Chinese media to planet earth: you are wrong on Tibet....
- 6 Apr 08, 10:39 PM
Twenty-five 鈥渢orch relay offenders鈥 were arrested, China鈥檚 official news agency Xinhua reported tersely just now. They showed a photo of Gordon Brown with the torch and interviewed a man called 鈥淣ick鈥 who bemoaned the politicisation of the games. Nowhere did explain what the issue behind the protest was.
My colleagues on 大象传媒 Sport, meanwhile, had to turn the special programme on the Olympic Flame relay into something resembling an highlights video of the Met Police rugby team blitz defence. The attempt to take the flame from Konnie Huq is , closely followed by the attempt to douse it with a fire extinguisher. As Dame Kelly Holmes ran into the Dome flanked by police, more police, and Chinese men in blue uniforms whose jurisdiction on British soil in not, even now, clear to me, the 鈥渇riendly Olympics鈥 looked about as friendly as the Poll Tax riot.
It鈥檚 been a major publicity coup for the protesters and a PR disaster for the British government. With publicity like this you do not need Youtube, although there is plenty on also.
However, almost unnoticed except by Zhongnanologists (the Chinese version of Kremlinology is named after the CCP HQ in Beijing) the Chinese goverenment is mounting its own international media campaign, and I think it is worth readers of this blog having a look at it...
From the pictures it looked to me like the protests today were predominantly about Tibet. Free Tibet was the slogan on the 74m square banner dropped by abseilers from Westminster Bridge and there were many Tibetan flags on show. Maybe Darfur was raised, maybe the 26 trade unionists in jail, the 400,000 detained without trial; maybe also , the recently jailed dissident. But if the Olympc boycott movement does become centred on Tibet I think China is trying to send a clear diplomatic signal to the world that it has chosen the "wrong issue".
The Chinese media has launched an unprecedented global campaign against what it says is biased reporting of the unrest in Tibet, quoting from blogs and launching a massive online petition. Let me give you a taste of some of the headlines from People鈥檚 Daily Online:
鈥Netizens mourn Lhasa riot victims: An Internet user with a name "Heng Yan" initiated a BBS on www.xinhuanet.com in which netizens are called on to present virtual Khatag, a kind of long piece of silk used by Tibetans for blessing.鈥
鈥CPC urges more loyalty among Party members in Tibetan regions: Party organs should emphasize more facts that illustrate the huge progress achieved in Tibet and other Tibetan-inhabited regions in the past half century to officials and ordinary people, the circular said.鈥
Another article from People鈥檚 Daily Online quotes posters to a bulletin board: 鈥淗owever dissatisfied I am with my salary, I won't support the Taiwan secessionists鈥; and "However disappointed I am in my life, I won't do anything to dissociate my nation."
There is a clear subtext to this coverage and it is worth spelling out for those who don't have much experience of the Chinese bureaucracy: any threat to the territorial sovereignty of the People鈥檚 Republic of China is a turn off even for many of those who are critical of economic conditions or the absence of democratic rights.
I read some of the stories above even as an overt attempt to signal this to the western public: it's as if they are saying - even our web-savvy bulletin board generation is a) not going to rally to the Dalai Lama and b) they are gonna take apart any lazy or unsubstantiated reporting just the way your guys/girls in the internet cafe like to do. There's more about all this .
See also on Youtube;.
Actually if there could be a web based dialogue over the claim and counterclaim coming out of Tibet, involving both those loyal to Beijing and those who oppose it, it would take the Chinese internet into new territory: so I am inviting my counterparts on People's Daily to post here.
When I relaunched this blog as a temporary space to discuss China my intent was to broaden the range of subjects we discuss about China. But today's London protest will reverberate around the world and may actually kick off a more sustained diplomatic standoff, not between western governments and China but more like between western campaigners and China, with western governments looking pretty helpless trapped in the middle, as today.
So I invite the Chinese bloggers and BBS posters engaged in scrutinising the western media's coverage to join the debate here. Likewise campaigners for democracy in China of all persuasions, and the Tibetan youth whose protest - according to one Buddhist source who knows them - is soon to become an "intifada". Hit the comment button below...
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Metaphor for the age...
A minor ex-TV kids' show 'celebrity' of uncertain sporting relevance, 'protected' by, um, non-UK bluesuit minders, gets top billing through being targeted by a human rights protester whilst participating in a PR stunt first dreamt up by Josef Goebbels, staged by a totalitarian regime feted by a theoretically ethically-driven democratic host country with stuff to sell and its eye on the future.
