My son tipped me off on this new law likely to come into effect in one province of China.
People 'obliged' to visit parents By Guan Xiaofeng Updated: 2008-06-06 07:44
A draft law in Liaoning province makes it an obligation for adult children to contact or visit their parents regularly.
It is the first legislation of its kind in the country.
The province's standing committee of the people's congress recently released the draft - Regulation on Protection of Rights and Interests of the Aged - to seek public opinion.
It is expected to become law by the end of the year.
An article says if children do not live with their parents, they should "often send greetings or go home to visit them".
Government employees, who fail to do so, will face sanctions by their respective agencies. (For the rest of the article go to the People's Daily.)
The maps from Google Earth i
BTW, I've noticed in the last few days that I'm getting hits from China again, I hope that means that blogger sites are no longer blocked in China.
Today is the 19th anniversary of the Tianamen Square confrontation between the Chinese students and other Chinese citizens and the Chinese government. Just as Americans say 9-11 to signify the day of the Twin Towers attack, the Chinese say Liu Si or 6 六 - 4㆕. You can hear the two numbers in the audio.
The students I had in graduate class in 2004 mostly didn't know a lot about what happened on June 4, 1989.
OF ALL the taboos in modern China, the violent quelling of the Tiananmen Square democracy protests on June 4, 1989, remains the most sensitive.
Nineteen years later, China is now the world's fourth-largest economy, and proud host of this year's Olympic Games. But unlike other touchy subjects - Tibet, Taiwan and the Falun Gong group banned as a cult - there is no public discourse on the Tiananmen Square "incident". The real death toll is a state secret; more than a dozen protesters from that time, plus hundreds more dissidents, are in jail. (From today's Sydney Morning Herald)
I arrived in Hong Kong in 1989 about a month after June 4 and during the year I taught at Chinese University I heard a lot about what happened, including a first hand account by one of my colleagues who had been doing research in Beijing during the events. Of course, any individual's accounts are limited by where he was and what he saw.
In any case, I did want to note the day. You can see the Chinese characters for the numbers at AskAsia. This link will take you the character 一 (can you guess?) 1. There you can listen to someone say the character and then go on to the other numbers. I copied their recordings of six and four and mixed them on Jamglue for the audio. Thus it doesn't sound exactly right, but it's better than if I tried to say it. The Chinese have hand signs for the numbers and I'm sure you can figure out what the two at the top stand for. You can see the rest at Chinese-Tools.com.
do you know the earthquake in Wenchuan of China on May 12?
I'm pretty sure that Frank is one of my former students who lives in Beijing. It isn't always easy for people in China to gauge what the rest of the world is hearing about China.
So, yes Frank, the news here is dominated by stories about the earthquake and about how well the Chinese government is responding to the earthquake and how Chinese citizens are all volunteering to help in any way possible. For the most part the news is strongly positive, and I'm wondering a little bit about how the reporters are getting the stories. Who are the interpreters? How are they getting to the various sites? What is happening in areas where Western journalists are not getting access? I don't know, I'm just a little skeptical.
For the western readers of the blog who aren't sure where the earthquake and the cyclone happened, here are some maps.
You can see on the first map where China and Burma are in relationship to Alaska. (And for those of you wondering why Alaska is the benchmark, well, I live in Alaska. Since we have to see everything in the Main Stream Media from New York or LA's perspective, it does the NY and LA types some good to see that not everyone thinks that they are the center of the universe.)
And then this map shows where Sichuan Province (the location of the earthquake) is in relationship to where the cyclone did most damage in Burma. It's only about 1000 miles apart. The same approximate distance as: Berlin-Istanbul Moscow-Prague Bangkok-Hong Kong Cleveland-Dallas Pittsburgh-Miami Boston-St. Louis San Francisco-El Paso Los Angeles - Seattle
I'm thinking about the enormous difference in response between the Burmese cyclone and the Chinese earthquake. Sichuan is about 1000 miles away from the Irrawaddy Delta where the cyclone had its biggest effect.
