By Christine Khamis

Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

 

PYONGYANG, North Korea –

The United States has submitted a draft resolution to the Security Council which imposes more strict sanctions on North Korea due to its recent nuclear weapon test and missile launch. The United States is backed by China on the resolution and a vote is expected to take place within the next several days.

The draft resolution calls for U.N. member states to inspect all cargo shipping to or from North Korea. Previously, states only had an obligation to inspect cargo passing through their territories if they had reasonable grounds to suspect that there was any illegal cargo. Any ships under suspicion of transporting illegal goods will be blocked from using ports worldwide.

Additionally, the draft resolution proposes a ban on the transfer of any item to North Korea that could strengthen the capabilities of its armed forces. The supply of fuel for aviation programs will also be banned under the resolution, among other sanctions.

The United States and China held negotiations on the draft resolution for several weeks, followed by talks in Washington this week between U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

North Korea has been under sanctions by the United Nations since 2006 due to its continued nuclear tests and rocket launches. It currently is banned from importing and exporting nuclear and missile equipment.

North Korea’s recent missile launch and nuclear test are viewed among the international community as a violation of U.N. resolutions. If the resolution is approved, it will include the strongest sanctions instituted by the Security Council in over two decades.

China previously seemed reluctant to take measures against North Korea as its neighbor and it has differed from the United States in its opinions on what measures to take against North Korea. The United States has argued for punitive measures, while China has caked for more tempered measures. North Korea’s missile launch and nuclear test may have been a factor in China’s newly hardened resolve against North Korea.

North Korea currently does 90% of its trade with China. The draft resolution’s proposed sanctions would not prohibit trade between North Korea and China.

 

For more information, please see:

BBC News – North Korea: US Submits Tougher Sanctions to UN – 26 February 2016

Reuters – U.S., Backed by China, Proposes Tough N.Korea Sanctions at U.N. – 26 February 2016

The New York Times – U.S. and China Agree on Proposal for Tougher North Korea Sanctions – 25 February 2016

Voice of America – U.S., China Agree on Sanctions Against North Korea – 25 February 2016

By Christine Khamis

Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

 

BEIJING, China –

The Chinese government has decided to relocate over 9,000 villagers from their homes in Guizhou province as it continues to build the world’s biggest radio telescope. The telescope is designed in part to observe signs of extraterrestrial life but will also gather significant amounts of data on space phenomena.

The relocation of the villagers, who live in one of the poorest provinces in China, was announced on Tuesday. 2,029 families are being moved in order to ensure an optimal electromagnetic environment for the telescope. The people being moved are those who were within a three mile radius of the telescope location in Pingtang and Luodian counties in Guizhou. Villagers do not appear to be resisting the move at this point.

Chinese authorities plan to compensate each person being moved with $1,800 from its eco-migration bureau. This is not the first forced mass relocation ordered by authorities to make room for a project, and there have been many complaints among citizens about the move and the compensation offered by the government. Millions have been displaced to make room for infrastructure or “poverty alleviation” projects. Work on the Three Gorges Dam displaced more than a million people living on the Yangtze River, for instance.

Work on the telescope is set to conclude in September of this year. Chinese authorities say that the location of the telescope in an isolated area of Guizhou make it an ideal place to receive extraterrestrial messages. The telescope is just one piece of China’s plans in regard to space exploration. China has also aspired to put an astronaut on the moon and a space station in orbit as part of its space program.

Wu Xiangping, director-general of China’s Astronomical Society told state-run news source Xinhua that the telescope will help scientists to “search for intelligent life outside of the galaxy”.

 

For more information, please see: 

HNGN – China Telescope To Be World’s Largest, Will Displace 9,000 – 19 February 2016

Business Insider – 9,000 Chinese villagers are being displaced to build this massive radio telescope in search of alien life – 17 February 2016

The New York Times – China Telescope to Displace 9,000 Villagers in Hunt for Extraterrestrials – 17 February 2016

The Guardian – China Uproots 9,000 People for Huge Telescope in Search for Aliens – 16 February 2016

By Christine Khamis

Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

NEW DELHI, India –

Protesters from the Jat community in India have damaged equipment in the Munak canal, leading to Delhi authorities setting strict water rationing rules. Delhi schools are closed on Monday because water supplies in the area are in danger of running dry. Seven out of nine water treatment plants have closed due to the protests. Irrigation engineers are currently attempting to restore water to the area.

Violent demonstrations are ongoing, with protestors violating curfew rules and forcing the closure of roads and railways. India has deployed its army to quash the protests, which is reported to gave opened fire on them in some areas. At least 12 people have been killed by security forces, with another 150 sustaining injuries. Protesters have continued to throw rocks at security forces, attack vehicles and set buildings and other public property on fire.

Delhi’s government has sought out assistance with the water shortage from the Supreme Court. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government is also in the process of forming a committee to consider the protesters’ demands.

The Jat protesters are campaigning for guaranteed jobs within India’s caste system. India’s constitution incorporates an affirmative action program in which the lower castes in its system have reserved and protected opportunities in education, employment, and government.

There are three categories of lower castes: the Scheduled Castes, the Scheduled Tribes, and the Other Backward Castes (OBC). The Scheduled Castes, called Dalits, are the lowest in the caste system. The Scheduled Tribes generally live in remote areas. The OBCs are disadvantaged but are not as excluded from Indian society as the other two groups. They are essentially considered to be those in the lower castes who are considered backward simply because they did not belong to the upper castes.In 1989, benefits were extended to those in the OBC category.

