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» Crackdown in TIBET condemned by parliamentary group - 14-March-2008
Crackdown in TIBET condemned by parliamentary groupFor Immediate Release: March 14, 2007Ottawa ? The Parliamentary Friends of Tibet (PFT) join the international condemnation of the crackdown in Tibet.According to Senator Consiglio Di Nino, Chair of the PFT, ?the violent crackdown by Chinese paramilitary forces in Tibet is unacceptable. On behalf of the Canadian Parliamentary Friends of Tibet, I call upon China to respect the Tibetan people?s human rights, to allow them to gather freely and express themselves, to immediately release those detained, and to unseal the city and the monasteries.??It is clear from these events, which have resulted from decades of injustice, that China?s government must act decisively to redress the legitimate grievances of the Tibetan people and other minorities within its borders if it is to take its place in the world as a great nation.??Beijing secured the winning bid for this summer?s Olympics on the promise of change. The Game?s logo is ?One World One

» MEP Appeal For Respect of Rights - 13-March-2008
MEP Appeal For Respect of Rights2008-03-13It has been a week in which the Chinese authorities have used the banner of terrorism ahead of the Beijing Olympics as a means of suppressing the rights of minorities such as the Uyghurs of East Turkestan. In response, Members of the European Parliament have taken the opportunity to express their solidarity and support for the ongoing work of Rebiya Kadeer, a campaigner at the forefront of attempts to win the freedoms supposedly guaranteed by China?s constitution. The original signatories of the appeal have found themselves joined by growing numbers of MEPs from countries throughout Europe and of all backgrounds and political colours. It is the sincere hope of all those who have endorsed the appeal that it will find a receptive ear in the People?s Republic of China.Below is an appeal issued by Members of the European Parliament:APPEAL IN SUPPORT OF UYGHUR NONVIOLENT LEADER REBIYA KADEERWe undersigned Members of the European P

» Critics question China's handling of alleged terror plot... - 11-March-2008
Critics question China's handling of alleged terror plotSecurity experts question whether claims about Friday's domestic airliner incident amount to state propaganda to bolster a pre-Olympics crackdown.By Simon MontlakeSince Chinese authorities arrested two airline passengers for allegedly plotting to blow up a domestic flight, some analysts and activists are casting doubt on the state's claim that it had thwarted a pre-Olympics terrorist plot.The passengers were reportedly arrested after flammable material was found in the airplane's toilet last Friday. The flight originated in western China, a region where pro-independence Uighur rebels are believed to operate, and was bound for Beijing, the host city for this summer's Olympics.Few details have emerged of the incident, or about why the plane was allowed to continue to Beijing after an emergency landing in the western city of Lanzhou. Questions have also been raised over separate claims that militants in the

» China's Curious Olympic Terror Threat - 11-March-2008
China's Curious Olympic Terror ThreatMonday, Mar. 10, 2008 By SIMON ELEGANT/BEIJINGA paramilitary police unit surrounds a China Southern Airlines passenger plane during an anti-hijack drill in Harbin, in China's northeastern Heilongjiang Province,The dramatic news came in the midst of China's staid and boring annual legislature: a terrorist hijacking plot, perhaps meant to mar the coming Olympic Games, had been stopped. Security forces had thwarted a plot to "create an air disaster," Nur Bekri, chairman of the Xinjiang regional government, told reporters at the ongoing session of the National People's Congress (NPC). Apparently, on Mar. 7, a hijacking attempt by separatists from the Muslim-majority province of Xinjiang had been foiled. Initial reports stated that China Southern flight CZ6901 had made an emergency landing in the northwestern city of Lanzhou at about 12:40 p.m. after an apparent attempt to blow up the aircraft. The plane was en route from t

» Engaging China globally - 11-March-2008
Engaging China globallyBy Sandley ChouMarch 11, 2008China and Russia are two of the most important countries in the world. They?re both perennial world powers, both in population and size, and both hold seats on the UN Security Council. They?re not small world powers that pretend to be important; instead, these are two countries that move and influence enormous numbers of countries globally.Without a doubt, China and Russia matter.And these two nations are definitely marching to their own beat. Both ignore Western cries for democracy, the concern regarding environmental standards, and human rights violations that are raised about them. Even with these differences, the West probably has little hope of changing the trajectories of these countries in those respects.One of the biggest complaints against China and Russia is their insistence, or rather, their lack of concern for negotiating, cooperating and financially supporting regimes that are violators of human rights or harbor terroris

