Petitioners Swamp Party Graft Body in Beijing on 93rd Anniversary

Thousands of ordinary people with complaints against the government converged on the ruling Chinese Communist Party's graft-busting body on Tuesday to mark the 93rd anniversary of the party's founding with a call for its help.

Petitioners have continued to flock to Beijing on key political dates in spite of a May 1 ban on petitioning to a higher authority, calling on the party as a last resort, often after years of pursuing grievances to no avail.

"Today we went to the gates of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) at 8:00 a.m," a petitioner from the northeastern province of Jilin surnamed Zhang told RFA on Tuesday.

"When I got there, they had already taken four busloads away. I was on the fifth," said Zhang, who was taken to the Jiujingzhuang unofficial detention center on the outskirts of Beijing to be "processed" and sent home under escort.

"There were around 150-160 people on the bus," she said. "When I got out of Jiujingzhuang, I saw that nine busloads of people had been detained outside the CCDI. The buses were packed with people, so it was probably more than 1,000 people in all."

A second petitioner at the scene, Wang Jing, said more than 2,000 had been detained by noon local time on Tuesday, however.

"By noon, I had counted 13 busloads of people being taken away from there, all of them packed with petitioners. I reckon they detained 2,000 petitioners this morning alone," Wang said.

"I think the majority of petitioners from around the country who are currently in Beijing were gathered outside the CCDI," she added.

Zhang said many more had likely been prevented from arriving at the scene by police or interceptors sent by governments in their hometowns to muzzle complaints about them.

"Most petitioners are complaining about their local government, so the only reason they come to Beijing is that they can't break through an iron wall of vested interests back home," she said.

She said many petitioners saw a direct appeal to the party's investigatory arm as a last resort.

"We are a group that has no one on our side, and no way to help ourselves," she said. "The local governments have stepped up their oppressive policies towards us, and some people no longer dare to come to Beijing."

"We came to Beijing today on the party's anniversary, because we still have faith in the party," Zhang said.

'A real mother'

Meanwhile, a Shanghai-based petitioner surnamed Gu called on the Communist Party to live up to its own propaganda.

"Today, on July 1, don't they tell us that they are our mother? They should live up to that image and act like a real mother when we come to them with our grievances and injustices," Gu said.

"Petitioners from around the country are flocking here to our mother, and we want her to be a real mother, not just in name only."

A second petitioner surnamed Zhang said he had traveled to President Xi's family home in Yuquan Hill Resort, as well as the Central Party School in Beijing on Tuesday.

His group of 30-40 petitioners had also visited the U.S. Embassy in Beijing and planned to continue to Tiananmen Square, at the heart of the capital, he said.

"Our local governments have grabbed our land and forcibly evicted us. We are farmers from Chongqing."

"That's right, [we have been petitioning a long time with no result]," Zhang said.

Shenzhen protests

The scenes were in stark contrast to those in Hong Kong, which traditionally marks the anniversary of its 1997 handover to China with large but peaceful street protests, and where policing is subject to close scrutiny by the territory's media.

However, a group of activists in Shenzhen, just across the internal border from Hong Kong, gathered outside government offices there in a brief show of support for Hong Kong's pro-democracy march, local sources said.

"Just over a dozen people went to protest [outside the government offices] at about 10:45 a.m.," a local resident surnamed Guo told RFA.

"A Hong Kong media organization shot some video and there were photos posted online."

According to Hong Kong's East website, the group was soon surrounded by police, who snatched their banners away and told them not to copy their compatriots across the border.

Meanwhile, some activists crossed the border to join in the march in Hong Kong, including the wife of Beijing-based rights lawyer Teng Biao, Wang Yanfang.

"[Activists] have been under extreme political pressure across the whole country this year, and as their loved ones, we feel really afraid," Wang told Hong Kong media.

"I came here to call on the authorities to release all of the rights activists and lawyers currently in detention [in China]," she said.

Petitioners

Detention in centers like Jiujingzhuang and Majialou—officially known as 'reception centers'—follows no procedure under China's current judicial system, and is an interim measure used by the authorities to briefly incarcerate those who complain before sending them home under escort.

