20140428 BBC_How peeing in public divided China and Hong Kong

There's been a debate in China about children peeing in public

It's a scene familiar to all parents of young children: you're in a busy shopping street and your child decides they just can't hold it in any longer. But one couple's decision to let their child relieve himself has caused a huge schism on Chinese social media.

By now, it seems, the entire Chinese internet is familiar with what happened on a crowded Hong Kong shopping street. A mother holds a nappy while her two-year-old squats and pees. A passerby snaps pictures which then get shared online. Someone else shares a videofrom the scene, which shows a crowd confronting the boy's parents in a physical scuffle, while the boy's mum argues that she couldn't get her son to the toilet in time. The images have drawn more than one million re-posts on Sina Weibo, China's biggest social network, making it the top trending topic.

Why has this one child's act caused so much upset? Allowing a child under 12 to "obey the call of nature in any public street" is illegal in Hong Kong and could land parents with a 2,000 Hong Kong Dollar ($250; £150) fine. But the on-line chatter has focused on the fact that this family were tourists from mainland China, rather than being locals. "For Hong Kongers, people might think from time to time that mainlanders are less mannered," says Martin Yip of BBC Chinese. Charmaine Chui, a UK resident who was born in Hong Kong, told BBC Trending she feels 'ashamed' to have witnessed mainland tourists peeing in shopping centres and restaurants. "Hong Kong is a beautiful, modern city - what do these people think of it?" she says.

In mainland China, there has also been criticism of the parents' behaviour, including from Chinese state media. But there has also been outrage with Hong Kong residents for being so critical. "It's a two-year-old kid who can't hold it... can't you even be considerate on this?" posted one user. One mainland website commissioned a poll of internet users in which 64% said they can understand the need for children to pee in public in certain situations. An anonymous user of the popular Tianya site was so outraged by the reaction in Hong Kong that he's campaigning to stage a mass protest. "Bring your children to Hong Kong and let them urinate in Hong Kong's streets," he urges his countrymen. "Let's see who will come and take photos."

Reporting by Hannah Moore

20140426 BBC_Tiananmen Square protest museum opens in Hong Kong

The events in Tiananmen square remain a taboo in Chinese society

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The world's first museum dedicated to the 1989 pro-democracy protests in Beijing's Tiananmen Square has opened in Hong Kong.

Organisers hope in particular to attract visitors from mainland China.

The protests are still a taboo topic in mainland China but Hong Kong operates under a more liberal legal system.

June will see the 25th anniversary of the Chinese army's violent suppression of the protests, leading to the deaths of hundreds of people.

The new museum is in the Tsim Sha Tsui district of Hong Kong and has been opened after years of planning and fundraising by pro-democracy activists.

In the past few weeks, the museum itself has become controversial, the BBC's Juliana Liu reports from Hong Kong.

Other occupants of the same building want the museum shut down, citing safety concerns, our correspondent adds.

But the museum's backers believe these efforts are being orchestrated by Communist Party officials.

Beijing considers the weeks of peaceful protest by students and workers to have been a "counter-revolutionary" revolt, and defends the decision to send in tanks and troops to end it on 3-4 June 1989.

The Chinese authorities have never provided an official death toll.

20140427 SCMP_Thousands rally in Taipei against controversial nuclear plant project

A boy takes part in the anti-nuclear sit-in outside Ma Ying-jeou's office yesterday. Photo: Reuters

Thousands of anti-nuclear activists staged a sit-in in front of Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou's office yesterday, in a two-day protest demanding that the government drop a controversial nuclear power plant project that has been hotly debated on the island for decades.

Wearing yellow headbands bearing anti-nuclear slogans, the crowd of activists held position outside the president's office despite heavy rain.

"If the government does not want to take responsibility for stopping the plant project, then it should relax the requirements for a referendum," a protest organiser said. Under current rules, half of all eligible voters must take part in the referendum and half of those who do must approve of the proposal for the project to go ahead.

Masses of demonstrators hold up anti-nuclear banners in the protest that is set to continue today. Photo: CNA

The NT$283 billion (HK$72.2 billion) project, proposed by the Taiwan Power Company in 1980, has triggered waves of protests over the years.

