China :: Exposé

Chinese authorities carry sticks as they prepare to stand guard before workers demolish houses which are claimed illegal by local government in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province on May 7, 2010. Land seizures have been a problem for years in China and forced evictions have not been uncommon. (AFP/Getty Images) On June 2, Sound of Hope Radio, an independent Chinese-language radio network, invited the well known economist and Chinese affairs expert Cheng Xiaonong to talk about why the Chinese regime is so eager to demolish homes and acquire land. This is the second and final part of the interview of Cheng. Yu Shan: This part [revenue derived from land sales] is the income that does not belong to the budget. So the local governments will not make it public? Cheng Xiaonong: They never make it public. Even the central government is not clear about it. Generally speaking, local governments have three sources for fiscal income. One source is the tax, which is the budget inco...

Zhao Yan in the Chinese enclave of Flushing, Queens, New York. Zhao was targeted by communist authorities in China for his work on behalf of peasants who had their land stolen. (Ben Chasteen/The Epoch Times) NEW YORKWidely known as the New York Times researcher who was jailed in China for three years for divulging state secrets, Zhao Yan, now a refugee living in the United States, is a champion for Chinas dispossessed. Zhao has made it his lifes work to investigate land grabs in China, educating farmers on how to fight back against rapacious officials. Previously an art critic and then a policeman (he was expelled from the police force in 1987 during the anti-bourgeois liberalization campaign), Zhao became interested in farmers rights in 1997. A good friend and journalist, Sheng Xueyou, had been framed by the party secretary in Northeastern Harbin for exposing land grabs from farmers. He was being put through a show trial, and Zhao came to his aid. I had to study the law myse...

Many Chinese Communist officials, including officials from the central government, sneak copies of the Nine Commentaries from Taiwan into China, a Chinese tour guide told The Epoch Times. First published in November 2004 as an editorial series by The Epoch Times, The Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party is a comprehensive analysis of the Chinese Communist Partys (CCP) history and has triggered a tidal wave of Chinese people quitting their memberships in the CCP and its affiliated youth groups. Over 100 million Chinese have quit during the past seven years. The following is a statement by A-Guang, a Chinese tour guide: I am a tour guide, and I take people from mainland China to Taiwan. There are often people distributing copies of the Nine Commentaries at tourist spots in Taiwan. I always encourage the tourists from China to take them. In 2005, a friend of mine in the U.S. told me about the Nine Commentaries. He said it was very well written and he wanted me to take a look at it....

At 12 a.m. on Nov. 18, hundreds of migrant workers take to the streets of Huadu District in Guangzhou City. Local police escort the protesters at the front and on both sides. (Weibo) Local police did not prevent two recent protests in Guangzhou Province, a rare occurrence that has generated much speculation about why the usual heavy-handed tactics were not used against the protestors. At 12 a.m. on Nov. 18, hundreds of migrant workers took to the streets in Huadu District in Guangzhou City. They held signs saying, Pay me the money I earned with blood and sweat and I want to eat. Local police escorted the protesters as they marched through town. Ms. Sun, who works in Huadu District, told The Epoch Times that while she was out for lunch she was surprised to see police officers making way for and protecting protesters who were marching on the street. Some bystanders also commented that the regime has always used violence to oppose protests by civilian groups. It was the first time...

On the morning of Nov. 23 over 1,000 veterans of Cultural Revolution protested outside Peoples Square in Shanghai. (Courtesy of protesters) On the morning of Nov. 23 a group of over 1,000 veterans of the Cultural Revolution protested outside of the Peoples Square in Shanghai to appeal for benefits they said they had earned while serving the regime. The protesters were educated youths in Shanghai, individuals sent to remote Xinjiang fresh out of high school in the 1960s to construct the border area. As the Cultural Revolution ended, they returned to Shanghai. For decades they have been denied housing, retirement and medical benefits, many of them struggling to make ends meet. Xie Huli, one of the protesters, told The Epoch Times that over 1,000 veterans of the Cultural Revolution gathered at the Peoples Square in the morning of on Nov. 23, raising banners bearing the words, Zhang Weimin Innocent, and Petitioners Innocent! They protested for entitlements and also for the release ...