Welcome to the world in 2008. Now what was/is the Olympics about again?
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'BBS posters' ?
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Hi,
Why all this fuss about the Olympics? It is a business, plain and simple, not sport, that will ignore anything that gets in the way of its success. London 2012 is GO yet the population of the UK are denied the right to participate freely on their own soil in some of the events, namely target pistol shooting. Is this any different from China whose people can take part in these events. Where is the repression? What are the IOC doing about this flagrant breach of their principles? Nothing!! Protesters have every right thank goodness to peacefully air their views over here so far, but the involvement of the Chinese minders in our policing may herald the dawn of a new repressive era for us all. Totalitarian regimes policing the streets of the UK. The Olympic business machine is alive and well and getting its own way ahead of the British public. If anything should be banned by this "ban it" government then the Olympics should be top of the list. Opiate of the masses springs to mind!
Regards,
George
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Dear sirs,
Please vist this website, which gives a clearer picture of Tibet history through the ages, instead of the picture that the general public have, as seen in the hollywood "7 years in Tibet" film fodder.
The author Foster Stockwell, is a son of american missionaries sent to Tibet.
I promise it's worth the read. It's simply written so one does not get bogged down in too much highbrow information.
According to the writer the biggest problem for the region was the backdoor / under the table dealings of the British and Russian interests, later complicated by USA intervention.
The other associated writers links also give further insite into what is now a very troubled region in this sad world of ours.
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When will these athletes stop mouthing the mantra "the Olympic spirit"? The Olympic spirit died years ago. The choice of venue is a political decision...although to be fair it's often been down to bribery. The athletes have been preparing for years and it would be a shame to deny them the opportunity to compete....think of all the drugs that they've invested in. "Olympic spirit"....do us a favour.
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BBS posters = people who post on bulletin boards -
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By continuing participation in these sporting games and by not taking a decisive stand against China's human rights abuses including Tibet, 400,000 policital prisoners, etc.. the West and the rest of the World is in a way allowing all these things to carry on happening in China. Surely there should be a complete boycot of the games now. How China was ever given the right to hold the games in the first place is beyond my comprehension.
China is total defiance to all the human rights progress standards that the rest of the world has made over the last century when it carries on like it is does and has been and will continue to do if we in the West don't demand her to change now.
The rest of the World can survive without China politically and economically...and it may actually be best in the long run economically for other countries do go it alone without China.
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There is so much hype about China and their crack down in Tibet. What really surprised me is: there have been bombardments in Iraq and Afghanistan for many years now. No one knows how many has died so far from so called 鈥渓iberation鈥. Did we protest enough? Has anything changed since then here or across the Atlantic?
Let鈥檚 start by boycotting Chinese products to teach them a lesson? Don鈥檛 stop there.. boycott American products too.. Can we do that?
I think we need to question ourselves here. We preach diplomacy and fight with police to extinguish the Olympic touch! is this the right way go about doing this?
Did we ever wonder how 鈥渢he鈥 west come up to this level? Slavery, colonialism. Do not forget the past! Now we call ourselves "the" defenders of human rights.
I feel the issue here is the sudden rise of China and many people are afraid of it.
Talk to China. Listen to China. We do not want another WMD saga do we?
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I am getting close to an answer about the "Men in Blue". They are "flame guards" and according to the Met have "no executive role" while in London. Strange then that our footage shows them restraining protesters and, according to one flame carrier, behaving in a controlling and "robotic" way. Watch Newsnight tonight for the full story.
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People target sporting events for political reasons only when their voices are heard in few other fora. I understand British police told Tibetan supporting protesters to remove their banners and T-shirts for fear of embarassing the Chinese Government. When will our government get it - people care about human rights - they care about powerless people being exploited and oppressed and they don't like when we condone these actions with our inaction. I'm only sorry I couldn't be there myself.
Judith
Glasgow
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Many of us in the West have acknowledged the Free Tibet campaign which has been fortunate, unlike Burma, to have attracted good media coverage over many years through the high profile individuals who have supported the cause. However, like our Governments who turned their back on the Tibetan people nearly fifty years ago the majority of people have made no attempt to press China into acknowledging their deeds in Tibet where hundreds of thousands of Tibetans have been killed and their way of life suffocated by the Chinese Government and the Han migrants. The Olympics has presented campaigners with the perfect platform to remind us that life for the Tibetan people is not a game and medals for living are not awarded.