China is the major supporter of the Burmese government. Without China's economic and political support, the Burmese regime would fall. Some news reports have said that China's openness to the world press in the earthquake disaster is aimed at showing that China is a world player that can handle emergencies. And the contrast between the way China is handling the earthquake and the way Burma is handling the cyclone is extreme.
But I can't help but wonder why, with Burma on its border, and with so much influence over the Burmese government, China hasn't helped to save tens of thousands of lives in Burma. They could have leaned on the military leaders quietly and even gotten publicly invited to assist. So they wouldn't have to worry about setting a precedent for interfering with the internal matters of another country. What they are doing in Sichuan proves they can do this work. So they certainly could have gone into Burma.
Perhaps Burmese lives aren't important, only Chinese lives. Helping the victims of the earthquake in China effectively will help China's world image. But not nearly as much as helping the victims in Burma would.
By the way, my post called "What's the difference between a cyclone, hurricane, typhoon, and tornado?" got listed as the first blog post in Google Trends "Difference between hurricane and cyclone" which was number 90 on May 6 and suddenly today is sending a lot of folks my way. I should have my highest single day hit count (I think I got to about 270 once during one of the trials). I was never aware of Google Trends and I'm not quite sure how it works. And very few have stopped to see more than that one page.
Last week I posted a copy of an email about a presentation in Chiang Mai entitled "Bio Fuel By Decree." Now I'm following that up with a little more substance. This is a report I got in an email from someone I met in Chiang Mai who works for EarthRights, a group that works to help Burmese Refugees in Thailand as well as Burmese still in Burma. I know a little about this organization and met various people who worked for them. They are dedicated and very competent. The people of Burma - including the last democratically elected President of Burma, Aung Sang Suu Kyi - have basically been imprisoned in their home by the SLORC for 20 years.
When people watched Schindler's List and other movies about the Holocaust, many asked, "How could people let this happen?" Well, variations of the Holocaust are happening now in various parts of the world, including Burma.
I'm posting here the EarthRights report. This report was done by people who have been working on these issues in and out of Burma for many years now. It is well documented. Certainly it does not tell everything because access to information in Burma and from Chevron is limited. But if you want to know what is happening in Burma, and how you support it when you buy Cheveron gasoline, read.
Below is most of the executive summary for those who don't have time to read the whole report. And for those thinking, "What can I do?" there is a recommendation highlighted in the executive summary below of recommendations "To the United States and the world community." [You can easily enlarge the pages of the document by clicking on the magnifying glass]
. . . EarthRights International (ERI) began documenting the human Residents and refugees from fourteen villages throughout the pipeline region, with whom ERI conducted over 70 formal interviews in the past five years as well as additional corroborative contacts, confirm that, for the people of Burma, “human energy” means human exploitation. Chevron and its consor- tium partners continue to rely on the Burmese army for pipeline security, and those forces continue to conscript thousands of villagers for forced labor, and to commit torture, rape, murder and other serious abuses in the course of
Part 1 describes the background of the Yadana Project, which involves a pipeline constructed to carry gas from offshore fields, across Burma, and into Thailand. In 2005, Chevron became part of the Yadana Project through its acquisition of Unocal, one of the original developers of the project. The Burmese military junta, a brutal regime routinely condemned by the United Nations and the world community for its widespread violations of basic human rights, is one of Chevron’s partners in the project through its military-run oil company, Myanma Oil and Gas Enterprise.
Part 2 explains how the Yadana Proj- ect finances oppression. The project is the single largest source of income for the Burmese military; it was instru- mental in bailing out the junta when it faced a severe financial crisis in the late 1990s, and it has enabled the regime to dramatically increase its military spending and continue its rule without popular support.
Part 3 describes how Chevron was fully aware of the human rights abuses associated with the Yadana Project when it acquired Unocal in 2005, but nonethe- less chose to stay involved with the project and the Burmese military. The Yadana pipeline is guarded by the Bur- mese army, and the human rights abuses committed by the army in the course of providing security have been widely re- ported and documented; victims of the project sued Unocal in U.S. courts in the landmark case Doe v. Unocal.
