8/09/2007

Activists Rappel down Great Wall

Six "foreign" activists from "Students for Free Tibet" rappelled the Great Wall and unfurled the banner "One World One Dream Free Tibet 2008" yesterday:

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=32e_1186475766

According to the clip, posted yesterday, the activists' whereabouts are unknown. Today, they popped up in H.K. (probably deported), which is lucky for them as the hundreds of protesters that were rounded up in Tibet last week are still in jail.

I picked up this quote off NPR, from the Vice President of the Beijing Olympic Games Organizing Committee Jiang Xiaoyu: "We welcome the international media to report objectively and fairly on our preparations, and to offer constructive criticism of our shortcomings," Jiang said. "But we oppose politicizing the games, as that is not in keeping with the Olympic spirit."

This is pretty interesting, considering China's controversial positioning of Taiwan on the Olympic torch route (the torch goes from Japan to Vietnam and then back to Taiwan before entering Hong Kong) has pissed people off here in Taiwan. Many Tibetans are upset about how the torch route is being used to reinforce a notion that Tibet is part of China. The torch will actually go to the top of Mt. Everest sometime during all the madness.

8 comments:

bobby fletcher said...

Why don't we righteous Americans/Canadians set a good example for the Chinese by reliniquishing our established statehood towards Native American Independence? First Nation Independence?

Of cours not, we are hypocrits. We want to keep our stolen land and demand Tibet Independence.

Proverb goes "people living in glass house should not throw stones."

Patric not sure if you are aware of the fact Student for a free Tibet is conntected with the Canadian government thru PM Harper's advisor Tenzin Khangsar:

http://www.google.com/search?q=Tenzin+Khangsar+Student+For+Free+Tibet

Say, didn't Toronto lose the 2008 bid?

Patrick Cowsill said...

I live in Taiwan and have for over a decade. My wife and my daughter are Taiwanese. China's annexation of Tibet and the subsequent oppression of these people worries us greatly. We figure it's relevant. What's going on in either of Canada or the US, though sad, isn't really connected to us.

Patrick Cowsill said...

Just my luck. No sooner do I get finished saying I'm uncomfortable with censoring my blog than I get wackos like "Bobby Fletcher", who keeps a blog that goes on about Tianamen being an " event [that] in America was spinned and twisted into the usual 'hate-China' propaganda for mass comsumption" in his "Myths of Tianamen" and a T-shirt chick who's hawking new age items.

bobby fletcher said...

Patrick, you really should read the TAM retrospective from Columbia School of Journalism I cited in my TAM blog.

Or perhaps your personal agenda can't handle the facts that have come out about TAM over the years...

Anonymous said...

I remember the incident happened in June. 4, 1989. But it can't still prove whether the massacre is only a myth or not? Do you remember the image in Beijing of the young man standing in front of a tank who was holding something in his hand, and showing a tank to pull over? He is a native Chinese. The news about the Tiananmen square incident has been broadcast in detail by public media like CNN, BBC, and ABC. Everybody knows an estimated 3000 persons died and over hundreds thousand wounded from their reports.

Patrick Cowsill said...

What are the facts, Bobby Fletcher? I honestly have no idea what you're talking about.

Also, you refer to my "personal agenda" not be able to "handle the facts". What on earth are you talking about? Could it be the agenda of this blog? If so, why do you say personal? What would a "public agenda" be?

I can tell you two things: first, the agenda of my blog has nothing to do with China; second, I don't care if Taiwan looks good or bad.

Patrick Cowsill said...

I wonder why I get (used to get) weird ass comments like this (see last comment) whenever I bring up China. Who's behind it. Anyway, word verification seems to have taken care of it; I'll have to put up another post on China and see what happens now. Bobby Fletcher my butt.

Anonymous said...

Well written article.

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