I visited Tibet last year and travelled around Lhasa and on to the western edge of the country near the Indian/Nepalese border. The Tibetan people are friendly, generous and welcoming to their visitors. The Chinese lurk in the background making their life difficult by continually checking their movements and watching their every move. They have tried to suppress their culture but it lives quietly below the surface although it is the spread of commercialism that will influence change especially young people in and around Lhasa which is a cut down version of a small American town.
There is much to say but the overwhelming reaction of everyone we talked to on leaving was that their curiosity about the country was satisfied but that they were in no rush to go back. For me this was summed up by the soulless feel that permeated life in a way that only the monolithic states of China and latterly Russia have been able to create. Yet from below the surface a Free Tibet would recover it's energy and the world would be a better place for the cultural and social contribution they would make as opposed to dictatorial limits of China.
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Hello, I am Tibetan refugee from India. Although I am really sad about my compatriots suffering under the present regime, I also feel empathy with thousand of other fellow Chinese who are suffering under this ruthless regime. Think about the people in East Turkistan, Democracy activist, writers, thinkers and intellectuals in China, the Falun Gong and the millions of marginalised people created by the China's supposed economic progress. I think the Communist Government in China should now pave way for democracy in China. Until and unless the government change their tactics of governance, they would have a sleepless night. This is just a begining... Communist grip is cracking up. In this age of internet and instant news, Communism and iron grip has no place. FREE CHINA From the tyrannies of Communist bosses.
Dignity, freedom, respect for all sections of people in China.
FREE CHINA. FREE MANCHURIA, FREE TIBET, FREE EAST TURKISTAN, JUSTICE TO FALUN GONG, RESPECT TO THE ACTIVIST.
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shame on you!!
大象传媒 is a novel!!!
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I'm from China.I read some comments of this page.I'm shocked.What I want to tell u is:Actually,few of you west people know the true Tibet and China.Somebody even said that China is total defiance to all the human rights progress standards that the rest of the world has made over the last century.what a lie!can you believe that?in 21s centruy.there is still people have such thoughts!we Chinese have our human rights.maybe not in your rules,but we are free,we are strong,we are developing now.Tibet is a part of China.that's a fact.in the past hundreds of year.it's always a part of my China.nobody can seperate it from China.ok,just like the north Ireland of UK銆倃hy are you trying to seperate my country?you want to talk about the human rights?what have you done in Iraq?have they attacking you?have you found the weapons what you believe there?how about the human rights you give to the Iraq people?human rights?how about the colored people in your west world?how about the Insultion you give to the balcks?human rights?18 peoples died in the event of Tibet,and now you tell me the killers are right?our policemen ,soldiers kept quiet,they are attacked by rocks and fire.those killers even cut the meat from our policeman's body.where is his human right?you know very very few of the history of Tibet. have you been to Tibet?have you heard the voices from the people who lived in Tibet now?they want peace.and now,what are you doing now?I'm so sad.your eys are closed.you people in west don't see the truth.there are more than 40 nations in Tibet.what they want is not fight but peace.that's the only truth.maybe you should read more about the history of Tibet and go to Tibet to see the Truth with your own eyes.
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It is naive to assume that pro-Chinese posts are spontaneous expressions of the citizens. Maybe some of them are, but I hear echoes of droning tourist guides telling American tourists in the Soviet Union all about exceeding quotas at tractor factories. (True story, I swear-in Yalta, 1984.) Now the Chinese have framed some poor Tibetan monks, claiming that these ardent pacifists set off a bomb. What obvious BS that is!
I greatly admire the Tibetan demonstrators and the Han Chinese civil rights activists that the repressive dictatorship governing China has imprisoned and tortured. The Dalai Lama is, like Martin Luther King and Mahatma Gandhi, a spiritual leader who is both a pacifist and an passionate civil rights leader. Free Tibet! Boycott Olympic sponsors, and boycott Chinese goods!
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How come the US gets to meddle wherever it wants and manipulate its neighbour, Mexico, and yet so many people complain about the world's largest producer (of pretty much everything) having a prescence in a country which has about as much independence as Chechnya? And why isn't NATO keeping an eye on the Chinese in Tibet?
It seems like democracy brings nothing but indecision...
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How do you know pro-Chinese posts are not spontaneous? I think you are naive! if that, I think you are also not spontaneous to speak as that, you are controlled by your government!
If you didn't have experience on china, please not speak as you really know china!
you'd better see more information both on west and china media, not only full believe your west media, if that, why your west media not protest USA as that done to china?
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