» Olympic terror plot foiled, Beijing says - 10-March-2008
Olympic terror plot foiled, Beijing saysIncidents in Muslim region fuel fears of attack ahead of GamesGEOFFREY YORKMarch 10, 2008 at 5:00 AM EDTBEIJING ? Chinese authorities have revealed two alleged terrorist plots, including one targeting the Beijing Olympics, sparking new fears that militants could be escalating their activities in the lead-up to the Games.One of the plots was an attempt to hijack or crash a Chinese passenger jet, while the other led to a shootout where two militants were killed and five police officers were injured, officials said.Both of the alleged plots were said to originate in China's biggest Muslim region, Xinjiang, where China has used harsh tactics to crush militants who have been fighting for greater autonomy for the region.China has yet to provide evidence for the two reported plots, and rights groups say Beijing often exaggerates the terrorist threat to justify heavy-handed tactics in Xinjiang.The Beijing Olympics, a crucial showcase for China'

» China says that it foiled a terror threat ahead of the Beijing Olympics... - 10-March-2008
From The TimesMarch 10, 2008China says that it foiled a terror threat ahead of the Beijing OlympicsJane Macartney in BeijingThe Beijing Olympics face the threat of terrorist attack by Chinese Muslim separatists after a shoot-out this year and an attempt last week to crash a domestic passenger flight.Top officials of the mainly Muslim far-western region of Xinjiang revealed yesterday for the first time the anxieties of China that extremists from the ethnic Uighur minority were plotting to sabotage the Games in August.The statements are unusual from a Communist leadership which has long insisted that anti-Chinese movements are so weak that they are incapable of causing instability.Uighurs, who are engaged in a low-intensity insurgency to demand an independent state of East Turkestan in Xinjiang province, have been blamed for sporadic incidents of violence although no serious attacks have been reported in China for more than a decade.Related LinksNur Bekri, the governor of Xinjiang, said

» Officials release few details in alleged terrorist plot against Games sites... - 10-March-2008
2008 OLYMPICSBeijing organizers 'confident' of securityBeijing organizers 'confident' of security Officials release few details in alleged terrorist plot against Games sitesMar 10, 2008 08:47 AMChristopher BodeenTHE ASSOCIATED PRESSBEIJING ? Organizers voiced confidence Monday about security arrangements for this summer's Beijing Olympic Games, a day after a Communist party official said authorities had foiled a plot by Islamic terrorists to target the event."An efficient Olympic security command system is in place," Sun Weide, a spokesman for the organizing committee, told The Associated Press. "We're confident of holding a peaceful and safe Olympic Games."Few details have been released about the alleged plot and an apparently unrelated attempt to crash a passenger jet last Friday.The response underscores China's secretive, often repressive approach to a long-simmering Muslim separatist movement in its far west: Offici

» China fabricated terror plots: Uighur leader in US - 10-March-2008
AFP * China fabricated terror plots: Uighur leader in US Olympics will be safe, organisers say amid 'terrorism' threatsBEIJING (AFP) ? Beijing Olympic organisers sought Monday to play down security concerns looming over the Games, a day after authorities said two "terrorist" plots from its Muslim-majority northwest had been foiled."We are confident that we will be able to have a safe Olympics," said Sun Weide, a spokesman from Beijing's Olympic Organising Committee (BOCOG).Sun gave no indication as to whether any new measures had been put in place since the announcement on Sunday of the apparent terror threats.But efforts from Beijing to quell fears came amid accusations from exiled Uighur leader Rebiya Kadeer that China fabricated the alleged plots and even schemed to carry out its own terror attacks to blacken her community's name.Wang Lequan, Communist Party chief in the northwestern Xinjiang region, said Sunda

» China still tight-lipped about airline incident - 10-March-2008
China still tight-lipped about airline incident Details of alleged plot to destroy domestic airliner still secret but there's plenty of chatter about it on the InternetMar 10, 2008 03:19 PMBill schillerAsian CorrespondentBEIJING ? It was almost halfway through China Southern Airlines flight 6901 to Beijing Friday and the alarming aroma of what some believed was gasoline began to drift through the passengers' cabin.What happened next, however, is unclear.Some say a young woman passenger around "18 or 19" years old was swiftly restrained in her seat by a female flight attendant and other staff.Others say the female passenger quietly reached the washroom undetected, then poured the liquid into the toilet where it was to be set alight later by an accomplice.But Chinese officials were keeping a tight lid on the details of the alleged plot to down a domestic airliner here last week.The Civil Aviation Administration would only confirm today that after an emergency la

