Asia

Chinese Officials Detained as a Result of Deadly Fire

By Kevin M. Mathewson

Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

DEHUI, China –Eleven local Chinese officials have been detained as a result of a June 3rd fire at a poultry plant in China’s Jilin province that left 121 people dead and dozens of others injured. Investigators said an electrical short circuit ignited materials at the plant, causing the blaze which spread rapidly.

Fire crews searching for survivors at the poultry slaughterhouse

Those detained include the head of Dehui’s Mishazi township and the former head of the local construction bureau. Several fire department officials were also among those apprehended.

“Some of the suspects… falsified information to hide the facts that no serious fire safety inspections had been conducted and that proper fire safety equipment was not in place.” said the Xinhua news agency, citing the Supreme People’s Procuratorate.

The poultry plant fire is China’s deadliest fire since 2000, when 309 people died in a blaze in a dance hall in Luoyang, in Henan province.

The deadly blaze has raised safety concerns after it has been suspected that local authorities are focusing on boosting economic development and ignoring workplace safety regulations.

Workers who escaped the fire at the Jilin plant said that the building’s narrow hallways made it difficult to reach the exits. It was also reported by local media that people struggled to escape because some exits were blocked.

The poultry plant is far away from chief regulators in China’s capital, making the plant’s operations difficult to oversee. “It is harder to regulate smaller companies in smaller cities and towns.” said Zhao Zhengbring, a lawyer working on health and safety issues with Beijing’s Haowei law firm.

In an effort to address these problems, China’s Communist leaders have created several competing industrial safety organizations. These efforts have had some positive results. Workplace accidents have dropped more than 33% in the past five years and the death toll from those accidents have dropped more than 29%, according to comments made by China’s then Vice Premier Zhang Dejiang.

Yet, fire accidents at construction sites and agricultural production factories are on the rise. Critics argue that factory managers are rarely punished for workplace accidents.

“Safety, unfortunately, still comes second to productivity and profits. There are, unfortunately, deaths at coal mines and factories pretty much every day, but no-one pays attention when it is one or two people.” Says Geoggrey Crothall, a spokesman for the Hong Kong based China Labour Bulletin.

Without public pressure, it is unlikely that significant changes will be implemented anytime soon.

For further information, please see:

BBC News – Officials held over deadly China poultry fire – 5 July 2013

BBC News – China poultry plant fire raises safety standards concerns – 3 June 2013

BBC News – Dehui poultry plant fire: Locked exits ‘blocked escape’ – 3 June 2013

BBC News – In pictures: China factory fire – 3 June 2013

Bomb Blasts Rock Buddhist Temple in India

By Brian Lanciault

Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

NEW DELHI, India– A series of blasts tore through the Mahabodhi  Temple, in the Bodhgaya district of India’s Bihar State this morning. The temple is one of India’s most revered sites, where Buddha himself first gained enlightenment, and attracts thousands of pilgrims daily. Reports thus far indicate that only two people were injured from the blasts.

The Mahabodhi Temple is one of India’s oldest and most sacred Buddhist temples. (Photo Courtesy of BBC)

Union Home Secretary, Anil Goswami, confirmed that the blasts were a terror attack. Bihar Police suspect the involvement of the Indian Mujahideen in the blasts. Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar condemned the attack at the temple and demanded the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) be deployed to protect the famous Buddhist shrine.

“The serial blasts deserve strongest condemnation in strongest possible words as the perpetrators targeted the place of religious faith of crores of people with an aim to create fear among them,” he told reporters after inspecting the blast sites at the Mahabodhi Temple.

According to Gaya Police, the blasts occurred in quick succession between 5.30am and 6:00am in the temple complex  near the Mahabodhi tree. One of the blasts erupted under the  tree causing partial damage to the Buddha footprints in the shrine. Four blasts occurred inside the shrine, while another three blasts took place in the Tregar monastery area. Blasts also occurred near the great Buddha statue and a bus parked on the Sujata bypass. Arvind Singh, a member of Mahabodhi Temple Management Committee reported that two other bombs, one found near the massive Buddha statue and one at a bus stand were safely defused.

The Secretary of the Bodh Gaya Committee Dorji said, “There were four blasts inside the temple premises. Fortunately, there was no damage to the Bodhi Tree or the main temple structure. In the first blast which took place near the Bodhi tree, a table was blown up because of which two persons were injured. The second blast, I think, was inside the enclosure where books were kept. The furniture was damaged but there was no damage to the monuments or statues.”

Police have since sealed access to the temple, permitting only temple personnel and investigators access the premises. The daily prayers will continue as scheduled, though no members of the general public will be permitted to enter for some time.

