The wall of water raced through narrow Himalayan gorges in northeast India, gathering speed as it raked the banks of towering trees and boulders. When the torrent struck their island in the Brahmaputra river, the villagers remember, it took only moments to obliterate their houses, possessions and livestock.
No one knows exactly how the disaster happened, but everyone knows whom to blame: neighboring China.
"We don't trust the Chinese," says fisherman Akshay Sarkar at the resettlement site where he has lived since the 2000 flood. "They gave us no warning. They may do it again."
About 800 kilometers (500 miles) east, in northern Thailand, Chamlong Saengphet stands in the Mekong river, in water that comes only up to her shins. She is collecting edible river weeds from dwindling beds. A neighbor has hung up his fishing nets, his catches now too meager.
Using words bordering on curses, they point upstream, toward China.
The blame game, voiced in vulnerable river towns and Asian capitals from Pakistan to Vietnam, is rooted in fear that China's accelerating program of damming every major river flowing from the Tibetan plateau will trigger natural disasters, degrade fragile ecologies, divert vital water supplies.
A few analysts and environmental advocates even speak of water as a future trigger for war or diplomatic strong-arming, though others strongly doubt it will come to that. Still, the remapping of the water flow in the world's most heavily populated and thirstiest region is happening on a gigantic scale, with potentially strategic implications.
On the eight great Tibetan rivers alone, almost 20 dams have been built or are under construction while some 40 more are planned or proposed.
China is hardly alone in disrupting the region's water flows. Others are doing it with potentially even worse consequences. But China's vast thirst for power and water, its control over the sources of the rivers and its ever-growing political clout make it a singular target of criticism and suspicion.
"Whether China intends to use water as a political weapon or not, it is acquiring the capability to turn off the tap if it wants to - a leverage it can use to keep any riparian neighbors on good behavior," says Brahma Chellaney, an analyst at New Delhi's Center for Policy Research and author of the forthcoming "Water: Asia's New Battlefield."
Analyst Neil Padukone calls it "the biggest potential point of contention between the two Asian giants," China and India. But the stakes may be even higher since those eight Tibetan rivers serve a vast west-east arc of 1.8 billion people stretching from Pakistan to Vietnam's Mekong river delta.
Suspicions are heightened by Beijing's lack of transparency and refusal to share most hydrological and other data. Only China, along with Turkey, has refused to sign a key 1997 U.N. convention on transnational rivers.
Beijing gave no notice when it began building three dams on the Mekong - the first completed in 1993 - or the $1.2 billion Zangmu dam, the first on the mainstream of the 2,880-kilometer (1,790-mile) Brahmaputra which was started last November and hailed in official media as "a landmark priority project."
The 2000 flood that hit Sarkar's village, is widely believed to have been caused by the burst of an earthen dam wall on a Brahmaputra tributary. But China has kept silent.
"Until today, the Indian government has no clue about what happened," says Ravindranath, who heads the Rural Volunteer Center. He uses only one name.
Tibet's spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, has also warned of looming dangers stemming from the Tibetan plateau.
"It's something very, very essential. So, since millions of Indians use water coming from the Himalayan glaciers... I think you (India) should express more serious concern. This is nothing to do with politics, just everybody's interests, including Chinese people," he said in New Delhi last month.
Beijing normally counters such censure by pointing out that the bulk of water from the Tibetan rivers springs from downstream tributaries, with only 13-16 percent originating in China.
Officials also say that the dams can benefit their neighbors, easing droughts and floods by regulating flow, and that hydroelectric power reduces China's carbon footprint.
China "will fully consider impacts to downstream countries," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu recently told The Associated Press. "We have clarified several times that the dam being built on the Brahmaputra River has a small storage capacity. It will not have large impact on water flow or the ecological environment of downstream."
For some of China's neighbors, the problem is that they too are building controversial dams and may look hypocritical if they criticize China too loudly.
The four-nation Mekong River Commission has expressed concerns not just about the Chinese dams but about a host of others built or planned in downstream countries.
In northeast India, a broad-based movement is fighting central government plans to erect more than 160 dams in the region, and Laos and Cambodia have proposed plans for 11 Mekong dams, sparking environmental protest.
Indian and other governments play down any threats from the Asian colossus. "I was reassured that (the Zangmu dam) was not a project designed to divert water and affect the welfare and availability of water to countries in the lower reaches," India's Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao said after talks with his Chinese counterpart late last year.
But at the grass roots, and among activists and even some government technocrats, criticism is expressed more readily.
"Everyone knows what China is doing, but won't talk about it. China has real power now. If it says something, everyone follows," says Somkiat Khuengchiangsa, a Thai environmental advocate.
Neither the Indian nor Chinese government responded to specific questions from the AP about the dams, but Beijing is signaling that it will relaunch mega-projects after a break of several years in efforts to meet skyrocketing demands for energy and water, reduce dependence on coal and lift some 300 million people out of poverty.
Official media recently said China was poised to put up dams on the still pristine Nu River, known as the Salween downstream. Seven years ago as many as 13 dams were set to go up until Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao ordered a moratorium.
That ban is regarded as the first and perhaps biggest victory of China's nascent green movement.
"An improper exploitation of water resources by countries on the upper reaches is going to bring about environmental, social and geological risks," Yu Xiaogang, director of the Yunnan Green Watershed, told The Associated Press. "Countries along the rivers have already formed their own way of using water resources. Water shortages could easily ignite extreme nationalist sentiment and escalate into a regional war."
But there is little chance the activists will prevail.
"There is no alternative to dams in sight in China," says Ed Grumbine, an American author on Chinese dams. Grumbine, currently with the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Yunnan province, notes that under its last five-year state plan, China failed to meet its hydroelectric targets and is now playing catch-up in its 2011-2015 plan as it strives to derive 15 percent of energy needs from non-fossil sources, mainly hydroelectric and nuclear.
The arithmetic pointing to more dam-building is clear: China would need 140 megawatts of extra hydroelectric power to meet its goal. Even if all the dams on the Nu go up, they would provide only 21 megawatts.
The demand for water region-wide will also escalate, sparking perhaps that greatest anxieties - that China will divert large quantities from the Tibetan plateau for domestic use.
Noting that Himalayan glaciers which feed the rivers are melting due to global warming, India's Strategic Foresight Group last year estimated that in the coming 20 years India, China, Nepal and Bangladesh will face a depletion of almost 275 billion cubic meters (360 billion cubic yards) of annual renewable water.
Padukone expects China will have to divert water from Tibet to its dry eastern provinces. One plan for rerouting the Brahmaputra was outlined in an officially sanctioned 2005 book by a Chinese former army officer, Li Ling. Its title: "Tibet's Waters Will Save China,"
Analyst Chellaney believes "the issue is not whether China will reroute the Brahmaputra, but when." He cites Chinese researchers and officials as saying that after 2014 work will begin on tapping rivers flowing from the Tibetan plateau to neighboring countries Such a move, he says, would be tantamount to a declaration of war on India.
Others are skeptical. Tashi Tsering, a Tibetan environmentalist at the University of British Columbia who is otherwise critical of China's policies, calls a Brahmaputra diversion "a pipe dream of some Chinese planners."
