China’s “One Child” Policy

According to the Wall Street Journal The Chinese Government will keep its “One Child Policy” for at least another decade.

As a result, a generation of children is China is growing up with no brothers, sisters, aunts or uncles.

Anyone found breaking this law faces huge fines. Government workers can lose their jobs, and pregnant women may face forced abortions.


Ironically, those chinese who are rich enough, pay the fine, and are able to have more kids.

For the rest, it’s a choice between hiding from the government to have a child without a permit, having an abortion, or selling your baby on the burgeoning Child Trading market.

One sad consequence of this situation is a large increase in the number of child abductions.

Labor Activists Still Facing Harsh Treatment


http://www.ir2008.org/

Yao Fuxin, 57, was involved in organizing workers in Liaoning to address corruption and other issues facing the local factories. A former employee at the Liaoyang Steel Rolling Factory, he is married with one daughter. In late March 2002, Yao Fuxin was secretly detained and formally charged with “gathering a crowd to disturb social order” after leading tens of thousands of workers from Liaoyang factories in a peaceful demonstration protesting against corruption and demanding the payment of back wages and pensions. He was later charged with the far more serious charge of subversion due to alleged involvement in the banned China Democracy Party.

During his trial, Yao insisted on his innocence, saying he believed in the government and wanted to see the plight of the workers resolved. He was sentenced to seven years, which he is now serving at Lingyuan No. 2 Prison in Liaoning. His family fought for a retrial with the assistance of his defense lawyer Mo Shaoping, but it was announced at a secret hearing on June 27, 2003, that the appeal was rejected and the original sentence upheld. Since his imprisonment, Yao has been plagued by serious health problems. Family members, who visit him regularly, say he is in very poor health. Yao’s family and Liaoyang workers have repeatedly appealed to authorities as high as the National People’s Congress and the Supreme People’s Court to release Yao on medical parole, but without success.

Beijing Olympics 2008

In the run up to the Beijing Olympics I’ll be posting some photos I’ve found around the net by other people which express my sentiments.

The Chinese Government’s treatment of dissidents is appalling.

They tolerate no disagreement.

They’ve erected a huge firewall to prevent their citizens from reading anything online that criticizes their government.

Chinese people are beautiful, intelligent and gracious.

But the Chinese Government… they’re nothing but amoral thugs.

“Beijing Olympics 2008” by http://www.flickr.com/photos/kongharald/

A Man of Steel after all

Credit where credit is due.

I’ve been critical of PM Kevin Rudd before, but I admire his courageous stance in Beijing today.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/04/09/2212108.htm

It took guts to go to China, and in his first speech there, to say loud and clear that Australia is concerned about Human rights violations in Tibet.

Hopefully Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao will recognize the value of International Friends who are unafraid to speak the truth, rather than “friends” who never say what they really think.

At Home At Last

Full marks to new Labor Immigration Minister, Chris Evans, for granting permanent residency to Robert Jovcic

Jovcic was a victim of the previous goverments heartless immigration policy, which left him homeless and sleeping on the steps of the Australian Embassy in Belgrade.

Minister Evans says that this was “one of a number of regrettable immigration matters the new Government is rectifying”.

It’s great news.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/02/23/2170552.htm