Thread: Olympics: Men of Conscience should Raise HR Issue

lets put the issue of sports being seperate from politics to bed ..........



Men of Conscience should Raise Human Rights Issue at Beijing Olympics
By Prof. Kanbawza Win
Friday, 8 August 2008

The original purpose of the Olympic Games, both ancient and modern, is to foster the ideal of, “A sound mind in a sound body,” and to promote friendship among the nations. The Official Olympic Anthem runs “Immortal spirit of Antiquity, Father of the Beautiful and Good.” How can these ideals be applied to Beijing, when it is the very heart of all the evil and President Hu Jingtao ranks as the most ruthless human rights violator of the world? People have to consider the consequences of the government already a totalitarian and dictatorial against its own people and other nations particularly Burma and Sudan.

The Beijing Games serve as a conclusive proof that sports and politics are connected and is purely an image booster in the international arena and legitimacy at home. Lamentably sports has become politics nowadays as it bring image to the country and that major international companies and business enterprises and all top athletes no matter of what country they came from are professionals, to show their prowess in the world. Since Socialist states especially China consider, a sport victory as an affair of state importance, these athletes are trained and treated as state assets. It became increasingly difficult for athletes of other smaller countries like Burma, ASEAN, Africa and Latin American countries, who do not have the resources to train professionally to compete or to realise the political implications and values to compete successfully against China and other big countries.

The Beijing Olympic organizers are evicting tenants to make room for castors, shutting down factories to reduce pollution, plotting to control the weather, staging rallies to teach English and ordering Beijing’s brusque citizens to mind their manners. What ever it takes, the organizers are determined to put on the grandest Games and make them a symbol of the Communist nation’s arrival as a global power to be reckoned with. A series of recent scandals involving contaminated food and consumer goods in China has only heightened the urgency for Beijing, to put on a good face for the more than 10,000 athletes and over half a million visitors expected. China will dole out a record of $40 billion on stadium and airport and subway improvement more than twice of what Greece spend on the last Athens Olympic. It wants to show off its model of efficiency as sports venues and athlete houses were completed well ahead of the schedule time.

However, the other side is that well documented humanitarian groups has proven that the Chinese government has evicted more than one and a half a million (according to the Geneva bases Centre Housing Rights and Evictions) people to clear the way for venues and other Olympic facilities. At least in this aspect it has copied from the Burmese military Junta of forced relocation and eviction meted out to the Burmese people. Just like the Burmese army had done, many of Beijing’s displaced tenants have been given little or no notice and forced evictions have been violent with fatalities. The evicted residents are given little or nor compensation at all and many of them have become homeless. In fact the Chinese clearance of residence is unprecedented double the number relocated by the Seoul Olympics of 1988 except that it could not beat the Burmese Junta in this aspect.

Pollution is a chronic problem in Beijing, there is usually a yellowish mix of factory emissions, car exhaust and Gobi Desert sand and for this Beijing will spend $ 3 billion on pollution control alone. It will ordered one million cars of gridlock streets to cut traffic and auto emissions, last year alone Beijing removed 15,000 old taxis and 3,000 buses much to the hardship of its citizens. It has closed several factories and leading factories as Capital Iron and Steel Works are schedule to reduce production before moving to an island in Bohai Bay. At a time when International Energy Agency says that China is surpassing USA as the world’s top produce of greenhouse gas, the Chinese are also tooting their efforts to create an environmentally friendly green Olympic. What more the Olympic officials are planning to control the rain to keep outdoors events dry. They will blasts clouds with rockets carrying chemicals designed to make it rain quickly, so the storm will be over before the events begin. Besides zapping the clouds, the Chinese will roll out their technology to impress the world. Athletes won’t carry keys in the Olympic village, their room doors will open when they show up their faces. Camera on the doors will be linked to the digital recognition scanners.