Grumbine shares the skepticism. "The situation would have to be very dire for China to turn off the taps because the consequences would be huge," he said. "China would alienate every one of its neighbors and historically the Chinese have been very sensitive about maintaining secure borders."
Whatever else may happen, riverside inhabitants along the Mekong and Brahmaputra say the future shock is now.
A fisherman from his youth, Boonrian Chinnarat says the Mekong giant catfish, the world's largest freshwater fish, has all but vanished from the vicinity of Thailand's Had Krai village, other once bountiful species have been depleted, and he and fellow fishermen have sold their nets. He blames the Chinese dams.
Phumee Boontom, headman of nearby Pak Ing village, warns that "If the Chinese keep the water and continue to build more dams, life along the Mekong will change forever." Already, he says, he has seen drastic variations in water levels following dam constructions, "like the tides of the ocean -- low and high in one day."
Jeremy Bird, who heads the Mekong commission, an intergovernmental body of Laos, Cambodia, Thailand and Laos, sees a tendency to blame China for water-related troubles even when they are purely the result of nature. He says diplomacy is needed, and believes "engagement with China is improving."
Grumbine agrees. "Given the enormous demand for water in China, India and Southeast Asia, if you maintain the attitude of sovereign state, we are lost," he says. "Scarcity in a zero sum situation can lead to conflict but it can also goad countries into more cooperative behavior. It's a bleak picture, but I'm not without hope."
Showing posts with label China. Show all posts
Showing posts with label China. Show all posts
North African Revolutions and Protests Challenge Chinese Diplomacy
The protests and revolutions that are sweeping across North Africa since the beginning of 2011 pose a serious test for Chinese diplomacy. The circumstances forced Chinese diplomats to adapt quickly to the unfolding situation, a measure Beijing has been adept at doing elsewhere in Africa when the government in power is threatened or toppled. Yet, the stakes are higher in North Africa than they are in all but a few Sub-Saharan African states. Indeed, China has important commercial and trade ties with all of the North African countries except for Tunisia. In 2009, total trade with Egypt was $5.9 billion, Libya $5.2 billion, Algeria $4.2 billion and Morocco $2.5 billion (International Monetary Fund, Direction of Trade Statistics Yearbook 2010). More than 1,000 Chinese companies have invested an estimated $800 million in Egypt (Bikya Masr [Egypt], August 10, 2010). China has major construction contracts throughout North Africa, especially in Libya. China also has long-standing security assistance relationships with Algeria and Egypt. The extent and seriousness of the opposition to existing North African governments even caused concern in Beijing given that these movements might encourage dissent within China. As a result, Chinese authorities carefully restricted media coverage of the protests in North Africa and the Middle East (See "Beijing Wary of ‘Color Revolutions’ Sweeping Middle East/North Africa," China Brief, February 10). These developments resulted in a quick visit by a high-level Chinese envoy to several of the North African countries and an effort by Beijing to link Chinese policy to positions taken by the African Union and Arab League.
Tunisia, Morocco and Algeria
The Jasmine Revolution in Tunisia, which forced President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali to flee the country, led to subsequent serious protests in Algeria, Egypt and Libya as well as milder ones in Morocco. The fact that the protests in Morocco have not seriously threatened the government may explain Beijing’s near silence on developments there. The cordial China-Morocco relationship continues unchanged. The revolution in Tunisia presented a dilemma for China, which initially reacted by saying almost nothing about the protests. Even in the case of Algeria, where its interests are considerable, China has avoided comment on the protests and only discusses continuing cooperation. As compared to western reaction during an early stage of the different protests, especially in the case of Tunisia, China essentially absented itself.
After Ben Ali left Tunisia, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hong Lei said that "Tunisia is China’s friend. China is concerned with what is happening in Tunisia and hopes stability in the country is restored as early as possible" (BBC, January 15). China subsequently dispatched Vice Foreign Minister Zhai Jun to Tunis to reinforce close ties with the new government. Zhai Jun said China respects the choice of the Tunisian people and wants to develop its traditional friendship with Tunisia. He also announced a donation of $6 million for a development project to be defined later (Xinhua News Agency, March 7; Tunisia Online, March 8). China seems to have made a successful transition from the Ben Ali government to the new one. This demonstrates again that China is able to move quickly and usually successfully when regime change occurs in Africa.
Zhai Jun combined his visit to Tunis with one to Algiers where he met with President Abdelaziz Bouteflika. He emphasized that China is willing to strengthen political exchanges with Algeria, expand mutual cooperation and enhance coordination on international and regional issues so as to protect the common interests of developing countries. Bouteflika responded that China is Algeria’s reliable friend and serves as a model for cooperation between developing countries (Xinhua News Agency, March 6). So long as Bouteflika remains in power, China-Algeria relations are likely to remain strong.
Egypt
The situation in Egypt, a strategic ally of China and a country where Beijing has far more important interests, posed a more difficult challenge for Chinese diplomacy. China was also concerned about the safety of some 2,000 Chinese nationals living there. Initially quiet about the Egyptian protests, spokesperson Hong Lei at the end of January finally said that China hoped Egypt could restore stability and order at an early date (Reuters, January 31). While the Hong Kong-based Phoenix TV network broadcast live from Cairo without interference, news reports on Chinese Internet portals were largely restricted to Xinhua, which provided neutral stories. Sina.com and Netease.com, two of the largest online portals in China, blocked the keyword search for "Egypt." State-controlled media framed the Egyptian protests as chaotic, implying there are pitfalls for countries that try to democratize before they are ready (CSMonitor.com, February 1; International Herald Tribune, February 1; Opendemocracy.net, March 2).
As the protests expanded, China said it supported Egypt’s efforts to maintain "social stability and restore normal order," adding that it expected relations with Egypt to develop unaffected. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Ma Zhou added that Egypt’s affairs should be determined without any foreign interference (Xinhua News Agency, February 10). Zhai Jun arrived in Cairo after visiting Tunis and Algiers. Following a meeting with Arab League Secretary-General, Amr Moussa, he called on all Arab countries to return to peace and stability. He also met with Egyptian Deputy Prime Minister Yahiya Jamal and Foreign Minister Nabil Elaraby with whom he emphasized the long friendship between China and Egypt. He called for stability and development in the country, stating that China wanted to enhance its strategic relationship with Egypt. Jamal and Elaraby said Egypt’s ties with China will not change (Xinhua News Agency, March 11). Although China did evacuate several hundred Chinese nationals from Egypt, the relationship between the two countries remains solid. There was apparently a lot of discussion behind the scenes concerning the evacuation of Chinese nationals from Egypt and those who arrived in Egypt from Libya, but no indication of major discussions on other issues except for those that took place during the Zhai Jun visit.
