Riots in Tibet
 

Linky

I seem to recall the US pulling out of the 1980 Olympics in Moscow because the USSR had invaded Afghanistan - oh the irony! - so I am pretty much staggered that the only person who is pulling out of the Beijing so far seems to be a film producer.

It is interesting to see how far our governments will go to protect China's image, and play down the apalling human rights breaches that are inflicted on the chinese and tibetan people on a daily basis. As long ago as 1999, Londoners were banned from protesting in our own city during the state visit of Jiang Zemin (which preceded any legislation requiring permission to protest - they relied on some obscure by-law preventing protests in Royal parks.)

Still, access to the Chinese market is far more important than any of this stuff. :rolleyes:

Re: Riots in Tibet
 

It really is sad. China has been a horrid polluter, terrible on human rights, politically shady, when not outright overagressive, and because our country is so direly in need of cheap, mass-produced trash, we refuse to do anything. What's really sad is that I don't even think our governments are trying all that hard to preserve China's image. Anyone with rudimentary research skills can learn about how China has sacrificed everything in the name of their economy for the last 15 years. Our governments simply shrug their shoulders as if to say, "What are we gonna do? We need the shit they make and they have too many people to fight." I can so easily see China dominating the world stage in 50 years. Not a pleasant thought, considering how open they are to outside criticism.

Re: Riots in Tibet
 

Never get involved in a land war in Asia.

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True dat. Also I think Sarcasmo is being optimistic if he thinks it will take as long as 50 years for the Chinese to be the dominant world power.

Re: Riots in Tibet
 

america is so in debt to china that i think we actually owe them our next three generations of children and the gold fillings in our teeth.

can't really bite the hand that pwn3s you.

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Not when they can spontaneously create an army of a billion...

Re: Riots in Tibet
 

Yeah, I heard a commentator putting that point on the radio this morning. I think the issue I have is that the Chinese, no matter what they say to the contrary, have tried to destroy the Tibetan culture and control and manipulate their religious leaders.

It is well to remember that Tibet has only been part of China since 1950, and the Tibetans suffered horrendous massacres at the time of the first big uprising in 1959 - Chinese sources themselves admit that 80,000 Tibetans died during and immediately after the uprising. Of the 6000 Tibetan monasteries in existance prior to the occupation, only 12 were left standing . The Chinese have undertaken a policy of "repopulation" of Tibet, similar to the occupation of the West Bank by Jewish settlers. Except that the Chinese now outnumber the Tibetans in their own country.

Not to mention reports of forced sterilisation, abuse and torture. And the now infamous banning of reincarnation of a Lama outside China :)

So yeah. At what point do we accept that this former sovereign nation no longer has the right to cry freedom? Should we ever accept it as being just another Chinese province?

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And now the IOC are just making up silly words to justify having the Olympics there.

International Olympic Committee chief Jacques Rogge believes the games could be a changing factor in China.


"We believe that China will change by opening the country to the scrutiny of the world through the 25,000 media who will attend the games," he said in a statement.


"Awarding the Olympic Games to the most populous country in the world will open up one fifth of mankind to Olympism."


Storms ahead for Olympic torch

wtf is "olympism" - sounds like something pornographic that Willy Wonka's workers get up too after a night on the turps.

I see China is planning to take the flame up to the top of Mount Everest - nothing like the spirit of 'our flame has gone higher than anyone elses - sucks to be round-eye! ha!' to bring the huddled masses together. :rolleyes:

oh my - such cynicism and still so far out from the actual event.

Re: Riots in Tibet
 

Paramilitary police opened fire on hundreds of monks, nuns and Tibetans who tried to march on a local government office in western China yesterday to demand the return of the Dalai Lama.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/new...cle3612661.ece

Re: Riots in Tibet
 

this whole situation saddens me. it's bitingly absurd that the US government claims to be spreading democracy in the middle east, when it supports china, russia, saudi arabia, etc. how can a democratic ideology flourish when the message is one of support for violations of human rights and censorship through violence?