» Is Xinjiang a Chinese Territory ? - 01-March-2008
Is Eastern Turkestan a Chinese Territory?Erkin AlptekinDuring an interview with the correspondent of the Beijing Review, Wang Enmao, first secretary of Eastern Turkestan Party Committee, claims that:"In the early days of liberation, some people suggested we copy the Soviet method of establishing a union of republics in China. But our circumstances are different from those of the Soviet Union, which became a union of republics only after the October Revolution with the gradual merging of 14 republics with Russia. China has been a united state since ancient times. How could it go backwards to a federal system to establish a union of republics?"(1)It is true that in the early days of the so-called liberation, the people of Eastern Turkestan pleaded that they might be permitted at least to form a federated republic in China. While doing this, they were relying on the promises of the Chinese Communists made before seizing power in China. The Provisional Constitution of the Chines

» Tortured Abroad? Forgotten At Home? - 29-February-2008
Tortured Abroad? Forgotten At Home? Feb 29, 2008 04:30 AMAlex NeveChris MacLeodLorne WaldmanIn three different corners of the world ? China, Egypt and Ethiopia ? three Canadian citizens languish in prison. Each has very likely been tortured. Each is at very real risk of being tortured again. None faces any prospect of gaining their freedom soon. All seem to have been forgotten. Each deserves more from their government.Huseyin Celil has been in prison in China since the end of June 2006. His wife and four children in Burlington have endured anxious fear for his safety ever since. Celil is an ethnic Uighur. In the far western reaches of China a decades-old campaign of brutal repression against the Uighur people has intensified in recent years. Torture, unjust imprisonment and other abuses abound. Celil thought he had escaped to safety. But he was surreptitiously arrested and sent back to China while visiting with his wife's family in nearby Uzbekistan. He has known nothing but

» Human Rights Groups Address European Parliament on Resettlement of Guantanamo De... - 28-February-2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEFebruary 28, 200810:02 AM CONTACT: Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR)Jen Nessel, press@ccrjustice.org Human Rights Groups Address European Parliament on Resettlement of Guantanamo Detainees Who Fear Torture in Home CountriesApproximately 50 Refugees in Arbitrary Detention at Guant?mo in Need of Refugee Protection to Avoid Being Transferred to Torture in Human Rights Abusing CountriesNew Edition of Refugee Report Released WASHINGTON, DC - February 28 - Today, a representative from the Paris-based International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the New York-based Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) addressed the European Parliament in Brussels at a three-hour session on Guantanamo and the refugee population who cannot return to their home countries for fear of torture. CCR is the US member league of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH). Today, CCR also released a new and updated edition of its report, Guantanamo

» Studies shed light on DNA mutations - 22-February-2008
Studies shed light on DNA mutationsBy David BrownThe Washington PostWASHINGTON ? We're all pretty much the same except, of course, for the little things that make us different.Those are the conclusions of three studies published this week that looked at human diversity through the keyhole of the genetic mutations we all carry.All three studies support the idea that modern human beings left East Africa, walked into Central Asia and fanned out east and west to people the planet. They also confirm earlier research showing that as a group, Africans have more diverse genes than people of other continents.But the new research also shows that genetic diversity declines steadily the farther one's ancestors traveled from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, which is roughly the site of the exit turnstile for the "out-of-Africa" migration.The studies also show that many seemingly "purebred" ethnic groups have ancestry traceable to more than one continent.For example, the Arabian

» Genetic study sheds light on humanity's restless migrations... - 22-February-2008
Genetic study sheds light on humanity's restless migrationsBy Lisa M. KriegerMercury NewsArticle Launched: 02/21/2008 07:19:16 PM PSTA coalition of Stanford scientists has released the most detailed road map yet of human diversity, offering insight into the emergence and restless migration of the world's populations.Using the Stanford Human Genome Center to study genetic variations in almost a thousand individuals from 51 different populations, the team has completed the largest analysis to date of human diversity. Their data is published in today's issue of the journal Science.They discerned some of the great sweeps of human movement, like the early exodus out of Africa. They also found evidence of more recent micro-migrations by groups like American Indians, Silk Route traders and the Mongol invasion led by Ghenghis Khan."This is the definitive study to show variation within populations," said Marcus Feldman, professor of biological sciences and a member of

