Asia

Hundreds of Decomposing Human Remains Fished Out of the Yellow River in China Each Year

By Irving Feng
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

LANZHOU, China – Reports say that roughly 100 decomposing human bodies are fished out of the Yellow River every year in and around the city of Lanzhou, the capital of Gansu province.

Workers fishing garbage out of the Yellow River in Lanzhou. (Photo Courtesy of South China Morning Post)

A report from a Shanghai newspaper reported that the figure of 100 is actually low, and the most recent statistics place the number of decomposing human remains retrieved from the river closer to 200 or 300 per year.

The report from the Shanghai newspaper is bolstered by “body fishers,” like Wei Jinpeng, who collect the floating corpses along the river so they can display the bodies and sell them back to the families of the deceased.  Wei Jinpeng says the estimate of 100 per year is likely incredibly low given that he alone fishes out roughly 80 to 100 bodies per year.

Body fishing is also an incredibly lucrative trade for those who engage in the business, like Wei Jinpeng, in the city of Lanzhou.  The city’s government has dragged their feet in cracking down on the gruesome trade since issuing a promise to the public to fix the problem back in 2006.

Law enforcement and city officials remain uninterested in the body fishing epidemic despite reports stating that around 5% of the bodies fished out of the Yellow River are results of criminal activity and murder.  Many of the bodies fished out of the river are murdered, female migrant workers.

The dumping of human remains into Chinese rivers has been an ongoing problem for decades, but has recently resurfaced as a controversial issue in international media due to the investigations surrounding the dumping of tens of thousands of pig carcasses in the Huangpu River in Shanghai and dead ducks being dumped into the Nan River in Sichuan province.

The controversy stems from the possibility that the human remains, as well as the animal remains that riddle the Chinese rivers, may be contaminating and polluting the water supply provided by the rivers.  A 2005 Daxia Hydropower Company report suggested that the human remains in the water supply make the water hazardous to drink.

If the bodies are left untreated and decomposing in the rivers, the environmental impact and pollution is much more severe than the regular dumping of household waste into the rivers.   Additionally, in a 2012 investigation, river water is believed to regularly mix with well water which is consumed by humans, but the river water contaminated with human remains makes the water unsafe to drink.

For further information, please see:

The Times of India – Pigs, ducks and now bodies in China river – 2 April 2013

Foreign Policy – Is This a Pandemic Being Born? – 1 April 2013

Forbes – Now In China’s Rivers: Decomposing Humans – 31 March 2013

South China Morning Post – Officials in Lanzhou say bodies floating in river not affecting water quality – 29 March 2013

Liu Hui, Brother-in-Law of Imprisoned Nobel Peace Prize Winner, Detained on Fraud Charges

By Irving Feng
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

BEIJING, China – Liu Hui, brother-in-law of imprisoned Nobel Peace Prize winner Liu Xiaobo, has been taken into custody and will soon be put on trial because of accusations of fraud.

Liu Xia, wife of Liu Xiaobo and sister of Liu Hui, during a house arrest visit. (Photo Courtesy of Radio Free Asia)

Mo Shaoping, Liu Hui’s lawyer, said that his client Mr. Liu has been detained over a property dispute; however, the evidence the state has against him is insufficient for an actual conviction.  The case against Liu Hui is based on an accusation that he and an old colleague stole from the company they worked for.

The Associated Press reported that Liu and his accomplice allegedly took three million RMB (roughly $483,000) from their workplace.  Liu Xia, the wife of the jailed Nobel Peace Prize winner and sister of Liu Hui, believes that her brother’s detainment is an intimidation tactic to force her to comply with her house arrest.

Liu Xia was sentenced to a lengthy house arrest term alongside her husband who was sentenced to an 11 year prison term.  The couple was convicted based on charges of subversion against the central government in late 2009 when Liu Xiaobo attempted to bring down the one party system in favor of democratic reforms in China.

Hu Jia, a prominent human rights activist in the Beijing area who visited with Liu Xia during her house arrest, perceives Liu Xia’s conditions as weakening.  Liu Hui said during her meeting that she would “go mad soon” after the events surrounding her brother’s detainment.

Mo Shaoping, whose firm defended Liu Xiaobo during his legal proceedings against the state when he was brought up on subversion charges, told local news agencies that Liu Hui had been under surveillance by authorities for several months.  It is uncertain whether the current charges are in any way connected with the subversion activities of Liu Xiaobo.

Mr. Mo further said that the evidence against Liu Hui is insufficient for a criminal proceeding and the current dispute should be settled in civil courts.  Liu Hui has also publicly denied any wrongdoing on his part.  Mr. Liu could face as much as 10 years in prison if found guilty for this property dispute.

