With their huge banking investments in the West souring fast, Singaporeans are becoming nervous about what will happen to their money.
By Seah Chiang Nee Mar 20, 2008
When the government invested US$22b on three foreign banks – UBS (US$11b), Citigroup (US$6.88) and Merrill Lynch (US$4.4b) – it called it ‘opportunistic’ and meant for long-term strategic purposes.
After all, getting large chucks of such banks was a golden opportunity. Anyway it fit into the national scheme of developing Singapore into a financial hub.
And buying into a string of major banks in the world, east and west –if they can be had - is a part of it.
Since these historical purchases, the financial picture in the US and Europe has deteriorated with values dropping by the week.
Twenty years ago Singaporeans would have been contended to leave things unquestionably to the hands of the government – especially Temasek Holdings and the Government Investment Corporation.
After all, few people at the time were educated enough to understand the intricacies of financial investment anyway. But no longer!
More and more Singaporeans today understand these things. They know the risks involved. They read research reports.
As the bad banking news continued to pour out of the United States and Europe, informed Singaporeans are increasingly worried about the US$22b invested in troubled companies.
Even ordinary men in the heartland, incomplete as their information may be, talk about government’s “huge losses” overseas. All of them have to be assuaged.
This means that all-covering statements like “We have confidence in these companies” or that “Ours is for long-term investment” are no longer adequate to dispel Singaporeans’ concern.
What we need are more detailed accounts of where our investments stand every quarter (like other companies needed because things change rapidly), how much dividend our investments have yielded and what sort of paper or real losses we have suffered on each big investment.
I believe that by and large, Singaporeans understand the risk of global investments. They also know that these banks are long-term investments and that short-term paper losses are part of life.
The more business savvy will understand that every one of Temasek’s investments is profitable, but if it is well managed, the bottom line should be able to beat market performance.
It is too early to call it a terrible investment; it is still early.
It may be possible that the banking crisis in American and Europe – especially regarding UBS, Merrill Lynch and Citigroup – may clear up in two or five or 10 years, in which case, the sun will shine again.
But what Singaporeans would like are very frank disclosures (whether the news is good or bad) and to receive the sort of frank, hard-hitting statements Mr. Lee Kuan Yew makes when things go wrong.
Like his recent one on the disgraceful escape of Mas Selamat Kastari!
When that happens, it could be assuring to have a confident leader addressing us with candour, hiding nothing. It will make people feel better. Ironic, but it’s true!
Not saying anything when people are very worried about their reserves is tantamount to dereliction of duty. Silence won’t make people less worried.
When the mainstream media avoids openly discussing this controversy or raising the question whether we were wrong to have gone so early in the game hasn’t helped its credibility. It is a big story for us.
In this case, pursuing a “Ignorance is bliss” attitude cannot be tolerated.
At any rate, Singaporeans can still get the bad comments from generally reliable sources in the West – through the Internet.
As Foreign Governments Block Sensitive Content, Video Site Must Pick Between Bending to Censorship, Doing Business
By JANE SPENCER and KEVIN J. DELANEY March 21, 2008
On Sunday, access to Google Inc.'s YouTube inside China was cut off after the Web site was flooded with graphic images from Tibet, including videos of burning trucks and monks being dragged through the streets by Chinese soldiers.
Blocking Western Web sites is routine in China, where the government has tightly controlled the flow of information. But the new YouTube blackout is the latest in a string of clashes between the site and foreign governments in Asia and the Middle East that's forcing the company to grapple with the consequences of its increasingly global reach.
Google Chief Executive Eric Schmidt raised the issue in a meeting in Beijing with Cai Mingzhao, vice minister of the State Council Information Office, on Monday, the company said. The Council denied any knowledge of the blockage and promised to investigate, according to Google. On Thursday, YouTube remained inaccessible from China except to users who took extra technical steps to circumvent the ban.
Last Friday, a Turkish court banned YouTube over a clip deemed disrespectful to Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, Turkey's founder. In February, Pakistan briefly banned YouTube because of an anti-Islam video clip posted on the site that the government said was so inflammatory it could spark riots. In the fall, Thailand blocked YouTube after the site refused to remove a video considered insulting to the nation's king. (The clip showed a pair of women's feet -- considered the most offensive part of the body -- above the king's head.) And citizens in a number of other countries, including Syria, United Arab Emirates and Morocco, have reported YouTube outages after sensitive content was posted.
The clashes have implications for YouTube's growth abroad, potentially forcing the company to choose between bending to censorship and losing business opportunities.
"This is a situation that the company and all Internet companies will be facing in many countries with all types of political systems as the Internet matures and millions more people log on," says Robert Boorstin, Google's director of policy communications in Washington. "At all times, our goal is to maximize the amount of information available to citizens around the world."
Nowhere is the issue more pressing than in China -- home to the world's largest population of Web users -- where agreeing to government censorship has been a basic condition of doing business for years. YouTube is still a relatively small player in China, lagging behind homegrown competitors like Tudou.com and Yoku.com. But it has a loyal following among young urban Chinese, who use it to find cutting-edge animation clips from Korea and Japan. Many Chinese also know YouTube as a place to find sensitive clips that have been removed from other Chinese sites.
The site has been blocked in China several times before, including for an extended period in October. That was around the time that YouTube launched a site in Taiwan, the U.S. Congress awarded the Dalai Lama its gold medal and the Chinese Communist Party congress was under way. YouTube has localized versions of its site in Taiwan and Hong Kong, but not one hosted in China itself, a move that would require an Internet-content license from the Chinese government. Google has said it doesn't plan to host user-generated content, such as video, blogs or email, on computer servers in China. Such materials would be vulnerable to seizure by the government if located on servers there.
Google previously grappled with censorship issues in China when it released a Chinese search service in January 2006. At the time, it decided to censor its search results to comply with Beijing's strict limits on access to information, concluding that was better than not offering any regularly accessible service at all. On Thursday, a Google search for "Tibet" and "riots" turned up few results. The same search on Google's U.S.-based English search site produced some 461,000 results.
So far, YouTube is taking a similar approach, despite ongoing debate at Google over the strategy. In Thailand, in order to be accessible, it agreed to block Thai users from seeing clips deemed insulting to the king in violation of Thai law. In Turkey, YouTube has suspended the account of the person who uploaded the Ataturk video, though the site remains banned there. In Myanmar, YouTube was banned after clips of protesting monks appeared on the site. In that case, YouTube declined to remove the clips and remains banned.
Media analysts say YouTube's string of censorship flare-ups -- and the site's sometimes inconsistent responses -- indicate it needs to develop a more transparent strategy for dealing with these issues. YouTube's community guidelines state the site encourages "free speech and defend[s] everyone's right to express unpopular points of view." But the site also reserves the right to remove content it deems inappropriate, which gives it significant discretion when it comes to politically sensitive content.
"We have a delicate balancing act between being a platform for free expression and also obeying local laws around the world," says YouTube spokesman Ricardo Reyes.
YouTube reviews videos when they are flagged by users to determine whether they violate its terms of use, which prohibit such content as graphic violence. YouTube users can appeal the removal of videos, which can trigger a secondary review.
After being alerted by users last month, YouTube removed a video clip that appeared to document abuse of prisoners at a Russian prison camp that YouTube determined violated the site's graphic-violence policy. It eventually restored the video but required viewers to click to consent to watch a clip that "may contain content that is inappropriate for some users." YouTube says its staff hadn't initially been aware that the video was meant to document alleged human-rights abuses.
The stakes are high because material distributed on YouTube is affecting some of the world's most incendiary political situations. "It's actually changed the whole political scenario in Pakistan," says Shahzad Ahmad, an activist with the civil-rights group Bytes for All in Pakistan, who believes the site played a role in the defeat to Pervez Musharraf's party in recent elections.
Google has reached out to the U.S. State Department for assistance with the censorship issue in China, says a person familiar with the matter. The company, along with Yahoo Inc., Microsoft Corp. and others, has been working for more than 18 months with human-rights groups, academics and socially responsible investors to develop a code of conduct for operating in countries that limit free expression and individual privacy. A bill to be considered by Congress would require U.S. companies to provide the U.S. government with details of any compliance with censorship in Internet-restricting countries.
More than 100 citizens mourned five women victims of the Tibet riot in front of the shop where they died.
Holding lilies and candles, mourners shuffled slowly forward in a queue. They put flowers and candles in front of the young women’s photos posted on the burnt wall of the shop.
The five were sales assistants in a Yishion clothing store on a busy commercial street in downtown Lhasa. They were burnt to death in a fire started by rioters during the Lhasa riot last week.
They were Cering Zhoigar from Xigaze, Han Xinxin from Henan Province, and Chen Jia, Yang Dongmei and Liu Yan all from neighboring Sichuan Province.
“We were surrounded by yelling and the noise of windows shattering sometime after 2 p.m.,” said their 20-year-old colleague Zhoi’ma, the only survivor.
The young women huddled together, shaking and crying, when the mobs broke in to smash up the shop, Zhoi’ma said. “We were too scared to even breath.”
When flames spread upstairs, Zhoi’ma was the only one who squeezed through a small gap torn in the shop door by the mob.
“I can’t eat. I can’t sleep. I see their faces whenever I close my eyes,” Zhoi’ma said.
“I should have looked back. I shouted to them to follow me. I thought they were following me, but they didn’t,” said Zhoi’ma, the only survivor. “If I had looked back, they would be with me now.”
Chen Jia, 18 and the youngest of the five, sent a text message to her father at 3:42 p.m. on that fateful day, saying, “Mobs are killing people around my shop. We dare not go out. Don’t worry about me. Tell mum and my sister not to go out.”
Ten minutes later, the shop was on fire.
“My girl was wonderful. We all loved her,” said Chen Jun, Chen Jia’s father said.
Yishion’s owner, Tang Yanqing, from neighboring Qinghai Province, later found the bodies in the attic of her shop.
They were sitting and lying around a bed, their faces burnt black, said Tang, whose younger cousin Yang Dongmei was among the dead.
Cering Zhoigar’s aunt fainted when she saw the site of the 21-year-old’s death on Tuesday, said Cering Zhoigar’s brother, Damzhin.
“Why did they do this to her?” asked Damzhin.
A young women works nearby named Ma Xiaolan burst into tears at the scene. She said: “Cering Zhoigar and Chen Jia were my best friends in Lhasa. I knocked on Yishion’s door to warn them to escape in time. I didn’t know that it would be the final goodbye.”
A young Tibetan named Samzhub and his four colleagues hurried to the site from another town on hearing the sad story. They put their candles in front of the photos and bowed.
“I am too sad to say anything. These mobs were merciless,” Samzhub said.
The 18-year-old Chen Jia’s father murmured again and again: “Jiajia, I wish you a good journey to heaven.”
Chen Jun thanked the people who had come to mourn his daughter. More and more people joined in the queue, silently. They offered lilies in remembrance of the young women, as soft snow fell all around.
Tibet: The Truth (oppression, monks, nuns... you're wrong)
April 05, 2008
The West is trying to demonize China. Why? To ensure an upper-handed position economically, politically, and socially.
PLEASE SHARE THIS VIDEO - For some reason it is not showing up properly in YouTube searches.
Too many harbor strong opinions about Tibet, yet know nothing more than the few slogans offered by the mass-media outlets.
The media screams:
"They killed innocent monks!" - but those "innocent" monks and other young hooligans killed innocent Chinese before a single shot was fired on them.
"The Chinese are oppressive" - do you consider freeing over 95% of Tibetans from slavery, building a state of the art infrastructure, and a new economy oppressive?
"The Chinese suppress Tibetan Buddhism" - then why have the Chinese spent a fortune restoring ancient monasteries and places of religious significance?
China doesn't SPIN NEWS like we do. Their silence is too often mistaken as admission of guilt. Don't be another uninformed drone. Do everyone a favor and learn truths before forming opinions.
Here's to Peace & Harmony! The 2008 Beijing Olympics deserve support!
There are more than 100 major cities in china, each one of them has fascinating stories and dazzlingly histories behind,and these cities are making more dynamic futures today, for a better, more colorful lifes of the following generations.
*on a side note:if the american media happy to show images and footages of china 20-30years back,it's fine..because locking one's self up in one's own fantasy land wounld not hurt others but one's self..and we chinese learnt that the hard way in 1840 and we shall never ever forget...
"Tibet WAS, IS, and ALWAYS WILL BE a part of China" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9QNKB34cJo#)，一段7分鐘的視頻，網名“情緣∮黃金少”的他僅僅用了7分鐘就做完了。在接受德國之聲中文網採訪時，“情緣∮黃金少”說：“我要讓中國人的聲音，真實的聲音被聽到。雖然不可能每個被媒體轟炸過的的人都能看到或者明白，但是我希望更多的人知道。”這雖然不是第一個在Youtube上向西方傳媒宣戰的中國草根媒體，卻無疑是迄今為止影響力最大的一個。
就在“情緣∮黃金少”的視頻作品問世兩天之後，另一名為“西藏騷亂：西方媒體的真實面孔” (Riot in Tibet: True face of western media)，網址： (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSQnK5FcKas)的視頻又成為了Youtube上的新寵。這段視頻在開篇就指出：“西藏騷亂期間，所有的西方媒體都'興奮異常'的去報到那些所謂的'真相'，現在我們就向大家展示一下，那些照片是怎樣的被西方媒體修改之後去詆毀中國的”。
The Olympic torch relay, a prelude to the Beijing Olympics scheduled to be held in China in August of this year, has been greeted by large-scale demonstrations in London and Paris, and an event that was supposed to celebrate the upcoming sporting festival has suddenly turned into a political issue. The purpose of the torch relay, which involves carrying a torch lit in Olympia, the site of the ancient Olympic Games in Greece, around the world, is to elevate the Olympics to a global “festival of peace.” Amid the swell of international opinion calling for the protection of human rights in China, however, a chaotic situation has arisen that casts doubt on whether the relay can be implemented according to plan.
The confusion surrounding the torch relay has attracted much attention in Japan as well, and four of the five national newspapers took up the issue in their editorials on April 9. Regarding the disruption of the torch relay in London and Paris by activists and others protesting China’s policy against recent disturbances in Tibet, Chief Cabinet Secretary Nobutaka Machimura said critically in a press conference on April 8 (Mainichi Shimbun, April 9), “People around the world are hoping for the success of the Beijing Olympics. Behavior that involves violent acts is definitely not desirable.” However, Machimura also had dialogue with the 14th Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism, in mind when he said, “China must also respond in good earnest to international opinion regarding Tibet.”
Largest Torch Relay in Olympic History
For the Chinese leadership, the Beijing Olympics are a perfect stage for showing China’s rise as a power to the world. Surpassing the realm of a major sporting event, the Beijing Olympics have taken on a political importance involving national prestige. As if to reflect this buoyancy on the Chinese side, this year’s torch relay is the largest in Olympic history in terms of distance, scope, and number of people participating. It will take the torch 130 days to complete the 137,000-kilometer course, which covers five continents, 21 cities, and, within China itself, 31 provinces, autonomous regions, and provincial-level municipalities. This grand plan was supposed to leave the world with a strong impression of China’s emergence as a power and to lay the groundwork for a successful Olympic Games in Beijing.
However, the torch, which left Beijing on April 1, quickly ran into trouble on April 6 and 7 in the form of violent disruptive acts in London and Paris. In London, people tried to grab the torch, and 35 demonstrators were arrested. In Paris, the flame was extinguished three times, and the relay had to be cut short. As the event attracted the attention of the international community, the gap between China’s great expectations of the torch relay and the harsh views of Western countries concerning China’s human rights policy was revealed in a highly dramatic manner.
The Mainichi editorial commented, “In the next destination, San Francisco, the Board of Supervisors is reported to have approved a resolution stating that the torch ‘is received with alarm and protest,’ and disruptive acts and protests exceeding those seen in London and Paris are expected. China sees the Beijing Olympics as a chance to show the world what great progress it has made, and it hoped that the torch relay would play a leading role. In reality, however, the torch relay seems to have become a target for protests against China. The torch is the symbol of a festival of peace, and it is quite unprecedented for it to receive such a stormy welcome in transit countries.”
Criticism of China’s Tibet Policy
The extraordinary scenes that occurred in London and Paris went totally against the Olympic ideals of peace and friendship. The newspaper editorials all strongly criticized the Chinese government’s policy toward Tibet as the main cause of this abnormal situation.
While noting that [in London and Paris] “groups of exiled Tibetans and human rights activists resorted to disruptive tactics, with some trying to grab the torch and to block the relay run. However, these unruly protests will do little to whip up sympathy for the causes the demonstrators are championing,” the Yomiuri Shimbun editorial observed, “The blame for this disgraceful situation that runs counter to the Games---a sporting event---rests with the Chinese side. US President George W. Bush held talks with his Chinese counterpart, Hu Jintao, last month over the phone. In the conversation, the US president expressed his concern over the Tibet situation and urged Hu to start ‘substantive dialogue’ with Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama. However, the Chinese president responded by justifying the use of force in the crackdown in Tibet. Hu described the protests in Tibet as undisguised serious and violent crimes. Tibet is calling for a ‘high level of autonomy,’ not independence.”
The Asahi Shimbun editorial similarly cautioned the Chinese authorities, remarking, “Europe has immigrants and refugees from Tibet. Some countries, like Britain, have close historic ties with Tibet. Traditionally, Europeans are sensitive to human rights issues. These factors no doubt explain the European reaction to the Tibet problem. How does the world regard China’s Tibet policy? Instead of ignoring international protests by saying the uprising was ‘orchestrated by the Dalai Lama and his clique,’ we urge China to squarely face the reality. China apparently wants to keep the sports festival quite separate from politics, but reality is not that simple.”
The Mainichi editorial stated, “As long as they do not involve violence, opinions opposing the Beijing Olympics should not be restricted. ‘Perfect security,’ which seeks to fend off inconvenient opinions by force, is not possible in a democratic state. The Chinese government must be aware that the key factor in whether the torch relay can safely complete its journey across five continents lies not in security in the transit countries but in its own attitude.”
Repercussions of the Torch Relay Chaos
If the confusion surrounding the torch relay continues, various problems could arise. Several of the editorials pointed to this possibility.