Part 4 documents the continuing seri- ous human rights abuses by the pipeline security forces, including torture, rape, murder, and forced labor. Seventeen years after abuses connected to the Yadana Project were first documented, and years after they were highlighted in Doe v. Unocal, these human rights abuses continue in the pipeline corri- dor. Residents and refugees fleeing the pipeline region report that they are still forced to work for the pipeline security forces, who continue to commit acts of violence and terrorize the local popula- tion. This forced labor occurs thousands of times each year.
Part 5 debunks the oil companies’ claims that life in the pipeline region has improved. While some villages have re- alized minimal benefits from the compa- nies’ socio-economic program, the ben- efits do not reach the entire population affected by the pipeline security forces. Even for the chosen “pipeline villages” life remains so difficult and dangerous that families continue to flee for the rela- tive safety of the Thai-Burma border.
Part 6 discusses Chevron’s response to the 2007 demonstrations in Burma against the military regime and the re- gime’s crackdown. Despite its threefold status as the largest U.S. investor in Burma, the military’s direct business partner, and a partner in the project that constitutes the largest source of income for the regime, Chevron has failed to take any noticeable steps to condemn the violent repression or to pressure the military to respect human rights.
Finally, Part 7 describes Chevron’s ongoing potential legal liability for its role in the Yadana Project. Although the Doe v. Unocal litigation resulted in a settlement in 2005, that settlement only covers the claims of the victims involved in that suit; Chevron remains responsible for compensating the thou- sands of other residents of the pipeline region who have suffered abuse by pipe- line security forces.
Two appendices offer additional detail on oil and gas investment in Burma. Appendix A details the Shwe Project, a new gas project which could dwarf Yadana both in revenues for the military and in the abusive impact on the local population. The project is being devel- oped by South Korea’s Daewoo Interna- tional along with other companies from Korea, India and China. Appendix B briefly outlines China’s growing involve- ment in Burma, especially in the oil and gas sector. The Yadana Project remains a serious problem both for the people of Burma and for Chevron itself.
In light of this, EarthRights International makes the following recommendations: To the Burmese military regime: » The SPDC should cease human rights abuses against the people of the pipe- line region and throughout Burma, including extrajudicial killings, sexual violence, torture, excessive force, ar- bitrary detentions and imprisonment, forced labor, and forced relocation, and abide by its obligations under in- ternational law to respect fundamen- tal human rights and environmental protection.
» The regime should begin a full transi- tion to a system of government that allows for all of Burma’s peoples to fully participate in development deci- sions and freely determine their own futures.
To Chevron Corporation and its partners: » Chevron, Total, PTTEP, and all other oil and gas companies in Burma should suspend ongoing projects, cease de- velopment of new projects, and refuse to sell gas that enriches the Burmese regime until the SPDC fully respects internationally-guaranteed human rights and environmental protections and allows for a full transition to a participatory system of government as described above.
» The Yadana consortium and other com- panies should terminate any contracts that require them to provide monetary support to the military regime or that contemplate or require the use of the Burmese military as security forces.
» The companies should publicly con- demn past human rights abuses and use their influence with the SPDC, their business partner, to press for respect for human rights in the future, not only in the pipeline region itself but throughout the country.
» The companies should immediately stop relying on the Burmese military for any security or other services. If alternate security measures are taken, Chevron and its partners must provide adequate human rights train- ing and supervision in order to ensure respect for fundamental human rights (in accordance with international law and Chevron’s stated commitment to respect human rights).
» The companies should allow indepen- dent third-parties with experience documenting human rights abuses in Burma access to the pipeline region, without military supervision, in order to monitor the situation. Such moni- toring should include a mechanism to allow local residents to bring com- plaints to an independent body on a confidential basis.
» The companies should provide ad- equate compensation to all individu- als and communities harmed by the Yadana Project.
