China Restricts Free Press During Olympics
Free Speech Under Attack in China
As the non-stop Olympic coverage begins, many people are wondering whether the world has sacrificed ethics in order to enjoy a series of games. The Olympics are no stranger to controversy, and have a long history of questionable choices, such as allowing Nazi Germany to host the games in the 1930s. China has had a long track record of violating human rights, so granting Beijing the Olympics seemed a strange choice. In the beginning China had promised to keep the Olympics open if they were given the Games, though it is becoming clear this would not be fulfilled.
China Cracks Down Before Olympics
China is not a unified nation in the sense many imagine it to be. True, Chinese troops are present everywhere, and the government has a way of controlling many aspects of life in the nation. But many regions in China (Taiwain, Tibet, the Western provinces) do not want to be part of China, and saw the upcoming games as an opportunity to have their message of freedom heard.
The Tibetan Monks
In March 2008 China felt sufficiently threatened by Tibetan monks to stage a violent crack down on them. Tibetan monks had planned on celebrating the 49th anniversary of a 1959 uprising with peaceful protests, but found thousands of Chinese soldiers and tanks preventing them from going into the streets and assembling. Early reports had at least 80 monks being shot down. Rioting and protests erupted, with the Chinese shutting off all reporting from the area. During the events Tibet became almost entirely isolated from the rest of the world while the People's Army took care of the situation.
When a Western Great Wall expert tried to conduct a news story police covered the camera lenses. When explaining the event Germany ZDF’s Johannes Hano said, “They told us, in the U.S. there’s no Great Wall, so there couldn’t be a U.S. Great Wall expert.”(1)
China Prevents Public Demonstrations
It is also no secret that China has tried to make sure that no demonstrations will occur during the Olympics, rounding up many political prisoners to be temporarily held until after the Games. China Aid Association has alerted the news agencies that China is attempting to remove Christians from the area, stepping up efforts to clean up the streets. They are arresting political prisoners and having others sign papers stating that they will not congregate until after the Olympics.(2)
The Communist Chinese government has ordered a massive crackdown in Guizhou province where thousands rioted and burned government buildings after a reported rape.(3) Other provinces are enforcing new security measures to make sure nobody creates too much noise as the Olympics continue. Xinjiang has seen incidients involving Muslim separatists, but for the moment it appears the government in China has successfully smothered any form of openness or dissent.
The Olympics Begin
While the world hears stories about China cleaning up pollution, the political aspects of the Games are generally uncovered by the media. China has managed to silence most of the opposition and create a sterile clean environment. However, with the games starting today, it might only be a matter of time before some unsightly political demonstration occurs. Many in China see this as their one chance at gaining the attention of the world, and there is no telling what could happen in the coming days.
Sources
(1) Observer
(2) World Net Daily
(3) SMH.com
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