Construction for the project began in 2009 and commercial start-up of the plant, now 98 per cent completed, was scheduled for 2016. But the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan ignited new protests, forcing Ma's government to agree to safety checks.

Ma made further concessions in a meeting with opposition Democratic Progressive Party head Su Tseng-chang on Friday, agreeing to delay starting up the plant pending a referendum.

But the anti-nuclear activists put little faith in the president's promise to resolve the matter.

Anti-nuclear protesters display a placard during an anti-nuclear demonstration in Taipei. Photo: AFP"Without lowering the threshold for the referendum, there is no way the issue can be resolved," said Lin Fei-fan, a student leader of the Sunflower movement, an earlier protest against a trade services pact with the mainland, who was at the anti-nuclear demonstration.

Lin, who led the occupation of parliament to force Ma to withdraw the trade pact, said the president must take into account former DPP chairman Lin Yi-hsiung's opposition to the nuclear project.

The latter, a seasoned politician known for his anti-nuclear stance, began a hunger strike on Tuesday.

The mass protest was set to continue today with organisers planning a march down major avenues in Taipei that will end in front of Ma's office.

Other sit-ins and marches were staged in southern and northern Taiwan yesterday in support of the protest in Taipei.

20140428 SCMP_Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou bows to pressure and halts nuclear plant_KMT leaders push for end to project, despite facility being 98pc complete

Thousands of anti-nuclear protesters stage a sit-in yesterday with some displaying placards reading "Terminate the fourth nuclear power plant". Photo: AFP

Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou yesterday decided to halt construction of the island's fourth nuclear power plant in an attempt to head off yet another political crisis amid growing calls for the project to be scrapped.

The decision was made during a three-hour meeting with 15 ruling Kuomintang (KMT) mayors and magistrates to build consensus and find effective ways to address the issue.

At least three prominent KMT mayors - Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin, New Taipei Mayor Eric Chu Li-luan and Taichung Mayor Jason Hu Chi-chiang - have been sceptical about whether the project - 98 per cent completed - should continue. Chu has even called for a change to the rules governing referendums to improve the chances for a successful anti-nuclear result.

"Two resolutions were made during the meeting, including [a halt to] construction on the remaining part of the plant," KMT spokesman Fan Chiang Tai-chi said. He said authorities would first conduct safety inspections of the No 1 generator before sealing off the facility and halting construction of the No 2 generator.

"The second resolution is to hold a national conference on energy in order to ensure [the] normal supply of power" in Taiwan, Fan Chiang said. He said that only when the public called for the start-up of the plant in New Taipei City should a referendum be held.

On Friday, Ma had agreed to delay starting up the plant until a referendum was held, but gave no timetable for the vote.

Fan Chiang stopped short of saying whether a rule change for the referendum was discussed yesterday. Relaxing requirements is a major demand of anti-nuclear activists, who believe the rules concerning the number of eligible voters required to pass any measure are too strict.

Under current rules, half of all eligible voters - about nine million - must take part in the referendum and half of those who do must approve of the proposal for it to pass. Since 2004, national referendums have not attracted the requisite number of voters.

Su Tseng-chang, head of the main opposition Democratic Progressive Party, has proposed that the threshold be lowered to 25 per cent of eligible voters, or about five million.

The meeting took place as thousands of anti-nuclear activists marched from Ma's office to Taipei Railway Station, where they occupied a four-lane avenue despite repeated police calls to disperse. Protesters shouted, "Scrap the fourth nuclear power plant" and "Revoke [the plant's] construction budget", as they rallied in a sit-in organisers vowed to continue until after Premier Jiang Yi-huah officially announced the KMT's resolutions. Other marchers demanded changes to rules on referendums.

But Mayor Hau warned against the illegal occupation, saying he would do all he could to "ensure that Taipei citizens regain their rights to use the road in the morning".