The Asahi editorial remarked, “What is worrisome is the reaction among ordinary Chinese. Every time scuffles over the torch relay are reported, the negative reactions to overseas protests among the people seem to rise. If countries give the Chinese public the impression that they are doing nothing to stop disruptions, it could incite Chinese nationalism.” The Yomiuri editorial noted with concern, “In China, patriotic nationalistic sentiments are becoming increasingly fervent. An Internet petition decrying recent anti–Beijing Games protests, including pledges not to attend the opening ceremony, collected 2.2 million signatures, mainly among young Chinese. If these angry sentiments end up morphing into criticism directed toward the Beijing government, the fabric of Chinese society could start fraying.”
The Sankei Shimbun editorial urged the International Olympic Committee to become actively involved, saying, “The principle that the Olympics emphasize most of all is human rights. If that is so, then would it not be a manifestation of the Olympic spirit, going beyond politics, for the International Olympic Committee to face up to the reality that, just ahead of the Beijing Olympics, people erupted in protest against the suppression of human rights in Tibet, with many of them being killed or injured, and to call on the international community, including the host country, to find a solution?”
With the Olympic Games rapidly approaching, more attention than ever is being focused on China's handling of protests in Tibet and on the state of human rights in the Communist country. SPIEGEL spoke with human rights advocate Liu Xiaobo about what to expect.
China's government has come under massive international criticism (more...) over its human rights record in the run-up up to the Olympic Games in Beijing this summer. China wanted to use the Olympics to show the world a new, modern face but the plan seems to be backfiring as Western countries sharply criticize China's handling of protests in Tibet last month. Some have even openly considered boycotting the Games.
SPIEGEL spoke to prominent human rights activist Liu Xiaobo about the current situation of human rights in China and the prospects for change.
SPIEGEL: A few months before the Olympic Games, criticism is mounting against the Chinese government -- both for its activity in Tibet and the fact that it throws human rights activists such as Hu Jia in jail. Did Beijing underestimate the consequences of hosting the Games?
Liu: I don't think so. The leadership knew that the conviction of Hu Jia would ruffle feathers. But it wasn't reckoning with the protests in Tibet. Now the entire world has its eyes on China. The response of European countries has been especially tough, much tougher than the US response. That surprised Beijing.
SPIEGEL: Why did Beijing want to host the Olympics in the first place?
Liu: The Party leader at the time, Jiang Zemin, wanted to show the world China's new status. And in winning the bid, the leaders could show the people how strong the government was. Plus, the leadership wanted to use the Games to strengthen nationalist sentiment. After June 4, 1989…
SPIEGEL: …the Tiananmen Square Massacre…
Liu: …its legitimacy was seriously weakened. The party was desperate to boost patriotism.
SPIEGEL: The Communist Party continues to claim that the Games have nothing to do with politics.
Liu: For the party, the Beijing Games are the biggest political happening of 2008. Everything revolves around them. This will be a huge celebration for the President Hu Jintao and the Premier Wen Jiabao.
SPIEGEL: In order to win the bid, Communist party functionaries promised more democracy. Did you believe them at the time?
Liu: No. I've heard the government say many nice things. But it did make some gestures, like writing human rights protection into the constitution -- that surprised me. And it improved the conditions for foreign journalists: It used to be impossible for you to meet with me personally. But there still hasn't been a real improvement in the human rights situation.
SPEIGEL: Does the government respond to pressure form the outside world?
Liu: Yes. If it didn't, the human rights situation would be much worse.
SPIEGEL: What would happen if the Games were boycotted?
Liu: That wouldn't be a good way to punish China. If the Games fail, human rights will suffer. The government would stop paying any attention to the rest of the world. I personally think: We want the Games and we want human rights to be respected.
SPIEGEL: What are you expecting in the coming months?
Liu: As soon as the torch reaches Western Europe, there will be protests. I think the government will respond to foreign pressure and criticism to diminish both. I hope they will decide to release Hu Jia prematurely, for health reasons.
SPIEGEL: What will China look like after the Games? More liberal? More open?
Liu: It will all progress very slowly. But the demands for freedom -- on the part of ordinary people but also party members -- won't be as easy to contain.
SPIEGEL: Do you think there could be a Chinese Gorbachev one day?
Liu: I can't imagine that. But the party will gradually open up. For instance, it has already set a time limit for political reforms in Hong Kong. And in four years time, there won't be a strongman to name the General Secretary at the party congress. That means that the various factions will have to develop better rules for naming their leader. But there won't be a timeline for political reform.
You must have heard the well-known maxim, "power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely". It literally means that anybody who is in a position of power will inevitably become corrupt.
AS a subscriber of The Business Times, I enjoy reading the newspaper every day. Recently I noticed that there have been extensive reports and debates on Tibet and the Olympics issue in BT. As a mainland Chinese, I feel obliged to express my opinion.
First, I would like to give credit to the international mass media for its role in improving human rights for the ordinary Chinese. The nature of the communist government is such that it has absolute power over the people, who are always in a weaker position whether they negotiate over land, property, legal or political rights. Without the western media, Chinese people would have enjoyed less freedom and opportunity to voice their own feelings.
Personally, I am not sure how serious human rights abuses are in Tibet, as I receive contradictory messages from different sources. Obviously, the western media (eg CNN) and the China media (eg CCTV) are painting two different pictures. The western media has more credibility than the Chinese media. As a result, it is not surprising that a lot of people show empathy towards the Tibetans, even though many of them do not even know where Tibet is.
In my view, the Chinese government has made two mistakes on the Tibet issue. First, it claims that the issue is purely internal. While this is true from the point of view of sovereignty, the argument is not good enough to counter the Western media's charges of human right abuses.
Following this logic, dictators in, for example, Iraq, Zimbabwe and North Korea would have the right to do anything they like in their countries as it would be purely 'internal'. In addition, by asserting to the western media that 'it is none of your business', the Chinese government gives the impression of admitting there are de facto human rights abuses in Tibet, which may not be necessarily true.
Second, it is a mistake to paint the Dalai Lama as a devil. It is also a mistake to hold him responsible for the turmoil and violence relating to Tibet. He is almost certainly not the cause of this in the first place, and given the credibility of CCTV in the international community, such a depiction will only backfire and arouse people's sympathy towards the Dalai Lama.
I also do not think that it is realistic to expect Beijing to talk to the Dalai Lama. Beijing has appointed its own Dalai Lama in Lhasa and if it were to talk to the one based in India, it would effectively veto its own choice.
However, to mix the Tibet issue with the Olympics is an even more serious mistake. I do not see any logical link between the Olympics and Tibet. To boycott the Olympics because of Tibet seems like madness to me.
Take US presidential candidate Hillary Clinton who publicly advocates a boycott of the opening ceremony. Everybody knows that the reason she is doing this is not because she really cares about the living conditions of Tibetans, but because she wants to win more votes.
It's worth remembering that eight years ago, it was her husband, Bill Clinton, who supported China's entry into the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and urged the US Congress to put the Tibet issue aside and focus on 'economic interests' first. There has been no significant change in the Chinese government's policy on Tibet in the last eight years. If anything, there has only been improvement.
In addition, not only politicians but also people the world over should be aware that the Beijing Olympics is not just a Chinese government affair, but also an event of the Chinese people.
All Chinese, not only in China but also overseas, are very proud of the Beijing Olympics, which they see as an opportunity to show the beauty and achievements of China to the world. Some people are even willing to take physical risks for the cause, as illustrated by the Chinese girl who used her own body to protect the Olympic torch from being snatched by violent protesters in Paris.
Any move to boycott the Olympics or a part of it does not actually put any pressure on the Chinese government. It only hurts the feelings of the Chinese people, as well as the spirit of international sportsmanship.
Those who are against Beijing hosting the Olympics need to understand that even if they use the issue as a means to pressure Beijing on Tibet, it only serves to arouse nationalistic sentiments in the Chinese people. This, in turn, strengthens support for the Communist Party, which, in turn, empowers the government to further resist international pressure.
My view as an ordinary Chinese may not matter to politicians, the mass media or people in the West. However, to antagonise a population of more than two billion Chinese in the world would certainly do nobody from any country any good.
China urges control of 'patriotic fervor' over Tibet
Agence France-Presse 04/18/2008
BEIJING -- China has urged its people to contain their patriotism, in the first sign Beijing may be growing uncomfortable with a nationalist outburst over the Tibet issue that it has tacitly supported.
A dispatch issued late Thursday by state-controlled Xinhua news agency railed against "despicable" Western media coverage of the unrest in Tibet and said resulting Chinese indignation should be "cherished."
But it also said nationalist energies should be expressed in a "rational" way and focussed on building the nation.
"Patriotic fervor should be channeled into a rational track and must be transformed into real action toward doing our work well," said the report.
China's government and state media have repeatedly condemned what they call bias in foreign coverage of China's crackdown on Tibetan riots, which erupted in Lhasa on March 14 and spilled over into other Tibetan-populated regions.
The government's stance appears to have helped fuel attacks on the Chinese Internet directed at foreign media.
A number of online campaigns have been launched, including one calling for a boycott of French goods due to protests against China's Tibet policies that threw the Beijing Olympic torch relay's Paris leg into chaos last week.
Web users also have set up the website www.anti-cnn.com that criticizes the US-based news network's alleged anti-China bias.
On Friday, the e-mail boxes of major news organizations in Beijing, including AFP, were flooded with e-mails furious over "vicious distortions" in Tibet coverage.
China's Communist Party government, which swiftly quashes any expressions of public opinion it does not like, has so far allowed the attacks.
Xinhua's report appears to fit a pattern in which the control-conscious government has given free rein to such sentiments when it serves party interests, but curb them when they appear to be spiralling out of control.
After US forces mistakenly bombed the Chinese embassy in Belgrade in 1999, large anti-US protests were allowed in China before the government put an end to them.
In 2005, protesters were allowed to throw rocks and eggs at Japan's embassy in Beijing, among other anti-Japanese actions, triggered by a range of grievances between the two Asian rivals.
Any foreigner who takes part in protests during the run will be kicked out for good, police warn
Daily xpress Friday, April 18, 2008
Protesters disrupting tomorrow's Olympic-torch relay will be arrested immediately and prosecuted for public disturbance, police say.
Foreigners will be expelled and banned from returning. Those with residency will have it revoked permanently, spokesman Lt-General Watcharaphol Prasarnratchakij says.
"If they come here and engage in unlawful acts, they must be prosecuted ... if they engage in illegal activity, we will proceed according to the law by revoking their visa," he says.
"We have prepared everything to ensure the smoothness of the ceremony."
A Government House source says there are groups in this country motivated to disrupt the relay, including human-rights groups and the local Falun Gong.
Additional police have been deployed to the Plaza Athenee Hotel, where the torch and Olympic flame are housed ahead of tomorrow's 3pm run.
There will be as many as 2,000 policemen on duty along the route, according to the Olympic Committee of Thailand.
Four police vehicles and six officers will accompany the relay at all times. A bomb squad and a canine crew are on standby as is a special weapons and tactics outfit.
The heavy security highlights concerns here and the government's desire to avoid similar chaos to that which occurred overseas.
Free Tibet Network member Pokpong Lawansiri disagrees with the stance against pro-Tibet protests.
"Under the Constitution, an individual - local or foreigner - has the right to rally for a cause," he says. "Peaceful rally should be allowed".
He expects about 100 members to protests.
Prime ministerial aide Akhaphol Sorrasuchart says protests can continue as long as there's no run disruption and they do not break other laws, including traffic, or damage property.
A number of locations have been prepared for protests, although he will not say where.
The relay route through normally crowded Bangkok has been cordoned off with barricades to deter protests.
Rallying point
Networks and organisations planning pro-Tibet activities tomorrow include:
>> Free Tibet Network, Thai Labour Campaign Group, Chulalongkorn University social critics, Activists for Social Change, Young People for Democracy Movement and Workers Democracy.
>> Others include Reporters Without Borders and China pro-democracy and pro-Taiwan groups.
BEIJING (Reuters) - China will reopen the restive mountainous region of Tibet to foreign tourists "soon" and temples will also resume religious activities, state media said on Saturday, in the wake of pro-independence protests last month.
"The Tibet tourism bureau is doing its utmost to prepare for the reopening of all tourist spots," the official China Daily cited a government statement as saying, though it did not provide an exact date.
Chinese media had reported that the region would reopen to foreign tourists from May 1, though officials have not confirmed this and a U.S.-based rights group says Beijing does not plan to allow foreigners in until after this August's Olympics.
Tourism is a vital source of cash for the impoverished region, where 4 million tourists last year flocked to see historic temples, experience Tibetan culture and enjoy breathtaking natural scenery.
All foreigners visiting Tibet need special permits.
The Xinhua news agency added that Lhasa temples affected by the unrest would also restart their religious activities soon.
It paraphrased Tibetan official Tubdain Cewang as saying "Lhasa's temples were recovering from the riot, with religious activities returning to order, and would reopen to tourists in the near future."
The Drepung Monastery "will soon hold activities including Buddhist services and debates on Buddhist doctrines five times every month, as before the March 14 riot hit the city," it quoted the temple's administrative director Ngawang Dongjue, as saying.
That report did not provide a date either.
Beijing has accused the Dalai Lama, Tibet's exiled spiritual leader, of masterminding the unrest as part of a bid for independence and with an eye to spoiling the Beijing Games. The Dalai Lama rejects the accusations and says he does not seek independence for Tibet.
China continued its verbal attacks on the Dalai Lama on Saturday, blasting him in the overseas edition of the Communist Party mouthpiece the People's Daily for trying to use the cause of human rights to advance his agenda.
"'Human rights' seems like a trump card that the Dalai has a keen interest in. He loves to play it, and he plays it well," the newspaper said in a commentary on its front page signed by a senior editor.
But his failure to condemn "the cruel injuries inflicted on innocent Tibetans and Chinese by hooligans and their burning of shops and schools," showed his true colors, it added.
"In the history of China and other countries, is it possible to find a 'human rights guard' like this?" the newspaper said.
The Dalai Lama has spoken out against the use of violence, calling for talks with China and backing the Beijing Games.
BANGKOK (Reuters) - Hundreds of Thai police braced for another round of anti-China protests on Saturday as the Olympic torch was readied for its parade through Bangkok, the latest leg of its troubled tour from Greece to Beijing.
Several groups angry at Beijing's human rights record and its rule in Tibet are planning demonstrations but will meet no opposition from police as long as they remain orderly, Thai Olympic chief General Yuthasak Sasiprapa said.
"If they are peaceful, it's OK," he told Reuters. "But we will not tolerate any violent or illegal protests. The torch and runners will be tightly escorted by police patrols and motorcycles all along the route."
The 10.5-km (6.5-mile) relay is due to start at 0800 GMT in the capital's China Town -- a reflection of Thailand's close social ties to its giant regional neighbour -- before proceeding past the golden-spired Grand Palace.
The main protest during the procession will be outside the regional headquarters of the United Nations, where a dozen pro-democracy groups say they will demonstrate against China's crackdown on unrest in Tibet in March.
Police Special Branch officers say they are also aware of a move by local supporters of Falun Gong, the religious group outlawed by Beijing, to voice their opposition to the Games, which open in Beijing on August 8.
Several thousand police have been drafted in to protect the torch route, which has not been altered by security chiefs, although short-cuts and alternative paths have been made ready in case of any "unexpected incidents", Yuthasak said.
On the previous leg of the symbolic flame's swing through Asia, India had to deploy 15,000 police to keep at bay protesters from the world's largest community of exiled Tibetans.
Spoiling the event will be of no benefit; diplomacy is the best way to push for change in China
The Nation April 19, 2008
The Olympic torch relay has finally arrived in Bangkok. Let the icon of the world's greatest sports event pass without a hitch. Sport is sport. It is in the interest of the country that the torch relay in Thailand goes smoothly. It is a special occasion for our country. HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn is also taking part in welcoming the torch-relay team.
When the torch relay went through several countries in other parts of the world, it was met with protests and serious disruptions caused by protesters who want to see China become more democratic and have more respect for human rights. Thai civil-society organisations and Tibet focus groups will try to disrupt the process, which is scheduled for today.
Like it or not, the torch relay has become a most damaging exercise for China, as it has highlighted its continuing human-rights violations and other forms of oppression. Beijing did not realise that the month-long ceremony would provide fertile ground for international anti-Chinese protesters to display their concerns. Their well-coordinated strategies and ability to disrupt the relay have embarrassed the Chinese government.
Obviously, the Tibetan crackdown in mid-March and its aftermath continue to demonstrate the determination of Chinese leaders to deal harshly with anyone involved in the three-day riot. That is a cause for concern abroad because China will continue to tighten security in and around Tibet and pose further restrictions on those travelling to "the roof of the world".
In the four months that remain, there certainly could be untoward developments at home or abroad further disrupting the Olympic Games. Already, a few leaders and countries have declared publicly that they will boycott the opening ceremony on August 8. So far, no athletes have said they will boycott the competition.
Recently, the Chinese government apprehended a group of suspected terrorists from Xinjiang, who it said had planned to disrupt the games by staging bombings and kidnapping athletes. If that is true, it is a real problem, which the host has to address. Security during the competition, including the safety of international athletes, is of the utmost importance. The 1972 Munich Olympic Games remain vivid among organisers and athletes.
To ensure the success of the Beijing games, China's leaders still have a long to-do list when it comes to improving the country's human-rights situation and image. Its main stadium for the Olympics, known as the Bird's Nest, was opened to the international press recently. It is a marvel reflecting the skill of Chinese construction, but it is not the only thing the government should be focusing on.
In the weeks and months to come, it would be wise for China to pledge to respect human rights and allow more room for freedom of expression. Foreign countries are worried about Tibet and other problems in China, not to mention air quality during competition. Obviously, other countries have their own problems as well, but China, being one the world's superpowers, has to fulfil its international role and worst of all, the growing expectations concerning what China should and should not do.
It is interesting to note that Chinese leaders have yet to show their appreciation of their country's new position in the world. The motto that greater power for a nation comes with greater responsibilities rings hollow among Chinese leaders. Of course, China has shown some sense of global responsibility in engaging with the international community and UN in efforts to resolve the crisis in Darfur. However, Beijing has yet to clearly show the world that it is a responsible international stakeholder.