But many petitioners still converge on major centers of government during high-level political meetings and significant dates in the calendar, in the hope of focusing public attention on their plight.

Nearly 20,000 grievances are filed daily to complaints offices across China in person, according to official figures released last November, mostly by middle-aged or elderly people with little or no income.

Those who do pursue complaints against the government—often for forced evictions, loss of farmland, accidents, or death and mistreatment in custody—say they are repeatedly stonewalled, detained in "black jails" or "legal study centers," beaten, and harassed by the authorities.

NEC demand must go: PM

A day after the Japanese government said it was waiting for Cambodia’s still-dividedpolitical parties to reach an agreement before it could begin assisting with electoral reforms, Prime Minister Hun Sen invited the opposition back to the negotiating table.

But the premier warned that the Cambodia National Rescue Party would have to leave a key demand at the door – namely, its insistence that members of a new National ElectionCommittee be approved by two-thirds of parliament.

“We still have our door open for negotiations, but you must not speak about this two-thirds,” Hun Sen said at National Fish Day celebrations in Kampong Chhnang province yesterday.

“As I told the Japanese Foreign Minister yesterday – this two-thirds [requirement] kills democracy in the Khmer country.”

As evidence for that claim, Hun Sen pointed to past elections when the CPP won the poll but did not have the two-thirds majority required to form a government on its own, leading to deadlock.

In 2006, the constitution was amended to allow the government to be formed with only a 50 per cent plus one majority.

“Come on, let’s find compromise between the parties that have seats in parliament,” Hun Sen said.

But CNRP deputy president Kem Sokha said yesterday that his party would not back down on the two-thirds requirement, which is backed by electoral watchdogs and civil societygroups.

“So there is only Mr Hun Sen’s Cambodian People’s Party that is afraid of losing power. He wants to hold on to power forever. He does not have the real will to make reforms,” he said.

Hang Puthea, head of election watchdog Neutral and Impartial Committee on Free and Fair Elections in Cambodia, said that while political will from both sides was what was most needed to solve the ongoing dispute, he backed the two-thirds proposal.

“I understand this is just the rhetoric of negotiation. [But two-thirds] will not kill democracy in Cambodia. On the contrary, a two-thirds requirement will help democracy become stronger.”

In his speech yesterday, Hun Sen also appeared to suggest that the CNRP wanted to set up an independent TV station outside the purview of the Ministry of Information, which he said was impossible.

“If you don’t take a [TV licence being offered], go ahead. We will not give it to you for being so insolent. You can go and start a station on the moon,” he said.

Thai spy headed home

King Norodom Sihamoni yesterday commuted former “yellow shirt” leader Veera Somkwamkid’s sentence, releasing the activist after only two of eight years served – amid the first visit of a Thai delegation to Phnom Penh since May’s military coup.

The Royal pardon of the ultra-nationalist, who was convicted of espionage in February 2011, was announced during a two-day diplomatic discussion over the recent exodus from Thailand of more than 250,000 Cambodian migrant workers.

“Upon receiving the pardon request, Samdech Hun Sen announced that Mr Somkwamkid is released following the King’s Royal pardon, and can return to Thailand [today] with the Thai delegates,” Eang Sophalleth, spokesman for the prime minister, said.

Veera and his secretary, Ratree Pipattanapaiboon, were sentenced to eight and six years, respectively, after being arrested in December 2010 along with five other Thai nationals during an alleged inspection of disputed border territory.

Successive Thai administrations made repeated attempts to secure the release of both activists, but all efforts failed, including in 2011, when the minister of foreign affairs rejected a request on the grounds that criminals must serve two-thirds of their sentence before clemency is considered. In February 2013, however, Ratree was freed during a pardoning of more than 400 prisoners that coincided with King Father Norodom Sihanouk’s cremation ceremony.

“The prime minister was asked to consider a pardon for Somkwamkid in the context of the upcoming [July 11] march commemorating the former King’s ashes,” Sophalleth said.

During yesterday’s talks and clemency arrangements, both Prime Minister Hun Sen and Foreign Minister Hor Namhong reiterated release requests of their own. They asked once again that Thailand release 14 jailed Cambodian labourers who were caught with fake visas earlier this month while they were fleeing from the junta-led country.

