Chinese Journalist, Environmental Lawyer Win Ramon Magsaysay Award

 
An investigative journalist specializing in high-level corruption and a rights lawyer from China, which has recently stepped up controls on both professions, are among the winners of a regional prize aimed at promoting integrity in government.

Journalist and current affairs commentator Hu Shuli is among seven regional journalists and activists named as recipients of the Ramon Magsaysay Award 2014, the organization said in a statement on its website.

Hu's award is in recognition of "her unrelenting commitment to truthful, relevant, and unassailable journalism, her fearless promotion of transparency and accountability in business and public governance, and her leadership in blazing the way for more professional and independent-minded media practices in China," the statement said.

Meanwhile, public interest lawyer and environmental law expert Wang Canfa, is being given the award for "his discerning and forceful leadership—through scholarly work, disciplined advocacy, and pro bono public interest litigation," the awarding body said.

Wang has ensured "that the enlightened and competent practice of environmental law in China effectively protects the rights and lives of victims of environmental abuse, especially the poor and the powerless," it said.

Courageous journalist

Jiang Weiping, a Canada-based political analyst and former journalist with the official Xinhua news agency, said Hu's award came as no surprise to him.

"It was Hu Shuli's magazine that first broke the story of Zhou Yongkang's investigation for corruption," Jiang said, in reference to the investigation of China's former security czar for "serious breaches of discipline" that was announced months after Hu's report.

"She's not just courageous; her reports are extremely accurate, and provide the reader with large volumes of reliable information," he said.

"I often read her magazine and articles she has written personally."

Editorial approval

Last month, President Xi Jinping's administration warned journalists not to publish critical reports without prior approval from their editors, and issued new rules requiring them to sign non-disclosure agreements this month.

Chinese media organizations can only operate under a government-granted license, giving officials a huge amount of leverage over who works and publishes within the industry.

Editorial staff are given daily direction on how to respond to certain major news stories via directives and phone calls from the party's powerful but secretive propaganda department, which are themselves often leaked to overseas media.

Jiang said Hu's specialty was in cutting-edge reporting that goes where most Chinese journalists would fear to tread.

"She is fearless when it comes to threats and pressure from the political elite, and she has helped steer journalism in China in the right direction," Jiang added.

He said Hu is believed to be close to reform-minded ruling Chinese Communist Party graft-buster Wang Qishan, who protects her politically and enables her to access first-hand information on corruption investigations.

Pro bono lawyer

Wang Canfa's award was welcomed by Jiangsu-based environmental activist Wu Lihong.

In 1999, Wang set up a legal advice center specializing in the victims of pollution, that had helped large numbers of claimants to sue the government free of charge.

Within five years, the center had fought more than 70 cases on behalf of some 20,000 people.

Wu said Wang was known for winning a higher-than-usual proportion of cases.

"For example, he helped duck farmers in Jiangsu's Xuzhou city win compensation [in a pollution claim]," Wu said.

"Another case was that of environmental activist Zhang Changjian in Fujian province," he added. "Zhang had been petitioning for years on behalf of local people, before Wang Canfa helped him win a lawsuit."

Pollution issue

Campaigners say that China already has an exemplary set of environmental protection laws, but that close ties between business and officials mean that it is rarely enforced at a local level.

Wu said Wang's legal advice center had a habit of challenging vested interests and protectionism between industry and local government.

"But after that, there was a very strong backlash from the political connections of the polluting enterprise, and the pollution issue in Zhang Changjian's village never was settled satisfactorily," Wu said.

Other 2014 award winners include Indonesian and Philippines indigenous rights activists Saur Marlina Manurung and Randy Halasan, Afghan heritage campaigner Omara Khan Masoudi, and Pakistani educational charity The Citizens Foundation.

Cambodia Court Summons Opposition Politicians Over Park Clash

 
A court in Phnom Penh has summoned the deputy chief and seven lawmakers from the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) for questioning in connection with a violent clash last month which erupted when party supporters tried to force the reopening of Freedom Park in the capital.

Investigating judge Keo Mony issued a subpoena to the eight politicians as well as another party member on Thursday, ordering the nine to appear at an Aug. 11 hearing at the Phnom Penh Municipal Court.

CNRP deputy chief Kem Sokha, who was among those summoned, told RFA’s Khmer Service that the order amounted to a “political show,” saying he was not at the July 15 protest that left at least 40 injured following the clash between party supporters and security guards at the park.

The seven lawmakers and one party member had earlier been detained and charged with “insurrection” for their role in the protest.

They were released about a week later after a July 22 agreement between the CNRP and Prime Minister Hun Sen’s ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) that ended a year of political deadlock following disputed July 28, 2013 general elections.

CNRP President Sam Rainsy has said that their release was part of the deal.

Kem Sokha said Friday that he was surprised by the court order as he had explained to the investigating judge last Friday that he had nothing to do with the protests.

“[Keo Mony] asked me [at the previous hearing on July 25] if I knew what had happened on July 15 and where I was at the time, and I told him that I was not there and did not know the incident had taken place,” Kem Sokha said.

Kem Sokha said he had told Keo Mony that he was at his farm in Kampong Cham province’s Chamkar Leur district on the day of the violence.

“Then [the judge] repeated, ‘Your Excellency was not present at the scene, and so did not know what happened,’ before saying that he didn’t know what else to ask me. So that meant it was the end of the case.”

The CNRP deputy president said that the opposition protesters “acted on their own” after guards at Freedom Park had tried to pull down a banner hung by the CNRP calling on the government to reopen the park, sparking the clash.

The park is the only place where protests were allowed in the capital until it was closed to the public in January following a deadly crackdown on CNRP-backed striking workers.