China’s judicial branches are firmly in the grips of the Communist party and will usually find defendants, like Liu Hui, guilty for the crimes they have been charged with.  Mr. Liu will stand trial in Huairou, a northern district in the capital city of Beijing.

There has been no notification of a set trial date yet; however, Liu’s lawyers expect a firm date within the month.

For further information, please see:

Democracy Digest – China jails Nobel laureate’s relative – 1 April 2013

BBC – Jailed China Nobel laureate Liu Xiaobo’s relative held – 29 March 2013

The New York Times – Relative of Jailed Chinese Laureate Faces Fraud Charges – 29 March 2013

Radio Free Asia – Chinese Laureate’s Relative Held on ‘Fraud’ – 29 March 2013

Buddhist Monks Attack Muslim-Owned Warehouse in Sri Lanka

By Karen Diep           
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka – On Thursday, hundreds of Buddhist monks threw stones at a Muslim-owned warehouse injuring several people in Colombo. The incident occurred a day after Sri Lankan authorities set up a hot-line informing them of anyone “inciting religious or racial hatred.”

Sri Lankan Police standing in front of the warehouse. (Photo Courtesy of France 24)

Televised news covered showed broken glass and clothing from the warehouse scattered in the street. Although five or six people were injured, including the store manager and journalists, no arrests have been made.

According to BBC News, this recent event by the monks was part of their campaign against the “Muslim lifestyle.”

The Buddhist monks targeted a Muslim-owned clothing chain, Fashion Bug, which operates throughout Sri Lanka.

According to France 24, the monks throughout the assault “yelled insults against Muslims.”

Prior to Thursday’s attack, these Buddhist monks sent texts advising people to boycott Muslim shops when preparing for the upcoming Sri Lankan New Year festival.

On Friday, Bodu Bala Sena (BBS), the most prominent Buddhist organization, issued a statement claiming that it was not involved in Thursday’s attack against the warehouse. Two weeks ago prior to the assault, BBS’s general secretary accused Fashion Bug and No Limit, another Muslim-owned clothing chain, of converting Buddhist employees.

Eyewitnesses claimed that Sri Lankan authorities initially stood and watched the event until the incident spread.

“There was a crowd of about 500 people, led by about a dozen monks,” stated Azzam Ameen, a journalist in Colombo. “About 25 to 30 policemen were on the scene, but were clearly overwhelmed. Most of the crowd was made up of young men, in their early twenties or even younger,” continued Mr. Ameen.

The attack allegedly lasted approximately an hour and a half before the fire brigade arrived.  However, many took refuge in the Buddhist temple across the street to continue hurling stones at the warehouse from there.

However, Sri Lankan authorities believed sufficient protection existed.

“We have deployed extra units of STR [Special Task Force commandos] and police to guard the area,” relayed police spokesman Buddhika Siriwardena to the Agence France-Presse news agency. “The situation was brought under control within a few hours,” continued Mr. Siriwardena.  

Sri Lanka’s Minister for Justice Rauff Hakeem, a Muslim, requested that the prime minister call a crucial cabinet meeting to plan the safety and security for Muslims subsequent to the assault on Thursday.

Sanjana Hattotuaw, a human rights activists and journalist, is weary of the government response. “What’s disturbing is that our defense secretary is openly associating with Buddhist extremists.”

For further information, please see:

Asia News – Sri Lanka, hundreds of radical Buddhist attack Islamic community – 29 March 2013

BBC News – Sri Lanka crowd attack Muslim warehouse in Colombo – 29 March 2013

France 24 News – Sri Lanka police stand by as Buddhist monks attack Muslim-owned store – 29 March 2013

 

 

 

 

China’s Push for Accelerated Urbanization is Pushing Migrant Workers Toward Homelessness

By Irving Feng
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

SHANGHAI, China – Dozens of migrant Chinese workers are being evicted from their makeshift homes in old shipping containers in Shanghai due the new Chinese leadership’s desire to accelerate urbanization in the outskirts of the country’s “mega” cities.

A subdivided tenement awaits demolition in Huabei province of China. (Photo Courtesy of Reuters)

Neighborhoods like the shipping container village, about twenty minutes away from Shanghai’s wealthy financial district, have sprung up in the last twenty years to fulfill China’s desperate need for cheap housing.  Other unusual housing solutions include using tents, repurposing old industrial buildings, and subdividing farm houses to accommodate the droves of migrant workers that flock to urban centers.

