Olympic boycott is ruled out
Tuesday, 18 March 2008 10:25
IOC president Jacques Rogge said during a visit to Port of Spain, Trinidad that no governments had called for a boycott of the Beijing Games over China's crackdown on protests in Tibet.
'There have been absolutely no calls for a boycott, neither emanating from governments, and we have been very heartened by the position of the European Union and the major governments of the world who have all said almost unanimously that boycotts will not be a solution,' Rogge said.
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The Associated Press
Published: March 24, 2008
PARIS: French President Nicolas Sarkozy called Monday for "restraint" in Tibet, and offered France as a go-between in any new talks between China and the representatives of the Dalai Lama.
A statement from Sarkozy's office said he sent a message to Chinese President Hu Jintao expressing sadness over recent "tragic events" in Tibet, and saying that he hoped talks between the two sides would resume.
A poll published Monday suggests most French people want Sarkozy to boycott the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics this summer to protest China's human rights situation, but think French athletes should compete.
When asked by the Liberation newspaper poll about how to protest China's "human rights situation," 53 percent of respondents said they were "rather favorable" to the idea of Sarkozy staying away from the opening ceremonies. Forty-two percent were "rather unfavorable." The remaining 5 percent were not accounted for.
Monday, March 24, 2008
Sunday, March 23, 2008
The Dalai Lama
China Accuses Dalai Lama of Trying to Mar Olympic Games
By VOA News
23 March 2008
China has accused the Dalai Lama of attempting to mar the upcoming Olympic Games in Beijing by stirring up protests in Tibet.
Chinese state media said Sunday the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader is attempting to take the Games hostage and force China to make concessions on Tibetan independence.
The Dalai Lama, an advocate of nonviolence, has steadily denied calling for protests and says he supports holding the Olympics in Beijing.
In his Easter Sunday message today, Pope Benedict in Rome called for peace in Tibet, following the unrest that started in Lhasa on the anniversary of a failed Tibetan uprising in 1959.
Chinese authorities have posted a series of 21 "most wanted" photographs of people sought in the Lhasa rioting.
By VOA News
23 March 2008
China has accused the Dalai Lama of attempting to mar the upcoming Olympic Games in Beijing by stirring up protests in Tibet.
Chinese state media said Sunday the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader is attempting to take the Games hostage and force China to make concessions on Tibetan independence.
The Dalai Lama, an advocate of nonviolence, has steadily denied calling for protests and says he supports holding the Olympics in Beijing.
In his Easter Sunday message today, Pope Benedict in Rome called for peace in Tibet, following the unrest that started in Lhasa on the anniversary of a failed Tibetan uprising in 1959.
Chinese authorities have posted a series of 21 "most wanted" photographs of people sought in the Lhasa rioting.
Friday, March 21, 2008
The IOC / Both Sides Now?
IOC official: Beijing's air quality will continue to improve
Updated：2008-03-18
(BEIJING, March 18) -- The IOC is "confident that measures already put in place, plus those planned by Beijing organisers and city authorities, will continue to improve the city's air quality leading up to -- and during -- the Games," Arne Ljungqvist, the chairman of the IOC's Medical Commission, said.
The International Olympic Committee's (IOC) Medical Commission released on Monday the findings from its most recent appraisal of the air quality in Beijing.
Based on air quality data from August 8 to 29, 2007, the IOC's Medical Commission satisfactorily found that the air quality will be suitable for the health of most athletes competing in the 2008 Olympic Games. The commission spent several weeks analyzing readings on temperature, wind, humidity and the pollutants SO2, NO2, CO, Ozone, and PM10 provided by the Beijing Environment Protection Bureau for the time period indicated.
HUH?
IOC: Beijing Air Quality Could Put Athletes at Risk
A new assessment of Beijing air quality released Monday by the International Olympic Committee's Medical Commission acknowledges for the first time that athletes such as Gebrselassie might have something to worry about.
The commission says some athletes may be at risk if they compete in outdoor endurance events in Beijing where the Games are set to begin on August 8.
Beijing Olympic Stadium on a smoggy day (Photo by An Drew)
For outdoor endurance events that include minimum one hour continuous physical efforts at high level - urban road cycling, mountain bike, marathon, marathon swimming, triathlon and road walk - the IOC Medical Commission’s findings indicated that "there may be some risk."
Medical Commission Chairman Arne Ljungqvist said, "As with all Olympic Games, we want to ensure that air quality risks are mitigated and that measures are put into place to protect the health of the athletes. The health and safety of the competing athletes is of the utmost importance.
Ljungqvist said the IOC will be working together with the relevant international federations in order to put in place procedures which will allow a "plan B" to be activated for such events if necessary.