20140326 BBC_What unprecedented protest means for Taiwan

The student protesters say they want to protect Taiwan's future and have their voices heard

The unprecedented student occupation of Taiwan's parliament this month, to oppose the government's attempt to pass a controversial trade agreement with China, is not just a one-off protest.

It is part of a wave of citizen campaigns that have shaken Taiwanese society. At their core are young people disillusioned by both the ruling and opposition parties.

In recent years there have been several similar campaigns, albeit less dramatic.

These include one that successfully pressured the government to turn down construction of a petrochemical plant, a 100,000-strong protest over the death of a conscript mistreated in boot camp, and continuing opposition to the construction of a fourth nuclear power plant.

The movements are spread largely by grassroots groups and social media. The participants tend to be ordinary people who want their voices heard, and want to protect Taiwan's future.

Protesters have been occupying Taiwan's parliament for almost two weeks

Rising young democrats

Accounting student Charlies Liu, who skipped class and drove up to Taipei from Taichung city to join the student protest, echoed the views of many.

"I'm against the government carrying out behind-the-doors negotiations with China," Mr Liu said.

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What triggered the protests?

• The immediate trigger was a trade deal that will allow Beijing and Taipei to invest more freely in each other's services markets
• Protesters say the deal will hurt Taiwan's economy and leave it vulnerable to pressure from Beijing, but Taipei says it will benefit Taiwan's economy
• The trade deal was signed last June but it has not yet been ratified by MPs
• Protests began early last week after ruling party MPs said a joint committee had completed a review of the deal
• Students first broke into the Taiwanese legislature last Tuesday and have since defied police efforts to evict them
• Police clashed with more student protesters who occupied government headquarters on Monday
• Almost 60 people were arrested and more than 100 were hurt

"You can't just force the agreements through. They involve the people. They will affect our generation. I'm worried many things are decided by the government, not the people."

Although the students are too young to have lived through the White Terror period of martial law, political suppression and lack of press and other freedoms, they are aware that Taiwan's democracy was hard won and that people power helped bring about legislative elections in the 1980s and the first presidential election in the 1990s.

Along with posting pictures ridiculing President Ma Ying-jeou, the students have put on the wall of the parliament chamber pictures of the previous generation of Taiwan's democracy activists.

They believe it is now up to them to protect Taiwan's democracy.

"In the past, our young people are not active in politics because their parents told them to just quietly go about your studies, because the parents lived through the 228 Incident [a 1947 massacre and political suppression]," said Shane Lee, a political science professor at Chang Jung Christian University.

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“Start Quote

The students form a big chunk of the electorate - the parties have to open their minds to the young people”

Shane LeePolitical science professor

"But now the students, through their education or through the free flow of information, tell their parents that 'because you were so afraid of politics, that's why you have suffered what you have suffered. Because we know what's going on, we take matters into our own hands.' "

Over the nearly two-week protest, the students are no longer just asking for the government to cancel the agreement and do a thorough review.

They are insisting the two parties work constructively together to pass a law to supervise all future negotiations with Beijing and not sign any more agreements until such a law is passed.

The question is whether the political power-holders will heed the students' calls. Analysts say both parties risk alienating young people if they do not.

"The students form a big chunk of the electorate. The parties have to open their minds to the young people. They will have to really seriously deal with this situation," Prof Lee said.

Experts say the students today are more politically aware than in the past

Shining example

Mr Ma - who has long touted Taiwan's democracy as a shining example in Asia - has said a supervision mechanism already exists, as many of the agreements signed with China need to be ratified by parliament.

But the ruling Kuomintang party controls a majority of the legislative seats and the president controls the ruling party. The students and others in Taiwan are uncomfortable with this set-up.

The opposition Democratic Progressive Party finds itself sidelined. It has been criticised for unhelpful tactics - criticising without taking constructive action and seizing the podium, which have led to Taiwan's infamous parliament scuffles.

The students, meanwhile, seem organised and determined.

In a statement, they said: "We will not waver. Against an undemocratic and autocratic government, we stand strong and we stand united."

It is safe to assume that Beijing, which still claims the island as a province to be reunified one day, is watching nervously.

