North Korea, Iran, and Libya � all PRC military customers � as part of a �Cold war mentality.� Link: CNN INTERNATIONAL NEWS COMMUNIST CHINA WILL BUY TEN ARMY TRANSPORT PLANES Victor Livanov, head of the Russian firm Ilyushin, told reporters his firm will probably sell ten Il-76 planes to Communist China for army transport. Ten more could be sold to the PRC, already one of Russia�s biggest clients for military hardware. Link: AFP COMMUNIST CHINA WANTS SOCIAL ISSUES OUT OF WTO TALKS Communist China told a meeting of the ASEAN group that it wants the next round of World Trade Organization talks not to include any social issues. Foreign Minister Tang (see above) made the recommendation despite the fact that Communist China still needs to negotiate more trade deals before it can enter the WTO. Link: AFP EMIGRATION NEWS CANADA SENDS BACK 90 ESCAPEES FROM COMMUNIST CHINA Following the lead of the U.S. and Australia, Canada sent 90 more escapees from Communist China back �home.� AFP reported some of the emigrants had to be handcuffed. Canada has forcibly repatriated over 200 escapees from the PRC, including one ex-official scheduled to be executed for embezzling $250,000. Link: AFP COMMUNIST POLICE CATCH 75 TRYING TO LEAVE Communist Chinese police broke up another attempted escape in the northeast, capturing 75 who planned to leave for South Korea. In their desperation to leave Communist China, they agreed to pay a smuggling ring $7,200 to get them out, according to AFP. Link: AFP ESCAPEES FROM COMMUNIST CHINA FOUND IN CROATIA Police in Dijankovac, Croatia discovered a group of 22 escapees from Communist China. AFP reported the emigrants were �exhausted and malnourished.� While AFP didn�t say, it is likely that all 22 will be sent back to Communist China. Link: AFP REPUBLIC OF CHINA (TAIWAN) NEWS FLOOD DISASTER SHAKES NEW GOVERNMENT TO THE FOUNDATION The drowning death of four river workers, caught in a flood while the police and military argued the issue of who should handle the rescue, has taken the sheen off the government of President Chen Shui-bian. The vice-premier has resigned (Premier Tang Fei�s offer of resignation was refused), and Chen himself issued a public apology for the fiasco. Asiaweek analyzes the scandal and its effect on the new politics of Taiwan. Link: CNN COMMUNIST DEFENSE MINISTER SAYS TAIWAN WILL BE REUNIFIED �AT AN EARLY DATE� Chi Hoatian, Communist Chinese Defense Minister, told an audience at the anniversary celebration of the Communist People�s Liberation Army that Taiwan would be reunified �at an early date.� He also threw in the usual warnings against �splittism.� Link: AFP COMMUNIST PRESS WHACKS HEAD OF TAIWAN�S MAINLAND AFFAIRS COUNCIL The Communist-run press called Tsai Ying-wen, head of Taiwan�s Mainland Affairs Council, as a �criminal� for helping create ex-President Lee Teng-hui�s �special state-to-state� label for how Beijing and Taipei should relate to each other. Current President Chen Shui-bian dropped the label, but has largely held to the policy. Link: AFP PRESIDENT CHEN CALLS ON COMMUNIST CHINA TO RESUME TALKS IN �SPIRIT OF 1992� President Chen again called on Communist China to resume cross-straits dialogues, invoking the �spirit of 1992,� a reference to the now disputed agreement over �One China, several interpretations.� Chen did not back down on self-determination. BBC reported he would visit Central Africa �to assert the island sovereignty.� Link: BBC HONG KONG NEWS TUNG CHEE-HWA REFUSES TO TESTIFY ON POLL INTIMIDATION AS HIS SUPPORT PLUMMETS BBC reported that Tung Chee-hwa, the Communist-appointed Chief Executive of Hong Kong, has refused to testify about efforts by his assistant to stop Hong Kong University Professor Robert Chung from polling the city to gauge the government�s falling popularity. As the probe, started by the university, continues, Asiaweek also reported Tung�s own Home Affairs Department polled his approval at an all-time low of 20%. Links: Asiaweek, BBC TIBET NEWS COMMUNIST CHINA BANS BUDDHIST SITES TO STUDENTS, CRACKS DOWN ON RELIGION Sources have told the Tibet Information Network that Communist China has banned student visits to Buddhist sites and is cracking down on religious observance in private homes. According to the Associated Press, the Communists are conducting house raids, most occurring around 2 AM, as part of their continuing attempt to undermine support for the Dalai Lama. Link: AP via CANOE XINJIANG/EAST TURKESTAN NEWS COMMUNIST SEIZE 300,000 �HARMFUL� MAPS The Communist media proclaimed this week that authorities have seized over 300,000 maps deemed to have �harmed the national sovereignty of China� in the region. AFP, which reported the statement, did not say what led to the maps being seized, but considering many in the region are so fed up with Communist oppression that they would rather form an independent East Turkestan, one could take an educated guess. 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