Libya
Libya posed and continues to present by far the greatest test for Chinese diplomacy in North Africa. Although Libya under Mu’ammar Qaddafi was the last North African leader to recognize Beijing and since then his government has periodically engaged politically with Taiwan, much to the consternation of Beijing, the commercial relationship has become enormous in recent years. Libya provides three percent of China’s imported oil. This constitutes 10 percent of Libya’s oil exports. When violence broke out in Libya, there were 36,000 Chinese nationals with 75 companies working on 50 projects primarily in the oil, railroad and telecommunications sectors. The value of Chinese contracts, mostly construction projects, had reached an estimated value of $18 billion. The China Railway Construction Corporation, for example, has three projects worth more than $4 billion (Los Angeles Times, March 9; WantChinaTimes.com, March 8). Saif Al Islam Qaddafi , heir apparent to his father, visited China in October 2010 when he described Libya-China relations as the best in history. Wu Bangguo, chairman of the Standing Committee of China’s National People’s Congress, responded that China is ready to increase cooperation on large scale infrastructure, energy, mining and telecommunications projects (AfriqueAvenir.org, October 3, 2010).
As in the case of the other North African protests, China was reluctant to speak out about the situation. Once security in Libya began to disintegrate, China’s highest priority was the evacuation of its nationals. It first called on Libya to ensure the safety of its nationals following attacks on them at work sites. More than 1,000 Chinese construction workers fled their compound in eastern Libya when gun-wielding robbers stormed and looted the facility. China’s Commerce Ministry reported that 27 Chinese construction sites and camps had been attacked and looted, resulting in some injuries and a monetary loss as of late February of almost $230 million. The China Railway Construction Corporation and China National Petroleum Corporation also independently acknowledged attacks (Terradaily.com, February 22; Straits Times [Indonesia], February 26; South China Morning Post, February 27; Xinhua News Agency, February 28; WantChinaTimes.com, March 8).
In an impressive military/civilian operation, China evacuated 35,860 Chinese nationals from Libya by March 3 without any loss of life. This was the largest and most complicated overseas evacuation ever conducted by the Chinese government since it took power in 1949. The People’s Liberation Air Force (PLAAF) sent four IL-76 transport aircraft to Libya. As of March 2, they evacuated 1,700 Chinese to Khartoum. The PLA Navy (PLAN) dispatched the frigate Xuzhou to waters off Libya to support and protect the evacuation of Chinese via commercial ferries and ships. Some Chinese made it to the Egyptian border by land. This operation was China’s first operational deployment to the Mediterranean and the first to Africa other than its engagement in the anti-piracy operation in the Gulf of Aden. Its success has important implications for future Chinese security policy (See "Implications of China’s Military Evacuation of Citizens from Libya," China Brief, March 19; Xinhua News Agency, March 3 and 4).
As Libya became a critical issue before the UN Security Council, China experienced increasing pressure to join other countries to put pressure on Qaddafi . China voted on February 26 with all other members of the Security Council in support of Resolution 1970 that imposed an arms embargo , a travel ban and an asset freeze on Libya [1]. China indicated that it did not, however, favor a resolution in support of a no fly zone (Reuters, March 10). According to Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu: "We oppose the use of force in international relations and have some serious reservations with part of the resolution" (Xinhua News Agency, March 18). China’s position became more nuanced after the Arab League urged such action. These measures put China in a difficult position as it tried to balance its traditional opposition to sanctions and the views of the Arab League that pressed for more action against the Qaddafi government. In addition, its Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Li Baodong, was Security Council President for the month of March.
On March 15, Baodong said stability is essential in Libya and called for full implementation of Resolution 1970 (UN Security Council website, March 15). On March 17, the Security Council passed Resolution 1973 that called for an immediate cease fire, authorized member states to "take all necessary measures" to protect civilians, authorized a no fly zone and strengthened the arms embargo [2]. China and four other countries (Russia, Germany, Brazil and India) abstained). In his remarks after the vote, Baodong said the Security Council must follow the UN Charter, international law and respect the concept of sovereignty as well as territorial integrity. He added that China is against the use of force but attaches importance to the views of the Arab League and African countries (UN Security Council website, March 18). China’s willingness to abstain on a resolution that called for the use of force may signal a new approach driven partly by its growing global economic and political role. On the other hand, since the passage of Resolution 1973, China has protested constantly about the air strikes, emphasized the need for an immediate cease fire and warned against imperiling civilian lives (Xinhua News Agency, March 25). President Hu Jintao took President Nicolas Sarkozy to task during a meeting in Beijing when he argued that "if the military action brings disaster to innocent civilians, resulting in an even greater humanitarian crisis, then that is contrary to the original intention of the Security Council resolution" (The Associated Press, March 30).
Libya’s Foreign Minister until he defected at the end of March, Moussa Koussa, commented on March 19 that his country is prepared to grant oil blocs to China and India in appreciation for their abstention on Resolution 1973 (Aljazeera, March 19). This is the same Moussa Koussa who said in 2009 that "China’s presence in Africa is neo-colonialism and aims to rule over the continent" (Asharq Al Awsat, November 10, 2009; See "Libya Cautions China: Economics Is No Substitute to Politics," China Brief, December 3, 2009). Since the protests began, Beijing has neither supported nor criticized Qaddafi . China’s future in Libya is not clear, especially if rebel forces depose Qaddafi. It is certain, however, that Chinese companies have taken significant financial losses. Should it wish to reengage in Libya, it probably has enough financial leverage to tempt even a new government.
Conclusion
With the possible exception of Libya, China’s relations with the countries of North Africa have not been harmed following the political upheavals. Chinese diplomacy worked quietly behind the scenes to insure that it maintained its interests. China was notably silent in the early stages of all the uprisings and fell back on its traditional public support for stability, national sovereignty and non-interference. At the same time, it supported mild UN Security Council sanctions against Libya and abstained—when it could have vetoeds—strong collective military action favoring rebel forces. China has significant economic and political leverage in North Africa. In the case of Libya, China rationalized its abstention on Resolution 1973 by emphasizing Arab League support for it. Once coalition forces began bombing Libya and some Arab League and African Union member countries began objecting, China did not hold back its criticism of the way the coalition carried out the military campaign.
Notes:
1. See SC Resolution 1970 at daccess-dds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/N11/245/58/PDF/N1124558.pdf.
2. See SC Resolution 1973 at daccess-dds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/N11/268/39/PDF/N1126839.pdf.
Tunisia, Morocco and Algeria
The Jasmine Revolution in Tunisia, which forced President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali to flee the country, led to subsequent serious protests in Algeria, Egypt and Libya as well as milder ones in Morocco. The fact that the protests in Morocco have not seriously threatened the government may explain Beijing’s near silence on developments there. The cordial China-Morocco relationship continues unchanged. The revolution in Tunisia presented a dilemma for China, which initially reacted by saying almost nothing about the protests. Even in the case of Algeria, where its interests are considerable, China has avoided comment on the protests and only discusses continuing cooperation. As compared to western reaction during an early stage of the different protests, especially in the case of Tunisia, China essentially absented itself.
After Ben Ali left Tunisia, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hong Lei said that "Tunisia is China’s friend. China is concerned with what is happening in Tunisia and hopes stability in the country is restored as early as possible" (BBC, January 15). China subsequently dispatched Vice Foreign Minister Zhai Jun to Tunis to reinforce close ties with the new government. Zhai Jun said China respects the choice of the Tunisian people and wants to develop its traditional friendship with Tunisia. He also announced a donation of $6 million for a development project to be defined later (Xinhua News Agency, March 7; Tunisia Online, March 8). China seems to have made a successful transition from the Ben Ali government to the new one. This demonstrates again that China is able to move quickly and usually successfully when regime change occurs in Africa.
