Tibetan riots continue in China

[Grande]

Tibetan riots continue in China 
BBC News
 
The Tibetan government-in-exile in India says that 140 people died in and around the Himalayan region during clashes that began on 10 March.

Officials in Beijing have previously put the death toll at 19.

Neither of the figures can be independently verified.

Foreign journalists remain banned from Tibet.

In a separate development on Monday, pro-Tibet activists briefly disrupted a flame-lighting ceremony in Greece for the Olympic Games in Beijing this summer.

Protesters from media rights group Reporters Without Borders broke through the cordon of 1,000 police officers in Olympia as China's envoy spoke.

Differing accounts

Xinhua said one Chinese policeman was killed and several others were injured during the riots on Monday in Sichuan's Gaze prefecture.

It did not provide any further details.

Separately, local authorities in Sichuan said 381 people involved in earlier protests in Aba county had given themselves up.

Chinese and Tibetan sources have given very different accounts of the protests, which were started by Buddhist monks on the anniversary of a Tibetan uprising against Chinese rule.

Chinese authorities have blamed the Dalai Lama for orchestrating the unrest, in an attempt to sabotage the Beijing Olympics and promote Tibetan independence.

But the Tibetan government-in-exile, based in Dharamsala, northern India, says innocent civilians were killed by Chinese troops.

China's state media has recently attacked foreign news coverage of the unrest, claiming it is unfair.

The official People's Daily newspaper said foreign journalists had misrepresented government efforts to restore order as a military crackdown.

TIBET DIVIDE
 
- China says Tibet was always part of its territory
- Tibet enjoyed long periods of autonomy before 20th century
- 1950: China launched a military assault
- Opposition to Chinese rule led to a bloody uprising in 1959
- Tibet's spiritual leader the Dalai Lama fled to sanctuary in India

[ribbit]

china real losing the PR war on this one. they calling the dalai lama a "slave owner" and a "serial liar". like ahmadinejad and the iraqi minister of information advising them. steups.

[WestCoast]

this thing getting serious
people talkin about a boycott of the China Olympics

[pecan]

this thing getting serious
people talkin about a boycott of the China Olympics

what do you think?

should the games be boycotted

btw, I say no to a boycott.

But then again, the Moscow games were boycotted in 1980 and look what happened in 1991 ..The end of the USSR (direct cause and effect albeit 11 years later haha ..  )

[WestCoast]

BOYCOTT day armen oui


but then again I am NOT an Athelete.....

[kounty]

I notice teh bbc does always put in this line:

TIBET DIVIDE
 
- China says Tibet was always part of its territory
- Tibet enjoyed long periods of autonomy before 20th century
- 1950: China launched a military assault
- Opposition to Chinese rule led to a bloody uprising in 1959
- Tibet's spiritual leader the Dalai Lama fled to sanctuary in India

man...how the f**k china going to keep all the protesters at bay when the actual olympics start? 
I think it might be more fruitful not to boycott but for protesters to go and bring attention to the issue there.  but then again how it going to get on the media?  does the chinese national media have total media rights to the games?  man if china could pull this one off wihtout getting embarrassed, there is no hope for tibet or anyone in china.

[ribbit]

BOYCOTT day armen oui


but then again I am NOT an Athelete.....

here are secretary of state rice's comments on the matter:


During her wide-ranging interview with The Times, the secretary also said that boycotting the Summer Olympics in Beijing would be an ineffective way to address China's "troublesome policies" and called the U.S. boycott of the 1980 games in Moscow "feckless."

"They invade Afghanistan and the best you can think of is to boycott the Olympics and keep athletes who have been training their entire life from going and competing," Miss Rice said of the Carter administration's decision to protest the Soviet regime at the time.

"Who are you kidding? I do not see the benefit of boycotting," she said. "I do not think the boycott of the 1980 Olympics was very effective. In fact, I think it looked feckless."

President Bush plans to go to Beijing for the Olympics in August, and Miss Rice said he will bring up China's human rights record, Beijing's close ties with the Sudanese government, which Washington has accused of committing genocide in the Darfur region, as well as other issues of concern.

"If you go there, I do think you have an obligation before, during and after to continue to engage the regime about troublesome policies," the secretary said.

"This is a moment of international recognition for the Chinese people, too, and I would hate to do anything that is insulting to them as well — the people, not the regime," she said.

[Dutty]

Condi toeing the party line...too much Buick being assembled over dey  .....although I agree, sport shoudnt have to pay for politics

Tibet people fed up of this non violent ting.....olympic games should be interesting