Gao Zhisheng (Epoch Times Photo Archive) An unconfirmed report of human rights lawyer Gao Zhishengs death has been posted to Chinas Internet. On Nov. 17 a netizen with the screen name GuaDai posted a message on Twitter saying It is believed that Gao Zhisheng passed away on Nov. 15 in Inner Mongolia where he was detained. Man will die eventually, and to die for the sake of freedom, although dead, he is still with us in spirit. Gaos family has not been told by officials that Gao has died. This rumor of Gaos death follows upon his suffering years of abuse at the hands of the authorities. At the age of 44, Gao Zhisheng was found guilty on Dec. 22, 2006 of subversion and sentenced to 3 years in prison and 5 years on probation. After his sentencing, Gao was released on probation, but has since been abducted and released several times. Gao has been missing since April 2010. On April 15, 2010, Gao Zhisheng visited his father-in-law Geng Yundi in rmqi and stayed for six days. Geng s...

Zhou Xiangyang before his arrest and torture. Zhou has been persecuted by communist authorities since 1999. He was abducted again in March and is in a labor camp. (Minghui.org) Villagers in China defied communist authorities by writing a letter saying that they look forward to seeing their friend and Falun Gong practitioner Zhou Xiangyang released from jail. And they want the guards and inmates who applied the floor anchor torture to him in Gangbei Prison investigated and dealt with according to the law. It is a rare set of circumstances: A young married couple who practices Falun Gong (also known as Falun Dafa ) is imprisoned in re-education centers in China and thousands of villagers are risking their lives by petitioning the regime for their release. Amnesty International has taken up the case, sending out press releases and Urgent Action alerts, and lobbying for media coverage. In China, family members and friends not imprisoned continue to write letters calling for an end ...

In a well-organized rally, several thousand farmers marched in Lufeng, Guangdong Province, on Nov. 21, 2011, demanding their right to vote and a resolution of authorities' illegal land grabs. (Weibo.com) Thousands of farmers in Guangdong Province have taken to the streets on the morning of Nov. 21, asking for human rights and an end to authoritarian rule and government corruption. Villagers from Wukang Village, Lufeng County, came out at 8 a.m., on Monday, carrying many banners and shouting slogans: Oppose authoritarian rule, punish corruption, give us back our human rights. What is unique is that for the first time, Chinese policemen were escorting the parade showing that it is an act permitted by authority. Photos of the rally were posted on Twitter. According to slogans written on their banners, the villagers two main grievances appear to be the manipulation of village elections and issues surrounding the illegally established Lufeng Wukang Industrial Development Compa...

The three ongoing prosecutions under the Espionage Act of individuals who allegedly leaked classified information to the press are slowly moving forward. Prosecutors will present their opening brief to an appeals court in the case of Jeffrey A. Sterling , a former CIA officer who is accused of leaking classified information to author James Risen, on January 13, 2012, according to a proposed briefing schedule that was filed yesterday. The prosecution of Sterling has been suspended in lower court while the government appeals several court rulings that it considers unfavorable. Specifically, the government wants to overturn the courts finding that Mr. Risen is protected by a reporters privilege and cannot be compelled to identify his source. Prosecutors also want to reverse what they described as an order relating to the Classified Information Procedures Act (CIPA) that the identity of certain government witnesses must be disclosed to the defendant and the jury. Finally, they are appeali...

A 17-year-old Tibetan monk from the western Chinese province of Sichuan immolated himself on Monday, making it the fifth case of its kind in China this year. Kalsang Wangchuk, a monk from Ngaba Countys Kirti Monastery, set himself on fire near a vegetable market in Ngaba Town while holding a photograph of the Dalai Lama and shouting, There are no religious rights and freedom in Tibet. While full details of the incident have yet to emerge, Free Tibet, a London-based NGO campaigning for Tibetan rights, and the Washington-based International Campaign for Tibet reported that according to some exiled sources, the police extinguished the fire, beat Kelsang Wangchuk, and took him away. After the arrest, the whole town was put under police and military control to prevent anyone from entering or exiting. Two young monks from the same monastery, Lobsang Kalsang and Lobsang Konchok, set themselves on fire a week ago , on Sept. 26. The well being and whereabouts of the three monks rem...

Foreigners come together to appeal for an end of the persecution of Falun Gong in Tiananmen Square in Beijing, China, on Nov. 20, 2001. (anonymous) Half a world away from home, I look into the mirror to see if the spy camera is visible. I am in Beijing, China, and have sewn a pinhole camera into the shoulder strap of my backpack. After catching my own eyes in the mirror, a bolt of fear stabs through my heart. Being caught as a spy in Mainland China is no small charge. They apply the death penalty for much smaller crimes. After a brisk but shaky five-mile walk to Tiananmen Square, I stand aghast at the size. Its really hard to imagine it filled with tanks and students. The day is bright and chilly. The gentle, cold north wind hits my face as I catch sight of the main flagpole. I arrive at the rendezvous point standing alone, wondering if they are going to make it. Before I know it, over 30 people from over 10 countries, wearing their national flags, gather to appeal for an end to t...