One should not expect China to change much after the Olympics, especially when it comes to democracy. South Korea is often mentioned as a positive case study of what impact the games might have on domestic politics. With or without the Olympics, South Korea was going to be a democracy anyway. But China is not South Korea and the road to liberal democracy is still very long. China is still ruled by the Chinese Communist Party, which has self-serving capitalist inclinations.
It is more realistic to wish that in the post-Olympic era, China would not intensify its crackdowns on democratic elements and dissidents inside the country. In addition, it is hoped that China will continue to contribute to peace and stability around the globe in more concrete ways.
NYIMU COUNTY, China, April 25 (Reuters) - China is to hold talks with envoys of the Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism whom it blames for a wave of unrest, state media reported on Friday, as the Olympic flame arrived in Japan.
The move comes after concerted pressure from the West on China to talk to the Dalai Lama.
It also marks a sharp change in tack for Beijing, which has stepped up its vilification of the Dalai Lama since anti-government protests hit Tibet and rippled across ethnic Tibetan parts of China in the past weeks.
"In view of the requests repeatedly made by the Dalai side for resuming talks, the relevant department of the central government will have contact and consultation with the Dalai's private representative in the coming days," the official Xinhua news agency quoted an unnamed official as saying.
A spokesman for the Dalai Lama, who lives in exile in India, said he had not received any communication from China about a meeting and China's Foreign Ministry said it had no details.
China denounces the Dalai Lama, who fled Tibet after a failed 1959 uprising against Communist rule, as a traitor and has accused him of orchestrating the unrest, a charge the 72-year-old Nobel laureate denies.
But Tibet has become a flashpoint for anti-China protests that have disrupted the Olympic torch relay around the world and has led to calls for state leaders to boycott the Beijing Games, which open on Aug. 8.
"It is hoped that through contact and consultation, the Dalai side will take credible moves to stop activities aimed at splitting China, stop plotting and inciting violence and stop disrupting and sabotaging the Beijing Olympic Games so as to create conditions for talks," the official was quoted as saying.
OFFICIAL DENUNCIATIONS
Recent official denunciations of the Dalai Lama had usually referred to the Dalai "clique", rather than Dalai "side".
The United States and France have urged Beijing to hold talks with the Dalai Lama, while British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has said he would meet the Tibetan leader when he visits Britain in May.
U.S. Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte urged the Chinese government on Wednesday to meet the Dalai Lama.
"Public vilification of the Dalai Lama will not help defuse the the situation," he told a U.S. Senate hearing.
Reporters were allowed into Tibet on Friday and there was a heavy troop presence lining the road between the capital Lhasa and Shigatse, the second largest city in Tibet.
Japan called for calm but braced for trouble with tight security on Friday, as low-key protests began ahead of its leg of the torch relay, following emotional scenes at other venues.
The flame is meant to transmit a message of peace and friendship, but its journey has been largely turned into a political event and the torch has been granted the sort of security usually reserved for state leaders.
The flame's arrival in Nagano was greeted by right-wing activists in trucks roaming the streets, displaying huge Japanese flags and blaring "go away".
In Hanoi, Vietnam state-run radio reported that a U.S. citizen of Vietnamese origin had been expelled on accusations of planning anti-Chinese protests at next week's Olympics torch relay in Ho Chi Minh City.
Reclusive North Korea, for its part, vowed to "astonish the world" with pomp, ceremony and safety during its stage of the relay on Monday, Chinese state media reported.
The Olympic torch is supposed to enter Tibet in early May to ascend Mt Everest and is to travel to its capital Lhasa on June 19, legs China has vowed to see through, despite the tensions.
But Beijing has also been under pressure from abroad to resume dialogue with envoys of the Dalai Lama as a way of achieving stability in Tibet, a remote, mountain region which Communist troops entered in 1950.
MEANINGFUL AUTONOMY
The Dalai Lama says he is seeking meaningful autonomy for the strategic border region, but China denounces that as a sham and says he is bent on splitting the country.
The United States welcomed the announcement of talks.
"If the Chinese are now planning to resume such dialogue, we would see this as a very positive development," the U.S. embassy in Beijing said in a statement.
The Communist Party boss in Tibet has called the Dalai Lama "a jackal in Buddhist monk's robes, an evil spirit with a human face and the heart of a beast".
But before the protests soured relations, China and envoys of the Dalai Lama had been engaged in a tentative dialogue process, though several rounds since 2002 had yielded little progress. (Writing by Lindsay Beck, additional reporting by Chisa Fujioka and Yoko Kubota in Tokyo and Chris Buckley in Beijing; Editing by Nick Macfie and David Fogarty) ("Countdown to Beijing Olympics" blog at blogs.reuters.com/china)
KUALA LUMPUR: The Chinese Government has imposed more stringent requirements for visa application because of the Beijing Olympics.
Chinese Embassy counsellor Shen Yong Xian confirmed that stricter rules had been implemented temporarily until the end of the Games in August.
Both business travellers and tourists to China are required to submit their confirmed flight itinerary and hotel reservation.
Those on business trips must also submit invitations from the Foreign Economic Relation and Trade Commission in China.
A company letter stating the applicant's particulars, purpose and duration of visit is also needed, together with an undertaking that the firm is responsible for the traveller while in China.
Other documents needed for the visa application are the passport, valid for at least six months and with sufficient pages, a recent passport size photograph and the completed application form.
According to a circular sent to travel agents, travellers who were to enter China twice (like those who stop in the republic, then leave for a neighbouring country and come back into China) must submit a confirmed flight itinerary showing the two entry dates.
The original air ticket or a duplicate copy of e-ticket must show the second travel date for processing purposes.
“This is to ensure that we do not receive complaints from visitors that our hotels are full and our tourist destinations are too crowded.
“We also do not want to see people sleeping on the streets as there will be many people visiting China during the Olympic Games period,” Shen said here yesterday.
He added that it was best if visitors avoided the Olympics period.
However, he said there were no limitations on the number of days a visitor could spend in the country.
In Singapore, the Foreign Affairs Ministry announced that Singaporeans travelling to China from July 1 would need a visa.
Local travel agents confirmed that they had reduced the number of China tours due to the new rules.
Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (Matta) president Ngiam Foon said the requirement did not affect business here as only business travellers and those who wanted to watch the Beijing Olympics were keen to visit China now.
“Other than that, most tourists preferred to defer their trips until after the Games,” he said.
Malaysian Chinese Tourism Association president Chay Ng said: “Some of the travel agents have stopped organising China tours for the time being for fear that it will be difficult to get visas right now.”
3,000 police officers brought in as protesters, pro-China groups converge on Nagano
Saturday, April 26, 2008
NAGANO (AP) Riot police, protesters and Chinese well-wishers converged on the city of Nagano on Friday as the embattled Beijing Olympic torch arrived on one of its final international stops before moving on to China.
Dozens of protesters surrounded by hundreds of riot police marched through the city, host of the 1998 Winter Olympics, carrying Tibetan flags and banners saying "Stop the Torch" as the flame arrived. Police helicopters buzzed overhead.
Police arrested a man claiming to be a monk for allegedly possessing a knife at the starting point of Saturday's torch relay, a local police official said on condition of anonymity, citing policy. He was reportedly carrying a statement saying: "I protest the torch relay."
The torch has been met with protests and intense security at many of its stops on its worldwide journey, and Japan was gearing up for yet another game of cat-and-mouse between police and demonstrators demanding better human rights in China and condemning Beijing's crackdown on Tibetan protests last month.
In a last-minute change, the 18.7-km torch relay was to begin in a parking lot Saturday instead of an ancient temple. Zenkoji Temple declined last week to host the start of the relay, citing security concerns and sympathy among monks and worshippers for their religious brethren in Tibet.
The 1,400-year-old temple also announced it would cohost a prayer ritual for Tibet on Saturday.
Five tracksuit-clad riot police will run alongside the torchbearers, who will also be followed by two Chinese officials. Phalanxes of 50 riot police will surround the torch on either side. About 3,000 police have been assigned to security.
Groups including Amnesty International and Reporters Without Borders have announced plans to protest.
About 2,000 Chinese exchange students, meanwhile, were expected to arrive in Nagano by bus to show their support.
Japanese officials called for calm.
"In a festive environment where everyone can celebrate, we hope the Olympic torch relay will proceed smoothly," Chief Cabinet Secretary Notubaka Machimura told reporters in Tokyo.
Besides the protests in Nagano, a handful of young people raised the flag of Tibet's exiled government Friday at a highway rest stop when the caravan carrying the torch pulled over. There were no confrontations.
After Nagano, the Olympic torch heads to Seoul, South Korea, on Sunday and then to Pyongyang, North Korea, on Monday.
A U.S.-based group, Human Rights Watch, urged South Korea on Friday to use the torch relay to highlight the plight of North Korean refugees in China.
Thousands of North Koreans are believed to be hiding in China after escaping their impoverished communist homeland. If caught, China sends them back to North Korea, where they face imprisonment in conditions that are often life-threatening.
The torch next travels to Vietnam, which expelled an American citizen of Vietnamese origin who planned to disrupt the relay there, state media reported Friday.
North Korean defectors vow to disrupt Olympic torch relay in the South
By JAE-SOON CHANG, AP - Sunday, April 27, 2008
North Korean defectors vowed to disrupt Sunday's South Korean leg of the Olympic torch relay in the latest controversy to hit the flame's protest-marred world tour on its way to Beijing.
The defectors said they are protesting China's repatriation of refugees back to North Korea, where they could face execution.
The North Koreans added to the chorus of criticism that has dogged the Olympic flame on its way to the games in August in the Chinese capital. Other demonstrators have decried China's recent crackdown on protests in Tibet and Beijing's overall human rights record.
The latest protests came Saturday in Japan where Tibet supporters threw eggs and tomatoes but were outnumbered by Chinese boosters welcoming the flame.
Han Chang Kwon, head of a coalition of groups representing North Korean defectors in South Korea, told The Associated Press that Sunday's defectors' protest could become violent. He provided no details.
He said the defectors in South Korea were "boiling with anger" because some who escaped to China from the North had been repatriated.
"While trying to improve its image with the Olympics, it (China) keeps sending defectors to the North knowing they would be executed or sent to political prisons," Han said, calling China "double-faced."
Han said he hoped the protest would give North Korean leader Kim Jong Il "a stroke."
Sunday's Seoul torch run will take the flame on a 24-kilometer (15-mile) route from the Olympic Park in southern Seoul to City Hall.
Police plan to dispatch some 8,000 riot police to guard the flame, while deploying some 100 officers with marathon-running experience to run next to the torch in shifts. Officials have threatened to arrest anyone who tries to interrupt the relay.
Thousands of North Koreans are believed to be hiding in China after fleeing their homeland.
Two South Koreans who had been slated to run in the torch relay said they would boycott the event to protest China's crackdown in Tibet.
The torch arrives in South Korea on Sunday for the relay and will head to Pyongyang, the North Korean capital, on Monday.
Malaysian elections bring activists, bloggers, and 'rabble-rousers' into Parliament
By JULIA ZAPPEI, AP April 27, 2008
KUALA LUMPUR - Four months ago Tian Chua was arrested trying to enter the Parliament building to protest a Constitutional amendment that activists say would curtail civil rights.
But when Parliament reopens Monday, he will walk in with pride and dignity to take a seat for the next five years.
Chua is one of several unlikely opposition candidates, ranging from human rights activists to bloggers, who won the March 8 general elections that changed the face of Malaysian politics almost overnight.
For the first time since Malaysia's independence in 1957, the opposition won a record 82 seats in the 222-member Parliament, many of them going to first-time candidates like Chua who were long considered by the government as nuisances and rabble-rousers.
The elections ended virtual one-party rule by the National Front coalition, giving a large chunk of Parliament to the opposition, which until now had only 19 seats.
Parliament "will be a very lively thing. It will resemble a two-party situation," said Chua, who won a seat for the People's Justice Party, one of three parties in the opposition People's Alliance coalition.
After lawmakers are sworn in Monday, Parliament will be formally declared open by the king on Tuesday.
The People's Alliance largely benefited from a protest vote against the National Front because of anger over a host of reasons _ discrimination faced by the ethnic Chinese and Indian minorities, corruption that subverted an affirmative action program for the majority Malays, inflation, and the general arrogance of ruling party members.
While the opposition put up professional politicians in the elections, it also fielded a large number of novices including Internet-savvy professionals, civil society members, human rights activists, and lawyers.
"Everybody is eager" for the new parliament to meet, said Mohammad Agus Yusoff, a political science professor at the National University of Malaysia. "It's the first time in Malaysian political history ... that so many new faces are in," he said.
"Before this, the government MPs were complacent. This time around they don't have the blank check anymore," he said.
Among those who won on an opposition ticket is a prominent blogger, Jeff Ooi, who wrote fiery anti-government articles during the campaign, attracting a huge following in cyberspace. Many Malaysians turned to the Internet because the mainstream media are tightly controlled by the government.
"It's only with the free flow of information that you get to weed out corruption and so on," said Ooi, 52, a former advertising executive. "Parliament is going to be a noisy place ... I think we are going to give the backbenchers a run for their money."
Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's son-in-law, Khairy Jamaluddin, who also won a seat in Parliament for the ruling party, once compared bloggers to "monkeys" living by the law of the jungle.
Nur Jazlan Mohamed, a colleague of Khairy, said he welcomed more debate in Parliament as long as it did not touch on sensitive issues such as race.
Lawmakers must know their limits, he said. "They must also be very careful what they say as not to make the other races, especially Malays, angry," he said.
A surprise winner in the elections was Loh Gwo Burne, who had not even thought of entering politics until this year.
Loh shot to fame when he stepped forward as the person who had secretly filmed a lawyer, V.K. Lingam, allegedly brokering judicial appointments. Loh said when he took the video in 2001, it was not with the intention of exposing corruption but because he was bored and was testing his new camera's capability.
Loh went to Lingam's house with his father to discuss business matters and turned on the camera while the lawyer was discussing judicial appointments with someone on the phone. The video found its way to opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, who released it last September, making it a major weapon to flog the government with.
Loh said Anwar persuaded him to stand for elections for the People's Justice Party.
"My political aspirations are about a month old now. I will try to do as much as I can. There is too much nonsense going on in the country," said the 34-year-old businessman who recently moved back to Malaysia from Shanghai.
Now that he is allowed into the Parliament building, Chua said he would push to address civil liberty issues and corruption.
Altogether 11 opposition parliamentarians, including Chua have been imprisoned at one time or another under the Internal Security Act, which allows indefinite detention without trial, because their political activism allegedly made them security threats.
He and other new lawmakers have long campaigned to scrap the ISA and other laws that curtail freedom of expression.
Constitutional amendments, such as the one Chua got arrested protesting, can no longer be made easily. The government needs a two-thirds parliamentary majority to make such changes, but after the devastating election losses, it now only possesses a simple majority.
Torch security smothers relay Four injured as demonstrators brawl in Nagano
April 27, 2008
NAGANO (Kyodo) Olympic torch bearers dashed past sporadic protests Saturday as heavy security shielded the Japanese leg of the world relay by lining streets with thousands of riot police and closely monitoring the event with helicopters.
Police guards in track suits surrounded the torch bearers while another 100 uniformed riot police trotted alongside six patrol cars and two motorcycles. The convoy was backed up by thousands of other police.
Japanese officials said the high-profile security was unavoidable, but it dissipated any festive mood in Nagano, which hosted the 1998 Winter Games.
Four people were injured by confrontations and protests at the event, which attracted hundreds of protestors.
Five men — four Japanese and a pro-Tibetan resident of Taiwan — were arrested separately during the relay. Three were apprehended after trying to charge the torch, while the fourth threw eggs and the fifth hurled tomatoes at the flame.
All were quickly pounced on by the police, police official Akiko Fuseya said.
NHK reported that a smoke-emitting tube was thrown at the relay but didn't affect it.
Yelling "Free Tibet," marchers crowded streets near the route, and various confrontations broke out, fire officials said.
Hundreds of protesters and supporters were seen gathered near Zenkoji Temple, holding the flags of both Tibet and China. The Buddhist temple had been designated as the original starting point before it pulled out in protest.
One of the Japanese spectators told a Chinese man who was raising the Chinese flag, "China's human rights violations are derived from your country's imperialism."
The Chinese man yelled back: "Imperialism and colonialism are Japan's well known features," before the two engaged in a heated verbal exchange.
He Huiqun, a 33-year-old Chinese student at a Japanese university, said he backed his country's stance on Tibet.
"Today we came here in 16 vehicles with friends and students to back the torch relay," he said. "Tibet is part of China."
Several hundred more, divided into pro-China and pro-Tibet factions, rallied in front of JR Nagano Station.
"I came from Tokyo to show my support for Tibet," said Toru Watanabe. "I'm glad it was peaceful, but it was impossible to see the torch."
Groups including Amnesty International and Reporters Without Borders planned to protest peacefully throughout the day.
"I hope there won't be any more problems. The Olympics are supposed to be about international unity," said Gao Rui, who came with his family, waving red Chinese flags.
The new starting point for the relay, a parking lot chosen at the last minute to replace the temple, was closed to the public, as were all rest stops along the way.
Four hours later, the torch arrived at the Wakasato Park, the terminus of the Japanese leg, much as it had traversed the mountain resort — amid a red, blue and yellow sea of both Chinese supporters and pro-Tibet demonstrators.
The last runner, gold-medalist Mizuki Noguchi, who won the marathon at the Athens Olympics, found more than 1,000 protesters and supporters waving Tibetan or Chinese flags when she reached the goal line in pouring rain.
"I'm so glad that I could safely light the caldron," Noguchi said. "I ran as I wished for the success of the Beijing Olympics and peace."
The relay, making its 16th international stop, has been disrupted by protests or conducted under extremely heavy security at several sites since leaving Greece.
After arriving in Nagano by bus early Friday, the flame was spirited away to a hotel and put under heavy security.
Japan took severe measures to ensure its 18.7-km relay went smoothly, mobilizing about 3,000 riot police.
The Olympic flame later departed for Tokyo by shinkansen and was to leave Japan from Haneda airport at 11:30 p.m. for Seoul.
The international route ends next week, after stops in South Korea on Sunday, North Korea on Monday and Vietnam on Tuesday. The flame arrives on Chinese soil on Wednesday in Hong Kong, for a long journey around the host country before the games officially start on Aug. 8.