» The companies should demonstrate a serious commitment to their socio- economic program by expanding it to include all of the villages that have suffered adverse impacts from the Yadana Project, and by inviting groups experienced in documenting condi- tions in Burma to participate in de- veloping, implementing, and regularly evaluating the effectiveness of, their programs.
» The companies should support efforts that promote transparency through disclosure of payments to all govern- ment and state-owned or state-con- trolled partners.
To Chevron’s shareholders: » The shareholders of Chevron should support shareholder resolutions that promote policies and practices de- signed to improve the promotion and protection of human rights, the envi- ronment, rule of law, transparency, and the rights of indigenous peoples and affected communities to informed consent before projects begin and dur- ing operation phases.
» The shareholders of Chevron should communicate their concern over the situation in Burma, the reputational and legal risks it poses to their com- pany, and their wish for Chevron to follow the recommendations outlined above, to Chevron’s CEO and Board of Directors.
To the Royal Thai government: » Thailand should immediately cease purchasing gas from the SPDC and cease payments for such gas until the Burmese regime respects fundamental human rights and environmental pro- tections and begins a full transition to a participatory system of government as described above. Alternatively, Thailand should place all such pay- ments in escrow for the benefit of the people of Burma under a future gov- ernment.
» Thailand should immediately require that its state-owned company PTTEP suspend its ongoing natural gas explo- ration in the Bay of Bengal until the company conducts environmental and human rights impact assessments, and until appropriate preconditions for responsible investment in Burma are in place, such as a full transition to a participatory system of govern- ment as described above.
» Thailand should allow safe refuge to all Burmese refugees fleeing the abuses there, in accordance with in- ternational law.
» Thailand should provide legal mecha- nisms that allow Thai companies, such as PTTEP, to be held accountable for their responsibility and complicity in human rights abuses in Burma. Civil society organizations and citizens of Thailand should advocate for legisla- tion to create such mechanisms.
To the United States and the world community: » The United States and the world com- munity should make immediate efforts to cut the flow of money to the Bur- mese regime, including stopping the Yadana Project payments and other gas payments through targeted finan- cial sanctions.
» The United States and the world com- munity should condemn the abuses committed in Burma on projects ben- efiting multinational corporations, including Chevron, and pressure the companies to end these abuses and adopt the recommendations outlined above.
» The United States should continue to pressure the Burmese regime to respect human rights and the environ- ment and begin a full transition to a participatory system of government as described above; the world communi- ty, especially China, India, Korea, and Thailand, should join in these efforts. for complicity in abuses abroad, and enable access to justice for survivors of abuses abroad. Civil society organi- zations and citizens of these countries should advocate for legislation to cre- ate such mechanisms.
To Daewoo and its partners in the Shwe Project, and other gas compa- nies in Burma: [See Complete Document for more]
This is NOT about China and human rights; that's been extensively covered. (Actually, not really. The protests about the torch relay has been covered, but the real issues haven't gotten that much attention. And they won't here today.)
My question is about whether China can handle all the foreigners who will descend on Beijing. When I taught in Beijing in 2004 I was impressed with how much had been prepared already for the Olympics. I'm talking about venues that were already built or being built back then. Though I wasn't impressed by the lack of consideration for pedestrians and traffic patterns as neighborhoods were leveled and huge housing developments were being put in.
But a new issue arose that raises other questions. We got J's Thailand ticket through mileage from United Airlines. Her return flight is Chiang Mai to Bangkok and Bankgok to Beijing on Thai International. Then Air China from Beijing to LA. (She'll get back to Anchorage on a separate Alaska ticket.)
So a couple of weeks ago I started trying to get her seat reservations on the return. United says to contact the partner airlines. Thai International was no problem. But the Air China part was. We could find her reservation, after some difficulty, on the Air China website, but there was no way to make the seat reservation.
