Tibet-China-Olympics Update: March 31, 2008
Filed Under Tibet, Human Rights, China | Posted on March 31, 2008
This comes from Tibet will be Free, via Hold Fast: The Globe and Mail, “Canada’s National Newspaper”, devotes most of its front page to an article titled, “How 3 Canadians Upstaged Beijing“.
China’s week has become Tibet’s moment. Tibetans and their supporters are being driven by the belief that this Olympic year and its vast media attention are a last opportunity to challenge Beijing’s rule. It now looks like activists have succeeded in making China’s 57-year occupation of the territory the dominant issue of the 2008 Olympic Games.
It’s not at all clear why the 2 blogs chose to title their post “Activist Media Porn”, but it’s a good article detailing the planning and coordination involved in the protests designed to highlight China’s brutal repression of Tibet during the buildup to the Beijing Olympics. The article also has a good section detailing recent developments concerned with the 2008 Olympic protests, as well as a section highlighting the history of Olympic protests since 1920. Read the full article here.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has announced that she will boycott the Olympic opening ceremonies. Phayul reports that Merkel is “first world leader to decide not to attend the Olympics in Beijing,” but I believe that distinction belongs to Poland’s and/or the Czech Republic’s leaders, as indicated in the Globe and Mail article: “Poland’s Donald Tusk and the Czech Republic’s Vaclav Klaus had previously announced they had declined to attend the opening ceremonies.” Members of the European Union continue to lead the way in speaking out forcefully against China’s treatment of Tibetans. I expect we’ll see other European leaders join with Merkel, Tusk, and Klaus in boycotting the opening ceremonies.
China has allowed foreign diplomats to enter Tibet to survey the situation, but as Australian foreign minister Stephen Smith notes, “At all times, the delegation was in the presence of Chinese officials.”
Agam’s Gecko publishes an article titled “CCP’s Media Manipulation“, which includes a reiteration, along with a possible alternative explanation, of the allegations that members of the Chinese People’s Army masqueraded as monks in order to incite the riots in Lhasa. For the time being, I’m regarding this story as an unverified rumor in need of further investigation.
The Avaaz.org petition in support of Tibet and the Dalai Lama exceeded its initial goal of 1,000,000 signatures, so they’ve upped their target to 2,000,000. They’re at 1.4 million now. If you haven’t signed already, you can sign it here.
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[…] Tibet-China-Olympics Update | Essential Spirit China has allowed foreign diplomats to enter Tibet to survey the situation, but as Australian foreign minister Stephen Smith notes, “At all times, the delegation was in the presence of Chinese officials.” (tags: china tibet human_rights) […]