The protests were largely in response to China's bloody crackdown last month on protesters in Tibet, which it has governed since the 1950s, and to concerns over human rights issues in China. Between 20 and 80 people were reportedly killed in the crackdown. Hundreds more were arrested.
Coinciding with the start of the relay, which began under a light rain, a prayer vigil was held at Zenkoji Temple.
About 30 Tibetans throughout Japan started by chanting Buddhist sutras in the Tibetan language, and then Japanese monks from Zenkoji Temple followed by reciting the "Hannyashinkyo" sutra.
Then the names of the people who died in the riot were read out in the ceremony.
Akemi Takahashi, public affair official of the Japan chapter of the Students for a Free Tibet which organized the vigil, said, "I hope dialogue between Dalai Lama and the Chinese government will happen before the opening of the Olympics," after the ceremony.
Chinese news media reported Friday that Chinese officials had agreed to meet a representative of Tibet's spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, in the near future.
But a 30-year-old Tibetan from Tokyo who goes by the name Kunga, said: "I don't believe that is happening as there would've been several reports regarding the Dalai Lama and the Chinese government talking, but it never happened."
SEOUL: The Olympic Park in Songpa-gu, southwestern Seoul was swarming with over 6,500 Chinese students and residents in Korea on Sunday afternoon holding or wrapping their bodies in Chinese flags. Many carried banners declaring, “We love China”, “We will let real China known to the world”, and “Tibet belongs to China forever.”
Before the Korean leg of the Olympic torch relay that had brought them together, some 180 activists were protesting against China’s repatriation of North Korean refugees and forceful repression in Tibet, shouting “No Human Rights, No Olympic Games!” They were soon confronted by more than 1,000 China supporters who were led by a man with a loudhailer shouting, “Jiayou Zhongguo! (Way to go, China!)”, their voices completely drowned out. Some pro-Chinese demonstrators threw paper cups and rocks at the activists.
Chinese students studying here seemed well organized in their efforts to guard the Olympic torch. Messages calling for concerted action began to appear in an online club of Chinese students in Korea two weeks ago. A 22-year-old Chinese student who said he studies at Korea University of Technology and Education said 30,000 Beijing Olympic T-shirts and 30,000 Chinese flags were sent to the demonstrators from China the day before the relay. Kim Seong-yong (71) from Seoul, who witnessed the event, said he had “never seen so many Chinese flags waving in central Seoul, not even during the Korean War.”
Even though 68 relay runners ran 22 km from the Olympic Park to City Hall, not many citizens were able to witness the relay because of police guards and some 6,500 Chinese supporters. A police officer said more than 9,300 police were mobilized to ensure the smooth running of the event, but there was no need as so many Chinese people came out to protect the relay. “Who could possibly stop the Olympic flame when there are so many people out to protect it?” the officer said.
When the torch was passing Sincheon Station in Songpa-gu at about 3 p.m., however, a North Korean defector was arrested after jumping into the relay route to snatch away the torch. He said he was protesting against China's forceful repatriation of North Korean refugees. “Many people died because they were sent back, and I tried to show my protest by putting out the torch,” he said. Police arrested three Koreans and one Chinese student for interfering with the torch relay.
HO CHI MINH CITY, Vietnam, April 28 (Xinhua) -- The plane carrying the Beijing Olympic flame landed Monday night at Tan Son Nhat International Airport of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, for Tuesday's torch relay through the heart of the city.
This is the 19th leg of the Beijing Olympic torch relay around the world, and also the first time for Vietnam to host an Olympic torch relay.
The special chartered plane touched down the airport at 23:05 local time (1505 GMT) from Pyongyang, capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, after six hours' flight.
Hoang Vinh Giang, vice chairman and general secretary of the Vietnam Olympic Committee and Chinese Ambassador to Vietnam Hu Qianwen walked up the plane to welcome the Flame.
Then, Li Binghua, executive vice president of the Beijing Organizing Committee of Olympic Games (BOCOG), who carried the lantern of the Flame, walked off the plane accompanied by Giang and Hu.
Li and the Flame received a warm welcome by the Chinese embassy staff, and representatives of Chinese businesses and students in Vietnam.
Giang told Xinhua at the airport that the Olympic torch relay is the most important event in the history of Vietnam's sports, and top leaders of the country had ordered relative departments to well prepare for the torch relay to ensure a complete success.
"Up to date, preparations are going on smoothly in general, and I believe the torch relay will be a great success," he said.
On Tuesday afternoon, the Olympic torch relay will start from the Opera House in the city center and conclude at a stadium near the Tan Son Nhat International, covering a route of 10-13 kilometers.
This is also the last leg of the Olympic flame's global journey outside China. After completing the Ho Chi Minh City torch relay, the Flame will head to Hong Kong.
HONG KONG, China (CNN) -- The protest-plagued Olympic torch relay arrived in Hong Kong Wednesday, its first stop on Chinese soil.
Authorities in Hong Kong deported at least seven activists before the flame's arrival and braced for possible protests and the arrival of more activists prior to the official torch run on Friday.
The flame arrived at 2 p.m. (6 a.m. GMT) with red-carpet treatment at Hong Kong International airport, greeted by a row of children waving Chinese flags and a band playing patriotic tunes.
The occasion also marked the 100-day countdown to the start of the Beijing Olympic Games, which begin on August 8.
Authorities plan to deploy 3,000 officers to guard the flame, according to media accounts.
Demonstrators criticizing Beijing's human rights record and its recent crackdown in Tibet dogged the relay in London, England; Paris, France; and San Francisco, California.
However, the flame had protest-free jaunts in Pyongyang, North Korea, on Monday and Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, on Tuesday -- the last stop in a 29-day odyssey through 21 cities in five continents before entering China.
The torch relay also will stop in Macau before heading to the mainland, including Tibet, where Chinese authorities cracked down after violent riots broke out against Han Chinese there in March.
There sometime in May weather-permitting, Chinese climbers plan to take the Olympic flame to the summit of Mount Everest, the world's highest peak at 29,028 feet (8,848 meters).
Since its handover to China by the British in 1997, Hong Kong has been allowed to run its own domestic affairs with considerable autonomy until 2047.
The territory grants visa-free entry to many Westerners, raising the possibility that the relay Friday could be greeted with the kind of protests it has faced in some other stops.
However, three pro-Tibet campaigners and a freedom of speech activist were barred entry into Hong Kong and questioned for hours at the airport before being deported, according to Students for a Free Tibet's web site.
The trio involved two of its members and an organizer with the Free Tibet Campaign. Their plan was to take part in a press conference that would draw attention to the likelihood of violent protests, if China did not cancel the "provocative" Tibet leg of the torch relay.
"The Chinese government has shut out international observers and media from Tibet, and now they have even stopped individuals from speaking out in Hong Kong about the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Tibet," said Kate Woznow, campaign director for Students for a Free Tibet.
China says 18 civilians and a police officer were killed in Lhasa during the March violence. Tibetan exile groups say many times that number were killed in the ensuing crackdown.
Also deported Tuesday was free speech activist Zhang Yu, who was flying in to take part in "World Press Freedom Day." The four-day conference calls for freedom of expression in China.
He was detained for seven hours before being deported, the Hong Kong Journalists Association said.
Authorities did not specify a reason for barring his entry, said the association's general secretary, Mak Yin-ting.
Danish sculptor Jens Galschiot and two others were detained and deported on Saturday while trying to participate in the same conference, Mak added.
"Jens was coming here to promote the freedom of expression, but he himself was deprived of the freedom of expression," Mak said. "The Chinese government pledged to have a free press if it could host the games. We urge the Chinese government to do it."
Galschiot created "The Pillar of Shame," a sculpture in Hong Kong depicting 50 torn and twisted bodies to symbolize those who died in the 1989 Chinese crackdown at Beijing's Tiananmen Square.
Actress Mia Farrow planned to fly in on Thursday to raise awareness about the fighting in Sudan's Darfur region, where an estimated 300,000 people have been killed and 2.5 million others displaced. She will call for China to press Sudan to let more U.N. peacekeepers in to Darfur.
China is believed to have special influence with the Islamic regime because it buys two-thirds of Sudan's oil exports and sells weapons to Sudan. China also defends Khartoum in the U.N. Security Council.
Nepal, meanwhile, deported a U.S. citizen on Tuesday for allegedly holding a "Free Tibet" banner on Mount Everest.
Even though the climb up Everest will take place on the Chinese side of the mountain, Nepal has posted about 25 security personnel on its side of the mountain -- an attempt to maintain good relations with its neighbor. Nepal has granted them permission to shoot mountaineers engaged in anti-Chinese activities, according to a Home Ministry official.
36 comments:
Dalai Lama 'powerless' to stop protests
Singapore's Super declines.
With their huge banking investments in the West souring fast, Singaporeans are becoming nervous about what will happen to their money.
By Seah Chiang Nee
Mar 20, 2008
When the government invested US$22b on three foreign banks – UBS (US$11b), Citigroup (US$6.88) and Merrill Lynch (US$4.4b) – it called it ‘opportunistic’ and meant for long-term strategic purposes.
After all, getting large chucks of such banks was a golden opportunity. Anyway it fit into the national scheme of developing Singapore into a financial hub.
And buying into a string of major banks in the world, east and west –if they can be had - is a part of it.
Since these historical purchases, the financial picture in the US and Europe has deteriorated with values dropping by the week.
Twenty years ago Singaporeans would have been contended to leave things unquestionably to the hands of the government – especially Temasek Holdings and the Government Investment Corporation.
After all, few people at the time were educated enough to understand the intricacies of financial investment anyway. But no longer!
More and more Singaporeans today understand these things. They know the risks involved. They read research reports.
As the bad banking news continued to pour out of the United States and Europe, informed Singaporeans are increasingly worried about the US$22b invested in troubled companies.
Even ordinary men in the heartland, incomplete as their information may be, talk about government’s “huge losses” overseas. All of them have to be assuaged.
This means that all-covering statements like “We have confidence in these companies” or that “Ours is for long-term investment” are no longer adequate to dispel Singaporeans’ concern.
What we need are more detailed accounts of where our investments stand every quarter (like other companies needed because things change rapidly), how much dividend our investments have yielded and what sort of paper or real losses we have suffered on each big investment.
I believe that by and large, Singaporeans understand the risk of global investments. They also know that these banks are long-term investments and that short-term paper losses are part of life.
The more business savvy will understand that every one of Temasek’s investments is profitable, but if it is well managed, the bottom line should be able to beat market performance.
It is too early to call it a terrible investment; it is still early.
It may be possible that the banking crisis in American and Europe – especially regarding UBS, Merrill Lynch and Citigroup – may clear up in two or five or 10 years, in which case, the sun will shine again.
But what Singaporeans would like are very frank disclosures (whether the news is good or bad) and to receive the sort of frank, hard-hitting statements Mr. Lee Kuan Yew makes when things go wrong.
Like his recent one on the disgraceful escape of Mas Selamat Kastari!
When that happens, it could be assuring to have a confident leader addressing us with candour, hiding nothing. It will make people feel better. Ironic, but it’s true!
Not saying anything when people are very worried about their reserves is tantamount to dereliction of duty. Silence won’t make people less worried.
When the mainstream media avoids openly discussing this controversy or raising the question whether we were wrong to have gone so early in the game hasn’t helped its credibility. It is a big story for us.
In this case, pursuing a “Ignorance is bliss” attitude cannot be tolerated.
At any rate, Singaporeans can still get the bad comments from generally reliable sources in the West – through the Internet.
一生的使命
法王一生中有三個使命。
第一個使命是有關全人類的。他致力提昇諸如慈悲、寬恕、包容、知足及自律，這些人類的價值。所有的人都是一樣的。我們都希求快樂，遠離痛苦。即使沒有宗教信仰的人也認同這些人類價值在追求幸福上的重要性。法王認為這些價值是非常重要的世間道德。他一直努力宣揚並與每一個人分享這些價值。
第二，是有關宗教信仰者的。法王的第二使命是促進世界主要宗教傳統之間的和諧及相互了解。儘管不同的宗教有其哲學差異，但是所有主要的宗教都有同樣的能力來創造出優秀的人類。因此所有的宗教都必須相互尊重，並瞭解彼此不同的傳承價值。一個真理或一個宗教就個人來說，意義重大；然而就團體而言，不同的幾個真理或不同的宗教卻是必要的。
第三，法王是一個西藏人，而且具有達賴喇嘛的名號，身負所有西藏人的信賴。因此他的第三個使命有關於西藏問題。法王有一個責任，那就是要扮演西藏人民爭取公義的代言人。就這一點而言，只要西藏人和中國人之間的雙贏策略實現，此一使命就算完成。
然而，法王對前兩項使命的努力，則將終其一生，永不停歇。
Tibetan National Anthem
YouTube Unplugged
As Foreign Governments Block Sensitive
Content, Video Site Must Pick Between
Bending to Censorship, Doing Business
By JANE SPENCER and KEVIN J. DELANEY
March 21, 2008
On Sunday, access to Google Inc.'s YouTube inside China was cut off after the Web site was flooded with graphic images from Tibet, including videos of burning trucks and monks being dragged through the streets by Chinese soldiers.
Blocking Western Web sites is routine in China, where the government has tightly controlled the flow of information. But the new YouTube blackout is the latest in a string of clashes between the site and foreign governments in Asia and the Middle East that's forcing the company to grapple with the consequences of its increasingly global reach.
Google Chief Executive Eric Schmidt raised the issue in a meeting in Beijing with Cai Mingzhao, vice minister of the State Council Information Office, on Monday, the company said. The Council denied any knowledge of the blockage and promised to investigate, according to Google. On Thursday, YouTube remained inaccessible from China except to users who took extra technical steps to circumvent the ban.
Last Friday, a Turkish court banned YouTube over a clip deemed disrespectful to Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, Turkey's founder. In February, Pakistan briefly banned YouTube because of an anti-Islam video clip posted on the site that the government said was so inflammatory it could spark riots. In the fall, Thailand blocked YouTube after the site refused to remove a video considered insulting to the nation's king. (The clip showed a pair of women's feet -- considered the most offensive part of the body -- above the king's head.) And citizens in a number of other countries, including Syria, United Arab Emirates and Morocco, have reported YouTube outages after sensitive content was posted.
The clashes have implications for YouTube's growth abroad, potentially forcing the company to choose between bending to censorship and losing business opportunities.
"This is a situation that the company and all Internet companies will be facing in many countries with all types of political systems as the Internet matures and millions more people log on," says Robert Boorstin, Google's director of policy communications in Washington. "At all times, our goal is to maximize the amount of information available to citizens around the world."
Nowhere is the issue more pressing than in China -- home to the world's largest population of Web users -- where agreeing to government censorship has been a basic condition of doing business for years. YouTube is still a relatively small player in China, lagging behind homegrown competitors like Tudou.com and Yoku.com. But it has a loyal following among young urban Chinese, who use it to find cutting-edge animation clips from Korea and Japan. Many Chinese also know YouTube as a place to find sensitive clips that have been removed from other Chinese sites.
The site has been blocked in China several times before, including for an extended period in October. That was around the time that YouTube launched a site in Taiwan, the U.S. Congress awarded the Dalai Lama its gold medal and the Chinese Communist Party congress was under way. YouTube has localized versions of its site in Taiwan and Hong Kong, but not one hosted in China itself, a move that would require an Internet-content license from the Chinese government. Google has said it doesn't plan to host user-generated content, such as video, blogs or email, on computer servers in China. Such materials would be vulnerable to seizure by the government if located on servers there.
Google previously grappled with censorship issues in China when it released a Chinese search service in January 2006. At the time, it decided to censor its search results to comply with Beijing's strict limits on access to information, concluding that was better than not offering any regularly accessible service at all. On Thursday, a Google search for "Tibet" and "riots" turned up few results. The same search on Google's U.S.-based English search site produced some 461,000 results.
So far, YouTube is taking a similar approach, despite ongoing debate at Google over the strategy. In Thailand, in order to be accessible, it agreed to block Thai users from seeing clips deemed insulting to the king in violation of Thai law. In Turkey, YouTube has suspended the account of the person who uploaded the Ataturk video, though the site remains banned there. In Myanmar, YouTube was banned after clips of protesting monks appeared on the site. In that case, YouTube declined to remove the clips and remains banned.
Media analysts say YouTube's string of censorship flare-ups -- and the site's sometimes inconsistent responses -- indicate it needs to develop a more transparent strategy for dealing with these issues. YouTube's community guidelines state the site encourages "free speech and defend[s] everyone's right to express unpopular points of view." But the site also reserves the right to remove content it deems inappropriate, which gives it significant discretion when it comes to politically sensitive content.
"We have a delicate balancing act between being a platform for free expression and also obeying local laws around the world," says YouTube spokesman Ricardo Reyes.
YouTube reviews videos when they are flagged by users to determine whether they violate its terms of use, which prohibit such content as graphic violence. YouTube users can appeal the removal of videos, which can trigger a secondary review.
After being alerted by users last month, YouTube removed a video clip that appeared to document abuse of prisoners at a Russian prison camp that YouTube determined violated the site's graphic-violence policy. It eventually restored the video but required viewers to click to consent to watch a clip that "may contain content that is inappropriate for some users." YouTube says its staff hadn't initially been aware that the video was meant to document alleged human-rights abuses.
The stakes are high because material distributed on YouTube is affecting some of the world's most incendiary political situations. "It's actually changed the whole political scenario in Pakistan," says Shahzad Ahmad, an activist with the civil-rights group Bytes for All in Pakistan, who believes the site played a role in the defeat to Pervez Musharraf's party in recent elections.
Google has reached out to the U.S. State Department for assistance with the censorship issue in China, says a person familiar with the matter. The company, along with Yahoo Inc., Microsoft Corp. and others, has been working for more than 18 months with human-rights groups, academics and socially responsible investors to develop a code of conduct for operating in countries that limit free expression and individual privacy. A bill to be considered by Congress would require U.S. companies to provide the U.S. government with details of any compliance with censorship in Internet-restricting countries.
-- Juliet Ye contributed to this article.
Tibetans mourn five young women who died in riot
March 21, 2008
More than 100 citizens mourned five women victims of the Tibet riot in front of the shop where they died.
