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Friday, February 13, 2004 |
Foreign press journalists detained for working on reports about bird flu [RSF]
Journalist David Fang and photographer Mark Ralston of the South China Morning Post, a daily published in Hong Kong, were questioned for several hours on 11 February 2004 when they were working on a report on avian flu on a farm in Baitangkou, near Tianjin (south east of the country). Officials and police questioned the journalists about their presence in the region in contravention of restrictions imposed on journalists in the areas hit by the epidemic. Zhong Yangsheng, deputy governor of southern Guangdong province on 8 February threatened the media, particularly in Hong Kong, with legal action if they continued to publish "irresponsible articles" on avian flu. He also said that chicken in the Chaoan region had been dying of poisoning or accidents and not as a result of the epidemic. Officials from the Publicity Department (formerly the Propaganda Department) confirmed on 6 February that the dailies the Yangtze Evening News and the Nanjing Daily were under official investigation after publishing articles on the sudden death of thousands of migratory birds in the birthplace of the Chinese president, Hu Jintao. The birds fell from the sky at Taizhou, in the east of China. "This type of article does not contribute to stability," a top official, quoted by Reuters said. [more]
10:16:30 AM 
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Cyber-dissident Du Daobin's case sent back to police for lack of evidence [RSF]
The Xiaogan prosecutor's office told police on 10 February there was not enough evidence to charge Du Daobin with "inciting subversion". The case was sent back to the Bureau of Public Security (police). Cyber-dissident Liu Di, arrested in November 2002 and whom Du had supported, was freed last November after a prosecutor had come to the same conclusion. [more]
10:13:15 AM
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China: the Gospel and children [Open Doors]
"For several years, an impressive revival has been taking place in China,"
reports mission agency Open Doors. The wave of revival also reaches children and youth; numerous Christians risk sharing the Gospel with children despite the ban on evangelising minors. "Anna" coordinates a whole network of Sunday School teachers whose vision is to start a Sunday School in every Chinese village. Every three months, around 100 new Sunday Schools are opened.
Sunday School teachers are more dangerous than pastors
Christian activities are forbidden on priciple, and because they influence children's thinking, the Chinese government considers Sunday School teachers more dangerous than pastors. If the Police track down a Sunday School teacher,he or she is arrested and sent to a labour camp for two or three years. Sunday Schools now have a significant influence on Chinese society; children are important because of the restriction on only one child per couple. Children from Christian families often bring their non-Christian schoolfriends to Sunday School; if the son or daughter converts to Christianity, they generally influence the entire family. "The Gospel reaches at least five people - the child, parents and grandparents," says Anna. When asked whether the children understand the importance of being discreet about their Christianity, Anna says "Even small children understand very well that being a Christian can land you in jail. We tell them that God protects them, but do not hide the risks. Matthew Chapter 10 is one of the foundations of our teaching. Children understand the message with astonishing maturity."
Already 40,000 Sunday Schools
There are an estimated 40,000 Sunday Schools in China, some with twenty children, others with a few hundred. "My husband and I deliberately chose not to have any children of our own in order to be able to concentrate on this work. Some 300 million of China's 1.3 billion inhabitants are children and youths. Imagine - the future Chinese President may be sitting in one of our Sunday Schools!"
Source: Open Doors, fax (+41) 21 648 35 00; www.offenegrenzen.ch
From Friday Fax - click on link for free email version.
10:04:27 AM
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NORTH KOREA FREEDOM DAY APRIL 28, 2004. This promises to be an important opportunity to bring this all-important issue to the American public. If you are interested in helping the North Korean people, please participate! -Chris From Suzanne Scholte: Dear Friends: We have received very enthusiastic response to our announcement last month of North Korea Freedom Day! I am writing to follow up on some of the specific plans for that day so that everyone who cares about the suffering of the North Korean people can start making plans to be in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, April 28, 2004. Please feel free to post this announcement on any websites and re-transmit to your own email lists to any folks that may be interested in joining us... [Free North Korea!]
8:57:13 AM
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Chinese agents seize N Korean defector. (The Independent, UK) By Robin Gedye China has hunted down and arrested a North Korean defector who revealed the first documentary evidence of Pyongyang's chemical and biological experiments on political prisoners, said his supporters yesterday. Kang Byong-sop, 59, was seized on the Chinese-Laotian border with his wife and youngest son, aged 25, last month after escaping from North Korea with proof that the Stalinist regime is killing political prisoners by experimenting on them with biological and chemical weapons. Seong-kuk: injured during a kidnap attempt Mr Kang's eldest son, Seong-kuk, who defected several years ago and acted as an intermediary in smuggling the evidence out of China shortly before his father's arrest, escaped a kidnap attempt by suspected North Korean agents... [Free North Korea!]
8:56:06 AM
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© 2004 Radio Free China
Last Update: 4/4/2004; 9:09:45 AM
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