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Three Christians in China Secretly Executed Back
By Xin Fei
Epoch Times Staff
Nov 29, 2006
Xu
Shuangfu, Li Maoxing and
Wang Jun, leaders of the "Three Grades of Servants" underground
church, were secretly executed for murder last week by the Chinese communist
regime. Xu Shuangfu's
attorney Li Heping received a phone call from the
court and learned this news.
To date, 22 people have been
sentenced to death, and 12 more people have been executed.
While being interviewed by The Epoch
Times, Attorney Li Heping said, "Today the
court called me. I asked for the status of this case. The judge said that the
people were executed last week. I was very shocked. We have not obtained the
final judgment paper nor have the family members been able to see the
defendants, but they have already been executed. This is indeed too out of
control."
"Three Grades of Servants"
is a denomination of the underground church in China,
with a reported number of over half a million followers in China. The
leader of the denomination, Xu Shuangfu,
was accused of illegal missionary work and organizing evil cult activities
and sent to a labor camp and sentenced to over ten years in prison.
In April 2004, the Administration of
Justice of Heilongjiang Province accused Xu Shuangfu, Li Maoxing and other
people as being involved in intentionally killing 20 members from the
"Lightning from the East" denomination, as well as being involved in
fraud and other crimes. Over ten attorneys from Beijing
and Shandong and Helongjiang Provinces have been defending the
accused.
This March, after three and a half
days of trial at the Shuangya Municipal Middle Court,
the trial concluded. Several defendants revealed their experience of being
interrogated with inhumane torture.
This July, the first court hearing
sentenced Xu Shuangfu and
another three people to death. Another three were sentenced to 15 years in
prison. From
According to Li Heping,
Xu Shuangfu firmly denied
all the charges. He denied his oral confession in the court, saying he was
interrogated with torture and that he was beaten to admit everything. He
firmly stated that he had nothing to do with the murder case. He emphasized
that killing is forbidden by God. Li Maoxing
defended himself saying, "If a person killed someone but was not even at
the scene, how could he be accused of murder?" Back
'Bed-Sharing
Maids' Cause Controversy in China Back
By Han Qing
RFA
Nov 29, 2006
House keeping is a normal profession,
but the phenomenon of "bed-sharing maids" has appeared in China for
housemaids who aim to increase their income, according to Chinese media.
"Bed-sharing maids" are housekeepers and other house helpers who
offer sexual service for male employers, especially older employers, in
addition to their housework. This exposition has caused major controversy and
concern in Chinese public opinion.
A staff from a housemaid company
revealed that most of the housemaids in his area are remote rural locals who
are generally over 35 years old. Anyone can hire this type of special
housemaid as long as their payment is high enough. Ma Xiaoming,
an ex-reporter at Shaanxi Province TV Station, said that according to his
understanding, "bed-sharing maids" service more than just single
elderly men.
Ma said, "Actually, [the
"bed-sharing maids"] are just a housemaid who offers improper
service beyond their regular work. Some men between 30 to 50 years old have
also engaged in illegitimate sexual relationships with the maids even though
they are married. Some familys’ older children have
even fooled around with the housemaid. Many families have such scandals
revealed." Ma criticized that the "bed-sharing maids" indicate
that morality has disappeared in contemporary Chinese society. He claimed,
"Some wealthy people believe they can do as they please without moral
constraint because they have money. As for the maids, some will submit or
willingly engage as long as they can make money. All of these factors
facilitate the occurrence of 'bed-sharing maids.'"
A report by Nanjing Morning Post
discussed this issue from the perspective of older people's marriage. The
report stated that many elderly fear to confront the issue of remarriage with
their children after their spouse passes away. At the same time, distributing
individual property is another problem. In order to avoid the troubles of a
second marriage, the "bed-sharing maid" phenomenon arises in this
contemporary period. Yan Ruyu,
an attorney in Beijing,
said that some lonely, elderly single men seek a sexual relationship with
their housemaid because they feel helpless. Yan
also pointed out that the government should propose some solutions to solve
the problem.
Deng Xiaogang
said that the government and the society should open more channels to enrich
the spiritual life of the elderly, which could make them more comfortable and
pleasant. In doing so, the "bed-sharing maid" phenomenon will be
restrained to a certain extent. Back
Over
50 People Killed in Two Coal Mine Explosions in China Back
Epoch Times Staff
Nov 29, 2006
On the afternoon of November 25, a
gas explosion accident at Changyuan coal mine in Yunnan Province caused 32 deaths and 28
injuries. (The Epoch Times)
On the afternoon of November 25, a
gas explosion accident at Changyuan coal mine in Housuo Township of Fuyuan
County, Yunnan Province resulted in 32 deaths and 28
injuries to date, according to Xinhua News Agency.
According to initial investigation, this privately owned coal mine should not
have been operating because its license was incomplete.
