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All posts by TGS - 158. page

Flushing NY Residents Call for Expulsion of Pro-Communist City Council Member

On July 3, NY City Council Member John Liu had his first meeting with Falun Gong practitioners who have been targeted in the recent violence on Flushing streets by pro-Communist thugs. Previously, Liu held private meetings with the pro-Communist suspects and rejected requests from his constituents who practice Falun Gong. During the July 3, 2008 meeting, Liu’s constituents called for Liu’s expulsion from City Council for his pro-Communist conduct unbecoming of an elected official. Calls were also made for FBI’s investigation of Liu’s ties with Chinese Communist regime.

Source: Epoch Times, July 3, 2008
http://news.epochtimes.com/gb/8/7/3/n2178086.htm

Briefings | | |   US-China Relations

Officials Demoted As Result of Unrest in Guizhou Province

On July 3, 2008, the Communist Party Secretary of Weng’an County and the Political Commissar of the County Public Security Bureau, Guizhou Province, were removed from office because of “serious dereliction of duty” during a June 28 social unrest incident. Guizhou Provincial Party Secretary Shi announced the decision at a July 3 Provincial Party meeting.

On June 22, a female high school student died. On June 28, tens of thousand of local residents trashed and set fire to the buildings of the Party, the police, the courts and the secret police. Longstanding grievances over corruption spilled over into a clash when the girl’s family, believing she had been raped and murdered, accused the local authorities of a cover up.  Internet police have been removing Internet comments critical of the authorities.

Source: Xinhua, July 3, 2008
http://news.xinhuanet.com/newscenter/2008-07/03/content_8485748.htm

Briefings | | |   Social Stability

Olympics Negatively Affecting Chinese Coal Market

The Beijing Olympics will have negative impact on the Chinese coal market, said Market, a newspaper under the ownership of the People’s Daily on June 27. Supplies of coal will likely decrease due to pressure from the international community on human rights and air quality in China. The authorities are expected to shut down mines to reduce accidents. Coal trucks will either be turned away or re-directed at check points leading to Beijing. For example, the Hebei provincial government has banned cargo trucks from entering into Beijing between July 1 and September 20.

Source: Market, June 27, 2008
http://paper.people.com.cn/scb/html/2008-06/27/content_48326.htm

Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources

Guangzhou Government’s Open House Highlights Dissatisfaction with Corruption

On June 26, 2008, tens of thousands of residents waited in the rain to air grievances to Guangzhou Mayor and other high level officials during an open house at local government offices. It is helpless and saddening, said Guangming Daily. “It is not normal that matters that should have been resolved through official channels may be resolved only through interventions by higher-ups.” “Who should ultimately be shamed by this?” implying  that the authorities are responsible for such failure. Of the 84 comments posted at Chinanews.com, most expressed disappointments in government curruption and abuse of power.

Source: Guangming, June 28, 2008
http://www.chinanews.com.cn/gn/news/2008/06-28/1295767.shtml
http://comment.chinanews.com.cn/comments/comments.php?newsid=1295767&page=1

Briefings | | |   Social Stability

Thousands of Reservoirs Damaged During Sichuan Earthquake

According to the Sichuan Earthquake Relief authorities, the total of reservoirs damaged during the May 12 earthquake has reached 1,996, with an additional 193 reservoirs added June 26.  All of these reservoirs have now operated at much lower water levels. 68 of them have been completely drained out of concerns of imminent dam break and over 900 are under repairs.

Source: Xinhua, June 26, 2008
http://news.xinhuanet.com/newscenter/2008-06/26/content_8445208.htm

Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources

The Oath to Join the Party: Never Betray the Party

In an effort to keep members from abandoing the Party, the Chinese Communist Party has issued numerous publications on Party rules and regulations of membership. According to an article at the official website of Chinese Communist Party, when a new member is admitted into the Communist Party, the person must be sworn in at a ceremony where the person takes an oath. The wording of the oath has evolved over time. The first oath was adopted in late 1920. The current oath was adopted in September 1982. In spite of changes in the wording of the oath over decades, two elements remain unchanged: one shall never betray the Party and shall devote the entire life fighting for the cause of Communism.

Since December 2004 when Epoch Times published Nine Commentaries on Chinese Communist Party, over 39 millions have denounced the Chinese Communist Party.

Source: News of the Chinese Communist Party, October 30, 2007
http://cpc.people.com.cn/GB/64162/64172/85037/85040/6451463.html
Epoch Times, http://ninecommentaries.com/

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

Local Governments Lead in Violations of Land Use Law

The per capita cultivated land in China is 1.38 mu, below 40% of the average in the world, said Minister of Land Resources Xu Shaoshin June 25, 2008. From 2001 to 2005, cultivation land in China decreased by 110,000,000 mu, mostly due to urban economic development. Local governments increasingly are the offenders in land uses cases, accounting for 80% of land under investigation, Xu said. For the period between 2001 and 2005, only 1% of government officials in the land use violations were disciplined and about 0.1% of violators were charged with criminal offenses.

Source: Xinhua, June 25, 2008
http://news.xinhuanet.com/legal/2008-06/25/content_8433980.htm

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

120,000 in Qingchuan County Lost Homes in Earthquake

120,000 residents in Qingchuan County, Sichuan, have lost means of livelihood during the May 12 earthquake, said Qingchuan County official. At the press conference of the Sichuan government, Li Haozheng, Communist Party Secretary for Qingchuan said only 5% of the buildings might be used after reinforcement and 140,000 mu of farmland were destroyed. Victims have no land to farm or foundation to re-build houses or roads to travel, as Li put it. 

Source: Xinhua, June 25, 2008
http://news.xinhuanet.com/newscenter/2008-06/25/content_8438575.htm

Briefings | | |   Social Stability