Updated：2008-03-18
(BEIJING, March 18) -- The IOC is "confident that measures already put in place, plus those planned by Beijing organisers and city authorities, will continue to improve the city's air quality leading up to -- and during -- the Games," Arne Ljungqvist, the chairman of the IOC's Medical Commission, said.
The International Olympic Committee's (IOC) Medical Commission released on Monday the findings from its most recent appraisal of the air quality in Beijing.
Based on air quality data from August 8 to 29, 2007, the IOC's Medical Commission satisfactorily found that the air quality will be suitable for the health of most athletes competing in the 2008 Olympic Games. The commission spent several weeks analyzing readings on temperature, wind, humidity and the pollutants SO2, NO2, CO, Ozone, and PM10 provided by the Beijing Environment Protection Bureau for the time period indicated.
HUH?
IOC: Beijing Air Quality Could Put Athletes at Risk
A new assessment of Beijing air quality released Monday by the International Olympic Committee's Medical Commission acknowledges for the first time that athletes such as Gebrselassie might have something to worry about.
The commission says some athletes may be at risk if they compete in outdoor endurance events in Beijing where the Games are set to begin on August 8.
Beijing Olympic Stadium on a smoggy day (Photo by An Drew)
For outdoor endurance events that include minimum one hour continuous physical efforts at high level - urban road cycling, mountain bike, marathon, marathon swimming, triathlon and road walk - the IOC Medical Commission’s findings indicated that "there may be some risk."
Medical Commission Chairman Arne Ljungqvist said, "As with all Olympic Games, we want to ensure that air quality risks are mitigated and that measures are put into place to protect the health of the athletes. The health and safety of the competing athletes is of the utmost importance.
Ljungqvist said the IOC will be working together with the relevant international federations in order to put in place procedures which will allow a "plan B" to be activated for such events if necessary.
The Emperor has no clothes
Olympics Boycott Chatter Grows as Tibet Unravels: William Pesek
Commentary by William Pesek
March 21 (Bloomberg) -- It has been a rough year so far for conventional wisdom on China.
Asking for It
Perhaps, yet China asked for it. It bid aggressively for the Olympics and argued the games would hasten the development of human rights. Tell that to imprisoned activist Hu Jia, whom Reporters Without Borders calls a ``prisoner of the Olympic Games.''
Officials in Beijing say activists shouldn't politicize the summer games, even though Chinese authorities have used them for political gain all along. Anyone who thinks Beijing 2008 is about sports isn't being realistic.
Activists had already been trying to label the summer games the ``Genocide Olympics.'' As Sudan's biggest trading partner, weapons provider and protector at the United Nations, China has a responsibility to help ease violence in Darfur. Tibet raises the stakes and the specter of another Tiananmen Square if China's crackdown continues.
Shame on the International Olympic Committee for not speaking out on Tibet. If the quid pro quo for getting the games was improved human rights, the IOC got suckered. By turning a blind eye to Tibet, the IOC is tacitly giving China a green light to crush dissenters before the Olympics.
Tibet's Plight
The IOC doesn't have a monopoly on hypocrisy here. Why aren't Westerners so quick to celebrate Kosovo's independence championing Tibet's cause? How come countries that condemned Myanmar's clampdown on monks last year aren't outraged?
China is different, of course. No one wants to cross the leaders of an economy that today produces many of the world's consumer goods and represents a massive market of tomorrow. That's why the U.S. will invade Iraq to foster democracy, while praying that already democratic Taiwan doesn't rock the boat.
Then there are those paying millions of dollars to be linked with Beijing's Olympics. Adidas AG, Coca-Cola Co., McDonald's Corp., Panasonic, Samsung Electronics Co., Swatch Group AG and other sponsors should do more to encourage restraint in Tibet. Otherwise, their images could be tarnished, along with Beijing's.
2008 Sponsors
Just look at how human-rights groups went after Berkshire Hathaway Inc.'s Warren Buffett to end investments in PetroChina Co. because of its parent company's interests in Sudan. Olympic sponsors could be in for an interesting year.
Commentary by William Pesek
March 21 (Bloomberg) -- It has been a rough year so far for conventional wisdom on China.
Asking for It
Perhaps, yet China asked for it. It bid aggressively for the Olympics and argued the games would hasten the development of human rights. Tell that to imprisoned activist Hu Jia, whom Reporters Without Borders calls a ``prisoner of the Olympic Games.''
Officials in Beijing say activists shouldn't politicize the summer games, even though Chinese authorities have used them for political gain all along. Anyone who thinks Beijing 2008 is about sports isn't being realistic.