Holding lilies and candles, mourners shuffled slowly forward in a queue. They put flowers and candles in front of the young women’s photos posted on the burnt wall of the shop.
The five were sales assistants in a Yishion clothing store on a busy commercial street in downtown Lhasa. They were burnt to death in a fire started by rioters during the Lhasa riot last week.
They were Cering Zhoigar from Xigaze, Han Xinxin from Henan Province, and Chen Jia, Yang Dongmei and Liu Yan all from neighboring Sichuan Province.
“We were surrounded by yelling and the noise of windows shattering sometime after 2 p.m.,” said their 20-year-old colleague Zhoi’ma, the only survivor.
The young women huddled together, shaking and crying, when the mobs broke in to smash up the shop, Zhoi’ma said. “We were too scared to even breath.”
When flames spread upstairs, Zhoi’ma was the only one who squeezed through a small gap torn in the shop door by the mob.
“I can’t eat. I can’t sleep. I see their faces whenever I close my eyes,” Zhoi’ma said.
“I should have looked back. I shouted to them to follow me. I thought they were following me, but they didn’t,” said Zhoi’ma, the only survivor. “If I had looked back, they would be with me now.”
Chen Jia, 18 and the youngest of the five, sent a text message to her father at 3:42 p.m. on that fateful day, saying, “Mobs are killing people around my shop. We dare not go out. Don’t worry about me. Tell mum and my sister not to go out.”
Ten minutes later, the shop was on fire.
“My girl was wonderful. We all loved her,” said Chen Jun, Chen Jia’s father said.
Yishion’s owner, Tang Yanqing, from neighboring Qinghai Province, later found the bodies in the attic of her shop.
They were sitting and lying around a bed, their faces burnt black, said Tang, whose younger cousin Yang Dongmei was among the dead.
Cering Zhoigar’s aunt fainted when she saw the site of the 21-year-old’s death on Tuesday, said Cering Zhoigar’s brother, Damzhin.
“Why did they do this to her?” asked Damzhin.
A young women works nearby named Ma Xiaolan burst into tears at the scene. She said: “Cering Zhoigar and Chen Jia were my best friends in Lhasa. I knocked on Yishion’s door to warn them to escape in time. I didn’t know that it would be the final goodbye.”
A young Tibetan named Samzhub and his four colleagues hurried to the site from another town on hearing the sad story. They put their candles in front of the photos and bowed.
“I am too sad to say anything. These mobs were merciless,” Samzhub said.
The 18-year-old Chen Jia’s father murmured again and again: “Jiajia, I wish you a good journey to heaven.”
Chen Jun thanked the people who had come to mourn his daughter. More and more people joined in the queue, silently. They offered lilies in remembrance of the young women, as soft snow fell all around.
历史铁证：西藏是中国不可分割的一部分
国家档案局日前公布了15件档案，用历史的铁证证明从元代以来西藏就是中国不可分割的一部分。
Posted Saturday April 12, 2008
Tibet: The Truth (oppression, monks, nuns... you're wrong)
April 05, 2008
The West is trying to demonize China. Why? To ensure an upper-handed position economically, politically, and socially.
PLEASE SHARE THIS VIDEO - For some reason it is not showing up properly in YouTube searches.
Too many harbor strong opinions about Tibet, yet know nothing more than the few slogans offered by the mass-media outlets.
The media screams:
"They killed innocent monks!" - but those "innocent" monks and other young hooligans killed innocent Chinese before a single shot was fired on them.
"The Chinese are oppressive" - do you consider freeing over 95% of Tibetans from slavery, building a state of the art infrastructure, and a new economy oppressive?
"The Chinese suppress Tibetan Buddhism" - then why have the Chinese spent a fortune restoring ancient monasteries and places of religious significance?
China doesn't SPIN NEWS like we do. Their silence is too often mistaken as admission of guilt. Don't be another uninformed drone. Do everyone a favor and learn truths before forming opinions.
Here's to Peace & Harmony! The 2008 Beijing Olympics deserve support!
Posted Sunday April 13, 2008
True Reason behind the Tibetan Riot
The Truth of Tibet
Posted Sunday April 13, 2008
中国的城市 Chinese cities 2008
中国上下有100多个主要城市,其中每一个城市的背后都有着自己迷人的故事和灿烂的历 史,而现在这些城市都在创造充满活力的未来,为了是让以后的炎黄子孙们有更加绚丽的生 活.
*偏注:美国媒体如果高兴给自己国民播放20,30年前的中国图像片断的话,当然是无 所谓的,因为把自己锁在自己脑中的那片快乐土里是不会给他人带来任何伤害的,反倒是自 己会成自己的牺牲品.中国人在1840年时学到了这个硬道理,而我们永远,永远都不会 忘记...
There are more than 100 major cities in china, each one of them has fascinating stories and dazzlingly histories behind,and these cities are making more dynamic futures today, for a better, more colorful lifes of the following generations.
*on a side note:if the american media happy to show images and footages of china 20-30years back,it's fine..because locking one's self up in one's own fantasy land wounld not hurt others but one's self..and we chinese learnt that the hard way in 1840 and we shall never ever forget...
Posted Sunday April 13, 2008
金山抗议达赖感悲哀
来源： 侨报
http://www.usqiaobao.com
2008-04-12
【侨报记者张芷毓4月11日西雅图报道】在西藏发生暴乱、藏独阻扰奥运圣火传递的敏感时期，达赖喇嘛现身西雅图。虽然各方一再强调达赖此行的非政治性，然而有关奥运、西藏等议题总是见缝插针地被提及。当地中国留学生将借助网络发起和平集会，反对藏独分子的暴力行为，反对将奥运政治化。
达赖11日再次表示不支持杯葛北京奥运会。至于是否希望美国和世界其他国家领导人以杯葛奥运开幕式的行动支持西藏，他的回答是：“这由他们决定。”他同时言明自己要对中国传递的主要观点是：“我们不是反对你，我也不是在寻求分裂。”
达赖10日抵达西雅图下榻凯悦酒店时，向欢迎他的本地藏人表示，他支持非暴力的表达，为本周旧金山发生的抗议感到悲哀，因为示威抗议人士破坏了奥运火炬的传递。在与相关媒体的对话中，他说：“有礼的对话对改变我们的敌人非常重要。”
他此次西雅图之行是要出席11日至15日举行的以儿童教育为主旨的“慈悲种子”集会（Seed of Compassion），预计有15万人参与。12日下午他将出席在Qwest体育场举行的慈悲庆祝活动，14日下午在华盛顿大学演讲，华大同时将授予其人文学荣誉博士学位。
达赖在华大的演讲及荣誉博士学位授予引起各方的关注。华大校长艾默特（Mark Emmert）指出，华大的活动不涉及政治，但达赖有讲任何问题的自由。华大早前要求学生提交问题，大约60名学生作出回应，其中8人的问题涉及中国或西藏；但华大官方首选了14名提问学生，故意将政治问题排除在外。
中国驻旧金山总领事高占生在3月25日致信华大校长，信中称达赖是“涉及西藏分裂活动的流亡政治人物”，最近在拉萨发生的暴力事件证明“达赖派系在过去几十年从来没有放弃‘西藏独立’的立场”。高占生说：“所以，我诚挚地希望您和您的同事能不与达赖会面，不参加为他举行的任何活动，也不为他的活动提供场地。”艾默特4月2日回信，称华大会继续活动，学位的授予是“基于对达赖喇嘛作为精神领袖所从事的人道主义工作的认可”。他同时表示，作为一个学术机构，不会参与外交政治事务，期望能保持独立。
华大的中国留学生借助网络发起和平集会，反对藏独分子的暴力行为，反对将奥运政治化，呼吁维护祖国团结稳定。和平集会人士将于14日下午1时在华大红场（Red Square）集合，后游行至达赖演讲的地点进行集会抗议。同时，西雅图藏青会表示将于12日晚举行烛光守夜活动。华州藏人协会称不会举行示威集会，因为达赖身在西雅图，就已引起各方关注。
Posted Sunday April 13, 2008
留學生Youtube亮劍挑戰西方媒體
2008年03月24日
【本報訊】在中國官方嚴格控制的互聯網上，有一群中國人自發的向西方媒體發起了挑戰。Youtube上一個名為“西藏過去、現在和將來都屬於中國一部分”的視頻在三天之內點擊量接近120萬次，各種語言的評論72000多條，並引發了中西方關于西藏問題的大辯論。德國之聲中文網採訪了這位已經成為“網絡英雄”視頻製作者，並綜合報導如下：
"Tibet WAS, IS, and ALWAYS WILL BE a part of China" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9QNKB34cJo#)，一段7分鐘的視頻，網名“情緣∮黃金少”的他僅僅用了7分鐘就做完了。在接受德國之聲中文網採訪時，“情緣∮黃金少”說：“我要讓中國人的聲音，真實的聲音被聽到。雖然不可能每個被媒體轟炸過的的人都能看到或者明白，但是我希望更多的人知道。”這雖然不是第一個在Youtube上向西方傳媒宣戰的中國草根媒體，卻無疑是迄今為止影響力最大的一個。
出生在西安的“情緣∮黃金少”15歲和家人移民到加拿大，目前21歲的他在大學上2年級，學商務，3月14日星期五下午幾乎所有的北美媒體都在連篇累牘的報導西藏騷亂的事件，出于對西方媒體的不滿，“黃金少”做好視頻後放在了Youtube上，兩分鐘之後他就收到了回覆。
凌晨2點才睡的“情緣∮黃金少”早上6點就起來了，結果“簡直不敢想像，500多封郵件……上到Youtube，被徹底感動，全世界的華人都在支持我……美國的、加拿大的、英國的、法國的……網絡反饋比我能想像的100倍都要大很多。我特別要感謝海外華人，不管是在國內出生還是海外長大，走到哪裡，我們都知道，流在身上的血姓中國。”
中文網記者本打算要“情緣∮黃金少”的一張照片作為圖片資料，卻被婉言謝絕：“如果你們一定要放圖片的話，請放一個中華民族56個民族的照片代替吧。”
就在“情緣∮黃金少”的視頻作品問世兩天之後，另一名為“西藏騷亂：西方媒體的真實面孔” (Riot in Tibet: True face of western media)，網址： (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSQnK5FcKas)的視頻又成為了Youtube上的新寵。這段視頻在開篇就指出：“西藏騷亂期間，所有的西方媒體都'興奮異常'的去報到那些所謂的'真相'，現在我們就向大家展示一下，那些照片是怎樣的被西方媒體修改之後去詆毀中國的”。
視頻中涉及的西方媒體包括德國的N-TV，圖片報(Bild Zeitung)，RTL電視台，美國的華盛頓郵報，這幾家媒體涉嫌將尼泊爾警察毆打示威者的圖片偷樑換柱的說成是中國警察在拉薩所為；而柏林早郵報(Berliner Mogenpost)，BBC等媒體，則被批評將中國警方的“營救”照片描述成“拘捕”；美國的CNN是刻意刪去了右側向行進中的軍車投擲石頭的人群的畫面，掐頭去尾給人以軍車肆虐拉薩街頭的政府暴力印象；德國的明鏡週刊也被指責使用錯誤的文字標題對圖片給予歪曲的暗示。
與“情緣∮黃金少”一時氣憤塗鴉而成的作品不同，此視頻的作者無疑是“有備而來”，蒐集和整理了大批的西方媒體報導並各個擊破，引起了中國普通大眾的一片叫好之聲。
這些“草根”在為中國做辯解，使得國際輿論以另外一個眼光來看中國，片面的壓制“草根媒體”實際上是在作繭自縛。西藏事件中，最起碼在影響公眾輿論空間的能力上，草根媒體所起的作用至少在海外，不會比溫家寶答記者問起得作用小。在各種網絡公共平台上，中國網民和“親中國”的外國網民與“親西藏”的網民正在展開著一場世界輿論“人民戰爭”。
Posted Sunday April 13, 2008
Beijing Olympic Torch Relay Runs into Chaos
ジャパン・ブリーフ/FPCJ, No.0819
April 10, 2008
The Olympic torch relay, a prelude to the Beijing Olympics scheduled to be held in China in August of this year, has been greeted by large-scale demonstrations in London and Paris, and an event that was supposed to celebrate the upcoming sporting festival has suddenly turned into a political issue. The purpose of the torch relay, which involves carrying a torch lit in Olympia, the site of the ancient Olympic Games in Greece, around the world, is to elevate the Olympics to a global “festival of peace.” Amid the swell of international opinion calling for the protection of human rights in China, however, a chaotic situation has arisen that casts doubt on whether the relay can be implemented according to plan.
The confusion surrounding the torch relay has attracted much attention in Japan as well, and four of the five national newspapers took up the issue in their editorials on April 9. Regarding the disruption of the torch relay in London and Paris by activists and others protesting China’s policy against recent disturbances in Tibet, Chief Cabinet Secretary Nobutaka Machimura said critically in a press conference on April 8 (Mainichi Shimbun, April 9), “People around the world are hoping for the success of the Beijing Olympics. Behavior that involves violent acts is definitely not desirable.” However, Machimura also had dialogue with the 14th Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism, in mind when he said, “China must also respond in good earnest to international opinion regarding Tibet.”
Largest Torch Relay in Olympic History
For the Chinese leadership, the Beijing Olympics are a perfect stage for showing China’s rise as a power to the world. Surpassing the realm of a major sporting event, the Beijing Olympics have taken on a political importance involving national prestige. As if to reflect this buoyancy on the Chinese side, this year’s torch relay is the largest in Olympic history in terms of distance, scope, and number of people participating. It will take the torch 130 days to complete the 137,000-kilometer course, which covers five continents, 21 cities, and, within China itself, 31 provinces, autonomous regions, and provincial-level municipalities. This grand plan was supposed to leave the world with a strong impression of China’s emergence as a power and to lay the groundwork for a successful Olympic Games in Beijing.
However, the torch, which left Beijing on April 1, quickly ran into trouble on April 6 and 7 in the form of violent disruptive acts in London and Paris. In London, people tried to grab the torch, and 35 demonstrators were arrested. In Paris, the flame was extinguished three times, and the relay had to be cut short. As the event attracted the attention of the international community, the gap between China’s great expectations of the torch relay and the harsh views of Western countries concerning China’s human rights policy was revealed in a highly dramatic manner.
The Mainichi editorial commented, “In the next destination, San Francisco, the Board of Supervisors is reported to have approved a resolution stating that the torch ‘is received with alarm and protest,’ and disruptive acts and protests exceeding those seen in London and Paris are expected. China sees the Beijing Olympics as a chance to show the world what great progress it has made, and it hoped that the torch relay would play a leading role. In reality, however, the torch relay seems to have become a target for protests against China. The torch is the symbol of a festival of peace, and it is quite unprecedented for it to receive such a stormy welcome in transit countries.”
Criticism of China’s Tibet Policy
The extraordinary scenes that occurred in London and Paris went totally against the Olympic ideals of peace and friendship. The newspaper editorials all strongly criticized the Chinese government’s policy toward Tibet as the main cause of this abnormal situation.
While noting that [in London and Paris] “groups of exiled Tibetans and human rights activists resorted to disruptive tactics, with some trying to grab the torch and to block the relay run. However, these unruly protests will do little to whip up sympathy for the causes the demonstrators are championing,” the Yomiuri Shimbun editorial observed, “The blame for this disgraceful situation that runs counter to the Games---a sporting event---rests with the Chinese side. US President George W. Bush held talks with his Chinese counterpart, Hu Jintao, last month over the phone. In the conversation, the US president expressed his concern over the Tibet situation and urged Hu to start ‘substantive dialogue’ with Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama. However, the Chinese president responded by justifying the use of force in the crackdown in Tibet. Hu described the protests in Tibet as undisguised serious and violent crimes. Tibet is calling for a ‘high level of autonomy,’ not independence.”
The Asahi Shimbun editorial similarly cautioned the Chinese authorities, remarking, “Europe has immigrants and refugees from Tibet. Some countries, like Britain, have close historic ties with Tibet. Traditionally, Europeans are sensitive to human rights issues. These factors no doubt explain the European reaction to the Tibet problem. How does the world regard China’s Tibet policy? Instead of ignoring international protests by saying the uprising was ‘orchestrated by the Dalai Lama and his clique,’ we urge China to squarely face the reality. China apparently wants to keep the sports festival quite separate from politics, but reality is not that simple.”
The Mainichi editorial stated, “As long as they do not involve violence, opinions opposing the Beijing Olympics should not be restricted. ‘Perfect security,’ which seeks to fend off inconvenient opinions by force, is not possible in a democratic state. The Chinese government must be aware that the key factor in whether the torch relay can safely complete its journey across five continents lies not in security in the transit countries but in its own attitude.”
Repercussions of the Torch Relay Chaos
If the confusion surrounding the torch relay continues, various problems could arise. Several of the editorials pointed to this possibility.
The Asahi editorial remarked, “What is worrisome is the reaction among ordinary Chinese. Every time scuffles over the torch relay are reported, the negative reactions to overseas protests among the people seem to rise. If countries give the Chinese public the impression that they are doing nothing to stop disruptions, it could incite Chinese nationalism.” The Yomiuri editorial noted with concern, “In China, patriotic nationalistic sentiments are becoming increasingly fervent. An Internet petition decrying recent anti–Beijing Games protests, including pledges not to attend the opening ceremony, collected 2.2 million signatures, mainly among young Chinese. If these angry sentiments end up morphing into criticism directed toward the Beijing government, the fabric of Chinese society could start fraying.”
The Sankei Shimbun editorial urged the International Olympic Committee to become actively involved, saying, “The principle that the Olympics emphasize most of all is human rights. If that is so, then would it not be a manifestation of the Olympic spirit, going beyond politics, for the International Olympic Committee to face up to the reality that, just ahead of the Beijing Olympics, people erupted in protest against the suppression of human rights in Tibet, with many of them being killed or injured, and to call on the international community, including the host country, to find a solution?”
Posted Monday April 14, 2008
INTERVIEW WITH CHINESE DISSIDENT LIU XIAOBO
'If the Games Fail, Human Rights Will Suffer'
April 07, 2008
With the Olympic Games rapidly approaching, more attention than ever is being focused on China's handling of protests in Tibet and on the state of human rights in the Communist country. SPIEGEL spoke with human rights advocate Liu Xiaobo about what to expect.
