GANGKYI

Democracy at China's Doorstep
Source: atimes.com,12 March, 2008
by Cindy Sui

Almost every evening, 76-year-old Zheng Ling, a native of Fujian province in east China, watches state-run television news coverage of Taiwan's presidential election. The news, however, is only what China's censors want citizens to watch. It downplays its rival Taiwan's democratic system, which allows something mainland Chinese can only dream of - a chance to directly elect their top leader. Instead, fistfights in Taiwan's legislative Yuan (Parliament), always get lots of airtime.
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Disparate Voices: Five Chinese Women Speak
Source: RFA,7 March, 2008

When I heard the caller to your show the other day it made me think of my own situation. I too was forcibly evicted in 2004. That operation had very little to do with the law. The property developer's license wasn't even genuine...They came by the land illegally.

The forced evictions went on from 2003-2004...We took them to court and sued them successfully but still nothing has been done to this day...I am living at friends' houses or wherever I can these days. My pension is very low. It works out to about U.S.$100 a month...My mother was taken to the police station on the day we were evicted, and she collapsed. I don't know whether they had given her some drug or something.

I am weighed down with a terrible sense of injustice...I am crying even though you can't see it. There is so much wrongdoing in Chinese society now. I don't know when it will change.

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China worried at what Kosovo's independence declaration portends
Source: www.TibetanReview.net,20 February, 2008

China has expressed outrage at Kosovo's unilateral declaration of independence, cognizant of its potential implications on large swathes of territories over which it exercises power on the bases of military conquests. In particular, the declaration on Feb 17 by Kosovo of its independence from Serbia has given rise to a new war of words between China and Taiwan over the latter's political status.

A spokesperson for Taiwan's Foreign Ministry said his country wanted to build relations with Kosovo and may look at establishing formal diplomatic ties, reported the Mail & Guardian Online (South Africa) Feb 18. "Our consistent position is that we want to develop relations with any free and democratic country," it quoted the ministry's spokesperson Phoebe Yeh as saying. Taiwan was among the very first to congratulate the news state, with The New York Times Feb 19 quoting Yeh as saying, ?Despite a multitude of barriers, the people of Kosovo have insisted on an ideal that they believe in, which is to peacefully pursue independence, without being threatened or scared away.?
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		CHINA DIARY Democracy at China's Doorstep Source: atimes.com,12 March, 2008 by Cindy Sui Almost every evening, 76-year-old Zheng Ling, a native of Fujian province in east China, watches state-run television news coverage of Taiwan's presidential election. The news, however, is only what China's censors want citizens to watch. It downplays its rival Taiwan's democratic system, which allows something mainland Chinese can only dream of - a chance to directly elect their top leader. Instead, fistfights in Taiwan's legislative Yuan (Parliament), always get lots of airtime. [ read full story ] Disparate Voices: Five Chinese Women Speak Source: RFA,7 March, 2008 When I heard the caller to your show the other day it made me think of my own situation. I too was forcibly evicted in 2004. That operation had very little to do with the law. The property developer's license wasn't even genuine...They came by the land illegally. The forced evictions went on from 2003-2004...We took them to court and sued them successfully but still nothing has been done to this day...I am living at friends' houses or wherever I can these days. My pension is very low. It works out to about U.S.$100 a month...My mother was taken to the police station on the day we were evicted, and she collapsed. I don't know whether they had given her some drug or something. I am weighed down with a terrible sense of injustice...I am crying even though you can't see it. There is so much wrongdoing in Chinese society now. I don't know when it will change. [ read full story ] China worried at what Kosovo's independence declaration portends Source: www.TibetanReview.net,20 February, 2008 China has expressed outrage at Kosovo's unilateral declaration of independence, cognizant of its potential implications on large swathes of territories over which it exercises power on the bases of military conquests. In particular, the declaration on Feb 17 by Kosovo of its independence from Serbia has given rise to a new war of words between China and Taiwan over the latter's political status. A spokesperson for Taiwan's Foreign Ministry said his country wanted to build relations with Kosovo and may look at establishing formal diplomatic ties, reported the Mail & Guardian Online (South Africa) Feb 18. "Our consistent position is that we want to develop relations with any free and democratic country," it quoted the ministry's spokesperson Phoebe Yeh as saying. Taiwan was among the very first to congratulate the news state, with The New York Times Feb 19 quoting Yeh as saying, ?Despite a multitude of barriers, the people of Kosovo have insisted on an ideal that they believe in, which is to peacefully pursue independence, without being threatened or scared away.? [ read full story ]