On the same day, Jixi Yuanhua coal mine in Heilongjiang Province
exploded, resulting in 21 deaths and 6 missing coal miners. According to the
initial analysis, a power outage underground caused gas to accumulate, and
once the power came back, the workers were organized to discharge the gas
without authorization. The gas discharge triggered the explosion.
China's
coal mine disasters are commonplace. According to China National Security
Manufacture Safety and Monitoring Bureau's data for 2005, by December 11,
2005, there were nearly 3,000 coal mine accidents in China in 2005
with a death toll of 5491, which is 206 more people
than 2004. The Labor Rights and Interests organization claims that the actual
death toll may be higher.
In 2005, China produced 1.78 billion tons
of the 5 billion tons of coal produced worldwide, which is 35 percent of the
world production. Yet, coal mine related deaths in China account for 80 percent of
the world's. The death toll of coal miners in China for every 1 million tons of coal
produced is 100 times more than the United States. It is 30 times
more than South Africa and
over 10 times more than India. Back
CCP
Uses Executed Prisoners to Dodge Allegations of Organ Harvesting Back
By Wen Hua
Epoch Times Staff
Nov 27, 2006
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP)
recently reversed its past denials and acknowledged that the administration
of organ transplants inside China
is unregulated. Many doctors have made huge illegal profits from
transplanting the organs of executed prisoners. Analysts believe that faced
with the growing international pressure on investigating the organ harvesting
of living Falun Gong practitioners, the CCP is
attempting to dodge international condemnation with "frank
acknowledgement" and "lawmaking." By these actions, the CCP
hopes to reduce international attention on its morally corrupt practices and
eliminate any obstacles for obtaining sponsorship for the 2008 Olympics.
Acting Out Of the Norm to Make
Acknowledgement
International news agencies have
noted that this is the first time that the CCP has openly admitted using
organs from executed prisoners for transplant and that there are serious
problems regarding the regulation of the organ trade in China. Yet
just a month ago, on October 10, the CCP Ministry of Health still denied the
organ trade in China.
The CCP at that time claimed that the majority of the organs used for
transplant had come from volunteer donors. The CCP had accused the BBC, the
Australian Sky News and other international news agencies of spreading lies.
Why within one month, can the CCP
have such a dramatic change in its attitude regarding organ transplants?
Taking Preemptive Measures to Ensure
the Olympics
Recent actions by the CCP are part of
a public relations strategy adopted to reduce pressure from the international
community on illegal organ transplant practices, noted the renowned security
consulting intelligence agency Stratfor.
Stratfor
stated in its November 17 article "China's Preemptive Public
Relations Strategy" that Canadians David Kilgour
and David Matas's report on organ harvesting from
living Falun Gong practitioners, which was
published earlier this year, created serious diplomatic problems among the
international community for the CCP. The actions of the Coalition to
Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong in China,
which has administrative branches in both Washington D.C. and Ottawa, has
also had a strong impact on CCP organ harvesting activities.
The CCP is concerned that
international human rights activist groups will use the most recent reports
on organ harvesting to negatively influence potential sponsors for the 2008
Olympics. Specifically, the CCP is afraid that international attention to the
brutal practice of harvesting organs and the marketing of organs for profit
will result in a lack of sponsors for the upcoming 2008 Olympics in Beijing.
Si Cangshan,
an expert in China affairs
noted recently that the CCP is very afraid of two recent events: first is the
large number of people quitting the CCP and second is the continuing
investigation into allegations of organ harvesting from living Falun Gong practitioners in China. Back
Authorities
Forcefully Expropriate Farmers' Land in Zhejiang Province Back
By Gu Qinger
Epoch Times Staff
Nov 22, 2006
Farmers and the local government in
towns around Cixi city, Zhejiang Province
failed to reach an agreement over the amount of compensation for land
expropriation. Because farmers refused to accept the low compensation, the
local authorities sent armed-force suppress farmers and forcefully
expropriated their land. The local farmers' persistent appeals over the last
three years to protect their legal rights have achieved no resolve or progress.
The farmers with illegally expropriated land have no place to appeal and say
that they are completely disappointed in local governments.
Local Government Forcefully
Expropriated Land
According to the national standard,
the compensation is 200,000 yuan per mu (US$25,000 per mu), but the
farmers were only paid 10,000 to 20,000 yuan (US$1,250
to 2,500), which included the land compensation, relocation fee and crop fee.
On top of that, the village party committee deducted over 25 percent of from the
compensation. The price of those farmlands may soon dramatically increase
because local authorities plan to construct a bridge between Shanghai
and Ningbo.
The bridge will make the surrounding land very valuable and many people have
started to compete for business opportunities there. The price for some of
that land has risen to millions of yuan per mu. Farmers have been appealing since 2003 and have held
numerous hearings. In addition, they co-wrote a letter to Hu
Jintao and Wen Jiabao. All their efforts have received no results and
the authorities still act as they please.
