Tag Archives: Australia

Canada, 10 other countries call out China for torturing human rights lawyers

BEIJING — The Globe and Mail,Published Last updated

Eleven countries have jointly called on the Chinese government to investigate reports of torture against human rights lawyers and urged Beijing to abandon a controversial detention system that holds suspects in secret locations for months at a time. Continue reading

Exclusive: Australia’s two biggest cities cancel Mao Zedong concerts, citing safety concerns

By Byron Kaye | SYDNEY

A statue of late Chairman Mao Zedong is pictured at Beijing University of Chemical Technology in Beijing, China, August 4, 2016. REUTERS/Jason Lee/File Photo

A statue of late Chairman Mao Zedong is pictured at Beijing University of Chemical Technology in Beijing, China, August 4, 2016. REUTERS/Jason Lee/File Photo

SYDNEY Australia’s two biggest cities Sydney and Melbourne canceled concerts commemorating the death of former Chinese communist leader Mao Zedong, with one citing safety concerns, after Chinese Australians complained the content was insensitive.

The incident signifies the continued divisiveness of Mao among Chinese, both at home and abroad, four decades after his death.

In China there is a quiet resurgence in popularity toward Mao, with his image adorning banknotes and his embalmed body attracting hundreds, if not thousands, of visitors a day to Beijing. But there is also continued criticism among Chinese of his reign, under which tens of millions died.

For weeks, Chinese in Sydney and Melbourne complained that the “Glory and Dream” concerts, scheduled for September in both cities’ town halls, lionize a leader they see as responsible for millions of deaths.

On Thursday, a spokesperson for the City of Sydney said in an email that after consulting police, the council had “concerns regarding the potential for civil disturbance, patron-to-patron conflict and staff-to-patron conflict” and canceled the event.

The spokesperson said the concert organizers, who booked the venue and arranged the concerts without council involvement, had also determined that the event was “at high risk of disruption and elevated risk to personal safety”.

A spokeswoman for City of Melbourne said the concert was also canceled in that city, but declined to give a reason saying it was the decision of the organizers.

An organizer of the events, Sydney property developer Peter Zhu, said in a telephone call that he was only the “sponsor” and declined to comment further. The other organizer, a group called the International Cultural Exchange Association, did not respond to emails and calls.

Mao, who died in 1976, remains a polarizing figure in China.

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-australia-china-mao-zedong-exclusive-idUSKCN1173NZ

Embrace Australian Values Alliance:the City of Sydney is seeking advice from Foreign Affairs

Aug 29, 2016 — Press Release from Embrace Australian Values Alliance (EAVA)

-the City of Sydney is seeking advice from foreign affairs
29 August 2016

Spokesman of the Embracing Australian Values Alliance (EAVA), John Hugh said that the leading members of the EAVA held a talk with Ms. Monica Barone, CEO of the City of Sydney today on the topic of leasing Town Hall to the International Cultural Exchange Association of Australia (ICEAA) for a concert praising Mao Tse-tung, the worst mass murderer in the human history. Continue reading

Concerts Honoring China’s Chairman Mao Spark Outrage in Australia

A mother (C) shows her child pictures of former communist party leaders Mao Zedong (top L) and Deng Xiaoping (top R) in Ditan Park in Beijing

A mother (C) shows her child pictures of former communist party leaders Mao Zedong (top L) and Deng Xiaoping (top R) in Ditan Park in Beijing, June 28, 2011. AFP

Thousands of people have signed a petition to the Australian authorities to call off two concerts in honor of late supreme Chinese leader Mao Zedong, amid growing concerns over the lengthening reach of the Chinese Communist Party’s “soft power” influence overseas. Continue reading

Wikileaks Reveals ‘Unprecedented’ Media Silencing in Australia

An attempt by the Australian government to suppress details of a corruption case has backfired.

thediplomat_2014-08-04_14-01-47-386x459

By Jarni Blakkarly

August 04, 2014

Wikileaks has released a leaked copy of Continue reading