If the students succeed, it could mean a further democratisation of Taiwan, with additional safeguards to let the people, not any political party, decide the fate of the island.

20140428 BBC_Clashes as anti-nuclear protests hit Taiwan

Chanting crowds gathered in Taipei over the weekend to protest against a fourth nuclear plant

Police have clashed with protesters demanding construction on Taiwan's fourth nuclear plant be stopped.

Police used water cannon early on Monday to disperse thousands of demonstrators blocking a main traffic route in Taiwan's capital, Taipei.

The governing Kuomintang Party agreed on Sunday to temporarily suspend work on two nuclear reactors but have so far refused to halt the project altogether.

The move comes amid mounting public concern over nuclear safety.

Protestors gathered in Taipei over the weekend and have pledged to continue their sit-in until Tuesday. Many have refused to leave without an official government announcement.

Water cannons were used by police on Monday to disperse crowds of protesters

The public fears a repeat of the Japanese Fukushima nuclear disaster

Demonstrators have refused to vacate the protest site

Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou had said the government would hold a referendum on the issue before the plant began operating.

Taiwan relies on nuclear power for about 18% of its energy needs. The remaining three nuclear power plants would have to function longer if the fourth one does not start operations as planned, the economic ministry said.

Taiwan's first nuclear plant is set to be decommissioned from 2018 while the second plant is set to close between 2021 and 2023.

The fourth plant will be located in northern New Taipei City, the most populous city in Taiwan.

Opponents of the fourth nuclear power plant say that it will dangerous given that Taiwan is located in an earthquake zone, reports the BBC's Cindy Sui in Taipei.

Supporters, which include the governing Kuomintang Party, argue that the fourth plant will be much safer than Japan's Fukushima plant, which was crippled by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami.

20140424 BBC_Why is Kim Jong-un always surrounded by people taking notes?

There's a newly released batch of photographs of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on a series of site visits. The dozens of photos all have one curious detail in common - the leader is surrounded by officials and generals making notes in identical notepads, writes Kathryn Westcott.

In the photographs - from the country's official Central News Agency (KCNA) - Kim Jong-un observes a unit of women conducting a multiple-rocket launching drill. He strides around a fishery station. He gives a pilot on flight training a pep talk. He enjoys the facilities at a renovated youth camp.

But who are those men meticulously taking notes? They're not journalists, but soldiers, party members or government officials, says Prof James Grayson, Korea expert at the University of Sheffield. What is happening is a demonstration of the leader's supposed power, knowledge, wisdom and concern, says Grayson. It's "on-the-spot guidance", something instigated by his grandfather Kim Il-sung in the 1950s. "It's part of the image of the great leader offering benevolent guidance," says Grayson.

What might that guidance be? Well, if Kim's anything like his grandfather it could be practical advice. Very specific practical advice. After Kim Il-sung visited a fishery in 1976, KCNA published this: "Watching a truck at work, the president said that its bucket seemed to be small in comparison with its horsepower. He said the problem of carriage would be solved if the bucket was enlarged. Afterwards the truck's bucket capacity increased to two tons from 800 kg. As a result, 20 trucks were capable of carrying the load to be done by 50 trucks."

Despite the fact that tablets are available in the country, paper notebooks remain the favoured medium. "These are pictures that will be broadcast on television and shown in the state media, so those who are there want to be seen recording Kim Jong-un's every word," says Grayson. "It's about presenting him as having broad knowledge - however, it's ridiculous, he can't possibly know about all of these different things. It's important, however, that the apparatchiks that surround him are seen to be hanging on his every word."

According to Prof Steve Tsang, chair the School of Contemporary Chinese Studies at the University of Nottingham, the note-takers will be writing extremely carefully. "They wouldn't want to write down anything that was, say, politically inaccurate, or it might come back to bite them." The notes are not usually published or available for the public to view, says Tsang. "If anything comes out of them, it would be via the propaganda department. Whether it was what was actually said, or is different to the guidance given at the time, doesn't matter. No-one will ever question it. If you were at the factory and the advice that was released wasn't quite what you had in your notebook - what are you going to do about it?"