» Kosovo ?independence? brings new uncertainties in Asia - 22-February-2008
Kosovo ?independence? brings new uncertainties in AsiaBy John Chan22 February 2008Use this version to print | Send this link by email | Email the authorThe unilateral declaration of independence by Kosovo, with the support of the US and a number of European powers, has produced destabilising shockwaves beyond the Balkans. There is a widespread recognition in Asia and elsewhere that carving out a nation-state by recognising a small group of people on ethnic or religious lines could apply to any country.China immediately opposed Kosovo independence, anxious to stop Taiwan and separatist movements in Tibet or Xinjiang from following the example. Some Asian governments that are battling against separatism in their own countries, such as Sri Lanka, have refused to recognise Kosovo.Kosovo?s breakaway from Serbia has emboldened Taiwan?s pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government. Taipei was among the first states to recognise Kosovo. Foreign Minister James Huang declared

» Kosova's Independence Sets Precedent - 19-February-2008
Kosova�s Independence Sets Precedent2008-02-18As the world?s nations contemplate whether to recognize Kosova?s newly declared independence, many wonder what it will mean for other similar regions, such as Abkhazia, Taiwan, and Northern Cyprus, for international law, and for the definition of self determination in general.Below is an article published by UNPO:Some say that Kosova?s declaration of independence on Sunday [17 February 2008] was a long time coming. Kosova has been a protectorate of the UN since 1999, but Serbia still asserts its claim on the region. Serbian officials declare that this is an unauthorized succession, unprecedented in international legal history, threatening the integrity of international law by redefining the concept of self determination. They also express worry over the ethnic Serbian population that represents 10% of Kosova?s population. In fact, that worry resonates in the reactions of states worldwide as they contemplate whether they will r

» Radiant Resources looks to dig up $5M in private placement - 07-February-2008
Radiant Resources looks to dig up $5M in private placementBy Krystle Chow, Ottawa Business Journal StaffWed, Feb 6, 2008 4:00 PM ESTMining company Radiant Resources Inc. is planning to raise up to $5 million in a best-efforts private placement deal.The Ottawa-based company, which is exploring several gold and base metal properties in China, said Toronto's Integral Wealth Securities Ltd. has agreed to act as lead agent for the private placement, in which Radiant will offer up to 12.5 million units at 40 cents each with the usual 15-per-cent over-allotment option.Radiant said the net proceeds of the offering would be used to "fund further development of the company's mineral properties, acquisition of additional properties, ongoing exploration and for general working capital purposes."The company's main mine is the base metal Sarsuke property, located in northwestern China. Radiant's Chinese joint venture Xinjiang Pacific Resources Corp. also owns three oth

» Chinese Curbs Leave Uyghur Youth in Crisis - 06-February-2008
Chinese Curbs Leave Uyghur Youth in CrisisRadio Free Asia2008.02.06 Chinese curbs on the traditional Muslim culture of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region have left Uyghur youth in crisis, according to experts and Uyghurs at home and overseas.According to exiled Uyghur businesswoman Rebiya Kadeer, for many years the Uyghur people were able to preserve their identity and way of life under Chinese rule, which began after the demise of a short-lived East Turkestan republic in the late 1930s and 1940s."We never heard of Uyghurs stealing, picking pockets, or robbing people," said Kadeer, who came to the United States in 2005 after serving a prison term in Xinjiang for attempting to meet with a human-rights delegation of the U.S. Congress.But she accused Beijing of beginning a concerted attack on Uyghur traditions in 1987, saying the authorities began to move "common criminals" into the region from other parts of China.Uyghurs, thought to number more than 16 million, a

» Court hands White House another setback over detainees - 02-February-2008
Court hands White House another setback over detaineesin the government is restricting access to evidenceFrom Bill MearsCNNWASHINGTON (CNN) - A federal appeals court Friday let stand its ruling giving judges greater power to review government evidence against accused terrorists challenging their imprisonment.More than 300 foreign nationals are being held at the U.S. Navy Base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.The decision hands the Bush administration another legal setback over its policies on foreign detainees.The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia split 5-5 over whether to grant a full hearing.That upheld a ruling by a three-judge panel last July that the U.S. military could not limit what information the courts hear when foreign detainees seek freedom.The government had argued national security concerns gave them the discretion to decide what documents were pertinent for judicial review.The Justice Department now has the option of appealing to the Supreme Court, but any