U.S. government programs to identify and deport criminal aliens were detailed in an exhaustive report (pdf) from the Congressional Research Service. The Department of Homeland Security has four programs that deal with criminal aliens, which are discussed in the report. While consensus exists on the overarching goal to identify and remove serious criminal aliens, these programs have generated controversy, CRS said, on grounds that the programs may have adverse impacts on police-community relations, may result in racial profiling, and may result in the detention of people who have not been convicted of criminal offenses and may not be subject to removal. CRS estimated that the number of noncitizens incarcerated in federal and state prisons and local jails a subset of all criminal aliens was 173,000 in 2009. See Interior Immigration Enforcement: Programs Targeting Criminal Aliens, October 21, 2011. The New York Times reported today that DHS will begin a review on Thursday of all depor...

The eagerly awaited declassification of vast amounts of historical intelligence satellite imagery that was supposed to occur this year did not take place, and it is unknown when or if it might go forward. Earlier this year, government officials had all but promised that the declassification and release of miles of satellite imagery film was imminent. The NGA [National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency] is anticipating the potential declassification of significant amounts of film-based imagery in 2011, the Agency stated in a solicitation that was published in Federal Business Opportunities on February 14, 2011. ( Large Release of Intelligence Imagery Foreseen, Secrecy News, February 28, 2011). Almost all of the historical intelligence imagery from the KH-9 satellite (1971-1986) should be declassified within a few months, said Douglas G. Richards of the Pentagons Joint Staff at an August 23, 2011 public forum of the National Declassification Center. But it didnt happen. Why not? I have no...

The thug tears down display frames, banners, and tables, Nov. 13, 2011. (Song Xiangling/Epoch Times) Two mainland Chinese men attacked and smashed an outdoors table and banner display belonging to the Global Service Center for Quitting the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in Hong Kong on Saturday, Nov. 13. The two men came separately, at different times of the day. They also assaulted the volunteer staff. Both were arrested by police. The assault took place in broad daylight in the bustling center of Hong Kongs Sai Yeung Choi Street, Mong Kokis, where the tables of the Service Center for Quitting the Partytuidang, in Chinesewere set up by Falun Gong volunteers to help mainland Chinese renounce their memberships in the Communist Party. Ms. Ye, an eyewitness, said that some time after 12 p.m., a man in his 30s or 40s, dressed in a camouflage uniform, walked up and started kicking down the display boards, turning over tables, and hitting Mr. Hong, one of the volunteers, in the chest. The man...

The U.S. intelligence community needs an organization that can assess the impacts of climate change on U.S. national security interests in an open and collaborative manner, according to a new report from the Defense Science Board (DSB). The Director of National Intelligence should establish a new intelligence group to concentrate on the effects of climate change on political and economic developments and their implications for U.S. national security, said the DSB report on Trends and Implications of Climate Change for National and International Security (large pdf). The Central Intelligence Agency already has a Center on Climate Change and National Security . So why would the Intelligence Community need an entirely new organization to address the exact same set of issues? One reason is that the role envisioned for the new organization is inconsistent with the practices of the CIA Center. So, for example, the new intelligence group would be expected to pursue cooperative relationships ...

On Nov. 8, 500 retired veterans gathered to protest in front of the Labor and Social Security Bureau in Wuhan, the capital of Hubei Province in central China. (64tianwang.com) Veterans in China are finding they are being tossed aside by the state and left unable to provide for themselves or their families. As a result, they are protesting. On Nov. 8, 500 retired veterans gathered to protest in front of the Labor and Social Security Bureau in Wuhan, the capital of Hubei Province in central China. They sought to resolve issues with their social security. During the evening, a large number of special police arrived. The two sides got into a clash, and about 10 people were injured. The reporter was not able to interview any of the protesters, but a veteran named Huang Jianzhong from Yantai in Shangdong Province in eastern China said that he had already heard about the incident in Wuhan on his cellphone. Many veterans live in poverty in China, he said, especially those who cant find jobs. T...

