Friday, September 27, 2013
The Rotten Court of Shenyang
The authorities hadn't really banked on Xia Junfeng stabbing two chengguan to death and subsequently being speedily sentenced to be executed. The social media platform that had served the Party so well - kinda - during the trial of Bo Xi Lai certainly didn't do them any favors, as his wife began blogging about Xia's last days to her followers on Weibo.
The case had been going on for some four years, the actual incident taking place in May 2009. Steadfast, the judges rejected an appeal in 2011, and Xia had little else to do but to sit and wait on death row. The execution was scheduled for Wednesday of this week. The moment news leaked online, the Chinese Propaganda Department was quick to issue a directive to media outlets, instructing them not to "comment, link, exaggerate, or speculate" about the case, since the sentencing review was already complete. Chinese netizens went into overdrive, the general feeling of anger directed towards the chengguan that had taken it upon themselves to pail the living shit out of him in front of six witnesses who confirmed Xia's story, only adding fuel to the fire.
Drawing the ire of the Weibo community, bloggers immediately drew comparisons between the case of Gu Kailai, Bo Xilai's wife who was given a 2 year suspended death sentence of the murder of British businessman Neil Heywood. Xia was found guilty of voluntary manslaughter, and was duly execute for his crime, Gu, on the other hand, confessed to murdering Heywood, and was given a suspended death sentence. The idea that your sentence can be determined by your social standing in China's political circles quite understandably didn't sit too well with the masses.
Xia had always maintained that he stabbed the chengguan in self defense, and his wife claims that the beatdown was carried out because Xia didn't pay the 500rmb protection money that was demanded from all the street vendors on the same patch. The ten men that administered the beating weren't allowed to testify in court, which meant that pretty much all the evidence came from the prosecution's side.
Going through the statements that the chengguan made, it's no surprise that the chengguan involved in the attack were banned from making an appearance on the witness stand. One of them claimed that Xia had stabbed him in the thighs, but then said that he had to run after Xia to catch him. A month later, the same man changed his story and said that he hadn't actually been stabbed, and had been stood behind the two unfortunates that Xia ended up stabbing to death. That the chengguan involved didn't appear in court was key to the trial. A number of procedural failings ensued, starting with the illegal detention of Xia, and an beating that he received whilst in custody. Teng Biao, Xia's lawyer wrote in a Boxun blog entry:
Since the defence lawyers weren't able to question any of these men in court, Xia's statements are all that were presented.
Shenyang People’s Court doesn’t have the best repuation for justice. Teng Biao, the same lawyer who represented Xia during his trial was assaulted inside the court by their resident bulldog, Er Liang. Nicknamed The Gatekeper, he main role was to prevent petitioners from entering the building. During his stay in Shenyang in 2010, Australian Chris Jones accompanied his wife to the building a number of times while she was embroiled in a civil case. His blog entry doesn’t make for comfortable reading.
In 2002, Jia Yongxiang was convicted of bribery and corruption after it was discovered that he had spent a $4,000 employing a fengshui expert to choose the most auspicious date to open the new court building. Along with 14 other officials, he was arrested. Jia and the deputy mayor, Mu Suixin were later executed for what the People's Daily called "taking massive bribes".
If the Chinese are expected justice true and fair, then rotten courts at the center of China’s legal system have a long way to go yet.
The case had been going on for some four years, the actual incident taking place in May 2009. Steadfast, the judges rejected an appeal in 2011, and Xia had little else to do but to sit and wait on death row. The execution was scheduled for Wednesday of this week. The moment news leaked online, the Chinese Propaganda Department was quick to issue a directive to media outlets, instructing them not to "comment, link, exaggerate, or speculate" about the case, since the sentencing review was already complete. Chinese netizens went into overdrive, the general feeling of anger directed towards the chengguan that had taken it upon themselves to pail the living shit out of him in front of six witnesses who confirmed Xia's story, only adding fuel to the fire.
Drawing the ire of the Weibo community, bloggers immediately drew comparisons between the case of Gu Kailai, Bo Xilai's wife who was given a 2 year suspended death sentence of the murder of British businessman Neil Heywood. Xia was found guilty of voluntary manslaughter, and was duly execute for his crime, Gu, on the other hand, confessed to murdering Heywood, and was given a suspended death sentence. The idea that your sentence can be determined by your social standing in China's political circles quite understandably didn't sit too well with the masses.
Xia had always maintained that he stabbed the chengguan in self defense, and his wife claims that the beatdown was carried out because Xia didn't pay the 500rmb protection money that was demanded from all the street vendors on the same patch. The ten men that administered the beating weren't allowed to testify in court, which meant that pretty much all the evidence came from the prosecution's side.
