China Veiling Light

Would you like to ensure that your blog or internet site or newspaper or book, etc. is made inaccessible for over one billion people? Then simply point out how little respect for human rights, freedom of speech, protection of minorities, the right freely to demonstrate, and especially the chance to criticize the government exists in the so-called People's Republic of China, a country of unbridled capitalism for the few, immense poverty for the masses, freedom for none, privilege for cronies, and exclusive power in the hands of what claims to be a communist party allowing no political competition. The Olympic games there will provide the ultimate proof of the games' commercial philosophy while disregarding any claim to promoting the fellowship of mankind.

Reporters sans frontières - China

Forty per cent of the 163 China-based foreign journalists polled by the Foreign Correspondents Club of China (FCCC) in 2007 said they had experienced some form of interference by the authorities since 1 January. A total of 157 incidents (arrests, surveillance, intimidation of sources, violence or threats) were reported to the FCCC. Asked if China had kept the promise made in 2001 by Wang Wei of the Beijing Organising Committee for the Games to give the foreign media complete freedom to work, 67 per cent said No. Only 8.6 per cent said Yes.

And this doesn't even begin to explore China's denial of rights to its own citizens, as the following excerpt from an article from today's newspaper, with link to the full story, reveals !

Berliner Zeitung

Chinas Polizei trainiert für Olympia
Bernhard Bartsch

Knapp ein Jahr vor den Olympischen Spielen und kurz vor dem am 15. Oktober beginnenden Parteikongress verschärft Chinas Regierung die Repressionen gegen Regimekritiker. In den vergangenen Wochen wurden zahlreiche prominente Aktivisten festgenommen, meist ohne Haftbefehl.
Berliner Zeitung, 04.10.2007