Refugee Review Tribunal AUSTRALIA RRT RESEARCH RESPONSE Research Response Number: CHN33020 Country: China Date: 4 March 2008 Keywords: China – Fujian Province – Pingtan County This response was prepared by the Research & Information Services Section of the Refugee Review Tribunal (RRT) after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the RRT within time constraints. This response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. This research response may not, under any circumstance, be cited in a decision or any other document. Anyone wishing to use this information may only cite the primary source material contained herein. Questions 1. On a map, please identify the exact location of Nanhai Town; Caoyu, Tangyu and Dongjia Islands; and Nanzhong, Beilou and Zhonglou villages on Tangyu Island. 2. Please provide information on the geography and demography of Tangyu Island. 3. Have there been any recent reports of demonstrations, protests or confrontations in Tangyu or the surrounding Islands? 4. Have there been any recent reports relating to the arrest of anti-government activists on Tangyu or the surrounding Islands? 5. Please provide information on whether the Chinese government plans to build or has started building a military training base on Tangyu Island. RESPONSE 1. On a map, please identify the exact location of Nanhai Town; Caoyu, Tangyu and Dongjia Islands; and Nanzhong, Beilou and Zhonglou villages on Tangyu Island. Sources indicate that Pingtan County (平潭县) in Fujian Province consists of approximately 120 small islands, with Pingtan Island (also known as Haitan Island) being the largest (for a map of Pingtan County, see the pink region in the south east corner of the following map ‘Fuzhou City Communications and Tourist Map’ (undated) Fujiankids website (http://www.fujiankids.org/swis/fuzcity/fuzmap.shtml and http://www.fujiankids.org/swis/fuzcity/prefectl.jpg – Accessed 20 December 2002 – Attachment 6; another map from the Tuuke website provides further details on Pingtan County, ‘Pingtan County Map’ (undated), Tuuke – Tourist Information Network website http://www.tuuke.com/images_map/images/200611518571031869.jpg – Accessed 25 February 2008 – Attachment 7). Nanhai (南海) is both a town and a municipality for Chinese administrative purposes, and lies to the south of Pingtan Island. The exact location of Nanhai Town, on Caoyu (Grass Islet or 草屿) with the neighbouring islands/islets (yǔ or 屿) of Tangyu (Pond Islet or 塘屿) and Dongjia (东甲) (amongst others) can all be seen in the following detailed map (‘Fuzhou City Communications and Tourist Map – Detail’ (undated) Fujiankids website (http://www.fujiankids.org/swis/fuzcity/fuzmap.shtml and http://www.fujiankids.org/swis/fuzcity/prefectl.jpg – Accessed 20 December 2002 – Attachment 8; for the complete map see ‘Fuzhou City Communications and Tourist Map – Detail’ (undated) Fujiankids website (http://www.fujiankids.org/swis/fuzcity/fuzmap.shtml and http://www.fujiankids.org/swis/fuzcity/prefectl.jpg – Accessed 20 December 2002 – Attachment 6). Nanzhong (南中), Beilou (北楼), and Zhonglou (中楼), can be seen on a detailed map of Tangyu island (‘Pingtan County Map – Detail’ (undated), RSSCity website http://trip.rsscity.cn/Map/54/detail26593.html – Accessed 25 February 2008 – Attachment 9; for the complete map see ‘Pingtan County Map’ (undated), Tuuke – Tourist Information Network website http://www.tuuke.com/images_map/images/200611518571031869.jpg – Accessed 25 February 2008 – Attachment 7). These details have also been entered onto wikimapia.org and can be referenced at the following address (http://wikimapia.org/#lat=25.374119&lon=119.729691&z=12&l=0&m=a&v=2). 2. Please provide information on the geography and demography of Tangyu Island. This response explores both reports on Tangyu, and the reports on the geography and demography of Pingtan County. Reports on Tangyu (塘屿) No information on Tangyu Island could be found in English language searches conducted. Little information of relevance could be found in the Chinese language searches conducted on Tangyu (塘屿) in general, let alone information on the geography and demography of the island. The Chinese Sea Newspaper reported briefly on fishing activities around Tangyu (translated as ‘Tong Lantau Island’): Fujian Provincial Committee proposed the building of the west side of the Straits economic development strategic plan, the southernmost province’s Pingtan County Rural South China Sea Tong Lantau Island, with its high-quality resources and the geographical environment pleasant climate to attract a large number of abalone farmers to the presence and set up factories. Local fishermen in the sea have also carried out large-scale Internet me abalone aquaculture, and the entire island of abalone aquaculture industry has witnessed a great vitality of flourishing (Google translation1 of ‘“China Ocean” aquatic important news weekly 1 The responses to several of these questions rely heavily upon Chinese language based sources, and translations were attained through both the Google