Two Vietnamese Face Trial for Broadcasting Falun Gong programs into China

From http://blogs.voanews.com/breaking-news/2011/04/06/two-vietnamese-face-trial-for-broadcasts-into-china/

Two Vietnamese members of the Falun Gong spiritual movement face trial in Hanoi for allegedly broadcasting spiritual programming into China, where the movement is banned as a cult.

The U.S.-based Epoch Times newspaper and website, the official voices of the Falun Gong movement, describe the two suspects as the head of a high-tech company in Hanoi who also practices Falun Gong, and a relative of the executive. It says the charges against the duo stem from short wave broadcasts from a Hanoi radio station affiliated with the newspaper.

Defense lawyer Tran Dinh Trien told the French news agency his clients should not have been charged under Vietnam's criminal code for a minor offense. He said his clients were arrested in June 2010 following what he said was a request from Beijing to crack down on the broadcasts. The duo was set to face trial Friday, but Trien said the proceedings have been postponed to an unknown date.

Falun Gong mixes religious beliefs with breathing exercises and meditation. China banned it in 1999.

Tuesday, the U.S. government's Commission on International Religious Freedom called on President Barack Obama to return Vietnam to a list of countries subject to economic sanctions because of its severe suppression of religious rights. Other nations currently on the list of “Countries of Particular Concern” include Burma, China and North Korea.

The commission issued its call in response to the trial and seven-year prison sentence handed down Monday to Vietnamese legal scholar and rights activist Cu Huy Ha Vu.

Vu, who has defended various dissidents including Roman Catholics, was convicted on charges of conducting propaganda against the state, and conducting acts considered dangerous to society. He had angered party leaders in 2009 and 2010 for filing lawsuits against Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, charging that his policies violated environmental laws and the constitution.

Asian Ripples from Middle East Uprisings

MANILA - Strong foreign remittances have helped the Philippines absorb a series of global economic shocks, including the 2008-9 global financial crisis, and avoid a national unemployment crisis. Now, as instability spreads across the Middle East and North Africa, that economic lifeline is in jeopardy as overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) lose their jobs and return home. Among Asia-Pacific countries, economic analysts believe the Philippines stands to lose the most from spiraling strife in Arab countries. Manila estimates there are more than three million OFWs in the Middle East and North Africa working in a wide range of industries. Independent monitoring groups estimate there are potentially hundreds of thousands more that are not legally registered. From http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Southeast_Asia/MC29Ae01.html

Than Shwe Retires Behind Scenes

Burma strongman Than Shwe, who ruled with an iron fist for almost two decades, has retired as head of the military after handing power to a nominally civilian government, officials said Monday. Than Shwe, previously known as the "senior general", last week disbanded the ruling junta following a November election marred by the absence of democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi and claims of cheating and intimidation. "The senior general and vice-senior general (Maung Aye) have retired already," a Burma official told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity. "They are going to have a rest now." A second official said: "Although they are retired, they will give some advice when the government asks for it." The army hierarchy retains a firm grip on power in the resource-rich Southeast Asian country, and many analysts believe Than Shwe will retain a significant role behind the scenes. From http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/world/230243/than-shwe-retires-as-head-of-burma-military