The bombs were described as “low intensity” by police, and Indian security personnel have indicated that they had suspicions of an imminent attack at the temple. S K Bahardwaj, ADG, reported “We got information about six-seven months back that there may be a terror attack on the Mahabodhi temple. After that we had beefed up security and deployed extra forces”.

Generally the temple is guarded by minimal security personnel, with a pair of officers stationed at the entrance, and a handful of private security officers patrolling inside the shrine. At this time, no deaths have been reported.

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh strongly condemned the blasts, saying “Such attacks on religious places will be never be tolerated.”

For more information, please see:

Times of India — Terror strikes Bodh Gaya, serial blasts rock Mahabodhi Temple — 7 July 2013

NDTV — Bodhgaya: Eight blasts in Mahabodhi temple; two injured — 7 July 2013

Times of India — Prayers continue at Mahabodhi Temple, visitors barred for now — 7 July 2013

New York Times — Bomb Blasts at India’s Buddhis Mecca in Bihar — 7 July 2013

BBC — Blasts at Indian Buddhist shrines of Bodhgaya in Bihar — 7 July 2013

 

Pakistani Girl Falsely Accused of Blasphemy Finds Shelter in Canada

Kevin M. Mathewson

Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan–Rimsha Masih, a fourteen year old Pakistani Christian girl who was falsely accused of burning pages from the Koran, has fled to Canada with her family.

Rimsha and her family being released from prison.

The case attracted widespread international concern after Rimsha was detained in a maximum security prison for several weeks in August 2012. Charges against the girl were subsequently dropped, yet she and her family were forced into hiding after receiving several death threats.  If convicted, the teenager could have faced life in prison.

Along with the young girl’s release, Cleric Hafiz Mohammed Khalid Chishti has been detained on suspicion of planting evidence to create resentment against Christians.

The teenager, who is believed to have learning difficulties, has now settled in Canada although the family’s exact location has not been made public.

According to Peter Bhatti, the leader of a Christian organization in Canada, Rimsha and her family are doing well.

“She is doing wonderful. She is studying in school, every day, she [is] going to school, she is learning, she is starting to talk more.”  Bhatti said.

In Pakistan, where 97% of the population is Muslim, blasphemy has become an overwhelmingly sensitive issue. In 2011 politicians Salman Taseer and Shahbaz Bhatti were assassinated for attempting to reform blasphemy law.

Campaigners allege that the law is frequently used to target religious minorities or settle personal scores. Suspects can face the fury of lynch mobs and judges soft on sentencing those convicted of the crime have even been murdered.

However, there seems to be little change in the law. Asia Bibi, a Christian mother of five, was sentenced to death in November 2010 and remains in prison after numerous women claimed she made derogatory remarks about the Prophet Mohammed.

For further information, please see:

BBC News – Pakistani girl falsely accused of blasphemy ‘in Canada’ – 29 June 2013

Fox News – Pakistan ‘blasphemy’ girl moves to Canada – 30 June 2013

The Telegraph – Pakistani girl falsely accused of blasphemy flees to Canada – 30 June 2013

CNews – Pakistani girl accused of blasphemy settled in Canada: reports  – 30 June 2013

School Bus and Hospital Attacks in Quetta

Kevin M. Mathewson

Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

QUETTA, Pakistan–Sunni militants in Quetta, Balochistan have claimed responsibility for attacks carried out on a bus carrying women students and on a hospital treating the injured victims on the bus, claiming at least 25 lives.

People in the Pakistani city of Quetta are in shock after Saturday’s double attacks. Her, civilians are seen emerging from the hospital which was attacked.

The follow up attack on the hospital, where survivors of the bus attack were being treated, led to a prolonged gun battle between security forces and militants. The standoff ended when security forces stormed the building, freeing 35 people that had been taken hostage.

U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon condemned the attacks. “The secretary general notes with dismay that violence against women and educators has increased in recent years, the aim to keep girls from attaining the basic rights of education.” Ki-moon’s spokesperson said.

Abubakar Siddiq, a spokesman for Lashkar-e- Jhangvi, claimed that the attacks were revenge for an earlier raid by security forces against the group in the Kharotabad neighborhood of Quetta, where a woman and child were killed. Lashkar-e-Jhangvi is known for its close ties with the Taliban and al-Qaeda.

“The suicide attack on the bus was carried out by one of our sisters.” said Siddiq. “She boarded the student bus and blew herself up. Then we carried out a second suicide attack at the hospital and our fighters killed several people.”

On June 6th, Pakistani security forces killed at least three militants and two women belonging to Tehreek-e-Taliban during a raid at a house in Kharotabad.

Quetta has been a stronghold for violence, some relating to a separatist insurgency, but much of it carried out by Taliban fighters or other militants.  A giant bomb planted in a water tanker being towed by a tractor killed 90 Shiite Hazaras in February, while another suicide bombing at a snooker club in January killed 92. Responsibility for both attacks was claimed by Lashkar-e-Jhangvi.