Going through the statements that the chengguan made, it's no surprise that the chengguan involved in the attack were banned from making an appearance on the witness stand. One of them claimed that Xia had stabbed him in the thighs, but then said that he had to run after Xia to catch him. A month later, the same man changed his story and said that he hadn't actually been stabbed, and had been stood behind the two unfortunates that Xia ended up stabbing to death. That the chengguan involved didn't appear in court was key to the trial. A number of procedural failings ensued, starting with the illegal detention of Xia, and an beating that he received whilst in custody. Teng Biao, Xia's lawyer wrote in a Boxun blog entry:
According to several statements given by Xia Junfeng, the bald Chengguan first insulted him by saying, "How can you be so fucking good at pretending to be innocent." He then punched him on his head with his fists. He and another man punched and kicked Xia Junfeng, the bald man evening throwing a metal mug at Xia that he had picked up from a desk. It is obvious that Shen Kai and Zhang Xudong had committed more than just the offence of illegal detention; their behaviour at that time fell into the category of statutory aggravation, as it involved physical and verbal abuses.
Since the defence lawyers weren't able to question any of these men in court, Xia's statements are all that were presented.
Shenyang People’s Court doesn’t have the best repuation for justice. Teng Biao, the same lawyer who represented Xia during his trial was assaulted inside the court by their resident bulldog, Er Liang. Nicknamed The Gatekeper, he main role was to prevent petitioners from entering the building. During his stay in Shenyang in 2010, Australian Chris Jones accompanied his wife to the building a number of times while she was embroiled in a civil case. His blog entry doesn’t make for comfortable reading.
On one of our many visits we found an elderly lady stretched out on the first row of seats, nearest the security door and glass panel, she was incoherent and unable to move. Her 40 year old daughter was yelling at officials behind the glass crying and asking for help. She had bruises to her arms and face. The daughter told us that Heping District Court House Police had punched her and her 82 year old mother in this building. They had told them to go away and die. They would rape her 14 year old daughter they had said. I could not imagine how the old lady would have felt hearing such a threat made against her granddaughter and after suffering such a severe beating.
In 2002, Jia Yongxiang was convicted of bribery and corruption after it was discovered that he had spent a $4,000 employing a fengshui expert to choose the most auspicious date to open the new court building. Along with 14 other officials, he was arrested. Jia and the deputy mayor, Mu Suixin were later executed for what the People's Daily called "taking massive bribes".
If the Chinese are expected justice true and fair, then rotten courts at the center of China’s legal system have a long way to go yet.
Related articles
Thursday, September 26, 2013
Wednesday, September 25, 2013
Someone PLEASE Tell Jiang Xianzhi to STOP TALKING.
The families of seven children who were raped by their school teacher, and subsquently infected with STDs have been awarded a "symbolic amount" of 30,000rmb each.
When the story broke in early August, the deputy mayor in charge of education Jiang Xianzhi caused a storm of outrage online when she said that she wouldn't sue if she found out that her daughter had been sexually abused. Medical reports of the resulting STD infections where called into question by director of gynaecology at Ruichang People's Hospital. By happy coincidence, the good director is the cousin of the Jiang, and the good doctors are the hospital did their best to discredit the medical documents produced by the families.
In the meantime, Jiang has been busy at her spreadsheet, carefully calculating what compensation would be appropriate now that the whole messy legal business has been avoided. Initially demanding that the school take responsibility, the families were awarded 30,000rmb each by the local government.
The pesky child abuse scandal has obviously taken it's toll on poor Jiang, she helpfully mentioned that if her child were the one sexually abused, then she would take the kids somewhere were no-one knows them and have them treated. Because child abuse victims don't have enough to deal with already.
When the story broke in early August, the deputy mayor in charge of education Jiang Xianzhi caused a storm of outrage online when she said that she wouldn't sue if she found out that her daughter had been sexually abused. Medical reports of the resulting STD infections where called into question by director of gynaecology at Ruichang People's Hospital. By happy coincidence, the good director is the cousin of the Jiang, and the good doctors are the hospital did their best to discredit the medical documents produced by the families.
In the meantime, Jiang has been busy at her spreadsheet, carefully calculating what compensation would be appropriate now that the whole messy legal business has been avoided. Initially demanding that the school take responsibility, the families were awarded 30,000rmb each by the local government.
The pesky child abuse scandal has obviously taken it's toll on poor Jiang, she helpfully mentioned that if her child were the one sexually abused, then she would take the kids somewhere were no-one knows them and have them treated. Because child abuse victims don't have enough to deal with already.