Bloody Suppression, Arrest and
Sentence
According to local farmers, over five
towns are suppressed in such a manner. On July 1, 2003, the local authorities
sent police, court officials, public security organs and gangsters to
forcefully started construction on the land
of Xinyuan
village in Xiaolin
Town. They also
brutally suppressed the local farmers.
Media in China were All Muted
The farmers said, "The
authorities simply follow no rules. They don't care about farmers' lives.
They collude with businesspeople to resell our land at higher a price. Why
the communist party still talks about bringing corruption under control is
beyond us. It is nothing but yelling slogans—and they are all lies. Some
government agencies have watched the videos, but they said they had no way to
control the situation."
Farmers
provided the video clips and other evidence to Phoenix TV and CCTV's talk shows, "Today's Focus" and
"Farmers Daily," but both stations told them that there was nothing
they could do. Back
The Control of Hong
Kong Media and Its Self-Censorship Back
Hong Kong's political
climate is becoming increasingly like mainland China. Since this has not
directly affected Hong Kong people's vital
interests and daily lives, the general populace has remained neutral on this
issue. This is referred to as the "lukewarm water boils the frog"
strategy. That is, in slowly heating water, the frog cannot feel any
noticeable change in the temperature; but when it does eventually feel the
heat, it is no longer able to jump out of the boiling water and dies. Of the
various political climate changes, the control of the media and its
self-censorship is the issue that people should worry about most.
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) relies on two "sticks" to
prosper: the gun and the pen. To retake Hong Kong,
it does not need the gun, but it does need the pen and must control the media
and persuade them to "self-censor" their content. If Hong Kong's freedom of the press and speech are
restricted, they eventually will be suffocated, and finally disappear. At
that time, ordinary people's vital interests and their daily lives will be
threatened and it will be difficult for them to revolt. It will then be too
late for regrets.
Hong Kong's Worldwide Press Freedom Index Ranking
Dropped Drastically
Last month, Reporters Sans Frontiers (RSF) announced its 2006 worldwide Press Freedom Index. International media are very sensitive about this issue.
Hong Kong dropped from number 30 last year, to number 58 this year, distant
from South Korea (21) and Taiwan (43).
The Hong Kong Journalists Association issued a statement in response to this,
appealing for the public's attention.
Why Hong Kong Media Are Playing by
New Rules
(1) Many media were acquired by large businesses which have ties to mainland
China; as such these media are no longer "Public Servants," but
private enterprises. They have very close economic ties with China, since China is their benefactor. Among
these media, some have mainland government backing, which can even include
very sensitive departments like the Ministry of Public Security.
(2) Mainland China now
allows Hong Kong electronic media into the mainland, and allows domestic
organizations to subscribe to Hong Kong
newspapers and magazines. China
is a very large media market; their advertising will increase along with the
expansion of audiences. This is how the CCP uses their "profits to
entice" tactic.
(3) Those businesses that are intimate with the Chinese authorities, supply
advertising to certain media and boycott others. This is using business
practices to "lure and threaten."
(4) The authorities ban selected media not yet under CCP control that operate
without the approved self-censorship or expel their reporters from the
Mainland, thus limiting their sources and reports on mainland news.
(5) The CCP suppresses, arrests, and imprisons some reporters. The most
striking example is Singapore's
Straits Times reporter Ching Cheong, a Hong Kong
permanent resident, who was unexpectedly sentenced to five years imprisonment
in a closed courtroom for the crime of "revealing state secrets."
This is truly a case tried for the purpose of "punishing one as a
warning to others."
(6) Besides using profits to entice media owners, the CCP also bribes those in
charge of media management with high salaries. In a recent annual report of
one media provider, it was discovered that some salaries were as high as
three million yuan (US$385,800), even five million yuan (US$643,000), or more. These highly paid newspersons
used to work in other media; their viewpoints were more open and they had
more professional ethics at that time, but this has completely changed. The
business side of this media is not very healthy, and it may even be loosing
money, so how could they be so extravagant and generous?
(7) Some left-wing media employees quit their jobs to take high posts in
seemingly neutral media companies to control or influence those media
outlets' editorial directions. Owners of these media claimed that employing
these people was for the purpose of appeasing China; they were able to
accurately provide what the Chinese authority wanted.
(8) In the past, frontline reporters were "newborn calves that are not
afraid of a tiger" and still had their youthful dreams and purity; most
of them were not affected by the media controls and self-censorship. But
restrained by their managing editors and assignment editors, their reports
are now often revised and altered. During the past year or two, there have
also been people dispatched by the Chinese authorities to work frontline news
reporting.
It is a fact that media control and self-censorship exist throughout all
levels of personnel in many media companies.
Hong Kong still has uncensored media.
Undisguised one-sided reports or very obvious self-censorship will be spurned
and not welcomed by audiences. Not only is this bad for business, with
shrinking readership, but they will also fall into disfavor with the Chinese
authorities. Therefore, their means are multifarious; every type of media has
its own ways to disguise itself. Back
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