translator website and the Alta Vista Babel Fish translator website (see http://translate.google.com/translate_t?langpair=zh|en and http://babelfish.altavista.com/). These translations can often be poor and can contain errors – as such they give only a rough indication of the contents of a document. For any further reliance on this information, a better translation should be obtained. edition’ 2004, Chinese Sea Newspaper, 19 November http://www.coi.gov.cn/oceannews/2004/hyb1360/511.htm – Accessed 25 February 2008 – Attachment 10). Similarly, a travel website for Fujian briefly mentions Tangyu (translated as ‘Tong Lantau Island’): Tong Lantau Island in Pingtan County, the southern island of 2.8 square kilometers and a population of nearly 5,000 people, the island north tower, he said, two administrative villages. Yugoslavia and the village currently has a “Ninth Five-Year” during the construction of the 200 tons of island land transport terminals, the terminal from the far north to Wenlou Village, North Wenlou Village ships entering and leaving the village still use the built-in Simple breakwater berthing operations, the depth of breakwater lack of berthing ships must take influx, the trough was split only by boat, their production and daily life very inconvenient. In order to further improve Tong island of Lantau Island land transport conditions for the masses of the northern village of production and life, and promote the island economic development, the building of the Land Transportation Terminal is necessary. (Babelfish Translation of ‘Fujian Province transport department about Pingtan north building continental island transportation wharf project feasibility study report giving a written reply to a subordinate’ 2007, Fujian Province Port Navigation Administrative Bureau website, 13 September http://www.fjgh.gov.cn/Article_Show.asp?ArticleID=4595 – Accessed 25 February 2008 – Attachment 11). A report on Pingtan and Tangyu (translated as ‘Pond Islet Island’), poorly translated from the Travel Fujian website, also provides some basic information on the environment: In addition, the pond islet island also has the ship’s sail stone, the percussion instrument stone, sea eclipse modelling scenic spot and so on stove stone, dried fish stone, Eight Immortals Chinese chess stone. They ingeniously combine in together, natural unusual, the layout is reasonable, is really the summer exceedingly good destination. The pond islet island is well-known by the high quality seashore sand beach and the unusual sea eclipse landform, by expert reputation for sea eclipse landform museum. Cliff reef crag male wonderful precipitous, seashore sand beach continuous 无际, is rare the natural seashore bathing place which as soon as sees (Babel Fish translation of ‘Pingtan pond islet island sand beach, ocean waves, cool breeze’ 2002, Travel Fujian website, 25 July http://travel.fjii.fj.vnet.cn/article/2002/07/2900.htm – Accessed 25 February 2008 – Attachment 12). Geography and demography of Pingtan County Some basic information was found on the geography and demography of Pingtan County in general, and of Pingtan Island in particular. A Fuzhou Travel website provided a brief description of Pingtan Island: The Pingtan Island is the fifth island of our country, the biggest island in Fukien, on the island often” the east comes to misty hill atmosphere widespread”, also called the Donglan. It is apart 128 kilometers of Fuzhou. The coast of the whole island turns and twists, the shore line is 408 kilometers long, more than 100 kilometers of it is high-quality sea sandy beaches. The three great ocean strand sandy beaches which are Changjiangao, Haitan Gulf and Tannan Gulf are in the north, east and south of the Pingtan Island, the sand quality is thin and white, the sea water is clean and blue, meet the provision requests of the seashore tour sandy beach, and the area is big, linking mutually, there are the shelter forest behind of them, there are the group of islands cay in the sea, the combination condition is good. The sandy beaches of Tannan Gulf and the Haitan Gulf are about 40 kilometers long, each visitor owns 3 square meters seashore sandy beach calculations equally, and they can accept above 1,200,000 people, it is one of the biggest seashore bath field that is local to be discovered currently. The sea eclipse geography of Pingtan Island is number one in the world. The sea eclipse precipices, sea eclipse holes, sea eclipse caves, sea eclipse terraces, the sea eclipse ranks etc. on the islands are numerous and densely spread out, the appearance is each different, or embrace the bead such as a dragon” the dolphin drama water, jump in the sky; Or stab the day such as the benefit crocodile, can’t block; Or if the sea turtle debarkation, flutter to walk slowly the … form absolute being and have, lifelike, it makes visitors sigh for the view (‘Travel guide of Fuzhou – Pingtan Island or Haitan Island’ (undated), Fuzhou Travel website http://www.fuzhoutravel.com/en/tour.html – Accessed 25 February 2008 – Attachment 13).