Activists had already been trying to label the summer games the ``Genocide Olympics.'' As Sudan's biggest trading partner, weapons provider and protector at the United Nations, China has a responsibility to help ease violence in Darfur. Tibet raises the stakes and the specter of another Tiananmen Square if China's crackdown continues.
Shame on the International Olympic Committee for not speaking out on Tibet. If the quid pro quo for getting the games was improved human rights, the IOC got suckered. By turning a blind eye to Tibet, the IOC is tacitly giving China a green light to crush dissenters before the Olympics.
Tibet's Plight
The IOC doesn't have a monopoly on hypocrisy here. Why aren't Westerners so quick to celebrate Kosovo's independence championing Tibet's cause? How come countries that condemned Myanmar's clampdown on monks last year aren't outraged?
China is different, of course. No one wants to cross the leaders of an economy that today produces many of the world's consumer goods and represents a massive market of tomorrow. That's why the U.S. will invade Iraq to foster democracy, while praying that already democratic Taiwan doesn't rock the boat.
Then there are those paying millions of dollars to be linked with Beijing's Olympics. Adidas AG, Coca-Cola Co., McDonald's Corp., Panasonic, Samsung Electronics Co., Swatch Group AG and other sponsors should do more to encourage restraint in Tibet. Otherwise, their images could be tarnished, along with Beijing's.
2008 Sponsors
Just look at how human-rights groups went after Berkshire Hathaway Inc.'s Warren Buffett to end investments in PetroChina Co. because of its parent company's interests in Sudan. Olympic sponsors could be in for an interesting year.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
This is too easy some days...
France raises idea of boycotting Olympics ceremony over Tibet
By Katrin Bennhold
Published: March 18, 2008
PARIS: EU asked to weigh punishing Beijing
Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner of France said Tuesday that the European Union should consider punishing China's crackdown in Tibet with a boycott of the opening ceremony of this summer's Olympic Games in Beijing.
His comments followed an appeal by the press advocacy group Reporters Without Borders to governments across the world to shun the highly symbolic ceremony during which the Olympic flame is lighted.
European leaders have been conspicuously quiet since protesters and the Chinese police first clashed in the Tibetan capital, Lhasa, a week ago.
China on Tuesday called for an international investigation of the Dalai Lama, who condemned the violence that has erupted from the Tibetan demonstrations. He threatened to resign as leader of Tibet's government in exile "if things become out of control."
By Katrin Bennhold
Published: March 18, 2008
PARIS: EU asked to weigh punishing Beijing
Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner of France said Tuesday that the European Union should consider punishing China's crackdown in Tibet with a boycott of the opening ceremony of this summer's Olympic Games in Beijing.
His comments followed an appeal by the press advocacy group Reporters Without Borders to governments across the world to shun the highly symbolic ceremony during which the Olympic flame is lighted.
European leaders have been conspicuously quiet since protesters and the Chinese police first clashed in the Tibetan capital, Lhasa, a week ago.
China on Tuesday called for an international investigation of the Dalai Lama, who condemned the violence that has erupted from the Tibetan demonstrations. He threatened to resign as leader of Tibet's government in exile "if things become out of control."
Sunday, March 16, 2008
All the bumper stickers in the world....
It's nice when I see those "Free Tibet" bumper stickers on all those hybrids. It reminds me of the old saying from by home state, "If sayin' it only made it so, there'd be no work to do." If you have a "Free Tibet" bumper sticker on your car, or Tibetan prayer flags hanging on your porch and you watch one day of the Olympic coverage on TV, soaking in all of those advertisers commercials who've paid so dearly for entry into the Chinese markets on the unpaid backs of the athletes, you might want to look in your dictionary for the definition of "Hypocrite."
Today's news:
By Benjamin Kang Lim and Chris Buckley
BEIJING (Reuters) - Chinese officials have declared a "people's war" of security and propaganda against support for the Dalai Lama in Tibet after riots racked the regional capital Lhasa, and some sources claimed the turmoil killed dozens.
Residents of the remote city high in the Himalayas said on Sunday that anti-riot troops controlled the streets and were closely checking Tibetan homes after protests and looting shook the heavily Buddhist region.
China has said at least 10 "innocent civilians" died, mostly in fires lit by rioters.
But an outside Tibetan source with close ties in Lhasa said that number was far too low. He cited a contact who claimed to have counted many more corpses of people killed in the riots or subsequent crackdown.
"He said there were 67 bodies in one morgue alone," the source told Reuters. "He saw it with his own eyes."
