Korean Job Discussion Forums

mithridates · Posted: Sat Mar 15, 2008 9:20 pm Post subject:

I said no until a few days ago when I saw the news of Beijing taking cats away in cages to death camps in order to 'clean up' the city before people arrive. Nothing justifies the killing of cats in that way.

Kuros · Joined: 27 Apr 2004

mithridates · Posted: Sat Mar 15, 2008 9:35 pm Post subject:

igotthisguitar · Posted: Sat Mar 15, 2008 11:14 pm Post subject:

jvalmer · Joined: 06 Jun 2003

No boycott. It is far more effective having something happen during the Olympics that would embarras them if someone is planning it. The Chinese government would have a hard time trying to black-out the news with all the reporters and visitors that will be there in a fully participated-in Olympic Games.

saw6436 · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Location: Daejeon, ROK

*beep* china!

Kuros · Joined: 27 Apr 2004

igotthisguitar · Posted: Sun Mar 16, 2008 7:08 pm Post subject:

Olympic Official: Athletes Mulling Beijing Boycott
Sun Mar 16, 4:04 PM

BERLIN (AFP) - International Olympic Committee vice-president Thomas Bach said a number of top athletes were considering boycotting the games in China over the bloody crackdown on protesters in Tibet.

Bach told Bild am Sonntag newspaper he understood the athletes' concerns about the situation in Tibet but said he was advising them to participate.

"They will realise when they assess the situation that it is better to make an appearance than to stay away. That is a symbol that will be noticed by the public," he said.

Asked if human rights had been a concern when Beijing was selected to host the August Games, Bach said the IOC believed the intense focus on China would have a positive effect.

"We are of the opinion that the Games will help China open up. But we cannot solve the problems that UN secretaries general have not been able to solve for generations," he said.

"The Olympic Games can foster change and be a catalyst for a solution but they are not a panacea."

Bach said the current debate over China reminded him of the discussions before the US-led boycott of the Olympic Games in Moscow in 1980 over the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.

He urged an end to the violence in Tibet.

"We call on both sides to reject violence," he said. "I hope there will be a peaceful solution."

The newspaper quoted German athletes expressing doubts about China as the host for the Games.

"I have considered whether I can compete in China under these conditions," equestrian Ludger Beerbaum said. "We will surely discuss the issue amongst ourselves here at the tournament in Dortmund (running until Sunday)."

Javelin thrower Christian Obergfoell said the Games were her first priority but that her impression of China had worsened with the latest developments.

"I had been asking myself the whole time why they gave the Olympic Games to China," she said.

"After Tibet, my feeling will not be any better."

The unrest in Tibet followed three days of protests by hundreds of monks in Lhasa, India and elsewhere around the world marking the anniversary of a failed 1959 uprising against Chinese rule.

The Tibetan government-in-exile has said 80 have been confirmed dead in the Himalayan region, contradicting the Chinese official report of 10 fatalities.

Tibet's exiled spiritual leader the Dalai Lama on Sunday condemned the violence ... but said the Beijing Olympics should go ahead, rejecting calls for a boycott by Tibetan exiles Idea

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/afp/080316/top_news/china_unrest_tibet_rights_oly2008_germany_1

Kuros · Joined: 27 Apr 2004

Well, since even the Dalai Lama says I can go, I'm certainly going.

igotthisguitar · Posted: Sun Mar 16, 2008 7:29 pm Post subject:

BBC Dalai Lama On Tibet Riots

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aiNg8y-vJRQ

Dalai Lama Calls For "Inquiry" Into Tibet "Crackdown"
Sun Mar 16, 6:47 PM

The Dalai Lama called on Sunday for an international investigation into the crackdown against protesters in Tibet, saying the region is facing "cultural genocide."

Speaking from Dharamsala, India, the Tibetan spiritual leader told reporters "some respected international organization can find out what the situation is in Tibet and what is the cause."