Funerals are being planned for the victims of the bus and hospital attacks. An official day of mourning will be observed throughout Balochistan.

Citizens of Pakistan are outraged at both the perpetrators and the security forces who have failed to prevent the three deadly attacks in Quetta in the past six months.

For further information, please see:

The Independent – Pakistan: Gunmen storm hospital after Quetta bus bombing which killed 14 female students – 15 June 2013

Yahoo! News – Sunni militants claim twin Pakistan attacks – 16 June 2013

BBC News – Pakistani city of Quetta in shock after double attack – 16 June 2013

China’s Xinjiang Region Plagued by Unrest and Deadly Attacks

By Brian Lanciault

Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

BEIJING, China– Violence erupted Wednesday in China’s western Xinjiang region, and continued through Friday with reports of at least 35 dead. Beijing officials reported through state-run media outlet Xinhua Saturday that the two incidents were “terrorist attacks.” This is the deadliest attack in the area since a 2009 clash between ethnic minority Uighurs and the majority Han Chinese left over 200 people dead. President Xi Jinping has authorized a security crackdown in the area, stationing riot police, armored tanks, and other security military personnel throughout the region.

Armed police officers stationed in Urumqi, the capital of the Xinjiang region. (Photo Courtesy of Reuters)

Wednesday’s incidents took place in Lukqun township in Turpan prefecture, a fairly remote area of the vast western region. Reports state that some 11 armed assailants attacked a police station with knives and set fire to nearby police cars. The initial violence culminated in the deaths of 24 people, at least two were police officers. The police forces squashed the brief uprising, however, killing 10 of the assailants and severely wounding one, who died later in the week.

The rioting continued on Friday in the desert city of Hotan, a remote area heavily populated by minority Uighur. According to Xinhua News Agency, approximately 100 people, armed with knives and riding motorcycles, gathered outside of mosques and other local religious venues, before launching an attack on a police station near Moyu county. Additionally, some 200 people, reportedly unaffiliated with the motorcycle group, attempted to “incite trouble” at a nearby shopping mall.

While little information has been uncovered describing any causes or reasons for the incidents, reports suggest that they reflect a continual strife in the region between the minority Uighurs and majority Han.

Uighurs make up approximately 45% of the regions population, the remainder being Han Chinese. The Uighurs are an ethnically diverse group, largely muslim and speaking Turkic, that have inhabited the area for decades. The most recent decade has seen a massive influx of Han Chinese to the area. The Uyghur American Association, a Washington-based advocacy group, argues that the Chinese government has cracked down intensely on religious practice by Uighurs, and restricted their cultural heritage under a guise of trying to eradicate “poverty” from the Xinjiang region.

The Chinese government has dumped billions of dollars into the region in order to decrease poverty, which it perceives as the legitimate source of unrest between Uighurs and the Han settlers. In pursuit of these investments, the government policy has been to foster religious and cultural identity which is legitimate. The government has since taken a harsh stance against most Uighurs whom it believes use Islam to incite violence and repel the Communist regime.

In July of 2009 a massive, seven day riot broke out between Uighurs and Han Chinese in Urumqi, the regional capital. The events began with a relatively peaceful march by approximately 1,000 Uighurs, but quickly degenerated into a violent riot, with a reported death toll of 197, although UAA and Human Rights Watch suspect that this number is a severe under-estimate. Since these riots, the Chinese government has suspiciously watched Uighurs, suspecting them as “separatists” and believing many Uighur groups to be connected with the Taliban in Pakistan. Beijing has issued several reports that connect some violent Uighur groups with terrorist training under the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM) based in Pakistan. ETIM affiliations are banned in China, and the UAA disputes claims that Islamic extremists and fundamentalists exist in the Uighur population of Xinjiang.

The latest incidents took place just one week before the four year anniversary of the Urumqi riots.

The Chinese government has vowed to resolve the issues and extinguish any further unrest or terrorist acts. Yu Zhengsheng, a member of the Politburo Standing Committee, pledged to “step up action to crack down upon terrorist groups and extremist organizations,” at a meeting of government officials in Urumqi.

For more information, please see:

The Globe and Mail — Death toll from violence in China’s Xinjiang region rises to 35: state media — 28 June 2013

Reuters — China’s troubled Xinjiang hit by more violence — 29 June 2013

VOA — Xinjiang’s Deadliest Violence in Years Renews Focus on Ethnic Tensions — 26 June 2013

Channel News Asia — China blames ‘terrorists’ for sparking riot in Xinjiang clash — 29 June 2013

Indian Express — Violence hits west China’s Xinjiang ahead of key anniversary — 29 June 2013

BBC — China’s Xinjiang hit by fresh unrest — 29 June 2013