What can the world do in face of such a formidable giant, will humanitarian have a say in Beijing Olympics? Obviously the Chinese will not tolerate dissent. When the Olympic torch relay route was announced, Tibetan activists oppose Beijing’s plan to take the torch to Mount Everest and Taiwan wants the torch to pass through it, were of no avail. Wang Wei, the Secretary General of the Beijing Olympic Organizing Committee said that “we have laws that if you want to protest you will have to apply”, which they will not approve. They will arrest anybody that dares to protest and shipped them thousands of miles away.

The Amnesty International says that China has failed to improve human rights, a promise which the government makes before it was awarded the Olympics. Persecution of civil rights groups and the censoring of domestic media are still going on in might and main. What more the Chinese government misuses it “re-education through labor” system to detain activists. This system has been in place since 1957 and can keep an activist for four years without trial. No doubt the Beijing Olympic will be on the model of the Moscow Olympic of 1980 where the late President Ronald Regan was bold enough to boycott but in Beijing one of the smiling faces will be President George W Bush, a barometer of how American morality has changed.

Burma is the first nation outside the Communist bloc to recognize the People’s Republic of China in 1949; the first to conclude a Treaty of Friendship and Mutual Non-Aggression in 1961; the first to achieve a boundary settlement with China in 1961; and one of the first to patch up relations with Beijing after the Cultural Revolution. But also ironically is the first dictator to congratulate Beijing’s crackdown on demonstrators in Tiananmen Square when Beijing made a carbon copy of the Burmese army shooting into the crowds on the 8th day of the 8th month (August) of the year 1988 better known as 8888. Now to mock the Burmese democracy movement, the Beijing Olympic is schedule at 8 pm on the 8th month of the year 2008 as 8 is the lucky number for the Chinese in as much as 9 is the lucky number of Ne Win and his cohorts. Every patriotic Burmese should join the boycott of the Beijing Olympic and we should support of what Ko Aung Din of US Campaign for Burma, to demonstrate in front of every Chinese embassy of the world to show our disapproval. Every Burmese Diaspora people should joined the conscious people of the international community to protest this genocidal Olympic.

China had sold jet fighters, frigates and other heavy military equipment for the Burmese military Junta to crack down on the ethno democratic force and together with Russia is also the first nation to veto the Burmese problem from discussing at the UN Security Council effectively stuffing out the ethno democratic aspirations of the Burmese people. Very lately the Burmese Foreign Minister Nyan Win made an unpublicized, if not a secret; visit to meet Chinese State Councilor Tang Jiaxuan in Zhongnanhai, the headquarters of the Chinese government to confirm the Chinese veto in case Burma was put up at the UN Security Council by the West particularly from European Union. Earlier in June, China hosted a secret meeting between senior US State Department officials and Burmese ministers in Beijing with the aim of diffusing the vocal critic of Washington over Burma, even though the Burmese Premier was already brief by Wen Jiabao of the Chinese support in the 9th ASEAN plus China, in Kuala Lumpur. The bottom line is that, aside from packages of aid and business deals, Burmese leaders can’t bark or bite without China’s political and moral support resulting in the organized thugs roaming at will with ferocity as the year advanced.

China’s long-touted policy of not interfering in the “internal affairs” of other states is running contradictory to a broader definition of national interests and a greater willingness to embrace global institutions and international norms — and to use them to advance its foreign-policy goals as a way of shoring up the Olympic game in Beijing. It seems hypocritical to witness a small Chinese army contingent as part of the UN and African force to stop the violence in Darfur region, when it has all the time supporting the Khartoum based Sudanese government with oil purchases and weapon sales, another bigger Burma scenario. If China wants to play a magnanimous big power role in Southeast Asia, she should support the genocide regime of Burma. Any way there is a Burmese saying of “Khwe Mee Kaug Che Dauk Sout“ meaning one cannot make the tail of the dog to be straight by just putting it into a bamboo pipe as the Burmese call them they will be just Tayoke meaning Mr Mean. The classic example being their critical role in North Korea’s ambition of the atomic bomb and even now is opposing the coercive action of Iran. Burma is just a small fry, the true color of the Chinese will appear once the Beijing Olympic is over.