The self-proclaimed Tibetan government-in-exile in northern India has said some 30 people were killed in clashes with Chinese authorities. Beijing bans foreign reporters from freely reporting in Tibet, so the conflicting claims cannot be easily checked.
Chinese authorities have now signalled a sweeping campaign to redouble security in the region and attack public support for the Dalai Lama, who fled into exile in 1959 after that year's failed uprising.
"This grave incident of fighting, wrecking, looting and burning was meticulously planned by reactionary separatist forces here and abroad, and its goal was Tibetan independence," a Saturday meeting of senior regional and security officials announced, according to the official Tibet Daily on Sunday.
"Fight a people's war to oppose separatism and protect stability ... expose and condemn the malicious actions of these forces and expose the hideous face of the Dalai clique to broad daylight."
Today's news:
By Benjamin Kang Lim and Chris Buckley
BEIJING (Reuters) - Chinese officials have declared a "people's war" of security and propaganda against support for the Dalai Lama in Tibet after riots racked the regional capital Lhasa, and some sources claimed the turmoil killed dozens.
Residents of the remote city high in the Himalayas said on Sunday that anti-riot troops controlled the streets and were closely checking Tibetan homes after protests and looting shook the heavily Buddhist region.
China has said at least 10 "innocent civilians" died, mostly in fires lit by rioters.
But an outside Tibetan source with close ties in Lhasa said that number was far too low. He cited a contact who claimed to have counted many more corpses of people killed in the riots or subsequent crackdown.
"He said there were 67 bodies in one morgue alone," the source told Reuters. "He saw it with his own eyes."
The self-proclaimed Tibetan government-in-exile in northern India has said some 30 people were killed in clashes with Chinese authorities. Beijing bans foreign reporters from freely reporting in Tibet, so the conflicting claims cannot be easily checked.
Chinese authorities have now signalled a sweeping campaign to redouble security in the region and attack public support for the Dalai Lama, who fled into exile in 1959 after that year's failed uprising.
"This grave incident of fighting, wrecking, looting and burning was meticulously planned by reactionary separatist forces here and abroad, and its goal was Tibetan independence," a Saturday meeting of senior regional and security officials announced, according to the official Tibet Daily on Sunday.
"Fight a people's war to oppose separatism and protect stability ... expose and condemn the malicious actions of these forces and expose the hideous face of the Dalai clique to broad daylight."
Friday, March 14, 2008
Steven Spielberg Made A Choice
By HELENE COOPER
Published: February 13, 2008
WASHINGTON — Steven Spielberg said Tuesday that he was withdrawing as an artistic adviser to the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, after almost a year of trying unsuccessfully to prod President Hu Jintao of China to do more to try to end Sudan’s attacks in the Darfur region.
Mr. Spielberg’s decision, and the public way he announced it, is a blow to China, which has said that its relationship with Sudan should not be linked to the Olympics, which have become a source of national pride.
In a statement sent to the Chinese ambassador and the Beijing Olympic committee on Tuesday, Mr. Spielberg said that his “conscience will not allow me to continue with business as usual.”
“Sudan’s government bears the bulk of the responsibility for these ongoing crimes but the international community, and particularly China, should be doing more to end the continuing human suffering there,” the statement said. “China’s economic, military and diplomatic ties to the government of Sudan continue to provide it with the opportunity and obligation to press for change.”
Responding to Mr. Spielberg’s action, a spokesman at the Chinese Embassy in Washington said, “As the Darfur issue is neither an internal issue of China nor is it caused by China, it is completely unreasonable, irresponsible and unfair to link the two as one.”
Published: February 13, 2008
WASHINGTON — Steven Spielberg said Tuesday that he was withdrawing as an artistic adviser to the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, after almost a year of trying unsuccessfully to prod President Hu Jintao of China to do more to try to end Sudan’s attacks in the Darfur region.
Mr. Spielberg’s decision, and the public way he announced it, is a blow to China, which has said that its relationship with Sudan should not be linked to the Olympics, which have become a source of national pride.
In a statement sent to the Chinese ambassador and the Beijing Olympic committee on Tuesday, Mr. Spielberg said that his “conscience will not allow me to continue with business as usual.”
“Sudan’s government bears the bulk of the responsibility for these ongoing crimes but the international community, and particularly China, should be doing more to end the continuing human suffering there,” the statement said. “China’s economic, military and diplomatic ties to the government of Sudan continue to provide it with the opportunity and obligation to press for change.”
Responding to Mr. Spielberg’s action, a spokesman at the Chinese Embassy in Washington said, “As the Darfur issue is neither an internal issue of China nor is it caused by China, it is completely unreasonable, irresponsible and unfair to link the two as one.”
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