China plans on spending roughly $6 trillion on improving domestic infrastructure, like building more housing, in order to serve the projected 400 million people that are estimated to move to urban centers in the next decade.

Though China plans on building more housing to fulfill their desperate housing needs, by destroying the makeshift neighborhoods like the shipping container village in Shanghai, the government is leaving thousands of poor, migrant workers without any housing.

Migrant workers, like Li Yanxin who runs a convenience store out of his shipping container to earn money, cannot afford regular apartments, which can cost as much as 2000 yuan per month (roughly $320 U.S.).  The poor must resort to renting smaller properties, like 12 square meter subdivided rooms, at the more affordable rate of 500 yuan per month (roughly $80 U.S.).

Around 130 million migrant, Chinese workers live in subdivided rooms in old farmhouses, which land owning farmers in villages have repurposed.  After the government usurps the land the old farmhouses sit on, the land will be rezoned and repurposed for development purposes.

The newly rezoned land can be sold at a very high price for lucrative commercial development.  These lands, in theory, will be repurposed for fulfilling the desperate housing needs; however, the evicted migrant poor will be unable to afford the luxury apartments that will most likely sit atop of the newly developed lands.

Other cities, like Beijing, are attempting to clean up crowded tenements, like the shipping container village and farmhouse subdivision tenements, by usurping the land, repurposing it, and raising rents.  This effectively prices out the poor who will no longer be able to afford the properties.

Beijing also will not allow migrant poor to purchase the new properties the city plans to build.  The migrant workers will only be allowed to rent, however, the number of available apartments to rent usually falls short of public need.

For further information, please see:

Reuters – China’s urbanization drive leaves migrant workers out in the cold – 30 March 2013

China Daily – Migrants: linchpin of China’s urbanization – 27 March 2013

New Tang Dynasty – China’s Urbanization Drive Puts Trillions into Officials’ Pockets – 27 March 2013

South China Morning Post – Managing China’s urban spread – 21 March 2013

China Denies Firing Weapons at Vietnamese Fishing Boats

By Karen Diep
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

HANOI, Vietnam – On Tuesday, China responded to Vietnam’s accusation of unlawfully firing on one of its fishing boats near the Paracel islands as a legitimate action.

Vietnamese soldier in the Spratly islands, another area of dispute. (Photo Courtesy of BBC News)

According to BBC News, China claimed that its patrol boats acted “reasonably” in an alteration with the Vietnamese fishing boat in the South China Sea last week.  Furthermore, China states that it fired flares, not weapons, at the fishing boats.

“It [was] necessary and legitimate for China to take action against a Vietnamese shipping boat that has entered China’s waters for illegal activity,” stated Hong Lei, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman.  “No damage was caused to the fishing boat from Vietnam at the time,” continued Mr. Lei.

Both China and Vietname claim the Paracel islands, a region China has controlled since a brief war with South Vietnam in 1974.

A Xinhua news agency report quoted an unidentified Chinese navy official characterizing Vietnam’s allegations as “sheer fabrication.”

“After the dissuasion by means of whistle-blowing, shouting and hand-flag guiding was of no avail, the Chinese naval vessels fired two red signal shells into the sky as a warning, and the signal shells burned out and extinguished in the air,” relayed the unidentified Chinese navy official.

However, Vietnam has filed a formal complaint with the Chinese embassy in Hanoi.

“Vietnam strongly protests, urging China to investigate and seriously deal with the wrongful and inhumane act, and compensate Vietnamese fishermen for their loss,” said Luong Thanh Nghi, a Vietnamese Foreign Ministry spokesman.

The South China Sea is a disputed area and has been the root of controversy.  According to China, it possesses the U-shaped strip of the sea and points to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) for its authority.

Philippines, Malaysia, and Taiwan also have coinciding claims with China.  For instance, last year, the Philippines and China engaged in an extensive “stand-off” over another disputed area, the Scarborough shoal, straining their diplomatic relations. However, the Philippines is not the only country in the region whose relationship with China is deteriorating.

According to BBC News, this recent incident is fueling the existing anti-China feeling in Vietnam.  Before last week’s occurrence, a Chinese marine ship in the South China Sea chased two Vietnamese fishing boats.  Moreover, in recent months, China has increased its patrolling of the area.

The Chinese navy “are determined to safeguard the country’s sovereignty with their services on the South China Sea,” read the Xinhua report.

For further information, please see:

BBC News – China ‘fired flares’ at Vietnam boat in South China Sea – 27 March 2013

The Guardian – China denies starting fire on Vietnamese fishing boat – 27 March 2013

BBC News – China and Vietnam row over South China Sea clash – 26 March 2013