In March 2014, India’s government announced that it planned to recategorize the Jats as falling into the OBC category, which would entitle the Jats to be part of a government quota system for jobs. India’s Supreme Court recalled the plan in 2015 because in its view, the Jats are not entitled to OBC status.

The Jats believe that the Supreme Court’s decision places them at a disadvantage because they are not entitled to the same job quotas as those in the other lower castes.

 

For more information, please see:

ABC News – Deadly North India Protests Lead to New Delhi Water Shortage – 21 February 2016

BBC News – Water Crisis Fears in Delhi Over Jat Caste Unrest – 21 February 2016

The Economic Times – Jat stir: Delhi Reels Under Water Crisis; Schools to be Shut on Monday – 21 February 2016

The Sydney Morning Herald – Delhi water crisis: Schools, Factories Close as Indian Army Deploys to Quell Protests – 21 February 2016

 

 

 

 

 

By Christine Khamis  

Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

BEIJING, China –

Britain has accused China of abducting Hong Kong bookseller Lee Bo to the Chinese mainland. It also claims that China has breached the 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration under which Hong Kong transitioned from British colonial rule to partial control by Beijing. According to Britain’s Foreign Office, the violation is the first serious breach of the Sino-British treaty.

In a biannual report on Hong Kong affairs, British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond stated that Mr. Lee was “involuntarily removed” to China’s mainland without due process under Hong Kong law. The report is issued to Britain’s Parliament and reviews the state of Hong Kong and Britain’s ties.

A spokesman for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Hong Lei, has rejected Britain’s report. Mr. Hong states that Hong Kong affairs are a domestic issue for China and that other countries have no power to meddle, according to the New York Times.

Mr. Lee, who holds a British passport, went missing in late December. Chinese police confirmed that he was in China, had traveled there voluntarily, and did not wish to be in contact with Hong Kong officials.

Mr. Lee is associated with publishing house Mighty Current Media. Mighty Current is known for publishing gossip-style books about Chinese leaders. The publisher has released books about topics that many other publishers avoid covering, such as Chinese president Xi Jinping’s love affairs.

Four of Mr. Lee’s colleagues have also disappeared recently, including Gui Minhai, a Swedish citizen who vanished in Thailand in October. In January, Mr. Gui appeared on Chinese news sources stating that he had voluntarily returned to China to make amends for violating his probation there in 2003.

Under the Sino-British treaty, Hong Kong reverted back to China’s control in 1997 but is allowed liberal civil freedoms including freedom of speech, freedom of press, and a separate legal system. However, there has recently been much unrest among citizens of Hong Kong due to China’s increasing infringements on its autonomy. 

 

For more information, please see:

The Free Press Journal – UK Accuses China of Violating Treaty in HK Bookseller’s Case – 13 February 2016

Associated Press – UK: Hong Kong Bookseller ‘Removed’ in Breach of China Treaty – 12 February 2016.

The Hong Kong Standard – UK accuses China of violating pact over bookseller Lee’s removal – 12 February 2016

The New York Times – UK: Hong Kong Bookseller ‘Removed’ in Breach of China Treaty – 12 February 2016

The New York Times – Britain Accuses China of Violating Treaty in Hong Kong Bookseller’s Case – 12 February 2016

By Christine Khamis

Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

 

Police clashed with protesters in the Mong Kok district in Hong Kong on February 9 during a celebration of the Lunar New Year. The confrontation occurred after police attempted to shut down unlicensed food vendors serving traditional New Year delicacies.

People had gathered in Mong Kok, a shopping and residential district, to celebrate the first day of the Chinese Lunar New Year. Police came in to remove the unlicensed vendors, who have generally been left alone by authorities in years past.

Around 100 protesters threw glass bottles, bricks, and other objects at the police as the confrontation intensified. They also set fires in the streets. Police used batons and pepper spray to break up the crowds of protesters. They then fired two warning shots, an act which is very rare in Hong Kong. The Hong Kong police department later issued a statement saying that protesters had ignored police warnings to disperse from the streets and had begun to shove officers.

As many as 90 police officers were injured during the clash, although reported numbers vary. Four journalists also sustained injuries. 54 people were arrested for charges of assaulting police and resisting arrest, among other crimes.

Hong Kong’s government has condemned the protest. Hong Kong’s Chief Executive, Leung Chun-ying has stated that police are under strict rules regarding the use of force and that they had taken the necessary precautions during the Mong Kok protest. Mr. Leung has also stated that those arrested during the protest will be prosecuted.

Hong Kong Police Commissioner Lo Wai-Chung told the news media that authorities were considering charging the protesters with “taking part in a riot”. The charge was last used in 1967 against those participating in riots supporting China’s Cultural Revolution.

The Mong Kok protest is the most violent protest to occur in Hong Kong since 2014. It is also only one of several protests that has occurred in Hong Kong in recent years. The protests have occurred as Hong Kong citizens grow increasingly concerned about China’s assertions of control over their city and civil liberties.

The protests have contributed to the development of a “localist” movement, which calls for Hong Kong’s total independence from China. Participants of the localist movement protest acts that they view as encroaching on Hong Kong’s culture.

 

For more information, please see:

The Hong Kong Standard – Mong Kok Clashes Mar Start to New Year – 10 February 2016

CNN – Hong Kong Police Fire Warning Shots During Mong Kok Fishball ‘Riot’ – 9 February 2016

Time – Hong Kong Sees Violent Start to Chinese New Year as Protesters Clash With Police – 9 February 2016

The New York Times – Protesters and Police Clash at Lunar New Year Festivities in Hong Kong – 8 February 2016