I emailed and explained my problem. I got an email back a week later with two Beijing phone numbers to call. Luckily I have skype so it's reasonable. I got a recording on the first number. And the second number. They are open 8-5. It was 11am, but a Sunday. Monday I tried again. I got someone who gave me another phone number, and that was a recording. I tried both numbers several times and got recordings, but couldn't get people.
I emailed two former Chinese students who are at universities in the US. They both tried through Air China phone numbers in the US and were given the same number I had in Beijing that they couldn't get through to. Fortunately, one contacted another former student who is in Beijing who eventually was able to get through to someone who says J now has an aisle seat on that flight.
But if getting a seat assignment on the namesake airline of China is so difficult, this doesn't bode well. Their website also had special deals - except they were for 2007. And even though I chose the English option, when I got sent to the next page, it would sometimes change back into Chinese. I realize that frequent flier tickets are not the norm, but tickets issued by other carriers will be common for travelers to the Olympics. How will they handle this with phone numbers that don't work after 6pm or on weekends, or at all?
Is this an anomaly that means nothing? Or is this an early warning signal? Let's wait and see.
Given the level of geographic illiteracy in the world, I should have done this long ago. I'm still pushing it, I know, by using Alaska as the reference point for the US, but it and Hawaii are the only states that show up on the same map as Thailand.
And here's Thailand and its immediate neighbors. We are in Chiang Mai. I was thinking on this trip that Mae Sai is closer to China than it is to Bangkok. But looking at the map, so is Chiang Mai.
I didn't intend to make a music video. I had some pictures from this afternoon's walk at Campbell Creek near Stuckagain. But music sounded like a good idea. Grrrr. Going to have to learn how to use Garage Band so I can make some noises to put on some of the videos. But in the meantime, what can I use without getting into too much trouble? Something winter related.
I found a CD one of my students, Guo Wei, gave me in Beijing. She was an er hu player in the student traditional Chinese orchestra at Renmin University of China. We even got to hear two of their concerts in beautiful concert halls. So I found a piece from the CD
New Melodies of "Si Zhu" Collection of Traditional Musical Instruments
Conducted by Qin Pengzhang Yang Chunlin
This is part of track 3 - Sketch of Life in the North - fourth movement - Hunting in Winter
Well, we weren't hunting, but it is north and it is winter.
And then, one thing led to another. The pictures had to have some connection to the music. Let's just say, I learned a lot on iMovie today, and I have a long way to go. I really got into the music and wanted to do the whole piece, but I never would have finished that. It's not finished as it is. I hope you enjoy the pictures of Campbell Creek area and the wonderful music.
This is especially for my musician fellow blogger, Phil; Guo Wei; Frank in Beijing; and Des and Lyrica.
I've started getting hits from China again in the last week or two. Does this mean that the blocks on blogspot in China are gone? I know that some Chinese bloggers had used proxy sites to get around the blocks. But I've had several know that came directly from China. This would be a very welcome change.
[It's late and I posted the above without even trying to see if there was anything official. And there is some confirmation:
China Blocks YouTube, Restores Flickr and Blogspot
China's Web viewers can no longer access YouTube, but Blogspot.com and Flickr photos are now available.
Steven Schwankert, IDG News Service
Thursday, October 18, 2007 8:00 AM PDT
Please Wait...
China watchers, get your scorecards out: Google Inc.'s YouTube is blocked, Wikipedia is still blocked, but, for the moment, Google blog site Blogspot.com is available and some pictures from Yahoo Inc.'s Flickr photos can once again be viewed.
China-based users accessing YouTube since Wednesday afternoon began receiving the dreaded "The server at www.youtube.com is taking too long to respond," the typical response when a user attempts to view a site that has been blocked.
Google's blog site, Blogspot, is currently available after being blocked in June. An unblocking of the site last year led to the availability of a Shanghai-based foreign blogger known as Chinabounder, whose blog recounted the author's sexual exploits with Chinese women while working as an English teacher. The posts ultimately led to an unsuccessful hunt for the author and a temporary closing of the blog. Google did not respond to a request for comment on YouTube's block and Blogspot's availability.
The maps from Google Earth i