In the last few weeks, members of Congress have presented radically different estimates of the cost of the U.S. nuclear weapons program. The disparate estimates, which vary by hundreds of billions of dollars, reflect a lack of consensus about how to properly assess the cost of nuclear weapons. The U.S. will spend an estimated $700 billion on nuclear weapons and related programs over the next ten years, according to an October 11 press release from Rep. Ed Markey (D-MA). Citing that estimate, which was based on an analysis by the Ploughshares Fund, Markey and 64 other Democratic members wrote to the Super Committee on Deficit Reduction to propose a cut of $200 million in spending on nuclear weapons. But Rep. Mike Turner (R-OH) said last week that the entire nuclear weapons budget for the next ten years is only about $214 billion. He said that the cuts proposed by Democrats would therefore amount to unilateral and immediate nuclear disarmament by the United States with catastrophic im...

Nearly 10 thousand Tibetans gathered outside Tawu Nyitso monastery in Ganzi, Sichuan Province, China, on Nov. 6 to commemorate a Tibetan nun who immolated herself on Nov. 3 and to protest against the Chinese rulers harsh policies towards Tibet. Tawu Lobsang Jinpa, a Tibetan who is currently an exile in India told the Voice of Americas Tibetan bureau that The streets are crawling with Chinese security personnel. Protestors have been continuously shouting slogans and requesting that exiled Tibetans tell the world of the sad state of human rights in Tibet. They are also demanding that the ruling Chinese Communist Party change its tough tactics on Tibet; if not, there will be more Tibetans committing self-immolation. New York-based Students for a Free Tibet also issued a statement on Nov. 6 to confirm that nearly ten thousand Tibetans participated in the protest. Chinas official media Global Times released an article written by Yiduo, which characterized the monks who had self-immolated as...

We invite you to help sustain Secrecy News and the work of the FAS Project on Government Secrecy by making a tax-deductible contribution to the Federation of American Scientists. Last week, the Congressional Research Service issued a report about The Arsenal Act, a peculiar and little-known law dating back to 1854 that authorizes the Secretary of the Army to abolish any United States arsenal that he considers unnecessary. If you wanted to read that report you could purchase a copy for $29.95 from a commercial vendor . Or you could write to your Congressman to request that a copy be sent to you. Or you could simply read the report right now for free on the Federation of American Scientists web site. We do not charge anyone for access to this or thousands of other valuable, hard-to-find government records that are highlighted in nearly every issue of Secrecy News. The whole point of our work is to make such records more easily available. But we do incur costs in gathering and publishi...

Earlier this week, we noted that it was increasingly unlikely that the budget for the National Intelligence Program (NIP) would be removed from concealment in the Defense Department budget and given its own budget line item, as the Director of National Intelligence and others had proposed. Instead, the status quo is likely to persist, we wrote , because Congress likes it that way. But this remark was too glib. The language we cited from the House version of the Defense Appropriations Act that would prohibit NIP separation has not been adopted in the Senate. Influential members of the Senate Intelligence Committee actually favor a separate NIP budget as a way to increase transparency and to provide the DNI with greater control of appropriated funds. So Congress is not of one mind on this question, and it has not completed action on the prohibition proposed in the House. We also mistakenly credited the DNI with voluntarily disclosing the amount of the FY2012 NIP budget request in Februa...

A file photo of Chinese artist Ai Weiwei at his home in an arts district on the outskirts of Beijing. The Chinese regime has ordered Ai to pay over $2 million in what they claim is back taxes and penalties within the next 15 days. (Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images) On Tuesday, Chinese dissident artist Ai Weiweis company, Fake Cultural Development, was billed over 15 million yuan (US$2.4 million) in back taxes and penaltiesa bill Ai has decided to fight. His supporters believe the bill is not for wrongdoingtax evasionbut rather for what Ai has done right in supporting human rights. Ai Weiwei reacted the same day on Twitter: "The result of the penalty is in fact beyond my imagination; I'm shocked, very sad, and listless." The authorities have required payment be made in 15 days; but Ai's wife, Lu Qing, said the request had been rejected. Ai is determined to appeal. I decided to use my fathers house as a guaranty, and then go through an administrative re...

For the first time in more than a decade, the total U.S. intelligence budget declined in 2011, according to budget figures declassified and disclosed last week. Although the National Intelligence Program (NIP) budget increased slightly from $53.1 in 2010 to $54.6 billion in 2011, the Military Intelligence Program (MIP) budget dropped from $27 billion to $24 billion. The sum of both categories of intelligence spending thus declined from $80.1 billion in 2010 to $78.6 billion in 2011, signaling a reversal of the steady intelligence budget increases of the past decade. Director of National Intelligence James Clapper said last month that he anticipated double digit cuts in the National Intelligence Program budget over the next ten years. It will be an actual cut in funds, not a cut to projected growth, said a congressional staffer. Put another way, budgets in the future years will be less than they are for FY12.