“They were cheated by their brokers. They are victims of human trafficking,” said Namhong. “I asked [acting Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow] to understand this. His Excellency has agreed to take my request to General Prayuth Chan-ocha for further discussion.”

The government, however, remained tight-lipped yesterday about any further details regarding the jailed workers, refusing to reveal identities, ages or home provinces, while no rights groups are being allowed to openly monitor the case.

“So far, we have identified one to two lawyers to help them,” said Foreign Ministry spokesman Koy Kuong before adding that he was “too busy” to share other details.

But political experts have suspected since the workers’ arrests that Cambodia and Thailand would seek some sort of deal involving a mutual release of prisoners.

“I don’t understand why Thailand arrested these 13 workers to begin with … but once they did, I think the military thought, ‘Ah, we could take advantage of this’.” said Kevin Hewison, a political analyst and director of the Asia Research Centre at Australia’s Murdoch University.

“For both sides, I think this will be seen as a good deal and buy them political capital,” he said.

Hewison added that the arrangements, coming on the tail end of one of the largest repatriations of Cambodian workers, could be a way for the neighbours to smooth relations and improve strained diplomatic ties.

“This military government is going to stick around for a while, so Cambodia, despite previous ties with Thaksin [Shinawatra] and the ‘red shirts’, is going to have to learn to deal with them,” he said.

Mutual cooperation featured prominently during yesterday’s dialogue as the two foreign ministries reaffirmed new policies and policy enforcement meant to return legalised Cambodian migrants to work in the more robust neighbouring economy.

In another of its labour reform announcements, Thailand said it would reduce the number of days it takes to issue a visa to Cambodians from three to just one.

Meanwhile, in addition to its own slew of recent revisions to overseas documentation policies, Cambodia announced that brokers will be responsible for paying for applicants’ passports and worker identification cards. The Ministry of Labour informed agencies that they can charge labourers $35 for the Thai visa, food and transportation; the other costs will have to be shouldered by the employers or the agencies.

The reforms have yet to be implemented, but the government insisted workers are queuing to return: 13,000 migrants have received documents to work in Thailand since June 6, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

“Thailand’s new policy is to legalise workers. In this context, Cambodia understands the sending back of Cambodian workers,” Namhong said, adding that these changes are “good news for workers”.

EU should intervene' in China-Vietnamese dispute

Vietnamese diplomat and foreign affairs expert Ton Nu Thi Ninh.

China has sent four more oil rigs into the South China Sea (Bien Dong Sea) in a bid to step up exploration for oil and gas in the in the potentially energy-rich waters.

Beijing's move comes less than two months after it deployed the giant Haiyang Shiyou 981 drilling platform in Vietnam's exclusive economic zone (EEZ). Beijing claims almost the entire South China Sea (Bien Dong Sea), rejecting rival claims from Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Brunei.

In a DW interview, Vietnamese diplomat and foreign affairs expert, Ton Nu Thi Ninh, says the world's major powers cannot remain indifferent to what is happening in the South China Sea (Bien Dong Sea).

DW: Should the European Union engage more in the ongoing South China Sea (Bien Dong Sea) crisis?

Ton Nu Thi Ninh: We live in a multi-polar world, which should better serve peace and security. The major powers, including the EU, should sometimes get involved directly or indirectly for the sake of peace and security in other parts of the world. For instance, the US has always declared itself a Pacific power and has come out with strong statements about China's provocative actions in Vietnam's exclusive economic zone. The EU, which shares very good relations with Vietnam, has not been as clear and loud.

The EU still looks at the issue in a limited fashion, as if it were only a Sino-Vietnamese dispute. The fact is that the scope of the issue is regional, and, in some ways, global. China could have built the oil rig elsewhere in the nine-dashed line area - over which it claims sovereignty - but it deliberately chose to do it close to Vietnam.

The danger of it is, as we say in Vietnamese - if the head gets through, the rest will also go through. For China this is a "test project." If it works out, it will be a message to other countries in the region. It will also mean that the international community couldn't do anything about it. It is an attempt by China to assert its sovereignty in disputed waters, which is over 80 percent of the South China Sea (Bien Dong Sea).