"If one of those girls was my child, I would take her where no one knows her so she could be treated instead of asking for money from the government," Jiang told the parents.
Truly a woman of the people, Jiang took her calculations (we're working on getting hold of the presentation that she must've given to explain the more salient points to the parents) and said that the 30,000rmb was fair, because even if the parents loss of pay and the total cost of the girls medical treatment would only come to no more than 50,000rmb. You can imagine what happened next on Weibo:
“As a woman and as a mother, she should speak from the standpoint of safeguarding the rights and interests of women and children. Yet she said such disgraceful words without any shred of humanity! She really showed us her Communist Party character.”
“As deputy mayor, she does not know anything about the law. It is actually correct to defend our rights through appealing to the government.”
“She does not deserve to be in the position of deputy mayor! How much money can buy a child’s health? And how much money can buy a child’s happiness? You’re such a corrupt official; you think that money is very important, but people’s health is nothing, don’t you?”
Related articles
Bo Xi Lai Launches Appeal. Might Get Own Talk Show.
You can't keep a corrupt Chinese Communist Party official down, and Bo just keeps on coming with his media appearances. Not content with dragging out his trial for an epic five days, taking every opportunity to mouth off in front of the cameras (well, Weibo transcribers), the disgraced politician has launched his appeal against his life sentence today.
The guilty verdict that he received on Sunday effectively ended his career, but the old windbag just won't take the hint and go quietly. Even when he was languishing in custody at the end of the trial, he wrote a defiant letter from his cell, saying that he would once again rise phoenix-like from the ashes. Painting himself the martyr and comparing himself to his father, Bo Yibo, one of the founding fathers of the People's Republic, he wrote that
Uh. Ok.
Bo's father was dyed in the blood communist who supported Deng Xiao Ping's economic reforms, but opposed any proposal to stray from the "democratic dictatorship" style of CCP rule - what would you expect from a man who was once Mao's swimming partner? While making his mark in economic circles, Bo's son misfired with the Red Propaganda drive which is now en vogue now that it's been rebranded by Xi "The Boss" Jin Ping. Possibly, Bo Junior is waiting until Xi passes away to make his move back into the limelight. From prison. In his old age. Well, God loves a trier.
Given Bo Xilai's obsession with the media, and making a number of apparently unrehearsed outbursts in the court that tried him, one can only wonder what he's up to. The smart thing to do would to be bow your head and take it like a man, but Bo seems intent on resisting the will of the Party to the very end. He's already been sentenced to a cushy prison in the north of Beijing, so why appeal the sentence that he probably knows won't be changed. Cementing his reputation as a media personality famous only for opposing the incumbent leadership isn't going to do him any favors in the future (such as it is), so what's with the new interest in painting himself as the enfant terrible of Chinese politics? Maybe he just wants a hug.
The guilty verdict that he received on Sunday effectively ended his career, but the old windbag just won't take the hint and go quietly. Even when he was languishing in custody at the end of the trial, he wrote a defiant letter from his cell, saying that he would once again rise phoenix-like from the ashes. Painting himself the martyr and comparing himself to his father, Bo Yibo, one of the founding fathers of the People's Republic, he wrote that
"I was dragged into this and really wronged, but the truth will come out one day. Meanwhile I will be waiting quietly in prison. Dad was thrown into prison multiple times in his lifetime and I will look up to him as my role model."
Uh. Ok.
Bo's father was dyed in the blood communist who supported Deng Xiao Ping's economic reforms, but opposed any proposal to stray from the "democratic dictatorship" style of CCP rule - what would you expect from a man who was once Mao's swimming partner? While making his mark in economic circles, Bo's son misfired with the Red Propaganda drive which is now en vogue now that it's been rebranded by Xi "The Boss" Jin Ping. Possibly, Bo Junior is waiting until Xi passes away to make his move back into the limelight. From prison. In his old age. Well, God loves a trier.
Given Bo Xilai's obsession with the media, and making a number of apparently unrehearsed outbursts in the court that tried him, one can only wonder what he's up to. The smart thing to do would to be bow your head and take it like a man, but Bo seems intent on resisting the will of the Party to the very end. He's already been sentenced to a cushy prison in the north of Beijing, so why appeal the sentence that he probably knows won't be changed. Cementing his reputation as a media personality famous only for opposing the incumbent leadership isn't going to do him any favors in the future (such as it is), so what's with the new interest in painting himself as the enfant terrible of Chinese politics? Maybe he just wants a hug.
Related articles
Tuesday, September 24, 2013
China Brings in New North Korea Embargoes
Still unhappy with the way that Kim Jong Un is pissing about with his nuclear weapons program, China has brought in new restrictions on exports to the Hermit Kingdom.