Zhai Jun combined his visit to Tunis with one to Algiers where he met with President Abdelaziz Bouteflika. He emphasized that China is willing to strengthen political exchanges with Algeria, expand mutual cooperation and enhance coordination on international and regional issues so as to protect the common interests of developing countries. Bouteflika responded that China is Algeria’s reliable friend and serves as a model for cooperation between developing countries (Xinhua News Agency, March 6). So long as Bouteflika remains in power, China-Algeria relations are likely to remain strong.
Egypt
The situation in Egypt, a strategic ally of China and a country where Beijing has far more important interests, posed a more difficult challenge for Chinese diplomacy. China was also concerned about the safety of some 2,000 Chinese nationals living there. Initially quiet about the Egyptian protests, spokesperson Hong Lei at the end of January finally said that China hoped Egypt could restore stability and order at an early date (Reuters, January 31). While the Hong Kong-based Phoenix TV network broadcast live from Cairo without interference, news reports on Chinese Internet portals were largely restricted to Xinhua, which provided neutral stories. Sina.com and Netease.com, two of the largest online portals in China, blocked the keyword search for "Egypt." State-controlled media framed the Egyptian protests as chaotic, implying there are pitfalls for countries that try to democratize before they are ready (CSMonitor.com, February 1; International Herald Tribune, February 1; Opendemocracy.net, March 2).
As the protests expanded, China said it supported Egypt’s efforts to maintain "social stability and restore normal order," adding that it expected relations with Egypt to develop unaffected. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Ma Zhou added that Egypt’s affairs should be determined without any foreign interference (Xinhua News Agency, February 10). Zhai Jun arrived in Cairo after visiting Tunis and Algiers. Following a meeting with Arab League Secretary-General, Amr Moussa, he called on all Arab countries to return to peace and stability. He also met with Egyptian Deputy Prime Minister Yahiya Jamal and Foreign Minister Nabil Elaraby with whom he emphasized the long friendship between China and Egypt. He called for stability and development in the country, stating that China wanted to enhance its strategic relationship with Egypt. Jamal and Elaraby said Egypt’s ties with China will not change (Xinhua News Agency, March 11). Although China did evacuate several hundred Chinese nationals from Egypt, the relationship between the two countries remains solid. There was apparently a lot of discussion behind the scenes concerning the evacuation of Chinese nationals from Egypt and those who arrived in Egypt from Libya, but no indication of major discussions on other issues except for those that took place during the Zhai Jun visit.
Libya
Libya posed and continues to present by far the greatest test for Chinese diplomacy in North Africa. Although Libya under Mu’ammar Qaddafi was the last North African leader to recognize Beijing and since then his government has periodically engaged politically with Taiwan, much to the consternation of Beijing, the commercial relationship has become enormous in recent years. Libya provides three percent of China’s imported oil. This constitutes 10 percent of Libya’s oil exports. When violence broke out in Libya, there were 36,000 Chinese nationals with 75 companies working on 50 projects primarily in the oil, railroad and telecommunications sectors. The value of Chinese contracts, mostly construction projects, had reached an estimated value of $18 billion. The China Railway Construction Corporation, for example, has three projects worth more than $4 billion (Los Angeles Times, March 9; WantChinaTimes.com, March 8). Saif Al Islam Qaddafi , heir apparent to his father, visited China in October 2010 when he described Libya-China relations as the best in history. Wu Bangguo, chairman of the Standing Committee of China’s National People’s Congress, responded that China is ready to increase cooperation on large scale infrastructure, energy, mining and telecommunications projects (AfriqueAvenir.org, October 3, 2010).
As in the case of the other North African protests, China was reluctant to speak out about the situation. Once security in Libya began to disintegrate, China’s highest priority was the evacuation of its nationals. It first called on Libya to ensure the safety of its nationals following attacks on them at work sites. More than 1,000 Chinese construction workers fled their compound in eastern Libya when gun-wielding robbers stormed and looted the facility. China’s Commerce Ministry reported that 27 Chinese construction sites and camps had been attacked and looted, resulting in some injuries and a monetary loss as of late February of almost $230 million. The China Railway Construction Corporation and China National Petroleum Corporation also independently acknowledged attacks (Terradaily.com, February 22; Straits Times [Indonesia], February 26; South China Morning Post, February 27; Xinhua News Agency, February 28; WantChinaTimes.com, March 8).
In an impressive military/civilian operation, China evacuated 35,860 Chinese nationals from Libya by March 3 without any loss of life. This was the largest and most complicated overseas evacuation ever conducted by the Chinese government since it took power in 1949. The People’s Liberation Air Force (PLAAF) sent four IL-76 transport aircraft to Libya. As of March 2, they evacuated 1,700 Chinese to Khartoum. The PLA Navy (PLAN) dispatched the frigate Xuzhou to waters off Libya to support and protect the evacuation of Chinese via commercial ferries and ships. Some Chinese made it to the Egyptian border by land. This operation was China’s first operational deployment to the Mediterranean and the first to Africa other than its engagement in the anti-piracy operation in the Gulf of Aden. Its success has important implications for future Chinese security policy (See "Implications of China’s Military Evacuation of Citizens from Libya," China Brief, March 19; Xinhua News Agency, March 3 and 4).
As Libya became a critical issue before the UN Security Council, China experienced increasing pressure to join other countries to put pressure on Qaddafi . China voted on February 26 with all other members of the Security Council in support of Resolution 1970 that imposed an arms embargo , a travel ban and an asset freeze on Libya [1]. China indicated that it did not, however, favor a resolution in support of a no fly zone (Reuters, March 10). According to Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu: "We oppose the use of force in international relations and have some serious reservations with part of the resolution" (Xinhua News Agency, March 18). China’s position became more nuanced after the Arab League urged such action. These measures put China in a difficult position as it tried to balance its traditional opposition to sanctions and the views of the Arab League that pressed for more action against the Qaddafi government. In addition, its Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Li Baodong, was Security Council President for the month of March.
On March 15, Baodong said stability is essential in Libya and called for full implementation of Resolution 1970 (UN Security Council website, March 15). On March 17, the Security Council passed Resolution 1973 that called for an immediate cease fire, authorized member states to "take all necessary measures" to protect civilians, authorized a no fly zone and strengthened the arms embargo [2]. China and four other countries (Russia, Germany, Brazil and India) abstained). In his remarks after the vote, Baodong said the Security Council must follow the UN Charter, international law and respect the concept of sovereignty as well as territorial integrity. He added that China is against the use of force but attaches importance to the views of the Arab League and African countries (UN Security Council website, March 18). China’s willingness to abstain on a resolution that called for the use of force may signal a new approach driven partly by its growing global economic and political role. On the other hand, since the passage of Resolution 1973, China has protested constantly about the air strikes, emphasized the need for an immediate cease fire and warned against imperiling civilian lives (Xinhua News Agency, March 25). President Hu Jintao took President Nicolas Sarkozy to task during a meeting in Beijing when he argued that "if the military action brings disaster to innocent civilians, resulting in an even greater humanitarian crisis, then that is contrary to the original intention of the Security Council resolution" (The Associated Press, March 30).