The EU is not quite living up to the expectations of Vietnam and some countries in Southeast Asia because its economic and cultural profile in the region is quite high in comparison to its geostrategic and geopolitical profile. I think it is high time the EU enhances its profile there to help implement a multi-polar world order. We need to find ways to make China understand that the only way it can become a major power which is recognized and respected by others in the world is if it obeys international laws and respects all countries.

China is trying to establish its own pax sinica in the region first. The hallmark of this should be disquieting for everybody, but it is more disturbing for countries like Vietnam as it has to bear the brunt of Beijing's provocative actions. China is flexing its muscle and is giving itself a unilateral say over international navigation in this part of the world. Its behavior should be a cause of serious concern not just to Vietnam but also to countries outside the region.

DW: What kind of help or support does Vietnam expect from the EU?

The EU countries should speak with a clearer and louder voice. The bloc should at least call the Chinese actions what they actually are: unilateral provocations that are dangerous for regional peace and security. EU foreign ministers can take up the issue at the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) regional forum, the East Asia Summit, or other forums like UNCLOS.

The attention span of our time is very short. Conflicts erupt every week. It would be very disappointing if the voices of major world powers are not heard in time. It would work in Beijing's favor.

DW: Do you think the countries in the region, especially China, will accept a bigger EU role in the conflict?

China won't like it. Fu Ying, chairman of the foreign affairs committee of China's National People's Congress, told the US at the Shangri-La Dialogue that Washington had nothing to do with the issue between China and Vietnam. I think major powers should tell Beijing that in today's world there is a greater need to uphold international law, and that it is everybody's business to make sure that it happens.

The truth is that China's unilateral actions are a blatant violation of international law. Vietnam is a small country and cannot provoke a big power like China. We have always handled our relationship with China with self-restraint.

China “defying all” in East Sea: Columnist

Those are observations by columnist Kim Tuan on the ongoing sovereignty dispute in the East Sea. Excerpts follow:

While Chinese State Councillor Yang Jiechi was in Hanoi, China continued to bring its Nanhai 9 drilling rig into the East Sea. This prompted Professor Carl Thayer from the University of New South Wales, Australian Defence ForceAcademy, to say he does not believe China is acting in a way that the left hand does not know what the right hand is doing, and to describe it as a new provocation by China.

At the end of last year, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang visited Vietnam and agreed that during the search for a long-lasting and basic solution to the disputes at sea, the two sides should together control the situation and refrain from escalating the disputes.

He also said if problems arise, they should join hands to settle them in a timely and rational manner, preventing them from adversely affecting the bilateral cooperation and development.

However, China’s illegal placement of its Haiyang Shiyou-981 rig deep inside Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone runs totally counter to this spirit.

Worse still, on June 25, China publicised a new map in an attempt to realise its so-called “sovereignty manifestation”. In this illegal map, China defied international law and drew a 10-dot line that blankets all the East Sea including waters close to the coasts of Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and the Philippines.

There is a very popular anecdote among the Chinese on the defiance of everything. It goes that when asked by Han Shi Zhong (1089-1151), one of the four famous generals of the Nan Song dynasty (1127-1279), to table evidence against Yue Fei, Prime Minister Qin Gui (1090-1155) flatly replied: No evidence, no need for evidence.

For nearly a millennium now, the Chinese nation has condemned the reply as well as the “defying all” attitude by Qin Gui. Yet China itself is defying law and justice, trampling on the common moral standards to grab the interests which do not belong to it in the East Sea , as well as opting to act in the way blamed by the whole Chinese nation.

China believes it can use economic benefits to erode Vietnam ’s determination in safeguarding her independence and sovereignty. It is reported that China has banned its state-run enterprises from taking part in biddings in Vietnam, but it should also be repeated that for Vietnam, independence and sovereignty are the most sacred, economic benefits are very necessary but nothing is more precious than independence and freedom.

Vietnamese top leaders have stated that even a single inch of the mountains and rivers of the country can never be conceded, and that Vietnam is resolute not to exchange her sacred independence and sovereignty for anything.