A symbolic slap across the wrists for going ahead with it's rocket launch in February, the bans covers items related to nuclear, biological, chemcial and ballistic fields, and includes goods meant for both the civilian and military industries. The military and poltiical elite in North Korea lives a life of consumer luxury far removed from the rest of the population, thousands of whom struggle day-to-day, often getting by with nothing but dirt in their stomachs.
The ban on these heavy duty exports follows the closing of a number of key bank accounts at the state run Bank of China, opened by North Korean banks. Since North Korea relies on China for 83% of its imports, the sanctions will hopefully pressure Kim Jong Un to return to the negotiating table over it's nuclear program.
A symbolic slap across the wrists for going ahead with it's rocket launch in February, the bans covers items related to nuclear, biological, chemcial and ballistic fields, and includes goods meant for both the civilian and military industries. The military and poltiical elite in North Korea lives a life of consumer luxury far removed from the rest of the population, thousands of whom struggle day-to-day, often getting by with nothing but dirt in their stomachs.
The ban on these heavy duty exports follows the closing of a number of key bank accounts at the state run Bank of China, opened by North Korean banks. Since North Korea relies on China for 83% of its imports, the sanctions will hopefully pressure Kim Jong Un to return to the negotiating table over it's nuclear program.
Related articles
Monday, September 23, 2013
Xi Gives Bo Sentence the Seal of Approval. Now What?
Seeking to push through banking reforms at the upcoming Communist Party plenum, Xi Jinping has given the stamp of approval on the sentencing to life imprisonment of Bo Xilai.
Convicted of everything they could think of and then some, Bo is rumored to be spending the rest of his days locked up in Qinsheng Prison. With his wife given a suspended death sentence for the murder of Neil Heywood and Wang Lijun and his former right hand man in Chongqing serving time for an assortment of disciplinary breaches, the major players in the scandal have been quite publicly silenced. Unless Bo Guagua gets all Michael Corleone on the CCP that is.
Sending the message that dissent from the Party line isn't to be tolerated, the Global Times said that Bo's life sentence was anything but "empty talk", despite the fact that senior Party members haven't yet been formally investigated for their alleged roles in shifting large amounts of money from bank account to state owned company to offshore bank account (former Premier Wen, we're looking in your direction), the anti-corruption crackdown is continuing according to plan. Take a sip of that luxury baijiu that was left unattended on reception. Light up a Golden Panda cigarette (we're pretty sure they exist), help yourself to a 600rmb mooncake and think about the great job that you made of things.
Now think about how you're going to handle Zhou "The Bulldog" Yongkang. His son was recently picked in Singapore after spending time in the US, desperate to evade extradition by hunkering down with his wife. Conflicting reports of whether he actually got there or not have been circulating for some time, and there was a rumor that the senior Zhou would follow suit, but he has reportedly been placed under house arrest, while he helps the police with their inquiries.
Supporting Bo Xilai in his formative years hasn't served The Bulldog well, and now, pushing 70, he finds himself increasingly isolated, with official reports of his movements being scrubbed from state media. Former cronies Jiang Jiemin, Jin Jianping, Li Chuncheng, Guo Yongxiang and a close "business associate" Wu Bing have all been taken into custody.
In the irony of ironies, Xi seems now to be embracing the Maoist throwbacks that the previous administration has sounded comdemned. With all this talk of making sure that officials "pursue the mass line" and announcing at a recent PR event that Red China will never lose it's color, one can only imagine the trouble that he would be if he weren't the boss. The leaked Document 9 shows how much they're battening down the hatches, and it can only be hoped that Xi's offensive defense isn't going to backfire on him anytime soon.
Convicted of everything they could think of and then some, Bo is rumored to be spending the rest of his days locked up in Qinsheng Prison. With his wife given a suspended death sentence for the murder of Neil Heywood and Wang Lijun and his former right hand man in Chongqing serving time for an assortment of disciplinary breaches, the major players in the scandal have been quite publicly silenced. Unless Bo Guagua gets all Michael Corleone on the CCP that is.
Sending the message that dissent from the Party line isn't to be tolerated, the Global Times said that Bo's life sentence was anything but "empty talk", despite the fact that senior Party members haven't yet been formally investigated for their alleged roles in shifting large amounts of money from bank account to state owned company to offshore bank account (former Premier Wen, we're looking in your direction), the anti-corruption crackdown is continuing according to plan. Take a sip of that luxury baijiu that was left unattended on reception. Light up a Golden Panda cigarette (we're pretty sure they exist), help yourself to a 600rmb mooncake and think about the great job that you made of things.
