The Political Asylum

Vintage Girl · Posted: Sun Mar 16, 2008 7:48 pm Post subject: Tibet

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/7299597.stm

This seems to be an extremely volatile situation and I don't give much hope for the tibetans chances against the might of the Chinese nation.

I've always thought of Tibet as such a peace-loving nation.
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mulberrymagnet · Inmate of the Asylum Joined: 05 Nov 2006 Posts: 536

I think its the Chinese who aren't the peace loving folk VG..
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BlueEmperor · Posted: Mon Mar 17, 2008 2:50 am Post subject:

This should re-focus all our minds on the shameful spectacle that will be the Beijing Olympics.

I am firmly of the opinion that we should boycott them but what I really want to know is how on earth we ever got into this situation in the first place.

B.E.

JuanaLaLoca · Posted: Mon Mar 17, 2008 3:10 am Post subject:

I agree that China should not have gotten the Olympics. I have nothing against their athletes competing, and the Games should be apart from politics, but with their human rights record, they should not have been awarded the honor of hosting in the first place. But I do think that boycotting would be bringing politics into it, and the athletes don't deserve that. Many of them work their whole lives to make their dream come true, and some may not get another chance.

BlueEmperor · Posted: Mon Mar 17, 2008 7:37 pm Post subject:

I don't see how people can condone giving an air of respectability to a vile and repressive regime in the name of not 'politicising' sport. Does the sporting fraternity not have an equal responsibility in upholding certain values? What makes sportsmen so special?

I think, frankly, that it belittles the Tibetan protesters being murdered and beaten by their Chinese overlords that we describe the prospect of boycotting the Beijing Olympics as 'politicising' sport - like we're talking about David Beckham talking about how he votes or a particular political party claiming to be 'the party of sport' and trying to paint the opposition as 'anti-sport'. That's politicising sport. What I am talking about is the international community taking a stand in defence of human rights.

B.E.

adrien · Posted: Mon Mar 31, 2008 10:17 am Post subject:

I'm mitigated over this issue. Giving the games to Beijing was supposed to force them to open up and make the human rights situation in China... well, at least more acceptable. From this point of view, it seems it's only half a success - the media have never talked as much about human rights in China and Tibet as they do now, and I think there has never been as many journalists in China.

On a personal level, I can't see what I could do. I've never had any interest in the games, and I'm not going to start watching them now - but I can hardly boycott either. So I don't really know what I could do...

Those who can act I think are our representative, Presidents and Prime ministers and officials who can chose not to attend the opening ceremony in August if things don't get better by then. Another thing would be to let the athletes show their support to the human right cause. I read a French athlete suggested they could wear a green ribbon - though they're not supposed to do that, because the games are "apolitical", but if there's many of them the IOC cannot sanction them all, I think.

By the way, did you know that Juan Antonio Samaranch, former President of the IOC when Beijing was given the games, was also a former member of Franco's government ? (He was Government Secretary for... Sports, of course.)
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BlueEmperor · Posted: Mon Mar 31, 2008 10:09 pm Post subject:

And sport isn't political.

I am not deluding myself into thinking that we're going to get many Western governments to boycott the Beijing Olympics but I am hopeful that some may be persuaded to boycott the opening ceremony, which is the lavish bit that the host countries really look forward to.

B.E.
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