Huge crowds turn out to march for democracy in Hong Kong

Tens of thousands of Hong Kongers have joined pro-democracy protests on the streets of the Chinese territory in a massive show of defiance against Beijing's vision for the city's political future.
Pro-democracy protests on July 1 -- the anniversary of the 1997 handover of the former British colony to China -- are an annual event in the territory.But public anger over a recently published Chinese "white paper" declaring Beijing's "comprehensive jurisdiction" over the territory, released amid a campaign by pro-democracy activists calling for universal suffrage, has brought huge crowds out onto the streets this year.
Marchers gathered in Victoria Park in the city's center before setting out along the protest route, where they faced heavy rain showers as the day wore on.

Posters of the cover of the controversial Beijing "white paper," which stressed that Hong Kong does not have "full autonomy" and came under Beijing's oversight, were taped to the ground along the route for protesters to trample underfoot.'Last resort'"This is our last resort. If we don't say anything, then Hong Kong will turn into a Chinese city," said a 50-year-old protester, who like many on the march, was not comfortable giving her full name.A 36-year old teacher was marching with his wife and two young children. "I want them to grow up in a society in which we can freely express ourselves," he told CNN.
"I hope that Hong Kong can be like the old days, a place where we have a chance to express our opinions and voice our needs."\

READ MORE: Hong Kong politics -- an explainerJohnson Yeung Ching-yin, convener of the Civil Human Rights Front, the organizers of the rally, said it was a pivotal moment for political reform in Hong Kong.
"If we want real democracy right now, then this rally is very significant," he said."We can show the world and show the central government that Hong Kong people want democracy so badly and we will fight for it at all costs."He said organizers were hoping for a turn-out of 500,000 people.
Beyond the march, student groups were planning an illegal sit-in protest at two sites later in the evening to further press the issue.

"I may get arrested tonight. Will you all support me?" one of the student leaders, Joshua Wong of the group Scholarism, yelled to the crowd.
Lawmaker Cyd Ho Sau-lan said that the march was necessary to send a message to Beijing.
"The Hong Kong government is only a puppet of the central government," she told CNN. "We must pressure the central government and tell them not to ignore the will of the Hong Kong people."
'One country, two systems'
As a Special Administrative Region of China, Hong Kong's seven million residents are afforded greater civil liberties than those in the Mainland under the "one country, two systems" policy.
This reflects an agreement reached between China and the United Kingdom prior to the handover, which promised Hong Kong a "high degree of autonomy" for 50 years after its return.
But there are increasing fears that those freedoms are being eroded.
The Hong Kong government has promised residents they will be able to vote for their next chief executive in 2017 elections, and called on protesters to refrain from violence.
"It is the common aspiration of the HKSAR Government and the people of Hong Kong to successfully implement universal suffrage ... as scheduled and in accordance with the law, so that more than five million eligible voters could elect the next [Chief Executive] through 'one person, one vote' in 2017," the government said in a statement.
The statement continued: "The HKSAR Government respects residents' freedom and right of expression and has always encouraged the public to express their views via legal channels and in a peaceful manner. We also expect individuals holding different views will respect each other when expressing their opinions."
"In case of any contravention of the law and breach of public order, law enforcement agencies will handle such a situation strictly in accordance with the law to ensure that law and order and public peace are maintained in Hong Kong."
But Beijing says it will only allow candidates who "love China."
Pro-democracy activist group Occupy Central with Love and Peace (OCLP) recently conducted an unofficial referendum in which Hong Kongers could register a "vote" in favor of free elections for the city's next leader.
According to organizers, more than 780,000 did so, significantly higher than the 100,000 they were initially expecting.
Beijing condemned the referendum, with state media editorials branding it an "illegal farce" and accusing activists of sowing "hatred."
But Yeung said he believed the referendum had helped pressure leaders in Hong Kong and Beijing towards a more moderate position.
Occupy Central says that if its calls to reform electoral processes fail, then it is prepared to resort to civil disobedience. The group has floated plans to "occupy" the central business district by mustering thousands of protesters to sit and peacefully block traffic.
"We will only resort to the civil disobedience action as our last resort," Benny Tai, a co-organiser of OCLP, told CNN recently. "Only after exhausting all the legal means and still fail to achieve our goals will we resort to civil disobedience."
The white paper was published last month just days after 100,000 people showed up to an annual candlelit vigil for the victims of the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown.