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Fans of Indonesia's Radio Erabaru outside the headquarters of Sing FM performing a re-enactment of the September 13 forced shutdown of Radio Erabaru by government authorities as fellow protesters hold placards and banners calling for the station's restoration. (Radio Erabaru) In this bulletin: – Another train crash dents China’s rail safety record, – Discontent growing over land expropriation , – Fans rally for silenced Indonesian broadcaster, and – Asia increasing IT competitiveness. But first our SOH focus on China. ********************** ET-Hundreds of passengers were injured in a rear-end train collision on a one-year-old Shanghai subway track Tuesday September 27. State-owned media first said that a signal malfunction was to blame for the collision; but then published a statement on Sept. 28, attributing the accident to a power failure and operator error. An engineer familiar with subway safety has characterized the system as unreliable and profit-driven. The accident called further attention to China

[caption id=”attachment_3657″ align=”alignleft” width=”250″ caption=”Jiang Tianyong (pictured) and another Chinese rights lawyer, Teng Biao, were recognized for this year

A giant fish sculpture made from 2,360 traditional Chinese lanterns and over 2,000 bamboo sticks lights up Hong Kong's Victoria Park in celebration of Mid-Autumn Festival. (By Song Xianglong/The Epoch Times) In this bulletin: – Chinese human rights lawyer released, – Greenpeace highlights China’s toxic produce, – South Korea pressured over deportations, and – Asia’s Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations. But first our SOH focus on China. ********************** ET-Chinese human rights lawyer Guo Feixiong was released from prison September 13. Although in poor health and weakened by the ordeal of five years imprisonment, he declared himself unchanged in his core. Prior to his detention in September 2006, Guo was active in the ‘weiquan’ or rights defense movement. The weiquan is a loose collection of lawyers and intellectuals that sought to protect the rights of ordinary Chinese through litigation. Guo defended poor peasants whose land had been stolen, Christians, Falun Gong practitioners, and others who have suffered under the Chinese regime. He was a close associate of human rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng, who advocated for Guo

Gatot Machali at the microphone at Radio Erabaru's small studio in Batam, Indonesia. (Courtesy of Radio Erabaru) In this bulletin: – Slave labour rescue highlights problem, – Chinese environmental damage under investigation, – Indonesian broadcaster targeted over Chinese broadcast, and – Business success squeezes Hong Kong international schools. But first our SOH focus on China. ********************** NTD-More slave labour has been discovered in China

Swathes of China have been suffering the worst drought in decades, prompting fears of food shortages. (Courtesy of The Epoch Times) In this bulletin: – Extreme weather besets China, – Beijing greets new Japan PM with warning, – Singapore, Taiwan best Asian investment economies, and – High Court torpedoes Australia’s ‘Malaysian Solution’. But first our SOH focus on China. ********************** NTD-While heavy storms have battered the southeastern coast of China, the southwest faces severe drought where the water supply for millions of people has already dwindled . And now residents in Guizhou and Yunnan provinces are facing another challenge, depleted food supplies. Locals say the dry weather has affected normal crop yields, sending food prices skyrocketing. In Guizhou Province over five million people and almost three million livestock are short of water. While in neighbouring Yunnan Province, 1.5-million people can

Demonstrating against the communist regime's tyranny, protesters are met by a police blockade in Hong Kong. (Courtesy of NTD Television) In this bulletin: – China’s hacker army enters Vietnam dispute, – Hong Kong angry over Chinese leader’s security, – Greenpeace investigation details toxic sportswear, and – Bell rings for peace on Taiwan island. But first our SOH focus on China. ********************** ET-News reports in June told of escalating confrontations between China and Vietnam over the sovereignty of some islands in the South China Sea. But the Epoch Times says these reports missed a cyber war that broke out between the two countries. Armies of hackers from both countries set about hacking the websites of the opposing country. Chinese hackers called it a self-defense attack. They became furious after Chinese media reported Vietnamese hackers had broken into a Chinese website on June 2 and posted provocative messages. Chinese patriotism had already been inflamed by repeated media reports Vietnam was occupying China

Up to 50 million farmers have had their lands taken under China's land reform policy. Most are not satisfied with the compensation they're given, according to a recent Chinese think tank study. (The Epoch Times) In this bulletin: – Beijing mounts new Xinjiang crackdown, – Report highlights land reform burden, – An unlikely education in Taiwan, and – Smartphone patent battle. But first our SOH focus on China. ********************** NTD-The Chinese regime has started August 11, another hard-line security crackdown on ethnic violence in the western region of Xinjiang. On Tuesday August 16 local authorities said the ‘strike-hard’ operation would run until October 15. Chinese authorities blame Uighur Muslim separatists for recent violence, alleging the Uighur attackers are terrorists who had training in Pakistan. The World Uyghur Congress informed NTD the Chinese regime is trying to make the global community believe that Uighur Muslims are terrorists to justify their crack down. Adding recent unrest came about because the Uighur Muslims have become desperate, living under the Chinese regime

Participants in a march in Washington, DC in July celebrate 100 million withdrawals from the Chinese Communist Party and its affiliated organizations. (Edward Dai/The Epoch Times) In this bulletin: – Facing restrictions Chinese journalists blog news instead, – Movement to quit CCP reaches 100 million participants, – New Tibetan political head sworn in, and – Taiwan’s population rapidly ageing. But first our SOH focus on China. ********************** ET-Faced with restrictions on permissible reports, Chinese journalists have turned to Sina.com and other blogs to make important stories known. In the wake of last month

Native forest, South Esk, Tasmania. An agreement to protect Tasmania's forests was recently reached. (Courtesy of Environment Tasmania) In this bulletin: – Chinese media break reporting restrictions over train crash, – China now cloning entire stores, – Independent broadcaster safely aboard new satellite, and – Thailand elects first female prime minister. But first our SOH focus on China. ********************** NTD-Since the high-speed train crash in Wenzhou July 23, the Chinese regime

Indonesia's Supreme Court is considering whether to jail the manager of independent broadcaster Radio Era Baru in a case brought about due to pressure from the Chinese regime. Should Gatot Machali be jailed, it would set a worrisome precedent for Chinese influence on free expression in Southeast Asia. – Questions over China high-speed rail crash, – Ai Weiwei breaks silence, – Court deliberating Indonesian radio manager case, and – Worst-in-a-century floods hit South Korea. But first our SOH focus on China. ********************** ET/NTD-In the aftermath of the deadly high-speed train collision in Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province, complaints from family members of the victims have intensified. The regime