Now think about how you're going to handle Zhou "The Bulldog" Yongkang. His son was recently picked in Singapore after spending time in the US, desperate to evade extradition by hunkering down with his wife. Conflicting reports of whether he actually got there or not have been circulating for some time, and there was a rumor that the senior Zhou would follow suit, but he has reportedly been placed under house arrest, while he helps the police with their inquiries.
Supporting Bo Xilai in his formative years hasn't served The Bulldog well, and now, pushing 70, he finds himself increasingly isolated, with official reports of his movements being scrubbed from state media. Former cronies Jiang Jiemin, Jin Jianping, Li Chuncheng, Guo Yongxiang and a close "business associate" Wu Bing have all been taken into custody.
In the irony of ironies, Xi seems now to be embracing the Maoist throwbacks that the previous administration has sounded comdemned. With all this talk of making sure that officials "pursue the mass line" and announcing at a recent PR event that Red China will never lose it's color, one can only imagine the trouble that he would be if he weren't the boss. The leaked Document 9 shows how much they're battening down the hatches, and it can only be hoped that Xi's offensive defense isn't going to backfire on him anytime soon.
Related articles
Saturday, September 21, 2013
The Emperor's New Clothes: Neutering Weibo Will Kill the Platform
As predicted, instead of keeping a check on bloggers and the more outspoken Big V'ers on Weibo, many are now seeking to unverify themselves in an effort to get around the new anti-rumor laws.
With their first kill, a 16 year old who postulated that a bar manager didn't commit suicide, but was beaten to death has been arrested under the new laws. Alleging a cover-up by the local police, the middle school student was black bagged for spreading rumors online. Apparently ignorant of the Streisand Effect, the arrests and fines that were imposed have led to more coverage than the actual stories the bloggers were writing about.
Celebrities have been feeling the pinch too, anxious to avoid any run ins with the law, the good folks of China are duly self-censoring.
Without rumors and gossip, a neutered Weibo just turns into an advertising platform. No one uses a social network to be influenced by ad men, people flock to these platforms to get a taste of the subversive. Juicy tidbits posted under assumed names make the network worthwhile, the cloak and dagger nature of Weibo make it the success that it is. With no gossip, rumor or hearsay, the platform quickly loses it's appeal and goes into rapid decline.
The heavy handed response to online rumor mongering, that is, the posting of unofficial news, only illustrates how out of touch the government really is when it comes to dealing with the Internet generation. Applying the old tactics that used to work against print media just isn't going to work when it comes to a microblogging platform with millions of users.
The aging Politburo (the average age of incoming members is 61) is struggling to keep up in the Internet era. True, in an effort to stop the state being run by a gang of elderly, out of touch men, there is a mandatory retirement age (of 70), but to have sixty-year-olds police the Internet isn't going to result in anything that could be deemed as sensible.
Chasing bloggers down might send a short term chilling effect, but the more motivated, more dangerous dissidents will be driven underground. Rather than creating a false sense of security for those who continue to post messages critical of the government, it's the CCP itself that is being blinded by the illusion of a job well done. Arresting teenagers might send the message to other party members that the Standing Committee is really serious about getting everyone to toe the line, but showing the population at large exactly how ruthless they can be will only foment more anti-Party sentiment.
The CCP had elected to take the worst possible route in dealing with unauthorized information spreading on social networks. Presenting themselves as a Soviet-era cast off to an entire cross section of the population that is more interested in smartphones and iPads is doing nothing to help secure their future in China.
The false sense of security that is generated from arresting kids not old enough to drive yet might make the Politburo feel more comfortable, but increasingly desperate attempts to put the genie back into bottle only serve to highlight how really out of touch China's leaders really are.
With their first kill, a 16 year old who postulated that a bar manager didn't commit suicide, but was beaten to death has been arrested under the new laws. Alleging a cover-up by the local police, the middle school student was black bagged for spreading rumors online. Apparently ignorant of the Streisand Effect, the arrests and fines that were imposed have led to more coverage than the actual stories the bloggers were writing about.
Celebrities have been feeling the pinch too, anxious to avoid any run ins with the law, the good folks of China are duly self-censoring.
“I feel the pressure, I am more careful about posting about any kind of topic,” said Wang Xiaoshan, a movie actor whose microblog has over one million followers.
“There have always been limits, but now it’s more serious, you could end up in jail,” he added.
Without rumors and gossip, a neutered Weibo just turns into an advertising platform. No one uses a social network to be influenced by ad men, people flock to these platforms to get a taste of the subversive. Juicy tidbits posted under assumed names make the network worthwhile, the cloak and dagger nature of Weibo make it the success that it is. With no gossip, rumor or hearsay, the platform quickly loses it's appeal and goes into rapid decline.