"Whether intentionally or unintentionally, some cultural genocide is taking place," said the Dalai Lama, who is living in exile in India along with about 125,000 other Tibetan refugees.

"There is some kind of discrimination and Tibetans in their own land quite often are treated as second-class citizens," he added.

There are reports that as many as 80 protesters have been killed. The figures could not be independently verified as China heavily restricts foreign media access to Tibet.

The crackdown came after five days of peaceful protests in the Tibetan capital, Lhasa, escalated into violence on Friday, with Buddhist monks launching the fiercest challenge to Beijing's rule over the region in nearly two decades.

Concern over the loss of Tibetan culture has played a role in the tensions.

Chinese immigrants have been flocking to Lhasa in recent years, and at the height of Friday's unrest, demonstrators set fire to Chinese-owned shops and hurled rocks at local police.

Hundreds of armed police and soldiers were patrolling the streets of Lhasa on Sunday. Hong Kong Cable TV reported some 200 military vehicles on Sunday drove into the city centre, which was mostly empty.

There were also unconfirmed reports of further Tibetan independence protests leading to arrests and casualties in China's southwestern Sichuan province. A police officer said about 200 protesters burned down a police station.

The Chinese government has attempted to control what the public can see and hear about protests that erupted Friday.

Access to YouTube, usually available in China, was *beeped* after videos appeared on the website Saturday showing foreign news reports about the Lhasa demonstrations, montages of photos and scenes from Tibet-related protests abroad.

Television reports by CNN and the BBC were periodically cut during the day, and the screens went *beep* during a live speech by the Dalai Lama carried on the networks.

Canada's Foreign Affairs Department has advised Canadians to avoid all non-essential travel to Tibet. Those now in the region should "seek safe havens in hotels and other buildings and remain indoors," it said.

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/cbc/080316/topstories/world_tibet_9

Adventurer · Joined: 28 Jan 2006

mithridates · Posted: Sun Mar 16, 2008 8:24 pm Post subject:

bgreenster · Joined: 06 Feb 2007 Location: too far from the beach

I've been reading a lot about this these past few days, and I have wavered a bit in my conclusions...

I don't think that Beijing should have been given the Olympics in the first place, although many people are making the (seemingly valid) point that it will hopefully have a positive outcome due to the scrutiny that China has undergone because they are hosting.

While I personally am boycotting China, and the Beijing Olympics, I do not necessarily think that other governments as a whole should. My brain is a bit overwhelmed with information at the moment, but I have read things saying that the 1980 Moscow boycott was ineffective, and also I don't think that athletes that have trained their whole lives for this event should be punished because of a government's issues. It's not like we can have another Olympics this year in a back-up country after deciding to boycott Beijing.

What is currently upsetting me almost as much, though, are the countries (such as the UK) that are enforcing athletes to sign contracts saying that they will not make any political statements, or they will be thrown off the Olympic team. I understand that they don't want the Olympics to cause this huge political tension due to athletes voicing their opinions, but this stipulation disgusts me. One of most heinous human rights violation is the Chinese government's control over what is said and written, and these countries want to do the same thing to their athletes?

If one of the reasons given for having the Olympics in Beijing is that it will open China up to international scrutiny, you have to allow people to talk. Let's not pretend that the Olympics are not political.

igotthisguitar · Posted: Mon Mar 17, 2008 6:05 am Post subject:

igotthisguitar · Posted: Mon Mar 17, 2008 9:17 pm Post subject:

In the wake of recently *beeped* developments in Tibet, i started a new poll over in the "off-topic" section just a few days ago.

Interesting how the results compare to the earlier poll which i "bumped" here in the CE section just last week.

Might the tide be shifting?

Would You Boycott The Olympics In China?

Yes
63% [ 26 ]

No
21% [ 9 ]

Maybe
14% [ 6 ]

Total Votes : 41

Original section CE poll ...

Posted: Sun May 08, 2005 2:17 am

*bumped* March 15th.