China's government has come under massive international criticism (more...) over its human rights record in the run-up up to the Olympic Games in Beijing this summer. China wanted to use the Olympics to show the world a new, modern face but the plan seems to be backfiring as Western countries sharply criticize China's handling of protests in Tibet last month. Some have even openly considered boycotting the Games.
SPIEGEL spoke to prominent human rights activist Liu Xiaobo about the current situation of human rights in China and the prospects for change.
SPIEGEL: A few months before the Olympic Games, criticism is mounting against the Chinese government -- both for its activity in Tibet and the fact that it throws human rights activists such as Hu Jia in jail. Did Beijing underestimate the consequences of hosting the Games?
Liu: I don't think so. The leadership knew that the conviction of Hu Jia would ruffle feathers. But it wasn't reckoning with the protests in Tibet. Now the entire world has its eyes on China. The response of European countries has been especially tough, much tougher than the US response. That surprised Beijing.
SPIEGEL: Why did Beijing want to host the Olympics in the first place?
Liu: The Party leader at the time, Jiang Zemin, wanted to show the world China's new status. And in winning the bid, the leaders could show the people how strong the government was. Plus, the leadership wanted to use the Games to strengthen nationalist sentiment. After June 4, 1989…
SPIEGEL: …the Tiananmen Square Massacre…
Liu: …its legitimacy was seriously weakened. The party was desperate to boost patriotism.
SPIEGEL: The Communist Party continues to claim that the Games have nothing to do with politics.
Liu: For the party, the Beijing Games are the biggest political happening of 2008. Everything revolves around them. This will be a huge celebration for the President Hu Jintao and the Premier Wen Jiabao.
SPIEGEL: In order to win the bid, Communist party functionaries promised more democracy. Did you believe them at the time?
Liu: No. I've heard the government say many nice things. But it did make some gestures, like writing human rights protection into the constitution -- that surprised me. And it improved the conditions for foreign journalists: It used to be impossible for you to meet with me personally. But there still hasn't been a real improvement in the human rights situation.
SPEIGEL: Does the government respond to pressure form the outside world?
Liu: Yes. If it didn't, the human rights situation would be much worse.
SPIEGEL: What would happen if the Games were boycotted?
Liu: That wouldn't be a good way to punish China. If the Games fail, human rights will suffer. The government would stop paying any attention to the rest of the world. I personally think: We want the Games and we want human rights to be respected.
SPIEGEL: What are you expecting in the coming months?
Liu: As soon as the torch reaches Western Europe, there will be protests. I think the government will respond to foreign pressure and criticism to diminish both. I hope they will decide to release Hu Jia prematurely, for health reasons.
SPIEGEL: What will China look like after the Games? More liberal? More open?
Liu: It will all progress very slowly. But the demands for freedom -- on the part of ordinary people but also party members -- won't be as easy to contain.
SPIEGEL: Do you think there could be a Chinese Gorbachev one day?
Liu: I can't imagine that. But the party will gradually open up. For instance, it has already set a time limit for political reforms in Hong Kong. And in four years time, there won't be a strongman to name the General Secretary at the party congress. That means that the various factions will have to develop better rules for naming their leader. But there won't be a timeline for political reform.
Interview conducted by Andreas Lorenz.
Posted Wednesday April 16, 2008
You must have heard the well-known maxim, "power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely". It literally means that anybody who is in a position of power will inevitably become corrupt.
Posted Thursday April 17, 2008
家乐福总部高层与商务部紧急沟通遭抵制事件
东方网 周益广
2008年04月17日
“家乐福正在遭遇一场危机。”4月16日，家乐福华东区公共事务总监于剑对本报记者说，语气急切，激动，又有几分无奈。当时，他正在参加公司一个研究应对这场危机的内部会议，
“这两天忙得焦头烂额。”他说。这一切都是从上周日他收到第一条“抵制家乐福”的短信时开始的。
“5月8日—24日，正好是北京奥运会的前三个月，所有人都不要去家乐福购物，理由是家乐福的大股东捐巨资给达赖，支持‘藏独’。那我们现在就来抵制一下家乐福，为期与北京奥运会同长，前后17天。让他们看看中国人和中国网络的力量。请转发给你所有的手机、MSN等的联络人，并且让他们的家人一起参与，让家乐福门可罗雀17天。”
这条短信通过手机、MSN、QQ、BBS等渠道迅速传播。短短3天之间，呼吁“五一期间不要光顾家乐福”、“抵制法国货”的帖子也遍布网络，跟帖者甚众。
号召“抵制”者的理由，除了短信中所说的之外，还因为他们认为法国部分人士支持“藏独”分裂分子，宣称抵制北京奥运，奥运圣火在巴黎传递时遭到“藏独”分子严重骚扰。
连日来，北京、青岛、昆明、福州等地的部分家乐福门店前，陆续有人拉起“抵制家乐福”的横幅标语，聚集了少量人群。
针对风波，16日，家乐福中国区发表声明，否认“家乐福支持‘藏独’”的说法，称这些传闻“完全是无中生有和没有任何依据的”，并表示“家乐福集团始终积极支持北京2008年奥运会”。
但声明发出后，风波迄今尚未见有平息的迹象。为此，于剑他们准备在近日召开新闻发布会，专门就此次的事件与中国的媒体沟通。
焦头烂额的公共事务总监
“大家的爱国热情我们可以理解，但是把情绪发到家乐福身上，把对象搞错了，因为家乐福一向以来支持北京奥运的，从来没有支持过达赖集团，”于剑对本报记者说。
“短信所说的是大股东捐钱给达赖集团，但股东只是买了家乐福的股票，公众谁都可以买家乐福的股票的。”于剑认为，这不是家乐福的错。
他介绍说，家乐福在中国的员工99%是中国人，在中国卖的商品，有95%以上是中国制造。抵制家乐福的后果，不仅是损害家乐福，同时会损害中国员工与中国供应商的利益。
“家乐福的商品卖不出去，最受伤的会是中国的供应商。”于剑说，家乐福在中国大多是合资公司，比如在上海，联华超市(0980.HK)就占有45%的股权，中国公司也能从家乐福分红。“大家不能因为抵制，最终害了中国人自己。”
负责政府关系与媒体关系的于剑几天来都在为这一事件四方奔走，通过各种渠道为家乐福辩护和澄清。而与此同时，上海各个写字楼里的白领们已经纷纷把“红心”符号挂到MSN签名里，继续传递和讨论着“抵制家乐福”的信息。
“我们可以去别的超市买东西，”上海一家广告公司的罗小姐说，“而且也关照家里的老人不要去。”
“我已经有10天不去家乐福了，今后一段时间也不去。”上海的陈小姐说，中国的供应商可以把商品放到家乐福里卖，同样也会放在世纪联华这些本土大卖场里销售，消费者不管从哪家超市买东西，都是中国供应商的，不去家乐福并不会影响中国商品的销售。
“虽然家乐福说他本身没有捐钱给达赖集团，但是家乐福在中国赚了钱之后，还是会给股东分红。大股东拿了家乐福分红的钱捐给达赖，这个利益链条太明显了。”上海的鲍先生在办公室里这样说服身边的同事继续“抵制”。
15日上午10点，30多名青年在昆明南屏步行街家乐福超市门前，拉开一条长20米的横幅，上面赫然写着几个大字：“支持奥运，反对藏独，抵制法货，抵制家乐福。”组织者和部分市民纷纷在横幅上签名表示支持。
当然也有不支持抵制的人，包括央视知名主持人白岩松。
“5月1日我肯定不去家乐福，然而却不是因为抵制，而是要去三亚为圣火到来做准备。”白岩松在网上发表的文章里说，家乐福里的职工大多是中国人，“拿别人的错误来惩罚自己，这等于太给别人面子”，不如“用我们的平静与大气，给他们(指捣乱圣火传递的人)一个进入历史的机会吧！”
旅居加拿大温哥华的第一零售网总编丁利国对本报记者说：“我觉得不应该把此事政治化，在加拿大过去几年也有人号召要抵制中国制造，但响应的人并不多，消费者不赞成，零售商也不赞成，因为它关系到他们的切身利益。现在大多数吃的用的都是中国制造的，抵制了，生活成本就会大幅度上升。”
丁利国说，据他了解，家乐福并不是一家很政治化的公司，它也很当地化，抵制它最多是一种情绪的发泄，但不是一种妥当的表达感情的办法。“家乐福中国从员工到管理层，到卖的东西，基本上都是中国人，中国货。”
与商务部的紧急沟通
连日来，“抵制”事件不仅引起了家乐福中国区高层的高度关注，“家乐福全球高层也非常重视。”
据于剑介绍，家乐福总部高层这两天已经迅速和中国商务部等政府主管部门进行了沟通，并要求中国区积极做好在华各分店的内部管理工作，特别是要求员工“要保持高度克制”，不要与可能出现的抗议群众发生冲突。
与此同时，家乐福中国区16日还向国内媒体发出了相应的《声明》。声明称，“家乐福集团从来没有，将来也不会做任何伤害中国人民感情的事情。”“有关家乐福集团支持个别非法政治组织的传闻完全是无中生有和没有任何依据的。”
可是，就在家乐福忙着四处救火的时候，短信仍然在火上浇油。
16日，一条有关家乐福应对措施的短消息，援引所谓“在家乐福上班的朋友”的话说，家乐福的应对措施是“在五一搞全国大促销，只要价格低过一成，肯定人满为患”。在舆情鼎沸之际，这则短信的刺激力可想而知。
“这条信息我也收到了，家乐福的管理层不可能说这种话，不可能愚蠢到这种程度。”于剑口气激动地对本报记者特别澄清，“这又是有人在恶搞！”
“这是家乐福的一场危机，我们不会去用降价促销这样的方式去应对这样的危机，降价促销方式也不会有什么效果。”于剑说，我们主要还是与政府部门与公众媒体保持良好的沟通，消除误会。同时加强内部管理，为消费者做好服务。
此外，于剑他们还在策划这几天召开一次新闻发布会，专门就此事件与中国的媒体沟通。
家乐福的大股东
“目前法国路易威登-莫特轩尼诗集团已经由(家乐福的)第二大股东上升为第一大股东……路易威登曾经给达赖捐过不少钱……”这是在网上广泛传播的“抵制”帖子的内容。
有关路易威登捐款的说法迄今未得到证实。根据公开资料，家乐福的大股东原本是哈雷家族，目前哈雷家族拥有该公司20%的投票权，总股份为13%.但这些股份分布在多个家族成员手中，前不久哈雷家族通过取消一份家族合同放弃了第一大股东地位。
于是，家乐福原第二大股东Blue Capital成为家乐福第一大股东，Blue Capital拥有家乐福10.7%的股份以及两个董事会席位。而Blue Capital是由法国投资者Bernard Arnault与私募股权公司Colony Capital共同创办的。Bernard Arnault就是法国首富，亦即路易威登-莫特轩尼诗集团的当家人。
号召抵制家乐福的网友认为，家乐福在中国每赚100元，占有10.7%股份的Bernard Arnault就可以分到10元，不能让他拿中国赚回去的钱去支持达赖集团。
Posted Thursday April 17, 2008
Published April 17, 2008
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Mistake to mix Tibet issue with Beijing Olympics
AS a subscriber of The Business Times, I enjoy reading the newspaper every day. Recently I noticed that there have been extensive reports and debates on Tibet and the Olympics issue in BT. As a mainland Chinese, I feel obliged to express my opinion.
First, I would like to give credit to the international mass media for its role in improving human rights for the ordinary Chinese. The nature of the communist government is such that it has absolute power over the people, who are always in a weaker position whether they negotiate over land, property, legal or political rights. Without the western media, Chinese people would have enjoyed less freedom and opportunity to voice their own feelings.
Personally, I am not sure how serious human rights abuses are in Tibet, as I receive contradictory messages from different sources. Obviously, the western media (eg CNN) and the China media (eg CCTV) are painting two different pictures. The western media has more credibility than the Chinese media. As a result, it is not surprising that a lot of people show empathy towards the Tibetans, even though many of them do not even know where Tibet is.
In my view, the Chinese government has made two mistakes on the Tibet issue. First, it claims that the issue is purely internal. While this is true from the point of view of sovereignty, the argument is not good enough to counter the Western media's charges of human right abuses.
Following this logic, dictators in, for example, Iraq, Zimbabwe and North Korea would have the right to do anything they like in their countries as it would be purely 'internal'. In addition, by asserting to the western media that 'it is none of your business', the Chinese government gives the impression of admitting there are de facto human rights abuses in Tibet, which may not be necessarily true.
Second, it is a mistake to paint the Dalai Lama as a devil. It is also a mistake to hold him responsible for the turmoil and violence relating to Tibet. He is almost certainly not the cause of this in the first place, and given the credibility of CCTV in the international community, such a depiction will only backfire and arouse people's sympathy towards the Dalai Lama.
I also do not think that it is realistic to expect Beijing to talk to the Dalai Lama. Beijing has appointed its own Dalai Lama in Lhasa and if it were to talk to the one based in India, it would effectively veto its own choice.
However, to mix the Tibet issue with the Olympics is an even more serious mistake. I do not see any logical link between the Olympics and Tibet. To boycott the Olympics because of Tibet seems like madness to me.
Take US presidential candidate Hillary Clinton who publicly advocates a boycott of the opening ceremony. Everybody knows that the reason she is doing this is not because she really cares about the living conditions of Tibetans, but because she wants to win more votes.
It's worth remembering that eight years ago, it was her husband, Bill Clinton, who supported China's entry into the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and urged the US Congress to put the Tibet issue aside and focus on 'economic interests' first. There has been no significant change in the Chinese government's policy on Tibet in the last eight years. If anything, there has only been improvement.
In addition, not only politicians but also people the world over should be aware that the Beijing Olympics is not just a Chinese government affair, but also an event of the Chinese people.
All Chinese, not only in China but also overseas, are very proud of the Beijing Olympics, which they see as an opportunity to show the beauty and achievements of China to the world. Some people are even willing to take physical risks for the cause, as illustrated by the Chinese girl who used her own body to protect the Olympic torch from being snatched by violent protesters in Paris.
Any move to boycott the Olympics or a part of it does not actually put any pressure on the Chinese government. It only hurts the feelings of the Chinese people, as well as the spirit of international sportsmanship.
Those who are against Beijing hosting the Olympics need to understand that even if they use the issue as a means to pressure Beijing on Tibet, it only serves to arouse nationalistic sentiments in the Chinese people. This, in turn, strengthens support for the Communist Party, which, in turn, empowers the government to further resist international pressure.
My view as an ordinary Chinese may not matter to politicians, the mass media or people in the West. However, to antagonise a population of more than two billion Chinese in the world would certainly do nobody from any country any good.
Wu Zhi Jian
Singapore (via Internet)
Posted Friday April 18, 2008
China urges control of 'patriotic fervor' over Tibet
Agence France-Presse
04/18/2008
BEIJING -- China has urged its people to contain their patriotism, in the first sign Beijing may be growing uncomfortable with a nationalist outburst over the Tibet issue that it has tacitly supported.
A dispatch issued late Thursday by state-controlled Xinhua news agency railed against "despicable" Western media coverage of the unrest in Tibet and said resulting Chinese indignation should be "cherished."
But it also said nationalist energies should be expressed in a "rational" way and focussed on building the nation.
"Patriotic fervor should be channeled into a rational track and must be transformed into real action toward doing our work well," said the report.
China's government and state media have repeatedly condemned what they call bias in foreign coverage of China's crackdown on Tibetan riots, which erupted in Lhasa on March 14 and spilled over into other Tibetan-populated regions.
The government's stance appears to have helped fuel attacks on the Chinese Internet directed at foreign media.
A number of online campaigns have been launched, including one calling for a boycott of French goods due to protests against China's Tibet policies that threw the Beijing Olympic torch relay's Paris leg into chaos last week.
Web users also have set up the website www.anti-cnn.com that criticizes the US-based news network's alleged anti-China bias.
On Friday, the e-mail boxes of major news organizations in Beijing, including AFP, were flooded with e-mails furious over "vicious distortions" in Tibet coverage.
China's Communist Party government, which swiftly quashes any expressions of public opinion it does not like, has so far allowed the attacks.
Xinhua's report appears to fit a pattern in which the control-conscious government has given free rein to such sentiments when it serves party interests, but curb them when they appear to be spiralling out of control.
After US forces mistakenly bombed the Chinese embassy in Belgrade in 1999, large anti-US protests were allowed in China before the government put an end to them.
In 2005, protesters were allowed to throw rocks and eggs at Japan's embassy in Beijing, among other anti-Japanese actions, triggered by a range of grievances between the two Asian rivals.
Posted Friday April 18, 2008
http://www.anti-cnn.com/
This website is established to expose the lies and distortions in the western media.
The site is maintained by volunteers, who are not associated with any government officials.
We are not against the western media, but against the lies and fabricated stories in the media.
We are not against the western people, but against the prejudice from the western society.
Posted Friday April 18, 2008
DISRUPTION OF TORCH RELAY
You'll be playing with fire
Any foreigner who takes part in protests during the run will be kicked out for good, police warn
Daily xpress
Friday, April 18, 2008
Protesters disrupting tomorrow's Olympic-torch relay will be arrested immediately and prosecuted for public disturbance, police say.
Foreigners will be expelled and banned from returning. Those with residency will have it revoked permanently, spokesman Lt-General Watcharaphol Prasarnratchakij says.
"If they come here and engage in unlawful acts, they must be prosecuted ... if they engage in illegal activity, we will proceed according to the law by revoking their visa," he says.
"We have prepared everything to ensure the smoothness of the ceremony."
A Government House source says there are groups in this country motivated to disrupt the relay, including human-rights groups and the local Falun Gong.
Additional police have been deployed to the Plaza Athenee Hotel, where the torch and Olympic flame are housed ahead of tomorrow's 3pm run.
There will be as many as 2,000 policemen on duty along the route, according to the Olympic Committee of Thailand.
Four police vehicles and six officers will accompany the relay at all times. A bomb squad and a canine crew are on standby as is a special weapons and tactics outfit.
The heavy security highlights concerns here and the government's desire to avoid similar chaos to that which occurred overseas.
Free Tibet Network member Pokpong Lawansiri disagrees with the stance against pro-Tibet protests.
"Under the Constitution, an individual - local or foreigner - has the right to rally for a cause," he says. "Peaceful rally should be allowed".
He expects about 100 members to protests.
Prime ministerial aide Akhaphol Sorrasuchart says protests can continue as long as there's no run disruption and they do not break other laws, including traffic, or damage property.
A number of locations have been prepared for protests, although he will not say where.
The relay route through normally crowded Bangkok has been cordoned off with barricades to deter protests.
Rallying point
Networks and organisations planning pro-Tibet activities tomorrow include:
>> Free Tibet Network, Thai Labour Campaign Group, Chulalongkorn University social critics, Activists for Social Change, Young People for Democracy Movement and Workers Democracy.
>> Others include Reporters Without Borders and China pro-democracy and pro-Taiwan groups.
Posted Friday, April 18, 2008
Freedom's just another word for nothin' left to lose - Janis Joplin
抵制家乐福_合肥三里庵实况
Posted Saturday, April 19, 2008
China to reopen Tibet to foreign tourists "soon"
By Ben Blanchard
April 18, 2008
BEIJING (Reuters) - China will reopen the restive mountainous region of Tibet to foreign tourists "soon" and temples will also resume religious activities, state media said on Saturday, in the wake of pro-independence protests last month.
"The Tibet tourism bureau is doing its utmost to prepare for the reopening of all tourist spots," the official China Daily cited a government statement as saying, though it did not provide an exact date.
Chinese media had reported that the region would reopen to foreign tourists from May 1, though officials have not confirmed this and a U.S.-based rights group says Beijing does not plan to allow foreigners in until after this August's Olympics.
Tourism is a vital source of cash for the impoverished region, where 4 million tourists last year flocked to see historic temples, experience Tibetan culture and enjoy breathtaking natural scenery.
All foreigners visiting Tibet need special permits.
The Xinhua news agency added that Lhasa temples affected by the unrest would also restart their religious activities soon.
It paraphrased Tibetan official Tubdain Cewang as saying "Lhasa's temples were recovering from the riot, with religious activities returning to order, and would reopen to tourists in the near future."
The Drepung Monastery "will soon hold activities including Buddhist services and debates on Buddhist doctrines five times every month, as before the March 14 riot hit the city," it quoted the temple's administrative director Ngawang Dongjue, as saying.
That report did not provide a date either.
Beijing has accused the Dalai Lama, Tibet's exiled spiritual leader, of masterminding the unrest as part of a bid for independence and with an eye to spoiling the Beijing Games. The Dalai Lama rejects the accusations and says he does not seek independence for Tibet.
China continued its verbal attacks on the Dalai Lama on Saturday, blasting him in the overseas edition of the Communist Party mouthpiece the People's Daily for trying to use the cause of human rights to advance his agenda.
"'Human rights' seems like a trump card that the Dalai has a keen interest in. He loves to play it, and he plays it well," the newspaper said in a commentary on its front page signed by a senior editor.
But his failure to condemn "the cruel injuries inflicted on innocent Tibetans and Chinese by hooligans and their burning of shops and schools," showed his true colors, it added.
"In the history of China and other countries, is it possible to find a 'human rights guard' like this?" the newspaper said.
The Dalai Lama has spoken out against the use of violence, calling for talks with China and backing the Beijing Games.
China says he is insincere, though.
Posted Saturday, April 19, 2008
Thai police brace for anti-China torch protests
April 19, 2008
BANGKOK (Reuters) - Hundreds of Thai police braced for another round of anti-China protests on Saturday as the Olympic torch was readied for its parade through Bangkok, the latest leg of its troubled tour from Greece to Beijing.
Several groups angry at Beijing's human rights record and its rule in Tibet are planning demonstrations but will meet no opposition from police as long as they remain orderly, Thai Olympic chief General Yuthasak Sasiprapa said.
"If they are peaceful, it's OK," he told Reuters. "But we will not tolerate any violent or illegal protests. The torch and runners will be tightly escorted by police patrols and motorcycles all along the route."
The 10.5-km (6.5-mile) relay is due to start at 0800 GMT in the capital's China Town -- a reflection of Thailand's close social ties to its giant regional neighbour -- before proceeding past the golden-spired Grand Palace.
The main protest during the procession will be outside the regional headquarters of the United Nations, where a dozen pro-democracy groups say they will demonstrate against China's crackdown on unrest in Tibet in March.
Police Special Branch officers say they are also aware of a move by local supporters of Falun Gong, the religious group outlawed by Beijing, to voice their opposition to the Games, which open in Beijing on August 8.
Several thousand police have been drafted in to protect the torch route, which has not been altered by security chiefs, although short-cuts and alternative paths have been made ready in case of any "unexpected incidents", Yuthasak said.
On the previous leg of the symbolic flame's swing through Asia, India had to deploy 15,000 police to keep at bay protesters from the world's largest community of exiled Tibetans.
Posted Saturday, April 19, 2008
Let the olympic torch relay pass unimpeded
Spoiling the event will be of no benefit; diplomacy is the best way to push for change in China
The Nation
April 19, 2008
The Olympic torch relay has finally arrived in Bangkok. Let the icon of the world's greatest sports event pass without a hitch. Sport is sport. It is in the interest of the country that the torch relay in Thailand goes smoothly. It is a special occasion for our country. HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn is also taking part in welcoming the torch-relay team.
When the torch relay went through several countries in other parts of the world, it was met with protests and serious disruptions caused by protesters who want to see China become more democratic and have more respect for human rights. Thai civil-society organisations and Tibet focus groups will try to disrupt the process, which is scheduled for today.
Like it or not, the torch relay has become a most damaging exercise for China, as it has highlighted its continuing human-rights violations and other forms of oppression. Beijing did not realise that the month-long ceremony would provide fertile ground for international anti-Chinese protesters to display their concerns. Their well-coordinated strategies and ability to disrupt the relay have embarrassed the Chinese government.
Obviously, the Tibetan crackdown in mid-March and its aftermath continue to demonstrate the determination of Chinese leaders to deal harshly with anyone involved in the three-day riot. That is a cause for concern abroad because China will continue to tighten security in and around Tibet and pose further restrictions on those travelling to "the roof of the world".
In the four months that remain, there certainly could be untoward developments at home or abroad further disrupting the Olympic Games. Already, a few leaders and countries have declared publicly that they will boycott the opening ceremony on August 8. So far, no athletes have said they will boycott the competition.
Recently, the Chinese government apprehended a group of suspected terrorists from Xinjiang, who it said had planned to disrupt the games by staging bombings and kidnapping athletes. If that is true, it is a real problem, which the host has to address. Security during the competition, including the safety of international athletes, is of the utmost importance. The 1972 Munich Olympic Games remain vivid among organisers and athletes.
To ensure the success of the Beijing games, China's leaders still have a long to-do list when it comes to improving the country's human-rights situation and image. Its main stadium for the Olympics, known as the Bird's Nest, was opened to the international press recently. It is a marvel reflecting the skill of Chinese construction, but it is not the only thing the government should be focusing on.
In the weeks and months to come, it would be wise for China to pledge to respect human rights and allow more room for freedom of expression. Foreign countries are worried about Tibet and other problems in China, not to mention air quality during competition. Obviously, other countries have their own problems as well, but China, being one the world's superpowers, has to fulfil its international role and worst of all, the growing expectations concerning what China should and should not do.
It is interesting to note that Chinese leaders have yet to show their appreciation of their country's new position in the world. The motto that greater power for a nation comes with greater responsibilities rings hollow among Chinese leaders. Of course, China has shown some sense of global responsibility in engaging with the international community and UN in efforts to resolve the crisis in Darfur. However, Beijing has yet to clearly show the world that it is a responsible international stakeholder.
One should not expect China to change much after the Olympics, especially when it comes to democracy. South Korea is often mentioned as a positive case study of what impact the games might have on domestic politics. With or without the Olympics, South Korea was going to be a democracy anyway. But China is not South Korea and the road to liberal democracy is still very long. China is still ruled by the Chinese Communist Party, which has self-serving capitalist inclinations.
It is more realistic to wish that in the post-Olympic era, China would not intensify its crackdowns on democratic elements and dissidents inside the country. In addition, it is hoped that China will continue to contribute to peace and stability around the globe in more concrete ways.
Posted Saturday, April 19, 2008
Torch Relay Calendar - The Official Website of the Beijing 2008 Torch Relay
Posted Friday, April 25, 2008
Route of the Olympic torch relay for the Beijing Games:
March 24-29: Greece.
March 31: Beijing.
April 2: Almaty, Kazakhstan.
April 3: Istanbul, Turkey.
April 5: St. Petersburg, Russia.
April 6: London.
April 7: Paris.
April 9: San Francisco.
April 11: Buenos Aires, Argentina.
April 13: Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
April 14: Muscat, Oman.
April 16: Islamabad, Pakistan.
April 17: New Delhi, India.
April 19: Bangkok, Thailand.
April 21: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
April 22: Jakarta, Indonesia.
April 24: Canberra, Australia.
April 26: Nagano, Japan.
April 27: Seoul, South Korea.
April 28: Pyongyang, North Korea.
April 29: Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
May 2: Hong Kong.
May 3: Macao.
May 4-10: Enters Chinese provinces, including at one point, a trip up Mount Everest from the Tibet side.
May 20-21 Shanghai.
Aug. 6: Beijing.
Aug. 8: Start of Olympics.
Posted Friday, April 25, 2008
China to meet Dalai Lama aides amid Tibet tension
By Nick Mulvenney
NYIMU COUNTY, China, April 25 (Reuters) - China is to hold talks with envoys of the Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism whom it blames for a wave of unrest, state media reported on Friday, as the Olympic flame arrived in Japan.
The move comes after concerted pressure from the West on China to talk to the Dalai Lama.
It also marks a sharp change in tack for Beijing, which has stepped up its vilification of the Dalai Lama since anti-government protests hit Tibet and rippled across ethnic Tibetan parts of China in the past weeks.
"In view of the requests repeatedly made by the Dalai side for resuming talks, the relevant department of the central government will have contact and consultation with the Dalai's private representative in the coming days," the official Xinhua news agency quoted an unnamed official as saying.
A spokesman for the Dalai Lama, who lives in exile in India, said he had not received any communication from China about a meeting and China's Foreign Ministry said it had no details.
China denounces the Dalai Lama, who fled Tibet after a failed 1959 uprising against Communist rule, as a traitor and has accused him of orchestrating the unrest, a charge the 72-year-old Nobel laureate denies.
But Tibet has become a flashpoint for anti-China protests that have disrupted the Olympic torch relay around the world and has led to calls for state leaders to boycott the Beijing Games, which open on Aug. 8.
"It is hoped that through contact and consultation, the Dalai side will take credible moves to stop activities aimed at splitting China, stop plotting and inciting violence and stop disrupting and sabotaging the Beijing Olympic Games so as to create conditions for talks," the official was quoted as saying.
OFFICIAL DENUNCIATIONS
Recent official denunciations of the Dalai Lama had usually referred to the Dalai "clique", rather than Dalai "side".
The United States and France have urged Beijing to hold talks with the Dalai Lama, while British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has said he would meet the Tibetan leader when he visits Britain in May.
U.S. Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte urged the Chinese government on Wednesday to meet the Dalai Lama.
"Public vilification of the Dalai Lama will not help defuse the the situation," he told a U.S. Senate hearing.
Reporters were allowed into Tibet on Friday and there was a heavy troop presence lining the road between the capital Lhasa and Shigatse, the second largest city in Tibet.
Japan called for calm but braced for trouble with tight security on Friday, as low-key protests began ahead of its leg of the torch relay, following emotional scenes at other venues.
The flame is meant to transmit a message of peace and friendship, but its journey has been largely turned into a political event and the torch has been granted the sort of security usually reserved for state leaders.
The flame's arrival in Nagano was greeted by right-wing activists in trucks roaming the streets, displaying huge Japanese flags and blaring "go away".
In Hanoi, Vietnam state-run radio reported that a U.S. citizen of Vietnamese origin had been expelled on accusations of planning anti-Chinese protests at next week's Olympics torch relay in Ho Chi Minh City.
Reclusive North Korea, for its part, vowed to "astonish the world" with pomp, ceremony and safety during its stage of the relay on Monday, Chinese state media reported.
The Olympic torch is supposed to enter Tibet in early May to ascend Mt Everest and is to travel to its capital Lhasa on June 19, legs China has vowed to see through, despite the tensions.
But Beijing has also been under pressure from abroad to resume dialogue with envoys of the Dalai Lama as a way of achieving stability in Tibet, a remote, mountain region which Communist troops entered in 1950.
MEANINGFUL AUTONOMY
The Dalai Lama says he is seeking meaningful autonomy for the strategic border region, but China denounces that as a sham and says he is bent on splitting the country.
The United States welcomed the announcement of talks.
"If the Chinese are now planning to resume such dialogue, we would see this as a very positive development," the U.S. embassy in Beijing said in a statement.
The Communist Party boss in Tibet has called the Dalai Lama "a jackal in Buddhist monk's robes, an evil spirit with a human face and the heart of a beast".
But before the protests soured relations, China and envoys of the Dalai Lama had been engaged in a tentative dialogue process, though several rounds since 2002 had yielded little progress. (Writing by Lindsay Beck, additional reporting by Chisa Fujioka and Yoko Kubota in Tokyo and Chris Buckley in Beijing; Editing by Nick Macfie and David Fogarty) ("Countdown to Beijing Olympics" blog at blogs.reuters.com/china)
Posted Friday, April 25, 2008
China imposes new visa rules
By NG CHENG YEE and CHOW HOW BAN
April 25, 2008
KUALA LUMPUR: The Chinese Government has imposed more stringent requirements for visa application because of the Beijing Olympics.
Chinese Embassy counsellor Shen Yong Xian confirmed that stricter rules had been implemented temporarily until the end of the Games in August.
Both business travellers and tourists to China are required to submit their confirmed flight itinerary and hotel reservation.
Those on business trips must also submit invitations from the Foreign Economic Relation and Trade Commission in China.
A company letter stating the applicant's particulars, purpose and duration of visit is also needed, together with an undertaking that the firm is responsible for the traveller while in China.
Other documents needed for the visa application are the passport, valid for at least six months and with sufficient pages, a recent passport size photograph and the completed application form.
According to a circular sent to travel agents, travellers who were to enter China twice (like those who stop in the republic, then leave for a neighbouring country and come back into China) must submit a confirmed flight itinerary showing the two entry dates.
The original air ticket or a duplicate copy of e-ticket must show the second travel date for processing purposes.
“This is to ensure that we do not receive complaints from visitors that our hotels are full and our tourist destinations are too crowded.
“We also do not want to see people sleeping on the streets as there will be many people visiting China during the Olympic Games period,” Shen said here yesterday.
He added that it was best if visitors avoided the Olympics period.
However, he said there were no limitations on the number of days a visitor could spend in the country.
In Singapore, the Foreign Affairs Ministry announced that Singaporeans travelling to China from July 1 would need a visa.
Local travel agents confirmed that they had reduced the number of China tours due to the new rules.
Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (Matta) president Ngiam Foon said the requirement did not affect business here as only business travellers and those who wanted to watch the Beijing Olympics were keen to visit China now.
“Other than that, most tourists preferred to defer their trips until after the Games,” he said.
Malaysian Chinese Tourism Association president Chay Ng said: “Some of the travel agents have stopped organising China tours for the time being for fear that it will be difficult to get visas right now.”
Posted Friday, April 25, 2008
Heavy security in place for relay
3,000 police officers brought in as protesters, pro-China groups converge on Nagano
Saturday, April 26, 2008
NAGANO (AP) Riot police, protesters and Chinese well-wishers converged on the city of Nagano on Friday as the embattled Beijing Olympic torch arrived on one of its final international stops before moving on to China.
Dozens of protesters surrounded by hundreds of riot police marched through the city, host of the 1998 Winter Olympics, carrying Tibetan flags and banners saying "Stop the Torch" as the flame arrived. Police helicopters buzzed overhead.
Police arrested a man claiming to be a monk for allegedly possessing a knife at the starting point of Saturday's torch relay, a local police official said on condition of anonymity, citing policy. He was reportedly carrying a statement saying: "I protest the torch relay."
The torch has been met with protests and intense security at many of its stops on its worldwide journey, and Japan was gearing up for yet another game of cat-and-mouse between police and demonstrators demanding better human rights in China and condemning Beijing's crackdown on Tibetan protests last month.
In a last-minute change, the 18.7-km torch relay was to begin in a parking lot Saturday instead of an ancient temple. Zenkoji Temple declined last week to host the start of the relay, citing security concerns and sympathy among monks and worshippers for their religious brethren in Tibet.
The 1,400-year-old temple also announced it would cohost a prayer ritual for Tibet on Saturday.
Five tracksuit-clad riot police will run alongside the torchbearers, who will also be followed by two Chinese officials. Phalanxes of 50 riot police will surround the torch on either side. About 3,000 police have been assigned to security.
Groups including Amnesty International and Reporters Without Borders have announced plans to protest.
About 2,000 Chinese exchange students, meanwhile, were expected to arrive in Nagano by bus to show their support.
Japanese officials called for calm.
"In a festive environment where everyone can celebrate, we hope the Olympic torch relay will proceed smoothly," Chief Cabinet Secretary Notubaka Machimura told reporters in Tokyo.
Besides the protests in Nagano, a handful of young people raised the flag of Tibet's exiled government Friday at a highway rest stop when the caravan carrying the torch pulled over. There were no confrontations.
After Nagano, the Olympic torch heads to Seoul, South Korea, on Sunday and then to Pyongyang, North Korea, on Monday.
A U.S.-based group, Human Rights Watch, urged South Korea on Friday to use the torch relay to highlight the plight of North Korean refugees in China.
Thousands of North Koreans are believed to be hiding in China after escaping their impoverished communist homeland. If caught, China sends them back to North Korea, where they face imprisonment in conditions that are often life-threatening.
The torch next travels to Vietnam, which expelled an American citizen of Vietnamese origin who planned to disrupt the relay there, state media reported Friday.
Posted Saturday, April 26, 2008
North Korean defectors vow to disrupt Olympic torch relay in the South
By JAE-SOON CHANG,
AP - Sunday, April 27, 2008
North Korean defectors vowed to disrupt Sunday's South Korean leg of the Olympic torch relay in the latest controversy to hit the flame's protest-marred world tour on its way to Beijing.
The defectors said they are protesting China's repatriation of refugees back to North Korea, where they could face execution.
The North Koreans added to the chorus of criticism that has dogged the Olympic flame on its way to the games in August in the Chinese capital. Other demonstrators have decried China's recent crackdown on protests in Tibet and Beijing's overall human rights record.
The latest protests came Saturday in Japan where Tibet supporters threw eggs and tomatoes but were outnumbered by Chinese boosters welcoming the flame.
Han Chang Kwon, head of a coalition of groups representing North Korean defectors in South Korea, told The Associated Press that Sunday's defectors' protest could become violent. He provided no details.
He said the defectors in South Korea were "boiling with anger" because some who escaped to China from the North had been repatriated.
"While trying to improve its image with the Olympics, it (China) keeps sending defectors to the North knowing they would be executed or sent to political prisons," Han said, calling China "double-faced."
Han said he hoped the protest would give North Korean leader Kim Jong Il "a stroke."
Sunday's Seoul torch run will take the flame on a 24-kilometer (15-mile) route from the Olympic Park in southern Seoul to City Hall.
Police plan to dispatch some 8,000 riot police to guard the flame, while deploying some 100 officers with marathon-running experience to run next to the torch in shifts. Officials have threatened to arrest anyone who tries to interrupt the relay.
Thousands of North Koreans are believed to be hiding in China after fleeing their homeland.
Two South Koreans who had been slated to run in the torch relay said they would boycott the event to protest China's crackdown in Tibet.
The torch arrives in South Korea on Sunday for the relay and will head to Pyongyang, the North Korean capital, on Monday.
Posted Sunday, April 27, 2008
Malaysian elections bring activists, bloggers, and 'rabble-rousers' into Parliament
By JULIA ZAPPEI, AP
April 27, 2008
KUALA LUMPUR - Four months ago Tian Chua was arrested trying to enter the Parliament building to protest a Constitutional amendment that activists say would curtail civil rights.
But when Parliament reopens Monday, he will walk in with pride and dignity to take a seat for the next five years.
Chua is one of several unlikely opposition candidates, ranging from human rights activists to bloggers, who won the March 8 general elections that changed the face of Malaysian politics almost overnight.
For the first time since Malaysia's independence in 1957, the opposition won a record 82 seats in the 222-member Parliament, many of them going to first-time candidates like Chua who were long considered by the government as nuisances and rabble-rousers.
The elections ended virtual one-party rule by the National Front coalition, giving a large chunk of Parliament to the opposition, which until now had only 19 seats.
Parliament "will be a very lively thing. It will resemble a two-party situation," said Chua, who won a seat for the People's Justice Party, one of three parties in the opposition People's Alliance coalition.
After lawmakers are sworn in Monday, Parliament will be formally declared open by the king on Tuesday.
The People's Alliance largely benefited from a protest vote against the National Front because of anger over a host of reasons _ discrimination faced by the ethnic Chinese and Indian minorities, corruption that subverted an affirmative action program for the majority Malays, inflation, and the general arrogance of ruling party members.
While the opposition put up professional politicians in the elections, it also fielded a large number of novices including Internet-savvy professionals, civil society members, human rights activists, and lawyers.
"Everybody is eager" for the new parliament to meet, said Mohammad Agus Yusoff, a political science professor at the National University of Malaysia. "It's the first time in Malaysian political history ... that so many new faces are in," he said.
"Before this, the government MPs were complacent. This time around they don't have the blank check anymore," he said.
Among those who won on an opposition ticket is a prominent blogger, Jeff Ooi, who wrote fiery anti-government articles during the campaign, attracting a huge following in cyberspace. Many Malaysians turned to the Internet because the mainstream media are tightly controlled by the government.
"It's only with the free flow of information that you get to weed out corruption and so on," said Ooi, 52, a former advertising executive. "Parliament is going to be a noisy place ... I think we are going to give the backbenchers a run for their money."
Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's son-in-law, Khairy Jamaluddin, who also won a seat in Parliament for the ruling party, once compared bloggers to "monkeys" living by the law of the jungle.
Nur Jazlan Mohamed, a colleague of Khairy, said he welcomed more debate in Parliament as long as it did not touch on sensitive issues such as race.
Lawmakers must know their limits, he said. "They must also be very careful what they say as not to make the other races, especially Malays, angry," he said.
A surprise winner in the elections was Loh Gwo Burne, who had not even thought of entering politics until this year.
Loh shot to fame when he stepped forward as the person who had secretly filmed a lawyer, V.K. Lingam, allegedly brokering judicial appointments. Loh said when he took the video in 2001, it was not with the intention of exposing corruption but because he was bored and was testing his new camera's capability.
Loh went to Lingam's house with his father to discuss business matters and turned on the camera while the lawyer was discussing judicial appointments with someone on the phone. The video found its way to opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, who released it last September, making it a major weapon to flog the government with.
Loh said Anwar persuaded him to stand for elections for the People's Justice Party.
"My political aspirations are about a month old now. I will try to do as much as I can. There is too much nonsense going on in the country," said the 34-year-old businessman who recently moved back to Malaysia from Shanghai.
Now that he is allowed into the Parliament building, Chua said he would push to address civil liberty issues and corruption.
Altogether 11 opposition parliamentarians, including Chua have been imprisoned at one time or another under the Internal Security Act, which allows indefinite detention without trial, because their political activism allegedly made them security threats.
He and other new lawmakers have long campaigned to scrap the ISA and other laws that curtail freedom of expression.
Constitutional amendments, such as the one Chua got arrested protesting, can no longer be made easily. The government needs a two-thirds parliamentary majority to make such changes, but after the devastating election losses, it now only possesses a simple majority.
Posted Sunday, April 27, 2008
Torch security smothers relay
Four injured as demonstrators brawl in Nagano
April 27, 2008
NAGANO (Kyodo) Olympic torch bearers dashed past sporadic protests Saturday as heavy security shielded the Japanese leg of the world relay by lining streets with thousands of riot police and closely monitoring the event with helicopters.
Police guards in track suits surrounded the torch bearers while another 100 uniformed riot police trotted alongside six patrol cars and two motorcycles. The convoy was backed up by thousands of other police.
Japanese officials said the high-profile security was unavoidable, but it dissipated any festive mood in Nagano, which hosted the 1998 Winter Games.
Four people were injured by confrontations and protests at the event, which attracted hundreds of protestors.
Five men — four Japanese and a pro-Tibetan resident of Taiwan — were arrested separately during the relay. Three were apprehended after trying to charge the torch, while the fourth threw eggs and the fifth hurled tomatoes at the flame.
All were quickly pounced on by the police, police official Akiko Fuseya said.
NHK reported that a smoke-emitting tube was thrown at the relay but didn't affect it.
Yelling "Free Tibet," marchers crowded streets near the route, and various confrontations broke out, fire officials said.
Hundreds of protesters and supporters were seen gathered near Zenkoji Temple, holding the flags of both Tibet and China. The Buddhist temple had been designated as the original starting point before it pulled out in protest.
One of the Japanese spectators told a Chinese man who was raising the Chinese flag, "China's human rights violations are derived from your country's imperialism."
The Chinese man yelled back: "Imperialism and colonialism are Japan's well known features," before the two engaged in a heated verbal exchange.
He Huiqun, a 33-year-old Chinese student at a Japanese university, said he backed his country's stance on Tibet.
"Today we came here in 16 vehicles with friends and students to back the torch relay," he said. "Tibet is part of China."
Several hundred more, divided into pro-China and pro-Tibet factions, rallied in front of JR Nagano Station.
"I came from Tokyo to show my support for Tibet," said Toru Watanabe. "I'm glad it was peaceful, but it was impossible to see the torch."
Groups including Amnesty International and Reporters Without Borders planned to protest peacefully throughout the day.
"I hope there won't be any more problems. The Olympics are supposed to be about international unity," said Gao Rui, who came with his family, waving red Chinese flags.
The new starting point for the relay, a parking lot chosen at the last minute to replace the temple, was closed to the public, as were all rest stops along the way.
Four hours later, the torch arrived at the Wakasato Park, the terminus of the Japanese leg, much as it had traversed the mountain resort — amid a red, blue and yellow sea of both Chinese supporters and pro-Tibet demonstrators.
The last runner, gold-medalist Mizuki Noguchi, who won the marathon at the Athens Olympics, found more than 1,000 protesters and supporters waving Tibetan or Chinese flags when she reached the goal line in pouring rain.
"I'm so glad that I could safely light the caldron," Noguchi said. "I ran as I wished for the success of the Beijing Olympics and peace."
The relay, making its 16th international stop, has been disrupted by protests or conducted under extremely heavy security at several sites since leaving Greece.
After arriving in Nagano by bus early Friday, the flame was spirited away to a hotel and put under heavy security.
Japan took severe measures to ensure its 18.7-km relay went smoothly, mobilizing about 3,000 riot police.
The Olympic flame later departed for Tokyo by shinkansen and was to leave Japan from Haneda airport at 11:30 p.m. for Seoul.
The international route ends next week, after stops in South Korea on Sunday, North Korea on Monday and Vietnam on Tuesday. The flame arrives on Chinese soil on Wednesday in Hong Kong, for a long journey around the host country before the games officially start on Aug. 8.
The protests were largely in response to China's bloody crackdown last month on protesters in Tibet, which it has governed since the 1950s, and to concerns over human rights issues in China. Between 20 and 80 people were reportedly killed in the crackdown. Hundreds more were arrested.
Coinciding with the start of the relay, which began under a light rain, a prayer vigil was held at Zenkoji Temple.
About 30 Tibetans throughout Japan started by chanting Buddhist sutras in the Tibetan language, and then Japanese monks from Zenkoji Temple followed by reciting the "Hannyashinkyo" sutra.
Then the names of the people who died in the riot were read out in the ceremony.
Akemi Takahashi, public affair official of the Japan chapter of the Students for a Free Tibet which organized the vigil, said, "I hope dialogue between Dalai Lama and the Chinese government will happen before the opening of the Olympics," after the ceremony.
Chinese news media reported Friday that Chinese officials had agreed to meet a representative of Tibet's spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, in the near future.
But a 30-year-old Tibetan from Tokyo who goes by the name Kunga, said: "I don't believe that is happening as there would've been several reports regarding the Dalai Lama and the Chinese government talking, but it never happened."
Posted Monday, April 28, 2008
Chinese Turn Out in Force for Seoul Torch Relay
April 28, 2008
SEOUL: The Olympic Park in Songpa-gu, southwestern Seoul was swarming with over 6,500 Chinese students and residents in Korea on Sunday afternoon holding or wrapping their bodies in Chinese flags. Many carried banners declaring, “We love China”, “We will let real China known to the world”, and “Tibet belongs to China forever.”
Before the Korean leg of the Olympic torch relay that had brought them together, some 180 activists were protesting against China’s repatriation of North Korean refugees and forceful repression in Tibet, shouting “No Human Rights, No Olympic Games!” They were soon confronted by more than 1,000 China supporters who were led by a man with a loudhailer shouting, “Jiayou Zhongguo! (Way to go, China!)”, their voices completely drowned out. Some pro-Chinese demonstrators threw paper cups and rocks at the activists.
Chinese students studying here seemed well organized in their efforts to guard the Olympic torch. Messages calling for concerted action began to appear in an online club of Chinese students in Korea two weeks ago. A 22-year-old Chinese student who said he studies at Korea University of Technology and Education said 30,000 Beijing Olympic T-shirts and 30,000 Chinese flags were sent to the demonstrators from China the day before the relay. Kim Seong-yong (71) from Seoul, who witnessed the event, said he had “never seen so many Chinese flags waving in central Seoul, not even during the Korean War.”
Even though 68 relay runners ran 22 km from the Olympic Park to City Hall, not many citizens were able to witness the relay because of police guards and some 6,500 Chinese supporters. A police officer said more than 9,300 police were mobilized to ensure the smooth running of the event, but there was no need as so many Chinese people came out to protect the relay. “Who could possibly stop the Olympic flame when there are so many people out to protect it?” the officer said.
When the torch was passing Sincheon Station in Songpa-gu at about 3 p.m., however, a North Korean defector was arrested after jumping into the relay route to snatch away the torch. He said he was protesting against China's forceful repatriation of North Korean refugees. “Many people died because they were sent back, and I tried to show my protest by putting out the torch,” he said. Police arrested three Koreans and one Chinese student for interfering with the torch relay.
Posted Monday, April 28, 2008
Beijing Olympic Flame arrives in Vietnam
2008-04-29
HO CHI MINH CITY, Vietnam, April 28 (Xinhua) -- The plane carrying the Beijing Olympic flame landed Monday night at Tan Son Nhat International Airport of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, for Tuesday's torch relay through the heart of the city.
This is the 19th leg of the Beijing Olympic torch relay around the world, and also the first time for Vietnam to host an Olympic torch relay.
The special chartered plane touched down the airport at 23:05 local time (1505 GMT) from Pyongyang, capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, after six hours' flight.
Hoang Vinh Giang, vice chairman and general secretary of the Vietnam Olympic Committee and Chinese Ambassador to Vietnam Hu Qianwen walked up the plane to welcome the Flame.
Then, Li Binghua, executive vice president of the Beijing Organizing Committee of Olympic Games (BOCOG), who carried the lantern of the Flame, walked off the plane accompanied by Giang and Hu.
Li and the Flame received a warm welcome by the Chinese embassy staff, and representatives of Chinese businesses and students in Vietnam.
Giang told Xinhua at the airport that the Olympic torch relay is the most important event in the history of Vietnam's sports, and top leaders of the country had ordered relative departments to well prepare for the torch relay to ensure a complete success.
"Up to date, preparations are going on smoothly in general, and I believe the torch relay will be a great success," he said.
On Tuesday afternoon, the Olympic torch relay will start from the Opera House in the city center and conclude at a stadium near the Tan Son Nhat International, covering a route of 10-13 kilometers.
This is also the last leg of the Olympic flame's global journey outside China. After completing the Ho Chi Minh City torch relay, the Flame will head to Hong Kong.
Posted Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Olympic flame arrives in Hong Kong
April 30, 2008
HONG KONG, China (CNN) -- The protest-plagued Olympic torch relay arrived in Hong Kong Wednesday, its first stop on Chinese soil.
Authorities in Hong Kong deported at least seven activists before the flame's arrival and braced for possible protests and the arrival of more activists prior to the official torch run on Friday.
The flame arrived at 2 p.m. (6 a.m. GMT) with red-carpet treatment at Hong Kong International airport, greeted by a row of children waving Chinese flags and a band playing patriotic tunes.
The occasion also marked the 100-day countdown to the start of the Beijing Olympic Games, which begin on August 8.
Authorities plan to deploy 3,000 officers to guard the flame, according to media accounts.
Demonstrators criticizing Beijing's human rights record and its recent crackdown in Tibet dogged the relay in London, England; Paris, France; and San Francisco, California.
However, the flame had protest-free jaunts in Pyongyang, North Korea, on Monday and Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, on Tuesday -- the last stop in a 29-day odyssey through 21 cities in five continents before entering China.
The torch relay also will stop in Macau before heading to the mainland, including Tibet, where Chinese authorities cracked down after violent riots broke out against Han Chinese there in March.
There sometime in May weather-permitting, Chinese climbers plan to take the Olympic flame to the summit of Mount Everest, the world's highest peak at 29,028 feet (8,848 meters).
Since its handover to China by the British in 1997, Hong Kong has been allowed to run its own domestic affairs with considerable autonomy until 2047.
The territory grants visa-free entry to many Westerners, raising the possibility that the relay Friday could be greeted with the kind of protests it has faced in some other stops.
However, three pro-Tibet campaigners and a freedom of speech activist were barred entry into Hong Kong and questioned for hours at the airport before being deported, according to Students for a Free Tibet's web site.
The trio involved two of its members and an organizer with the Free Tibet Campaign. Their plan was to take part in a press conference that would draw attention to the likelihood of violent protests, if China did not cancel the "provocative" Tibet leg of the torch relay.
"The Chinese government has shut out international observers and media from Tibet, and now they have even stopped individuals from speaking out in Hong Kong about the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Tibet," said Kate Woznow, campaign director for Students for a Free Tibet.
China says 18 civilians and a police officer were killed in Lhasa during the March violence. Tibetan exile groups say many times that number were killed in the ensuing crackdown.
Also deported Tuesday was free speech activist Zhang Yu, who was flying in to take part in "World Press Freedom Day." The four-day conference calls for freedom of expression in China.
He was detained for seven hours before being deported, the Hong Kong Journalists Association said.
Authorities did not specify a reason for barring his entry, said the association's general secretary, Mak Yin-ting.
Danish sculptor Jens Galschiot and two others were detained and deported on Saturday while trying to participate in the same conference, Mak added.
"Jens was coming here to promote the freedom of expression, but he himself was deprived of the freedom of expression," Mak said. "The Chinese government pledged to have a free press if it could host the games. We urge the Chinese government to do it."
Galschiot created "The Pillar of Shame," a sculpture in Hong Kong depicting 50 torn and twisted bodies to symbolize those who died in the 1989 Chinese crackdown at Beijing's Tiananmen Square.
Actress Mia Farrow planned to fly in on Thursday to raise awareness about the fighting in Sudan's Darfur region, where an estimated 300,000 people have been killed and 2.5 million others displaced. She will call for China to press Sudan to let more U.N. peacekeepers in to Darfur.
China is believed to have special influence with the Islamic regime because it buys two-thirds of Sudan's oil exports and sells weapons to Sudan. China also defends Khartoum in the U.N. Security Council.
Nepal, meanwhile, deported a U.S. citizen on Tuesday for allegedly holding a "Free Tibet" banner on Mount Everest.
Even though the climb up Everest will take place on the Chinese side of the mountain, Nepal has posted about 25 security personnel on its side of the mountain -- an attempt to maintain good relations with its neighbor. Nepal has granted them permission to shoot mountaineers engaged in anti-Chinese activities, according to a Home Ministry official.
Posted Wednesday, April 30, 2008
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