How can the premier event in international sports be hosted by a nation complicit in the most heinous international crimes? The Chinese regime is guilty of perpetrating the ongoing destruction of Tibet, supporting the vicious Burmese Junta, engaging in gross domestic human rights abuses, and, perhaps worst of all, facilitating genocide in Darfur and Burma? Beijing’s currently enabling attitudes is a real threat that “their” Olympics will be redefined, made the occasion of an unprecedented shaming campaign. Much more potent than a simple boycott–which does more to punish athletes and the entire international sports community–such a campaign, broadly supported, will create precisely the powerful forum for outrage that Beijing works so hard to suppress domestically. But, if the world pretends that the 2008 Games occur in a moral and political vacuum and yet if Darfur and Burma’s agony continues, these Games will inevitably be remembered as the “Genocide Olympic”.

Burma has a long recorded history of fighting the Chinese for 2,000 years and if our fore fathers could successfully fought why we can’t? We have always known that Chinese’s Imperialism, is using the policy of a great nation to lord it over its peripherals and would not allow a country at its back door to become democracy. Even at the height of the 8888 demonstrations when the US warships including aircraft carrier Coral Sea appeared in the Burmese waters and rumors were rife that the US would come and help the people of Burma against the hated Tatamadaw, China was massing up its army at the border region to take Shan State with the then Communist Party of Burma as a front man (read the theory of Maung Aung Myo) thus proving the Burmese oracle of Ta Yoke Ka Phi, Shan Ka Ei, She The Bama A Nauk Hmar meaning the Chinese will press on to lord over the Shan while the Burmese will let it happens staying in the side lines at the back. The Chinese had taken Sip Hsong Panna from Shan State and now they want all of Shan state especially east of the Salween River.

Even now the unofficial count of the Chinese in Burma comes to five million who are highly prosperous, while the country of fifty five million plus are desperately poor and with the monks and the 8888 generation movement heightening the tensions every day, there is every possibility that the law takes into its own hands and obviously the first attack will be on the hated local Chinese. But the men from the Dragon throne are willing to pay the price, for this will give China a good pretext to invade Burma.

Now that Burma’s problem has gone up to the UNSC where Gambari has informed that the developments in Burma have serious concerns in the international community and once again underscore the urgency to step up the international efforts. This means that the Security Council will have to decide at which point the situation warrants a response. The paradoxical Chinese position is that still adheres to the old position of Burma is not a threat to international peace and security and probability will use another veto on any UNSC resolution on Burma. The bottom line is that China cannot allow democracy to flourish in its backdoor. Hence every Burmese must do its best to protest the Chinese and shame them in the international eyes, proving beyond doubt that this big bully is not worthy of leading the international community. One can start with raising Human Rights issues at Beijing Olympic games.

*************Professor Win, aka Dr Ba Thann Win, former Secretary of Foreign Affairs of the Prime Minister of Burma has served as a Distinguished Visiting Professor at the Menno Simons College of University of Winnipeg and later as a Senior Research Fellow at the European Institute of Asian Studies, Brussels is now the incumbent Dean of the Students of the AEIOU Programme, Chiangmai University Thailand and Professor of the School of International Studies, Simon Fraser University, of British Columbia, Canada, filed this report from Paris.

burmadigest.wordpress.com

Originally Posted by Mid

Men of Conscience should Raise Human Rights Issue at Beijing Olympics
By Prof. Kanbawza Win

The original purpose of the Olympic Games, both ancient and modern, is to foster the ideal of, “A sound mind in a sound body,” and to promote friendship among the nations.

Correct.

And thats why in the original Olympics it was compulsory for all fighting and warfare and argy-bargy to stop during the games.

Spartans stopped moaning about the Athenians and vice versa.

Many countries nowadays still don't like each other, but don't use the Olympic Games as a platform to air these grievances. There are SO many other forums to do that in. Sticking to the original premis of the games - one puts politics and spears aside whether you like each others methods - or not.




ps Well 'copied and pasted ' Mid.....good show, excellent mouse clicking !

