Tragic, depressing, infuriating. Via AFP: A Tibetan monk doused himself in petrol in a Kathmandu restaurant on Wednesday and set himself on fire, marking the 100th self-immolation bid in a wave of protests against Chinese rule since 2009. Police in the Nepalese capital told AFP that the exile had burned himself in an eatery near... Read more »
They're setting off fireworks in Hong Kong's Victoria Harbor right now. We'll have video later, but let us know if you enjoyed it, if you're there. First links edition of the Year of the Water Snake commences now.
Via Daily Mail: “This is the dramatic moment a Chinese student cheated death after being hit by an express train travelling at 90mph while posing for ‘artsitic’ pictures beside the railway tracks.” Weekend is here! As is Spring Festival. Hope you have plans instead of just reading these links.
A week after convicting two Tibetans of intentional homicide for inciting self-immolations, Chinese authorities have continued applying pressure through relevant laws. Reports Reuters: Chinese authorities have detained 70 people in a crackdown on self-immolations in ethnic Tibetan regions, state media said on Thursday, the largest single reported sweep of suspects to date as the government... Read more »
It’s a small bit of progress, but nonetheless worth noting. Via AP: A Beijing court has sentenced 10 people to prison for illegally detaining petitioners, state media reported Tuesday, in an apparent blow for attempts by local governments to cover up abuses. The petitioning system in China is basically a farce. Even if a petitioner... Read more »
“A man dressed as an astronaut hands out free masks on a street in Taiyuan city of North China’s Shanxi province,” via China Daily. Blogging in absentia for the next two weeks, so please excuse any delays. Links time.
“Finders, keepers.” Perhaps you’ve found yourself, in the throes of prepubescence, uttering this phrase to a classmate or friend as you pocket a nickel or dime, or pack of fruit candy, or nub of pencil eraser. In Shanghai’s Changning district recently, this playground idea of “finders, keepers” was taken to the illogical extreme, as a... Read more »