Under the July 22 agreement, forged by Hun Sen and CNRP leader Sam Rainsy, the ruling party pledged to adopt key reforms to the government-appointed electoral body, the National Election Committee (NEC), which named the CPP winner of last year’s polls despite widespread claims that the elections were rigged.

The opposition, meanwhile, agreed to join the National Assembly (parliament), which it had boycotted since the vote, though no date has been set for the lawmakers to swear in.

Returning to parliament

Working groups from the two parties are discussing the finer points of the agreement, with the CNRP pushing for immunity from prosecution for all new members of the NEC and an independent budget for the body before joining the National Assembly, CNRP sources said.

Independent analyst Kem Ley told RFA that the CPP was using the threat of legal proceedings over the July 15 clashes against the nine opposition politicians as leverage to pressure the 55 CNRP MPs to swear into parliament as soon as possible.

“This clearly shows that the court is a tool for politicians to use in their political competitiveness,” he said.

In a recent letter to Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Sar Kheng, Sam Rainsy said that if NEC members are granted immunity and independent budgets, CNRP lawmakers could be ready to join parliament “next week.”

As part of reforms agreed to for the NEC, four members will be nominated by each party, with a key ninth member jointly selected.

The two parties earlier this week agreed to nominate top local human rights campaigner Pung Chhiv Kek to be the ninth member of the new committee.

She has demanded that NEC members be given immunity from prosecution, are guaranteed independent decision-making, given the right to recruit expert staff, and are allowed to operate autonomous budgets.

Flood warnings for Mekong

 
Heavy rains may cause dangerous flooding along the upper parts of the Mekong River in Cambodia in the coming days, a senior official at the Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology warned yesterday.Mao Hak, deputy director of technical works at the Department of Hydrology and River Work, told the Post that rainfall in Kampong Cham, Kratie and Stung Treng provinces will climb to “alarm” levels by Sunday.“The villagers who are living along the river or central lowland need to be aware, especially for their children and elderly people, and they have to make sure that these people keep away from the water,” he said.

A statement issued by Hak’s department said that while the Mekong’s water stations at Stung Treng, Kratie and Kampong Cham measured safe water levels of 10, 20.25 and 13.65 metres yesterday, the river’s depths are expected to breach the alarm threshold by August 3 as they reach 10.75, 21.95 and 15 metres.The announcement follows last week’s warning from the ministry that the remnants of Typhoon Rammasun, which hit China, Vietnam and the Philippines in-mid July, were causing the Mekong to quickly rise.Khan Chamnarn, Kratie’s deputy governor, whose province faces the highest predicted levels of flooding, said that it is important for residents to heed the announcement despite the river’s relatively calm waters yesterday. Awareness of emergency procedures, he said, will reduce deaths.

“Kratie province has prepared 118 safe hills for evacuation when the flood comes,” he said, adding that the provincial government has also supplied boats, tents and medicine to help rescue victims when the river rises.Chamnarn referenced tragic outcomes of the region’s past natural disasters, such as the 2011 floods that killed at least nine people and the 2013 floods that claimed at least 25 lives, to encourage residents to take care.While the department did not provide depth measurements for other rivers in the region, Hak said that farmers along the Tonle Sap and Tonle Bassac rivers should also brace themselves for flooding.
Phnom Penh is safe for now, he added, although he suspects that the capital will face alarm levels as the rainy season progresses into October.

Dozens dead as Taiwan gas explosions tear up streets

A downtown district of the southern Taiwanese city of Kaohsiung was ripped apart just before midnight Thursday by a series of explosions that killed at least 26 people and injured hundreds more, state news agency CNA reported.The blasts, which were triggered by underground gas leaks, tore trenches through main roads, overturned cars and trucks, and sent flames leaping into the air in the city's Cianjhen district.Witnesses said they saw vehicles flung into the air by the force of the explosions; one car was found on the roof of a three-story building.Zong Han-Li was driving when the explosion happened directly in front of him, and his dashboard camera caught the moment the gas ignited.

"The video went black after a rock struck the dash cam and dislocated it," he told CNN. "I was scared that more rocks will follow, so I opened the door and looked around for help. I was very fortunate the driver's door was not stuck."The explosion left a trench 2 meters deep. Some vehicles were blasted into the air, and some people fell into the trench. It was a devastating scene."It was very loud when the explosion happened, (and) debris was blasted into the sky. Motorcycles were tossed as high as three stories. Everyone came out to help because there were already injuries."Two people were blown to the roof of a four-story building, where emergency workers found them and took them to the hospital, CNA reported.

Firefighters from neighboring cities rushed to Kaohsiung to help battle several fires, which had been mostly contained by Friday morning.At least 26 people were killed, including four firefighters. Twenty-two emergency workers were among 267 people injured, officials said. A number of people were still missing, including a senior fire official who went to investigate reports of a gas leak.

As daylight broke, the extent of the damage became clear, with wrecked cars and motorcycles strewn across the cratered streets.Dave Flynn, an English expatriate who has lived in the city for several years, visited the site of the explosions Friday morning. He said a huge trench had been gouged along the length of a main thoroughfare for several kilometers, and the pavement had been thrown to the side of the road, damaging vehicles. 

"There were police cordons on the major intersections, but they were just stopping vehicles," he said. "Most of the side streets, you could just walk into the area, and it was full of pedestrians checking out what had happened. I saw people fixing their own houses, and I saw the army arrive, some trucks to clean up some of the (wrecked) cars."Schools and offices in the Cianjhen district, as well as in the neighboring Lingya district, were closed Friday to facilitate rescue efforts, Mayor Chen Chu said. Several schools and a cultural center are being used as emergency shelters.Authorities suspect ethylene, propane or butane in the explosions. There are several petrochemical factories in the region.The government called up hundreds of soldiers to assist in search and rescue efforts.