If you do not like what China does and what they believe then keep your ass out of their country and if you wish, do not buy "Made In China" products, Other than that it is none of your fucking business.

and vice versa.

possibly what's missing here ?

^^

we all live under the same sky .

Bomb threat forces Air China flight back to Japan

Posted 48 minutes ago
An Air China flight from central Japan was forced to turn back this afternoon, after the airline received a bomb threat in an email which also said the Beijing Olympic Games site would be attacked, Japanese police and media said.
Japanese media said the email included a threat to bring the flight to Chongqing down on the site of the Olympics in Beijing, where the opening ceremony is due to be staged tonight.
Air China flight CA 406 landed safely at Japan's Nagoya airport police said, but could not confirm how many passengers were on the flight.
The threat caused the airline to suspend some of its flights for inspections, Kyodo News reported.
- Reuters

We will see no 'men of conscience' in the 2008 Olympics.

fat lady ain't sung yet .

I don't mean there will be no protestors. I mean, none of the athletes will stand & be counted. They made their vote when they decided to attend & participate.

The lives of Chinese citizens are improving at an enormous rate. Probably that is why, of any country sampled, they were by far the happiest with their government and the direction of their country.

It's easy to be an armchair expert and say how terrible it must be over there. Especially if you cannot be bothered asking the Chinese people.

Originally Posted by sabang

The lives of Chinese citizens are improving at an enormous rate. Probably that is why, of any country sampled, they were by far the happiest with their government and the direction of their country.

It's easy to be an armchair expert and say how terrible it must be over there. Especially if you cannot be bothered asking the Chinese people.

Yea, these folks are really happy with the government:

VOA News - 8 Killed in China's Muslim Northwest

8 Killed in China's Muslim NorthwestBy VOA News
10 August 2008

Chinese state media say the death toll in a series of attacks Sunday in the troubled western Xinjiang region has risen to eight.

China's official Xinhua news agency says seven attackers and one security guard have died.

Xinhua says the violence began before dawn, in the city of Kuqa, when a three-wheeled vehicle carrying explosives was driven into the yard of a police station. The attackers set off a blast that killed the security guard and wounded two police officers and two civilians.

The news agency said police shot one of the bombers dead and captured another at the scene. One bomber killed himself and a fourth was seriously injured.

Xinhua said hours later, five bombers were found hiding in a market. Police killed two of them and three blew themselves up.

Last Monday, an attack in the Xinjiang region killed 16 police officers and wounded 16 others. Officials said two men from a predominantly Muslim ethnic group were responsible for that attack.

Chinese state media linked Monday's attack to an alleged plot by the East Turkistan Islamic Movement, a group dedicated to gaining independence for Xinjiang.

These folks also seem pretty happy with the government and China holding the Olympics:

VOA News - Residents of Beijing Protest Evictions and Home Demolitions

Residents of Beijing Protest Evistions and Home Demolitions

The Beijing skyline has undergone massive transformation in preparation for the Olympics. The people who were evicted from their homes to make way for some of the new development are not happy, though, and were among the first to publicly protest this week, even before the games began. Stephanie Ho reports from Beijing.

Especially if you cannot be bothered asking the Chinese people.

government won't let em talk will it

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Strikingly large numbers of Chinese are happy with their nation's direction and booming economy yet are deeply worried about rising prices, pollution and the gap between the rich and poor.

That's according to a poll by the Pew Research Center, released Tuesday.

The survey finds that two-thirds of Chinese also give their government high marks for handling important problems. Three of four approve of Beijing's policy of limiting most couples to one child, though it's more popular with well-off than lower-income people.

The findings contrast sharply with recent polling in the U.S. showing large majorities of Americans holding starkly negative views about their country's direction, its leaders in the White House and Congress, and economic conditions.