The heavy handed response to online rumor mongering, that is, the posting of unofficial news, only illustrates how out of touch the government really is when it comes to dealing with the Internet generation. Applying the old tactics that used to work against print media just isn't going to work when it comes to a microblogging platform with millions of users.
The aging Politburo (the average age of incoming members is 61) is struggling to keep up in the Internet era. True, in an effort to stop the state being run by a gang of elderly, out of touch men, there is a mandatory retirement age (of 70), but to have sixty-year-olds police the Internet isn't going to result in anything that could be deemed as sensible.
Chasing bloggers down might send a short term chilling effect, but the more motivated, more dangerous dissidents will be driven underground. Rather than creating a false sense of security for those who continue to post messages critical of the government, it's the CCP itself that is being blinded by the illusion of a job well done. Arresting teenagers might send the message to other party members that the Standing Committee is really serious about getting everyone to toe the line, but showing the population at large exactly how ruthless they can be will only foment more anti-Party sentiment.
The CCP had elected to take the worst possible route in dealing with unauthorized information spreading on social networks. Presenting themselves as a Soviet-era cast off to an entire cross section of the population that is more interested in smartphones and iPads is doing nothing to help secure their future in China.
The false sense of security that is generated from arresting kids not old enough to drive yet might make the Politburo feel more comfortable, but increasingly desperate attempts to put the genie back into bottle only serve to highlight how really out of touch China's leaders really are.
Related articles
The Coming Collapse of Chinese Communism
A story that will gladden the heart of Gordon G. Chang runs in the Financial Times this morning, as eyebrows are being raised over the future of Chinese Communism - such as is it - at the Party School of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China.
The blossoming Chinese middle class are a much different breed than the founding fathers of the People's Republic, with disposable incomes and a penchant for western "luxury goods". The growing number of Chinese officials that have offshore bank accounts and property is a clear sign that they are ready to "bolt at a moment's notice", ready to leg it to another country should the system show signs of crumbling.
A more significant change for an institution founded to enforce ideological purity is its relatively new role as an intellectual free-fire zone, where almost nothing is off-limits for discussion. “We just had a seminar with a big group of very influential party members and they were asking us how long we think the party will be in charge and what we have planned for when it collapses,” says one Party School professor who asked not to be named because he was not authorised to speak to foreign media. “To be honest, this is a question that everyone in China is asking but I’m afraid it is very difficult to answer.”
The blossoming Chinese middle class are a much different breed than the founding fathers of the People's Republic, with disposable incomes and a penchant for western "luxury goods". The growing number of Chinese officials that have offshore bank accounts and property is a clear sign that they are ready to "bolt at a moment's notice", ready to leg it to another country should the system show signs of crumbling.
Thursday, September 19, 2013
Official Sacked After Calling Chinese People "Shameless"
During a dinner that totalled nearly 10,000rmb, Party boss Liang Wenyong laid into the Chinese people, not knowing that he was being secretly filmed. Letting loose on a tirade against ungrateful ordinary Chinese people, the rotund Liang, who is obivously no strange to a fish supper, said "[Chinese citizens] hold rice bowls and eat pork provided by you, but they still curse your mother. Therefore, the common people, the shameless, do not deserve your attention.".
Needless to say, the video immediately went viral on Chinese social media sites, and the axe fell on Liang, who has been indefinitely suspended from his post. Liang firing follows the trial, and subsequent imprisonment of a number of CCP small fry, all of whom met their ends thanks to surreptitiously shot video.
Budding pornstar and confused frog impersonator Lei Zhengfu has his appeal turned down earlier this week and will spent 13 years behind bars - a video of him banging his 18 year old mistress hit the Interwebs last year. Yang Dacai, or "Watch Brother" was sent down for 14 years after he was spotted at the scene of tragic bus accident grinning widely and wearing an expensive designer watch.
Even with all the arrests of Big V's and black PR operators, embarrasing videos of state employees caught in compromising situations are still surfacing. Go rumor crackdown!
Needless to say, the video immediately went viral on Chinese social media sites, and the axe fell on Liang, who has been indefinitely suspended from his post. Liang firing follows the trial, and subsequent imprisonment of a number of CCP small fry, all of whom met their ends thanks to surreptitiously shot video.
Budding pornstar and confused frog impersonator Lei Zhengfu has his appeal turned down earlier this week and will spent 13 years behind bars - a video of him banging his 18 year old mistress hit the Interwebs last year. Yang Dacai, or "Watch Brother" was sent down for 14 years after he was spotted at the scene of tragic bus accident grinning widely and wearing an expensive designer watch.
Even with all the arrests of Big V's and black PR operators, embarrasing videos of state employees caught in compromising situations are still surfacing. Go rumor crackdown!
Uighur Muslims Forced to Pray to the Flag
Some bright spark in Xinjiang has come up with the killer idea of placing a Chinese flag at the head of a mosque, so that Muslims in the restive region bow to it every time they go to prayer.
Uighur rights activist Ilham Tohti said that placing the flag over the mihrab, a niche in the mosque that points the direction of Mecca was an attempt to “dilute the religious environment”. Misguided efforts to integrate ethnic Muslims in the province have more or less had the opposite effect, with authorities clamping down on what they see as Muslim terrorists.
Clashes between the majority Han Chinese and Uighurs have intensified over recent months, with reports of police squads executing men deemed to be part of a global pro-independence network of terrorist cells. Little evidence has been found of any such connection, but central government would be keen to play down the idea that Uighurs are just unhappy with the CCP running things. The terrorist threat masquerade allows the Politburo to placate worries of anti-Islamic sentiment, especially in Pakistan, as Chinese state owned enterprises make more and more investments in Muslim majority countries.
Uighur rights activist Ilham Tohti said that placing the flag over the mihrab, a niche in the mosque that points the direction of Mecca was an attempt to “dilute the religious environment”. Misguided efforts to integrate ethnic Muslims in the province have more or less had the opposite effect, with authorities clamping down on what they see as Muslim terrorists.
Clashes between the majority Han Chinese and Uighurs have intensified over recent months, with reports of police squads executing men deemed to be part of a global pro-independence network of terrorist cells. Little evidence has been found of any such connection, but central government would be keen to play down the idea that Uighurs are just unhappy with the CCP running things. The terrorist threat masquerade allows the Politburo to placate worries of anti-Islamic sentiment, especially in Pakistan, as Chinese state owned enterprises make more and more investments in Muslim majority countries.
Related articles
Mooncakes and Corruption
The Day of Mooncakes is upon us, and as you are tucking into the tasty (can we check this? Ed.) pastry, you might want to head over to The Diplomat. Featuring something of a potted history of the mooncake, and Xi's efforts to make sure that all bribes for cronies delicious treats for close friends are purchased with officials own money.
And spare a moment for those poor unfortunates, Brother Watch who probably won't be getting mooncakes from the tossed salad man.
And spare a moment for those poor unfortunates, Brother Watch who probably won't be getting mooncakes from the tossed salad man.
Wednesday, September 18, 2013
Five Children Hospitalized in Kindergarten Poisoning
If you value your life and your health, a Chinese school ain't the place to be these days.
Five children have been moved to hospital after ingesting rat poison in a kindergarten in Cenxi, Guangxi. One of the children is in a coma after suffering severe poisoning, the other four are reported to be in a stable condition. Currently there is no word on how the children managed to get access to the poison.
Two pupils died in May this year when a teacher laced yoghurt with tetramine in an attempt to tarnish the reputation of a rival school in in Lianghe village in Pingshan county. The deaths followed a spate of poisonings, authorities blaming the intense competition between local schools.
In Mao's home city of Changsha, 180 pupils were sickened after eating their lunches, some of them suffering severe vomiting - milk and cookies served to the kids have been sent to labs for analysis. In another case students in a primary school suffered nosebleeds, fumes produced by nearby factories were blamed.
Five children have been moved to hospital after ingesting rat poison in a kindergarten in Cenxi, Guangxi. One of the children is in a coma after suffering severe poisoning, the other four are reported to be in a stable condition. Currently there is no word on how the children managed to get access to the poison.
Two pupils died in May this year when a teacher laced yoghurt with tetramine in an attempt to tarnish the reputation of a rival school in in Lianghe village in Pingshan county. The deaths followed a spate of poisonings, authorities blaming the intense competition between local schools.
In Mao's home city of Changsha, 180 pupils were sickened after eating their lunches, some of them suffering severe vomiting - milk and cookies served to the kids have been sent to labs for analysis. In another case students in a primary school suffered nosebleeds, fumes produced by nearby factories were blamed.
Sun Wenguang: The Bastard Who Won't Stop
At 80, Sun Wenguang probably has the dubious honor of being China's oldest pro-democracy activist. At sensitive times of the Chinese calender - the anniversary of the Tienanmen Square massacre, the anniversary of the Sichuan Earthquake to name but two - a guard is placed on duty outside his apartment. During the Bo Xi Lai trial last month, a government rent-a-goon prevented his door from evening opening.
Branded a counter-revolutionary at the height of the Cultural Revolution, Sun was sent to prisons camps across the country, and was locked up in 1974. He used the time to contemplate the problems dogging China and it's Communist leadership. His books, the first one containing essays he wrote on toilet paper using straw from his bed as a pen, eventually earned him a ban on ever leaving the Chinese mainland.
Unlike many from his generation, who've long since given up any hope of political reform in China, he carries on with a determination rarely found in the newer generation of activists. Directly challenging the authorities instead of trying follow China's malleable laws, he is, as Hu Jia puts it, an icon for Chinese dissidents.
"I am, in their view, a bastard who just won't stop," he says, chuckling in his study late one night after his monitors had left"If my rights are infringed then I have to fight back. I can't just give up my rights."
Branded a counter-revolutionary at the height of the Cultural Revolution, Sun was sent to prisons camps across the country, and was locked up in 1974. He used the time to contemplate the problems dogging China and it's Communist leadership. His books, the first one containing essays he wrote on toilet paper using straw from his bed as a pen, eventually earned him a ban on ever leaving the Chinese mainland.
Unlike many from his generation, who've long since given up any hope of political reform in China, he carries on with a determination rarely found in the newer generation of activists. Directly challenging the authorities instead of trying follow China's malleable laws, he is, as Hu Jia puts it, an icon for Chinese dissidents.
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Tuesday, September 17, 2013
CCDCP Report: Huaihe River River Pollution Doubles Cancer Rate
Villagers in Shenqiu have twice the national cancer rate, and many who finally go to hospital are in the final, terminal stages of the disease. In 2010, toxic chemicals dumped in the rive caused 1,724 lives, and the mortality rate for lung cancer victims amongst women is 20 times that of 1973. The majority of those who visit a hospital typically have about three months left to live.
Environmental protection officers who declined to be named admitted that the health or environmental concerns weren't considered, and the goal was to become as profitable as possible in the early days of China's economic reform. A report was released today on the quality of the water in the river by Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, saying that it will take at least 10 years for cancer rates to fall back in line with the national average.
Environmental protection officers who declined to be named admitted that the health or environmental concerns weren't considered, and the goal was to become as profitable as possible in the early days of China's economic reform. A report was released today on the quality of the water in the river by Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, saying that it will take at least 10 years for cancer rates to fall back in line with the national average.
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High End Tea Sales Slump, Crab Sales Up
After the luxury baijiu market saw sale suffering over the new anti-corruption drive that has left officials stumped as to what to buy for gifts in the upcoming holidays, the tea market is looking pretty grim too.
According to a report on the People's Daily, vendors in the Maliandao tea market have seen sales almost grind to a halt with official orders banning extravagant presents for officials.
But all is not lost, those canny enough to sell cheaper, more acceptable mooncakes, baijiu or tins of tea have been raking it in. Boxes of mooncakes going for 100rmb a pop have been flying off the shelves in eastern Anhui, and the falling price of crabs has meant that ordinary people can now afford what was once a luxury foodstuff.
As crab and lobster make their way onto the tables of the ordinary working folk, officials still eager or stupid enough to cement a business relationship with a CCP mandarin. Ordering via the Internet has meant that warehouses across the country are doing a brisk trade, and courier companies ferrying the 1000rmb bottle of baijius make a small fortune.
So much for going after tigers and flies. The year long corruption crackdown is only in it's infancy, but the limiting damage to the economy and cleaning up government is not going to be as easy as Xi Jin Ping might think.
According to a report on the People's Daily, vendors in the Maliandao tea market have seen sales almost grind to a halt with official orders banning extravagant presents for officials.
"We used to work overtime every day to weigh, pack and deliver tea before the festival, but this year, the business has never been worse," said Ye Zhen, a shop owner who sells Fujian tea, adding that high-end tea is hardly being sold at all.
But all is not lost, those canny enough to sell cheaper, more acceptable mooncakes, baijiu or tins of tea have been raking it in. Boxes of mooncakes going for 100rmb a pop have been flying off the shelves in eastern Anhui, and the falling price of crabs has meant that ordinary people can now afford what was once a luxury foodstuff.
As crab and lobster make their way onto the tables of the ordinary working folk, officials still eager or stupid enough to cement a business relationship with a CCP mandarin. Ordering via the Internet has meant that warehouses across the country are doing a brisk trade, and courier companies ferrying the 1000rmb bottle of baijius make a small fortune.
"Some people place orders on the Internet and leave the addresses of their 'friends'. So, no one would know what's in the packages or how much they are worth," said a tea shop owner, who declined to be named.
So much for going after tigers and flies. The year long corruption crackdown is only in it's infancy, but the limiting damage to the economy and cleaning up government is not going to be as easy as Xi Jin Ping might think.
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