Libya’s Foreign Minister until he defected at the end of March, Moussa Koussa, commented on March 19 that his country is prepared to grant oil blocs to China and India in appreciation for their abstention on Resolution 1973 (Aljazeera, March 19). This is the same Moussa Koussa who said in 2009 that "China’s presence in Africa is neo-colonialism and aims to rule over the continent" (Asharq Al Awsat, November 10, 2009; See "Libya Cautions China: Economics Is No Substitute to Politics," China Brief, December 3, 2009). Since the protests began, Beijing has neither supported nor criticized Qaddafi . China’s future in Libya is not clear, especially if rebel forces depose Qaddafi. It is certain, however, that Chinese companies have taken significant financial losses. Should it wish to reengage in Libya, it probably has enough financial leverage to tempt even a new government.
Conclusion
With the possible exception of Libya, China’s relations with the countries of North Africa have not been harmed following the political upheavals. Chinese diplomacy worked quietly behind the scenes to insure that it maintained its interests. China was notably silent in the early stages of all the uprisings and fell back on its traditional public support for stability, national sovereignty and non-interference. At the same time, it supported mild UN Security Council sanctions against Libya and abstained—when it could have vetoeds—strong collective military action favoring rebel forces. China has significant economic and political leverage in North Africa. In the case of Libya, China rationalized its abstention on Resolution 1973 by emphasizing Arab League support for it. Once coalition forces began bombing Libya and some Arab League and African Union member countries began objecting, China did not hold back its criticism of the way the coalition carried out the military campaign.
Notes:
1. See SC Resolution 1970 at daccess-dds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/N11/245/58/PDF/N1124558.pdf.
2. See SC Resolution 1973 at daccess-dds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/N11/268/39/PDF/N1126839.pdf.
Vietnam bends to Chinese regime’s pressure over Falun Gong
Predictably, the corruption that plagues China has spilled into Viet Nam as corrupt Vietnamese officials do the bidding of the fetid Chinese Communist Party. The world is focused on the Mid-East and the struggle for democracy while turning a deaf ear to the cries from Asia and we wonder why the world as a whole looks at the western world with disdain and confusion. It has only become apparent to the world as a whole that the west is bipolar in their response to egregious crimes against humanity if it interferes with corporate profits and the steady flow of cheap Chinese goods.
Now China’s cancer has spread to Viet Nam in earnest as innocent people are being persecuted not for violations of the laws of the land but as a favor to appease Chinese thugs in a boldly illegal kangaroo court trial of Falun Gong practitioners. Imagine, being charges for a crime that is not even on the books. The real crime is the crime against humanity as Viet Nam joins China in the relentless witch hunt for Falun Gong members for the crime of living a discipline and a moral lifestyle. The corrupted Chinese Communist Party is not communist by any stretch of the imagination but more a blue print for the morally bankrupt New World Order. For it is money that is all that matters to the members of China’s most lucrative criminal cartel, The C.C.P.
On a sidebar, let it be known that there is a reward for nations who persecute their own people for corporate interests for this is truly the time of great change. The earth has only begun to rumble with distain for the wholesale disregard for life. And the show has only just begun. Like the ole addage goes, what comes around goes around and eventually the world will harvest the bitter fruit of our ambivalance.
Chinese Embassy memo prompted pair’s arrest, prosecution
05 Apr 2011
New York—Two Vietnamese Falun Gong practitioners are scheduled to stand trial Friday for broadcasting uncensored news programs into China, following a request from Beijing to crackdown. Under such pressure, the Vietnamese authorities have been stepping up harassment of the local Falun Gong community in recent months. The Falun Dafa Information Center urges members of the international community to press for the pair’s immediate and unconditional release.
Two Vietnamese men who practice Falun Gong—Mr. Vu Duc Trung, a 30-year-old CEO of a high-tech company, and his 35-year-old brother-in-law Mr. Le Van Thanh—are to stand trial in Hanoi on April 8, 2011. The pair are charged with “transmitting information illegally onto the telecommunications network” for having broadcast news programs of Sound of Hope radio via short-wave radio into China. Sound of Hope’s programs typically report on human rights abuses, corruption, and repression of Falun Gong practitioners and other minorities. Trung initiated the broadcasts in April 2009.
The pair were abducted on June 11, 2010 and have remained in custody since, with little possibility for their family members to visit them. At the time, in addition to computers and broadcasting equipment, police also confiscated their personal Falun Gong-related materials.
According to the indictment, the Vietnamese government arrested the men after a diplomatic memo was sent on March 5, 2010, from the Chinese Embassy to Vietnam’s Ministry of Investigation and Security.
“The memo stated that the Police Department in China discovered radio signals coming from the Vietnamese territory containing the same content about Falun Gong as heard on the ‘Sound of Hope’ radio station,” the indictment reads. “It was recommended that all illegal activities of Falun Gong individuals in the Vietnam territory must be attacked and stopped.”
Eight days after their detention, charges were pressed against the pair, an action that their lawyer says is unjust and in violation of Vietnam’s own laws.
“Falun Gong is a practice which helps people to improve the mind and the body,” Mr. Tran Dinh Trien, the pair’s lawyer, told Radio Free Asia. “There are no official documents saying Falun Gong is prohibited in Vietnam. Consequently this information does not affect public security, politics and public order in society. Therefore it is against law if he is prosecuted for … broadcasting information.”
As Chinese Communist Party officials have directly urged their Vietnamese counterparts to crackdown on Falun Gong practitioners in the country, the case is widely viewed as a test for whether Vietnam will bow to such pressures.
“Falun Gong is practiced freely and welcomed by people in over 100 countries around the world. It has already improved the health and well-being of hundreds of Vietnamese citizens,” says Falun Gong spokesperson Erping Zhang. “We urge their government not to given into the Chinese Communist Party’s pressure and follow its irrational decision to persecute Falun Gong. That fateful move has only caused immense suffering to tens of millions of people in China, Falun Gong and non-Falun Gong practitioners alike.”
In recent months, other incidents of restrictions being imposed on Falun Gong practitioners in Vietnam have also been reported. Most recently, according to the Epoch Times, a memo dated March 30, 2011 cites an official order requiring the Official People’s Committee in Bến Tre to halt all distribution of Falun Gong materials.
Although Falun Gong keeps no member lists, it is estimated that several hundred people follow the spiritual discipline in Vietnam. Two weeks ago 15 police officers reportedly detained 11 Falun Gong practitioners in Bien Hoa. One local practitioner told Radio Free Asia that he had been taken into custody by the police, who handcuffed him and burned his arm, leaving marks.
Urgent Appeal
The Falun Dafa Information Center calls on the Vietnamese authorities to drop the charges against these two men, immediately release them from custody, and allow Falun Gong practitioners to continue to pursue the spiritual path of their choice without interference.
The Center urges journalists, human rights groups, and Western government officials to act quickly and urgently call on the Vietnamese to drop the charges and annul the trial. The following is one relevant phone number that can be called:
Deputy Minister of Investigation and Security, Huong Van Nguyen, at +84 (0)4-38226602 or +84(0)69-42545. Faxes can also be sent to: +84(0)69-41038 or +84(0)4-39420223.