Poll: Most Chinese happy with nation's direction - CNN.com

Olympic survey results may be skewed (OneNewsNow.com)

But DJ McGuire, president of the China e-Lobby, argues that one cannot get honest answers from any poll conducted in a totalitarian country. "Whoever is on the other end of the line is basically assuming you are asking...on behalf of the government or [that] the government will be able to see what you will tell them. So therefore you're going to get these ridiculously high numbers in support of the government because people are just afraid to say what they really feel," he explains.

^ Why not go to China and see for yourself Bugs? I speak medium Cantonese, was married to a girl from Guangdong, have been to China more times than I can count, and I am a permanent resident of HK.

What about DJ Mcguire, the president of the 'China e-lobby'?

Been there done that, I go to China about 6 times a year. I'll be going back again in Sept.

Plenty of unhappy people there.

Quickest way to leave China is to protest.... you will see the back of a boot quicker than you can blink your eyes.

Originally Posted by Bugs

Plenty of unhappy people there.

Granted, plenty of unhappy people everywhere.

But they are happy with their government, their living standards are improving year by year (albeit from a low base), and it's not as overbearing a state as commonly depicted. I used to quite enjoy my evening walks along the promenade at Shek Ou (going to a favourite Szechuan resturant, then the falang bar area). People were sitting around enjoying themselves, and the unmistakeable waft of weed was in the air. The police weren't bothered.

I don't mean to laud the place- it's got it's problems too of course, but so much stereotyping you hear from the West is based on utmost ignorance.

All this prattle linking politics and sports is crap.

The Olympics is a sporting event. No more political than the World Cup or the WWF.

^Got some politics and WWF there Tex, but I have Olympics on Ignore...

Sorry if I missed something therefore, but are you suggesting a Chinese demo at the next WWF farce stateside?

I agree with Tex,its a sporting event

Too bad the people aren't showing up to watch the sporting events:

http://www.foxsports.com.au/beijing_...016791,00.html

Empty seats and deserted race routes gives Games a soulless feel

The sport's great. Pity nobody's there to watch.

Australian Olympic Commitee president John Coates said today he was disappointed for the athletes that many venues at China's "sold out" Olympics are virtually empty.

Coates said several events involving Aussie athletes including the beach volleyball and the womens' basketball were played before deserted stands.

"I was very very surprised for something that's sold out,'' he said.

"It's disappointing for the athletes. Every Olympic event like the beach volleyball yesterday deserves a full house and I was very surprised.

"The only explanation I can offer is large corporate purchases and we do know that corporates attend sports at their whim.

Coates said by contrast, almost all seats were filled at the Sydney Olympics.

"Certainly my recollection for Sydney is that there was something like 94 per cent capacity at every venue for the total duration of the Games including heats, so they've certainly slipped behind on that,'' he said.

"It might be the only thing we win, comparatively ... Sydney v China."

Coates said he was also puzzled by the dearth of seating for the road cycling events.

"I think the bigger problem for the cycling was the limited area for the spectators,'' he said.

"The international cycling federation, the UCI, and the organisers have agreed to have the beautiful picture of the Great Wall. But there was a very very limited area for seating.

"You have seen commentary from parents and spouses who are upset and it's a funny trade-off to me.

"I would have thought the federation, first and foremost, should be thinking about their athletes and their families and accommodating them. But obviously they didn't.''

Australian cyclists said after the road race last night they were bewildered to compete with hardly a soul watching on at the course and their loved ones watching it on a television inside a building.

And more reports of the same:
BBC SPORT | Olympics 2008 blog

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/bei...014104,00.html


Not to worry Beijing is one the case:

Chinese to investigate poor crowds

Chinese to investigate poor crowds
Chinese officials say they will rethink ticketing arrangements after sporting crowds failed to materialise at a variety of Olympic events.

If all else fails I'm sure they can just bust a few heads, round up a few folks off the street and stick them in the empty seats.

looks like the patriotic bought up all the tickets to ensure success thinking others would turn up ...........

Originally Posted by Bugs

beach volleyball

Now that should be a crowd pleaser.