The World

Dangerous games

Written by Jonathon Seidl
April 5, 2008

8 Comments

The 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing are creating quite a stir. And thanks to the extra scrutiny that comes with the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, the international community is finally speaking up against one of freedom’s greatest antagonists.

China, which will host the Games in August, is drawing the world’s ire for its hard line stance against protesting Tibetan monks. The skirmish is the biggest in Tibet since the late 1980s, and has led to 140 deaths according to Tibetans. With its anaconda-like grip on state news, though, China only reports 19 killings. But as unrest continues that number should grow. In fact, there are disputed reports of Chinese police killing another eight people today.

The Dalai Lama, ruler of the exiled Tibetan government in India and leader of the Tibetan monks, has led the charge against China. The usual peaceful guru has refused to call off the protests and is pushing for an international inquiry into the situation.

Amnesty International has obliged, denouncing the “excessive, sometimes lethal” force used against protestors. Echoing AI’s sentiments, Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said “It’s absolutely clear that there are human rights abuses in Tibet.”

In addition to the abuses in Tibet, many are also turning red over China’s open support of the Sudanese government during the genocide in Darfur. Citing China’s involvement with Sudan, Steven Spielberg resigned in February as an artistic adviser for the Games. The heir to the British throne, Prince Charles, was caught calling China’s leaders “appalling old waxworks,” and said he would not attend the games if invited. There is even an international campaign underway to dub these Games “The Genocide Olympics.”

Who could have guessed the Olympics would rally the international community to speak out against communism, murder, and excessive government control? If the Olympics can produce this much scrutiny, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) should think about giving the Games to countries like Iran, North Korea, and Cuba.

	Topic: Front Page, The World		Email a friend
	Keywords: 2008 Summer Olympics, china, human-rights, International Olympic Committee		RSS 2.0
	Both comments and pings are currently closed.		Share this: These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.

8 Comments to “Dangerous games”

1. by hrw 04.05.08 at 1:55 pm

Who could have guessed the Olympics would rally the international community to speak out against communism, murder, and excessive government control?

communism???? where?? I see a state totalitarian managed capitalist system.
2. by mumsee 04.05.08 at 2:36 pm

Who would have guessed? Well, I would have and I suspect a lot of others did as well. Glad to see its happening and hope it has long term consequences rather than people saying “Oh! That’s terrible” and going back to their shopping or gardening.
3. by Tychicus 04.05.08 at 2:40 pm

It could be quite a nasty summer…
4. by adios 04.05.08 at 9:51 pm

It was imprudent–that’s a generous word–for the IOC to select Beijing to begin with. Beijing lied through their teeth, something they are very good at doing with a smiling face, to get the Olympics. Now China has to face the fact that they cannot pull a CULTural revolution on the world.

I think Ms. Merkel should go the Olympics wearing a hat that says “Sudanese oil for the Sudanese.” And Prince Charles should go with a rather large “Free Tibet” pin. Taiwan should go just to go. GWB should give a speech on freedom of religion in China, oh yeah, and trade. And the Dalai Lama, should be allowed to go as a spectator.
5. by hrw 04.05.08 at 10:56 pm

I’m with Adios — Toronto lost to Beijing to host the Olympics. While the West voted for Toronto, the Asian and African countries voted for China. Gift giving reached epic proportions. I would love to see some athletes imitate the 1968 Black Power salute when they receive a medal — unfurl a Tibetan flag instead of their own would be a nice symbolic gesture.
6. by Cheryl D. 04.05.08 at 11:49 pm

My bank had a poster “win a trip to the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.” My thought? No thanks.

I do hope that this ends up doing some good, maybe even allows some sort of missionary contact this summer, some chances for Chinese people to see how the rest of the world functions. God can use anything, even the Olympics!
7. by Make it Man 04.06.08 at 1:56 pm

The music of Bruce Cockburn is rumbling through my head as I read this.

http://cockburnproject.net/songs&music/tsot.html

– Tibetan Side Of Town –
March 1987. Toronto, Canada.

Through rutted winding streets of Kathmandu
Dodging crowded humans cows dogs rickshaws -
Storefronts constellated pools of bluewhite
Bright against darkening walls

The butterfly sparkle in my lasered eye still seems
To hold that last shot of red sun through haze over jumbled roofs
Everything moves like slow fluid in this atmosphere
Thick as dreams
With sewage, incense, dust and fever and the smoke of brick kilns and cremations -

Tom Kelly’s bike rumbles down -
we’re going drinking on the Tibetan side of town.

Beggar with withered legs sits sideways on skateboard, grinning
There’s a joke going on somewhere but we’ll never know
Those laughing kids with hungry eyes must be in on it too
With their clinging memories of a culture crushed
By Chinese greed

Pretty young mother by the temple gate
Covers her baby’s face against diesel fumes
That look of concern - you can see it still -
Not yet masked by the hard lines of a woman’s
Struggle to survive

Hard bargains going down
When you’re living on the Tibetan side of town.

Big red Enfield Bullet lurches to a halt in the dust
Last blast of engine leaves a ringing in the ears
That fades into the rustle of bare feet and slapping sandals
And the baritone moan of long bronze trumpets
Muffled by monastery walls.

Prayer flags crack like whips in the breeze
Sending to the world - tonight the message blows east
Dark door opens to warm yellow room and there
Are these steaming jugs of hot millet beer
and I’m sucked into the scene like this liquor up
This bamboo straw

Sweet tungba sliding down -
drinking on the Tibetan side of town

-Bruce Cockburn-
8. by Sawgunner 04.06.08 at 2:53 pm

I’m with a previous poster. The ChiComms are CINOs (Communists In Name Only). Well over 60% of all assets are in private non-govt hands. Same cannot be said about Cuba or North Korea. Deng Xiao Ping et al lacked the cajones to come right out and identify Mao’s kookiness for the economic disaster the world (including the ChiComm leadership) knew it to be.
The Chinese communist party is a lot like the old Church of England: a vast structure with few genuine adherents left in it.