Additional Information
The Epoch Times: http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/54162/
YouTube video with additional details (Vietnamese): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BAg_dv6LaRg
BBC article on Falun Gong’s spread in Vietnam, Apriil 2009: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7987230.stm
Additional details and interviewees available upon request
Background
Founded in 1999, the Falun Dafa Information Center is a New York-based organization that documents the rights violations of adherents of Falun Gong (or “Falun Dafa”) taking place in the People’s Republic of China. In July of 1999 China’s autocratic Communist Party launched an unlawful campaign of arrests, violence, and propaganda with the intent of “eradicating” the apolitical practice; it is believed certain leaders feared the influence of the practice’ 100 million adherents. The campaign has since grown in violence and scope, with millions having been detained or sent to forced labor camps. The Center has verified details of over 3,000 deaths and over 63,000 cases of torture in custody (reports / sources). Falun Gong is a traditional-style Buddhist “qigong” practice, with roots in the Chinese heritage of cultivating the mind/body for health and spiritual growth.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT THE FALUN DAFA INFORMATION CENTER
Contacts: Gail Rachlin (+1 917-757-9780), Levi Browde (+1 845-418-4870), Erping Zhang (+1 646-533-6147), or Joel Chipkar (+1 416-731-6000)
Fax: 646-792-3916 Email: contact@faluninfo.net, Website: http://www.faluninfo.net/
Two Vietnamese to Stand Trial for Broadcasts Into China
On Friday two Vietnamese men go on trial in Hanoi because the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) objected to short wave radio broadcasts they were beaming into China. Vietnamese Falun Gong practitioners see these arrests as the most dramatic instance of a campaign inspired by the CCP to suppress Falun Gong in Vietnam.
The men, both of whom practice Falun Gong, used their broadcasts to inform the Chinese people of the twelve-year-long persecution of the spiritual practice.
The Epoch Times obtained a copy of the indictment against them. It makes clear that the Vietnamese government arrested the men in response to pressure from Beijing, applied through a March 5, 2010, diplomatic memo sent by the Chinese Embassy to the Vietnam Ministry of Public Security.
“The memo stated that the Police Department in China discovered radio signals coming from the Vietnamese territory containing the same content about Falun Gong as heard on the ‘Sound of Hope’ radio station,” the indictment read. “It was recommended that all illegal activities of Falun Gong individuals in the Vietnam territory must be charged and stopped.”
Vũ Đức Trung is the CEO of a high-tech company headquartered in Hanoi and a Falun Gong practitioner. According to the indictment, in April 2009 Trung installed short wave radios in the home of his brother-in-law, Le Van Thanh, and his father-in-law, Le Van Manh. The short-wave radios were then used to broadcast into China.
The Sound of Hope radio station mentioned in the indictment is a media partner of The Epoch Times. Since its inception in 2003 it has undercut the Communist Party’s efforts to control information in China, using shortwave broadcasts to deliver news directly to the Chinese people about China’s politics, economy, culture, and environment.
According to its website, Sound of Hope reaches tens of millions of people in China. It reports on human rights abuses, protests, and official corruption, and is not afraid of addressing one of the issues the Chinese regime most attempts to censor: the ongoing persecution of Falun Gong in China.
According to Allen Zeng, spokesperson for Sound of Hope, anyone may download Sound of Hope’s programs, as Trung and Thanh did.
Through interviews with Vietnamese Falun Gong practitioners and documentary evidence, The Epoch Times has pieced together a chronology of events leading up to and succeeding the arrest.
On June 10, 2010, Trung’s broadcasting equipment was confiscated.
Also on June 10 officers from the Bureau of Radio Frequency Management recorded a memo of “administrative offense” against Mr Thanh for using broadcasting devices without a permit, which violates Item 64, Article 1 of the Postal and Telecommunications Law.
On June 11, Trung, his brother-in-law, who is also a Falun Gong practitioner, and his father-in-law were arrested.
On June 19, the stakes were raised as, in addition to this administrative action, criminal charges were filed under Vietnam’s Article 226, which prohibits “transmitting information illegally onto the telecommunications network.”
The three men were detained without bail. Their families were told they could not visit, because the charges were said to be political in nature.
On Sept. 1 the father-in-law, Mr. Manh, was released from custody. Mr. Trung and Mr. Thanh remain in prison.
In early 2011, the People’s Police magazine published an article claiming that Trung’s short wave broadcasts had interfered with air traffic control and damaged Vietnam’s diplomatic relations.
Diplomatic Relations
A three-page, 2009 memo (left, click to see maximum resolution) devoted to stopping the activities of Falun Gong was distributed to local police departments by a provincial division of the Public Security Ministry. The month and day and the name of the province were blacked out and are illegible in the copy received by The Epoch Times.
The memo says in part, “Spreading Falun Gong in Vietnam and spreading the information about China’s persecution of practitioners in China directly affects the diplomatic relations between Vietnam and China…
“The government and the ministry of investigation and security gives direct orders to stop the practice of Falun Gong in the country to avoid problems with China. It orders officials they must deal with the situation when they detect it.”
A memo from Provincial Department of Education and Training in Bến Tre to its Offices of Education and Training issued on March 30, 2011 corroborates the 2009 memo’s picture of systematic state suppression. The 2011 memo states that it was issued in compliance with an official order dated March 29, 2011 from the Official People's Committee in Bến Tre to halt all dispersal of Falun Gong materials.
Vietnamese practitioners date the attempt to suppress Falun Gong to 2006. In Hanoi police came to a park where practitioners were doing the Falun Gong exercises and arrested the practitioners. Later the police went to their homes, confiscated materials relating to Falun Gong and pressured families into trying to get practitioners to give up Falun Gong.
Since then, the harassment has gradually intensified, with incidents reported throughout Vietnam. In some cases, practitioners have been roughed up by police.
Two weeks ago 15 police detained 11 Falun Gong practitioners in Bien Hoa. The police confiscated all their Falun Gong materials and required practitioners to sign documents promising not to practice Falun Gong and not to distribute fliers about the persecution.
Extra-legal Grounds
Mr. Trung and Mr. Thanh are represented by the lawyer Tran Dinh Trien. Mr. Trien believes the real reason for his clients’ arrest involves Vietnam’s attempts to appease the CCP.
In a Radio Free Asia broadcast translated from Vietnamese by The Epoch Times, Mr. Trien points to a document issued by the Ministry of Public Security around the same time as the decision by the state to prosecute his clients. The document emphasized that propagating Falun Gong affected diplomatic relations between Vietnam and China.
Trien believes the criminal case against his clients is without merit.
In a letter to the Ministry of Public Security and the People’s Supreme Procurator, Mr. Trien explained how the criminal charge brought against his clients does not actually apply to them: Article 226 originally did not apply to radio broadcasts. It was revised to include radio broadcasts, with the revised law effective January 1, 2010. But, Trien argues, since his clients had begun radio broadcasts in 2009, the revised law is not binding in their case.
At most, he says, his clients should be charged with an administrative offence of broadcasting without a license, the punishment for which would be the confiscation of their equipment and a fine.
As for the claim that the broadcasts interfered with air traffic control, Falun Gong practitioners in Vietnam say that the broadcasts were made on international short wave frequencies, and such interference is not possible.
Trien points to the aggressive actions of China toward Vietnam—occupying Vietnamese islands and exploring for Vietnam’s mineral resources on Vietnam’s continental shelf—as reasons why the Vietnamese state has felt it needed to please the CCP by suppressing Falun Gong and, in particular, arresting his clients.
The police who raided the homes of Trung and Thanh not only took away broadcasting equipment and computers, they also confiscated books and other materials related to Falun Gong.
Falun Gong is a spiritual discipline that involves practicing five meditative exercises and following moral teachings based on the principles of truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance. After first being taught in 1992 in China it rapidly became very popular. An issue of the U.S. News and World Report from February 1999 cited Chinese officials in claiming that Falun Gong had 100 million adherents.
The popularity of Falun Gong frightened the then-paramount leader, Jiang Zemin, who in July 1999 ordered that the practice be “eradicated.” The Falun Dafa Information Center estimates that tens of thousands of Falun Gong practitioners have died from torture and abuse and hundreds of thousands are held in China’s labor camps or prisons.
In its foreign relations, the CCP’s diplomats make clear that criticism of its policy toward Falun Gong is unacceptable. Where the regime has influence, it attempts to suppress the practice.
Vietnam has bowed to the CCP’s influence. While Falun Gong is officially legal in Vietnam, the state has put systematic pressure on Falun Gong practitioners, as witnessed by documents obtained by The Epoch Times.
Now China’s cancer has spread to Viet Nam in earnest as innocent people are being persecuted not for violations of the laws of the land but as a favor to appease Chinese thugs in a boldly illegal kangaroo court trial of Falun Gong practitioners. Imagine, being charges for a crime that is not even on the books. The real crime is the crime against humanity as Viet Nam joins China in the relentless witch hunt for Falun Gong members for the crime of living a discipline and a moral lifestyle. The corrupted Chinese Communist Party is not communist by any stretch of the imagination but more a blue print for the morally bankrupt New World Order. For it is money that is all that matters to the members of China’s most lucrative criminal cartel, The C.C.P.
On a sidebar, let it be known that there is a reward for nations who persecute their own people for corporate interests for this is truly the time of great change. The earth has only begun to rumble with distain for the wholesale disregard for life. And the show has only just begun. Like the ole addage goes, what comes around goes around and eventually the world will harvest the bitter fruit of our ambivalance.
Chinese Embassy memo prompted pair’s arrest, prosecution
05 Apr 2011
New York—Two Vietnamese Falun Gong practitioners are scheduled to stand trial Friday for broadcasting uncensored news programs into China, following a request from Beijing to crackdown. Under such pressure, the Vietnamese authorities have been stepping up harassment of the local Falun Gong community in recent months. The Falun Dafa Information Center urges members of the international community to press for the pair’s immediate and unconditional release.
 |
| Photo of Vu Duc Trung. (Courtesy of Vu Duc Trung) |
The pair were abducted on June 11, 2010 and have remained in custody since, with little possibility for their family members to visit them. At the time, in addition to computers and broadcasting equipment, police also confiscated their personal Falun Gong-related materials.
According to the indictment, the Vietnamese government arrested the men after a diplomatic memo was sent on March 5, 2010, from the Chinese Embassy to Vietnam’s Ministry of Investigation and Security.
“The memo stated that the Police Department in China discovered radio signals coming from the Vietnamese territory containing the same content about Falun Gong as heard on the ‘Sound of Hope’ radio station,” the indictment reads. “It was recommended that all illegal activities of Falun Gong individuals in the Vietnam territory must be attacked and stopped.”
Eight days after their detention, charges were pressed against the pair, an action that their lawyer says is unjust and in violation of Vietnam’s own laws.
“Falun Gong is a practice which helps people to improve the mind and the body,” Mr. Tran Dinh Trien, the pair’s lawyer, told Radio Free Asia. “There are no official documents saying Falun Gong is prohibited in Vietnam. Consequently this information does not affect public security, politics and public order in society. Therefore it is against law if he is prosecuted for … broadcasting information.”
As Chinese Communist Party officials have directly urged their Vietnamese counterparts to crackdown on Falun Gong practitioners in the country, the case is widely viewed as a test for whether Vietnam will bow to such pressures.
“Falun Gong is practiced freely and welcomed by people in over 100 countries around the world. It has already improved the health and well-being of hundreds of Vietnamese citizens,” says Falun Gong spokesperson Erping Zhang. “We urge their government not to given into the Chinese Communist Party’s pressure and follow its irrational decision to persecute Falun Gong. That fateful move has only caused immense suffering to tens of millions of people in China, Falun Gong and non-Falun Gong practitioners alike.”
In recent months, other incidents of restrictions being imposed on Falun Gong practitioners in Vietnam have also been reported. Most recently, according to the Epoch Times, a memo dated March 30, 2011 cites an official order requiring the Official People’s Committee in Bến Tre to halt all distribution of Falun Gong materials.
Although Falun Gong keeps no member lists, it is estimated that several hundred people follow the spiritual discipline in Vietnam. Two weeks ago 15 police officers reportedly detained 11 Falun Gong practitioners in Bien Hoa. One local practitioner told Radio Free Asia that he had been taken into custody by the police, who handcuffed him and burned his arm, leaving marks.
Urgent Appeal
The Falun Dafa Information Center calls on the Vietnamese authorities to drop the charges against these two men, immediately release them from custody, and allow Falun Gong practitioners to continue to pursue the spiritual path of their choice without interference.
The Center urges journalists, human rights groups, and Western government officials to act quickly and urgently call on the Vietnamese to drop the charges and annul the trial. The following is one relevant phone number that can be called:
Deputy Minister of Investigation and Security, Huong Van Nguyen, at +84 (0)4-38226602 or +84(0)69-42545. Faxes can also be sent to: +84(0)69-41038 or +84(0)4-39420223.
Additional Information
The Epoch Times: http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/54162/
YouTube video with additional details (Vietnamese): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BAg_dv6LaRg
BBC article on Falun Gong’s spread in Vietnam, Apriil 2009: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7987230.stm
Additional details and interviewees available upon request
Background
Founded in 1999, the Falun Dafa Information Center is a New York-based organization that documents the rights violations of adherents of Falun Gong (or “Falun Dafa”) taking place in the People’s Republic of China. In July of 1999 China’s autocratic Communist Party launched an unlawful campaign of arrests, violence, and propaganda with the intent of “eradicating” the apolitical practice; it is believed certain leaders feared the influence of the practice’ 100 million adherents. The campaign has since grown in violence and scope, with millions having been detained or sent to forced labor camps. The Center has verified details of over 3,000 deaths and over 63,000 cases of torture in custody (reports / sources). Falun Gong is a traditional-style Buddhist “qigong” practice, with roots in the Chinese heritage of cultivating the mind/body for health and spiritual growth.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT THE FALUN DAFA INFORMATION CENTER
Contacts: Gail Rachlin (+1 917-757-9780), Levi Browde (+1 845-418-4870), Erping Zhang (+1 646-533-6147), or Joel Chipkar (+1 416-731-6000)
Fax: 646-792-3916 Email: contact@faluninfo.net, Website: http://www.faluninfo.net/
Two Vietnamese to Stand Trial for Broadcasts Into China
On Friday two Vietnamese men go on trial in Hanoi because the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) objected to short wave radio broadcasts they were beaming into China. Vietnamese Falun Gong practitioners see these arrests as the most dramatic instance of a campaign inspired by the CCP to suppress Falun Gong in Vietnam.
The men, both of whom practice Falun Gong, used their broadcasts to inform the Chinese people of the twelve-year-long persecution of the spiritual practice.
The Epoch Times obtained a copy of the indictment against them. It makes clear that the Vietnamese government arrested the men in response to pressure from Beijing, applied through a March 5, 2010, diplomatic memo sent by the Chinese Embassy to the Vietnam Ministry of Public Security.
“The memo stated that the Police Department in China discovered radio signals coming from the Vietnamese territory containing the same content about Falun Gong as heard on the ‘Sound of Hope’ radio station,” the indictment read. “It was recommended that all illegal activities of Falun Gong individuals in the Vietnam territory must be charged and stopped.”
Vũ Đức Trung is the CEO of a high-tech company headquartered in Hanoi and a Falun Gong practitioner. According to the indictment, in April 2009 Trung installed short wave radios in the home of his brother-in-law, Le Van Thanh, and his father-in-law, Le Van Manh. The short-wave radios were then used to broadcast into China.
The Sound of Hope radio station mentioned in the indictment is a media partner of The Epoch Times. Since its inception in 2003 it has undercut the Communist Party’s efforts to control information in China, using shortwave broadcasts to deliver news directly to the Chinese people about China’s politics, economy, culture, and environment.
According to its website, Sound of Hope reaches tens of millions of people in China. It reports on human rights abuses, protests, and official corruption, and is not afraid of addressing one of the issues the Chinese regime most attempts to censor: the ongoing persecution of Falun Gong in China.
According to Allen Zeng, spokesperson for Sound of Hope, anyone may download Sound of Hope’s programs, as Trung and Thanh did.
Through interviews with Vietnamese Falun Gong practitioners and documentary evidence, The Epoch Times has pieced together a chronology of events leading up to and succeeding the arrest.
On June 10, 2010, Trung’s broadcasting equipment was confiscated.
Also on June 10 officers from the Bureau of Radio Frequency Management recorded a memo of “administrative offense” against Mr Thanh for using broadcasting devices without a permit, which violates Item 64, Article 1 of the Postal and Telecommunications Law.
On June 11, Trung, his brother-in-law, who is also a Falun Gong practitioner, and his father-in-law were arrested.
On June 19, the stakes were raised as, in addition to this administrative action, criminal charges were filed under Vietnam’s Article 226, which prohibits “transmitting information illegally onto the telecommunications network.”
The three men were detained without bail. Their families were told they could not visit, because the charges were said to be political in nature.
On Sept. 1 the father-in-law, Mr. Manh, was released from custody. Mr. Trung and Mr. Thanh remain in prison.
In early 2011, the People’s Police magazine published an article claiming that Trung’s short wave broadcasts had interfered with air traffic control and damaged Vietnam’s diplomatic relations.
Diplomatic Relations
The memo says in part, “Spreading Falun Gong in Vietnam and spreading the information about China’s persecution of practitioners in China directly affects the diplomatic relations between Vietnam and China…
“The government and the ministry of investigation and security gives direct orders to stop the practice of Falun Gong in the country to avoid problems with China. It orders officials they must deal with the situation when they detect it.”
A memo from Provincial Department of Education and Training in Bến Tre to its Offices of Education and Training issued on March 30, 2011 corroborates the 2009 memo’s picture of systematic state suppression. The 2011 memo states that it was issued in compliance with an official order dated March 29, 2011 from the Official People's Committee in Bến Tre to halt all dispersal of Falun Gong materials.
Vietnamese practitioners date the attempt to suppress Falun Gong to 2006. In Hanoi police came to a park where practitioners were doing the Falun Gong exercises and arrested the practitioners. Later the police went to their homes, confiscated materials relating to Falun Gong and pressured families into trying to get practitioners to give up Falun Gong.
Since then, the harassment has gradually intensified, with incidents reported throughout Vietnam. In some cases, practitioners have been roughed up by police.
Two weeks ago 15 police detained 11 Falun Gong practitioners in Bien Hoa. The police confiscated all their Falun Gong materials and required practitioners to sign documents promising not to practice Falun Gong and not to distribute fliers about the persecution.
Extra-legal Grounds
Mr. Trung and Mr. Thanh are represented by the lawyer Tran Dinh Trien. Mr. Trien believes the real reason for his clients’ arrest involves Vietnam’s attempts to appease the CCP.
In a Radio Free Asia broadcast translated from Vietnamese by The Epoch Times, Mr. Trien points to a document issued by the Ministry of Public Security around the same time as the decision by the state to prosecute his clients. The document emphasized that propagating Falun Gong affected diplomatic relations between Vietnam and China.
Trien believes the criminal case against his clients is without merit.
In a letter to the Ministry of Public Security and the People’s Supreme Procurator, Mr. Trien explained how the criminal charge brought against his clients does not actually apply to them: Article 226 originally did not apply to radio broadcasts. It was revised to include radio broadcasts, with the revised law effective January 1, 2010. But, Trien argues, since his clients had begun radio broadcasts in 2009, the revised law is not binding in their case.
At most, he says, his clients should be charged with an administrative offence of broadcasting without a license, the punishment for which would be the confiscation of their equipment and a fine.
As for the claim that the broadcasts interfered with air traffic control, Falun Gong practitioners in Vietnam say that the broadcasts were made on international short wave frequencies, and such interference is not possible.
Trien points to the aggressive actions of China toward Vietnam—occupying Vietnamese islands and exploring for Vietnam’s mineral resources on Vietnam’s continental shelf—as reasons why the Vietnamese state has felt it needed to please the CCP by suppressing Falun Gong and, in particular, arresting his clients.
The police who raided the homes of Trung and Thanh not only took away broadcasting equipment and computers, they also confiscated books and other materials related to Falun Gong.
Falun Gong is a spiritual discipline that involves practicing five meditative exercises and following moral teachings based on the principles of truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance. After first being taught in 1992 in China it rapidly became very popular. An issue of the U.S. News and World Report from February 1999 cited Chinese officials in claiming that Falun Gong had 100 million adherents.
The popularity of Falun Gong frightened the then-paramount leader, Jiang Zemin, who in July 1999 ordered that the practice be “eradicated.” The Falun Dafa Information Center estimates that tens of thousands of Falun Gong practitioners have died from torture and abuse and hundreds of thousands are held in China’s labor camps or prisons.
In its foreign relations, the CCP’s diplomats make clear that criticism of its policy toward Falun Gong is unacceptable. Where the regime has influence, it attempts to suppress the practice.
Vietnam has bowed to the CCP’s influence. While Falun Gong is officially legal in Vietnam, the state has put systematic pressure on Falun Gong practitioners, as witnessed by documents obtained by The Epoch Times.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)